29th Tank Corps

The 29th Tank Corps was a tank corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army. Formed in February 1943, the corps served through the entire war, fighting in the Battle of Prokhorovka, the Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive, the Battle of the Dnieper, the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, Operation Bagration, and the East Prussian Offensive. After the war ended, it was converted into a tank division.

29th Tank Corps
Active	1943–1945
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Engagements	World War II Battle of Prokhorovka Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive Battle of the Dnieper Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive East Prussian Offensive
Decorations	Order of Lenin  Order of the Red Banner  Order of Suvorov 2nd class
Battle honours	Znamianka
Commanders
Notable commanders	Ivan Kirichenko Yevgeny Fominykh

Formation

The corps began forming on 22 February 1943 at the Moscow Armored Training Center near Naro-Fominsk, and soon became part of the new 5th Guards Tank Army. The 29th included the 25th, 31st, and 32nd Tank Brigades, the 53rd Motor Rifle Brigade, the 271st Mortar Regiment, and other smaller units, and was commanded by Major General Fyodor Anikushkin. Its chief of staff was Colonel Yevgeny Fominykh. The corps' three tank brigades were battle-hardened, but the others were newly formed and had not yet seen combat. On 2 March, Colonel Ivan Kirichenko became the corps commander.[1] By 12 March, the corps concentrated 30 kilometers southwest of Millerovo, where it was joined by combat support units and received reinforcements. On 19 March, the entire army was ordered by Stavka to concentrate near Ostrogozhsk by 24 March, in a march taking place during the spring rasputitsa.[2]

After reaching the Ostrogozhsk area, the corps began intensive combat training on 1 April in anticipation of upcoming operations. In early May, army commander Lieutenant General Pavel Rotmistrov reorganized the tank brigades in order to create a strong corps reserve to repel unexpected enemy tank attacks and develop the breakthrough, the 32nd Brigade was equipped with only T-34 medium tanks, consisting of two battalions with three companies each, a total of 65 tanks. The 32nd's T-70 light tanks were transferred to the 25th and 31st Brigades, which also had a two-battalion structure, with the first battalion equipped with T-34s and the second battalion with T-70s. The corps was completely formed by 10 May after it was joined by the 14th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment and the 108th Anti-tank Artillery Regiment. On 30 May, the corps' brigades and the 271st Mortar Regiment received their battle flags in a ceremony.[3]

Battle of Prokhorovka

T-34s of the corps in start positions during the Battle of Prokhorovka

In two separate marches, first during the day on 7 July, and second on the night of 9 July, the corps covered a combined distance of 300 kilometers to reach its starting positions in the ravines to the north of Prokhorovka. [4] The corps then fought in the Battle of Prokhorovka, a Soviet counterattack during the Battle of Kursk.

Postwar

On 10 June 1945, the 29th Tank Corps was converted into the 29th Tank Division, and its brigades became regiments.[5]

References

Citations

1. "Ivan Kirichenko". warheroes.ru (in Russian).
2. Kulan 2013, pp. 5–7.
3. Kulan 2013, p. 8.
4. Kulan 2013, p. 14.
5. Kulan 2013, p. 107.

Bibliography

• Kulan, Ivan (2013). 70 лет на службе Отечеству: История и боевой путь 29-го Знаменского ордена Ленина Краснознамённого ордена Суворова II степени танкового корпуса [70 Years in Service to the Fatherland: History and Combat Path of the 29th Tank Corps] (in Russian). Minsk.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)