Kiev Military District

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Kiev Military District
Active	1921 - November 1, 1992
Country	Soviet Union
Size	150,000(1990)
Part of	South-Western Strategic Direction
HQ	Kiev
Tanks APCs Artillery Helicopters	1,500 1,500 700 100
Engagements	World War II

The Kiev Military District (KMD) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, active from around 1939 to the 1990s.

Contents 1 History 1.1 First Formation 1.2 Second Formation 1.3 Disbanded 2 Order of Battle 2.1 1920 2.2 1943-1991 3 Commanders 4 References

[edit] History

[edit] First Formation

The District was formed after the Russian Revolution and active by 1921.^[1] In 1935 the eastern half of the Ukrainian Military District became the new Kharkov Military District, and at that point the Kiev MD was probably reformed as well.

When the German Operation Barbarossa began on June 22, 1941, the then Kiev Special Military District became the Soviet Southwestern Front.

[edit] Second Formation

The District was formed again on October 25, 1943, with the Headquarters in Kiev.^[2] In June of 1946, 7 oblasts of the disbanded Kharkov Military District were added to the KMD. The District now included: Kyiv Oblast, Cherkasy Oblast, Uman Oblast, Voroshilovgrad Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Poltava Oblast, Stalin Oblast, Sumy Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast and Chernihiv Oblast.

Units stationed in the District were 1st Guards Army and 6th Guards Tank Army. 69th Air Army was active from the early 1950s to at least 1964 in the district.(See ru:Колесник, Василий Артёмович) In 1959 the 17th Air Army was relocated to the District from Mongolia to provide air support. The 60th Corps of the 8th Air Defense Army provided air defense for the District.^[3]

[edit] Disbanded

In 1991, Colonel General Viktor S. Chechevatov^[4] was dismissed as District commander for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to Ukraine. The District was disbanded after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, by November 1, 1992^[5], and its structure utilized as the basis for the new Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and General Staff^[6].

[edit] Order of Battle

[edit] 1920

In the early 1920s the District included the following divisions:^[7]

• 3rd Crimea Rifle Division
• 7th Chernigov Rifle Division
• 15th Sivashsk Division
• 24th Samaro-Simbirsk Iron Rifle Division
• 25th Chapaev Rifle Division
• 30th Irkutsk Rifle Division
• 44th Kiev Mountain Rifle Division
• 45th Volhynia Rifle Division
• 51st Perekop Rifle Division

[edit] 1943-1991

• 6th Guards Tank Army - Dnipropetrovsk
• 1st Guards Army -Chernihiv
• 17th Air Army
• 8th Air Defense Army
  • 60th Corps

[edit] Commanders

• Colonel General Andrei Grechko - July 09, 1945 - May 25, 1953^[8]
• Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Chuikov - May 26, 1953 - April 1960
• General of the Army Pyotr Koshevoy - April 1960 - January 1965
• General of the Army Ivan Yakubovsky - January 1965 - April 1967
• General-Polkovnik Viktor Kulikov - April 1967 - 1969
• General-Polkovnik G. Salmanov - April 1969 - 1975
• General-Polkovnik I. Gerasimov - 1975 - 1984
• General-Polkovnik V. Osipov - 1984 - 1989
• General-Polkovnik Boris Gromov - 1989 - January 1990
• General-Polkovnik Viktor Chechevatov - January 1990 - 1991

[edit] References

1. ^ Leon Trotsky: 1921-1923 - How The Revolution Armed/Volume IV (The Case of Red Army Man Kozlov)
2. ^ Kiev RedStar. M., 1974 pg431
3. ^ Feskov et al, The Soviet Army during the period of the Cold War, Tomsk University, Tomsk, 2004 pg 8
4. ^ Persons - NUPI
5. ^ Про розформування Київського військового округу| вiд 16.10.1992 № 497/92
6. ^ ANALYSIS: Ukraine adopts program for military reform (03/02/97)
7. ^ Lenskii 2001
8. ^ Feskov et al, The Soviet Army during the period of the Cold War, Tomsk University, Tomsk, 2004 pg 16