The army was first formed in June 1941 in the North Caucasus Military District under the command of General Lieutenant Ivan Konev.
The army received orders from the People's Commissar for Defence, Marshal Semyon Timoshenko, to defend the Kiev Fortified Region.
On 11 July, the 19th Army was strengthened by 7th Mechanized Corps and on the next day attacked Vitebsk anew.
19th Army Staff with great effort broke out of the encirclement near Wadino and received new divisions under its command.
In the middle of October part of the army fought its way out of the encirclement to the Mozhaisk defence line.
Lukin and Chief of Staff General Major Vasily Malyshkin became prisoners of war.
General Lieutenant Ivan Boldin then took command, but soon afterwards the army was disbanded, on 20 October 1941.
Army was formed on a base of Kandalaksha Operational Group which was a part of the Karelian Front.
In September, her forces defeated enemy Allakurti group and by the months end reached the USSR state border with Finland on river Naruska-Joki, lake Onikamo-Jarvi where the army went on the defence.
On 15 November 1944 army was transferred into the Stavka Reserve and in January 1945 it was positioned near Grodno and Białystok.
Then it took part in the East Pomeranian Offensive (10 February-4 April) during which course on 5 March it advanced to the coast of the Baltic Sea north of Koslin (Koszalin) and had an important role in the destruction of the east-Pomeranian enemy group.
In April-beginning of May the units of the army took part in destruction of enemy group in western coast of Danzig Bay.