[3] The corps was initially formed in March 1940 attached to the Leningrad Military District, and held in reserve near the Pskov Fortified Region.

Despite these delays, the formation of the first new mechanized corps was completed by October and the 1st became one of the most well-manned and -equipped due to the number of units used to form it.

[7] After the invasion began, the Leningrad Military District was renamed to the Northern Front and was overseen by Lieutenant General Markian M. Popov.

The front fielded the 14th, 7th, and 23rd Armies, the 65th Rifle Corps and the Leningrad Military District forces, including the 2nd Division of NKVD troops.

On 11 July 1941, Colonel Pavel Poluboiarov [ru] on the Northwestern Front reported that the 1st Mechanized Corps had at the present moment fewer than 100 tanks remaining.

[9] After the end of World War II, the Corps became part of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany.

It was located in the 1936 Olympic Village (de:Olympisches Dorf (Berlin)) (Dallgow-Döberitz barracks) and formed part of the 2nd Guards Tank Army.