3rd Shock Army

During the Second World War, some Shock armies included armoured trains and air–sled equipped units.

It was initially a part of the Moscow Defense Zone in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK).

However, 3rd Shock was soon allocated to join the North–Western Front on 27 December 1941 as part of the Moscow counteroffensive.

Matters were not improved by the lack of supplies, aggravated by horrible communications; the assault troops did not get a full meal before the offensive due to food shortages.

With some success in view, Stalin widened the operation's goals, and with a Stavka directive on 19 January directed 3rd Shock, as part of the wider operation, to head for Velikie Luki, and then to Vitebsk, Orsha, and Smolensk.

The Army got no further than Velikie Luki, and was unable to take the town in the face of stiffening German resistance and shortages of food, fuel, and ammunition.

[7] This would see the Soviets astride the routes leading to the rear of Army Group North and cut vital rail links.

The 2nd Baltic Front was now facing central Latvia, and on 2 August 1944 the armies were on the march again, with 3rd Shock tasked to move south of Lake Lubań and on to the south of Madon, but after the Soviet forces seized Krustpils, some heavy fighting followed with only limited success.

3rd Shock forced a passage over a tributary of the Dvina River, the Oger, on 19 August, but then had to fend off a strong German attack mounted by three divisions with air support.

[8] 3rd Shock then took part in the blockade of the Courland pocket, and the first Soviet attacks started on 16 October.

However, by the end of October, it was seen that despite some advances, there was little hope for full success, and the Army was shifted south.

The Army was placed in the second echelon for the Warsaw–Poznań strategic offensive operation, attacking in the direction of Poznań under Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front.

On 7 March, 3rd Shock entered Shtepenitts, and liberated Gollnov together with troops of the 2nd Guards Tank Army.