16th Army (Soviet Union) - Second Formation, 16th Army

Second Formation, 16th Army

As part of a restructuring of the forces of Western Front, on 10 August 1941 the second formation of 16 Army was created from forces in the Yartsevo area and placed under the command of Major-General Konstantin Rokossovsky. In September 1941 the newly promoted Lieutenant-General Rokossovsky was tasked with defending the Volokolamsk Highway, and preventing any advance by German forces towards Moscow. By late November, 16th Army had gradually been forced back to the line Krasnaya Polyana-Kryukovo-Istra, but here it held firm until the Red Army went over to the offensive in December. In January 1942 the Army conducted an offensive on the Gzhatsk axis.

In the second half of January 1942, the forces of 16 Army were transferred to the command of 5th Army, and 16 Army Headquarters was deployed to the area of Sukhinichi, where the Army HQ took command of some of the troops and defensive positions of 10th Army. By February the frontline positions in the Sukhinichi area had stabilized.

On 15 July 1942, Rokossovsky was transferred to take command of the Bryansk Front as part of new command arrangements made by Soviet High Command in response to the disastrous Battle of Voronezh (1942). General Zhukov, the commander of Western Front, requested that STAVKA appoint Lieutenant-General Hovhannes Bagramyan, the deputy commander of the right flank 61st Army as the commander of the 16th Army in Rokossovsky's place.

On 11 August 1942 German forces mounted a surprise offensive on the southern flank of Western Front, splitting 61st Army from 16th Army, which was not taking part in the Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive Operation. The German forces threatened Bagramyan's left flank and he reacted quickly, moving his forces to counter the German threat and halting their advance on 9 September.

Until May 1943 the troops of the Army conducted defensive and offensive battles on the Zhizdrinsky District axis.. On 1 May 1943, on the basis of Stavka directives of 16 April 1943, the army was reorganized into the 11th Guards Army in the Western Front.