2nd Cavalry Corps (Soviet Union)

This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (June 2017)

2nd Cavalry Corps
Active	1st formation: 1922 – November 1941 2nd formation: December 1941 – July 1942
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Branch	Soviet Red Army
Engagements	Soviet invasion of Poland
Battle honours	Council of People's Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR (1st formation)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Grigory Kotovsky

The 2nd Cavalry Corps was a corps of the Red Army, formed twice. Originally formed in 1922, the corps served in Ukraine during the Interwar period and fought in the Soviet invasion of Poland.

History[]

First Formation[]

The corps was formed on 31 October 1922 in Uman, with the , part of the Ukrainian Military District and commanded by Grigory Kotovsky. After Kotovsky was killed on 6 August 1925, he was replaced by (promoted to Komkor from 1935) Nikolai Krivoruchko, who led the corps until July 1937. On 29 April 1927, it was named in honor of the Council of People's Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR. The and joined the corps in 1930 and 1931, respectively. In 1935, the corps became part of the Kiev Military District when the Ukrainian Military District was split.^[1] In July 1937 Kombrig (later Komdiv) Mikhail Hatskilevich took command of the corps. Komdiv Fyodor Kostenko commanded the corps from April 1939 to 26 July 1940. It took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 as part of the 6th Army. In 1940, the joined the corps, which had become part of the Odessa Military District. Until the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, on 22 June 1941, the corps was stationed in the area of Lvov and Northern Bukovina.^[1] On 14 March of that year, Major General Pavel Belov took command of the corps.^[2]

On 26 November 1941, the 2nd Cavalry Corps became the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps.^[2]

Second Formation[]

The corps was reformed on 23 December 1941, part of the Southern Front. It was commanded by Maj. Gen. Matvei Usenko. It included the 62nd, 64th, and the 70th Cavalry Divisions. The corps moved to the Southwestern Front, where its 64th Cavalry Division was replaced by the . In May 1942, it fought in the Second Battle of Kharkov as part of the 6th Army, and was almost entirely wiped out. The corps was officially disbanded on 15 July 1942.^[3]

Commanders[]

The corps' first formation was commanded by the following officers.^[2]

• Grigory Kotovsky (1922 – 6 August 1925; killed)
• (promoted to Komkor 1935) Nikolai Krivoruchko

Subordination[]

• 1922 - 1922 - The Armed Forces of Ukraine and Crimea.
• 1922-1935 - The Ukrainian Military District,.
• 1935 - 1938 - The Kiev military district.
• 1938 -1940 - Cavalry Army Group, Kiev Special Military District,.
• 1940 - 1941 - Odessa military district.
• 1941-1941 - the 9th separate army.
• c 1941 - the 9th separate army of the Southern Front.

Command structure of the corps[]

Corps commanders[]

• 1922 - 1925 - Kotovsky, Grigory Ivanovich.
• 1925 - 1937 - Krivoruchko, Nikolay Nikolayevich.
• 1937 - 1938 - Kozachek, Sergey Borisovich.
• from 1937 - Khatskelevich, Mikhail Georgievich.
• 1939 - 1940 - Kostenko, Fedor Yakovlevich.
• 1941 - Pavel Alexeyevich Belov.

Military Commissioner: ( Commissar (in the military unit) )[]

battalion commissar Ilyin (on 07.1938).

brigade commissar Konstantin Vasilyevich Krainyukov (since 12.04.1939, on 10.05.1939-1940).

Deputy corps commander[]

brigade commissar Konstantin Vasilievich Krainyukov (since 12.04.1939, 1940-16.07.1941).

Military Commissioner[]

brigade commissar Konstantin Vasilyevich Krainyukov (vrid since 12.04.1939, 16.07-25.08.1941).

regimental commissar, brigade commissar Alexey Varfolomeevich Shchelakovsky (25.08.1941-26.11.1941).

Chief of staff[]

Alexander Sergeevich Sheydeman (in 1933).

brigade commander Sergei Ilyich Bailo (arrested September 12, 1937).

Pavel Alekseevich Kurochkin (06-10.1939).

Brigade Commander Pyotr Vasilievich Kotelkov (on 05-08.1940).

Colonel Mikhail D. Gretsov (06-11.1941).

Organization[]

• 3rd Cavalry Division
• 5th Cavalry Division
• 14th Cavalry Division
• 24th Light Tank Brigade

References[]

Citations[]

Bibliography[]

• Dvoinykh, L.V.; Kariaeva, T.F.; Stegantsev, M.V., eds. (1993). Центральный государственный архив Советской армии: Путеводитель [Central State Archive of the Soviet Army Guidebook] (in Russian). Vol. 2. Minneapolis: Eastview Publications. ISBN 1-879944-03-0. Archived from the original on 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2017-04-21.