Reserve Front
# Reserve Front

The Reserve Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War.

## First Formation

The Reserve Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first version was created on July 30, 1941 in a reorganization of the earlier Front of Reserve Armies. STAVKA Order No.003334, of 14 July, directed that the Front of Reserve Armies include:

* 24th Army, with ten divisions, three gun, one howitzer, and three corps artillery regiments, and four anti-tank artillery regiments;
* 28th Army, with nine divisions, one gun, one howitzer, and four corps artillery regiments, and four anti-tank artillery regiments;
* 29th Army, with five divisions, five regiments of artillery, and two regiments and one squadron of aviation;
* 30th Army, with five divisions, one corps artillery regiment, and two AA artillery regiments;
* 31st Army, with six divisions, one corps artillery regiment, and two anti-tank artillery regiments; and
* 32nd Army, with seven divisions (apparently including the 8th Rifle Division), and one anti-tank artillery regiment.

This Front was encircled and destroyed at Vyazma.

The surviving forces transferred to the Western Front on October 10, 1941 under the command of Zhukov.

## 2nd Formation

The second version of this Front was created on April 6, 1943. It incorporated the:

* 2nd Reserve Army (3rd Formation)
* 24th Army
* 53rd Army
* 66th Army
* 47th Army
* 46th Army
* 5th Guards Tank Army
* eight mobile corps

It was reorganized as the Steppe Military District on April 15, 1943 and eventually designated the Steppe Front.

## Commanders

* Lieutenant General of NKVD Ivan A. Bogdanov [Front of Reserve Armies] (14–30 July, 1941)
* General Georgy K. Zhukov (August–September 1941)
* Marshal Semyon M. Budenny (September – 10 October, 1941)
* Lieutenant General Markian M. Popov (6–15 April, 1943)
