30th Army ( Soviet Union ) The 30th Army was a Soviet field army of the Red Army active from 1941 . History . It was formed on 13 July 1941 based on 52nd Rifle Corps as a Stavka Reserve . In the beginning the army included the 119th Rifle Division , the 242nd Rifle Division , the 243rd NKVD Rifle Division , the 251st NKVD Rifle Division , the 51st Tank Division , artillery and other units . The army was built around a solid core of NKVD border guard servicemen . The army ' s first commander Maj - Gen Khomenko was the former commander of the Ukrainian District of NKVD Border Guards . On 15 July 1941 the army was transferred to the Front of the Reserve Armies and conducted defensive works on the defensive line running through Selizharovo - Olenino - Wasiliewo . From the end of June to August 1941 the army was part of the Western Front ( from 21 July ) and took part in the Battle of Smolensk ( 10 July - 10 September ) . During battle army ' s forces striked at Dukhovszczina from the region south - west of Bielyj . Army attacking on flanks of the German Ninth Army stopped and sapped the strength of the enemy forces . In September – October army conducted defensive operations in region south - west of Bielyj on Rzhev direction . On 17 October 1941 army was included into Kalinin Front and took part in Kalinin Defensive Operation ( 5 December 1941 – 7 January 1942 ) . On 18 November army was again included into Western Front . As its army fought in the Klin - Solnecznogorsk Defensive Operation ( 15 November - 5 December ) and from 6 December on in the Klin - Solnecznogorsk Offensive Operation ( 6 – 25 December ) . During the operation 30th Army together with 1st Shock Army liberated Klin ( 15 December ) and destroyed large German units . As a part of Kalinin Front ( from 17 December 1941 ) during January – April 1942 army participated in Rzhev - Vyazma Strategic Operation ( 8 January - 20 April ) In the end of operation army troops reached nearly to Rzhev and went on to the defence . On 1 March 1942 the army consisted of the 174th , 178th , 243rd , 348th , 359th , 363rd , 371st , 375th , and 379th Rifle Divisions , and the 75 , 76 , 139 , 145 , 146 , 148 , 149 , 150 , 151 , 152 , 153 , and 222nd Separate Ski Brigades . Later ( from 31 August included into Western Front ) until the end of 1942 army defended and strengthened its position going from to time to time on the offensive . On March 1943 troops of the army participated in the Rzhev - Vyazma Operation ( 2 – 31 March ) during which course it liberated Rzhev and on 1 April reached the line Nefedovschina - Pantiukchy where it stopped and dug into defensive positions . On 1 May Army was reformed into 10th Guards Army Army Commanders : General Major of NKVD Khomenko W . A . ( July – November 1941 ) General Major Lelyschenko D . D . ( November 1941 - November 1942 ) General Major from February 1943 General Lieutanant Kolpakchi W . Ia ( November 1942 - April 1943 ) Members of the Army ' s Military Soviet : Brigade Commissar Abramov N . W . ( June 1941 - February 1942 ) General Major Doronin Ja . A . ( February 1942 - April 1943 Chiefs Of Staff Lieutanant Colonel Baderko A . G . ( June – August 1941 Colonel Winogradov A . I . ( August – November 1941 ) General Major of the Artillery Khetagurov G . I . ( November 1941 - December 1942 ) Colonel from February 1943 General Major Sosedov L . B ( December 1942 - April ! 943 .