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{{Short description|Soviet Red Army formation of WWII}}
The '''Far Eastern Front''' ([[Russian language|Russian]]: Дальневосточный фронт) was a [[Front (Soviet Army)|front]] — a level of [[military formation]] that is equivalent to [[army group]] — of the [[Red Army]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref>Keith E. Bonn, Slaughterhouse: The Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005; [[David Glantz]], ''Stumbling Colossus."</ref>

==Early war service==
Тhe Far Eastern Front was created on June 28, 1938 from the [[Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army]] within the [[Far East Military District]].  It included the [[1st Red Banner Army]] and the [[2nd Red Banner Army]].  In 1938 Front forces — seemingly the [[Soviet 32nd Rifle Division]] of 39th Rifle Corps — engaged Japanese [[Manchukuo]] forces at the [[Battle of Lake Khasan]].  On the eve of the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany, the Front comprised:<ref>Orbat.com/Niehorster, [http://niehorster.org/012_ussr/41_oob/far-east/_far-east-front.html Order of Battle, 22 June 1941]</ref>
* [[1st Red Banner Army]]{{cn|date=February 2020}}
** [[26th Rifle Corps]]
*** [[21st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|21st Rifle Division]]
*** [[22nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|22nd Rifle Division]]
*** [[26th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|26th Rifle Division]]
** [[59th Rifle Corps]]
*** [[39th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|39th Rifle Division]]
*** [[59th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|59th Rifle Division]]
** 1st, 4th, 5th Rifle Brigades
** [[8th Cavalry Division (Soviet Union)|8th Cavalry Division]]
** One [[fortified region]], artillery, engineers
* [[2nd Red Banner Army]]
** [[3rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|3rd Rifle Division]]
** [[12th Amurskaya Rifle Division]]
** [[59th Tank Division (Soviet Union)|59th Tank Division]]
** [[69th Motorized Division|69th Mechanized Division]]
** One fortified region, artillery, engineers
* [[15th Army (Soviet Union)|15th Army]]{{cn|date=February 2020}}
** [[18th Rifle Corps]]
*** [[34th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|34th Rifle Division]]
*** [[202nd Airborne Brigade (Soviet Union)|202nd Airborne Brigade]]
** One fortified region, artillery, engineers
* [[25th Army (Soviet Union)|25th Army]]
** [[39th Rifle Corps]]
*** [[32nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|32nd Rifle Division]]
*** [[40th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|40th Rifle Division]]
*** [[92nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|92nd Rifle Division]]
** Five fortified regions, artillery, and engineers
* [[Special Rifle Corps (Soviet Union)|Special Rifle Corps]]{{cn|date=February 2020}}
** [[79th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|79th Rifle Division]]
** [[101st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|101st Mountain Rifle Division]]
* [[35th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|35th Rifle Division]]{{cn|date=February 2020}}
* [[127th Machine Gun Artillery Division|66th Rifle Division]]{{cn|date=February 2020}}
* [[78th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|78th Rifle Division]]{{cn|date=February 2020}}
* Three fortified regions, artillery, engineers{{cn|date=February 2020}}

==[[Soviet-Japanese War|War against Japan]]==
On August 5, 1945, the Front was divided and reorganized as the 1st Far Eastern Front and 2nd Far Eastern Front:

'''[[2nd Far Eastern Front]]''', under General [[Maksim Purkayev|M. A. Purkayev]] (aimed at eastern [[Manchukuo]]), including: 
* [[2nd Red Banner Army]].
* [[15th Army (Soviet Union)|15th Army]].
* [[16th Army (Soviet Union)|16th Army]].
* [[10th Air Army]].

'''[[1st Far Eastern Front]]''', under Marshal [[Kirill Meretskov|K. A. Meretskov]] (aimed at northern Manchukuo), including:
* [[1st Red Banner Army]].
* [[5th Army (Soviet Union)|5th Army]].
* [[25th Army (Soviet Union)|25th Army]].
* [[35th Army (Soviet Union)|35th Army]]
* [[9th Air Army]]
* Chuguevsk Operational Group.
* [[Amur Military Flotilla|Amur River Flotilla]].

[[Transbaikal Front]] included the [[12th Air Army]].

In the [[Soviet invasion of Manchuria]] it led the attack into Japanese-occupied [[Manchuria]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-declare-war-on-japan-invade-manchuria|title = Soviets declare war on Japan; invade Manchuria}}</ref> Although the [[Kwantung Army]] of the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] had more than 1&nbsp;million soldiers, the [[Japan]]ese defenders were overwhelmed by the offensive. Allied forces of [[Mongolia]] and [[Chiang Kai-shek]]'s [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Nationalist China]] aided the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] operation. On August 19, the Far East Front continued its routing of the Kwantung Army by capturing [[Harbin]] and [[Mukden]]. By August 21, the [[Red Army]] had captured almost all of [[Manchuria]], and the final surrender of the Kwantung Army took place.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/vo-far-east.htm|title = Far Eastern Military District}}</ref>

On August 11 to 12, 1945, the [[87th Rifle Corps]] was brought out from the reserve of the 1st Far Eastern Front, and received new orders to prepare for landing operations on the island of Hokkaido (Japan); however, the planned operation never took place, although elements of the 87th Corps participated in other operations against Japanese forces in the theatre.{{cn|date=February 2020}}

On September 30, 1945, the [[Primorskiy Military District|Primorskiy]] (Maritime Provinces) Military District was formed on the territory of [[Primorsky Krai]] (territory of the former Ussuri Oblast), from HQ [[1st Far East Front]].<ref>Stavka Directive № 11128 of September 10, 1945, and http://www.ww2.dk/new/army/gkv/primvo.htm</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_downfall4.html|title = Operation Downfall 4: Allied plans for Olympic and Coronet}}</ref>

== Commanders ==

* [[Marshal of the Soviet Union]] [[Vasily Blücher|Vasily K. Blukher]] (1 July – 4 September, 1938)
* [[Komkor]] [[Grigori Shtern|Grigori M. Shtern]]  (August 1938; July 1940 – January 1941)
* [[Colonel General]] [[Iosif Apanasenko|Iosif R. Apanasenko]] [promoted to Army General in February 1941] (January 1941 – April 1943)
* Colonel General [[Maksim Purkayev|Maxim A. Purkaev]] [promoted to Army General in October 1944] (April 1943 – August 1945)

== Notes ==
<references/>

== External links ==
* [[David Glantz]], ''Stumbling Colossus'', University Press of Kansas, 1998 (for 1941 order of battle)

{{Fronts of the Red Army in World War II}}

[[Category:Soviet fronts|Far East Front]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945]]
[[Category:History of the Russian Far East]]

[[de:1. Fernostfront]]