Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
|
|
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (1949–1988), also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (1945–1949) and the Western Group of Forces (1988–1990) were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany.
The Soviet armies permanently stationed in Germany were the predominant land-based military threat to NATO from the late 1940s until 1989, a primary factor in the military situation during the Cold War. The possibility of a Soviet invasion of West Germany and other Western European countries (or a corresponding NATO eastward incursion) was however kept low due to the dangers of nuclear escalation.
By 1994, Soviet forces had withdrawn back to Russia in accordance with the treaty which brought about German reunification.
The primary Soviet formations included:
- 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army, Dresden (1 гвардейская танковая Краснознаменная армия)
- 2nd Guards Tank Red Banner Army, Fuerstenberg (2 гвардейская танковая Краснознаменная армия)
- 3rd Shock Combined-Arms Red Banner Army, Magdeburg (3 общевойсковая Краснознаменная армия)
- 8th Guards Combined-Arms Order of Lenin Army Nohra (8 гвардейская общевойсковая ордена Ленина армия )
- 20th Guards Combined-Arms Red Banner Army, Eberswalde-Finow (20 гвардейская общевойсковая Краснознаменная армия )
- 16th Air Red Banner Army, Wuensdorf (16 воздушная Краснознаменная армия )
- A number of separate regiments of Group subordination (sapper, communications, rocket, artillery, etc.)
See also
Reference
Lutz Freundt, Sovetskiye voyska v Germanii, 1945-1994 (Soviet Troops in Germany 1945-1994), Molodaya Gvardiya Publishing House, 1994.
External links
- Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (http://www.usmlm.org/home/soviets/GSFGOB.htm)
- GSFG (in Russian) (http://www.genstab.ru/gsvg.htm)