Russian sources have confirmed reports that it is rebuilding the famous soviet era “1st Guard’s Red Banner Tank Army”, which was disbanded at the end of the Cold War after its withdrawal from East Germany.
Reports indicate that the army’s headquarters is in Bakovka, 20km south-west Moscow, and the core of the army will be forming around the 4th Guard’s Tank Division, the 2nd Guard’s Motor Rifle Division, and another tank and rifle brigade.
The 1st Guard’s Red Banner Tank Army was formed on the Eastern Front in 1942 during the Second World War; its role was break-through and exploitation in deep operations. The Tank Army fought in many of the major battles on the Eastern Front including Stalingrad, Kursk and the Battle for Berlin. It later served as an occupation force in East Germany before its withdrawal in 1992.
This news comes upon heightened tensions between Russia and NATO over the crisis in Ukraine and NATO’s grand scheme of expanding its bases into Russian spheres of influence; this is the first time since the end of the Cold War in which Russia developed a true offensive armoured Army.
