The 19th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed in 1941 and active during the Second World War. The army was formed three times, although only two of its formations saw combat. Its third formation was disbanded in June 1945 and its troops used to reinforce the Northern Group of Forces. First formation The army was first formed in June 1941 in the North Caucasus Military District under the command of General Lieutenant Ivan Konev. Division Commissar I.P. Sheklanov became Member of the Army's Military Soviet. Initially the army consisted of 25th Rifle Corps (127th Rifle Division, 134th Rifle Division, and 162nd Rifle Division) 34th Rifle Corps (129th Rifle Division, 158th Rifle Division, and 171st Rifle Division) 38th Rifle Division 442nd Corps Artillery Regiment 471st Corps Artillery Regiment and other units. Sources disagree as to whether a Mechanized Corps, either the 25th or the 26th, was directly subordinate to the Army as well. Three weeks before the outbreak of war the 19th Army was sent by rail to Ukraine in the Cherkassy region. The army received orders from the People's Commissar for Defence, Marshal Semyon Timoshenko, to defend the Kiev Fortified Region. From 25 June 1941, the Army was included in the Group of Reserve Armies of the Highest Command (Stavka). The 19th Army was transferred by rail to Vitebsk, Rudnia, Smolensk. On 2 July, army was included into Western Front. The transfer by rail took more time than was expected. On 9 July the first units to arrive received orders to deny Vitebsk to the enemy and attack in the western direction and reach the western bank of Dvina. On the contrary, to the 11 July enemy brushed away Soviet forces from Vitebsk. On 11 July, the 19th Army was strengthened by 7th Mechanized Corps and on the next day attacked Vitebsk anew. At that time the enemy had the initiative. To the 16 July, German forces struck through Yartsevo to Smolensk. Three Soviet armies (16th, 20th and 19th) found themselves in the operational encirclement. On 14 July, 19th Army Headquarters received orders to transfer its troops to the 16th Army and to move to the Kardumovo region, and then Yartsevo. 19th Army Staff with great effort broke out of the encirclement near Wadino and received new divisions under its command. Those new forces took defensive positions on the river Vol. During August–September 1941,