Editing Group of Soviet Forces in Germany

{{Short description|Formation of the Soviet Army formerly stationed in East Germany}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Redirect|GSSD|3=Guangdong State Security Department}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = {{ubli|{{nowrap|Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany}}<br>(1945–1954)|Group of Soviet Forces in Germany<br>(1954–1989)|Western Group of Forces<br>(1989–1994)}}
| image = GSSD-LOGO.svg
| image_size = 150
| caption = Soviet Army marking present on GSFG vehicles
| dates = 1945–1994
| country = {{indented plainlist|
* {{flag|Soviet Union}}<br />(1945–1991)
* {{flag|Russia}}<br />(1991–1994)
}}
| branch = {{plainlist|
* {{armed forces|Soviet Union}}
* {{armed forces|Russia}}
}}
| type = [[Formations of the Soviet Army|Group of forces]]
| size =
| command_structure = {{indented plainlist|
* [[People's Commissariat of Defense of the Soviet Union]]
* [[Ministry of Defense (Soviet Union)|Ministry of Defence of the Soviet Union]]
* [[Ministry of Defence (Russia)|Ministry of Defence of Russia]]
}}
| garrison = Wünsdorf (now in [[Zossen]])
| garrison_label = [[Headquarters]]
| motto = 
| colors = 
| battle_honours = 
| battle_honours_label = 
| battles = [[East German uprising of 1953]]
| website = 
| notable_commanders = See [[#Commanders-in-Chief|list]]
| identification_symbol =
| identification_symbol_label = 
}}
[[File:Badge. Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG).png|thumb|Commemorative medal, Group of Soviet Forces in Germany 1945–1994. Featuring [[Soviet War Memorial (Treptower Park)]].]]
The '''Western Group of Forces''' ('''WGF'''),{{Efn|{{langx|ru|Западная Группа Войск, ЗГВ|Zapadnaya Gruppa Voysk, ZGV}}; {{langx|de|Westliche Streitkräftegruppe}}.}} previously known as the '''Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany''' ('''GSOFG'''){{Efn|{{langx|ru|Группа Советских Оккупационных Войск в Германии, ГСОВГ|Gruppa Sovietskih Okkupatsionnyh Voysk v Germanii, GSOVG}}; {{langx|de|Gruppe der Sowjetischen Besatzungstruppen in Deutschland}}.}} and the '''Group of Soviet Forces in Germany''' ('''GSFG'''),{{Efn|{{langx|ru|Группа Советских Войск в Германии, ГСВГ|Gruppa Sovietskih Voysk v Germanii, GSVG}}; {{langx|de|Gruppe der Sowjetischen Streitkräfte in Deutschland}}.}} were the troops of the [[Soviet Army]] in [[East Germany]]. The Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany was formed after the [[end of World War II in Europe]] from units of the [[1st Belorussian Front|1st]] and [[2nd Belorussian Front|2nd]] Belorussian [[Front (military formation)|Fronts]]. The group helped suppress the [[East German uprising of 1953]]. After the end of occupation functions in 1954 the group was renamed the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. The group represented Soviet interests in East Germany during the [[Cold War]]. Before changes in Soviet foreign policy during the early 1990s, the group shifted to a more offensive role and in 1989 became the Western Group of Forces. Russian forces remained in the [[New states of Germany|eastern part]] of Germany after the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] and [[German reunification]] until 1994.

==History==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|- bgcolor=#80C0FF
! rowspan="2"| Period
! colspan="2"| Native designation 
! colspan="2"| German
! colspan="2"| English
|-
! Short
! Long version
! Short
! Long version
! Short
! Long version 
|-
| bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" colspan="9"|
|- 1945
| 1945–1954 
! ГСОВГ
| Группа советских оккупационных войск в Германии
! GSBD
| Gruppe der Sowjetischen Besatzungstruppen in Deutschland
! GSOFG
| Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany
|- 1954
| rowspan="2"| 1954–1989
! rowspan="2"| ГСВГ
| rowspan="2"| Группа советских войск в Германии
! GSSD
| Gruppe der Sowjetischen '''Streitkräfte''' in Deutschland
! rowspan="2"| GSFG
| rowspan="2"| Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
|-
! GSTD
| Gruppe der Sowjetischen '''Truppen''' in Deutschland
|-
| 1989–1994
! ЗГВ
| Западная группа войск
! WGT
| Westgruppe der Truppen
! WGF
| Western Group of Forces
|}

The Group of Soviet Occupation Forces, Germany was formed after the [[end of World War II in Europe]] from formations of the [[1st Belorussian Front|1st]] and [[2nd Belorussian Front]]s, commanded by [[Georgy Zhukov]]. On its creation on 9 June 1945 it included:<ref>Feskov et al 2013, p. 380</ref>

* [[1st Guards Tank Army]] (HQ [[Radebeul]]) 
** [[3rd Mechanised Corps (Soviet Union)|8th Guards Mechanised Corps]]
** [[11th Guards Tank Corps]]
* [[2nd Guards Tank Army]] (HQ [[Fürstenberg/Havel|Fürstenberg]])
** [[Soviet 1st Mechanized Corps]]
** [[9th Tank Corps (Soviet Union)|9th Tank Corps]]
** [[12th Guards Tank Division|12th Guards Tank Corps]]
* [[4th Tank Army (Soviet Union)|4th Guards Tank Army]] (HQ Eberswalde)
** [[5th Guards Motor Rifle Division|5th Guards Mechanised Corps]]
** [[90th Guards Tank Division (1957–1985)|6th Guards Mechanised Corps]]
** [[10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank Division|10th Guards Tank Corps]]
* [[2nd Shock Army]] (HQ [[Goldberg, Germany|Goldberg]], then [[Schwerin]])
** [[109th Rifle Corps]] ([[46th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|46th]], [[90th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|90th]], [[372nd Rifle Division]]s)
** [[116th Rifle Corps]] ([[86th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|86th]], [[321st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|321st]], [[326th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|326th Rifle Division]])
** [[40th Guards Rifle Corps]] ([[101st Guards Rifle Division|101st Guards]], [[102nd Guards Rifle Division|102nd Guards]], [[272nd Rifle Division]])
* [[3rd Shock Army (Soviet Union)|3rd Shock Army]] (HQ [[Stendal]])
** [[7th Rifle Corps]] ([[146th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|146th]], [[265th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|265th]], [[364th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|364th Rifle Divisions]])
** [[12th Guards Rifle Corps]] ([[23rd Guards Rifle Division|23rd Guards]], [[52nd Guards Rifle Division|52nd Guards]], [[33rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|33rd Rifle Divisions]])
** [[79th Rifle Corps]] ([[150th Rifle Division|150th]], [[171st Rifle Division|171st]], [[207th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|207th Rifle Divisions]])
** [[9th Tank Corps (Soviet Union)|9th Tank Corps]]
* [[5th Shock Army]] (HQ [[Nauen]], then [[Potsdam]])
** [[9th Rifle Corps]] ([[248th Rifle Division|248th]], [[301st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|301st Rifle Divisions]])
** [[26th Guards Rifle Corps]] ([[89th Guards Rifle Division|89th Guards]], [[94th Guards Rifle Division|94th Guards]], [[266th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|266th Rifle Divisions]])
** [[32nd Rifle Corps]] ([[60th Guards Rifle Division|60th Guards]], [[295th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|295th]], [[416th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|416th Rifle Divisions]])
** [[230th Rifle Division]]
** three independent tank brigades
* [[8th Guards Army (Soviet Union)|8th Guards Army]] (HQ [[Jena]], then [[Nohra]])
** [[4th Guards Rifle Corps]] ([[35th Guards Rifle Division|35th]], [[47th Guards Rifle Division|47th]], [[57th Guards Rifle Division|57th Guard Rifle Divisions]])
** [[28th Guards Rifle Corps]] ([[39th Guards Rifle Division|39th]], [[79th Guards Rifle Division|79th]], [[88th Guards Rifle Division]]s)
** [[29th Guards Rifle Corps]] ([[27th Guards Rifle Division|27th]], [[74th Guards Rifle Division|74th]], [[82nd Guards Rifle Division]]s)
** [[11th Tank Corps]]
* [[47th Army (Soviet Union)|47th Army]] (HQ [[Eisleben]], then [[Halle (Saale)|Halle]])
** [[77th Rifle Corps]] ([[185th Rifle Division|185th]], [[260th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|260th]], [[328th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|328th Rifle Division]])
** [[125th Rifle Corps]] ([[60th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|60th]], [[76th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|76th]], [[175th Rifle Division|175th Rifle Divisions]])
** [[129th Rifle Corps]] ([[82nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|82nd]], [[132nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|132nd]], [[143rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|143rd Rifle Divisions]])
** [[1st Guards Tank Corps]]
** [[25th Tank Corps]]
* [[49th Army]] (HQ [[Wittenberg]])
* [[70th Army (Soviet Union)|70th Army]] (HQ [[Rostock]])
* [[First Polish Army (1944–45)|First Polish Army]] (two divisions)
* [[Dnieper Flotilla]]
* [[16th Air Army]] (HQ [[Woltersdorf, Saxony-Anhalt|Woltersdorf]])

The [[4th Artillery Corps]] also became part of the GSFG in 1945. 

An order of 29 May 1945 had ordered the disestablishment of the [[47th Rifle Corps|47th]], 77th, 80th, [[89th Rifle Corps|89th]], [[25th Rifle Corps|25th]], [[61st Rifle Corps|61st]], 91st, 16th, 38th, 62nd, 70th, 121st, and [[114th Rifle Corps]], and of the [[71st Rifle Division|71st]], [[136th Rifle Division|136th]], [[162nd Rifle Division|162nd]], [[76th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|76th]], [[82nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|82nd]], [[212th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|212th]], [[356th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|356th]], [[234th Rifle Division|234th]], [[23rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|23rd]], [[397th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|397th]], [[311th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|311th]], [[415th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|415th]], [[328th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|328th]], [[274th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|274th]], [[370th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|370th]], [[41st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|41st]], [[134th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|134th]], [[312th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|312th]], [[4th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|4th]], [[117th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|117th]], [[247th Rifle Division|247th]], [[89th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|89th]], [[95th Rifle Division|95th]], [[64th Rifle Division (1942–1945)|64th]], [[323rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|323rd]], [[362nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|362nd]], [[222nd Rifle Division|222nd]], [[49th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|49th]], [[339th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|339th]], [[383rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|383rd]], [[191st Rifle Division|191st]], [[380th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|380th]], [[42nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|42nd]], [[139th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|139th]], [[238th Rifle Division|238th]], [[385th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|385th]], [[200th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|200th]], [[330th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|330th]], [[199th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|199th]], [[1st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|1st]], [[369th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|369th]], [[165th Rifle Division|165th]], [[169th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|169th]], [[158th Rifle Division|158th]], and [[346th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|346th Rifle Divisions]].<ref>[http://militera.lib.ru/docs/da/berlin_45/16.html Stavka Order No. 11095]</ref> The [[89th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|89th Rifle Division]] was not disbanded and instead transferred to the Caucasus.<ref name=":0">Feskov et al 2013, pp. 381{{En dash}}382</ref>

In January 1946, the 2nd Shock Army left the Soviet Zone. A month later, the 47th Army was disbanded, with its units withdrawn to the Soviet Union. In October the 5th Shock Army was disbanded. In 1947 the [[3rd Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)|3rd]] and [[4th Guards Tank Army|4th Guards Mechanized Divisions]] (Mobilization), former mechanized armies, arrived in the group from the [[Central Group of Forces]]. In 1954 the [[3rd Shock Army]] became the 3rd Red Banner Combined Arms Army ({{langx|ru|3-я краснознаменная общевойсковая армия}}).<ref name="Holm3Shock">Michael Holm, [http://www.ww2.dk/new/army/armies/3oa.htm 3 Red Banner Combined Arms Army], February 2015.</ref> The 3rd Guards Mechanized Army became the 18th Guards Army on 29 April 1957. On the same day, the 4th Guards Mechanized Army became the 20th Guards Army.<ref name=":0" /> 

After the abolition of the occupation functions in 1954, the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany became known as the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSVG) on 24 March. The legal basis for the GSVG's stay in East Germany was the [[Treaty on Relations between the USSR and the GDR]] of 1955.<ref>Feskov et al 2013, p. 382</ref>

Withdrawals from East Germany in 1956 and 1957/58 comprised more than 70,000 Soviet army personnel, including [[3rd Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)|18th Guards Army]] Staff.
[[File:Инспекторская проверка 39 ГМСД.jpeg|thumb|Inspection of [[39th Guards Motor Rifle Division]], 1968.]]
The GSFG had the task to ensure for the adherence to the regulations of the [[Potsdam Agreement]]. Furthermore, they represented the political and military interests of the [[Soviet Union]]. In 1957 an agreement between the governments of the USSR and the GDR laid out the arrangements over the temporary stay of Soviet armed forces on the territory of the GDR, the numerical strength of the Soviet troops, and their assigned posts and exercise areas. It was specified that the Soviet armed forces were not to interfere into the internal affairs of the GDR, as they had done during the [[East German uprising of 1953]].

Following a resolution of the [[government of the USSR|government of the Soviet Union]] in 1979 and 1980, 20,000 army personnel, 1,000 tanks and much equipment were withdrawn from the territory of the GDR, among them the [[6th Guards Tank Division]], with headquarters at Wittenberg.
[[File:Soviet German Group.png|thumb|left|250px|Organization as of 1988.]]
Until the last years of ''[[Perestroika]]'' the GSFG was in the process of realignment as a more offensive force regarding strength, structure and equipment, before a clear reduction of the tank forces in 1989. The GSFG was renamed the Western Group of Forces on 1 June 1989.<ref>Chris Lofting & Kieron Pilbeam, 'Sperenburg,' ''[[Air Forces Monthly]]'', February 1995, p. 42</ref> The withdrawal of the GSFG was one of the largest peacetime troop transfers in military history. Despite the difficulties, which resulted from the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in the same period, the departure was carried out according to plan and punctually until August 1994. Between the years of 1992 and 1993, the Western Group of Forces in Germany (along with the [[Northern Group of Forces]]) halted military exercises.
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F088969-0008, Stendal, russische Kaserne.jpg|thumb|right|Abandoned Soviet Army barracks in [[Stendal]], 1991.]]
[[File:RIAN archive 477983 Soviet military equipment loaded in Rostock.jpg|thumb|Soviet military equipment being loaded aboard a ferry in Rostock, March 1991.]]
The return of the troops and material took place particularly by the sea route by means of the ports in [[Rostock]] and the island of [[Rügen]], as well as via Poland. The Russian Ground Forces left Germany on 25 June 1994 with a military parade of the [[6th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade|6th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade]] in Berlin. The parting ceremony in [[Wünsdorf]] on 11 June 1994 and in the [[Treptower Park|Treptow Park]] in Berlin on 31 August 1994 marked the end of the Russian military presence on German soil.

In addition to German territories, the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany operational territory also included the region of town of [[Szczecin]], part of [[Recovered Territories|the territories]] [[Former eastern territories of Germany|transferred from Germany]] to Poland following the end of the Second World War. The rest of Poland fell under the [[Northern Group of Forces]], while the southern regions ([[Austria]], [[Czechoslovakia]]) were under the [[Central Group of Forces]].

Generals directing the withdrawals from Germany diverted arms, equipment, and foreign monies intended to build housing in Russia for the withdrawn troops. Several years later, the last GSFG commander, General [[Matvey Burlakov]], and the Defence Minister, [[Pavel Grachev]], had their involvement exposed. They were also accused of ordering the murder of reporter [[Dmitry Kholodov]], who had been investigating the scandals.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Odom, William E. |title=The Collapse of the Soviet Military |publisher=Yale University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-300-07469-7 |author-link=William Eldridge Odom |page=[https://archive.org/details/collapseofsoviet00odom/page/302 302] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/collapseofsoviet00odom/page/302 }} On p. 468, fn 130, Odom cites as his sources [[Komsomolskaya Pravda]], 20 October 1994, and RFE/RL Daily Report, 24 October 1994, 2 November 1994, and 8 November 1994.</ref>

==Structure and equipment in 1991==
{{see also|List of Soviet military sites in Germany}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F088900-0002, Wittenberg, Wächterhäuschen der Sowjetarmee.jpg|thumb|right|Soviet Military Road Police watchpost in [[Wittenberg]], 1991.]]
[[File:Схема размещения штаба и штабов армий ЗГВ на 1991 год.png|thumb|right|Disposition of Soviet armies in eastern Germany, 1991.]]
[[File:2 Autografen sowjetischer Soldaten.JPG|thumb|Names of Red Army soldiers carved into a tree in a forest near [[Jena]]. The names include ''Sasha'', ''Pilya'' and ''Kebya'' and date from 1954 to 1987.]]

The Soviet troops occupied 777 barracks at 276 locations on the territory of the German Democratic Republic. This also included 47 airfields and 116 exercise areas. At the beginning of 1991 there were still about 338,000 soldiers in 24 divisions, distributed among five land armies and an air army in what was by then the Western Group of Forces. In addition, there were about 208,000 relatives of officers as well as civil employees, among them about 90,000 children. Most locations were in the area of today's [[Brandenburg]].

In 1991 there were approximately 4,200 tanks, 8,200 armored vehicles, 3,600 artillery pieces, 106,000 other motor vehicles, 690 aircraft, 680 helicopters, and 180 rocket systems.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rCWMBQAAQBAJ|publisher = ABC-CLIO|date = 2014-10-28|isbn = 9781598849813|language = en|first = David T.|last = Zabecki|page = 570}}</ref>

At the end of the 1980s, the primary Soviet formations included:<ref>Steven J. Zaloga (1989) ''Tank War-Central Front – NATO vs. Warsaw Pact''. Osprey Elite Series No 26. p. 13. {{ISBN|0-85045-904-4}}</ref>
*[[1st Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)|1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army]] – [[Dresden]]
**[[9th Tank Corps (Soviet Union)|9th Tank Division]] – [[Riesa]]
**[[11th Guards Tank Division]] – [[Dresden]]
**[[20th Guards Motor Rifle Division]] – [[Grimma]]
*[[2nd Guards Tank Army]] – [[Fürstenberg/Havel]]
**[[16th Guards Tank Division]] – [[Neustrelitz]]
**[[21st Motor Rifle Division]] – [[Perleberg]]<ref>Holm 2015/Feskov et al 2013.</ref>
**[[94th Guards Motor Rifle Division]] – [[Schwerin]]
**[[207th Motor Rifle Division]] – [[Stendal]] (note; earlier Western reporting lists this as a Guards unit; this is incorrect)
*[[3rd Red Banner Army]] – [[Magdeburg]] (as of 1988)<ref name=Holm3Shock/>
**[[7th Guards Tank Division]] – [[Dessau]]-[[Rosslau]]
**[[10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank Division]] – [[Dörnitz|Altengrabow]]
**[[12th Guards Tank Division]] – [[Neuruppin]]
**[[47th Guards Tank Division]] – [[Hillersleben]]
*[[8th Guards Army (Soviet Union)|8th Guards Order of Lenin Army]] – [[Weimar]]-[[Nohra]]
**[[27th Guards Motor Rifle Division]] – [[Halle, Saxony-Anhalt|Halle]]
**[[39th Guards Motor Rifle Division]] – [[Ohrdruf, Thuringia|Ohrdruf]]
**[[57th Guards Motor Rifle Division]] – [[Naumburg (Saale)|Naumburg]]
**[[79th Guards Tank Division]] – [[Jena]]
*[[20th Guards Army|20th Guards Red Banner Army]] – [[Eberswalde]]
**[[25th Tank Division]] – [[Vogelsang, Brandenburg|Vogelsang]]
**[[32nd Guards Tank Division]] – [[Jüterbog]]
**[[35th Motor Rifle Division]] – [[Krampnitz]]
**[[90th Guards Tank Division (1957–1985)|90th Guards Tank Division]] – [[Bernau bei Berlin]]
*[[16th Air Army]] – [[Zossen]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.16va.be/3.la_16VA_eng.html|title=16th Air Army|website=16va.be|access-date=2016-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214125932/http://www.16va.be/3.la_16VA_eng.html|archive-date=14 February 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
**[[6th Guards Fighter Aviation Division]] – [[Merseburg]]
**[[16th Guards Fighter Aviation Division]] – [[Ribnitz-Damgarten]]. Withdrawn 30 October 1993 to [[Millerovo]], [[North Caucasus Military District]], and joined [[4th Air Army]].<ref>Michael Holm, [http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/division/iad/16gviad.htm 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Division] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401124839/http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/division/iad/16gviad.htm |date=1 April 2012 }}</ref>
**[[105th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division]] – [[Großenhain Airport|Großenhain]]
**[[125th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division]] – [[Rechlin]] [town, not in airfield] – disbanded July 1993 or October 1993.<ref>Michael Holm, [http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/division/adib/125adib.htm 125th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235307/http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/division/adib/125adib.htm |date=3 March 2016 }}, accessed September 2011</ref>
**[[126th Fighter Aviation Division]] – [[Zerbst]]

Other Group-level formations included:
*[[6th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade]] ([[Karlshorst]], Berlin) - withdrawn to [[Kursk]] in 1994
*[[35th Guards Air Assault Brigade]] (effectively an airmobile brigade; [[Cottbus]], Germany, activated October 1979, and transferred to [[Kapchagay]], [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Kazakh SSR]], in April 1991. Eventually became part of the [[Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan|Kazakh Armed Forces]]).<ref>Michael Holm, [http://www.ww2.dk/new/vdv/35gvodshbr.htm 35th Landing-Assault Brigade] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055139/http://www.ww2.dk/new/vdv/35gvodshbr.htm |date=4 March 2016 }}</ref>
*[[34th Guards Artillery Division]] (Potsdam) (formed 25 June 1945 to 9 July 1945 in Germany)

== Commanders-in-Chief ==
[[File:AbschiedsStele.JPG|thumb|right|Memorial at the Airport in [[Großenhain]].]]
The first three [[commanders-in-chief]] were also chiefs of the [[Soviet Military Administration in Germany]].

===GSOFG, 1945–1954===
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = Commander-in-Chief
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showdefencebranch  = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Zhukov-LIFE-1944-1945.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Georgy Zhukov]]
| officeholder_sort = Zhukov, Georgy
| born_year         = 1896
| died_year         = 1974
| term_start        = 9 June 1945
| term_end          = 21 March 1946
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1945|06|09|1946|03|21}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Vasily Sokolovsky.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Vasily Sokolovsky]]
| officeholder_sort = Sokolovsky, Vasily
| born_year         = 1897
| died_year         = 1968
| term_start        = 22 March 1946
| term_end          = 31 March 1949
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1946|03|22|1949|03|31}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov.jpg
| military_rank     = Army General 
| officeholder      = [[Vasily Chuikov]]
| officeholder_sort = Chuikov, Vasily
| born_year         = 1900
| died_year         = 1982
| term_start        = 1 April 1949
| term_end          = 26 May 1953
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1949|04|01|1953|05|26}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 4
| image             = Andrei Grechko 3.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Andrei Grechko]]
| officeholder_sort = Grechko, Andrei
| born_year         = 1903
| died_year         = 1976
| term_start        = 27 May 1953
| term_end          = 16 November 1957
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1953|05|27|1957|11|16}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

===GSFG, 1954–1989===
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = Commander-in-Chief
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showdefencebranch  = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Andrei Grechko 3.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Andrei Grechko]]
| officeholder_sort = Grechko, Andrei
| born_year         = 1903
| died_year         = 1976
| term_start        = 27 May 1953
| term_end          = 16 November 1957
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1953|05|27|1957|11|16}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Matvei Zakharov 1.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Matvei Zakharov]]
| officeholder_sort = Zakharov, Matvei
| born_year         = 1898
| died_year         = 1972
| term_start        = 17 November 1957
| term_end          = 14 April 1960
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1957|11|17|1960|04|14}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = Генерал-майор И.И. Якубовский на улице Москвы.jpeg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Ivan Yakubovsky]]
| officeholder_sort = Yakubovsky, Ivan
| born_year         = 1912
| died_year         = 1976
| term_start        = 15 April 1960
| term_end          = 9 August 1961
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1960|04|15|1961|08|09}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 4
| image             = Ivan Stepanovich Konev 3.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Ivan Konev]]
| officeholder_sort = Konev, Ivan
| born_year         = 1897
| died_year         = 1973
| term_start        = 9 August 1961
| term_end          = 18 April 1962
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1961|08|09|1962|04|18}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 5
| image             = Генерал-майор И.И. Якубовский на улице Москвы.jpeg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Ivan Yakubovsky]]
| officeholder_sort = Yakubovsky, Ivan
| born_year         = 1912
| died_year         = 1976
| term_start        = 19 April 1962
| term_end          = 26 January 1965
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1962|04|19|1965|01|26}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 6
| image             =
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Pyotr Koshevoy]]
| officeholder_sort = Koshevoy, Pyotr
| born_year         = 1904
| died_year         = 1976
| term_start        = 27 January 1965
| term_end          = 31 October 1969
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1965|01|27|1969|10|31}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 7
| image             = Куликов Виктор Георгиевич.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Viktor Kulikov]]
| officeholder_sort = Kulikov, Viktor
| born_year         = 1921
| died_year         = 2013
| term_start        = 1 November 1969
| term_end          = 13 September 1971
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1969|11|01|1971|09|13}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 8
| image             = Semyon Kurkotkin 2.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Semyon Kurkotkin]]
| officeholder_sort = Kurkotkin, Semyon
| born_year         = 1917
| died_year         = 1990
| term_start        = 14 September 1971
| term_end          = 19 July 1972
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1971|09|14|1975|07|19}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 9
| image             = Yevgeni Ivanovski (mil.ru).jpg
| military_rank     = Army General
| officeholder      = [[Yevgeny Ivanovsky]]
| officeholder_sort = Ivanovsky, Yevgeny
| born_year         = 1918
| died_year         = 1991
| term_start        = 20 July 1972
| term_end          = 25 November 1980
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1975|07|20|1980|11|25}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 10
| image             = Mikhail Zaitsev,1983.jpg
| military_rank     = Army General
| officeholder      = [[Mikhail Zaitsev]]
| officeholder_sort = Zaitsev, Mikhail
| born_year         = 1923
| died_year         = 2009
| term_start        = 26 November 1980
| term_end          = 6 July 1985
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1980|11|26|1985|07|06}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 11
| image             =
| military_rank     = Army General
| officeholder      = [[Pyotr Lushev]]
| officeholder_sort = Lushev, Pyotr 
| born_year         = 1923
| died_year         = 1997
| term_start        = 7 July 1985
| term_end          = 11 July 1986
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1985|07|07|1986|07|11}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 12
| image             = Valery Belikov.jpg
| military_rank     = Army General
| officeholder      = {{ill|Valery Belikov|ru|Беликов, Валерий Александрович}}
| officeholder_sort = Belikov, Valery
| born_year         = 1925
| died_year         = 1987
| died              = y
| term_start        = 12 July 1986
| term_end          = 12 November 1987
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1986|07|12|1987|11|12}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

===WGF, 1989–94===
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder           = y
| showimage           = y
| image_title         = Portrait
| officeholder_title  = Commander-in-Chief 
| showtermlenght      = y
| showparty           = n
| showdefencebranch   = n
| showref             = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Boris Snetkov in 1945.jpg
| military_rank     = Army general
| officeholder      = [[Boris Snetkov]]
| officeholder_sort = Snetkov, Boris
| born_year         = 1925
| died_year         = 2006
| term_start        = 26 November 1987
| term_end          = 13 December 1990
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1987|11|26|1990|12|13}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             =
| military_rank     = Colonel general
| officeholder      = [[Matvey Burlakov]]
| officeholder_sort = Chuikov, Vasily
| born_year         = 1935
| died_year         = 2011
| term_start        = 13 December 1990
| term_end          = 31 August 1994
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1990|12|13|1994|08|31}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

===WGF military soviet===
Members (June 1993):<ref>{{cite book |script-title=ru:Советские войска в Германии, 1945–1994: памятный альбом |editor-first=S. N. |editor-last=Dmitriyev |publisher=[[Young Guard (Soviet resistance)|Young Guard]] |year=1994 |chapter=Members of the WGF military soviet, Wünsdorf in June 1993 |location=Moscow |trans-title=Soviet Forces in Germany 1945–1994 |page=113 |isbn=5-235-02221-1}}</ref>
* Commander-in-Chief of the WGF – [[Colonel general]] М. P. Burlakov
* 1st deputy commander-in-Chief of the WGF – Colonel general A. N. Mityukhin
* Deputy commander-in-Chief of the WGF for the withdrawal of forces – [[Lieutenant general]] С. В. Тshernilevsky
* WGF chief of staff – Lieutenant general A. V. Teretev
* Deputy commander-in-Chief of the WGF for logistics – Lieutenant general W. I. Isakow
* Deputy commander-in-Chief of the EGF for armaments – [[Major general]] W. N. Shulikov
* Commander of the 16th Air Army – Lieutenant general A. F. Tarasenko

== See also ==
* [[List of Soviet divisions 1917–1945]]
* [[List of Soviet Army divisions 1989–1991]]
* [[United States Army Europe and Africa]]
* [[United States Forces Japan]] – [[United States Armed Forces|US military]]'s equivalent for [[Japan]]
* [[United States Forces Korea]] – US military's equivalent for [[South Korea]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
* {{Cite book|script-title=ru:Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской|last=Feskov|first=V.I.|last2=Golikov|first2=V.I.|last3=Kalashnikov|first3=K.A.|last4=Slugin|first4=S.A.|publisher=Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing|year=2013|isbn=9785895035306|location=Tomsk|language=ru|trans-title=The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces}}

==Further reading==
*William Durie, " The United States Garrison Berlin 1945-1994", (Mission Accomplished, Aug 2014 {{ISBN|978-1-63068-540-9}} (English).
*{{Cite book
 |last=Freundt
 |first=Lutz
 |year=1998
 |title=Sowjetische Fliegerkräfte Deutschland 1945–1994 (Band 1)
 |trans-title=Soviet Aviation Forces in Germany 1945–1994 (Volume 1)
 |language=de
 |location=Diepholz
 |publisher=Freundt Eigenverlag
 |isbn=3-000014-93-4
 }}
*Scott and Scott, The Armed Forces of the USSR, [[Westview Press]], Boulder, Colorado, 1979
*''Roter Stern über Deutschland'', Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk und Stefan Wolle, Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin, 2001, {{ISBN|3-86153-246-8}}. This German book, ''The [[Red Star]] over Germany, Soviet troops in the GDR'', presents 49 years of the Soviet Army stationed in [[East Germany]].

== External links ==
*[http://www.brixmis.co.uk BRIXMIS] (British Liaison Mission to GSFG)
*U.S. Military Liaison Mission memorial site, [http://www.usmlm.org/home/soviets/GSFGOB.htm Group of Soviet Forces in Germany]
*[[German Armed Forces Military History Research Office]], [http://www.mgfa-potsdam.de/html/standorte_index.php Database of GSFG and NPA locations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110145131/http://www.mgfa-potsdam.de/html/standorte_index.php |date=10 November 2018 }}
*[http://www.gsvg.ru The GSVG : Group of Soviet Forces in Germany] {{in lang|ru}}
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190107233124/http://www.genstab.ru/gsvg.htm GSFG]}} {{in lang|ru}}
*[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+gx0156) The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany]

{{Soviet Groups of Forces}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Group of Soviet Forces in Germany}}
[[Category:Groups of forces|Germany]]
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