Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916-1926

The third 3rd Red Army was created on 11 June 1920, during the Soviet–Polish War, from the southern group of forces of the 15th Red Army on the Western Front. It included the 2nd (August, September–October, and November 1920), 5th (June–December 1920), 6th (July–December 1920), 11th (October and December 1920), 16th (November 1920), 18th (October 1920), 21st (July–November and December 1920), 27th (November–December 1920), and 56th (June–September, October, and December 1920) Rifle Divisions; the Independent Rifle Division of VOKhR (October–December 1920); and the Kuban Cavalry Division (September–November 1920). Having been formed to hold the gap between Lake Sho and Lake Pelik, this 3rd Red Army advanced in the direction of Dokshitsy (Dokszyce) and Parafinovo in June–July 1920, before participating in the Reds’ failed attack on Warsaw. In November–December 1920, the 3rd Red Army engaged in operations against the forces of S. Bułak-Bałachowicz, before being merged into the 16th Red Army (on 31 December 1920). Commanders of the third 3rd Red Army were V. S. Lazarevich (12 June–18 October 1920); A. S. Beloi (temporary, 18–24 October 1920); and N. E. Kakurin (24 October–21 December 1920). Its chiefs of staff were A. I. Roshkovskii (temporary, 12 June–4 July 1920); N. V. Lisovskii (4 July–20 October 1920); A. D. Taranovskii (20 October–2 November 1920); and K. P. Nevezhin (2 November–31 December 1920).

3rd Ukrainian Soviet Army. This Red military formation was created on 15 April 1919 (following an order of the Revvoensovet of the Ukrainian Front of 24 March 1919) from forces operating around Odessa, chiefly the 5th and 6th Ukrainian Rifle Divisions. These were joined, in May 1919, by the 1st Bessarabian and 2nd Internationalist Divisions. The army operated in the Odessa–Kherson–Nikolaev region and, by late April 1919, controlled much of left-bank Ukraine. On 11 May 1919, the army forced a passage across the Dnestr and began an advance on Kishinev, but its progress was interrupted by the mutiny of forces commanded by Nykyfor Hryhoriiv. In June 1919, the 3rd Ukrainian Soviet Army was disestablished, and its units were incorporated into the 12th Red Army on the Western Front.

The commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Soviet Army was N. A. Khudiakov (15 April–23 June 1919). Its chief of staff was I. A. Plotnikov (15 April–23 June 1919).

13TH RED ARMY. This military formation of the Red Army was created, according to an order of the Revvoensovet of the Southern Front, on 5 March 1919, on the basis of forces operating around Donetsk. The 13th Red Army was initially attached to the Southern Front, then (from 10 January 1920) the South-West Front, then once more (from 21 September 1920) the Southern Front. Its complement included, at various times the 1st (August–September 1920), 2nd Don (October–November 1920), 3rd (July 1919–October 1920), 7th (August–September 1919), 9th (March–December 1919 and September–October 1920), 15th (May–September 1920), 23rd (September–October 1920), 40th (June–October 1920), 41st (March–April 1919), 42nd (March 1919–January 1920, January–March 1920, and June–November 1920), 46th (January–October 1920), 51st (August–September 1920), and 52nd (April–September 1920) Rifle Divisions; the Don Independent Rifle Division (March 1919); the Latvian Riflemen (October 1919 and March–September 1920); the Naval Expeditionary Division (October–November 1920); the Independent Rifle Division (September 1919); the Estonian Rifle Division (October 1919–January 1920 and February–March 1920); the 1st Cavalry Corps (June–July 1920); the 2nd (May–July 1920), 7th (September–November 1920), 8th (November 1919–May 1920), 9th (August–October 1920), and 16th (July 1920) Cavalry Divisions; and the Taganrog Group of Forces (October–November 1920).

In March–April 1919, the 13th Red Army was engaged in battles across the Donbass, capturing Iuzovka and other centers and moving toward Rostov-on-Don. It was forced onto the retreat by the Armed Forces of South Russia over the summer of 1919, but retook the offensive from Orel in October–November of that year and, by January 1920, had recaptured the Donbass and Mariupol′. In August 1920, the advance from Crimea of the Russian Army of General P. N. Wrangel forced the 13th Red Army to retreat once more, but it was subsequently to participate (as a reserve force) in the Red Army counteroffensive that eventually broke into Crimea in November of that year. The 13th Red Army was disbanded on 12 November 1920, and its forces were merged into the 4th Red Army.