When it was formed, the 1st Air Army was made up of two fighter aviation divisions (with four fighter aviation regiments each), two mixed aviation divisions (with two fighter aviation regiments, two assault aviation regiments and one bombing regiment each) a training aviation regiment, a long-range reconnaissance aviation regiment, a communications squadron, and a night close-range bombing aviation regiment.[citation needed]
In March 1943, the Air Army also included the French Normandie-Niemen squadron, which was later reorganized into a regiment.[4] In 1942, the 1st Air Army fought alongside the troops of the Western Front, supporting them near Yukhnov, Gzhatsk and Rzhev. The Air Army later participated in the Rzhev-Sychevka, Rzhev-Vyazma, Oryol, Smolensk, Belarusian, Memel and East Prussian offensive operations.[citation needed]
Throughout the war, the 1st Air Army made 290,000 sorties. Five of the Air Army's formations where reorganized as "Guards Units", 50 formations were given "honourable titles", 44 formations received various awards, 145 pilots and navigators received the title "Hero of the Soviet Union"[9] and over 17,000 of its servicemen were also given various medals and decorations.
There were two Air Armies active by the end of the war in the Far East, the 9th and 10th Air Armies. In the early 1949 redesignations of the Soviet Air Forces, the 9th Air Army became 54th Air Army, the 10th Air Army became 29th Air Army in the Primorsky Military District. On 1 April 1957 the two were united as the 1st Special Far Eastern Air Army,[11] and at some later point the designation was simplified purely to 1st Air Army.
216th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Kalinovka, near Khabarovsk): Su-27. (disbanded May 1998)[13]
404th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Orlovka, Amur Oblast): MiG-29. Disbanded 2000–2001 with awards and banners to the 23 IAP.)[14] Earlier reporting by Vad777 said this might have been the 41st.
18th "Vitebskiy" Guards twice Red Banner Order Recipient, Order of Suvorov Recipient Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Galenki, 30 km north-west of Ussuriisk): MiG-27[17]
224th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Novoshakhtinsky under Ussuri): MiG-27. Disbanded 1992.[18]
523rd "Orshanskiy" Red Banner, Suvorov and Kutuzov Orders Recipient Fighter-Bomber Regiment (Vozdvizhenka under Ussuri): Su-17МЗ, М4.[19] Disbanded October 1994.
Regiments reporting directly to Army HQ included:
293rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Vozzhaevka, Belogarsky District Amur Oblast): Su-17.
In 1989 the 1st Air Army disbanded the headquarters of the 33rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division,[21] and in 1994 the headquarters of the 303rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division.
