The Baku Air Defence Army was formed on the Eastern Front of World War II following the decree of the State Defence Committee of April 5, 1942. Previously known as the Baku Air Defence Corps, its main objective became sheltering the Baku oil fields from German raids. The Wehrmacht had been planning the capture of the oil field under the codename Operation Edelweiss. During the intense German air reconnaissance in May–October, 1942 the Army included the 8th Air Defence FighterCorps, seven anti-aircraft regiments, one anti-aircraft machine-gun regiment, a searchlight regiment, a barrage balloon regiment and other units.[1] During its actions, the Army downed eight aircraft.[2]
At the beginning of 1946, the Baku Air Defence Army was reorganized into the 17th Air Defence Corps as part of the Southwestern Air Defence District. In accordance with the directive of the Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR of June 24, 1947, the Baku Air Defence Army was recreated on the basis of the 17th Air Defence Corps, and in the fall of 1948, the Baku Air Defence Region [Бакинский район ПВО] (of the 1st category) was recreated on the basis of its administration. This region included the 49th Fighter Aviation Corps PVO, which was later disbanded.
From 1954 it was redesignated the Baku Air Defence District of the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO), until it was abolished on 5 January 1980. It was intended to cover the Baku and Absheron Peninsula oil districts from air attack.[3] The 72nd Guards Fighter Aviation Corps, previously with the 42nd Fighter Air Defence Army, became the district's 16th Guards Air Defence Division in January 1960 during the reorganization of the PVO. From that point it included both fighters, surface-to-air missiles, and air defence radars. In 1973, 10th Air Defence Division was absorbed by 12th Air Defence Corps.[4]
After the abolition of the Baku District, the main PVO formation in the Trancaucasus became the 19th Army of PVO headquartered in Tbilisi. 19th PVO Army consisted a number of different units and formations. There were two Corps of Air Defence Forces (14th, later renamed 96th Air Defence Division, and 12th Air Defence Corps, activated March 1960) two divisions of air defence forces (97th and 10th).[5] Smaller units included three SAM brigades, a separate SA-2 regiment near Gudauta, Abkhazia, a separate SA-5 regiment near Tbilisi, at least two radar units,[6] and a number of fighter aviation regiments (see List of Soviet Air Force bases).
In 1992 the 10th Air Defence Division and the 14th Air Defence Corps were disbanded.
19th PVO Army was disbanded 1 April 1993, with some equipment handed over to Georgian Ministry of Defence,[11] but most equipment being withdrawn to be disposed of in Russia. Some of the fighter regiments were withdrawn to Russia and disbanded, and many remaining units, including the 12th Air Defence Corps, became part of the 4th Air Army. Georgia was able to seize at least one battalion of S-75 SAMs, two batteries of P-125Ms, as well as several P-18 (Spoon Rest) radars.[6]
Later in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, 12th Air Defence Corps became 51st Air Defence Corps in July 1998.[7]
^Richard Woff, 'The Armed Forces of Georgia', Jane's Intelligence Review, July 1993, p.309
Валерий Симонов (2016-05-11). ""A Betrayed Army"" [«Преданная и проданная армия»]. www.sovsekretno.ru. Archived from the original on 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
Armies of the Soviet Air Defence Forces
