85th Rifle Corps
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| 85th Rifle Corps | |
|---|---|
| Active | September 1943–January 1954 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army (Soviet Army from 1946) |
| Type | Infantry (Rifle corps) |
| Engagements | Soviet invasion of Manchuria (part of World War II) |
The 85th Rifle Corps (Russian: 85-й стрелковый корпус) was a rifle corps of the Red Army and later the Soviet Army.
Formed in 1943 as part of the 17th Army of the Transbaikal Front, the corps spent the next two years as a garrison unit. In August 1945 its headquarters was used to provide a headquarters for the Soviet–Mongolian Cavalry-Mechanized Group during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Postwar, the corps garrisoned the Kuril Islands before being disbanded in the early 1950s.
The corps was formed in September 1943, under the command of Major General Nikanor Samonov. Part of the 17th Army of the Transbaikal Front, it included the 36th and 57th Motor Rifle Divisions, stationed in the Mongolian People's Republic, as well as the 284th Rifle Division and the 1st and 3rd Motor Rifle Regiments.[1] On 4 April 1944, 57th Motor Rifle Division commander Major General Viktor Nikiforov replaced Samonov.[2] The 284th Division and the two motor rifle regiments were directly subordinated to the army headquarters in December, leaving the 85th with only the 36th and 57th Divisions.[3] From July 1945, the corps headquarters was used to provide a headquarters for the Soviet–Mongolian Cavalry-Mechanized Group. In this capacity, it participated in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria.[4][5] Nikiforov served as chief of staff of the group during this period.[6]
