Red Army (USSR)

The Red Army. Officially known as the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and later the Soviet Union from 1918 to 1946. It was established in January 1918 by Leon Trotsky to defend the new Soviet state during the Russian Civil War.

The Red Army played a crucial role in World War II, providing the largest land force in the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. It accounted for 75-80% of Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS casualties on the Eastern Front and ultimately captured Berlin. Up to 34 million soldiers served in the Red Army during the war, with official losses of over 11 million killed, missing, or captured.

The Red Army received significant material support from the U.S. through the Lend-Lease program, including over 400,000 jeeps and trucks, 12,000 armored vehicles, and 14,000 aircraft.

After World War II, the Red Army occupied much of Eastern Europe, helping to establish and maintain communist regimes aligned with the Soviet Union.

On February 25, 1946, the Red Army was renamed the Soviet Army. It retained this name until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, after which it became the core of the Russian Ground Forces.