30th Guards Army Corps
The 30th Guards Leningrad Army Corps (Russian: 30 Гвардейского армейского общевойскового Краснознамённого Ленинградского корпуса) was an army corps of the Soviet Ground Forces. As part of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War it was designated the 30th Guards Rifle Corps. It was formed in April 1943 on the basis of three guards rifle divisions, which had distinguished themselves in battle to break through the siege of Leningrad – the 45th, 63rd and 64th (the last came from the Volkhov Front). So the corps was a Guards unit from the first day of its formation. N. P. Simonyak, who had received for Operation Spark the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, was appointed as commander. Until the second week of February 1944, the two armies of the Leningrad Front had deployed only vanguard elements while attempting to force entry into Estonia. Army General Leonid A. Govorov of Leningrad Front ordered the 2nd Shock Army to break through the German defence line north and south of Narva town, move the front fifty kilometres westwards and continue towards the town of Rakvere. The artillery of the 2nd Shock army opened fire on all German positions on 11 February, continuing the