Formation The formation of the 3rd Tank Corps began on 31 March and ended on 10 May 1942 in
Tula. 31 March was considered its anniversary. Major General
Dmitry Mostovenko became the corps commander. In April, the 50th and 51st Tank Brigade joined the corps. The 47th Tank Brigade
Zhizdra-Bolkhov and Kozelsk Offensives The corps became part of the
Western Front reserve on 28 June. On 5 July, it was subordinated to the
61st Army as its exploitation force for the upcoming Zhizdra-Bolkhov Offensive. The offensive was a Soviet counterattack against the German
2nd Panzer Army defending the northern part of the
Oryol salient, and was an attempt to divert German troops from their attacks on the
Bryansk Front and also to draw the
4th Panzer Army away from
Voronezh. Despite the 61st Army failing to achieve a breakthrough in the direction of
Bolkhov when the offensive began on 5 July, the 3rd Tank Corps with 192 tanks was committed to the fight two days later. Attacking heavily fortified positions, the corps suffered heavy losses from anti-tank fire. 61st Army's attack was halted five days later without making gains. From the end of the offensive on 10 July to 11 August, the corps was located in the
Bely area. From 19 August it was under the operational control of the 3rd Tank Army. In early October, the corps was relocated to the
Kaluga area. All three tank brigades received new T-34s, which became part of the first and second companies of each tank battalion. The third companies of the battalions were re-equipped with the
T-70 light tank. The corps conducted training during its time in the reserve. On 10 December, the 57th Motor Rifle Brigade arrived from the
Ural Military District, replacing the 3rd Motor Rifle Brigade. On 24 December, the corps received the order to prepare to move by rail to the
Southwestern Front. Three days later, the corps began its rail journey to the front.
Operation Gallop On 28 December, the corps became part of the Southwestern Front. At the time it had 164 tanks, including 98 T-34s, 42 T-70s, and 24 T-60s. The corps unloaded at the
Kalach rail station and from there its tank brigades conducted a 300 kilometer march to its positions for the forthcoming offensive. From 22 January it was under the operational control of the
6th Army. On 25 January, it became part of Group
Popov. The mission of 2nd Tank Army was to support
27th Army's penetration, capture Târgu Frumos by enveloping the town from the east, and to exploit by rolling up the German/Romanian left wing and capture Jassy by enveloping the city from the southwest. The attack sector was still being defended primarily by 24th Panzer, supported by elements of the
Grossdeutchland Division. After a 30-minute artillery preparation, and against stubborn resistance,
35th Guards Rifle Corps, in coordination with 2nd Tank Army units, wedged into the German defenses and advanced 4 – 6 km along the Târgu Frumos axis by 1100 hrs., at which point counterattacks by infantry and up to 70 tanks pressed the attackers back somewhat. Following this:In the late afternoon the Corps halted its attacks to rest and regroup and, if possible, resume its assault the next morning. However, the Germans also regrouped overnight, bringing up elements of the
3rd SS Panzer Division from
LVII Panzer Corps reserves. On the morning of 3 May, 3rd Tank Corps was concentrated on a 1.5 km sector west of the HirlauTârgu Frumos road. Konev was still confident that he had sufficient armor to, if not envelop Jassy, at least take the illusive prize of Târgu Frumos. But the German strength in both tanks and anti-tank guns denied any success to the new assault. Tanks that passed through the German infantry lines were shot up by anti-tank assets in the rear. While elements of 2nd Tank Army penetrated for a second time to the northern outskirts of the objective, losses forced them back to the start line by the afternoon. A further effort on 4 May gained nothing, and by day's end Konev had given up all hopes of resuming his offensive. In the course of the fighting from 1–8 May, the Corps reported the non-recoverable loss of 21 tanks and SUs from the total of 50 at start. The Corps further reported:The Corps also reported personnel losses of 80 men killed and 321 men wounded. Near the end of May Konev planned to renew his offensive by regrouping 2nd Tank Army and other forces north and northwest of Jassy. This was pre-empted on 30 May when German
Eighth Army launched Operation "Sonja" to drive Soviet forces back from the city. 3rd Tank Corps was in a
laager around the town of
Focuri when the attack began; at this point the entire tank army was fielding about 60 tanks in total, including about ten IS models. "Sonja" was halted on the third day after making gains, but was soon followed by Operation "Katja" on 2 June. At mid-morning that day, the Corps was ordered to the vicinity of
Movileni Station, where it fended off an attack by forward elements of Grossdeutchland. By nightfall stable defenses had been established just south of the station along with remnants of
202nd and
206th Rifle Divisions. By 5 June, 3rd Tank was aiding in the defense at Epureni when "Katja" came to a halt. These two operations rocked the Soviet forces enough to end any immediate plans for a continued offensive of their own; this sector would remain quiet until 20 August, when the
2nd Jassy-Kishinev Offensive began. == Postwar ==