Red Army

1918–1946 Russian then Soviet army and air force

The Red Army was the army of the Bolsheviks that was led by Leon Trotsky during the Russian Civil War. It later became the army of the Soviet Union. The name used mainly before and during World War II. After the war, it was renamed as the Soviet Army, but many people continued to call it the Red Army. Even now, some people still nickname the modern Russian Army as the Red Army.

Workers' and Peasants' Red Army
ActiveJanuary 15, 1918 to February 25, 1946
Country
AllegianceCPSU
TypeArmy
EngagementsWorld War I, Russian Civil War, Polish–Soviet War, Winter War, Eastern Front of World War II

Some later communist organizations such as the Red Army Faction used the name, and anti-communists sometimes used the name for any left-wing group that they said was trying to promote communism and was paid for by the Soviets.