The Bryansk Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War.General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first formed in mid-late August 1941, comprising, in Erickson's words, "on paper two armies, 50th and 13th, with eight rifle divisions each, three cavalry divisions, and one tank division but many of these formations were badly whittled down by battle losses." Two other armies from Soviet Central Front, 21st and 3rd Army, that had avoided encirclement at the Battle of Smolensk (1941), were promised but also badly worn down.In late August along with the Western Front and Reserve Fronts it launched a large but failed counteroffensive in the Smolensk, El'nia, and Roslavl regions to halt Army Group Centre's advance on Moscow.