6th Guards Airborne Division
| 6th Guards Airborne Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1959 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army (later Soviet Army) |
| Type | Airborne, Infantry |
| Size | 5,001 (25 March 1945)[1] |
| Engagements |
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| Decorations |
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| Battle honours |
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The 6th Guards Airborne Division (Russian: 6-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная дивизия) was a Red Army airborne division that fought as infantry during World War II.
Formed in December 1942 from an airborne corps, it first saw combat as an infantry unit in the
Korsun-Shevchenkovsky Offensive
in late 1943 and early 1944.
The 5th Guards received the
Prague Offensive
.
Weeks after the end of the war, it was redesignated as the 113th Guards Rifle Division. It was downsized into a brigade between 1947 and 1953, serving in the Taurida Military District. The division became a motor rifle division in 1957 and disbanded in 1959.
History
World War II
The 6th Guards Airborne Division was formed on 8 December 1942 from the
Uman–Botoșani Offensive, it operated with the 4th Guards Army. For its performance during the offensive, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 19 March.[3]
For crossing the
7th Guards Army, with which it remained for the rest of the war. At the end of December it crossed the Hron, but was forced to retreat in the face of German resistance.[2]
On 25 March 1945, the division crossed the Hron in the area of Zhemlyari during the
Postwar
On 13 June 1945, it was redesignated as the 113th Guards Rifle Division to reflect its infantry role as part of the 25th Guards Rifle Corps of the 7th Guards Army in the newly created
Zaporizhia in the Odessa Military District in late 1945 with the corps[5] and downsized into the 43rd Separate Guards Rifle Brigade in April 1948[2] following the disbandment of the corps in May 1947. The brigade was subsequently moved to Yevpatoria in the Taurida Military District,[2] where it became a division again in October 1953.[6] By 1955, the 85th Guards Tank Regiment was added to the division.[7] On 17 May 1957, the 113th Guards Rifle Division became a motor rifle division at Yevpatoria with the 45th Army Corps. It included the 359th, 361st and 363rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiments formed from guards rifle regiments with the same numbers,[8] the 85th Guards Tank Regiment and other smaller units. The division was disbanded on 1 March 1959.[9][10]
Commanders
The following officers are known to have led the division:[11]
- Major General Alexander Kirzimov (8 December 1942 – 10 March 1943)
- Colonel Mikhail Smirnov (11 March 1943–December 1948; promoted to major general on 16 October 1943)[2]
References
Citations
- ^ a b Torbin & Blyumenkrants 1945, p. 56.
- ^ a b c d e Tsapayev & Goremykin 2011, pp. 392–393.
- ^ a b c Sergeyev 1999, p. 277.
- ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 147.
- ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 414.
- ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 149.
- ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 154.
- ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 174.
- ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 163.
- ^ Feskov et al 2013, pp. 488, 491.
- ^ Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1964, p. 348: Dates are of orders and may not reflect actual conditions
Bibliography
- Feskov, V. I.; Golikov, V. I.; Kalashnikov, K. A.; Slugin, S. A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature. ISBN 978-5-89503-530-6.
- Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1964). Командование корпусного и дивизионного звена советских вооруженных сил периода Великой Отечественной войны 1941 – 1945 гг [Commanders of Corps and Divisions in the Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945] (in Russian). Moscow: Frunze Military Academy.
- Sergeyev, Igor, ed. (1999). "Кременчугско-Знаменская воздушно-десантная дивизия" [Kremenchug–Znamenka Airborne Division]. Военная энциклопедия в 8 томах [Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes] (in Russian). Vol. 4. Moscow: Voenizdat. p. 277. ISBN 5-203-01876-6.
- Torbin, Lieutenant Colonel; Blyumenkrants, Major (1945). Журнал боевых действий 6 гв. вдд [Combat Journal of the 6th Guards Airborne Division] (in Russian). Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation – via Pamyat Naroda. (Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defence, fond 1313, opus 1, file 21)
- Tsapayev, D.A.; et al. (2011). Великая Отечественная: Комдивы. Военный биографический словарь [The Great Patriotic War: Division Commanders. Military Biographical Dictionary] (in Russian). Vol. 1. Moscow: Kuchkovo Pole. ISBN 978-5-9950-0189-8.