Guards unit (Soviet Union)

Guards units (Russian: Гвардия, romanized: Gvardiya) were elite units and formations in the Soviet Armed Forces that continue to exist in the Russian Armed Forces and other post-Soviet states. These units were awarded Guards status after distinguishing themselves in wartime service, and are considered to have elite status. The Guards designation originated during World War II, its name coming both from the Russian Imperial Guard, and the old Bolshevik Red Guards.^[1]^[2] Practical benefits of the status included double pay for ordinary soldiers and the designation often served as a morale-boosting source of unit pride.

History

The title of Guards within the Soviet Armed Forces was first introduced on 18 September 1941, at the direction of the

field armies, six tank armies, 40 rifle corps, and 117 rifle divisions.^[4] However, not all Guards units received their status through combat: all artillery units equipped with Katyusha multiple rocket launchers were designated Guards Mortar units upon formation.^[5] Airborne units, already considered elite, were also formed as Guards rather than receiving the status through combat action. Some twenty Guards Airborne Brigades were converted into the 11th–16th Guards Rifle Divisions in December 1943.^[6]

The introduction of the title marked a shift away from the Revolutionary symbolism of the Red Army as it referenced the

USSR. On 21 May 1942, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR introduced Guards ranks, which allowed soldiers of Guards units to append the title to their ranks, for example a major in a Guards unit could be referred to as Guards Major and any soldier could be a Guardsman (Gvardeyets) rather than a just a Red Army man (Krasnoarmeyets).^[8] The decree also introduced Guards badges to be worn of the right side of the chest in all uniforms to distinguish those in Guards units from others.^[9] The institution of distinctive colors was extended to Guards field armies and corps in June 1943.^[10]

Guards status was more than just a decoration and had practical benefits for those in such units: enlisted personnel in Guards units received double pay compared to those in other units, and non-commissioned officers and above received 1.5 times the pay of their counterparts in other units. Such rewards of Guards status meant that it often acted as a morale booster and increased unit cohesion, with soldiers writing letters home about being awarded the status.[8] Guards status also resulted in higher priority for replacements and equipment than normal units, although they were still often understrength by 1944 due to high casualty rates and their frequent usage in offensives.^[11] In an effort to keep Guards units elite, the People's Commissariat of Defense directed in December 1941 that wounded Guards personnel, excluding only the most seriously wounded, should be sent to hospitals close to the front line so that they could return to their own units, to preserve the "special nature" of their personnel and "military traditions." These efforts were emphasized in a February 1944 General Staff document that warned of locals from occupied territory, potential "criminal elements and traitors to the Motherland," being enlisted into Guards units during the Red Army's hasty late war enlistment of civilians in areas that they passed through. In spite of these efforts, the unit cohesion of Guards units could be affected by replacement quality, as exemplified by army commander Vasily Chuikov's January 1943 evaluation that Guards units were not "all that different" from other divisions, which mentioned desertions from the 13th Guards Rifle Division.^[7] Guards fighter units of the air force also made efforts to retain personnel, with the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment concentrating twelve aces with over ten victories.^[12]

From March 1942, Guards

rifle divisions were organized along a different table of organization and equipment from standard rifle divisions that increased their allocation of personnel, artillery and infantry support weapons.^[13] The Guards rifle divisions received an organic SU-76 assault gun battalion to replace their towed anti-tank gun unit in December 1944, which standard rifle divisions did not include until after the end of the war.^[14] While normal rifle divisions would become seriously understrength as the war progressed and the manpower pool of infantry conscripts declined, efforts were made to keep Guards rifle divisions at higher strength: the guards rifle division was authorized 10,670 soldiers compared to the 9,435 of its normal counterpart.^[15] On a wider scale, such benefits of Guards status were reflected in the field armies designated Guards, which were assigned one or two tank or mechanized corps to conduct encirclements of German defenders after their success in the Battle of Stalingrad.^[16] The Guards armies tended to have proportionally more artillery and tanks assigned than normal field armies.^[11] A Stavka order of April 1943 stipulated that Guards corps and armies were to be used only for offensives or counterattacks and withdrawn from the frontline for training instead of suffering losses in prolonged defense.^[7]

After the end of the war, the Guards armies that had taken major roles in the final defeat of Germany and the

Soviet occupation zone of Germany; they would later become the core of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany that confronted the NATO forces stationed in West Germany during the Cold War.^[17]

Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, Guards designations for military units have been retained by

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[20]^[21]

Badges

Former Russian Guards badge (1992–2010)
Current Russian Guards badge (2010–present)
Belarusian Guards badge
Soviet Guards emblem on an SU-122 self-propelled gun
Ukrainian Guards badge (Until 2016)
1942–1961 Gilded Guards badge worn by naval officers and warrant officers
1942–1961 Silver Guards badge worn by enlisted and non-commissioned officers
1942–1950 Naval jack displayed by Guards naval ships
1950-1992 Guards Red Banner Naval Flag
1950-1992 Naval jack displayed by Guards naval ships of Marine Units of the Border Troops of the USSR
SVG recreation of Guards badge
Guards badge of the Korean People's Army
Reverse side of the flag of the Korean People's Army only for Guards units.
Naval Ensign for Korean People's Navy Guards Units