6th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 6th Guards Motor Rifle Vitebsk-Novgorod Twice Red Banner Division (Russian: 6-я гвардейская мотострелковая дивизия; Military Unit Number 68434) was a Soviet motor rifle division, which after the end of World War II was stationed on the Polish territory as part of Northern Group of Forces. It was the second formation of the 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division, and drew its history from the 90th Guards Rifle Division.
6th Guards Motor Rifle Division (1985–1991) 166th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (1992–1996) 90th Guards Tank Division (2016–present) | |
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Active | 1985–1996 |
Country | Soviet Union (1985–1991) Russia (1992–1996) |
Branch | Soviet Army (1985–1991) Russian Ground Forces (1992–1996, 2016-present) |
Type | Mechanized infantry (1985-1996) armoured warfare (2016-present) |
Garrison/HQ | Borne Sulinowo (1985–1992) Tver (1992–1996) Chebarkul (2016-present) |
Engagements | First Chechen War |
Decorations | Order of the Red Banner (2) Guards |
Battle honours | Vitebsk Novgorod |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Vladimir Bulgakov |
History
In an exchange of numbers, the 6th Guards Lvov Motor Rifle Division (First Formation) in Germany in 1985 became the 90th Guards Tank Division, while the 90th Guards Tank Division became the 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division. The division in Poland disbanded a tank regiment and formed a motor rifle regiment, while the division in Germany formed a tank regiment.[1]
Division headquarters was located in the town of Borne Sulinowo.[1]
In November 1985, the 65th Separate Air Assault Battalion was formed from the division's 126th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion in Białogard.[2] Between May and November 1986, the battalion was expanded to form the 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade under the command of Colonel V.M. Sinitsyn.[3]
The Division withdrew from Poland in 1992 and was moved to Tver in the Moscow Military District[1] where it became the 166th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. Between January and July 1996 it fought in the First Chechen War. In 1997 the brigade was disbanded and converted into the 70th Guards Base for Storage of Weapons & Equipment. The 70th VkhVT was finally disbanded in 1998.[4]
The 90th Guards Tank Division (Russian: 90-я гвардейская танковая Витебско-Новгородская дважды Краснознамённая дивизия; Military Unit Number 86274) was reformed by December 2016 in the Central Military District, carrying on the lineage of the 90th Guards Rifle Division.[5][6] The division inherits the awards and history of the 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division, the former 90th Guards Rifle Division. The formation was founded in accordance to the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces and regulation of the Russian Defence Minister dated September 13, 2016. The division is based in the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk Regions.[7]
On June 30, 2018, an ukaz of President Vladimir Putin officially conferred the honorifics Guards Vitebsk-Novgorod upon the division, while the 6th Tank Regiment became the 6th Guards Lvov Tank Regiment and the 400th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment received the honorific Transylvania.[8][9]
Composition
1985The division was composed of the following units.[1]
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2018
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Equipment
Equipment in 2018: T-72A/B/BA/B3, BMP-2, BTR-82A, Grad MLRS, TOS-1,[13][14] 2S12, 2S3.[15]
Commanders
- Maj. Gen. Vladimir Vasilyevich Bulgakov (1990–1992)
Notes
- Holm, Michael. "90th Guards Tank Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- Holm, Michael. "83rd independent Landing-Assault Brigade". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
- "83-я отдельная гвардейская десантно-штурмовая бригада" [83rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade]. structure.mil.ru (in Russian). Russian Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- "Военные рассказали о формировании танковой дивизии на Урале" [The military announced the formation of a tank division in the Urals]. Lenta.ru (in Russian). 11 September 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- "Танковая дивизия на Урале будет сформирована до 1 декабря этого года" [Formation of tank division in Urals to be completed by 1 December this year]. TASS (in Russian). 11 September 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- "Танковая дивизия на Урале будет сформирована до 1 декабря этого года" [Tank division in the Urals will be formed by 1 December this year]. TASS (in Russian). 11 September 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "90th Vitebskaya-Novgorodskaya tank division of the Red Banner of the Central MD started combat training". Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. 2016-12-01. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- "In Provocative Move, Putin Names Regiments After Ukrainian Cities, Warsaw, Berlin". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
- "Путин присвоил военным частям имена украинских городов" [Putin gives military units honorifics after Ukrainian cities]. lenta.ru. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- "Центральный военный округ". Milkavkaz (in Russian). 22 Mar 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-04-05. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
- "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 30.06.2018 № 382 'О присвоении 6 танковому полку почетного наименования'". publication.pravo.gov.ru. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
- "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 30.06.2018 № 383 'О присвоении 400 самоходному артиллерийскому полку почетного наименования'". publication.pravo.gov.ru. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
- "Более 1,5 тыс. военных применили новые формы ведения боя в ходе учений на Урале". TASS (in Russian). 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
- "На Урале около 10 тыс. военнослужащих ЦВО приступили к занятиям на полигонах". Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- "Полупрямые "карусели" Чебаркуля". Red Star (in Russian). 2016-03-29. Archived from the original on 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
References
- Andrew Wojtaszak, Kazimierz Kozlowski: Soldier Polish Western Pomerania X-XX century: the materials of scientific session of 10 November 1999: collective work. Wilson: Department of Civic Education, 2001. ISBN 83-86992-76-X .