List of Soviet divisions 1917–45

The Soviet Union's Red Army raised divisions during the Russian Civil War, and again during the interwar period from 1926. Few of the Civil War divisions were retained into this period, and even fewer survived the reorganization of the Red Army during the 1937–1941 period. During the Second World War 400 'line' rifle divisions (infantry), 129 Soviet Guards rifle divisions, and over 50 cavalry divisions as well as many divisions of other combat support arms were raised in addition to the hundreds of divisions that existed in the Red Army before Operation Barbarossa. Almost all the pre-war mechanized and tank divisions were disbanded during the war. There were also Red Air Force aviation divisions, and the NKVD divisions which also took part in fighting.

Soviet War Memorial (Tiergarten).

The territorial principle of manning the Red Army was introduced in the mid-1920s. In each region able-bodied men were called up for a limited period of active duty in a territorial unit, which comprised about half the Army's strength, each year, for five years.[1] The first call-up period was for three months, with one month a year thereafter. A regular cadre provided a stable nucleus. By 1925 this system provided 46 of the 77 infantry divisions and one of the eleven cavalry divisions. The remainder consisted of regular officers and enlisted personnel serving two-year stints. The territorial system was finally abolished, with all remaining formations converted to the other 'cadre' divisions, in 1937 and 1938.[2]

The Red Army formed at least 42 "national" divisions during the Second World War which had substantial ethnic majorities in their composition derived from location of initial formation rather than intentional "nationalization" of the divisions, including four Azeri, five Armenian, and eight Georgian rifle divisions and a large number of cavalry divisions in the eastern Ukraine, Kuban region, and Central Asia, including five Uzbek cavalry divisions.

Airborne Divisions

At the end of the Second World War most of the remaining Guards Airborne Divisions were redesignated Guards Rifle Divisions.[7] At the end of June 1945 this has happened to the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th, which became respectively the 111, 112, 113, 115, and 116th Guards Rifle Divisions. In November, it happened to the 1st, 3rd, and 10th Airborne Divisions, which became the 124th, 125th, and 126th Guards Rifle Divisions.

NKVD Divisions
Banner of the 175th Rifle Regiment, Internal Troops, NKVD

Not intended for front line combat, NKVD Internal Troops were used to guard borders, secure railways, and combat elements such as the Ukrainian Insurgent Army that posed threats to the rear areas and supply convoys of the Red Army. Notwithstanding the original intent of these units, many saw at least some front line combat, several were converted to regular divisions of the Red Army, and others were grouped into a field NKVD army that was later re-numbered as the 70th Army. There were different types of divisions: Rifle Division (abbreviated to RD in this list), Railroad Security Division (RSD), Special Installation Security Division (SISD), and Convoy Forces Security Division (CFSD).

This list is primarily drawn from David Glantz, Companion To Colossus Reborn: Key Documents And Statistics, University Press of Kansas, 2005.

  • 1st Rifle Division NKVD (RD) – established 9.41 at Mga, with Northwestern Front and Leningrad Front. On 9.8.42 became 46th Rifle Division (third formation) of the Red Army.
  • 1st Motor Rifle Division NKVD – established 23.6.38 at Moscow as Separate NKVD Motorized RD, with Western Front and 56th Army. Still exists in the Russian MVD Internal Troops.
  • 2nd NKVD Railroad Security Division (RSD) – established 8.3.39 at Leningrad, with Leningrad and Special Baltic Military Districts. 11.2.42 became 23rd NKVD RSD.
  • 2nd Motor Rifle Division NKVD – 7.41 at Moscow, in Leningrad and Baltic regions. 10.45 disbanded.
  • 3rd NKVD RSD – 8.3.39 at Mogilev. Wiped out twice in 1941, with the Western and Bryansk Fronts. 11.2.42 became the 24th NKVD RSD.
  • 3rd Rifle Division NKVD – 1.42 at Leningrad, 8.42 disbanded.
  • 3rd NKVD RD – 9.42 at Tbilisi as the Tbilisi Division. With Trans-Caucasian Front. 6.44 renamed 3rd NKVD RD, with 2nd Far Eastern Front in Manchuria in 1945. Disbanded 1946.
  • 4th NKVD RSD – Established 8 March 1939 in Kiev. 6.41 in the Odessa Military District and later with Southern Front. 11.2.42 became the 25th NKVD RSD.
  • 4th NKVD RD – 9.41 in the Crimea. With 51st Army and the Separate Coastal Army. In October 1941 became the 184th Rifle Division (second formation) of the Red Army.
  • 4th NKVD Motor RD – 1.42 at Leningrad, 8.42 disbanded.
  • 4th NKVD Rifle Division – 10.10.43 at Moscow. In Baltic regions, 12.8.51 disbanded.
  • 5th NKVD RSD – *8.3.39 at Kharkov. With Southwestern Front. 11.2.42 became the 26th NKVD RSD.
  • 5th NKVD RD – *11.1.42 at Tikhvin. In Leningrad and Baltic regions. 15.9.51 disbanded.
  • 6th NKVD RSD – *8.3.39 at Khabarovsk. In the Far East. Became the 37th NKVD RSD 11.2.42.
  • 6th NKVD Motor RD – *11.41 behind Southwestern Front. Became the 8th NKVD Motor RD 11.2.42.
  • 6th NKVD RD – *1.42 at Kalinin. With Kalinin and 2nd Baltic Fronts and later in the Belorussian Military District. 10.45 disbanded.
  • 7th NKVD RSD – 8.3.39 at Svobodnyi. 11.2.42 became the 28th NKVD RSD.
  • 7th NKVD Motor RD – 4.42 at Orel and Tula. With the Western, Bryansk, Central, Belorussian, and 1st Belorussian Fronts. Later in the Belorussian Military District. 13.9.51 disbanded.
  • 8th NKVD RSD – 8.3.39 in Chita. 11.2.42 became the 29th NKVD RSD.
  • 8th Motor Rifle Division NKVD – Formed January 1942 at Voronezh from the 6th NKVD Motor RD. 7.42 became the 63rd RD of the Red Army, which then became the 52nd Guards RD 11.43.
  • 8th NKVD Motor RD – 1.42 at Voronezh (? see above) and 5.42 renumbered as the 13th NKVD Motor RD.
  • 9th NKVD RSD – *8.3.39 in Vilnius. With Special Baltic and Western Special Military Districts. Wiped out 1941, 25.9.41 disbanded.
  • 9th NKVD Motor RD – *1.42 in Rostov. 8.42 became the 31st RD of the Red Army.
  • 9th NKVD RD – *22.8.42 in Ordzhonikidze as NKVD RD with same name. Fought with Trans-Caucasian front during latter part of 1942. 5.44 became the 9th NKVD RD in Krasnodar. 10.44 disbanded.
  • 10th NKVD RSD – *14.11.39 at L'vov. With Southwestern Front. Wiped out at Kiev and 10.41 disbanded.
  • 10th Rifle Division NKVD – 7.42 at Saratov and Stalingrad. With Stalingrad Front. 10.42 became the 181st RD (third formation) of the Red Army and assigned to the NKVD Army which later was renamed the 70th Army.
  • 10th NKVD RD – *26.3.42 at Rostov as the 41st NKVD RSD. 9.42 renamed at Sukhumi as NKVD RD with same name. With 46th Army of the Transcaucasian Front. 4.44 became the 10th NKVD RD at Sarny. With Central, Belorussian, and 1st Belorussian Fronts, and then in the Belorussian Military District. June 1946, disbanded.
  • 11th NKVD RD – *1.42 at Nalchik and Krasnodar. With Crimean and Trans-Caucasus Fronts. 12.42 disbanded.
  • 11th NKVD SISD – *6.11.39 at Moscow. 31.1.42 merged with 12th NKVD SISD to become 15th NKVD SISD.
  • 12th NKVD SISD – *25.8.41 at Moscow. 31.1.42 merged with 11th NKVD SISD to become 15th NKVD SISD.
  • 12th NKVD Mountain RD – *29.6.41 at Saratov. 7.41 became the 268th RD of the Red Army.
  • 12th NKVD RD – *1.42 at Moscow. 9.42 converted to 22nd NKVD Rifle Brigade.
  • 13th NKVD CFSD – *11.39 at Kiev. With Southern and Southwestern Fronts until wiped out 9.41. Remnants became the 35th NKVD CFSD 2.42.
  • 13th Motor Rifle Division NKVD – *5.42 near Moscow from elements of the 8th NKVD Motor RD. With Voronezh Front. 8.42 became the second formation of the 95th Rifle Division of the Red Army.
  • 14th NKVD CFSD – *9.40 near Moscow. 2.42 became the 36th NKVD CFSD.
  • 14th Railway Facilities Protection Division NKVD – 3.8.44 at Vilnius. 15.5.51 disbanded.
  • 15th NKVD Mountain RD – *29.6.41 at Moscow. With Southern Front. 7.42 became the 257th RD of the Red Army.
  • 15th NKVD SISD – *31.1.42 at Moscow. Formed by merger of 11th and 12th NKVD SISD. 15.5.51 disbanded.
  • 16th NKVD Mountain RD – *29.6.41 at Moscow. 7.42 became the 262nd RD of the Red Army.
  • 16th NKVD SISD – *31.1.42 at Moscow. 30.5.50 disbanded.
  • 17th NKVD SISD – *31.1.42 at Gorki. 15.5.51 disbanded.
  • 18th NKVD RSD – *24.6.41 at Tbilis. 11.2.42 became 30th NKVD RSD.
  • 18th NKVD SISD – *22.6.41 at Sverdlovsk as the 25th NKVD SISD. 31.1.42 became the 18th NKVD SISD. 15.5.51 disbanded.
  • 19th NKVD SISD – *1.42 at Vorishilovgrad. With Southern and Trans-Caucasus Fronts. 10.11.42 reformed as the 8th NKVD Brigade.
  • 19th NKVD Special Installation and Railroad Security Division – *24.6.41 at Gorki. 26.3.42 became the 31st NKVD SIRSD.
  • 19th NKVD RD – *8.42 near Grozni. With Trans-Caucasus Front, fought at Grozni.
  • 20th NKVD SIRSD – *24.6.41 at Leningrad. 5.9.41 became the 20th NKVD RD.
  • 20th NKVD RD – *5.9.41 at Tikhvin from the 20th NKVD SIRSD. With 8th and 23rd Armies. 8.42 became the 92nd RD of the Red Army.
  • 20th NKVD SISD – *10.11.42 at Novosibirsk and Kuibyshev. 15.5.51 disbanded.
  • 21st NKVD Motor RD – *6.41 at Leningrad. With 42nd Army. 1.9.41 became the 21st NKVD RD. 8.42 21st NKVD RD became the 109th RD of the Red Army.
  • 21st NKVD SISD – 28.7.43 at Novosibirsk. 22.11.45 converted to 54th NKVD Brigade.
  • 22nd Motor Rifle Division NKVD – 23.6.41 in Northwestern Front area. After 30 June 1941, had to operate as a part of 10th Rifle Corps, but it had no organic artillery, engineer, or logistical support.[8] 8.41 wiped out and disbanded 1.42.
  • 22nd NKVD RSD – *29.2.44 at Kuibyshev. 25.5.46 disbanded.
  • 23rd NKVD Motor RD – *6.41 in Kiev Special Military District. With Southwestern Front, 1.42 became the 8th NKVD Motor RD.
  • 23rd NKVD RSD – *11.2.42 at Leningrad. Fought in Leningrad area. 15.5.51 disbanded.
  • 24th NKVD RSD – *11.2.42 at Moscow (was the 3rd NKVD RSD). 21.12.46 disbanded.
  • 25th NKVD RSD – *11.2.42 at Saratov (was the 4th NKVD RSD). With Southwestern and 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts. 15.5.51 disbanded.
  • 25th NKVD SISD – *22.6.41 at Sverdlovsk. Became the 18th NKVD SISD 31.12.42.
  • 26th NKVD RSD – *11.2.42 at Liski (was the 5th NKVD RSD). 21.12.46 disbanded.
  • 26th NKVD Mountain RD – *29.6.41 at Moscow. 7.41 assigned to Red Army.
  • 27th NKVD RSD – *11.2.42 at Khabarovsk (was the 6th NKVD RSD). 15.5.51 disbanded.
  • 28th NKVD RSD – *11.2.42 at Svobodnyi (was the 7th NKVD RSD). 29.2.44 became the 32nd NKVD RS Brigade.
  • 29th NKVD RSD – *11.2.42 at Chita (was the 8th NKVD RSD). 21.12.46 disbanded.
  • 30th NKVD RSD – *11.2.42 at Tbilisi (was the 18th NKVD RSD). 16.12.46 disbanded.
  • 31st NKVD RSD – *26.3.42 at Gorki (was the 19th NKVD RSD). 25.5.46 disbanded.
  • 32nd NKVD RSD – *26.3.42 at Voroshilov. With Voronezh, Central, Belorussian, and 1st Ukrainian Fronts. 15.5.51 disbanded.
  • 33rd NKVD RSD – *26.3.42 at Kuibyshev. 8.1.47 disbanded.
  • 34th NKVD RSD – *26.3.42 at Sverdlovsk. 21.12.46 disbanded.
  • 35th NKVD CFSD – *2.42 near Voronezh (was the 13th NKVD CFSD). With Stalingrad and Central Asian Military Districts. 7.51 disbanded.
  • 36th NKVD CFSD – *2.42 near Krasnoiarsk (was the 14th NKVD CFSD). With Ukrainian Military District. 1.48 disbanded.
  • 37th NKVD CFSD – *3.42 near Volodarsk. With Western and 1st Belorussian Fronts. 7.51 disbanded.
  • 38th NKVD CFSD – *3.42 at Novosibirsk. 7.51 disbanded.
  • 39th NKVD CFSD – *8.43 at Sverdlovsk. 7.51 disbanded.
  • 41st NKVD RSD – *26.3.42 at Rostov. Successively renamed the Sukhumi Division and the 10th NKVD RD.
  • 45th NKVD CFSD – *8.44 at Beltsy. With 2nd Ukrainian Front. 9.55 disbanded.
  • 46th NKVD CFSD – *8.44 at Moscow. 9.55 disbanded.
  • 47th NKVD CFSD – *5.45 at Leningrad.
  • 48th NKVD CFSD – *5.45 at Riga.
  • 49th NKVD CFSD – *5.45 at Odessa.
  • 50th NKVD CFSD – *5.45 at Voronezh.
  • 51st NKVD CFSD – *5.45 at Kharkov.
  • 52nd NKVD CFSD – *5.45 at Voroshilovgrad.
  • 53rd NKVD CFSD – *5.45 at Rostov.
  • 56th NKVD CFSD – *5.45 at Alma-Ata.
  • 57th NKVD RD – *18.1.45 at Gaizhunai. With 3rd Belorussian Front. 10.45 disbanded.
  • 58th NKVD RD – *1.45 at Slonim. With 1st Belorussian Front. 6.45 disbanded.
  • 59th NKVD RD – *1.45 at L'vov. With 1st Ukrainian Front. 10.45 disbanded.
  • 60th NKVD RD – *22.2.45 at Vinnitsa. With 2nd Ukrainian Front. 4.10.46 disbanded.
  • 61st NKVD RD – *2.45 at Beltsy. With the Ukrainian fronts. 12.45 disbanded.
  • 62nd NKVD RD – *12.44 at Belgrade. With 3rd Ukrainian Front. 9.51 disbanded.
  • 63rd NKVD RD – *1.45 at Białystok. With 2nd Belorussian Front. 12.46 disbanded.
  • 64th NKVD RD – *10.44 at Lublin as the NKVD Composite Division. 12.44 became the 64th NKVD RD at Lvov. With 1st Ukrainian Front. 6.48 disbanded.
  • 65th NKVD RD – *23.1.45 at Stanisław. With 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts in Hungary. 18.7.46 disbanded.
  • 66th NKVD RD – *1.45 at Sibiu. With 3rd Ukrainian Front in Romania. 10.45 disbanded.
  • Grozny NKVD RD – *15.8.42 at Grozny. In combat with Trans-Caucasus Front until 12.42 and subsequently on security duties. 18.4.44 disbanded.
  • Makhachkala NKVD RD – *8.42 at Makhachkala. Fought with Red Army until 11.42. 1.43 disbanded.
  • Siberian NKVD RD – *10.42 in Siberia. 1.43 became the 140th Rifle Division of the Red Army and assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.
  • Central Asian NKVD RD – *10.42 in Siberia. 1.43 became the 161st Rifle Division of the Red Army and assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.
  • Far Eastern NKVD RD – *10.42 in Siberia. 1.43 became the 102nd Rifle Division of the Red Army and assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.
  • Trans-Baikal NKVD RD – *10.42 in Siberia. 1.43 became the 106th Rifle Division of the Red Army and assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.
  • Ural NKVD RD – *10.42 in Siberia. 1.43 became the 175th Rifle Division of the Red Army and assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.

Cavalry Divisions
See also: Cavalry division (Soviet Union)

Cavalry divisions in the Red Army were first formed in the early days of the Russian Civil War. The Red cavalry played a key role in the war, as the relatively small size of the forces involved and the large open spaces were ideal for mobile cavalry operations.[9] 27 cavalry divisions were formed during the war, of which all but eleven were disbanded after the end of the war in 1921. The Red Army's cavalry forces was gradually expanded during the interwar period, reaching a peak in 1936, when the Red Army included 36 cavalry divisions. However, the increasing demand for mechanized units resulted in drastic reductions in the Red Army cavalry force during the last few years before the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.[10]

At the time of the German invasion, there were nine regular cavalry divisions and four mountain cavalry divisions in the Red Army. The rapid destruction of Soviet mechanized forces in the summer and autumn of 1941 resulted in a rapid expansion of cavalry units to provide the Red Army a mobile, if not armored, force. This expansion produced some 87 new cavalry divisions by early 1942, many of which were later disbanded as the Red Army rebuilt its tank and mechanized formations. 17 of the cavalry divisions were granted Guards status and renumbered accordingly. At the start of the conflict, a cavalry division had some 9,000 men; by 1945, they were authorized 6,000 men and often organized into corps of three divisions that were reinforced by artillery, tank, and assault gun elements.[9]

After the end of World War II, the remaining 26 cavalry divisions were mostly converted into mechanized and tank units or disbanded.[11] The last cavalry divisions were not disbanded until the early 1950s, with the last cavalry division, the 4th Guards Cavalry Division (II Formation, previously reduced in status from 4th Guards Cavalry Corps), being disbanded in April 1955.[12]

  • 1st Cavalry Division (1st RSFSR (pre-Soviet Union) formation) — Formed 28 February 1920 from the Moscow Cavalry Division. Fought in the Russian Civil War. Converted into a cavalry brigade of the 12th Cavalry Division 31 December 1920.[13]
  • 1st Cavalry Division (2nd RSFSR formation, 1st USSR formation) — Renumbered 6 May 1922 from 8th Cavalry Division. Redesignated 32nd Cavalry Division May 1938.[14]
  • 1st Mountain Cavalry Division (1st RSFSR formation) — Formed January 1920 from the 1st Altai Mountain Rifle Division. Fought in the Russian Civil War. Disbanded 29 March 1920 and remainder absorbed by the 26th Rifle Division.[15]
  • 1st Mountain Cavalry Division (1st USSR formation) — Formed in July 1941. With Trans-Caucasus Front December 1941 and 15th Cavalry Corps July 1944. Stationed in Iran during World War II.
  • 2nd Cavalry Division – used to create the third formation of the 2nd Rifle Division on 23.11.41.
  • 3rd Cavalry Division – Formed in Odessa Military District prewar. 6.41 with 5th Cavalry Corps. Became the 5th Guards Cavalry Division 22.12.41. Originally 34,60,99,158 Cavalry Regiments and 44th Tank Regiment.[16]
  • 4th Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 9th Cavalry Corps. Reformed by reorganisation of 210th Motorised Division later in 1941.
  • 5th Cavalry Division— (ex 2nd Cavalry Division 8.24). With 2nd Cavalry Corps, 9th Army in 6.41. Became 1st Guards Cavalry Division 26.11.41. Originally 11,96,131,160 Cavalry Regiments and 32nd Tank Regiment[16]
  • 6th Cavalry Division – with 6th Cavalry Corps in 6.41. Disbanded 19.9.41. Originally 3,48,94,152 Cavalry Regiments and 35th Tank Regiment.[16]
  • 7th Cavalry Division – with 3rd Cavalry Corps in 5.37.
  • 8th Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 1st Red Banner Army in Far East. Originally 49,115,121,163 Cavalry Regiments.[16] With 6th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front 5.45.
  • 9th Cavalry Division – formed in Odessa Military District prewar, with 2nd Cavalry Corps, 9th Army 6.41. Originally 5,72,108,136 Cavalry Regiments and 30th Tank Regiment.[16] 11.41 became 2nd Guards Cavalry Division. Reformed, with 4th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front 5.45.
  • 10th Cavalry Division – formed 23.4.36. 4.42 remnants merged into 12th and 13th Cavalry Divisions.
  • 11th Cavalry Division – with 3rd Cavalry Corps 5.37. 1.43 became 8th Guards Cavalry Division.
  • 12th Cavalry Division – 1.42 established at Krasnodar; with 17th Cavalry Corps 4.42. Became 9th Guards Cavalry Division on 27.8.42.
  • 13th Cavalry Division – established at Krasnodar 1.42; with 17th Cavalry Corps 4.42. Became 10th Guards Cavalry Division 27.8.42.
  • 14th Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 5th Cavalry Corps. Became 6th Guards Cavalry Division 12.41.
  • 15th Cavalry Division – 4.42 with 17th Cavalry Corps. 8.42 became 11th Guards Cavalry Division.
  • 17th Mountain Cavalry Division – 6.41 with Transcaucasus Military District. 7.42 disbanded.
  • 18th Cavalry Division - Operated under Dmitri Zhloba during the Red Army invasion of Georgia 2.21. With 4th Cavalry Corps, Central Asia Military District 6.41. 7.42 disbanded.
  • 19th Cavalry Division - Uzbek national formation
  • 20th Tajik Red Banner Order of Lenin Mountain Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 4th Cavalry Corps, Central Asia Military District. 8.43 became the 17th Guards Cavalry Division. Also had honour title 'mining'?
  • 21st Fergana Mountain Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 4th Cavalry Corps, Central Asia Military District. Became 14th Guards Cavalry Division 14.2.43.
  • 23rd Cavalry Division – with Transcaucasus Front 12.41 and 15th Cavalry Corps 7.44.
  • 24th Cavalry Division – June 1941 with Transcaucasus Military District.
  • 25th Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 1st Mechanized Corps.
  • 26th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 6th Cavalry Corps.
  • 27th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 4th Army.
  • 28th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 6th Cavalry Corps.
  • 29th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 3rd Army. 3.42 disbanded.
  • 30th Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 1st Mechanized Corps, and with 4th Guards Cavalry Corps, 1 Guards Cavalry-Mechanized Group of the 2nd Ukrainian Front May 1945. Becomes 11 Mechanized Division 07.1945.[17]
  • 31st Cavalry Division – Formed in 1936 in the Far East. 75th Cavalry Regt was transferred from the 15 Cavalry Division ZabVO, 79 Cavalry Regiment – the mountain of 6 Cavalry Division Savo, 84 Cavalry Regiment – of 8 mountain cavalry division CAMD. 121 cavalry regiment formed in the Siberian Military District, 31 Mechanized Regiment – in Kharkiv. July 41 established at Voronezh; 12.41 with 50th Army. 5.1.42 Became 7th Guards Cavalry Division.
  • 32nd Cavalry Division – Prewar division. Assigned to 9th Rifle Corps in the Crimea on 22 June 1941.
  • 34th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 6th Army.
  • 35th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 37th Army.
  • 36th Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 6th Cavalry Corps under Gen. Maj. Efim Sergeevich Zybin. Disbanded 19.9.41.
  • 38th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 18th Army.
  • 40th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with SEparate Coastal Army.
  • 41st Light Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 50th Army. Disbanded in March 1942 due to losses. Personnel used to fill out other units of the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps.
  • 43rd Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Southwestern Front.
  • 44th Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 9th Cavalry Corps. Noted as mountain cavalry division 12.41 while assigned to 16th Army. 4.42 merged into 17th Cavalry Division.
  • 46th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 30th Army.
  • 47th Cavalry Division – Formed Jul 41. Disbanded due to heavy losses in Nov 41, troops used as replacements for 32nd Cavalry Division.
  • 49th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 6th Cavalry Corps.
  • 50th Cavalry Division – 6.41 – 7.41 formed in North Caucasus Military District. With 3rd Cavalry Corps 11.41. Became 3rd Guards Cavalry Division 11.41.
  • 51st Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 36th Army of Transbaikal Front.
  • 52nd Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 3rd Army.
  • 53rd Cavalry Division – 6.41 – 7.41 formed in North Caucasus Military District. With 3rd Cavalry Corps 11.41. Became 4th Guards Cavalry Division 11.41.
  • 54th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Kalinin Front.
  • 55th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 13th Army. 14.2.43 became 15th Guards Cavalry Division.
  • 56th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 37th Army.
  • 57th Light Cavalry Division – Formed Aug 41 – Oct 41. Dec 41 with 10th Army. Disbanded in Feb 42 due to losses. Personnel used to fill out other units of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division of the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps.
  • 59th Cavalry Division – 5.45 with the Transbaikal Front.
  • 60th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 57th Army.
  • 61st Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 4th Cavalry Corps.
  • 62nd Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 56th Army.
  • 63rd Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 4th Cavalry Corps and 5.45 with the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. Eventually became 6th Guards Tank Division postwar, and today the 6th Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus.
  • 64th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 56th Army.
  • 66th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 9th Army.
  • 68th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 9th Army.
  • 70th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 56th Army.
  • 72nd Cavalry Division – 6.41 with 2nd Cavalry Corps.
  • 73rd Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 26th Army.
  • 74th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 26th Army.
  • 75th Light Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 10th Army. Disbanded in March 1942 due to losses. Personnel used to fill out other units of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division of the 1st Guards Cavalry corps.
  • 76th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 39th Army.
  • 77th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 57th Army.
  • 78th Cavalry Division – Formed in Troitsk August–November 1941. 12.41 with 59th Army. Disbanded April 1942.
  • 79th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 57th Army.
  • 80th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Reserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK).
  • 81st Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 4th Cavalry Corps.
  • 82nd Cavalry Division – 1.42 with 11th Cavalry Corps.
  • 83rd Mountain Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 61st Army. 1.43 became 13th Guards Cavalry Division.
  • 84th Cavalry Division – May 1945 with the 1st Red Banner Army of the independent coastal group in the Far East.
  • 87th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 59th Army. Transferred to 2nd Shock Army and fought in the Lyuban Offensive Operation. Suffered heavy losses in the pocket and remnants absorbed into the 327th Rifle Division July 1942.
  • 91st Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 61st Army.
  • 94th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with 39th Army.
  • 97th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Turkmen national formation. 4.43 disbanded.
  • 98th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Turkmen national formation. 4.42 disbanded.
  • 99th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Uzbek national formation. 7.42 disbanded.
  • 100th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Uzbek national formation. Disbanded July 1942.
  • 101st Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Uzbek national formation. 7.42 disbanded.
  • 102nd Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Uzbek national formation. 6.42 disbanded.
  • 103rd Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Uzbek national formation. 3.42 disbanded.
  • 104th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Tajik national formation. 7.42 disbanded.
  • 105th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. 7.42 disbanded.
  • 106th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. 3.42 disbanded.
  • 107th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Kyrgyz SSR national formation. 8.42 disbanded.
  • 108th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Kyrgyz SSR national formation. 3.42 disbanded.
  • 109th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Central Asian Military District. Kyrgyz SSR national formation. 5.42 disbanded.
  • 110th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Stalingrad Military District. Kalmyk ASSR national formation. 1.43 disbanded.
  • 111th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Stalingrad MD. Kalmyk ASSR national formation. 4.42 disbanded.
  • 112th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Southern Urals MD. Became 16th Guards Cavalry Division on Feb 14, 1943. See also ru:112-я Башкирская кавалерийская дивизия.
  • 113th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Southern Urals MD. Bashkir ASSR national formation.[18] 3.42 disbanded.
  • 114th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Svir-Caucasus MD. Chechen-Ingush ASSR national formation.[19] 3.42 became 255th Rifle Regiment.
  • 115th Cavalry Division – 12.41 with Svir-Caucasus MD. Kabardino-Balkar ASSR national formation.[19] 10.42 disbanded.
  • 116th Cavalry Division – 4.42 with 17th Cavalry Corps. 8.42 became 12th Guards Cavalry Division.
  • Independent Cavalry Division НО – 12.41 with 56th Army.

Guards Cavalry Divisions
  • 1st Guards Cavalry Division – (ex 5th Cavalry Division 26.11.41). Fought at Moscow, Kharkov, Kiev, and in the Lvov-Sandomir, Carpathian, Berlin, and Prague Operations. With 1st Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Ukrainian Front 5.45.
  • 2nd Guards Cavalry Division (ex 9th Cavalry Division 11.41). Fought at Kiev and Zhitomir. With 1st Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Ukrainian Front 5.45.
  • 3rd Guards Cavalry Division (ex 50th Cavalry Division 11.41). With 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front 5.45.
  • 4th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 53rd Cavalry Division 11.41). Fought at Battle of Moscow. With 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front 5.45.
  • 5th Guards Cavalry Division – (ex 3rd Cavalry Division 22.12.41). ru:5-я гвардейская кавалерийская дивизия. Fought near Stalingrad and in Kurland. With 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Belorussian Front 5.45. Elements of division later used in postwar formation of the 1st (later the 18th) Tank Division. The 18th was later reorganised as the 5th Guards Tank Division, which remains active today, having been relocated to the Transbaikal Military District in 1965.
  • 6th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 14th Cavalry Division 12.41). Fought at Stalingrad, Smolensk, and in the Belorussian Operation, East Prussia, and Kurland. With 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Belorussian Front 5.45. Disbanded 7.46.[17]
  • 7th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 31st Cavalry Division 5.1.42). Fought at Kaluga, Kharkov, Kiev, Sandomir, and in the Berlin Operation. With 1st Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Ukrainian Front 5.45.
  • 8th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 11th Cavalry Division). With 6th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front 5.45, near Stalingrad in 1946.
  • 9th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 12th Cavalry Division 27.8.42). Fought near Mozdok, Stavropol, Melitopol, Odessa, Debrecen, Budapest, and Prague.
  • 10th Guards Cavalry Division (ru:10-я гвардейская казачья кавалерийская дивизия; ex 13th Cavalry Division 27.8.42). Fought near Mozdok, Stavropol, Melitopol, Odessa, Debrecen, Budapest, and Prague. With 4th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front 5.45.
  • 11th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 15th Cavalry Division 8.42). Fought at Korsun and Targul Frumos. With the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 3rd Ukrainian Front 5.45.
  • 12th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 116th Cavalry Division 8.42). Fought at Korsun and Targul Frumos. With the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 3rd Ukrainian Front 5.45.
  • 13th Guards 'Ровенская' Cavalry Division (ex 83rd Mountain Cavalry Division 1.43). Fought at Dubno in 1944. With 6th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front 5.45, became 30th Guards Tank Division in the Carpathian Military District, which became the 30th Mechanized Brigade in 2004 after the fall of the Soviet Union.
  • 14th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 21st Mountain Cavalry Division 14.2.43). Fought near Chernigov, and in the Lublin-Brest, East Pomerania, and Berlin Operations. With 7th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front 5.45.
  • 15th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 55th Cavalry Division 14.2.43). Fought near Chernigov, and in the Lublin-Brest, East Pomeranian, and Berlin Operations. With 7th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front 5.45. 15 GCD eventually became 15th Guards Tank Division, which served with the Central Group of Forces in Hungary postwar, before being withdrawn to Chebarkul in the Urals after 1990 and eventually being disbanded there circa 2002-4.
  • 16th Guards Cavalry Division (ex 112th Cavalry Division 14.2.43). 'Bashkir Chernigovskaya Order of Lenin, Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division.' Bashkir SSR national formation.[18] Raised from 112th Bashkir Cavalry Division. Fought near Chernigov, and in the Lublin-Brest, East Pomerania, and Berlin Operations. With 7th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front 5.45. 14th and 16 Guards Cavalry Divisions of 7th Guards Cavalry Corps together eventually became 23rd Motor Rifle Division, which ended up in the Trans-Caucasus region as part of 4th Army.
  • 17th Guards Cavalry Mozyr Order of Lenin, Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division. Tajik national formation. Ex 20th Mountain Cavalry Division 8.43. Fought near Brest 8.44. With 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front 5.45.

Tank Divisions

The Red Army tank divisions of the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) were short-lived. In the face of the German invasion of 1941, many poorly maintained vehicles were abandoned, and those that did meet the Germans in battle were defeated by the superior training, doctrine, and radio communications of the Panzertruppe. The magnitude of the defeat was so great that the mechanized corps parent headquarters of the tank divisions were either inactivated or destroyed by July 1941. Most of the tank divisions facing the Germans had met a similar fate by the end of 1941. The Soviets opted to organize more easily controlled tank brigades instead, eventually combining many of these into three-brigade tank corps in 1942, an organizational structure that served them until the end of the war. Until late in the war, two tank divisions remained in the Far East, serving in the Transbaikal Military District.

Artillery Divisions

Guards Rocket Artillery Divisions

All Guards Rocket Artillery Divisions were disbanded between August and September 1945.[31]

  • 1st Guards Rocket Krasnoselsk Red Banner Artillery Division – Formed Sep 1942 at Moscow Military District; with ? Front Jan 1945.
  • 2nd Guards Rocket Gorodokskaya Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevskiy Artillery Division – Formed Sep 1942; with 1st Baltic Front Jan 1945.
  • 3rd Guards Rocket Kiev Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov (2nd class) and Bogdan Khmelnitskiy (II) Artillery Division – Formed Sep 1942; with 1st Ukrainian Front Jan 1945.
  • 4th Guards Rocket Sivashskaya Order of Alexander Nevskiy Artillery Division – Formed Sep 1942; with 2nd Belorussian Front Jan 1945.
  • 5th Guards Rocket Kalinkovichskaya Red Banner Order of Suvorov (2nd class) Artillery Division – Formed Jan 1943; with 1st Belorussian Front Jan 1945.
  • 6th Guards Rocket Bratislava Artillery Division – Formed Jan 1943; with 2nd Ukrainian Front 5.45.
  • 7th Guards Rocket Kovenskaya Red Banner Orders of Suvorov (2nd class) and Kutuzov (2nd class) Artillery Division – Formed Feb 1943; with 3rd Belorussian Front May 1945.

Antiaircraft Divisions
Further information on organization of anti-aircraft divisions: Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division (Soviet Union)

Aviation divisions

See Aviation Division for Soviet Air Forces divisions and Soviet Naval Aviation for naval aviation divisions

Divisions Disbanded 1945–89
  • Disbanded 1958(?)← 1957 7th MRD<-7th Mech Div <-1946/55← 7th Mech Corps
  • 343 (55) Rifle Division 1946–55, 136 MRD 1957, Disbanded 1958
  • Disbanded 1958←137 MRD 1957 ←345 (57) RD 1946–55
  • Disbanded 1959←138 MRD 1957 ←358 (59) RD 1946–55
  • Disbanded 1960←139 MRD 1957 ←349 (60) RD 1946–55
  • Disbanded 1959←140 MRD 1957 ←374 (70) RD 1946–55
  • Disbanded 1958←142 Mtn RD 1957 ←376 (72) RD 1955
  • Disbanded 1960←143 Gds MRD 1957←72G Mech Div 1946(1955) ←110 GRD
  • Disbanded 1958<144 MRD 1957<97 RD 1946 (1955)

See also

Notes

All Russian source notes are via Lenskii.

  1. Scott and Scott, 1979, p.12
  2. David Glantz, Colossus Reborn: The Red Army at War 1941–43, University Press of Kansas, 2005, p. 717 note 5.
  3. Feskov et al 2013, p. 147
  4. Story of the loss and regaining of the colours related at the end of article in Russian
  5. Feskov et al, "Советская Армия в годы «холодной войны» (1945–1991)", p. 29, Tomsk: Tomsk University Press, 2004.
  6. Feskov et al, "Советская Армия в годы «холодной войны» (1945-1991)", p. 78, Tomsk: Tomsk University Press, 2004.
  7. Feskov et al 2004, p.29
  8. "Internal forces in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945", Documents and materials. Moscow, 1975, 39, cited in David Glantz, Stumbling Colossus, University Press of Kansas, 1998, 175.
  9. Red Army Handbook, Chapter 3. For 5 GCD, see also thread at Axis History Forum for more details
  10. Dvoinykh, Kariaeva, Stegantsev, eds. 1993, pp. 194–200.
  11. Feskov et al 2013, p. 198.
  12. Feskov et al 2013, pp. 232–233.
  13. Dvoinykh, Kariaeva, Stegantsev, eds. 1993, p. 209.
  14. Dvoinykh, Kariaeva, Stegantsev, eds. 1993, p. 211.
  15. Dvoinykh, Kariaeva, Stegantsev, eds. 1993, p. 210.
  16. Regimental details from Cavalry Divisions of RKKA
  17. For some postwar dispositions of the cavalry formations, see http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=23337.
  18. "Loading..." bashforum.net. Archived from the original on 2 July 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  19. Deportation of 1944. Myths and Reality Archived 2008-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
  20. AMVAS. "10th Mechanised Corps 1941". www.armchairgeneral.com. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  21. Erickson, Road to Stalingrad, Cassel Military Paperbacks, 2003, p.226
  22. "Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1 November 1941". Tashv.nm.ru. Archived from the original on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
  23. Glantz, Stumbling Colossus, 231.
  24. "How many divisions were transferred from Far East in 1941? • Axis History Forum". Axis History Forum. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  25. AMVAS. "Tank Divisions 1941". Armchairgeneral.com. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
  26. See Glantz, Stumbling Colossus, University Press of Kansas, 1998, 222, and associated endnotes at 324-325, notes 47-49. SBDVOV, Issue 37, pgs 99, 141-142 appear to be the original archive documents.
  27. Charles C. Sharp, "Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed from June to December 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Nafziger, 1996, p 45
  28. Michael Holm, http://www.ww2.dk/new/army/td/16td.htm
  29. Feskov at Artillery divisions of RKKA of all types 1945 (Артиллерийские дивизии РККА всех типов периода 1942-1945 гг.)
  30. "43 ракетная дивизия » История 4 гв.пад". 43rd.ru. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  31. Feskov et al 2013, p. 287.

References
  • Dvoinykh, L.V.; Kariaeva, T.F.; Stegantsev, M.V., eds. (1993). ЦЕНТРАЛЬНЫЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ АРХИВ СОВЕТСКОЙ АРМИИ [Central State Archive of the Soviet Army] (in Russian). 2. Minneapolis: Eastview Publications. ISBN 1879944030. Archived from the original on 2017-05-22. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  • V.I. Feskov, K.A. Kalashnikov, V.I. Golikov, The Soviet Army in the Years of the Cold War 1945–91, Tomsk University Publishing House, Tomsk, 2004
  • 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 Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.
  • Glantz, David M., Colossus Reborn, Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2005. ISBN 0-7006-1353-6.
  • Glantz, David M., Companion to Colossus Reborn, Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2005. ISBN 0-7006-1359-5.
  • А. Г. Ленский, Сухопутные силы РККА в предвоенные годы. Справочник. – Санкт-Петербург Б&К, 2000
  • Robert G. Poirier and Albert Z. Conner, The Red Army Order of Battle in the Great Patriotic War, Novato: Presidio Press, 1985. ISBN 0-89141-237-9.
  • Steven J. Zaloga and Leland S. Ness, Red Army Handbook 1941–1945, Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 1998. ISBN 0-7509-1740-7.
  • Боевой Состав Советской Армии 1941–1945 (Official Soviet Army Order of Battle from General Staff Archives).
  • http://samsv.narod.ru/
  • 223rd Rifle Division
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