90th Guards Tank Division
Encyclopedia
The 90th Guards Tank Division was a division
of the Soviet Army
, and then of the Russian Ground Forces
. It was first activated in 1932 as the 82nd Rifle Division. In 1939 it was renamed the 82nd Motorized Rifle Division, and the same year took part in the Battle of Khalkin Gol. It was renamed the 3rd Guards Motorized Rifle Division in March 1942. It took part in the summer battles of 1942 with the Western Front and the failed Operation Mars in November/December 1942. After moving back into Stavka Reserves in June 1943, it was reorganized into the 6th Guards Mechanized Corps on 28 June 1943, being merged with the 49th Mechanised Brigade.
The new Corps became part of the 4th Tank Army
under General Lieutenant V.M. Badanov. Its first action was at Orel, the counterattack (Operation Kutuzov
) on the northern side of the Kursk bulge after the German defeat at the Battle of Kursk
proper. John Erickson
writes that '..at 1100 on 26 July, two of Badanov's corps (11th Tank and 6th Guards Mechanised) put in a ragged attack towards Bolkhov
. For the next few hours, under the very gaze of Bagramyan [commander of 11th Guards Army
, whose sector 4th Tank was attacking through] and Badanov, both corps were heavily battered by the concealed German tanks and assault guns.' For the remainder of 1943, it was in reserve. It took part in the winter battles in the Ukraine in 1944 (Proskurov-Chernovitsy), then the L’vov-Sanodmierz Operation in the summer. It then participated in the Lower Silesia, Upper Silesia
, Berlin
, and Prague operations. In August 1944 it was given the honorific 'Lvov' for its part in the liberation of that city.
The Corps then became the 6th Guards Mechanised Division (1945–57) and then 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division (1957–82, GSFG). In 1982 it became the 90th Guards Tank Division in 20th Guards Army at Bernau
in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
. During its last years in Germany the Division consisted of the 6th and 68th Guards Tank Regiments, the 81st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, and the 803rd Motor Rifle Regiment (formed from the 215th Guards Tank Regiment after the post 1987 Soviet defensive reorganisations began taking effect). Also part of the Division were the 400th SP Artillery
Regiment, the 288th Air defence Missile
Regiment, and smaller supporting units.
The division was withdrawn in 1990-93 from Germany to Chernorech'e near Samara
in the then Volga Military District and declined to a very low strength. In 1997-99 became the 5968th Base for Storage of Weapons and Equipment. A Russian media
report on 14 July 2001 said the 5968th Base was to be broken up to reinforce the 27th Motor Rifle Division and other units.
Its final division honorifics were: Lvov, Order of the Red Banner
, Order of Lenin
, Order of Suvorov
.
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
, and then of the Russian Ground Forces
Russian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
. It was first activated in 1932 as the 82nd Rifle Division. In 1939 it was renamed the 82nd Motorized Rifle Division, and the same year took part in the Battle of Khalkin Gol. It was renamed the 3rd Guards Motorized Rifle Division in March 1942. It took part in the summer battles of 1942 with the Western Front and the failed Operation Mars in November/December 1942. After moving back into Stavka Reserves in June 1943, it was reorganized into the 6th Guards Mechanized Corps on 28 June 1943, being merged with the 49th Mechanised Brigade.
The new Corps became part of the 4th Tank Army
4th Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The 20th Guards Army, , is a field army, since 1991, part of the Russian Ground Forces.-1st Formation :It was first formed within the Stalingrad Front from July 1942 and...
under General Lieutenant V.M. Badanov. Its first action was at Orel, the counterattack (Operation Kutuzov
Operation Kutuzov
Operation Kutuzov was a military operation by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht during World War II. It was named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, the Tsarist General credited with saving Russia from defeat during the invasion by Napoleon in 1812.The Operation began on 12...
) on the northern side of the Kursk bulge after the German defeat at the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
proper. John Erickson
John Erickson (historian)
John Erickson was a British historian who wrote extensively on the Second World War...
writes that '..at 1100 on 26 July, two of Badanov's corps (11th Tank and 6th Guards Mechanised) put in a ragged attack towards Bolkhov
Bolkhov
Bolkhov is a town and the administrative center of Bolkhovsky District of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Nugr River , away from Oryol. Population: 12,800 ; 20,703 ....
. For the next few hours, under the very gaze of Bagramyan [commander of 11th Guards Army
11th Guards Army
The 11th Guards Army was a Soviet field army active from 1943 to 1997, which traces its origins to the formation of the Soviet 16th Army in June-July 1940.-History:...
, whose sector 4th Tank was attacking through] and Badanov, both corps were heavily battered by the concealed German tanks and assault guns.' For the remainder of 1943, it was in reserve. It took part in the winter battles in the Ukraine in 1944 (Proskurov-Chernovitsy), then the L’vov-Sanodmierz Operation in the summer. It then participated in the Lower Silesia, Upper Silesia
Silesian Offensives
The Silesian Offensives were two 1945 offensives conducted by the Soviet Red Army against the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front in World War II.-The offensives:...
, Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
, and Prague operations. In August 1944 it was given the honorific 'Lvov' for its part in the liberation of that city.
The Corps then became the 6th Guards Mechanised Division (1945–57) and then 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division (1957–82, GSFG). In 1982 it became the 90th Guards Tank Division in 20th Guards Army at Bernau
Bernau
Bernau may refer to:*Bernau bei Berlin, a town in Brandenburg, Germany*Bernau am Chiemsee, a municipality in the district of Rosenheim in Bavaria, Germany*Bernau im Schwarzwald, a municipality in Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany , also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and the Western Group of Forces were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany....
. During its last years in Germany the Division consisted of the 6th and 68th Guards Tank Regiments, the 81st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, and the 803rd Motor Rifle Regiment (formed from the 215th Guards Tank Regiment after the post 1987 Soviet defensive reorganisations began taking effect). Also part of the Division were the 400th SP Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
Regiment, the 288th Air defence Missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
Regiment, and smaller supporting units.
The division was withdrawn in 1990-93 from Germany to Chernorech'e near Samara
Samara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
in the then Volga Military District and declined to a very low strength. In 1997-99 became the 5968th Base for Storage of Weapons and Equipment. A Russian media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
report on 14 July 2001 said the 5968th Base was to be broken up to reinforce the 27th Motor Rifle Division and other units.
Its final division honorifics were: Lvov, Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
, Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
, Order of Suvorov
Order of Suvorov
The Order of Suvorov is a Soviet award, named after Aleksandr Suvorov , that was established on July 29, 1942 by a decision of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of the USSR. This decoration was created to award senior army personnel for exceptional leadership in combat operations...
.
Regiments, 1980s
Source: http://orbat.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?=&p=57- 6th Guards "Lvovskiy" order of Lenin Red Banner orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov and Bogdan Khmelnitskiy Tank Regiment (ex. 16th Guards Mechanized Brigade)
- 68th Guards "Zhitomirsko-Berlinskiy" Red Banner orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov, Bogdan Khmelnitskiy and Aleksandr Nevskiy Tank Regiment (ex. 68th Guards Tank Brigade, directly attached to the 4th Guards Tank Army)
- 81st Guards "Petrokovskiy" twice Red Banner orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov and Bogdan Khmelnitskiy Tank Regiment (ex. 17th Guards Mechanized Brigade)
- 803rd Motorized Rifle Regiment (1989 from the 25th Tank Division; replaced the 215th Guards "Kamenesk-Podolskiy" Guards Tank Regiment [ex. 35rd Guards Mechanized Brigade])
- 400th "Transilvanskiy" Red Banner order of Bogdan Khmelnitskiy Motorized Artillery Regiment (not originally part of the 6th Guards Mechanized Corps)
- 288th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (originally directly subordinated to the 1st Ukrainian Front)
Sources and External Links
- Keith Bonn (ed.), Slaughterhouse: The Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, 2005
- Craig Crofoot, 'Group of Soviet Forces Germany,' V3.0.0, 7 February 2007, manuscript available via www.microarmormayhem.com.
- Chernorech'e base at warfare.ru
- 6 GMC museum: http://www.russianmuseums.info/M557