The 1st Guards Proletarian Moscow-Minsk Order of Lenin, twice Red Banner Orders of Suvorov (II) and Kutuzov (II) Motor Rifle Division (
Russian: 1-я гвардейская мотострелковая Пролетарская Московско-Минская ордена Ленина, дважды Краснознаменная, орденов Суворова и Кутузова дивизия (2-е формирование)) was a
division of the
Red Army and
Russian Ground Forces active from 1926 to 2002.
History
Interwar period
The order forming the Moscow Proletarian Rifle Division was issued on 31 December 1926. The division was formed with three rifle brigades and a separate squadron with formation to be completed by 1 February 1927, from separate units of the Moscow garrison in the
Moscow Military District. The Separate Moscow Rifle Regiment, formed in 1924, became the 1st Rifle Regiment. The training rifle battalion of the
Vystrel course was reorganized into the 1st battalion of the 2nd Rifle Regiment, the 1st Separate Local Rifle Battalion reorganized into the 1st battalion of the 3rd Rifle Regiment, the 20th Separate Local Rifle Battalion to the 2nd battalion of the 3rd Rifle Regiment, the Separate Training Squadron at the
Red Army Military Academy reorganized into the division's separate squadron.[1]
Pavel Batov was a battalion and then regiment commander in the division in the late 1920s.
The division was numbered as the 1st Moscow Proletarian Rifle Division on 21 May 1936. In honor of its tenth anniversary and "successes in combat and political training" the division was awarded the Honorary Revolutionary Red Banner on 28 December, thus becoming the 1st Moscow Proletarian Red Banner Rifle Division.[2] On 22 April 1938 the division was renamed the 1st Moscow Red Banner Rifle Division.[3]
The division was expanded to form the new 115th and 126th Rifle Divisions on 7 September 1939, and the new 1st Moscow Red Banner Rifle Division was formed from its 6th Red Banner Rifle Regiment.[4] The 1st Rifle Division was reorganized as the 1st Motorized Division on 7 December 1939.[3][5]
World War II
It was re-raised from its single remaining regiment in September 1939 (second formation), and by January 1940 was re-formed as the 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division.
Training was complete 7 June 1940, and 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division took part in
Soviet occupation of the Baltic states since 15 June 1940, advancing from base in
Polotsk and forward positions at
Widze to
Panevėžys 16 June 1940. After a month-long garrison duty in
Panevėžys and 2-month long garrisoning of
Daugavpils, the 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division was returned to Russia.[5] For the actions during
Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, the 6th motorized rifle regiment was awarded
Order of the Red Star 22 February 1941.
On 22 June 1941 it was part of the
7th Mechanised Corps, alongside the 14th and 18th tank divisions in the Moscow Military District, assigned to the
20th Army.[6]
23 June 1941, the 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division was replenished to the full strength of 10831 men. It was the first Soviet formation to use
T-34 tanks, at
Borisov, on June 30, 1941.
Yartsevo in Sep 1941.
11 July 1941, after suffering heavy losses, the 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division was moved to the reserve of
20th army and placed north of
Orsha, and was completely encircled by the German forces 14 July 1941.
25 July 1941, the elements of 6th and 175th motor rifle regiments of 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division break encirclement near
Mogilev, but have suffered more losses in the heavy rearguard fighting by 30 July 1941. During that period, heavy personnel flow left few if any of the initial combatants.[7]
By 5 August 1941, remnants of the 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division were wiped out after being encircled again in
Smolensk region, in unclear circumstances.
After annihilation near Smolensk
5 August 1941, the 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division was re-formed anew within
20th army, 18 August 1941 renamed "1st Tank Division" and on September 21, 1941, it was renamed the "1st Guards Moscow Motor Rifle Division".[8] The division was renamed (again) as the "1st Guards Rifle Division", in January 1943.[9]
30 August 1941, the 1st Tank Division was participating in the
Yelnya Offensive, forcing back
28th Jäger Division. Due heavy losses, the division was stopped advancing 10 September 1941 and was withdrawn to behind of
Vop River.
18 September 1941, the 1st Tank Division was withdrawn to
Mozhaysk for replenishment and subordinated directly to
Stavka.
30 September 1941, the 1st Guards Moscow Motor Rifle Division was assigned to the
40th Army and sent to
Sumy region. After initial advances, the 1st Guards Moscow Motor Rifle Division started to retreat 6 October 1941 as
First Battle of Kharkov was being lost by Soviet forces. After losing
Sumy 10 October 1941, the division was withdrawn to the reserve and sent back to
Moscow.
21 October 1941, the division was assigned to
3rd army and arrived to
Naro-Fominsk. The 1st Guards Moscow Motor Rifle Division lost 70% of personnel in
urban warfare before retreating from
Naro-Fominsk 25 October 1941. Attempt to re-take
Naro-Fominsk 28 October 1941 have failed. The division remained in
Naro-Fominsk area until end of November 1941.
29 January 1942, the division liberated the village of
Myatlevo in cooperation with the
415th Rifle Division during the winter counteroffensive in front of Moscow.[10]
In 1942, the 1st Guards Moscow Motor Rifle Division was participating in
Battle of Rzhev.
In January–July 1944, the 1st Guards Rifle Division was advancing in
Vitebsk -
Minsk direction with heavy fighting, and was awarded 'Minsk' honorific 13 July 1944.
In November 1944, the division invaded
East Prussia in
Gusev area, and finally stormed
Königsberg in April 1945.
21-26 April 1945, the 1st Guards Rifle Division ended the war by storming
Baltiysk as part of 11th Guards Army of the
3rd Belorussian Front.
Post war
The division was for all of the post-war period stationed in
Kaliningrad. It formed part of the
11th Guards Army. It became the 1st Guards Moscow MRD (again) in 1957. Of the regiments of the war period, the 171st Guards was eliminated, but instead in March 1959 came the 12th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment. Virtually all of the time the division was truncated (serving as a low-strength cadre formation).[11]
For much of the 1990s the division was reduced to a strength of only 4,400 men, but in 2002 was reduced in size again to the 7th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, and,
c. 2009-10, was reduced yet again, this time renamed as the 7th Independent "Proletarian Moscow-Minsk" Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Baltic Fleet (
Russian: отдельный гвардейский Пролетарский Московско-Минский ордена Ленина дважды Краснознаменный орденов Суворова и Кутузова мотостерлковый полк БФ).
^"QIP.RU". www.tashv.nm.ru. Archived from
the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^"QIP.RU". www.tashv.nm.ru. Archived from
the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^Keith E. Bonn (ed.), Slaughterhouse, Aberjona Press, 2005, p.358
^This was the second formation of 1st Guards Rifle Division. This should not be confused with the first formation of the 1st Guards Rifle Division, formed from the 100th Rifle Division, which was later reorganized as the
1st Guards Mechanized Corps (Soviet Union).
^Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Moscow 1941-1942, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2015, Kindle ed., part V, ch. 8
Bonn, Keith E. (2005). Slaughterhouse: Handbook of the Eastern Front. Bedford, PA: Aberjona Press.
ISBN0-9717650-9-X.
Kalashnikov, K. A.; Dodonov, I. Yu. (2019). Высший командный состав Вооруженных сил СССР в послевоенный период: Справочные материалы (1945-1975) (in Russian). Vol. 4: Командный состав Сухопутных войск (армейское и дивизионное звенья). Часть первая. Ust-Kamenogorsk: Media-Alyans.
ISBN9786017887315.
Kuznetsov, P. G. (1975). Пролетарская Московско-Минская [Proletariat Moscow-Minsk] (in Russian) (2nd ed.). Moscow: Voenizdat.