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25th Guards Rifle Division (1942–1957) 115th Guards Motor Rifle Division (1957–1964) 25th Guards Motor Rifle Division (1964–1992) 25th Mechanised Division (1992 – c. 2000)
Active	1942–2000
Country	Soviet Union Ukraine
Branch	Red Army (1942-1946)  Soviet Army (1946-1991) Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type	Infantry
Nickname(s)	Chapayevskaya
Engagements	World War II
Battle honours	Order of the Red Banner Order of Lenin
Insignia
Division sleeve patch
Guards unit
Mechanized branch insignia

The 25th Guards Rifle Division 'Chapayevskaya' was a division of the Soviet Red Army. The division was reorganised and reformed several times until the collapse of the Soviet Union, when it entered service in the Ukrainian Army as the 25th Mechanised Division (Ukrainian: 25-та механізована дивізія, romanized: 25-ta mekhanizovana dyviziya).

History

World War II

Formed in the period from 24 April 1942 to 12 July 1942, pursuant to Directive GShKA N org/2/783669 on 16 April 1942, by converting the 2nd Guards Rifle Brigade, ex 71st Naval Rifle Brigade, station Sonkovo, Kalinin region. 11–12 July 1942 the Division left the place of formation for the Voronezh Front, arrived in the front, and from 22 July 1942 until 4 August 1942 it built the defence line on the eastern bank of the river Bityug. Participated in the battles to establish a bridgehead on the river Don north of the city Korotoyak in August 1942, Ostrogozh-Rossoshanskij, Voronezh-Kastornoye, Kharkov offensive and defensive operations. It took part in the operations to take cities of Budapest and Bratislava.

After the end of World War II (after 1955?), the 25th Guards Rifle Division was given the name and honors of the pre-war 25th Rifle Division, which had been destroyed in the siege of Sevastopol. Thus it received the name 'Chapayevskaya' after the commander of the 25th RD during the Civil War, Vasily Chapayev. The division's full title became 25th Guards Rifle Sinelnikovo-Budapest Orders of Red Banner, Suvorov and B. Khmelnitsky Division named for V.I. Chapayev (Russian: 25-я Гвардейская мотострелковая Синельниковско-Будапештская Краснознамённая, орденов Суворова и Б. Хмельницкого дивизия имени В. Чапаева.)

Cold War

The 2nd Guards Rifle Brigade was formed from 25th GRD at Kiev, Kiev MD with 20th Guards Rifle Corps after the war. It became 25th GRD again in October 1953. (Feskov et al. 2013)

The division was reorganized as a Motor Rifle Division (115th Guards) in 1957, and eventually transferred to the 1st Guards Army in the Kiev Military District. Previously it had been the 38th Guards Mechanised Division.

In December 1964, the division was renumbered the 25th Guards Motor Rifle Division. In March 1967 it was named after the legendary Civil War hero Vasily Chapayev and thus became the successor of the traditions of the division as the 25th Guards Rifle Division and odnonomernoy 25th Chapayev Infantry Division, died in the besieged Sevastopol and disbanded in late July 1942 (banners parts drowned in the Black Sea).

After the war, the 25th Guards Motor Rifle Division was one of the two names divisions of the Soviet Army, named after the commanders (along with Panfilov - the 8th Guards Rifle Division in the name of I.V. Panfilov).

Order of Battle, 25th Guards Motor Rifle Division, 1988–9

• 25th Guards Motor Rifle 'Sinelnikovo-Budapest' Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov and Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division named for V.I. Chapayev (Lubny)
  • 132nd Guards Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutznesov Regiment (Lubny): 10 T-64; 9 BTR-60, 4 BMP (2 BMP-1, 2 BMP-1К); 12 D-30; 1 PRP-3, 3 1V18, 1 - 1V19; 5 R-145BM, 2 PU-12; 1 MT-55A
  • 136th Guards Motor Rifle Red Banner Regiment (Lubny): Equipment is identical to that of the 132nd Regiment
  • 426th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Lubny): 10 Т-64; 21 BMP (19 BMP-1, 2 BMP-1К); 3 BTR-60" 12 - 2S1 "Gvozdika"; 2 BMP-1K, 1 PRP-3, 3 RHM, 2 MTP-2; 4 R-145BM, 2 PU-12; 1 MTU-20, 1 MT-55А
  • 280th Tank Regiment (Goncharovskoe): 31 Т-64; 4 BMP (2 BMP-1, 2 BMP-1К); 12 - 2S1 "Gvozdika"; 2 BMP-1K, 1 PRP-3, 2 R-145BM, 2 PU-12; 2 МТ-55А; 29 МТ-LBT
  • 53rd Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (Lubny): 12 BM-21 "Grad"; 2 PRP-3, 3 - 1ВV18, 1 - 1V19; 22 МТ-LBT
  • 1175th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment

Dissolution

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union the division became part of the Ukrainian Ground Forces as the 25th Mechanized Division. The division retained its Soviet-era awards and honorifics. One of its regiments, the 280th Tank Regiment, was used to form a new armoured brigade, the 1st Armored Brigade at Honcharivske. The 25th Mechanized Division was disbanded in 2000.

Awards

• Order of the Red Banner, the division along with 9 separate regiments.
• Order of Lenin
• 78 of the division's personnel were awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union

See also

• List of Soviet Union divisions 1917–1945

References

1. Michael Holm, 25th Guards Motor Rifle Division, 2015.
2. А.Г.Ленского и М.М.Цыбина „Советские сухопутные войска в последний год существования СССР” (Санкт-Петербург, 2001)
3. Andrew Duncan, 'Russia and Ukraine: Restructuring for a New Era,' Jane's Intelligence Review, June 1998, p.7
4. В Чувашии отмечают 40-летие со дня создания чапаевской дивизии - Новости России - ИА REGNUM

• http://gov.cap.ru/
• Chapayev Museum's Website
• Celebrating 40 years of the 25th
• Michael Holm, 25th Guards Motor Rifle Division

Further reading

• Dikan, Alexey (1984). Гвардейцы двадцать пятой: Боевой путь 25-й гвардейской стрелковой дивизии [Guardsmen of the Twenty-Fifth: Combat Route of the 25th Guards Rifle Division] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat.

v t e Ukrainian Ground Forces
General Command OC "West" OC "South" OC "North" OC "East" Armoured Mechanized Infantry Mountain Infantry Rocket Forces and Field Artillery Anti-aircraft Missile Defense Artillery Army Aviation Military Intelligence Electronic Warfare Communications and Cyber ​​Security Corps of Engineers CBRN Protection
Corps	9th Army Corps 10th Army Corps 11th Army Corps
Strategic Groups	Pivnich: (Sumy, Chernihiv, Kiyv, Volyn) Khortytsia: (Kharkiv, Lyman, Soledar, Chasiv Yar) Tavria: (Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Kryvyi Rih) Odesa: (Kherson, Dunay, Vinnitsia) Aleksandriya: (Kakhovka, Primorye)
Brigades	Army Aviation 11 12 16 18 Infantry Presidential 3rd Assault 5th Assault 10th Mountain Assault 14 21 22 23 24 28 30 31 32 33 41 42 43 44 47 53 54 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 65 66 67 68th Jaeger 72 92nd Assault 93 100 110 115 116 117 118 128th Mountain Assault 141st Infantry 142nd Infantry 143rd Infantry 144th Infantry 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 Infantry 158 Infantry 159 160 Artillery 26 38 40 43 44 45 47 48 49 55 Reconnaissance 15 Missile 19 Rocket 27 107 Tank 1 3 4 5 14 17 Engineering 47th 48th 49th Assault Engineering 704th CBRN Protection
Regiments	Tank 300th Training Mechanized 354 Training 355 Training Anti-Aircraft Missile 38 39 1039 1121 1129 Artillery 356 Training Engineering Operational Support 12 16 70 91 703 Maintenance 31 50 145 146 532 Pontoon bridge 210 808 Signal 5 7 55 121
Battalions	Motorized Infantry 1st Assault 1 2 3 3rd Mechanized 4 6 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 20 21 22 23 24th Assault 25 25th Assault 33rd Assault 34 40 42 43rd Territorial Defense 46th Assault 48th Assault 49th Assault 97th Mechanized 108th Assault 117th Assault 214th OPFOR 225th Assault 425th Assault Tank 12 Mountain 8 15 108 109 Reconnaissance 54 74 120 129 130 131 143 Rifle 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44 45 46 48 50 51 52 (Airmobile) 53 54 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 64 65 66 67 68 70 210th Special Purpose 211th Special Purpose 403 405 407 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 451 Infantry 452 Infantry 453 Infantry 454 Infantry 455 Infantry 456 Infantry 457 Infantry 459 460 468 Engineering 308 309 310 311 321 507 534 Pontoon bridge 11 Electronic Warfare 20 520 Others 78 181 182 183 224 225 226 227 307 718
Educational Institutions	National Academy Sergeant Military College Odesa Military Academy Military Institute of Tank Forces
Training Centers	49 143 151 169 179 180 184 190 197 201 205 239
International Units	Lithuanian–Polish–Ukrainian Brigade Multinational Engineer Battalion Tisa
Unless stated otherwise, the brigade is mechanized. Structure Territorial Defense Forces

v t e Divisions of the Soviet Union 1957–1989
Airborne	7 31 44 Training 76 98 103 104 105 106 107
Artillery	2 15 20 Training 26 34 51 55 81 110 149
Aviation	1 6 12 16 22 36 55 95 Mixed 95 Fighter 119 326
Motor Rifle	Guards 1st – 18th 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 14 15 16 17 18 20th – 39th 20 21 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 42nd – 66th 42 45 47 48 50 51 (I) 51 (II) 53 55 57 59 62 63 64 66 70th – 97th 70 72 77 81 83 86 87 90 92 93 94 97 109th – 144th 109 112 113 114 115 120 122 123 128 144 Training 2 16 34 37 42 53 62 63 66 80 92 100 112 4th – 27th 4 9 12 13 15 18 19 21 22 24 27 32nd – 49th 32 33 35 40 41 43 44 46 47 48 49 52nd – 69th 52 54 56 58 60 61 62 65 67 68 69 71st – 99th 71 73 74 75 78 79 80 82 84 85 88 89 91 92 93 95 96 99 100th – 119th 100 101 102 108 110 111 114 116 117 118 119 121st – 135th 121 124 125 126 127 129 130 131 134 135 145th – 199th 145 146 147 148 149 150 152 155 157 164 180 192 197 198 199 201st – 295th 201 203 207 213 242 245 254 265 266 270 272 295 Training 43 56 61 67 78 121 129 150
Rocket	4 7 8 10 13 14 18 19 23 24 27 28 29 35 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 49 54 62
Tank	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 Training 25 28 29 30 31 32 34 36 37 40 41 42 44 Training 45 Training 47 48 Training 51 60 75 78 79 90 117 Training 193
Other	OMSDON
Guards units marked in bold unless they are in a Guards section.

• Infantry divisions of the Soviet Union in World War II
• Divisions of Ukraine
• 1942 establishments in the Soviet Union