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55th Guards Rifle Division
Active	1942–1965
Disbanded	February 6, 1965
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army (1942–1946)  Soviet Army (1946–1965)
Type	Infantry
Engagements	World War II Kerch–Eltigen Operation Operation Bagration East Prussian Offensive Battle of Berlin Prague Offensive

The 55th Guards Rifle Division was a Red Army military unit, engaged in the Second World War. Its full name was the 55th Guards Rifle Irkutsk-Pinsk Order of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, three Red Banner, Order of Suvorov 2nd degree division named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.

History

The division was formed on 18 December 1942 by converting the 30th Rifle Division.

It was in battle from 18.12.1942 to 21.04.1944 from 28.05.1944 to 14.09.1944 from 13.10.1944 to 31.03.1945 from 20.04.1945 to 11.05.1945 year.

She took part in the liberation of North Caucasus and the Taman Peninsula. In November 1943, participated in the Kerch–Eltigen amphibious operation, landing on the beach in Danger, Yenikale, is fighting on the Kerch Peninsula until April 1944, then participated in Belorussian strategic operations by participating in the liberation of Ivanovo and Luninets areas Brest Region of Pinsk and Logishin district Pinsk area, eastern Poland, in East Prussian, Berlin and Prague offensive operations.

The division participated in the liberation of the city Novorossiysk, Kerch, Pinsk, taking Gumbinnen and Berlin.

With 28th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front in May 1945.

55th Guards Rifle Division redesignated 55th Guards Motorised Rifle Division on 20.5.57 in Grodno, Grodno Oblast; became 30th Guards Motor Rifle Division in 1965; taken over by Belarus in 1992. In 1960 part of 28th Army (Soviet Union); in 1968 moved forward into Czechoslovakia and became part of Central Group of Forces; withdrawn to Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in February 1991.

The division was turned over to Belarusian control in March 1992 at Maryina Horka. On August 17, 1992, personnel from the United States Department of Defense made a Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty inspection of an installation in Urechye (near Minsk, Minsk Oblast). Two elements of the 30th Guards Motor Rifle Division, the 30th Guards Tank Regiment and the 20th independent Reconnaissance Battalion, were at the site, along with the 969th Central Base for Reserve Tanks. Also nearby but not inspected was the 63rd Guards independent Engineer-Sapper Battalion.

The division became a mechanized brigade in 1992 and then the 30th Guards Weapons and Equipment Storage Base in 1997. The base was disbanded in 2005, and the new 30th Separate Guards Mechanized Battalion was formed by a 26 May 2005 Minister of Defense decree to perpetuate the traditions of the Irkutsk-Pinsk division. The battalion formed part of the 37th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade at Polotsk. After the 37th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade was disbanded in fall 2011, the battalion moved to Zaslonovo and became part of the 19th Guards Mechanized Brigade.

Higher headquarters

• Transcaucasian Front, Black Sea Group of Forces, 56th Army - on 01.01.1943 year.
• North Caucasus Front, 56th Army - from 12.01.1943;
• North Caucasus Front, 37th Army, 11th Guards Rifle Corps - on 01.07.1943;
• North Caucasus Front, 18th Army - on 01.10.1943;
• 7th Army, 11th Guards Rifle Corps - on 01.01.1944;
• Separate Coastal Army, 20th Rifle Corps - on 01.04.1944;
• 1st Belorussian Front, 28th Army, 20th Rifle Corps - on 01.07.1944;
• Stavka, 28th Army, 20th Rifle Corps - on 01.10.1944;
• 3rd Belorussian Front, 28th Army (Soviet Union), 20th Rifle Corps - on 1 January 1945;
• Stavka, 28th Army, 20th Rifle Corps - on 01.04.1945.

Subordinate units (partial)

• 164th Guards Rifle Regiment
• 166th Guards Rifle Regiment
• 168th Guards Rifle Regiment
• 126th Guards Artillery Regiment
• 62 Guards separate self-propelled artillery battalion (62 Guards separate antitank battalion)

References

1. Michael Holm, 30th Guards Motor Rifle Division, 2015, with acknowledgements to V.I. Feskov et al.
2. Harahan, Joseph P.; Kuhn, John C. "On-Site Inspections Under the CFE Treaty, A History of the On-Site Inspection Agency and CFE Treaty Implementation, 1990-1996 (Chapter 6)". nuke.fas.org. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
3. Miranovich, Gennady; Knyazkov, Sergey (20 December 2008). "ТРИДЦАТЫЙ НАШ ОТДЕЛЬНЫЙ БАТАЛЬОН". Krasnaya Zvezda (in Russian). Retrieved 31 May 2022.
4. (ЦГВ), ЦЕНТРАЛЬНАЯ ГРУППА ВОЙСК. "Танковые и мотострелковые дивизии ЦГВ - Содержание - ЦЕНТРАЛЬНАЯ ГРУППА ВОЙСК (ЦГВ)". cgv.org.ru. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
5. "Командование дивизии и наши герои". 30gvardiya.80port.ru. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
6. "Иркутско-Пинская дивизия" [Irkutsk-Pinsk Division]. irkipedia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-02-25.
7. Mironovich, Gennady (7 November 2013). "Её называли «Жемчужиной Красной Армии»" [She was called the Pearl of the Red Army]. Krasnaya Zvezda (in Russian). Retrieved 31 May 2022.

• "Иркутско-Пинская дивизия" [Irkutsk-Pinsk Division]. Irkipedia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-23.

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
• Military units and formations established in 1942
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1957
• Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner