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86th Guards Rifle Division
Active	1943–1957
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army (1943-1946)  Soviet Army (1946-1957)
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Mius Offensive Donbass Strategic Offensive (August 1943) Battle of the Dniepr Odessa Offensive First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive Second Jassy-Kishinev Offensive Budapest Offensive Siege of Budapest Operation Konrad Operation Konrad III Vienna Offensive
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner
Battle honours	Nikolaev
Commanders
Notable commanders	Col. Ivan Fedotovich Seryogin Maj. Gen. Vasilii Pavlovich Sokolovskii Maj. Gen. Leonid Aleksandrovich Kolobov

The 86th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in April 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 98th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War and well into the postwar era.

It first saw action in July 1943 as part of the 2nd formation of the 1st Guards Rifle Corps of 2nd Guards Army in Southern Front during the Mius Offensive, which proved a failure. A month later it helped break the Mius-Front and began advancing through the southern regions of eastern Ukraine. In February 1944 it was transferred to the 28th Army in 3rd Ukrainian Front and it would serve under this Front command for the duration of the war. After crossing the Dniepr River and while advancing on Nikolaev the 86th Guards became part of the 10th Guards Rifle Corps, and would remain under this command, with few exceptions, for the duration of the war and into the 1950s. The division earned an honorific for its part in the liberation of Nikolaev and within weeks was also decorated with the Order of the Red Banner for its role in the liberation of Odessa, now as part of 5th Shock Army. In the fighting along the Dniestr River in April this Army was quickly fought to a standstill and the division remained in this area until August when it was transferred to 46th Army; it would remain under this command for the duration. During the summer offensive that destroyed the German 6th Army for the second time the 10th Guards Corps was a reserve formation and played an important role in the exploitation of the victory into the Balkan states. During the autumn and winter the 86th Guards assisted in the offensives that gradually encircled Budapest, helping to beat off several German attempts to break through to rescue the garrison trapped there; each of its rifle regiments would be honored or decorated for their roles in this fighting. In the spring of 1945 it advanced into Austria and ended the war there. The division continued to serve as part of the 10th Guards Corps until 1957 when it was reformed as a motor rifle division.

Formation

At the beginning of March 1943 the 98th Rifle Division was part of the 1st Guards Rifle Corps of 2nd Guards Army in Southern Front. On March 10 it was withdrawn to Sverdlovsk for rebuilding and while there on April 16 it was redesignated as the 86th Guards; it would receive its Guards banner on May 10. Once the division completed its reorganization its order of battle was as follows:

• 260th Guards Rifle Regiment (from 4th Rifle Regiment)
• 263rd Guards Rifle Regiment (from 166th Rifle Regiment)
• 265th Guards Rifle Regiment (from 308th Rifle Regiment)
• 191st Guards Artillery Regiment (from 153rd Artillery Regiment)
• 93rd Guards Antitank Battalion
• 89th Guards Reconnaissance Company
• 99th Guards Sapper Battalion
• 165th Guards Signal Battalion (later 119th Guards Signal Company)
• 91st Guards Medical/Sanitation Battalion
• 90th Guards Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
• 92nd Guards Motor Transport Company
• 88th Guards Field Bakery
• 87th Guards Divisional Veterinary Hospital
• 1727th Field Postal Station
• 168th Field Office of the State Bank

Col. Ivan Fedotovich Seryogin, who had commanded the 98th since September 1942, remained in command until May 27. He was then replaced by Col. Vasilii Pavlovich Sokolovskii who would remain in command for the duration of the war, being promoted to the rank of major general on September 13, 1944. Through June and into July the division remained in 1st Guards Corps, which also the contained the 24th and 33rd Guards Rifle Divisions.

Into Ukraine

The new commander of Southern Front, Col. Gen. F. I. Tolbukhin, was directed to plan a new offensive to breach the German front along the Mius River which was held by the rebuilt but chronically understrength 6th Army. Tolbukhin chose to break the German defenses facing the center of his line with the 5th Shock and 28th Armies operating on a 16km-wide sector with the 2nd Guards Army in second echelon ready to exploit any initial success. The offensive opened on July 17, within days of the suspension of the German offensive at Kursk. The 28th and 5th Shock forced the river but were soon met by German armor from the southern wing of Army Group South which first contained the bridgehead and at the end of the month launched a powerful counterblow with four panzer divisions, a panzergrenadier division and two infantry divisions. On the evening of August 1 Tolbukhin reported the situation to the STAVKA and received permission to withdraw his forces to their old positions. While he attributed much of the failure on his premature commitment of 2nd Guards Army he was reassured by Marshal A. M. Vasilevskii that the offensive had successfully diverted German strength from more important axes.

Southern Front returned to the offensive on August 18, this time finally smashing the Mius-Front with the fire of over 5,000 guns and mortars on the German defenses. By the end of the month Tolbukhin's armies had taken Taganrog and Hitler finally authorized 6th Army, "if necessary", to pull back to the Kalmius River. During September the 86th and 24th Guards Divisions were transferred to the 55th Rifle Corps, still in 2nd Guards Army. Through September and well into October Southern Front (as of October 20 4th Ukrainian Front) made slow progress against 6th Army from the Dniepr to the Sea of Azov with orders to destroy the German Melitopol grouping, seize crossings over the Dniepr and then shut the German 17th Army into the Crimea. The offensive made little progress until October 9 but by October 23, led by forces of the 51st Army, the Front finally ground its way into the city. During the month both the 86th and 24th Guards returned to 1st Guards Corps. In the first days of November the 51st and 28th Armies attempted to seize the Crimea from off the march but were narrowly unsuccessful. This left the former containing 17th Army in the peninsula while by the start of January 1944 the 2nd Guards Army had advanced to the mouth of the Dniepr at Kherson. In February the 86th Guards was transferred to the 28th Army as a separate division; this Army was now part of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

Into Western Ukraine

During the first days of February the German 6th Army began evacuating the bridgehead it held on the east bank of the Dniepr based on Nikopol. 28th Army had been facing the southern flank of this bridgehead near Bolshaya Lepatikha. The last German troops crossed the Dniepr on February 7 with the goal of forming a new line behind the Ingulets River. Due in part to an unusually mild winter the pace of operations on both sides remained slow through the rest of the month.

The Front commander, Army Gen. R. Ya. Malinovskii, began a new offensive on March 4 with the objectives of crossing the Bug and Dniestr rivers prior to forcing the border into Romania. The center of 6th Army was struck by the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps and the 8th Guards Army, which made slow initial progress before breaking into the clear on March 7, advancing 40km and liberating Novy Bug. Malinovskii now faced the choice of striking due south toward Nikolaev or to drive west to get over the Bug behind 6th Army. Attempting to do both he gave the German forces an opportunity to escape. Despite this miscalculation Nikolaev was liberated and the division, which was now part of 10th Guards Rifle Corps in 28th Army, earned an honorific:

NIKOLAEV (Nikolaev Oblast)... 86th Guards Rifle Division (Col. Sokolovskii, Vasilii Pavlovich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Nikolaev, by the order of the Supreme High Command of March 28, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns.

Within days the division was transferred again, along with 10th Guards Corps, to 5th Shock Army; the Corps also contained the 109th Guards and the 320th Rifle Division.

Odessa Offensive

Immediately following the victory at Nikolaev the left (south) wing of 3rd Ukrainian Front continued its advance on the city of Odessa, which was expected to be taken at the earliest around April 5. This was led by Pliyev's Cavalry-Mechanized Group, followed by the 8th Guards and 6th Armies to envelop the city from the northwest and west while the 5th Shock was to advance on its defenses directly from the east.

On April 4 Pliyev's Group and the lead elements of 37th Army signalled the beginning of the final phase of the Odessa offensive by capturing the town of Razdelnaia, 60km northwest of the city, thus once again splitting German 6th Army into two distinct parts. Once this was accomplished Malinovskii ordered Pliyev to race south as fast as possible to cut the withdrawal routes of the German forces from the Odessa region. At the same time the three combined-arms armies were to move in to take the city. After heavy fighting on its northern and eastern approaches the forward detachments of 5th Shock entered its northern suburbs on the evening of April 9. Overnight the remaining Soviet forces approached Odessa's inner defenses from the northwest and west. With the trap closing shut the remainder of the defending LXXII Army Corps began breaking out to the west, allowing the Soviet forces to occupy the city's center at 1000 hours on April 10 after only minor fighting. For its part in the liberation of Odessa, on April 20 the 86th Guards would be awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive

Following the battle for Odessa, the STAVKA ordered Malinovskii's Front to mount a concerted effort to force the Dniestr, capture Chișinău, and eventually occupy all of eastern Bessarabia. 5th Shock and 6th Armies were engaged in mopping up Odessa and were unable to join the pursuit for at least a week, when they were to reinforce the forward armies wherever required. The initial efforts to force the river were only partially successful, with a series of small and tenuous bridgeheads being seized. On the night of April 12/13 it was decided to reinforce 8th Guards Army with part of the 5th Shock's forces, but this would not take place until April 18-20 due to the state of the roads. The Army was expected to be required to overcome German strongpoints at Cioburciu and Talmaza before advancing westward.

By April 19 the 10th Guards Corps had reached the Dniestr in the Cioburciu area but Malinovskii delayed the 5th Shock and 6th Armies' main offensives until the 25th largely due to the failures of the 5th Guards and 57th Armies' crossings near Tașlîc and the difficulty of ammunition supply. When the preliminary assault finally began it was in cooperation with 46th Army in and around Cioburciu. 5th Shock's commander, Col. Gen. V. D. Tsvetayev, arrayed his two rifle corps in a single echelon; 37th Rifle Corps was to attack on the right wing while the 10th Guards Corps attacked on the left on a 5km-wide sector from Talmaza southward to just north of Cioburciu with the 86th and 109th Guards in first echelon and the 320th in second echelon, having been given the objective of smashing the defenses of the right wing of the 97th Jäger Division and enveloping Talmaza from the south. The two Corps began their assault at dawn on April 20 after a short artillery raid but made no progress at all against stiff resistance. German reserves, including elements of the 306th and 9th Infantry Divisions, quickly arrived to bolster the defenses around Talmaza and the offensive collapsed after three days of heavy fighting and five more days of sparring for local positions. On May 4 the Army was ordered to go over to the defense.

Into the Balkans

The division, along with its 10th Guards Corps, remained in 5th Shock Army until early August, when it was transferred to the 46th Army in the buildup to the new offensive into Bessarabia. 10th Guards Corps (49th, 86th and 109th Guards Divisions) served as the Front reserve.

The offensive began on August 20 but the 86th Guards, along with its Corps, did not see any action in the first days. By 0800 hours on August 24 General Malinovskii had shifted the Corps to the boundary between the 37th and 46th Armies in the Leiptsig area and to the east. By the end of the next day the Corps was to arrive in the Comrat area; by this time the Axis Kishinev grouping had been encircled following the linkup of 3rd and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts. During the next days the 10th Guards Corps exploited to cross the Prut River while the remaining German forces were destroyed east of it.

Operations in Hungary

On September 20, following the defections of Romania and Bulgaria from the Axis and as it advanced into the Balkan states, the 46th Army was subordinated to 2nd Ukrainian Front. By the first week of October the 86th Guards had advanced to the east bank of the Tisza River just south of Hódmezővásárhely, forcing a crossing there shortly afterward. Near the end of the month it had reached a point west of Kiskunmajsa.

On November 6, Guardsman Alexsandr Dmitrievich Artyomtsev lost his life in an action that would make him a Hero of the Soviet Union. Artyomtsev had participated in the defense of Odessa, his home city, in 1941, during which he was wounded and captured. After escaping from a transit camp he joined the partisans in the catacombs of the city and spent the next two and a half years in partisan operations. He joined the 263rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 86th Guards when the city was liberated and during the advance into Hungary swam the Tisza with several other soldiers to help establish a bridgehead. At the village of Mate the division ran into a strong Axis position and went over to the defense. On November 6 the height his company occupied came under several counterattacks from German tanks and halftrack-mounted infantry. Artyomtsev destroyed one halftrack with an antitank grenade during the first attack; 30 minutes later, during a second attack he was wounded in the right arm, but carried two more grenades in his left hand to knock out a German tank from under its tracks. He received his Gold Star posthumously on March 24, 1945.

Battles for Budapest

As of the beginning of December the 86th Guards was still in 10th Guards Corps, and later that month 46th Army returned to 3rd Ukrainian Front. In the planning for the offensive to break the "Margarita Line" and subsequently encircle Budapest, which was to begin on December 20, the division was allocated as the Army's combined-arms reserve. It was located immediately south of the city on the east bank of the Danube, facing the northernmost part of the line on the opposite side of the river.

The encirclement of Budapest was completed on December 26 and was almost immediately followed by Axis operations to relieve its garrison. During January 2-7, 1945 the 3rd Ukrainian Front's right-flank formations were involved in heavy defensive fighting during Operation Konrad I. Both the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps and the 86th Guards Division were dispatched from 46th Army's sector to cover the breakthrough from the northeast and east. Overnight on January 2/3 the commander of 3rd Ukrainian Front ordered the 18th Tank Corps to move to the Dág–Bajna area and prepare to launch an attack in the direction of Nyergesújfalu in conjunction with units of the 86th and 4th Guards Rifle Divisions. The division met the German attack due south of Esztergom and helped bring it to a halt, for which its subunits were officially recognized. At the start of Operation Konrad III on January 19 it was still in the same area, now holding a bend south of the Danube just north of Esztergom. While the Front suffered heavy losses in this fighting the division was largely out of the path offensive. Konrad ended on January 27 and Budapest fell on February 13.

When the siege ended one of the division's units was recognized with an honorific:

BUDAPEST... 263rd Guards Rifle Regiment (Lt. Col. Denisenko, Andrei Andreevich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Budapest, by the order of the Supreme High Command of February 13, 1945, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns.

The 10th Guards Rifle Corps (Lt. Gen. Rubanyuk, Ivan Andreevich) was awarded the same honorific by the same decree. On April 5 the 260th and 265th Guards Rifle Regiments would each receive the Order of Aleksandr Nevsky for their roles in the battle for the Hungarian capital.

Into Austria

At the beginning of February the 86th Guards was in 10th Guards Corps with the 99th Rifle Division. By a month later the 49th Guards had rejoined the Corps in time for the start of the Vienna Offensive on March 16. The division ended the war west and north of Vienna in the 10th Guards Corps of 46th Army in 2nd Ukrainian Front and its men and women shared the full title of 86th Guards Rifle, Nikolaev, Order of the Red Banner Division. (Russian: 86-я гвардейская стрелковая Николаевская Краснознамённая дивизия.)

Postwar

From July 1950 until October 1952 the division was under the command of Hero of the Soviet Union Maj. Gen. Leonid Aleksandrovich Kolobov, who had led the 389th Rifle Division during the war.

In 1955 the 86th Guards was still part of the 10th Guards Budapest Rifle Corps. The division was redesignated in 1957 as the 86th Guards Motor Rifle Division. On 1 December 1989 the division was reduced to the 5381st Equipment Storage Base and its headquarters moved to Florești, Moldova. There it was taken over by Moldova in early 1992.

References

Citations

1. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 66
2. Charles C. Sharp, "Red Guards", Soviet Guards Rifle and Airborne Units 1941 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IV, Nafziger, 1995, p. 79
3. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, pp. 140, 166
4. John Erickson, The Road to Berlin, George Weidenfeld and Nicolson, Ltd., London, UK, 1983, pp. 115-16
5. Erickson, The Road to Berlin, p. 124
6. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 254
7. Erickson, The Road to Berlin, p. 139
8. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 282
9. Robert Forczyk, Where the Iron Crosses Grow, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2014, p. 245-46
10. Earl F. Ziemke, Stalingrad to Berlin, Center of Military History United States Army, Washington, DC, 1968, p. 239
11. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 78
12. Ziemke, Stalingrad to Berlin, pp. 239, 242-44
13. Ziemke, Stalingrad to Berlin, pp. 273-74, 277-78, 282-83
14. http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-4.html. In Russian. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
15. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 108
16. David M. Glantz, Red Storm Over the Balkans, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2007, pp. 110, 114-15, 119
17. Glantz, Red Storm Over the Balkans, pp. 120-22
18. Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967a, p. 324.
19. Glantz, Red Storm Over the Balkans, pp. 122-23, 142-44
20. Glantz, Red Storm Over the Balkans, pp. 148, 153, 156-57
21. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, pp. 169, 199, 229, 262
22. Soviet General Staff, The Iasi-Kishinev Operation, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2017, pp. 44, 46
23. Soviet General Staff, The Iasi-Kishinev Operation, pp. 107, 124, 135, 269
24. Soviet General Staff, The Iasi-Kishinev Operation, p. 15
25. The Gamers, Inc., Hungarian Rhapsody, Multi-Man Publishing, Inc., Millersville, MD, 2020, pp. 11, 18
26. http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=5402. In Russian, English translation available. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
27. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 350
28. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945, p. 24
29. Soviet General Staff, The Budapest Operation 1945, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2017, pp. 61, 237-40
30. The Gamers, Inc., Hungarian Rhapsody, p. 22
31. Soviet General Staff, The Budapest Operation 1945, pp. 73-74, 129
32. The Gamers, Inc., Hungarian Rhapsody, p. 31
33. https://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/4-hungary.html. In Russian. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
34. The Gamers, Inc., Hungarian Rhapsody, p. 42
35. http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/4-hungary.html. In Russian. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
36. Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967b, p. 43.
37. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945, pp. 59, 93
38. Sharp, "Red Guards", p. 80
39. http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=10649. In Russian, English translation available. Retrieved March 5, 2021
40. Holm, Michael. "86th Guards Motorised Rifle Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
41. Feskov et al. 2013, p. 495.

Bibliography

• Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1967a). Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть I. 1920 - 1944 гг [Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part I. 1920–1944] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2020-08-22.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1967b). Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть II. 1945 – 1966 гг [Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part II. 1945–1966] (in Russian). Moscow.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• 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.
• Grylev, A. N. (1970). Перечень № 5. Стрелковых, горнострелковых, мотострелковых и моторизованных дивизии, входивших в состав Действующей армии в годы Великой Отечественной войны 1941-1945 гг [List (Perechen) No. 5: Rifle, Mountain Rifle, Motor Rifle and Motorized divisions, part of the active army during the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat. p. 192
• Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1964). Командование корпусного и дивизионного звена советских вооруженных сил периода Великой Отечественной войны 1941–1945 гг [Commanders of Corps and Divisions in the Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945] (in Russian). Moscow: Frunze Military Academy. pp.  148, 326
• Калашников К. А., Додонов И. Ю. Высший командный состав Вооружённых сил СССР в послевоенный период. Справочные материалы (1945—1975). Том 4. Командный состав Сухопутных войск (армейское и дивизионное звенья). Часть первая. — Усть-Каменогорск: «Медиа-Альянс», 2019. — 428 с. — ISBN 978-601-7887-31-5. — pp. 231-233

External links

• Ivan Fedotovich Seryogin
• Vasilii Pavlovich Sokolovskii
• Leonid Aleksandrovich Kolobov

v t e List of Soviet divisions (1917–1945)
Airborne	1st Guards 2nd Guards 3rd Guards 4th Guards 5th Guards 6th Guards 7th Guards 8th Guards 9th Guards 10th Guards 11th Guards 12th Guards 13th Guards 14th Guards 15th Guards 16th Guards
Cavalry	1st 1st Guards 2nd 2nd Guards 3rd 3rd Guards 4th 4th Guards 5th 5th Guards 6th 6th Guards 7th 7th Guards 8th 8th Guards 9th 9th Guards 10th 10th Guards 11th 11th Guards 12th 12th Guards 13th 13th Guards 14th 14th Guards 15th 15th Guards 16th 16th Guards 17th Mountain 17th Guards 18th 19th 20th 21st Mountain 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th 39th 40th 41st 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th 50th 51st 52nd 53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 65th 66th 67th 68th 70th 72nd 73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 87th 91st 94th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th
Rifle	1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th 39th 40th 41st 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th 50th 51st 52nd 53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th (1925) 64th (1942) 65th 66th 67th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd (1936) 93rd (June 1942) 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th 119th 120th 121st 122nd 123rd 124th 125th 126th 127th 128th 129th 130th 131st 132nd 133rd 134th 135th 136th 137th 138th 139th 140th 141st 142nd 143rd 144th 145th 146th 147th 148th 149th 150th 151st 152nd 153rd 154th 155th 156th 157th 158th 159th 160th (1940) 160th (1941) 161st 162nd 163rd 164th 165th 166th 167th 168th 169th 170th 171st 172nd 173rd 174th 175th 176th 177th 178th 179th 180th 181st 182nd 183rd 184th 185th 186th (1939) 186th (1941) 187th 188th 189th 190th 191st 192nd (1942) 192nd 193rd 194th 195th 196th 197th 198th 199th 200th 201st 202nd 203rd 204th 205th 206th 207th 208th 209th 210th 211th 212th 213th 214th 215th 216th 217th 218th 219th 220th 221st 222nd 223rd 224th 225th 226th 227th 228th 229th 230th 231st 232nd 233rd 234th 235th 236th 237th 238th 239th 240th 241st 242nd 243rd 244th 245th 246th 247th 248th 249th 250th 251st 252nd 253rd 254th 255th 256th 257th (July 1941) 257th (November 1941) 257th (July 1943) 258th 259th 260th 261st 262nd 263rd 264th 265th 266th 267th 268th 269th 270th 271st 272nd 273rd 274th 275th 276th 277th 278th 279th 280th 281st 282nd 283rd 284th 285th 286th 287th 288th 289th 290th 291st 292nd 293rd 294th 295th 296th 297th 298th 299th 300th 301st 302nd 303rd 304th 305th 306th 307th 308th 309th 310th 311th 312th 313th 314th 315th 316th 317th 318th 319th 320th 321st 322nd 323rd 324th 325th 326th 327th 328th 329th 330th 331st 332nd 333rd 334th 335th 336th 337th 338th 339th 340th 341st 342nd 343rd 344th 345th 346th 347th 348th 349th 350th 351st 352nd 353rd 354th 355th 356th 357th 358th 359th 360th 361st 362nd 363rd 364th 365th 366th 367th 368th 369th 370th 371st 372nd 373rd 374th 375th 376th 377th 378th 379th 380th 381st 382nd 383rd 384th 385th 386th 387th 388th 389th 390th 391st 392nd 393rd 394th 395th 396th 397th 398th 399th 400th 402nd 403rd 404th 406th 407th 408th 409th 411th 413th 414th 415th 416th 417th 421st 422nd 2nd Priamur 1st Crimean 2nd Crimean 1st Polar Petrozavodsk Mountain 60th 63rd 68th 72nd 83rd 192nd Reserve 10th 34th 35th 36th 41st 50th Lithuanian Guards 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th 39th 40th 41st 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th 50th 51st 52nd 53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th 66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th 119th 120th 121st 122nd 124th 125th 126th 128th 129th
Motorized	7th 15th 29th 36th 69th 81st 82nd 84th 103rd 109th 131st 163rd 185th 198th 202nd 204th 205th 208th 209th 210th 212th 213th 215th 216th 218th 219th 220th 221st 236th 239th 240th
Tank	1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th 39th 40th 41st 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th 50th 51st 52nd 53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th Amur Ussuri
Motor Rifle	2nd Guards 3rd Guards 36th 57th 82nd 101st 106th 107th 112th 3rd Crimean
Other	Latvian Riflemen Soviet Divisions NKVD OMSDON People's Militia Reboly Direction Division Guards unit Destruction battalions

v t e Divisions of the Soviet Union 1945–1957
Airborne	11 13 21 31 76 98 99 100 103 104 105 106 107 114
Artillery	Gun 4 7 8 9 10 27 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 1 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 6 7 10 12 16 17 26 30 81 Antiaircraft 2 3 4 4 6 13 17 22 23 31 32 44 47 48 57 62 63 66 69 86 97 101 102 103 Machine Gun 1st 2nd 3rd 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 15th 16th 17th 18th 20th 21st 22nd 24th 25
Cavalry	1 3 4 5 6 Separate 7 Separate
Rifle	4th 6th 9th 12th 14th 16th 18th 19th 20th 22nd 23rd 24th 26th 29th 30th 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 39th 40th 41st 43rd 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th 50th 52nd 53rd 54th 57th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 67th 68th 69th 71st Mountain 73rd 74th 75th 77th 78th 79th 85th 89th 91st 94th 96th 101st 116th 117th 121st 144th 145th 146th 147th 148th 152nd 179th 180th 188th 194th 198th 201st 203rd 207th 215th 216th 255th 261st 270th 272nd 277th 295th 341st 344th 355th 372nd 376th Mountain 414th 417th Guards 1st 2nd 3rd 5th 8th 10th 15th 16th 17th 19th 24th 25th 26th 28th 29th 38th 39th 42nd 43rd 45th 48th 50th 51st 55th 57th 59th 64th 66th 69th 70th 72nd 77th 81st 86th 87th 94th 95th 97th 109th 110th 112th 113th 115th 117th 118th 120th 123rd 124th 128th
Mechanised	1st 1st Guards 2nd Guards 3rd Guards 4th Guards 5th Guards 6th Guards 7th Guards 7th 8th Guards 8th 9th Guards 9th 10th 10th Guards 11th 11th Guards 12th Guards 12th 13th Guards 13th 14th 14th Guards 15th Guards 15th 16th Guards 16th 17th Guards 17th 18th Guards 18th 19th Guards 19th 20th Guards 20th 21st Guards 21st 22nd 22nd Guards 23rd Guards 23rd 24th Guards 24th 25th Guards 25th 26th Guards 26th 27th Guards 27th 28th Guards 28th 29th Guards 30th Guards 31st Guards 32nd Guards 33rd Guards 34th Guards 35th Guards 36th Guards 37th Guards 38th Guards 39th Guards 39th 43rd 61st 62nd Guards 63rd 64th Guards 65th 66th Guards 67th 68th 69th 70th Guards 71st 72nd Guards 73rd 74th
Tank	1st Guards 1st 2nd Guards 2nd 3rd Guards 3rd 4th Guards 5th Guards 5th 6th Guards 7th Guards 8th Guards 9th 9th Guards 10th Guards 10th 11th Guards 11th 11th Guards 12th Guards 13th 14th Guards Heavy 15th 16th 17th Heavy 18th Guards Heavy 18th 19th Guards 19th 20th 21st Guards 23rd 24th Heavy 25th 29th 31st 61st 111th
Other	OMSDON
Guards units marked in bold.

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 1943
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1957
• Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner
• 1943 establishments in the Soviet Union
• 1957 disestablishments in the Soviet Union