6th Guards Airborne Division

6th Guards Airborne Division
Active	1942–1945
Country	Soviet Union
Allegiance	Red Army
Branch	Airborne
Size	Division
Engagements	Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda Battle of Kursk Battle of the Dnieper Korsun–Shevchenkovsky Offensive Uman–Botoșani Offensive Jassy–Kishinev Offensive Battle of Debrecen Budapest Offensive Prague Offensive
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov 2nd class
Battle honours	Kremenchug Znamianka

The 6th Guards Airborne Division was a Red Army airborne division of World War II. In 1945, it became the 113th Guards Rifle Division. It was downsized into a brigade between 1947 and 1953. The division became a motor rifle division in 1957 and disbanded in 1959.

History

The 6th Guards Airborne Division was formed on 8 December 1942 from the 6th Airborne Corps in Noginsk.^[1] The division first fought with the 1st Shock Army on 14 March 1943 during Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda. After that, the division was placed in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. As part of the 5th Guards Army, the division fought in the Battle of Kursk. After the Battle of the Dnieper, the division captured Kremenchuk and Znamianka, for which it was awarded honorifics. On 8 January 1944, the division helped capture Kirovohrad. In the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky Offensive, the division stopped German attempts to relieve the Korsun Pocket. During the Uman–Botoșani Offensive, it operated with the 4th Guards Army. For its performance during the offensive, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

For crossing the Dniester, the 6th Guards Airborne was awarded the Order of Suvorov 2nd class on 8 April. In the second part of April, it crossed the Prut and entered Romanian territory. As part of the 7th Guards Army, it fought in the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive and captured Târgu Frumos. In October, it fought in the Battle of Debrecen. Advancing into Hungary, it fought in the Budapest Offensive. On 5 December, the division broke through the northeastern defensive lines of Budapest. At the end of December it crossed the Hron, but was forced to retreat in the face of German resistance.

On 25 March 1945, the division crossed the Hron in the area of Zhemlyari during the Bratislav-Brnovskoy Operation. After the breaking through the German lines, the division captured Šurany, advanced over the Western Carpathians, and captured oilfields in Zistersdorf. The division fought in the Prague Offensive at the end of the war and captured Příbram on 11 May. On 13 June 1945, it became the 113th Guards Rifle Division. The division was downsized into the 43rd Guards Rifle Brigade in 1947. In October 1953, it became a division again.^[2]

On 17 May 1957, the 113th Guards Rifle Division became a motor rifle division at Yevpatoria with the 45th Army Corps. It included the 359th, 361st and 363rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiments, the 85th Guards Tank Regiment and other smaller units. The division was disbanded on 1 March 1959.^[3]

Commanders

• Major General Alexander Ilyich Kirzimov (8 December 1942 – March 1943)
• Major General M. N. Smirnov (March 1943-13 June 1945)

Composition

^[1]

• 14th Guards Airborne Regiment
• 17th Guards Airborne Regiment
• 20th Guards Airborne Regiment
• 8th Guards Airborne Artillery Regiment

References

• 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.