108th Motor Rifle Division

The 108th Nevelskaya Twice Red Banner Motor Rifle Division (108 MRD) was a military formation of the Soviet Ground Forces. During the Great Patriotic War, the 360th Rifle Division Nevelskaya Order of the Red Banner, the predecessor to the 108th MRD, was created. The 360th Rifle Division was formed in accordance with both the Decree of the State Defence Committee on August 13, 1941 as well as the Order of the Volga Military District Commander, Lt. Gen. VF Gerasimenko, on August 14, 1941. On 1 September 1941 the division was formed in the Volga Military District, possibly at Chkalov.^[1] By 1 December 1941 the division had become part of 60th Army.^[2] On 1 April 1942 the division was part of the 4th Shock Army, Kalinin Front.^[3] Up until August 1943 the division was operating with both the 3rd and 4th Shock Armies. On 1 December 1944 the division was part of 83rd Rifle Corps, 4th Shock Army, 1st Baltic Front.

It fought at Nevel and in Belorussia and Kurland; with 1st Shock Army of the Kurland Group (Leningrad Front) May 1945.

Until October 1945 the division was posted on the Leningrad Front and the Baltic Military District. In October, the division was relocated by railway to the Turkestan Military District in the city of Termez. At the beginning of November 1945, the whole division, having arrived in Termez, was housed in military camps and by the end of the year went through combat and political training. In November and December, units were created in the new states, following the completion of the division. In the years following World War II, and up until December 1979, the former 360th Rifle Division, and now the 108th Nevelskaya Red Banner Motor Rifle Division provided security for the Soviet Union along its southern borders.

Combat History of the Division in Afghanistan

In December 1979, during the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, the division was part of the invasion force. On 10 December 1979, on the orders of the General Staff, the Division was sent into a state of high alert, joined by motorized infantry and tank regiments - in December polnuyu.13 whole divisions had been brought into full combat gotovnost. On 24 December, Minister of Defense signed a directive to the entry of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, where it was determined the transition state border - 15.00 25 15.00 dekabrya. On December 25, 1979 108 MRD start crossing on pontoon bridge on the Kabul area. At the same time, the border crossed planes VTA with 103 Airborne Division, which had to be moved to the airfield Kabul.K mid October 27 in Kabul includes advanced parts of 108 MRD, which strengthened the protection of military administrative facilities. On the night of 27 to October in Afghanistan includes 5 Guards MRD on the direction of Herat. By mid-January 1980 commissioning of the main forces of the 40th Army has largely been completed.

• From 1980 to 1989 the division carried out tasks to ensure the safety of convoys along routes Doshi-Kabul, the Kabul-Jalalabad, the protection of objects of importance (elevator, storage of fuels and lubricants, power in Kabul, a dam and hydroelectric power station site in Surubi, Bagram airfield, etc.)
• The whole period of the host division can be divided into stages:
• December 1979 - February 1980. Commissioning Division in Afghanistan and the deployment of the division of the garrisons, the organization of items dislocation;
• March 1980 - April 1985. Maintenance of active hostilities, including large-scale, work to strengthen the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan,
• April 1985- January 1987 transition from active operations primarily to support Afghan troops with artillery and sapper units. Assist in the development of the armed forces of the DRA and participate in the partial withdrawal of Soviet troops from the DRA,
• January 1987 - February 1989 troops from the Afghan leadership in carrying out the policy of national primereniya, continuing support of Afghan forces, training of units and divisions to complete withdrawal from DRA.

The stages of the war in Afghanistan were not uniform and differed from the different character of the fighting. Thus, for the third and fourth stages characteristic accumulation of rebel forces, the deployment in Afghanistan numerous databases, which led to more active hostilities.

In composition and number of personnel the 108th MRD was the largest division in the Soviet Armed Forces. She was the only one in the Armed Forces of the structure, quality and quantity of weapons and military equipment. Thus, in its structure had four infantry regiments.

On February 11, 1989, the Division acting as rearguard for the 40th Army was withdrawn from Afghanistan and was concentrated in Termez.

References

1. ^ tashv.nm.ru, Combat composition of the Soviet Army, 1 September 1941, accessed October 2011
2. ^ tashv.nm.ru, BSSA 1 December 1941
3. ^ tashv.nm.ru, BSSA 1 April 1942

Further reading

• Feskov,, V.I.; K.A. Kalashnikov, V.I. Golikov. (2004). The Soviet Army in the Years of the 'Cold War' (1945-1991). Tomsk: Tomsk University Press. ISBN 5-7511-1819-7.