12th Guards Tank Division

12th Guards Tank Division
Active 1946 - 1991
Country  Soviet Union
Branch Soviet Ground Forces
Part of 3rd Red Banner Army

The 12th Guards Uman, Orders of Lenin, Red Banner and Suvorov Tank Division was a tank division of the Soviet Ground Forces. It drew its history from the World War II 16th Tank Corps (see Tank corps (Soviet Union)). It was redesignated successively as 12th Guards Tank Corps (1943) and 12th Guards Tank Division (1946).

The division was initially formed as 16th Tank Corps in the Kiev Military District. It became part of the 2nd Tank Army upon the army's formation. During the war, it participated in fighting at Kharkov, Stalingrad, Kursk, Grel, Uman-Botoshany Offensive, Targul-Frumos, Lublin-Brest Offensive, Vistula-Oder and other operations and actions.

It took part in the counter-attacks against the Germans advancing on Stalingrad in the later summer of 1942, the winter counter-offensives of 1942/43, the Battle of Kursk in July (as part of the Central Front), then across Ukraine with the Central, Belorussian, and 1st Belorussian Fronts. In the summer of 1944, it was with the 2nd Tank Army, and took part in the offensives, reaching the outskirts of Warsaw. On 20 November 1944, it was awarded ‘Guards’ status and re-designated the 12th Guards Tank Corps. The Corps took part in the Vistula-Oder and Berlin Operations, ending the war in the Berlin area.

As part of the occupation forces, it was assigned to the 2nd Guards Tank Army (also 2nd Guards Mechanised Army). In later 1945, it was reorganized into the 12th Guards Tank Division. During the occupation period and post-war era, its assignments remain unclear. Initially it was assigned to the 2nd Guards Mechanised Army, but then transferred to the 4th Guards Mechanised Army, which became the 20th Guards Combined-Arms Army in 1957. It eventually became part of the 3rd Red Banner Army.[1] The army headquarters was located in the city of Magdeburg. Other divisions of the army were the 10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank Division, the 47th Guards Tank Division, and the 207th Motor Rifle Division.

Division headquarters was located in the town of Neuruppin. On the outskirts of town, closer to Altruppinu was the location of the three regiments: 48th Guards Tank Regiment, the 353rd Guards Tank Regiment and 332nd Guards Tank Regiment. After the withdrawal from Germany, the 12th Guards Tank Division was disbanded. The commander of the 48th Guards Tank Regiment in 1989 Guard colonel Кухновец (Kuhnovets). Chief of Staff was Guard Colonel Fedotov. It was to be deactivated in the Moscow Military District, and the division actually disbanded around 1991.

In December 1990, the division moved to Vladikavkaz and became part of the North Caucasus Military District. It was disbanded in February 1991. The 200th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment and 18th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion were transferred to the 19th Motor Rifle Division. The 933rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment was directly subordinated to the 42nd Army Corps.[2]

Unit list

In 1988, the division comprised the following major units:[3][2]

Notes

  1. ↑ Michael Holm, 3 Red Banner Combined Arms Army, February 2015.
  2. 1 2 Holm, Michael. "12th Guards Tank Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  3. ↑ "Состав соединений и частей 3я Общевойсковая армия » Группа Советских войск в Германии :: Западная Группа войск :: ГСОВГ :: ГСВГ :: ЗГВ :: Найти сослуживца по армии". www.gsvg.ru. Retrieved 2016-02-12.

References

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