1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division
The 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division (Russian: 1-я гвардейская бомбардировочная Сталинградская ордена Ленина дважды Краснознаменная орденов Суворова и Кутузова авиационная дивизия) was an Aviation Division of the Soviet Air Force.
History
The 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division was initially formed as the 226th Assault Aviation Division as part of the 8th Air Army in May 1942.[1] The 8th Air Army was supporting the Southwestern Front (Soviet Union) as it fought the German advance as part of Operation Blau.
On 18 March 1943 the division was renamed the 1st Guards Assault Aviation Division. By this time the 8th Air Army was part of Southern Front and included the 2nd Mixed Aviation Corps (201st Fighter Aviation Division, 214th Assault Aviation Division), 10th Mixed Aviation Corps (206th, 287th Fighter Aviation Divisions, 289 шад), 270th Bomber Aviation Division (270 бад), 2 гв. нбад, 6th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 8 рап, 406 лбап, and the 678 трап.[2]
Organization in May 1945 (Ketrzyn, Poland):
- 74th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment with Il-2
- 75th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment with Il-10
- 76th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment with Il-2
- 136th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment with Il-2
The division headquarters were moved from Ketrzyn to Lida, Grodno Region, in the Belorussian SSR, in July 1945.
The 76th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment was disbanded in April 1947.
In 1957, it was renamed 1st Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division (1st IBAD, from 11 November 1976 1st ADIB).
Organization 1957:
- 136th Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (?) with MiG-15
- 686th Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Lida, Grodno Region) with MiG-15
- ?th Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (?) with MiG-15
Organization 1970:
- 911th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Lida, Grodno Region) with MiG-17
- 940th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Postavy, Vitebsk Oblast) with MiG-17
- 953rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Bobrovichi, Gomel Oblast) with Su-7
The division was renamed the 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division in 1989.
Organization 1990:
- 116th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment (Ross, Grodno Region) with Su-24 - January 1992 taken over by the Belarus Air Force. October 1993 renamed 116th Guards Bomber Aviation Base, and in July 1994 116th Guards Bomber-Reconnaissance Aviation Base - disbanded August 2010.
- 305th Bomber Aviation Regiment (Postavy, Vitebsk Oblast) with Su-24 - withdrawn to Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai, in 1993, and disbanded
- 497th Bomber Aviation Regiment (Lida, Grodno Region) with Su-24 - withdrawn to Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai, in 1993, and disbanded.
The Divisional headquarters was moved to Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai, in 1993, and the division became part of the 4th Army of Air Forces and Air Defence.
References
- ↑ Michael Holm, 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division, accessed September 2011, lists the formation as the 266th ShAD, but this appears to be a mistake.
- ↑ Combat composition of the Soviet Army, , 1 April 1943
Further reading
- 'Sharing out the remnants of Soviet aviation', Jane's Defence Weekly, 17 April 1993
