| 3rd Guards Airborne Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1945 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Allegiance | Red Army |
| Branch | Airborne |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class |
| Battle honours | Uman |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ivan Nikitich Konev(8 December 1942 – 19 November 1945) |
The3rd Guards Airborne Division was aRed Army division ofWorld War II. In December 1945 it appears to have become 125th Guards Rifle Division, while serving with35th Guards Rifle Corps,27th Army,Carpathian Military District.[1]
The 3rd Guards Airborne Division was formed on 8 December 1942 after the disbanding of the8th Airborne Corps. The division was placed under the1st Shock Army on 6 February 1943 for the attack on theDemyansk Pocket. When the attack began on 26 February, the attached tanks of the37th Separate Tank Regiment became bogged down in the snow, and German resistance slowed the advance. The division captured Sosnovka by 5 March and was on the eastern bank of thePorus River on 11 March. On the next night, the division was replaced by the9th Guards Airborne Division.
The division was reassigned to the53rd Army south ofMaloarkhangelsk. As part of the13th Army and60th Army, the 3rd Guards Airborne fought in theBattle of Kursk and theChernigov-Pripyat Offensive. On 9 September, the division capturedBakhmach. After capturingOster, the division crossed theDesna River and fought to expand the bridgehead on the right bank of theDnieper toHornostaipil.
The division fought in theBattle of Kiev, capturingDymer,Radomyshl andKorostyshiv. In November and December 1943, the 3rd Guards Airborne thwarted German counterattacks in the Kiev defensive operation. It then fought in theZhitomir–Berdichev Offensive. In January and February 1944, the division fought in theBattle of the Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket. On 3 March 1944, the division became part of the35th Guards Rifle Corps of the27th Army. Three days later, the division crossed theHirsky Tikych, which allowed the capture ofKhrystynivka andUman, for which it was given the title Uman.
Fighting in theUman–Botoșani Offensive, the division crossed theSouthern Bug, theDniester and thePrut, capturingTrostianets,Ladyzhyn,Tulchyn andMohyliv-Podilskyi.[2] On 26 March, the division reached thePrut after capturingEdineț on the Romanian border. For its performance in crossing of theDniester and thePrut, the division was awarded theOrder of the Red Banner and theOrder of Suvorov 2nd class. The division crossed theSiret River atPașcani and held the bridgehead against counterattacks. After the end of the offensive, the division rested before theSecond Jassy–Kishinev Offensive. On 20 August, in concert with the104th Rifle Corps, the division attacked in the direction ofBacău,Vaslui andHuși, seeking to destroyArmy Group South Ukraine.
The division attacked Hill 155 in cooperation with the27th Guards Tank Brigade, capturing the first and second trenches. The 8th Guards Airborne captured Hill 177, a center of German resistance, within 8 hours. The 8th and 10th Guards Airborne broke through the German line and crossed theBahlui River. On 25 August, the division capturedBârlad, which forced the Germans back toFocșani andPloiești. On the 27th, the division capturedFocșani and thenPloiești in cooperation with the93rd Guards Rifle Division. The division advanced 296 kilometers and had reachedTurda by 15 September.
In theBattle of Debrecen, the 3rd Guards Airborne capturedCluj-Napoca and enteredHungary. On the night of 7 November, the division crossed theTisza and tookFüzesabony on 11 November. In conjunction with the110th Guards Rifle Division, the division capturedEger on 30 November. Moving westward, the division enteredCzechoslovakia on 1 January 1945. The division stopped counterattacks during theSiege of Budapest. In March 1945, the division repelledOperation Spring Awakening. After assisting the4th Guards Army in the capture ofSzékesfehérvár on 22 March, in an action for which it gained theOrder of Kutuzov 2nd class, the division capturedZalaegerszeg on 29 March.
Days later, the division enteredAustria atFürstenfeld. The division enteredGraz on 9 May at the end of the war and met British troops on theMur atBruck an der Mur. The 3rd Guards Airborne became part of theSouthern Group of Forces on 15 June and returned toTulchyn on 13 August.[3] On 20 December 1945 it became the125th Guards Rifle Division with the35th Guards Rifle Corps.[1] The 125th Guards Rifle Division was disbanded sometime in 1946.[1]
| Headquarters |  | |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Guards Airborne Regiment | ||
| 8th Guards Airborne Regiment | ||
| 10th Guards Airborne Regiment | ||
