The59th Guards Kramatorsk Order of Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Motor-Rifle Division of theSoviet Union'sRed Army was initially formed nearKrasnodar in March 1942 as the197th Rifle Division (2nd formation).[1] On the division's formation Colonel (from 14.10.1942 major-general) M. I. Zaporozhchenko took command, who stayed with the division until February 1943. Its second commander was Major-General G. P. Karamyshev from February 1943 up to the end of the war.[2]
On the formation of the 197th Rifle Division the major subunits were the 828th, 862nd, 889th Rifle, 261st Artillery Regiments, as well as other support units. Upon becoming Guards the designations of the subunits changed to the 176th, 179th, and 183rd Guards Rifle and 127 Guards Artillery Regiments,[3] and 66th Guards Independent Sapper Battalion.[4]
The division was assigned initially to the63rd Army (since November 1942 the1st Guards Army, and since December 1942 3rd Guard Army),6th Army, and eventually the46th Army[5] within which it ended the war.
The division saw combat for the first time during theBattle of Stalingrad from July to December 1942 as part of the63rd Army (which became the1st Guards Army on 1 November 1942). During fierce fighting in the Veshenskaya area, parts of the division along with other Soviet units repelled the approach of the German forces. Having forced theDon river in the El'yanskoye area, the division seized a bridgehead which was subsequently used to stage a Soviet counter-attack. In these engagements the division destroyed up to 2,000 enemy troops, and much military equipment and weapons. The division participated inOperation Little Saturn between 16 and 30 December 1942.
The division, in conjunction with other formations of the1st Guards Army (which was renamed the 3rd Guards Army on 5 December 1942) traversed over 200 kilometers, liberated 170 settlements, including the city of Voroshilovgrad (nowLugansk) on 14 February 1943, and captured around 8,000 pieces of enemy equipment. For its courage, tenacity, and heroism the division was honored and renamed the 59thGuards Rifle Division on 3 January. The division's next combat participation was in theDonbass Offensive and theBarvenkov-Pavlograd Offensive operation (13.08 – 22.09.1943) in the Don basin and liberating the Donbass region. For its efforts in capturing the city ofKramatorsk on 6 September 1943 it was awarded the honorific name 'Kramatorsk' on 8 September 1943 by the Order of High Command No.9 on the same day[6] During the liberation of Kramatorsk the division was supported by the 5th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade and the 243rd Independent Tank Regiment[7]
The division also supported clearing the city ofZaporozhye of the enemy on 14 October 1943, in conjunction with other units. For its exemplary battle skills and valour the division was awarded theOrder of the Red Banner on 14 October 1943.[8]
During the 1944Nikopolsk–Krivorozhsk Offensive (30.01 - 29.02) the division fought first as part of3rd Guards Army, and then as part of6th Army together with the61st Guards Rifle Division,203rd Rifle, and the320th Rifle Division divisions of the34th Guards Rifle Corps. For the skilful performance of combat tasks and courage of the division's troops it was awarded theOrder of Suvorov, 2nd degree, on 13 February 1944.
In the following months, the division was part of the attack towardOdessa, and was the first formation to enter the city on 10 April 1944 despite the bad road conditions, crossing the river lines of the Ingulets, Ingul, andSouthern Bug rivers in the process. The division was awarded theOrder of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd degree on 20 April 1944 for its courage and heroism in clearing the city of Odessa. In the summer of the same year the division, as part of the46th Army (with which it remained to the end of the war), 3rd Ukrainian Front, the division participated in theYassy-Kishinev Offensive operation.[9] As part of the offensive the division broke through the Wehrmacht defense to the east ofBendery, fighting on the left shore of lake Kitai, and cut off the withdrawal route to parts ofGerman III Army Corps. Pursuing the retreating German troops, the division crossed the Soviet-Romanian border on August, 28th near the city ofReni, 25 kilometres to the East ofGalați. On 8 September, theBulgarian border was also crossed as the division was transferred to the2nd Ukrainian Front for theBelgrade Offensive (28.09 - 20.10). From October 1944 to February 1945 the division took part in theBattle of Debrecen[citation needed] and the initial phase of the Budapest Offensive, theKecskemét-Budapest Offensive operation. During this operation the commander of the 179th Rifle Regiment, T.N. Artem’yev was awardedHero of Soviet Union for heroic performance in combat.[10]
The last stages of the division's combat path during World War II was the participation in theVienna Offensive'sGyőr Offensive operation (Russian:Дьерская наступательная), during which the division's active and resolute actions to the north ofVienna led to the Red Army's capture of the Austrian capital on 13 April 1945. The division's combat operations finished in theFreistadt area, north ofLinz, in May 1945.
For their performance during the Great Patriotic War over 4,000 soldiers were awarded awards and medals, and 19 given the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Voroshilovgrad, Donbass, Zaporozh'ye, and Nikopol' - Krivoy-Rog, Odessa and Iasi-Kishinev operations, theBattle of Romania and Bulgaria, and finally in theBattle of Debrecen, and the Budapest and Vienna operations.
After the war the division became the59th Guards Motor Rifle Division (GMRD) in 1957. It joined the14th Guards Army and remained atTiraspol for the next two decades.
In 1974 the 14th Combined Arms Army became a part of theOdessa Military District, which had been awarded theOrder of the Red Banner in 1968.
The Army headquarters was in city ofTiraspol, with the 59th GMRD garrisoned in the city as well. In December, 1972, for excellence in protection of Soviet territory and high marks in combat and political preparedness, the division was awarded the Minister of Defence of the USSR's Pendant for Courage and Military Valour.
On 19 November 1990 the division had the following equipment:
Two former battalions of 179th Guards Motor-Rifle Regiment, (now independent) located atDubossary andBendery have carried out peacekeeping functions together with Moldavian and Transnistrian soldiers since May 1996 as part of theOGRF.
On 1 June 1997 the 59th Guards Motor Rifle Division was reorganised as the 8th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade with fourmotor-rifle battalions, onetank battalion, twoartillery battalions, and an anti-tank battalion plus other combat support and support units.[12][13] From 1 December 1999 two motor-rifle battalions were officially removed from theRussian Ground Forces organisation and transferred to the Combined Peacekeeping Forces command.
The reorganised 8th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade comprised the following units:
In December 2002 the brigade was disbanded, and the remaining personnel, numbering 5,719 effectives were absorbed into the Peacekeeping Forces command.
As a result of reduction in the strength of the Operational Group (commander General-Major Boris Sergeyev) the remaining strength as of 2006 is about 1,000 - 1,500 troops, and comprises:[14]
