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Guards (Russian:гвардия) orGuards units (Russian:гвардейские части,gvardeyskiye chasti) were elite military units ofImperial Russia prior to 1917–18. The designation ofGuards was subsequently adopted as a distinction for various units and formations of theSoviet Union and the modernRussian Federation. The tradition goes back to a chieftain'sdruzhina of medievalKievan Rus' and thestreletskoye voysko (Стрелецкое Войско), theMuscoviteharquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550. The exact meaning of the term "Guards" varied over time.
In the Russian Empire,Russian Imperial Guard units (alsolifguard orlife-guard,лейб-гвардия,leyb-gvardiya), derived from GermanLeibgarde (en:lifeguard or life-guard), were intended to ensure the security of the sovereign, initially, that ofPeter the Great in the 1690s. These were based on thePrussianRoyal Life Guards. During the 19th-century, some Imperial Russian Guard regiments were called by names of regions outside modern Russia, such asLithuanian,Finnish andVolhynian Life Guards Regiments.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Imperial Guards consisted of 13infantry, 4rifles and 14cavalryregiments, artillery, engineers and transport, making up a separate entity within the army of three divisions. During the Brusilov Offensive the 1st and 2nd Guards' numbers were supplemented with line army corps and from September 1916 were known as the 'Special Army'.[1]
In February–March 1917, the defection of reserve battalions of the Imperial Guard based in St.Petersburg was a major factor in the overthrow of the Tsarist government. The service units of the Guard at the front disintegrated along with the remainder of the Imperial Army, until it was formally replaced by the new Red Army on 28 January 1918.
The Red Guards (Russian:Krasnaya Gvardiya) were armed groups of workers formed during theRussian Revolution of 1917, although the designation and concept dates back to Moscow during theRevolution of 1905. In 1917 the volunteers of the Red Guard and their elected leaders formed the main strike force of theBolsheviks. These workers' militias were created in March 1917 in byFactory and Plant Committees and by Bolshevik party cells, with the initial purpose of defending the industrial enterprises and districts where they were recruited. In October 1917 the Red Guards ofPetrograd played a leading role in the capture of theWinter Palace and the overthrow of the Provisional Government.[2] When the SovietRed Army was formed in 1918, the Red Guards became the Army Reserve and the basis for the formation of regular military detachments.
The White Guard (Russian:Belaya Gvardiya) of theWhite Army (Belaya Armiya, whose members were calledbelogvardeytsy), the military forces of the RussianWhite Movement, which opposed theBolsheviks after theOctober Revolution and fought against theRed Army during theRussian Civil War from 1918 to 1921.
"Guards" (Russian:Гвардия,romanized: Gvardiya) designations were awarded to units and formations that distinguished themselves during theSecond World War by the order of People's Commissar for Defence of USSR No.303 on the 18 September 1941, and were considered to haveelite status. However, the Guards badge was not introduced until 21 May 1943.
In late 1941, theStavka began awarding the honorific title 'Guards' to regiments, divisions, and corps that had distinguished themselves in combat. Units earning this title had often suffered up to 30 percent or more casualties after successfully performing desperate missions. It was not only a prestigious designation, as units so honoured were thereafter better equipped and given preference in personnel, supplies, equipment and material.[3]
Zhukov said "the first period of the war gave birth to the Soviet Guards. For mass heroism and success in the battles of 1941-1942 the Guards title was awarded to 789 groups, formations, separate units, and fighting ships of the Soviet Armed Forces."[4]
Pik Sovetskoy Gvardii, meaning "Soviet Guard Peak", the second highestmountain in theAnyuy Range, was named after the Soviet Guards.[5]
There were eleven Guard Armies and six Guard Tank Armies:
The Guards distinction was retained as designations ofunits andformations in the armed forces of the former Soviet Union:Russia,Belarus, andUkraine.
TheNational Guard of Russia was formed in 2016.
