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106th Guards Tula Airborne Division (Russia)
Encyclopedia
The 106th Guards
Tula Red Banner Twice Order of Kutuzov Airborne
Division, (106-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Краснознаменная ордена Кутузова дивизия) more generally referred to as the Tula Division, was one of the four airborne divisions of the Russian Airborne Troops, the VDV . Based in the city of Tula
, to the south of Moscow
, it was located within the Moscow Military District
but did not fall within any of its command structures, as the VDV constitutes a separate branch (Rod) of the Russian armed forces (roughly comparable, for example, to the United States Marine Corps
).
, Austria
and Czechoslovakia
(including in Prague), mostly with 38th Guards Rifle Corps of 9th Guards Army. It became the 106th Guards Rifle Division in December 1944, as all the original VDV divisions
and brigades were being reconstituted as Guards Rifle formations. The Division's apparent honorifics are 'Red Banner, Order of Kutuzov', (Feskov et al. 2004, p. 74) though an early Western writer reported them as 'Dneipr-Transbaikal' at one point in its history.
As the attention of the Soviet leadership began to shift towards their ability to project force overseas, the need for a rapidly deployable force to spearhead large-scale operations became apparent and the VDV was once again built up as such an air assault force. The Tula Division, from that point until the present day, was to be one of the most frequently-used elements of it. Two of its regiments took part in the Soviet war in Afghanistan
. As nationalist unrest grew in the southern republics of the USSR throughout the end of the 1980s, the division was deployed to Baku
, Azerbaijan
, in 1988 and to Fergana
, Uzbekistan
, in 1990. Throughout this time the division was commanded by General Alexander Lebed.
In 1991, an attempted coup
against the Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
took place in Moscow
. As the coup faltered, and the plotters lost the initiative while support for Boris Yeltsin
, the President of the Russian SFSR, grew, the plotters called in reinforcements from the Tula Division, in the form of a battalion
from the 137th Parachute Landing
Regiment
. When they arrived, Lebed stated that he had orders to secure the Parliament building, where Yeltsin's supporters were barricaded. He did not, however, give the order for his men, equipped with BMD
armoured vehicles, to launch an attack. This may have been because at that point in the coup, the Tamanskaya Division was in the process of switching its own allegiance from the plotters to the parliamentarians, but whatever Lebed's rationale, the episode helped to boost his own public profile immensely. Following the failure of the coup and the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, in 1992, he was appointed commander of the Russian 14th Army in Moldova
.
was ordered into the breakaway southern republic of Chechnya
by Yeltsin, then President of the Russian Federation
, after the refusal of the separatist government to surrender
to Moscow's authority, beginning the First Chechen War
. Battalions of the Tula Division were attached to 'Group West' (the western element of the three-pronged invasion
of Chechnya). They took part, in December that year, in the first Battle of Grozny
, helping to capture the city's central railway station, which had proved to be one of the most difficult and costly strategic points in Grozny for the Russians to capture.
In March 1995, the battalions were transferred to the command of 'Group North' and continued fighting, notably around Argun
. In May, they withdrew from Chechnya. The division's losses in the first war are unclear: 36 of its soldiers have been confirmed killed in action
, but the number missing in action
is around 200.
The Second Chechen War
began in 1999. With Moscow determined to avoid a repeat of the quagmire that the first war had become, the Russian force committed in 1999 was larger, better equipped and better organised. The Tula Division's contribution to that force was the 51st and 119th Parachute Landing
Regiments. Its losses in this war were still considerable but less than in the first: 67 of its soldiers were reported either killed
or missing in action
. For its actions in the second campaign, the Tula Division was awarded the MoD Pennant.
In 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States
, paratroopers from the division were sent to Afghanistan
to evacuate the staff of the Russian embassy in Kabul, so as to ensure their safety in the face of the American military campaign in support of the Northern Alliance's advance towards the city.
On 26 April 2004, the Tula Division celebrated its 60th anniversary
.
Modern Russian airborne divisions are considerably smaller formations, in manpower
terms, than their American
counterparts (the 82nd Airborne and 101st Air Assault
); typically, they number around over 5,000 men. The Tula Division was until 2005 the exception to this rule, numbering over 7,000 men. The reason for this was that it included 3 Parachute Landing
Regiment
s, whereas the other 3 VDV divisions had only two such regiments. In 2005, however, the 119th Parachute Landing Regiment was disbanded and the division was thus bought essentially into line with the other 3 divisions. , the subordinate units of the division are as follows:
Russian Guards
Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
Tula Red Banner Twice Order of Kutuzov Airborne
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces...
Division, (106-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Краснознаменная ордена Кутузова дивизия) more generally referred to as the Tula Division, was one of the four airborne divisions of the Russian Airborne Troops, the VDV . Based in the city of Tula
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
, to the south of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, it was located within the Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
but did not fall within any of its command structures, as the VDV constitutes a separate branch (Rod) of the Russian armed forces (roughly comparable, for example, to the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
).
History 1944-1991
The Division was founded in January 1944 as the 16th Guards Airborne Division, and from then until the end of the Second World War fought in HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(including in Prague), mostly with 38th Guards Rifle Corps of 9th Guards Army. It became the 106th Guards Rifle Division in December 1944, as all the original VDV divisions
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
and brigades were being reconstituted as Guards Rifle formations. The Division's apparent honorifics are 'Red Banner, Order of Kutuzov', (Feskov et al. 2004, p. 74) though an early Western writer reported them as 'Dneipr-Transbaikal' at one point in its history.
As the attention of the Soviet leadership began to shift towards their ability to project force overseas, the need for a rapidly deployable force to spearhead large-scale operations became apparent and the VDV was once again built up as such an air assault force. The Tula Division, from that point until the present day, was to be one of the most frequently-used elements of it. Two of its regiments took part in the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
. As nationalist unrest grew in the southern republics of the USSR throughout the end of the 1980s, the division was deployed to Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, in 1988 and to Fergana
Fergana
Fergana is a city , the capital of Fergana Province in eastern Uzbekistan, at the southern edge of the Fergana Valley in southern Central Asia, cutting across the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, in 1990. Throughout this time the division was commanded by General Alexander Lebed.
In 1991, an attempted coup
Soviet coup attempt of 1991
The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt , also known as the August Putsch or August Coup , was an attempt by a group of members of the Soviet Union's government to take control of the country from Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev...
against the Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
took place in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. As the coup faltered, and the plotters lost the initiative while support for Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
, the President of the Russian SFSR, grew, the plotters called in reinforcements from the Tula Division, in the form of a battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
from the 137th Parachute Landing
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces...
Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
. When they arrived, Lebed stated that he had orders to secure the Parliament building, where Yeltsin's supporters were barricaded. He did not, however, give the order for his men, equipped with BMD
BMD
BMD can refer to several things:* BMD - Polish music producer, DJ and party promoter* Britainy Maria Dye* BMD * BMD Big Medium Drink...
armoured vehicles, to launch an attack. This may have been because at that point in the coup, the Tamanskaya Division was in the process of switching its own allegiance from the plotters to the parliamentarians, but whatever Lebed's rationale, the episode helped to boost his own public profile immensely. Following the failure of the coup and the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, in 1992, he was appointed commander of the Russian 14th Army in Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
.
History since 1991
In 1994, the Russian ArmyRussian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
was ordered into the breakaway southern republic of Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
by Yeltsin, then President of the Russian Federation
President of the Russian Federation
The President of the Russian Federation is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Russian Federation...
, after the refusal of the separatist government to surrender
Surrender (military)
Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
to Moscow's authority, beginning the First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
. Battalions of the Tula Division were attached to 'Group West' (the western element of the three-pronged invasion
Invasion
An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
of Chechnya). They took part, in December that year, in the first Battle of Grozny
First battle of Grozny
The First Battle of Grozny was the Russian Army's invasion and subsequent conquest of the Chechen capital, Grozny, during the early months of the First Chechen War...
, helping to capture the city's central railway station, which had proved to be one of the most difficult and costly strategic points in Grozny for the Russians to capture.
In March 1995, the battalions were transferred to the command of 'Group North' and continued fighting, notably around Argun
Argun
Argun may refer to:*Argun , name of several inhabited localities in Russia*Argun River , a river in the Caucasus*Argun River , a river in Asia*Medemia argun, flowering plant in the Arecaceae family...
. In May, they withdrew from Chechnya. The division's losses in the first war are unclear: 36 of its soldiers have been confirmed killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
, but the number missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
is around 200.
The Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
began in 1999. With Moscow determined to avoid a repeat of the quagmire that the first war had become, the Russian force committed in 1999 was larger, better equipped and better organised. The Tula Division's contribution to that force was the 51st and 119th Parachute Landing
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces...
Regiments. Its losses in this war were still considerable but less than in the first: 67 of its soldiers were reported either killed
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
or missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
. For its actions in the second campaign, the Tula Division was awarded the MoD Pennant.
In 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, paratroopers from the division were sent to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to evacuate the staff of the Russian embassy in Kabul, so as to ensure their safety in the face of the American military campaign in support of the Northern Alliance's advance towards the city.
On 26 April 2004, the Tula Division celebrated its 60th anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
.
Subordinate units and fighting strength
Manpower
Manpower may refer to:*Human resourcesOrganizations:*Manpower Inc., an international employment agency, headquartered in the United States*Manpower Incorporated, a criminal enterprise in the Honor Harrington science fiction series...
terms, than their American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
counterparts (the 82nd Airborne and 101st Air Assault
101st Airborne Division (United States)
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
); typically, they number around over 5,000 men. The Tula Division was until 2005 the exception to this rule, numbering over 7,000 men. The reason for this was that it included 3 Parachute Landing
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces...
Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s, whereas the other 3 VDV divisions had only two such regiments. In 2005, however, the 119th Parachute Landing Regiment was disbanded and the division was thus bought essentially into line with the other 3 divisions. , the subordinate units of the division are as follows:
- 51st Parachute Landing Regiment, TulaTula, RussiaTula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
- 137th Parachute Landing Regiment, RyazanRyazanRyazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
- 1182nd ArtilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
Regiment, YefremovYefremov (town)Yefremov is a town and the administrative center of Yefremovsky District of Tula Oblast, Russia, located on the Krasivaya Mecha River , south of Tula. Population:... - 107th Independent Air Defence Regiment, Naro-FominskNaro-FominskNaro-Fominsk is a town and the administrative center of Naro-Fominsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated southwest from Moscow, on the Nara River. The Moscow – Kiev railway passes through the town. Population: -History:...
- 322nd Independent EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Battalion, Tula - 731st Independent CommunicationTelecommunicationTelecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s Battalion, Tula - 43rd Independent Repair Battalion, Tula
- 110th Independent TransportTransportTransport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
SquadronSquadron (aviation)A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
, Tula
Commanding officers, 1943-2006
- Major-General Aleksandr Fyodorovich Kazankin (1943–1944)
- Major-General Ivan Nikolayevich Vindushev (1944–1946)
- Major-General Ivan Nikitich Konev (1946–1947)
- Major-General Afanasiy Romanovich Kopichko (1947–1949)
- Colonel Aleksandr Dimitriyevich Yepanshin (1949–1951)
- Major-General Aleksandr Akimovich Gerasimov (1951–1955)
- Major-General Aleksandr Andreyevich Koreshchenko (1955–1960)
- Major-General Magamet Tankayevich Tankayev (1960–1961)
- Colonel Konstantin Yakovlevich Kurochnik (1961–1964)
- Major-General Yuri Mikhailovich Potapov (1964–1969)
- Major-General Aleksandr Ivanovich Pitkov (1969–1972)
- Major-General Anatoly Mikhailovich Dobrovolsky (1972–1976)
- Major-General Yevgeny Nikolayevich Podkolzin (1976–1980)
- Major-General Gennady Vasilyevich Filatov (1980–1984)
- Major-General Fyodor Ivanovich Serdechny (1984–1988)
- Major-General Aleksandr Ivanovich Lebed (1988–1991)
- Major-General Aleksandr Petrovich Kolmakov (1991–1993; now overall commander of the VDV)
- Major-General Yevgeny Yuryevich Savilov 1993-2004)
- Major-General Andrey Nikolayevich Serdyukov (2004–present day)