Russian 201st Motor Rifle Division
Encyclopedia
The 201st Gatchina Twice Red Banner Motor Rifle Division was originally raised twice in World War II as part of the Soviet Union's Red Army
and is now part of the Russian Ground Forces
.
as part of the Moscow Military District
on 1 September 1941. as the 201st Latvian Rifle Division, the first of three 'national' divisions with predominantly Baltic-speaking personnel. The basis of the division was the 76th independent Latvian rifle regiment which was in turn formed from the two Latvian volunteer battalions that participated in the retreats of the Red Army, including the defence of Tallinn. It had been established Aug 1941 at Gorki
(today Nizhny Novgorod) Gorokhovetz Army Camp. In addition to the much depleted 76th regiment (about 1200 troops), were added 2500 Latvian speaking members of the state militia (police) and NKVD, as well as the predominantly Latvian speaking 582nd construction battalion, and members of the 24th Corps which was the territorial reserve formation in Latvia which failed to form due to rapid German advance.
At this time the composition of the division included the 92nd, 122st and 191st rifle regiments, 220th artillery regiment, 10th independent AAA battery, 170th independent signals battalion, and other support units. By December 1941 the division had 10,348 personnel, of whom 51% were ethnic Latvians, 26% ethnic Russians, 17% Jews and 6% others. This caused some problems since most Jews spoke Yiddish only, and the Latvians published the divisional paper (Latvian rifleman) in Latvian. At least 70 Jewish members of the division were members of the Zionist "Beitar" organisation that had been training members for travel to the then Palestine to defend Jewish settlements there before Latvia was annexed by Soviet Union.
The first combat the division experienced was during the counteroffensive at Moscow in the areas of Naro-Fominsk
and Borovsk where it suffered 55% casualties. By June 1942 only 36% of the division were Latvian-speaking, and a year later this figure was reduced to 32%. However in part this was due to the formation of a second Latvian division, the 308th Latvian Rifle division. The division was reflagged as the 43rd Guards Rifle Division in October 1942.
, near Leningrad
, in Nov 1943 within the 23rd Army. It served in the Leningrad and Baltic coast areas. Aside from the usual components of the rifle division in 1943, the division also had a separate battalion equipped with snow skies, and each regiment had a snow skies equipped company to serve as advance detachments. In September the division was transferred to the 3rd Army.
The initial composition of the division included:
The division's first commander was Colonel Vyacheslav Petrovich Yakutovich.
In January 1944 the division was assigned to the 122nd Army Corps. The division received the title “Gatchina
” for its role in breaking the siege of Leningrad
and received its first Order of the Red Banner
during the war. Following the relief of the siege the division incorporated several partisan detachments and groups which were used to strengthen the reconnaissance and skies equipped units. In February the division was transferred to the 117th Army Corps, and soon after awarded the Order of Red Banner for the liberation of Luga
.
In June 1944 the division is serving with the 8th Army before moving to participate in the assault on Narva, for which the 191st regiment was awarded the honorific "Narvsky". On the 5 August the division was transferred to the 2nd Shock Army, and participated in the battles to break the Panther Line, after which it was withdrawn for a brief reconstitution, and a movement by train to the Pskov area of operations with the rest of the Army. During the further battles in the Baltic republics the 191st regiment was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for destroying the German 23rd infantry regiment (12th Infantry Division) and two Latvian SS battalions. In the process of these battles the 1st and 2nd battalions of the regiment at one time were reduced to 20-30 men while the 3rd battalion ceased to exist.In October 1944 the division participated in the liberation of Riga
after which the division was transferred to the 1st Baltic Front and participated in the containment of the Courland encirclement of Wehrmacht forces. From March 1945 the division was in the 1st Army Corps of the 1st Shock Army
of the Kurland Group (Leningrad Front
). On the 1 October 1945 the division completed its movement to Dushanbe in Tajikistan.
Following post-war reductions the division was reflagged as the 325th rifle brigade, but in 1948 was again reflagged as a 27th mountain-rifle division. This included receiving pack mountain 75mm guns for its artillery regiment that were of the 1905 model with their manufacturer's plate stating they were manufactured in St. Petersburg. In 1958, following post-Stalinist reforms, the division was reduced to a 451st mountain rifle regiment, but in the next year it was reformed albeit as a 124th mountain rifle cadre division. In 1963 the division received its tank battalions, and reverted to the 201st Gatchina Rifle Division (2nd formation) was converted to a Motor Rifle Division in 1964 when the division was again raised to a full wartime establishment, and after a training exercise its 234th Tank Regiment's T-34/85 tanks were exchanged for the T-54 model. By this time the division's artillery regiment became the 998th Self Propelled Artillery Regiment "Starokonstantinovsky". In 1960s the division also received its 1098th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment.
in December of 1979, when it entered Afghanistan with the 40th Army
. It was stationed in Kunduz
province. At this time the division lost the 92nd and 191st Motor Rifle Regiments, and gained the 149th Guards "Chenstokhova" Motor Rifle Regiment and the 395th Motor Rifle Regiment. The Division headquarters, the 220th artillery regiment, 149th Guards and other smaller units were stationed in Kunduz, while the 122nd MRR was based in Tashkurgan and the 395th MRR in Puli-Khumri. The tank regiment remained in Samarkand.
During its service in Afghanistan the division largely coordinated its operations with the Afghan Army's 18th (Mazar-i-Sharif) and 20th (Baglan) infantry divisions, as well as the 10th and 31st infantry regiments.
In 1985, the division received a second Order of the Red Banner. The division used BMP-1 and BMP-2 IFVs, BTR-60 and BTR-70 APCs, T-62 tanks and 122mm self propelled guns "Gvozdika". The last Soviet vehicle to leave Afghanistan on 15 February 1989 was a BTR-60 from the 201st. The BTR-60 is still kept to the present day as a memorial.
Following its withdrawal, the 191st MRR was returned to the division, while it retained the 149th Guards MRR.
. The newly independent Tajikistan fell apart in 1992 - the Tajikistan Civil War
. Most of the conscripts were raised in Tajikistan and deserted while the Russian officers kept control of the division’s equipment after its subunits were reinforced with Russian SpetzNaz troops. In September 1992, Russian president Yeltsin
reinstated the division under firm Russian control. The CIS
formed the Collective Peacekeeping Force in Tajikistan, and the 201st formed its core.
The 201st Motor Rifle Division, with the support of loyal Tajik forces, attacked Dushanbe
. Russian and Tajik force entered and seized control of the city in December 1992. After the capital was recaptured, offensives were launched in Kofarnikhon and Kurgan-Tyube. Both cities fell quickly and the major concentrations of Islamist rebels were scattered. However, in 1995, Islamist insurgents assaulted one of the bases of the 201st at Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
and ambushed a convoy near Kalashum, 200 km east of Dushanbe. The division launched a counterattack supported by ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters. On April 19, the 201st launched an offensive into Gorno-Badach and advanced 20 kilometres, forcing the Islamists out of several bases.
In 1996 the division's sapper battalion participated in border region mine clearance operations with Tajikistan forces.
In 2001 the division was deployed to the Afghanistan border in expectation of the US attack on Afghanistan, and possible attempts by the Taliban to cross the border into Tajikistan.
On August 13, 2003 the 201st Motor Rifle Division participated in a joint exercise with the Tajik military 10 km southwest of Dushanbe at the Lyaur testing ground.
At one point during the civil war in Tajikistan, soldiers of the 201st Motor Rifle Division safely escorted staff of the American Embassy in Dushanbe to the airport for evacuation. This marks the only time in history that Americans have officially asked for and been given protection by the Russian military.
6,000-7,000 men
96 Tanks
300 Armoured Personnel Carriers
54 Artillery Pieces
1,100 other vehicles
8 helicopters
5 ground attack aircraft
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and is now part of the Russian Ground Forces
Russian 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...
.
201st Rifle Division (First Formation)
The divisional number was first assigned to the division on the rolls of the Red ArmyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
as part of 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...
on 1 September 1941. as the 201st Latvian Rifle Division, the first of three 'national' divisions with predominantly Baltic-speaking personnel. The basis of the division was the 76th independent Latvian rifle regiment which was in turn formed from the two Latvian volunteer battalions that participated in the retreats of the Red Army, including the defence of Tallinn. It had been established Aug 1941 at Gorki
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
(today Nizhny Novgorod) Gorokhovetz Army Camp. In addition to the much depleted 76th regiment (about 1200 troops), were added 2500 Latvian speaking members of the state militia (police) and NKVD, as well as the predominantly Latvian speaking 582nd construction battalion, and members of the 24th Corps which was the territorial reserve formation in Latvia which failed to form due to rapid German advance.
At this time the composition of the division included the 92nd, 122st and 191st rifle regiments, 220th artillery regiment, 10th independent AAA battery, 170th independent signals battalion, and other support units. By December 1941 the division had 10,348 personnel, of whom 51% were ethnic Latvians, 26% ethnic Russians, 17% Jews and 6% others. This caused some problems since most Jews spoke Yiddish only, and the Latvians published the divisional paper (Latvian rifleman) in Latvian. At least 70 Jewish members of the division were members of the Zionist "Beitar" organisation that had been training members for travel to the then Palestine to defend Jewish settlements there before Latvia was annexed by Soviet Union.
The first combat the division experienced was during the counteroffensive at Moscow in the areas of Naro-Fominsk
Naro-Fominsk
Naro-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:...
and Borovsk where it suffered 55% casualties. By June 1942 only 36% of the division were Latvian-speaking, and a year later this figure was reduced to 32%. However in part this was due to the formation of a second Latvian division, the 308th Latvian Rifle division. The division was reflagged as the 43rd Guards Rifle Division in October 1942.
201st division (2nd formation)
A new division was raised for the second time from 27th Rifle Brigade at ShlisselburgShlisselburg
Shlisselburg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated at the head of the Neva River on Lake Ladoga, east of St. Petersburg. From 1944 to 1992, it was known as Petrokrepost...
, near Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, in Nov 1943 within the 23rd Army. It served in the Leningrad and Baltic coast areas. Aside from the usual components of the rifle division in 1943, the division also had a separate battalion equipped with snow skies, and each regiment had a snow skies equipped company to serve as advance detachments. In September the division was transferred to the 3rd Army.
The initial composition of the division included:
- 256 separate communications battalion
- 119th separate reconnaissance company
- 122nd separate reconnaissance company (ski)
- 92nd rifle regiment (former 3, 5, 33 and 102 border guard detachments from the Karelian peninsula border guard brigade)
- 122nd rifle regiment (former 13th Leningrad internal security brigade)
- 191st rifle regiment (was created from detachments of a naval infantry brigade of the Baltic Fleet)
- 220th artillery regiment
- 198th separate anti-tank destroyer divizion
- 51st separate sapper battalion
- 53rd separate sapper battalion
- 49th separate medical-sanitary battalion
- 20th separate auto-delivery company
- 136th separate chemical company
The division's first commander was Colonel Vyacheslav Petrovich Yakutovich.
In January 1944 the division was assigned to the 122nd Army Corps. The division received the title “Gatchina
Gatchina
Gatchina is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located south of St. Petersburg by the road leading to Pskov...
” for its role in breaking the siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
and received its first Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
during the war. Following the relief of the siege the division incorporated several partisan detachments and groups which were used to strengthen the reconnaissance and skies equipped units. In February the division was transferred to the 117th Army Corps, and soon after awarded the Order of Red Banner for the liberation of Luga
Luga
Luga is a town and the administrative center of Luzhsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Luga River south of St. Petersburg. Population:...
.
In June 1944 the division is serving with the 8th Army before moving to participate in the assault on Narva, for which the 191st regiment was awarded the honorific "Narvsky". On the 5 August the division was transferred to the 2nd Shock Army, and participated in the battles to break the Panther Line, after which it was withdrawn for a brief reconstitution, and a movement by train to the Pskov area of operations with the rest of the Army. During the further battles in the Baltic republics the 191st regiment was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for destroying the German 23rd infantry regiment (12th Infantry Division) and two Latvian SS battalions. In the process of these battles the 1st and 2nd battalions of the regiment at one time were reduced to 20-30 men while the 3rd battalion ceased to exist.In October 1944 the division participated in the liberation of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
after which the division was transferred to the 1st Baltic Front and participated in the containment of the Courland encirclement of Wehrmacht forces. From March 1945 the division was in the 1st Army Corps of the 1st Shock Army
1st Shock Army
The 1st Shock Army was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II.The 1st Shock Army was created in late 1941 and fought in the northern areas of Russia and the Baltic States until the defeat of Germany in 1945...
of the Kurland Group (Leningrad Front
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad .-History:...
). On the 1 October 1945 the division completed its movement to Dushanbe in Tajikistan.
Following post-war reductions the division was reflagged as the 325th rifle brigade, but in 1948 was again reflagged as a 27th mountain-rifle division. This included receiving pack mountain 75mm guns for its artillery regiment that were of the 1905 model with their manufacturer's plate stating they were manufactured in St. Petersburg. In 1958, following post-Stalinist reforms, the division was reduced to a 451st mountain rifle regiment, but in the next year it was reformed albeit as a 124th mountain rifle cadre division. In 1963 the division received its tank battalions, and reverted to the 201st Gatchina Rifle Division (2nd formation) was converted to a Motor Rifle Division in 1964 when the division was again raised to a full wartime establishment, and after a training exercise its 234th Tank Regiment's T-34/85 tanks were exchanged for the T-54 model. By this time the division's artillery regiment became the 998th Self Propelled Artillery Regiment "Starokonstantinovsky". In 1960s the division also received its 1098th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment.
Afghanistan
As part of the Central Asian Military District the division participated in the invasion of AfghanistanSoviet 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...
in December of 1979, when it entered Afghanistan with the 40th Army
40th Army (Soviet Union)
The 40th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was an army-level command active from 1941 to 1945 and then again from 1979 to circa 1990.It was first formed, after Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, had commenced, from elements of the 26th and 37th Armies under the command...
. It was stationed in Kunduz
Kunduz
Kunduz also known as Kundûz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz is a city in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Kunduz Province. It is linked by highways with Mazari Sharif to the west, Kabul to the south and Tajikistan's border to the north...
province. At this time the division lost the 92nd and 191st Motor Rifle Regiments, and gained the 149th Guards "Chenstokhova" Motor Rifle Regiment and the 395th Motor Rifle Regiment. The Division headquarters, the 220th artillery regiment, 149th Guards and other smaller units were stationed in Kunduz, while the 122nd MRR was based in Tashkurgan and the 395th MRR in Puli-Khumri. The tank regiment remained in Samarkand.
During its service in Afghanistan the division largely coordinated its operations with the Afghan Army's 18th (Mazar-i-Sharif) and 20th (Baglan) infantry divisions, as well as the 10th and 31st infantry regiments.
In 1985, the division received a second Order of the Red Banner. The division used BMP-1 and BMP-2 IFVs, BTR-60 and BTR-70 APCs, T-62 tanks and 122mm self propelled guns "Gvozdika". The last Soviet vehicle to leave Afghanistan on 15 February 1989 was a BTR-60 from the 201st. The BTR-60 is still kept to the present day as a memorial.
Following its withdrawal, the 191st MRR was returned to the division, while it retained the 149th Guards MRR.
The Tajik Civil War
At the time the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the 201st was stationed in TajikistanTajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
. The newly independent Tajikistan fell apart in 1992 - the Tajikistan Civil War
Tajikistan Civil War
The Civil War in Tajikistan began in May 1992 when ethnic groups from the Garm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions, which were underrepresented in the ruling elite, rose up against the national government of President Rahmon Nabiyev, in which people from the Leninabad and Kulyab regions dominated...
. Most of the conscripts were raised in Tajikistan and deserted while the Russian officers kept control of the division’s equipment after its subunits were reinforced with Russian SpetzNaz troops. In September 1992, Russian president 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...
reinstated the division under firm Russian control. The CIS
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
formed the Collective Peacekeeping Force in Tajikistan, and the 201st formed its core.
The 201st Motor Rifle Division, with the support of loyal Tajik forces, attacked Dushanbe
Dushanbe
-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
. Russian and Tajik force entered and seized control of the city in December 1992. After the capital was recaptured, offensives were launched in Kofarnikhon and Kurgan-Tyube. Both cities fell quickly and the major concentrations of Islamist rebels were scattered. However, in 1995, Islamist insurgents assaulted one of the bases of the 201st at Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province is an autonomous, mountainous province in the east of Tajikistan. Located in the Pamir Mountains, it makes up 45% of the land area of the country but only 3% of the population....
and ambushed a convoy near Kalashum, 200 km east of Dushanbe. The division launched a counterattack supported by ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters. On April 19, the 201st launched an offensive into Gorno-Badach and advanced 20 kilometres, forcing the Islamists out of several bases.
In 1996 the division's sapper battalion participated in border region mine clearance operations with Tajikistan forces.
In 2001 the division was deployed to the Afghanistan border in expectation of the US attack on Afghanistan, and possible attempts by the Taliban to cross the border into Tajikistan.
Present day
To replace the division’s mass desertions, the government has relied first on Russian conscripts and then on volunteers serving under contract as of 1995. Even with the new volunteers, the division has only around 7,000 men or half the establishment of a standard Motor Rifle division. Some perks have been made to attract volunteers such as longer leave and double the pay of normal units. In 1999, the Russian and Tajik government agreed to convert the division into the 4th Military Base. However, due to continued violence in the region the 201st remains a fully active division. Currently there is a 6 month training course for the division and a 6 month tour of duty in Tajikistan. This serves as the entire 2 year service requirement of Russian males, but manpower continues to be a problem. Equipment continues to be rather out of date as some of the division’s arms date to the Afghan war. The division maintains a line of static defensive posts along the Afghanistan border to prevent raids by rogue Taliban fighters. In 2001 the Division came under command of the 2nd Army of the newly amalgamated Volga-Ural Military District.On August 13, 2003 the 201st Motor Rifle Division participated in a joint exercise with the Tajik military 10 km southwest of Dushanbe at the Lyaur testing ground.
At one point during the civil war in Tajikistan, soldiers of the 201st Motor Rifle Division safely escorted staff of the American Embassy in Dushanbe to the airport for evacuation. This marks the only time in history that Americans have officially asked for and been given protection by the Russian military.
Subordinated units and fighting strength
201st Motor Rifle Division (base)- 783rd separate reconnaissance battalion
- 340th separate repair and restoration battalion
- 636th separate service support battalion
- 252nd separate communications battalion
- 212nd separate communications battalion (territorial)
- 92nd Motor Rifle Regiment- Giprozemgorodok garrison, Dushanbe
- 149th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment- Kulyab garrison
- 191st Motor Rifle Regiment- Kurgan-Tyube garrison
- separate tank battalion (withdrawn from Tajikistan 2006)
- 998th Artillery Regiment (withdrawn from Tajikistan 2006)
- 1098th Air Defence Regiment (withdrawn from Tajikistan 2006)
- 303rd separate helicopter squadron using four Mi-24 and four Mi-8 helicopters
- 670th Air Group (squadron) equipped with five SU-25 aircraft is subordinated to the 201st Military Base command to which also belongs the 201st Division.
Total strength
Commander as of 2001 was Major General Yuri Perminov.6,000-7,000 men
96 Tanks
300 Armoured Personnel Carriers
54 Artillery Pieces
1,100 other vehicles
8 helicopters
5 ground attack aircraft