11th Guards Airborne Division

11th Guards Airborne Division
Active	I Formation: 1943–1944 II Formation: 1948–1955
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army Soviet Airborne Troops
Type	Infantry, airborne
Size	Division
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner (2nd formation)

The 11th Guards Airborne Division was the name of two separate airborne divisions of the Soviet Airborne Troops. The division was first formed in late 1943 from three airborne brigades and did not see action before its conversion to the 104th Guards Rifle Division nearly a year later. The division was formed a second time in 1948 from a regiment at Ryazan and was disbanded in 1955.

History

First Formation

The 11th Guards Airborne Division was formed on 23 December 1943 from the 1st, 2nd, and 11th Guards Airborne Brigades, part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. The division included the 1st, 2nd, and 11th Guards Airborne Brigades. It was commanded by Major General Vasily Polikarpovich Ivanov. The division became part of the 38th Guards Airborne Corps when it was formed. On 8 December 1944, the State Defense Committee decided to reorganize the division as the 104th Guards Rifle Division. The reorganization took place at Slutsk.

Second Formation

The 347th Guards Air Landing Regiment had been converted from the 347th Guards Rifle Regiment in June 1946, and from 1946 to 1948 was based in Tula. It formed part of the 106th Guards Airborne Division.

On 15 October 1948, the 11th Guards Airborne Division was formed from the 347th Guards Air Landing Regiment. The new division was based at Ryazan and inherited the Order of the Red Banner from the regiment. It was part of the 38th Guards Airborne Corps. In 1948 the key divisional units included the 111th Guards Airborne Regiment; the 137th Guards Air Landing Regiment; the 1185th Guards Artillery Regiment (all at Ryazan, Moscow Oblast) and independent Self-Propelled Artillery, independent Guards Anti-Aircraft Artillery, independent Guards Anti-Tank Artillery; and independent Guards Engineering Battalions; and independent Guards Reconnaissance, independent Communications, and an independent Air-Landing Security Company. Combat service support units included an independent Supply Truck Battalion, and independent Medical & Sanitary Company. The 137th Guards Air Landing Regiment was later converted to the 137th Guards Airborne Regiment at some point, possibly as late as April 1955. On 25 April 1955, the division was disbanded, with the 111th Guards Airborne Regiment transferred to the 105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division and the newly converted 137th Guards Airborne Regiment transferred to the 106th Guards Airborne Division.

Composition

In 1948, the division was composed of the following units.

• 111th Guards Airborne Regiment
• 137th Guards Air Landing Regiment
• 1185th Guards Artillery Regiment

References

Bibliography

• Alyohin, Roman (2009). Воздушно-десантные войска: история российского десанта [Airborne Troops: History of the Russian Paratroopers] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow: Eksmo. ISBN 9785699332137. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.
• Glantz, David M. (1984). The Soviet Airborne Experience (PDF). Fort Leavenworth: Combat Studies Institute, US Army Command and General Staff College. ISBN 9781428915824. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Glantz, David M. (1994). The History of Soviet Airborne Forces. Ilford, Essex: Frank Cass. ISBN 0714634832. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)