The Soviet Union's Red Army raised divisions during the Russian Civil War, and again during the interwar period in 1926. Only a few of the Civil War divisions were retained in this period, and even fewer survived the reorganization of the Red Army during the 1937–1941 period. During the Second World War 400 'line' rifle divisions (infantry), 129 Soviet Guards rifle divisions, and over 50 cavalry divisions as well as many divisions of combat support arms were raised in addition to the hundreds of divisions that existed in the Red Army before Operation Barbarossa. Almost all the pre-war mechanized and tank divisions were disbanded during the war. There were also Red Air Force aviation divisions, and the NKVD divisions which also took part in fighting.
The territorial principle of manning the Red Army was introduced in the mid-1920s. In each region able-bodied men were called up for a limited period of active duty in a territorial unit, which comprised about half the Army's strength, each year, for five years.Scott and Scott, 1979, p.12 The first call-up period was for three months, with one month a year thereafter. A regular cadre provided a stable nucleus. By 1925 this system provided 46 of the 77 infantry divisions and one of the eleven cavalry divisions. The remainder consisted of NCO's and enlisted personnel serving two-year stints. The territorial system was finally abolished, with all remaining formations converted to the other 'cadre' divisions, in 1937 and 1938.David Glantz, Colossus Reborn: The Red Army at War 1941–43, University Press of Kansas, 2005, p. 717 note 5.
The Red Army formed at least 42 "national" divisions during the Second World War which had substantial ethnic majorities in their composition derived from location of initial formation rather than intentional "nationalization" of the divisions, including four Azeri, five Armenian, and eight Georgian rifle divisions and a large number of cavalry divisions in the eastern Ukraine, Kuban region, and Central Asia, including five Uzbek cavalry divisions.
Rifle and Guards Rifle Divisions
Airborne Divisions 1st Guards Airborne Division (ex 4th Airborne Corps at Tejkovo December 1942). Fought at Vyazma, Demyansk, Staraya Russa, Kremenchug, near Krivoi Rog, Budapest, Brno, and in Manchuria. With 53rd Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front May 1945. Became 124th Guards Rifle Division in December 1945 while with 18th Guards Rifle Corps, Eastern Siberian Military District.Feskov et al 2013, p. 147 2nd Guards Airborne Division – established at Zvenigorod December 1942. Fought at Ponyri, Kursk, Korsun, and in the Carpathians. With 1st Guards Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front 5.45. Disbanded, after temporary loss of its divisional colours, soon after war ended.Story of the loss and regaining of the colours related at the end of article in Russian 3rd Guards Airborne Division (ex 8th Airborne Corps at Shchelkovo December 1942). Fought at Demyansk, Ponyri, Kiev, Zhitomir, Debrecen, Budapest, and Vienna. With 27th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front 5.45. Became 125th Guards Rifle Division December 1945. 4th Guards Airborne Division (ex 1st Airborne Corps at Moscow December 1942). Fought at Kursk, Orel, Zhitomir, Korsun, Targul Frumos, Debrecen, Budapest, Bratislava and Prague. With 7th Guards Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front 5.45. Became 111th Guards Rifle Division 28 June 1945 while with 25th Guards Rifle Corps, 7th Guards Army. 5th Guards Airborne Division – established at Kirshatsch December 1942. Fought at Demyansk, Voronezh, Korsun, on the Dniester River, and at Budapest. With 4th Guards Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front 5.45. Became 112th Guards Rifle Division 28 June 1945 while serving with 20th Guards Rifle Corps, 4th Guards Army. 6th Guards Airborne Division (ex 6th Airborne Corps at Noginsk December 1942). Fought at Staraya Russa, Kursk, on the Dnieper River, and at Korsun, Targul Frumos, Debrecen, Budapest, Bratislava, and Prague. With Seventh Guards Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front May 1945. Became 113th Guards Rifle Division 28 June 1945. 7th Guards Airborne Division – established at Ramenskoye December 1942. Fought at Demyansk, Voronezh, Korsun, on the Dnieper River, and at Targul Frumos and Budapest. With 4th Guards Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front 5.45. The first formation of the 7th Guards Airborne Division was retitled as the 115th Guards Rifle Division.Feskov et al, "Советская Армия в годы «холодной войны» (1945–1991)", p. 29, Tomsk: Tomsk University Press, 2004. The 115th Guards Division was disbanded in 1953 in Kiev.Feskov et al, "Советская Армия в годы «холодной войны» (1945-1991)", p. 78, Tomsk: Tomsk University Press, 2004. 8th Guards Airborne Division – established in the Moscow Military District December 1942. Fought at Demyansk, Voronezh, Kirovograd, Targul Frumos, near Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. Became 107th Guards Rifle Division 12.44. 9th Guards Airborne Division (ex 1st Airborne Corps in Moscow MD December 1942). Fought at Demyansk, Staraya Russa, Kursk, Poltava, Kremenchug, Kirovograd, Sandomir, and in the Berlin Operation. with 5th Guards Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front 5.45. Became the 116th Guards Rifle Division, June 1945. 10th Guards Airborne Division – established at Dimitrov December 1942. Fought at Demyansk, on the Dniester River, and in Hungary. With the 57th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front 5.45. Became 126th Guards Rifle Division, December 1945. 11th Guards Airborne Division – became the 104th Guards Rifle Division December 1944. 12th Guards Airborne Division – became the 105th Guards Rifle Division December 1944. 13th Guards Airborne Division – became the 103rd Guards Rifle Division December 1944. 14th Guards Airborne Division – became 99th Guards Rifle Division Jan 1944, reformed September 1944, 2nd formation became 114th Guards Rifle Division 15th Guards Airborne Division – became the 100th Guards Rifle Division January 1944. 16th Guards Airborne Division – became the 106th Guards Rifle Division December 1944. Now 106th Guards Airborne Division of the Russian Airborne Troops.
At the end of the Second World War most of the remaining Guards Airborne Divisions were redesignated Guards Rifle Divisions.Feskov et al 2004, p.29 At the end of June 1945 this has happened to the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th, which became respectively the 111, 112, 113, 115, and 116th Guards Rifle Divisions. In November, it happened to the 1st, 3rd, and 10th Airborne Divisions, which became the 124th, 125th, and 126th Guards Rifle Divisions.
7th Guards Cherkassy Airborne Division (Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR) 21st Guards Airborne Division (Valga, Karelian ASSR) 31st Guards Airborne Division (Zviahel, Ukrainian SSR) 76th Guards Chernigov Airborne Division (Pskov, RSFSR) 98th Guards Svir Airborne Division (Bolgrad & Chișinău, Moldovan SSR) 103rd Guards Airborne Division (Vitebsk, Belorussian SSR) 104th Guards Airborne Division (Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR) 106th Guards Tula Airborne Division (Tula, RSFSR) 114th Guards Airborne Division (Borovukha, Belorussian SSR) 242nd District Training Centre of the Airborne Forces (Gaižiūnai/Jonava, Lithuanian SSR) created from the 44th Training Airborne Division, 1987.
NKVD Divisions
Not intended for front line combat, NKVD Internal Troops were used to guard borders, secure railways, and combat elements such as the Ukrainian Insurgent Army that posed threats to the rear areas and supply convoys of the Red Army. Notwithstanding the original intent of these units, many saw at least some front line combat, several were converted to regular divisions of the Red Army, and others were grouped into a field NKVD army that was later re-numbered as the 70th Army.
There were different types of divisions: Rifle Division (abbreviated to RD in this list), Railroad Security Division (RSD), Special Installation Security Division (SISD), and Convoy Forces Security Division (CFSD).
This list is primarily drawn from David Glantz, Companion To Colossus Reborn: Key Documents And Statistics, University Press of Kansas, 2005.
NKVD Rifle Divisions +NKVD Rifle Divisions ()UnitEstablished onEstablished atWith the [...] FrontFurther fateDisbanded on1stSept. 1941MgaNorthwestern and LeningradBecame 46th RD (3rd formation) on 9 August 19423rdJan. 1942LeningradAugust 19423rdSept. 1942Tbilisi (as the Tbilisi Division)TranscaucasusRenamed as 3rd NKVD RD in June 1944. In 1945, it was with 2nd Far Eastern Front in Manchuria19464thSept. 1941Crimea51st Army and the Separate Coastal ArmyBecame 184th RD (2nd) in October 19414th10 Oct. 1943MoscowIn the Baltics12 Aug. 19515th11 Jan. 1942TikhvinIn Leningrad region and Baltics15 Sept. 19516thJan. 1942KalininKalinin and 2nd BalticLater in the Belorussian Military DistrictOct. 19459th22 Aug. 1942Ordzhonikidze (as Ordzhonikidze NKVD RD)Transcaucasus during latter part of 1942Became the 9th NKVD RD in Krasnodar in May 1944.Oct. 194410thJuly 1942Saratov and StalingradStalingradBecame the 181st RD (3rd) in October 1942. Assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.10th26 March 1942Rostov (as the 41st NKVD RSD)Renamed at Sukhumi as Sukhumi NKVD RD in September 1942. With 46th Army of the Transcaucasian Front. Became the 10th NKVD RD at Sarny in April 1944. With Central, Belorussian, and 1st Belorussian Fronts, and then in the Belorussian Military District.June 194611thJan. 1942Nalchik and KrasnodarCrimean and TranscaucasusDecember 194212thJan. 1942MoscowBecame the 22nd NKVD Rifle Brigade in September 194219thAugust 1942GroznyTranscaucasusFought at Grozny20th5 Sept. 1941Tikhvin (from the 20th NKVD SIRSD)8th and 23rd ArmiesBecame the 92nd RD in August 1942.57th18 Jan. 1945Gaižiūnai3rd BelorussianOct. 194558thJan. 19451st BelorussianJune 194559thJan. 1945Lviv1st UkrainianOct. 194560th22 Feb. 1945Vinnytsia2nd Ukrainian4 Oct. 194661stFeb. 1945Bălțithe Ukrainian frontsDec. 194562ndDec. 1944Belgrade3rd UkrainianSept. 195163rdJan. 1945Białystok2nd BelorussianDec. 194664thOct. 1944Lublin (as the NKVD Composite Division)1st UkrainianBecame the 64th NKVD RD at Lviv in December 1944June 194865th23 Jan. 1945Stanislav2nd and 3rd Ukrainian (in Hungary)18 July 194666thJan. 1945Sibiu3rd Ukrainian (in Romania)Oct. 1945Grozny15 Aug. 1942GroznyTranscaucasus until December 1942Participated in the repressions of the 1940–1944 insurgency in Chechnya18 April 1944MakhachkalaAug. 1942MakhachkalaFought with Red Army until November 1942Jan. 1943SiberianOct. 1942SiberiaBecame the 140th RD in January 1943. Assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.Central AsianOct. 1942SiberiaBecame the 161st RD in January 1943. Assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.Far EasternOct. 942SiberiaBecame the 102nd RD in January 1943. Assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.Trans-BaikalOct. 1942SiberiaBecame the 106th RD in January 1943. Assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.UralOct. 1942SiberiaBecame the 175th RD in January 1943. Assigned to the 70th (NKVD) Army.
NKVD Motor Rifle Divisions +NKVD Motor Rifle DivisionsUnitEstablished onEstablished atWithFurther fateDisbanded on1st23 June 1938Moscow (as the Separate NKVD Motorized RD)Western Front and 56th ArmyStill exists in the Russian MVD Internal troops2ndJuly 1941MoscowIn Leningrad region and the BalticsOctober 19454thJanuary 1942LeningradAugust 19426thNovember 1941behind Southwestern FrontBecame the 8th Motor RD NKVD on 11 February 19427thApril 1942Orel and TulaWestern, Bryansk, Central, Belorussian, and 1st Belorussian FrontsLater in the Belorussian Military District13 September 19518thFormed Jan 1942Voronezh (from the 6th NKVD Motor RD)Became the 63rd RD in July 1942, and then the 52nd Guards RD in November 19438thJanuary 1942Voronezh (? see above)Renumbered as the 13th NKVD Motor RD in July 19429thJanuary 1942RostovBecame the 31st RD in August 194213thMay 1942Moscow