An Aviation Division () was a type of formation of the Military Air Forces of the Red Army during the Second World War, the Soviet Air Forces, Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) and Aviation of the Military Naval Fleet, and since 1991 remain major formations within the Military Air Forces of the Russian Federation.p.34, Kozlov
Before the start of the Second World War, the aviation divisions formed parts of the Long Range Aviation (13.5% of aircraft), and Frontal Aviation (Military Air Forces of the Military Districts in peacetime; 40.5% of aircraft) of the Red Army Fronts, and units assigned to the Combined Arms Armies as the Army Aviation (43.7% of aircraft). There was also a Forces Aviation (2.3% of aircraft) flying liaison aircraft as part of the Corps and Armies' independent flights and squadrons.Svischev
From 1942 the aviation divisions were combined into the Air Armies of the Red Army ground forces, assigned one to each Front, Air Defence Forces (PVO) Armies (including the 1st Fighter Army of the PVO), Soviet Naval Aviation and Aviation of the Reserve of the Supreme Command.
In organisational terms the aviation divisions were often combined into the aviation corps or an Air Army. In terms of combat assignment the aviation divisions were divided into the bombardment aviation divisions (BAD), assault aviation divisions (ShAD), fighter aviation divisions (IAD), mixed aviation divisions (usually one to a Combined Arms Army; SmAD) and transport aviation divisions (TAD).pp. 15–16, Wagner Postwar, fighter bomber aviation divisions (IBAD or ADIB since 1976) and heavy bomber aviation divisions (TBAD) were formed. In 1956, the assault aviation divisions were converted into other units.
The composition of the aviation divisions during wartime was not uniform or constant. Although many divisions begun the war with 3 – 5 aviation regiments, due to the heavy losses suffered in the initial period of the Summer-Autumn Campaign of 1941 (22 June – 4 December), during Operation Barbarossa, from August this was reduced to two with consequent reduction in aircraft from 150–180 to 40–50. However, commencing with Autumn 1942 the size of the aviation divisions began to increase again, and some had four aviation regiments, or five in the PVO and mixed divisions. However the number of mixed divisions, and expediency of 1942, was gradually reduced and from 1944 the Frontal Aviation divisions adopted a 3–4 regiment structure, with the 3 regiments being the more common occurrence in the bombing divisions with some 100 aircraft while the fighter and assault divisions were issued 124 aircraft. The mission profile was flexible depending on the target, with the aviation division deploying as part of the aviation corps, Air Army or independently, utilising the entire aircraft complement, or by regiments, squadrons, flights and even individual aircraft.
Bonn et al. wrote in 2005 that the Soviet Air Forces included 10 basic air divisions at the start of the war, 37 basic air divisions were formed during it, of which only three survived to the end. Seven mixed air divisions existed at the start of the war, and 44 were generated during it. Thirteen were destroyed and disbanded, and the rest converted into other types of divisions. Not a single mixed air division was active at the end of the war. Only one was raised to Guards status, and that, the 1st Guards Mixed Air Division, was converted to the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Division after November 1944. Seven bombardment air divisions were active at the beginning of the war, with 66 created during its course. Twenty-seven of the 66 were destroyed, disbanded, or otherwise converted. Eighteen became Guards divisions.
Twenty-two specialist long-range air divisions were created during the war, though all were converted to bomber divisions. Forty-eight ground-attack divisions were formed during the war, of which two were destroyed or disbanded and eighteen which became Guards. Eleven fighter divisions existed at the beginning of the war. A hundred and nine in total were formed, of which eleven were destroyed or disbanded, fifteen converted, and 18 became Guards.
Soviet aviation divisions during the Second World War
The list below includes divisions of the Long Range Air Force.
1st Mixed Aviation Division (:ru:1-я смешанная авиационная дивизия). Existed 15 August 1940 - 15 February 1942; became Air Forces of the 14th Army.See for 22 June 1941 1st Ferry Red Banner Aviation Division GVF (Civilian Air Fleet) 1st Aviation Transport Division GVF 1st Transport Aviation Division 1st Stalingrad Long-Range Aviation Division- became 1st Stalingrad Red Banner Bomber Aviation Division 1st Night Heavy Bomber Aviation Division 1st School Bomber Aviation Division 2nd Mixed Aviation Division 2nd Special Purpose Aviation Division 3rd Bombardment Aviation Division 3rd Long-Range Aviation Division 3rd Special Red Banner Communications Aviation Division GVF 4th Mixed Aviation Division – became 4th Shock Army aviation 22 February 1942 5th Mixed Aviation Division – disbanded 18 February 1942 6th Mixed Aviation Division – at outbreak of war in Baltic Special Military District, suffered heavy losses in initial German attack, became 48th Army aviation 11 August 1941; reformed immediately and disbanded 11 February 1942 7th Mixed Aviation Division – at outbreak of war in Baltic Special Military District, suffered heavy losses in initial German attack, became 3rd Shock Army aviation 22 February 1942 8th Mixed Aviation Division 8th Bombardment Aviation Division 9th Mixed Aviation Division – Served with the Western Special Military District at the outbreak of war, comprising the 13th, 14th, 124th, 126th, 128th, and 129th Fighter Aviation Regiments. Just days before the attack the 9th Mixed Air Division had received 233 new MiG-3s, but they lost 347 of 409 operational aircraft on the first day of the war with almost all of the MiG-3s destroyed on the ground by bombs. 10th Mixed Aviation Division 11th Mixed Aviation Division 12th Bomber Aviation Division – first formation 22.6.41–23.7.41 formed from 12th Mixed Aviation Division)Perecheni No. 6 12th Mginskaya Long-Range Aviation Division, later 12th Mginskaya Red Banner Bomber Aviation Division (2nd form.)(formed from 12th Aviation Division, Long Range (ад ДД) 26.12.44–9.5.45) Later became 12th Military Transport Aviation Division. 12th Mixed Aviation Division 13th Bomber Aviation Division 14th Aviation Division 15th Mixed Aviation Division 16th Aviation Division – formed August 1940 in Kiev MD from 35th Aviation Brigade, became 21st Army VVS in February 1942 17th Aviation Division – formed July 1940 in Kiev Special MD from 56th Fighter Aviation Brigade,Council of People's Commissars Decree 1344-524 disbanded September 1941 17th long-range air division 18th air division 19th air division 20th mixed air division 21st mixed air division 22nd air division 23rd mixed air division 23rd heavy bomber air division 24th long-range air division, later 24th bombardment air division 25th bombardment air division 26th long-range bombardment air division 27th bombardment air division 28th mixed air division 29th bombardment Amur air division 30th long-range bombardment Khinganskaya red banner air division 31st mixed air division 32nd bombardment red banner air division 33rd Bomber Aviation Division – Activated 5.11.40 in Vozdvizhenka, Primorskiy Kray, as the 33rd Aviation Division Long-Range. Under 9th Air Army until 1944. 26.12.44 renamed 33rd Bomber Aviation Division. Disbanded 1951. 34th bomber red banner air division 35th long-range bombardment air division 36th fighter air defence division (PVO) 36th Smolensk long-range air division 36th bomber Smolensk red banner air division 38th bombardment air division 38th mixed air division 39th bombardment air division 40th long-range bombardment air division 41st air division 42nd long-range bombardment air division 43rd bombardment air division 43rd mixed air division 44th bombardment air division 45th mixed air division 45th Gomel air division of distant action 45th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division – "Gomel" 46th Aviation Division – Formed in accordance with an Ukaz of the VVS on 12.08.1940. Part of the Air Forces of the Moscow Military District. June–July 1941 assigned to the Air Forces of the 12th Army (Soviet Union). Reassigned to the Air Forces of the 22nd Army (Soviet Union) 10.07.41, and then Western Front Air Forces in August 1941. Disbanded 1 March 1942.AllAces.ru, 46th Air Division, accessed December 2012. 47th mixed air division 48th long-range bombardment air division, later 48th Riga long-range air division 48th bomber Riga air division 49th mixed air division 50th long-range bombardment air division 50th Crimean long-range air division, later 50th bomber Crimean red banner air division 51st long-range bombardment air division 52nd long-range bombardment air division 53rd long-range bombardment air division (DVF), later 53rd Stalingrad long-range air division, later 53rd bomber Stalingrad air division 54th bombardment air division 54th Orel long-range air division, later 54th bomber Orel air division 55th Composite Aviation Division 56th air division 56th Breslavlskaya long-range air division fighters 57th mixed air division 59th bombardment air division 60th mixed air division 61st mixed air division 62nd air division 62nd Aviation Division Long-range 63rd air division 64th air division 65th air division 66th air division 67th bombardment air division 68th bombardment air division 71st air division 72nd bombardment air division 73rd mixed air division 74th mixed air division 75th mixed air division 76th mixed air division 77th mixed air division 78th bombardment air division 81st long-range air division 83rd bomber air division 90th air division 91st air division 92nd air division 96th assault Amur air division 101st fighter air defence division (PVO) 102nd fighter air defence division (PVO) 103rd air division 104th fighter air defence division (PVO) 105th fighter air defence division (PVO) 106th fighter air defence division (PVO) 113th bomber Leningrad red banner air division 113th long-range air division 122nd fighter Pecenga air defence division 123rd fighter air defence division (PVO) 124th fighter air defence division (PVO) 125th fighter air defence division (PVO) 126th fighter air defence division (PVO) 127th bombardment air division 128th mixed Kurile air division 129th bombardment Koenigsberg order of Kutuzov air division 130th bombardment Insterburg order of Suvorov air division 132nd Sevastopol Bomber Aviation Division – formed May 1941, transferred to Baltic Fleet 1989 and renamed 132nd Maritime Assault Aviation Division (132nd Bomber Aviation Division) 133rd air division 134th long-range bombardment air division 135th mixed air division 135th bombardment air division 136th assault Nizhnednestrovskaya order of Suvorov air division 140th air division 141st fighter air defence division (PVO) 142nd fighter air defence division (PVO) 144th fighter air defence division (PVO) 146th air division 147th fighter air defence division (PVO) 148th fighter air defence division (PVO) 149th Fighter Aviation Division (PVO) – activated June 1942, later became a bomber aviation division and served with 4th Air Army and 76th Air Army before disbanding in 1998 179th bomber air division 181st bombardment Chenstokhovskaya order of Kutuzov air division 182nd assault Tilzitskaya orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov air division 183rd bomber Berlin air division 185th bombardment air division 188th bomber Riga air division 189th assault Nizhnednestrovskaya order of Suvorov air division 190th bombardment Polotsk red banner order of Kutuzov air division 193rd bombardment Demblinskaya order of Suvorov air division 194th bombardment air division