2nd Guards Tank Corps
The 2nd Tatsinskaya Guards Tank Corps was a Red Army tank corps that saw service during World War II on the Eastern Front. After the war it continued to serve with Soviet occupation forces in Central Europe. It was originally the 24th Tank Corps. The unit had approximately the same size and combat power as a Wehrmacht Panzer Division, and less than a British Armoured Division had during World War II.
World War II
The first of the Guards Tank Corps were formed when 26th Tank Corps was renamed 1st Guards Tank Corps in December 1942.24th Tank Corps
24th Tank Corps was formed in 1942 during the re-establishment of the tank corps as a formation in the Red Army. It was equipped with a mix of T-34 medium, T-60 light, KV-1 heavy, and U.S. Lend Lease M3 Stuart light tanks. It was assigned to 6th Army, and participated in the Stalingrad Defensive Operation on the Don River during July 1942, where it lost almost two-thirds of the tanks. Its 24th Motorized Brigade conducted offensive operations along the Don together with 25th Guards Rifle Division.Following re-building, it was assigned to 3rd Guards Army which was under the command of General Dmitri Danilovich Lelyushenko to participate in the encirclement of German Army Group A in Operation Saturn, which was undertaken during the Battle of Stalingrad.
The 24th Tank Corps consisted of the following units:
Combat Units
- 4th Guards Tank Brigade
- 54th Tank Brigade
- 130th Tank Brigade
- 24th Motorized Rifle Brigade
- 13th Mining Engineer Company
- 158th Mobile Repair Base
- Corps Train
2nd Guards Tank Corps
2nd Guards Tank Corps was initially based on the same units as 24th Tank Corps. The individual combat units were also renamed and renumbered as Guards units. With changing organization and equipment during the war, additional units were added. Depending on the specific tasks allotted to the Corps, units from the Reserve of the Supreme High Command could be added to help it achieve its mission.At the Battle of Kursk, the following OOB applied:
Main Combat Units :
- 25th Guards Tank Brigade
- 26th Guards Tank Brigade
- 4th Guards Tank Brigade
- 4th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade
- 47th Guards Breakthrough Tank Regiment
- 1500th SU-regiment
- 1695th AA-regiment
- 273rd Mortar regiment
- 755th Antitank battalion
- Aviation Liaison Section
- 51st Sapper Battalion
- Corps Train
Members of the corps committed the notorious Nemmersdorf massacre, torturing and killing tens of German civilians in October 1944.
Postwar
On 24 July 1945, it became the 2nd Guards Tank Division in Pskov, part of the Leningrad Military District. In 1947, the division moved to Võru. On 23 May 1953, the 4th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment became the 122nd Guards Mechanized Regiment. The 873rd Artillery Regiment was activated from the 273rd Mortar Regiment and the separate howitzer artillery battalion. The 79th Separate Motorcycle Battalion was converted into a reconnaissance battalion. The 338th Separate Chemical Defence Company was activated on the same day. During 1953, the 1695th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment was downsized into the 14th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion. The division also moved to Luga, Leningrad Oblast during the year. In April 1955, the battalion became the 1108th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment. The division underwent a major reorganization in June 1957. The 25th Guards Tank Regiment was disbanded and the 26th Guards Tank Regiment became the 268th Guards Tank Regiment. The 90th Guards Heavy Tank Self-Propelled Regiment dropped the designation "Self-Propelled". The 122nd Guards Mechanized Regiment became the 272nd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment.In 1960, the division's tank training battalion was disbanded. In 1962, the 90th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment became a regular tank regiment. On 19 February 1962, the 139th Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion was activated along with the 201st Separate Missile Battalion. The division was transferred to Choibalsan in Mongolia during April 1968 and became part of the 39th Army. Before the move, the 79th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion was replaced by the 86th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. After the division arrived at Choibalsan, the 272nd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment was replaced by the 456th Motor Rifle Regiment. The 51st Separate Guards Sapper Battalion became an engineer-sapper battalion. In 1980, the motor transport battalion became the 1084th Separate Material Supply Battalion. During the mid-1980s, the division replaced its T-62 tanks with newer T-72 tanks.
1988 Organisation
The organisation of the division before being reduced:- Division Headquarters, Choibalsan
- 1st Independent Guards Communications Battalion
- 86th Independent Reconnaissance Battalion
- 4th Guards Tank Regiment
- 90th Guards Tank Regiment
- 268th Guards Tank Regiment
- 456th Motorised Rifle Regiment
- 873rd Artillery Regiment
- 201st Independent Missile Battalion
- 1108th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment
- 51st Independent Guards Engineer-Sapper Battalion
- 1084th Independent Materiel Supply Battalion
- 139th Independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion
- 159th Independent Medical Battalion
- 338th Chemical Defence Company
Combat history
1942
- Operation Saturn
- * Tatsinskaya Raid
1943
- Battle of Kharkov
- Battle of Kursk
- * Battle of Prokhorovka
- Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev
- Battle of Smolensk
1944
- Operation Bagration
- * Minsk Offensive - the 4th Guards Tank Brigade was the first Soviet unit to enter Minsk during this battle.
- Baltic Operation
1945
- Vistula-Oder Offensive
- East Prussian Offensive
- * Gumbinnen Operation
- * Insterburg-Königsberg Offensive
- Berlin Operation
Assignment
1942
- 1st Guards Army
1943
- 3rd Tank Army
- 5th Guards Tank Army
1944
- 11th Guards Army
- 5th Guards Tank Army
Commanders
- Lt. General Vasilii M. Badanov
- Lt. General Alexei S. Burdeinei
Decorations
- Order of Suvorov
- Order of the Red Banner
- Honorific Tatsinskaya
Books
- Bonn, K.E. 'Slaughterhouse - The Handbook of the Eastern Front', Aberjona Press
- Erickson, J. 'The Road to Stalingrad'
- Glantz, D. 'From the Don to the Dnepr'
- Porfiryev, ‘Raid to Tatsinskaya’, VIZH 11/1987
Websites