The 180th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, formed thrice. The division was first formed in September 1939 but this unit was disbanded a few months later. It was reformed in August 1940 from Estonian personnel after the Soviet occupation of that country. The first wartime formation of the division became the 28th Guards Rifle Division in May 1942. The second wartime formation was formed in June 1942, and served through the rest of the war. The division briefly became the 14th Rifle Division in 1955, then 88th Motor Rifle Division 1957, but became 180th Kiev Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Motor Rifle Division in 1965 and remained under that title until the 1990s. After 1992 became Ukrainian 27th Mechanized Brigade. The 27th Mechanized Brigade was disbanded, most likely in the early 2000s.

First formation

The 180th Rifle Division was formed in September 1939 by the expansion of a regiment of the 6th Rifle Division in the

Oryol Military District The Orel Military District () was a military district of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union. Established in 1918 during the Russian Civil War, the district was disbanded after the end of the war in 1922. It was re ...

, but was disbanded in January 1940. The 180th Rifle Division was formed again during August and September 1940 in the

Baltic Special Military District Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

. It was part of the 22nd Territorial Rifle Corps (Estonian) and was composed of Estonian People's Force personnel. It was commanded by Major General Richard Tomberg, the former commander of the

Estonian Air Force The Estonian Air Force (, ) is the aviation branch of the Estonian Defence Forces. The air force traces its history to 1918, and was re-established in its current form in 1991. As of 2025, the Estonian Air Force has a strength of ~1,600 personn ...

. On 3 June 1941, Major General Ivan Missan replaced Tomberg in command. On 22 June 1941, it was based in

Võru Võru (; ; ) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish. History Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, at the request of the Empress Catherine II of Russia, by the o ...

, which was in the rear area. While moving forward, it was attacked by German aircraft. The division entered combat on 26 June against the

LVI Panzer Corps LVI Panzer Corps was a panzer corps in the German Army during World War II. This corps was activated in February 1941 as the LVI Army Corps (mot.), for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which commenced on 22 June 1941. Erich von Manstein ...

, which was attacking the 27th Army in the

Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

region. On 9 July, the division and its parent formation, the

22nd Rifle Corps The 22nd Rifle Corps was a corps of the Red Army, formed thrice. It was initially formed from the Estonian Army after the Soviet occupation of that country in June 1940. The corps was destroyed during the Baltic Operation. After large-scale des ...

, were transferred from the 27th Army to the 11th Army. It fought in defensive battles, making counterattacks in

Soltsy Soltsy () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Soletsky District in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Shelon River, southwest of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of ...

Porkhov Porkhov () is a town and the administrative center of Porkhovsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Shelon River, east of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: History The fortress of Porkhov is believe ...

and

Novorzhev Novorzhev () is a town and the administrative center of Novorzhevsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Sorot River southeast of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: History It was founded in 1777 during ...

. In August it had retreated back to the

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist, Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased over ...

area. In September 1941, the division fought in the Demyansk Defensive Operation. It then fought in the

Demyansk Pocket The Demyansk Pocket (; ) was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II's Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February to 21 April 1942. A much ...

in early 1942. On 3 May 1942, the division became the 28th Guards Rifle Division for its actions.

Second formation

The second formation of the division was created at

Cherepovets Cherepovets ( rus, Череповец, p=tɕɪrʲɪpɐˈvʲets) is a city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located in the west of the oblast on the banks of the Sheksna River (a tributary of the Volga River) and on the shores of the Rybinsk Reservoir. ...

in June 1942 from the 41st Rifle Brigade. It fought at

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

Târgu Frumos Târgu Frumos (also spelled ''Tîrgu Frumos'', sometimes ''Târgul / Tîrgul Frumos''), ) is a town in Iași County, Western Moldavia, Romania. Eleven villages were administered by the town until 2004, when they were split off to form Balș, Cos ...

, and

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. The division was part of the

53rd Army The 53rd Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army which was formed in August 1941, disbanded in December 1941, and reformed in May 1942. It fought throughout World War II before again being disbanded after the war in October 1945. Th ...

of the

2nd Ukrainian Front The 2nd Ukrainian Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. History On October 20, 1943, the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front. In mid-May 1944 Malinovsky took over the 2nd Ukrainian Front. During t ...

in May 1945. During the war, the division was awarded the honorific Kiev for its actions during the 1943 capture of Kiev. It was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

, the

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet Union, Soviet award established on ...

2nd class and the

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov ( ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established during World War II t ...

2nd class.

Postwar

In 1955, it became the 14th Rifle Division. On 17 May 1957, the 88th Motor Rifle Division was activated from the 14th Rifle Division in

Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (, ; ; ), historically known as Aq Kirmān () or by other names, is a port city in Odesa Oblast, southwestern Ukraine. It is situated on the right bank of the Dniester Estuary leading to the Black Sea, in the historical r ...

, part of the

14th Guards Army The 14th Guards Combined Arms Army () was a field army of the Red Army, the Soviet Ground Forces, and the Russian Ground Forces, active from 1956 to 1995. By the 1990s, according to sources within the 14th Army, the majority of its troops came fro ...

. On 19 February 1962, the 276th Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion was activated along with the 244th Separate Missile Battalion. On 17 November 1964, the 88th Motor Rifle Division became the 180th Motor Rifle Division, restoring its World War II numbering. In 1967, the 14th Army became the

. On 15 November 1972, the 1303rd Separate Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion was activated along with a separate Reactive Artillery Battalion. In 1980, the Separate Motor Transport Battalion became the 1041st Separate Material Supply Battalion. During the same year, the 136th Artillery Regiment absorbed the reactive artillery battalion. During the Cold War, the division was maintained at 16% strength. On 1 December 1989, the division was ordered to become the 5775th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base, but this was appears to have been delayed to at least 1991. In 1990, CFE treaty data showed the division had 61

T-64 The T-64 is a Soviet tank manufactured in Kharkiv, and designed by Alexander Morozov. The tank was introduced in the early 1960s. It was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62: the T-64 served in tank divisions, while the T-62 supported i ...

tanks, 13

T-54 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet medium tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2 ...

tanks and 12

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" () is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first combat use in March 1969 during the Sino-S ...

multiple rocket launchers, among other equipment. In January 1992, the storage base was taken over by Ukraine. It became the 27th Separate Mechanized Brigade and was subordinated to the 1st Airmobile Division. The brigade was disbanded in 2004.

Composition

The 180th Rifle Division's first formation included the following units. :21st Rifle Regiment :42nd Rifle Regiment :86th Rifle Regiment :627th Artillery Regiment :629th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (to 4 October 1941) :15th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion :150th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (later 321st Separate Anti-Aircraft Battery) :90th Reconnaissance Company (later 90th Reconnaissance Battalion) :33rd Sapper Battalion :137th Separate Communications Battalion :9th Medical Battalion :182nd Separate Chemical Defence Company :383rd Road Transport Battalion (later 383rd Trucking Company) :440th Field Bakery :446th Divisional Veterinary Hospital :787th Field Post Office :467th Field Ticket Office of the State Bank The 180th Motor Rifle Division's second formation was composed of the following units. :21st Rifle Regiment :42nd Rifle Regiment :86th Rifle Regiment :627th Artillery Regiment :15th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion :250th Machine-Gun Battalion (to 10 June 1943) :90th Intelligence Company :33rd Sapper Battalion :866 Separate Communications Battalion (formerly 157th Separate Communications Battalion, 179th Separate Communications Company) :9th Medical Battalion :182nd Separate Chemical Defence Company :28th Road Transport Company :140th Field Baker :46th Divisional Veterinary Hospital :1595th Field Post Office :1643rd Field Ticket Office of the State Bank The 180th Motor Rifle Division was composed of the following units in 1988. :42nd Motor Rifle Regiment :325th Motor Rifle Regiment :326th Motor Rifle Regiment :166th Tank Regiment :136th Artillery Regiment :134th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment :244th Separate Missile Battalion :1303rd Separate Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion :104th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion :33rd Separate Engineer-Sapper Battalion :866th Separate Communications Battalion :Separate Chemical Defence Company :276th Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion :Separate Medical Battalion :1041st Separate Material Supply Battalion

References

*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 he 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. . * {{Soviet Union divisions 1957–1989 Infantry divisions of the Soviet Union in World War II Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1955