The 55th Guards Rifle Division was a

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 ...

military unit, engaged in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Its full name was the 55th Guards Rifle Irkutsk-Pinsk Order of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, three Red Banner, Order of Suvorov 2nd degree division named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.

History

The division was formed on 18 December 1942 by converting the 30th Rifle Division. It was in battle from 18.12.1942 to 21.04.1944 from 28.05.1944 to 14.09.1944 from 13.10.1944 to 31.03.1945 from 20.04.1945 to 11.05.1945 year. She took part in the liberation of

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

and the Taman Peninsula. In November 1943, participated in the Kerch–Eltigen amphibious operation, landing on the beach in Danger, Yenikale, is fighting on the Kerch Peninsula until April 1944, then participated in Belorussian strategic operations by participating in the liberation of Ivanovo and Luninets areas Brest Region of

Pinsk Pinsk (; , ; ; ; ) is a city in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Pinsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is located in the historical region of Polesia, at the confluence of t ...

and Logishin district Pinsk area, eastern Poland, in East Prussian, Berlin and Prague offensive operations. The division participated in the liberation of the city

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk (, ; ) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities designated by the Soviet Union as a Hero City. The population was History In antiquity, the shores of the ...

Kerch Kerch, also known as Keriç or Kerich, is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of Crimea. It has a population of Founded 2,600 years ago as the Colonies in antiquity#Greek colonies, ancient Greek colony Pantik ...

, taking

Gumbinnen Gusev (; ; ; ) is a town and the administrative center of Gusevsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Pissa and Krasnaya Rivers, near the border with Poland and Lithuania, east of Chernyakhovsk. It is p ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. With 28th Army of the

1st Ukrainian Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...

in May 1945. 55th Guards Rifle Division redesignated 55th Guards Motorised Rifle Division on 20.5.57 in Grodno, Grodno Oblast; became 30th Guards Motor Rifle Division in 1965; taken over by

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

in 1992. In 1960 part of

28th Army (Soviet Union) The 28th Army was a field army of the Red Army and the Soviet Ground Forces, formed three times in 1941–42 and active during the postwar period for many years in the Belorussian Military District. Initial formation The army was formed firs ...

; in 1968 moved forward into

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

and became part of Central Group of Forces; withdrawn to

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a Republics of the Soviet Union, republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 19 ...

in February 1991. The division was turned over to Belarusian control in March 1992 at

Maryina Horka Maryina Horka or Maryina Gorka is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Pukhavichy District. In 2009, its population was 22,500. As of 2025, it has a population of 19,994. Maryina Horka is located south of ...

. On August 17, 1992, personnel from the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

made a Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty inspection of an installation in Urechye (near Minsk, Minsk Oblast). Two elements of the 30th Guards Motor Rifle Division, the 30th Guards Tank Regiment and the 20th independent Reconnaissance Battalion, were at the site, along with the 969th Central Base for Reserve Tanks. Also nearby but not inspected was the 63rd Guards independent Engineer-Sapper Battalion. The division became a mechanized brigade in 1992 and then the 30th Guards Weapons and Equipment Storage Base in 1997. The base was disbanded in 2005, and the new 30th Separate Guards Mechanized Battalion was formed by a 26 May 2005 Minister of Defense decree to perpetuate the traditions of the Irkutsk-Pinsk division. The battalion formed part of the 37th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade at

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

. After the 37th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade was disbanded in fall 2011, the battalion moved to Zaslonovo and became part of the 19th Guards Mechanized Brigade.

Higher headquarters

* Transcaucasian Front, Black Sea Group of Forces, 56th Army - on 01.01.1943 year. *

North Caucasus Front The North Caucasus Front, also translated as North Caucasian Front, was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. The North Caucasus Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. First Creation The ...

, 56th Army - from 12.01.1943; *

, 37th Army, 11th Guards Rifle Corps - on 01.07.1943; *

, 18th Army - on 01.10.1943; * 7th Army, 11th Guards Rifle Corps - on 01.01.1944; * Separate Coastal Army, 20th Rifle Corps - on 01.04.1944; *

1st Belorussian Front The 1st Belorussian Front (, ''Pervyy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian"), known without a numeral as the Belorussian Front between October 1943 and February 1944, was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, bein ...

, 28th Army, 20th Rifle Corps - on 01.07.1944; *

Stavka The ''Stavka'' ( Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка, ) is a name of the high command of the armed forces used formerly in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrat ...

, 28th Army, 20th Rifle Corps - on 01.10.1944; *

3rd Belorussian Front The 3rd Belorussian Front () was a Front of the Red Army during the Second World War. The 3rd Belorussian Front was created on 24 April 1944 from forces previously assigned to the Western Front. Over 381 days in combat, the 3rd Belorussian Fr ...

, 20th Rifle Corps - on 1 January 1945; *

, 28th Army, 20th Rifle Corps - on 01.04.1945.

Subordinate units (partial)

* 164th Guards Rifle Regiment * 166th Guards Rifle Regiment * 168th Guards Rifle Regiment * 126th Guards

Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

Regiment * 62 Guards separate self-propelled artillery battalion (62 Guards separate antitank battalion)

References

* {{Soviet Union divisions G055 Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1957 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner