The 47th Czestochowa Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Tank Division
(;
Military Unit Number
A Military Unit Number (Russian: войсковая часть, в/ ч; Ukrainian: військова частина, в/ ч) is a numeric alternate designation for military units in the armed forces and internal troops of post-Soviet ...
54096) is a formation of the
Russian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...
.
The late 6th Tank Brigade fought in the
war in Donbas
The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...
of 2014–2015. In 2022, the brigade was reorganized into the 47th Tank Division, retaining its historical form, awards, and combat glory.
History
The historical predecessor of the 47th Tank Division is the
100th Tank Brigade of the
31st Tank Corps, which was formed on March 3, 1942 in the city of
Noginsk
Noginsk (), known as Bogorodsk () until 1930, is a Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Noginsky District, Bogorodsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located east of the Moscow Ring Road on ...
e, Moscow region and began its combat journey near
Rzhev
Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It is the uppermost town situated on the Volga River. Population:
Hist ...
, participating in the defeat of the tank divisions of
Waffen-SS
The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...
: “
Totenkopf
''Totenkopf'' (, i.e. ''skull'', literally "dead person's head") is the German word for skull. The word is often used to denote a figurative, graphic or sculptural symbol, common in Western culture, consisting of the representation of a human s ...
” and “
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH (), began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially th ...
". Then the unit took part in battles on the
North-Western and
Voronezh Fronts. For its actions during
World War II
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 ...
, the brigade 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 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, and the honorific "Czestochowa".
In 1945 the brigade, part of the
31st Tank Corps, became the 100th Tank Regiment as part of a reorganization of the Soviet Tank Troops. At the same time the corps became the 31st Tank Division. The regiment was based in
Khmelnitsky. The regiment fought in
Operation Danube
On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The in ...
, the suppression of the
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in
the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...
. After the end of the operation the regiment stayed in Czechoslovakia with the division and was based at
Frenštát pod Radhoštěm
Frenštát pod Radhoštěm (; ) is a town in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument z ...
. In early 1990 the regiment withdrew to
Dzerzhinsk.
The 6th Separate Tank Brigade was formed in June 2009 as part of the
20th Guards Army
The 20th Guards Combined Arms Army (originally designated as the 4th Tank Army, 4th Guards Tank Army in 1945, 4th Guards Mechanised Army in 1946, and the 20th Guards Army in 1960 within the Soviet Ground Forces) is a field army. In 1991, after th ...
in
Mulino from the 100th Tank Regiment. In August 2014 the brigade's units fought in the
Battle of Ilovaisk
The Battle of Ilovaisk started on 7 August 2014, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine and pro-Ukrainian paramilitaries began a series of attempts to capture the city of Ilovaisk from pro-Russian insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Rep ...
.
On 26 August, during a fight near Ahronomichne village, a
T-72B3
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1973. It replaced the T-54/55 series as the workhorse of Soviet tank forces (while the T-64 and T-80 served as the Soviet high-technology tanks). In front-line Russian serv ...
tank of the 1st Company of the brigade's 3rd Battalion was captured by troops of the Ukrainian
51st Mechanized Brigade. During the Ukrainian forces' withdrawal from Ilovaisk on 29 August,
Donbas Battalion
The Donbas Battalion () is a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and formerly based in Severodonetsk. It was created in 2014 as a Ukrainian volunteer battalions, volunteer unit () by Semen Semen ...
fighters were able to seize and destroy another two brigade T-72B3 tanks near Chervonosilske village,
capturing two prisoners: Ivan Badanin and Eugen Chernov,
as well as some paratroopers of the
31st Air Assault Brigade.
In November 2014 the brigade became part of the
1st Guards Tank Army. In February 2015 the brigade's units fought in
Battle of Debaltseve
The Battle of Debaltseve was a military confrontation in the city of Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast, between the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Ukrainian Armed Forc ...
.
According to
Telegram
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
users, "unofficial sources" claimed that the 6th Tank Brigade was reformed into the 47th Guards Tank Division on 1 December 2021, and that the
26th Tank Regiment had been formed out of the main units of the former brigade.
In early December 2021, a local newspaper reported that the 6th Tank Brigade was no longer in existence and that the 26th Tank Regiment of the 47th Guards Tank Division had been newly deployed to the brigade's base in Mulino. It was reported that Colonel E. V. Doroshenko was the commander of the 47th Division.
Citing "Western sources", Telegram users claimed that trains with the 26th Tank Regiment's military vehicles arrived in
Kursk
Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of
Kursk ...
in early February 2022.
[
]
Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)
A 1st Guards Tank Army document covering losses until 15 March, published by Ukrainian intelligence, revealed that the 26th Tank Regiment had lost four killed, 13 wounded and sixteen vehicles, and the 7th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion had lost five killed and 13 wounded.Kharkiv Oblast
Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine.
Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the w ...
. It was said that the column consisted of military vehicles belonging to the 26th Tank Regiment's battalion tactical group
A battalion tactical group (, ''batal'onnaya takticheskaya gruppa''), abbreviated as BTG, is a Combined arms, combined-arms manoeuvre unit deployed by the Russian Army that is kept at a high level of readiness. A BTG typically comprises a battali ...
, as well as the 437th Training Regiment.
On 27 March 2022, the Ukrainian general staff claimed that 600 bodies of servicemen of the 47th Tank Division had been sent to Nizhny Novgorod region. Three days later, the Ukrainian military claimed that after their experience fighting in Ukraine, conscripts from the 26th Tank Regiment had requested to terminate their contracts.
On 12 April 2022, Ukrainian Defence Intelligence wrote that soldiers of the 47th Division had failed to receive promised additional payments for fighting in Ukraine and that the military leadership had ignored appeals for the money.
On 15 January 2023, the Ukrainian military claimed that a battalion of the division's 26th Tank Regiment had reportedly been reduced to just 30 men and 10 T-80
The T-80 is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union and manufactured in Russia. The T-80 is based on the T-64, while incorporating features from the later T-72 and changing the engine to a gas turbi ...
tanks.
According to Ukrainian military observer Kostiantyn Mashovets, elements of up to three battalions from the 47th Division were operating near Vovchansk in July 2024, after Russian forces had opened a new front in the area the previous May.
Commanders
Commanders of the 100th Tank Brigade
* Colonel Ivanov Nikolay Mikhailovich (01.04.1942 — 21.07.1943)
* Major Potapov Vasily Mikhailovich (22.07.1943 — 27.09.1943)
* Lieutenant Colonel Verevchenko Pyotr Danilovich (28.09.1943 — 06.02.1944)
* Colonel Mikhailov Isai Petrovich, (07.02.1944 — 25.11.1944)
* Colonel Zlenko Mikhail Kuzmich, (26.11.1944 — 15.12.1944)
* Colonel Gladnev Dmitry Fyodorovich, (16.12.1945 — 24.05.1945)
* Lieutenant Colonel Cheshuk Nikolay Vasilievich, (25.05.1945 — 11.06.1945)
Commanders of the 6th Tank Brigade
* Colonel Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Gurov (30 March 2011 — 20 January 2012)
* ...
* Dmitri Nikolaevich Baklushin (???? — 2022)
Commanders of the 47th Tank Division
* Major General Azer Nuralievich Ramazanov (2024 – present)
Composition in 2024
* 26th Tank RegimentEgyptian
''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...
volunteers)
References
{{Russian divisions
Tank divisions of Russia
Military units and formations established in 2022
Military units and formations of Russia in the war in Donbas
Military units and formations of Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine