History of the Real Soviet 1st Guards Airborne Division Unit
The 1st Guards Airborne Division was formed from the 1st Guards Airborne corps in 1944 which had been formed in the fall of 1942 from the remnants of the 37th Guards Rifle Division.The 1st Airborne Brigade became a Corps prior to the German invasion of the Soviet Union and as such fought in 1941 in the Kiev Military District under the 5th and 6th Soviet Armies where it was encircled and lost except for a few who escaped. The 1st was disestablished as a unit as a result of losses.
In September of 1941 STAVKA decided to rebuild the airborne forces and the 1st Airborne Corps was reborn. This new corps fought in the Moscow Military District as part of the STAVKA reserves, 1941 through early 1942, fighting at Zhelian ye January 1942. In the summer of 1942 it was designated the 37th Rifle Division and fought at Stalingrad winning fame defending the Tractor Works and at Barricady. During this time the unit took 90% casualties.The fall of 1942 saw the Divisions survivors being reformed as the 1st Guards Airborne Corps. February 1943 the Corps was assigned to the Northwestern front in the under the 68th Army fighting with them in March of that year.October of 1943 found the Corps in the Ukraine with the 53rd Army.The Corps was designated a Division in 1944, in late 44 the Division joined the 4th Shock Army in the liberation of Rumania, fighting at Iasi-Kishi-Nev.The Division stayed with the 4th Shock Army into Hungary and Austria and the end of the war.The Division was sent to the far East theatre in 1945 with the 53rd Army for the final push against the Japanese in Manchuria, where it fought under the 18th Guards Rifle Corps.
1st Guards Airborne Divisions Regiments
- 3rd Airborne Rifle Regiment
- 6th Airborne Rifle Regiment
- 13th Airborne Rifle Regiment
- 4th Airborne Artillery Regiment
1st Guards Awards
- Order of the Red Banner Order of Suorov
- Order of Bogdan Khmelnitskiy
