We are already accustomed to the fact that events in the military environment that will not please us (turn over to metal, disband, and the like) are happening quietly and peacefully. Why draw attention again?
But when something is being created, I agree, it is necessary to speak in a full voice. Especially if what was recreated was destroyed before.
It happened this time too. In the Central Military District, the 90th Guards Vitebsk-Novgorod twice Red Banner Tank Division was recreated, formed and manned.
The division was formed in accordance with the decree of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the directive of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation of September 13, 2016 with the deployment of its units in the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions.
The division consists of three tank regiments, a motorized rifle regiment, a self-propelled artillery regiment, an anti-aircraft missile battalion, a reconnaissance battalion, units and subunits of combat, logistic and technical support.
The armored division is armed with T-72B3 tanks, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles.
Hurray comrades? Definitely, hurray!
Having skeptically perceived the news of the creation of the 1st Tank Army, which was created … well, we all remember what it was created from, here the attitude is somewhat different.
Indeed, we do not have that many tank formations.
For example, I will cite the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army, which is actually a shield in the Western direction. Parts of the army are deployed in the Voronezh, Kursk, Belgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Bryansk regions.
So, the only tank unit of the 20th Army is the 1st Ural-Lvov Tank Brigade (formerly the 10th Tank Division, "Black Knives").
And that's all …
And I must say that the First Ural-Lviv Tank Brigade was recreated in 2015 in the Nizhny Novgorod Region and redeployed to Boguchar.
Therefore, the creation of another fist, capable of punching, if necessary, is sincerely encouraged and welcomed.
Moreover, the history of the 90th Panzer Division has many glorious pages.
The 90th TD dates back to September 1, 1941, when the formation of the 378th Infantry Division began in the Siberian Military District.
The 378th Rifle Division was recruited with conscripts from the Minusinsky, Kuraginsky, Karatuzsky, Ermakovsky, Usinsky regions and the Khakass Autonomous Region.
It was one of those Siberian divisions that earned honor and glory from Moscow to Berlin.
Having accepted the baptism of fire in the Volkhov area, the division went through several operations in the northwestern direction.
The soldiers of this particular division were the first to break into Novgorod on January 20, 1944 and hoisted the banner of the 1258th Infantry Regiment over the Novgorod Kremlin. By order of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the 378th division received the honorary name "Novgorodskaya".
The division was almost completely destroyed in the battles to block and destroy the grouping in Courland. By the end of February 1945, about 2 thousand personnel remained in the division.
On March 13, 1945, the division was disbanded by the decision of the front command. The remains of the personnel and military property, as well as the honorary name "Novgorodskaya" and the Order of the Red Banner were transferred to the 90th Guards Rifle Division.
The 90th Guards Red Banner Vitebsk Rifle Division also went its way. Her honorary title speaks of her participation in the liberation of Vitebsk.
So, when the two divisions merged, the 90th Guards twice Red Banner Vitebsk-Novgorod Infantry Division turned out.
After the end of the war, the 90th Guards Rifle Division underwent a series of reorganizations. At first it became the 26th Guards Mechanized Division, and in 1957 the 38th Guards Tank Division was formed on its base.
In 1965, after the return of division number 90, under which it fought in the Great Patriotic War, the unit became known as the 90th Guards Tank Vitebsk-Novgorod twice Red Banner Division.
However, the democratic transformations in our country after 1991, first, in 1996, turned the division into the 70th Guards Vitebsk-Novgorod twice Red Banner storage base for weapons and equipment, and in 1997 it was completely disbanded.
And now the division is under the banner for the third time.
As our source, who is doing military service in one of the division's divisions, told us, the part is really fully equipped with equipment and personnel, and 2/3 are contract soldiers.
We sincerely wish the soldiers and officers of the division successful preparation for the performance of any assigned tasks!
