37th Guards Rifle Division
The 37th Guards "Rechitsa" Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army which fought during World War II.
| 37th Guards Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1945 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II
|
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner (2) Order of Suvorov 2nd class |
| Battle honours | Rechitsa |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
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The division was formed on 2 August 1942 from the 1st Airborne Corps in Lyubertsy, near Moscow. Its most famous action was the defense of the Stalingrad Tractor Factory during the Battle of Stalingrad. The division was highly decorated, receiving two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov 1st class, the Order of Kutuzov 1st class and the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. It became the 27th Guards Mechanised Division in December 1945 and on 20 April 1957 the 39th Guards Tank Division at Polotsk (Borovukha), Vitebsk Oblast, Belorussian Military District. On 1 January 1965 it became the 37th Guards Tank Division, staying within 7th Tank Army for the duration. In 1992 it became part of the Belarus Ground Forces. The tank division was converted to the 37th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade, which was disbanded in fall 2011. The division's successor, with an unbroken lineage, is the 37th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base of the North Western Operational Command at Polotsk.