40th Guards Rifle Division
The 40th Guards Rifle Division was one of a series of ten Guards rifle divisions (32nd – 41st) of the Red Army formed from airborne troops in the spring and summer of 1942 in preparation for, or in response to, the German summer offensive. It fought in the Stalingrad area during that battle, eventually in the operations that encircled German 6th Army, and then continued to serve in the several campaigns in the south sector of the front, helping to liberate Ukraine and the Balkans, and ending the war at Vienna.
| 40th Guards Rifle Division (6 August 1942 – 1945) 17th Guards Mechanised Division (1945 – April 1957) 17th Guards Motor Rifle Division (1957 – 1990s) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1991 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Soviet Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | Battle of Stalingrad Operation Uranus Operation Little Saturn Battle of Rostov (1943) Lower Dniepr Offensive Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive Budapest Offensive Vienna Offensive |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Mjr. Gen. A.I. Pastrevich Mjr. Gen. Grigory Panchenko Col. L.Sh. Bransburg Mjr. Gen. N.F. Sukharev |
In late 1945, the division was converted into the 17th Guards Mechanized Division and was stationed in Hungary. It participated in the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, after which it was converted into a motor rifle division with the same number. Soon afterwards, it relocated to western Ukraine, as part of the 38th Army. The division was based at Khmelnitsky for the rest of the Cold War and became part of the Ukrainian Ground Forces with the Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and 1992.