The 180th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (180th Guards IAP) was a military unit of the
Red Army Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
, which took part in the fighting of the Great Patriotic War, and then became part of the
Russian Air Defence Forces
The Soviet Air Defence Forces (russian: войска ПВО, ''voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony'', ''voyska PVO'', ''V-PVO'', lit. ''Anti-Air Defence Troops''; and formerly ''protivovozdushnaya oborona strany'', ''PVO strany'', lit. ''Anti-Air De ...
and finally the
Russian Air Force.
The regiment traced its heritage back to the 181st Fighter Aviation Regiment, which began forming just before the beginning of
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The regiment flew the
Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3
The Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 (Лавочкин-Горбунов-Гудков ЛаГГ-3) was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. It was a refinement of the earlier LaGG-1 and was one of the most modern aircraft available to the Sov ...
and the
Lavochkin La-5 fighters during the war and in mid-1944 was converted into the 180th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Postwar, the regiment became an interceptor-equipped air defence unit, and during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
it trained
People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...
pilots while stationed in China. In 1952 it was moved west to
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 194 ...
, and from 1953 to its 2002 disbandment the 180th Guards served as an air defence unit based at
Gromovo.
History
World War II
The 181st Fighter Aviation Regiment began forming on 24 May 1941 at
Shatalovo
Shatalovo (russian: Шаталово) is the name of several rural localities in Russia:
* Shatalovo, Pskov Oblast, a village in Pustoshkinsky District of Pskov Oblast
* Shatalovo, Smolensk Oblast, a village in Shatalovskoye Rural Settlement of ...
air field near
Pochinok, part of the Air Force of the
Western Special Military District
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
* Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
. As a result of the beginning of the
German invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...
on 22 June, the regiment was withdrawn to
Rostov-on-Don, where it finished forming on 27 July, training with the
11th Reserve Fighter Aviation Regiment
11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables.
Name
"Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...
on the Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter. The new regiment was organized according to shtat 015/134. The 181st continued training there until 19 August, where it entered combat, directly subordinated to the Air Force of the
Southern Front (VVS). On 24 August, the regiment became part of the Air Force of the
Southwestern Front's
44th Fighter Aviation Division (IAD), which was transferred to the VVS Southern Front's Air Force of the
6th Army only three days later. The 181st was shifted to the VVS Southwestern Front'
64th Fighter Aviation Division on 7 September. On 1 January 1942, it was reorganized on the front according to shtat 015/174 at
Novo-Astrakhan,
Voroshilovgrad Oblast
Luhansk Oblast ( uk, Луга́нська о́бласть, translit=Luhanska oblast; russian: Луганская область, translit=Luganskaya oblast; also referred to as Luhanshchyna, uk, Луга́нщина) is the easternmost oblast ...
in eastern Ukraine. Between 10 February and 2 July, the regiment was assigned to the VVS 6th Army. It fought in the
Second Battle of Kharkov.
Worn down from months of fighting, the regiment was pulled out of the front on 2 July and by 10 July was assigned to the
2nd Reserve Fighter Aviation Regiment of the
Air Forces of the Moscow Military District, stationed at the Seyma station in
Volodarsk. There, it was reorganized according to shtat 015/284 and reequipped with the new Lavochkin La-5 fighter. On 23 September, the 181st became part of the
1st Fighter Aviation Corps'
235th Fighter Aviation Division in the
Reserve of the Supreme High Command
The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the ''Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK ( ru , РВГК)) comprises reserve military formations and units; the Stav ...
(RVGK). The regiment would remain with the 235th for the rest of its existence. A month later, it was sent to the
Kalinin Front The Kalinin Front was a major formation of the Red Army active in the Eastern Front of World War II, named for the city of Kalinin. It was formally established by Stavka directive on 17 October 1941 and allocated three armies: 22nd, 29th Army a ...
with the corps and division, which became part of the
3rd Air Army. The regiment only remained on the Kalinin Front for a few weeks, and on 6 November it and the 235th IAD was rushed to the
Stalingrad Front, where it was included in the
2nd Mixed Aviation Corps. Two days later the corps became part of the
8th Air Army
The 8th Air Army was a military formation of the Soviet Air Forces, active from around 1942 to 1949.
It was formed June 13, 1942, order of the NKO number 00119 on June 9, 1942, on the basis of the Air Forces of the Southwestern Front.
Since it ...
, and the regiment entered combat in the
Battle of Stalingrad. The regiment became part of an aviation group commanded by Colonel V.A. Sryvkin, tasked with supporting the advancing troops in the battle. The group was transferred to the right bank of the Volga, and in early December its planes suffered heavy losses to German fighters and anti-aircraft fire. After eight days of fighting, the several regiments of the group mustered only 38 serviceable aircraft, and among them not one La-5. As a result, the group was withdrawn back over the Volga in mid-December.
On 3 January 1943, the regiment was transferred to the Southern Front with the entire 8th Air Army. Between 5 March and 31 May, it was held in reserve with the 235th IAD in the
7th Mixed Aviation Corps as part of the Southwestern Front and then the
Steppe Military District
The Steppe Military District () was a military district of the Soviet Union, formed twice. It was first formed in April 1943 during World War II near Voronezh as a strategic reserve, and after the beginning of the Battle of Kursk in July it became ...
from 30 April. On 4 May, the 181st received the honorific "Stalingrad" in honor of its actions during that battle. On 1 June, the regiment was sent to the front with the division, which became part of the
3rd Fighter Aviation Corps (IAK) of the
North Caucasian Front
The North Caucasian Front or North Caucasus Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War.
The North Caucasus Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war.
First Creation
The first formation wa ...
's
4th Air Army
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
. The 235th IAD and the regiment were moved to the
2nd Air Army
The 2nd Air Army (; 2 VA) was an air army of the Red Army Air Force (Soviet Air Force) during the Second World War.
Formed in May 1942, the army fought in the Battle of Stalingrad and was one of the major Soviet air formations in the Battle of ...
's
10th Fighter Aviation Corps on the
Voronezh Front
The 1st Ukrainian Front (Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front (Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a ...
on 10 July, with which it entered combat on 21 July, fighting in the
Donbass Strategic Offensive. From 24 August to 3 October, the regiment conducted training in the front reserve. The 181st reentered combat on 4 October, fighting in the advance west through Ukraine, and the front became the
1st Ukrainian Front
The 1st Ukrainian Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front ( Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to ...
on 20 October. In early 1944, the regiment fought in the
Korsun–Shevchenkovsky Offensive.
On 5 August 1944, the 10th IAK was transferred to the 8th Air Army in the
4th Ukrainian Front
The 4th Ukrainian Front (Russian: Четвёртый Украинский фронт) was the name of two distinct Red Army strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II.
The front was first formed on 20 October 1943, ...
. On 19 August, the regiment was converted into the 180th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment for "exemplary performance of combat missions and displaying courage and heroism." The 235th IAD was also converted into the
15th Guards Fighter Aviation Division
15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16.
Mathematics
15 is:
* A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and .
* A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious num ...
. On 27 September, the regiment was reorganized according to shtat 015/364 at
Lysiatychi in western Ukraine. On 16 December, the 180th Guards IAP was awarded the
Order of the Red Banner
The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...
for its actions in the capture of
Michalovce
Michalovce (; hu, Nagymihály, german: Großmichel, Romani: ''Mihalya'', Yiddish: ''Mikhaylovets'' or ''Mykhaylovyts''; uk, Михайлівці) is a town on the Laborec river in eastern Slovakia. Originally named after the Archangel St Micha ...
. It fought in the
Prague Offensive in the last days of the war. The regiment left the active army on 11 May 1945 at the end of the war. During the war, the regiment flew 7,695 sorties, reported shooting down 213 enemy aircraft, and destroyed 31 on the ground for a total of 244 destroyed aircraft. This came at a cost of 155 downed aircraft and 64 pilots killed, divided as follows: 25 in aerial combat, 24 failed to return, 2 in air raids and other non-combat losses, and 13 died in crashes and of wounds.
Cold War and Russian service
Between May and July 1945, the regiment was based at
Oberglogau. In July 1945, the 10th IAK was withdrawn to the
Carpathian Military District
The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early Post-Soviet period.
It was established on 3 May 1946 on the ...
, where it became part of the
14th Air Army, and the regiment moved to
Cherlyany. During that year, it was reequipped with the improved
Lavochkin La-7
The Lavochkin La-7 (russian: Лавочкин Ла-7) was a piston-engined single-seat Soviet fighter aircraft developed during World War II by the Lavochkin Design Bureau. It was a development and refinement of the Lavochkin La-5, and the la ...
. In June 1949, the 15th Guards IAD and the regiment were transferred to the
Soviet Air Defence Forces
The Soviet Air Defence Forces (russian: войска ПВО, ''voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony'', ''voyska PVO'', ''V-PVO'', lit. ''Anti-Air Defence Troops''; and formerly ''protivovozdushnaya oborona strany'', ''PVO strany'', lit. ''Anti-Air De ...
(PVO), becoming part of the
20th Fighter Air Defence Army at
Oryol. There, the regiment became one of the first equipped with the
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-9, USAF/DoD designation: Type 1, NATO reporting name: Fargo) was the first turbojet fighter developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich in the years immediately after World War II. ...
, the first of a series of
Mikoyan-and-Gurevich jet fighters. In April 1950, the regiment received its first
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s. In October 1950, the 180th Guards IAP was relocated to
Tangshan
Tangshan () is a coastal, industrial prefecture-level city in the northeast of Hebei province. It is located in the eastern part of Hebei Province and the northeastern part of the North China Plain. It is located in the central area of the Boha ...
in the People's Republic of China, where it was transferred to the newly formed
20th Fighter Aviation Division PVO. The regiment was stationed there until February 1952, training
PLAAF
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the P ...
pilots on the now-obsolete MiG-9s and providing air defence for
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
.
In March of that year, the 20th IAD and the 180th were relocated to
Veshchevo airfield in
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 194 ...
. In mid-1953, the regiment moved to the
Gromovo,
Priozersky District
Priozersky District (russian: Приозерский район) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #50-oz district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and bor ...
of
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 194 ...
. The regiment received
Yakovlev Yak-25M long-range interceptors in August 1955. In 1961 it became part of the
18th Air Defence Corps after the 20th IAD was disbanded. By a directive of 25 January 1962, the regiment's honorific Stalingrad was removed, but on 29 September 1964 the regiment received the honorific Volgograd in order to preserve its traditions. The regiment was reequipped with the newer
Sukhoi Su-15 in March 1969, receiving the Su-15TM variant in June 1978 after the
57th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment at Veshchevo disbanded. Between April 1980 and April 1986, the 180th was directly subordinated to the VVS Leningrad Military District. The regiment then became part of the
54th Air Defence Corps of the
6th Air Defence Army
The 6th Red Banner Leningrad Army of Air and Air Defence Forces (russian: 6-я Краснознамённая Ленинградская армия Военно-воздушных сил и противовоздушной обороны) is an Ai ...
. The regiment replaced its Su-15s with
Mikoyan MiG-31
The Mikoyan MiG-31 (russian: link=no, Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a ...
interceptors in June 1988. In November 1990, the regiment, according to
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
The original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was negotiated and concluded during the last years of the Cold War and established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe (from the Atlan ...
data, had 31 MiG-31s. By 2000 it had 28 MiG-31s and was disbanded on 1 July 2002.
Aircraft operated
Commanders
The following officers commanded the regiment during World War II:
* Lieutenant Colonel
Alexey Kostenko (August 1941 12 January 1942)
* Senior Lieutenant Ivan Volkov (acting, January March 1942)
* Lieutenant Colonel Alexey Kostenko (March May 1942)
* Major
Nikolay Gorev (September 1942 July 1943)
* Major (promoted to Lieutenant Colonel) Pyotr Soshenko (September 1943 killed 10 February 1945)
* Major
Nikolay Veselov (February December 1945)
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
* {{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_qdZBAAAQBAJ, title=Red Devils over the Yalu: A Chronicle of Soviet Aerial Operations in the Korean War 1950–53, last=Seidov, first=Igor, last2=Britton, first2=Stuart, publisher=Helion and Company, year=2014, isbn=9781909384415, location=Solihull
Fighter regiments of the Soviet Air Defence Forces
Regiments of the Russian Air Forces
Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner
Military units and formations established in 1949
Military units and formations disestablished in 2002