The 1st Zaporozhye Red Cossack Cavalry Division (1st CD) was a
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
cavalry division. It was based in Proskurov for most of its existence. Formed from the 8th Cavalry Division, it became the 32nd Cavalry Division in 1938.
History
On 6 May 1922 the
8th Zaporozhye Cossack Cavalry Division of the
1st Red Cossacks Cavalry Corps became the 1st Zaporozhye Cossack Cavalry Division.
The division was commanded by
Mikhail Demichev
Mikhail Afanasyevich Demichev (; 1885 – November 19, 1937) was a Red Army ''komdiv'' (division commander). He fought in the Imperial Russian Army in World War I before going over to the Bolsheviks in the subsequent Civil War. He was a recipient o ...
, the former commander of the 8th Cavalry Division.
The division's 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th and 48th Cavalry Regiments were respectively renamed the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Cossack Cavalry Regiments.
In 1924 the 1st Corps headquarters was at
Vinnitsa
Vinnytsia ( ; uk, Вінниця, ; yi, װיניצע) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug.
It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast and the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. A ...
. The division was divided into three brigades. The 1st Cavalry Brigade included the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Regiments, the 2nd Cavalry Brigade included the 3rd and 4th Cavalry Regiments and the 3rd Cavalry Brigade included the 5th and 6th Cavalry Regiments. On 6 September, the division headquarters was at
Zhmerynka
Zhmerynka ( uk, Жмеринка ) is a city in Vinnytsia Oblast (Oblast, province) of central Ukraine. Serving as the Capital city, administrative center of the Zhmerynka Raion (Raion, district), the town itself is not a part of the district and ...
.
On 11 July 1925, the division was given the title "on behalf of the French Communist Party". On 15 December 1925, division headquarters moved to
Proskurov
Khmelnytskyi ( uk, Хмельни́цький, Khmelnytskyi, ), until 1954 Proskuriv ( uk, Проску́рів, links=no ), is a city in western Ukraine, the administrative center for Khmelnytskyi Oblast (region) and Khmelnytskyi Raion (dist ...
. In 1928, French Communist politician
Marcel Cachin
Marcel Cachin (20 September 1869 – 12 February 1958) was a French Communist politician and editor of the daily newspaper ''L'Humanite''.
In 1891, Cachin joined Jules Guesde's French Workers' Party (POF). In 1905, he joined the new French ...
visited the division. On 29 November 1929, the division 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 th ...
. In 1930, the mechanization of cavalry began and the division added a tank squadron and an armored car squadron. In 1931, the 1st Mechanized Regiment was activated with the division.
On 15 November 1932, Kombrig
Ivan Nikulin
Ivan Yefimovich Nikulin (1898 – September 8, 1937) was a Soviet Kombrig (brigade commander) and division commander. In November 1936 he was transferred to the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army. During the Great Purge, he was arrested on June 1 ...
became the divisional commander after Demichev was promoted to command the 1st Cavalry Corps. In November 1936, Kombrig
Mikhail Khatskilevich
Mikhail Georgyevich Khatskilevich (; 21 November 1895 – 25 June 1941) was a Red Army major general. He fought in the Imperial Russian Army in World War I before going over to the Bolsheviks in the subsequent civil war. Khatskilevich commanded th ...
became the division's commander. In June 1938, the division became the
32nd Cavalry Division.
References
{{Soviet Union divisions before 1945, state=collapsed
01
Military units and formations established in 1922
Military units and formations disestablished in 1938