The 1st Guards Stalingrad Composite Aviation Division (Russian: 1-я гвардейская бомбардировочная Сталинградская ордена Ленина дважды Краснознаменная орденов Суворова и Кутузова авиационная дивизия) is an

Aviation Division An Aviation Division (russian: авиационная дивизия) was a type of formation of the Military Air Forces of the Red Army during the Second World War, the Soviet Air Forces, Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) and Aviation of th ...

of the

Russian Air Force " Air March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 12 August , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , bat ...

. It was originally formed as the 226th Assault Aviation Division in May 1942 and became the 1st Guards Stalingrad Assault Aviation Division for its performance in the Battle of Stalingrad. The division fought in the Melitopol Offensive,

Crimean Offensive The Crimean offensive (8 April – 12 May 1944), known in German sources as the Battle of the Crimea, was a series of offensives by the Red Army directed at the German-held Crimea. The Red Army's 4th Ukrainian Front engaged the German 17th Army ...

, East Prussian Offensive and the

Battle of Königsberg The Battle of Königsberg, also known as the Königsberg offensive, was one of the last operations of the East Prussian offensive during World War II. In four days of urban warfare, Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Belorussia ...

. By the end of the war, the division had been 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 ...

twice, the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

and the Orders of Kutuzov and Suvorov 2nd class. Postwar, the division relocated to Belarus. In April 1956, it became a bomber division but was converted to a fighter-bomber unit in 1957. In 1989, it became an bomber unit again and moved to

Krasnodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...

in 1993. At Krasnodar it became an assault unit. The division moved to

Yeysk Yeysk (russian: Ейск) is a port and a resort town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the shore of the Taganrog Gulf of the Sea of Azov. The town is built primarily on the Yeysk Spit, which separates the Yeya River from the Sea of Azo ...

in 2002 and disbanded in 2009. It was reformed in 2013 with the addition of extra fighter units.

History

The 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division was initially formed as the 226th Assault Aviation Division as 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 ...

in May 1942. The 8th Air Army was supporting the Southwestern Front as it fought the German advance during

Operation Blau Case Blue (German: ''Fall Blau'') was the German Armed Forces' plan for the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942, during World War II. The objective was to capture the oil fields of the Cauca ...

. On 18 March 1943 the division was renamed the 1st Guards Assault Aviation Division. By this time the 8th Air Army was part of Southern Front and included the 2nd Mixed Aviation Corps ( 201st Fighter Aviation Division, 214th Assault Aviation Division), 10th Mixed Aviation Corps (206th, 287th Fighter Aviation Divisions, 289th Assault Aviation Division), 270th Bomber Aviation Division, 2nd Guards Night Bomber Aviation Division,

6th Guards Fighter Aviation Division The 6th Guards Don-Szeged Red Banner Order of Suvorov Fighter Aviation Division was a fighter aviation division of the Soviet Air Force during World War II and the Cold War. The division was formed in early 1943 from the 268th Fighter Aviation Div ...

, 8th Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment, 406th Light Bomber Aviation Regiment, and the 678th Transport Aviation Regiment. Organization in May 1945 ( Ketrzyn, Poland): *74th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment with

Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 (Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' ( Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian term ...

*75th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment with Il-10 *76th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment with Il-2 *136th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment with Il-2 The division headquarters were moved from Ketrzyn to

Lida Lida ( be, Лі́да ; russian: Ли́да ; lt, Lyda; lv, Ļida; pl, Lida ; yi, לידע, Lyde) is a city 168 km (104 mi) west of Minsk in western Belarus in Grodno Region. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuani ...

Grodno Region Grodno Region ( pl, Grodzieńszczyzna) or Grodno Oblast or Hrodna Voblasts ( be, Гродзенская вобласць, ''Hrodzienskaja vobłasć'', , ''Haradzienščyna''; russian: Гродненская область, ''Grodnenskaya oblast' ...

, in the

Belorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...

, in July 1945. The 76th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment was disbanded in April 1947. In 1957, it was renamed 1st Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division (1st IBAD, from 11 November 1976 1st ADIB). Organization 1957: *136th Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Lida, Grodno Region) with MiG-15 *686th Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (

) with MiG-15 *952nd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (

Pruzhany Pruzhany ( be, Пружа́ны, ; russian: Пружаны, pl, Prużana, yi, פרוזשענע, Pruzhene) is a town in Brest Voblast, Belarus. Pruzhany is the center of the district in Brest Region, Belarus. Its population is about 18,500 people ...

) with MiG-15 Organization 1970: *911th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Lida, Grodno Region) with MiG-17 *

940th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment The 940th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (940th IBAP/APIB since 1976) was an aviation regiment of the Soviet Air Force. It was formed in 1942 in the Soviet Far East and fought in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. During the last months of the Kore ...

(

Postavy Pastavy ( be, Паставы, lt, Pastovys, russian: Поставы, pl, Postawy) is a city in the Vitebsk Region of Belarus, an administrative center of Pastavy District. Location Pastavy is located on the river Myadelki. Postavy Air Base ...

Vitebsk Oblast Vitebsk Region or Vitebsk Oblast or Viciebsk Voblasts ( be, Ві́цебская во́бласць, ''Viciebskaja voblasć'', ; rus, Ви́тебская о́бласть, Vitebskaya oblast, ˈvʲitʲɪpskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a region (oblast ...

) with MiG-17 *953rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (

Bobrovichi Bobrovichi is an air base in Belarus located 16 km northeast of Kalinovichi. It is a large airfield with two large tarmacs on either side, and two alert revetments holding about 10 fighters each. It was home to 953 BAP (953rd Bomber Avia ...

Gomel Oblast Gomel Region or Gomel Oblast or Homiel Voblasts ( be, Го́мельская во́бласць, Homielskaja vobłasć, russian: Гомельская область, Gomelskaya oblast) is one of the regions of Belarus. Its administrative center i ...

) with Su-7 In 1978 the 953rd Regiment was reequipped with Sukhoi Su-24s and renamed a Bomber Aviation Regiment. In 1980 the 953rd Bomber Aviation Regiment was transferred to the 32nd Bomber Aviation Division, 24th Air Army. The division was renamed the 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division in 1989. Organization 1990: * 116th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment (

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

) with

Su-24 The Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, twin-engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for its crew of two. It was ...

- January 1992 taken over by the

Belarus Air Force The Air Force and Air Defence Forces of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Ваенна-паветраныя сілы і войскі супрацьпаветранай абароны Рэспублікі Беларусь, Vajenna-pavietranyja sily i ...

. October 1993 renamed 116th Guards Bomber Aviation Base, and in July 1994 116th Guards Bomber-Reconnaissance Aviation Base - disbanded August 2010. *305th Bomber Aviation Regiment (

) with Su-24 - withdrawn to

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (russian: Краснода́рский край, r=Krasnodarsky kray, p=krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and administratively a part of t ...

, in 1993, and disbanded *497th Bomber Aviation Regiment (

) with Su-24 - withdrawn to

, in 1993, and disbanded. The Divisional headquarters was moved to

, in 1993, and the division became part of the 4th Army of Air Forces and Air Defence. It was disbanded in December 2009. In 2013 the division was reformed with a bomber aviation unit at

Morozovsk Morozovsk (russian: Моро́зовск) is a town and the administrative center of Morozovsky District in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the Bystraya River (left tributary of the Seversky Donets), northeast of Rostov-on-Don, the administra ...

, an assault aviation unit at Primorsk/Budenovsk, and a fighter aviation regiment at

Krymsk Krymsk (russian: Крымск) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. Population: 57,927 (2020), History It was founded in 1858 as the fortress and ''stanitsa'' of Krymskaya (), named after the Crimean Cossack Regiment. It was the capital of the ...

, which now appears to have become the 3rd Guards Composite Aviation Regiment. It was assigned to the 4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army along with the 55th Independent Helicopter Regiment,https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=2649821 a transport unit at

Rostov Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population: While ...

, the 11th Composite Aviation Regiment, and a reconnaissance/bomber aviation unit at Marinovka. The latter units form the 4th Composite Aviation Division. Organization 2020: * 3 rd Guards Composite Aviation Regiment (

) Two Squadrons: Su-27SM3 Flanker (as of 2019) (may have started re-equipping with Su-57 as of December 2020) * 31st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (

Millerovo Millerovo (russian: Миллерово) is the name of several inhabited localities in Rostov Oblast, Russia. ;Urban localities *Millerovo, Millerovsky District, Rostov Oblast, a town in Millerovsky District Millerovsky District (russian: Ми́ ...

) Two Squadrons:

Su-30 The Sukhoi Su-30 (russian: Сухой Су-30; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter ...

SM (as of 2019) * 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment (

) Three Squadrons:

Su-34 The Sukhoi Su-34 (russian: Сухой Су-34; NATO reporting name: Fullback) is a Soviet-origin Russian twin-engine, twin-seat, all-weather supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber/ strike aircraft. It first flew in 1990, intended for the Sovi ...

(as of 2019) * 368th Assault Aviation Regiment (

Budennovsk Budyonnovsk (russian: Будённовск) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Stavropol Krai, Russia. Population: History The town was founded in 1799 by Armenians, Armenian settlers from Derbent. During World War II, Budyonno ...

) Two Squadrons: Su-25SM/SM3 (as of 2019; reported upgrading to SM3 variant as of 2021)

History

References

Further reading