The 1st Guards Infantry Division (russian: 1-я гвардейская пехотная дивизия) was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

formation of the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

which was part of the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, i ...

. It was headquartered in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

and was part of the Guards Corps. It took part in fighting against

Napoleonic invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

in 1811 shortly after its formation. It was expanded in July 1914 upon the mobilization of the

, and took part in fighting on the Eastern Front of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The division was demobilized in 1918 after the Russian Revolution.

History

The unit was initially formed on 15 June 1807 as the 1st Infantry Division. It was renamed "Guards" Infantry Division on 11 November 1811. For most of its history it was stationed in St Petersburg and was part of the

Petersburg Military District The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District. Hi ...

upon its creation.

Order of battle upon formation

When it was founded in 1807 the unit consisted of the following: *

Preobrazhensky Regiment The Preobrazhensky Life-Guards Regiment (russian: Преображенский лейб-гвардии полк, ''Preobrazhensky leyb-gvardii polk'') was a regiment of the Imperial Guard of the Imperial Russian Army from 1683 to 1917. The P ...

Semyonovsky Regiment The Semyonovsky Lifeguard Regiment (, ) was one of the two oldest guard regiments of the Imperial Russian Army. The other one was the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 2013, it was recreated for the Russian Armed Forces as a rifle regiment, its na ...

Izmaylovsky Regiment The Izmaylovsky Regiment (russian: Изма́йловский лейб-гва́рдии полк, Izmáylovskiy leyb-gvárdii polk) was one of the oldest regiments of the Imperial Russian Army, a subdivision of the 1st Guards Infantry Division o ...

* Egersky Regiment In 1811 it was expanded and grew to include: *1st Brigade **Preobrazhensky Leib Guard Regiment **Semyonovsky Leib Guard Regiment *2nd Brigade **Izmaylovsky Leib Guard Regiment **Lithuanian Leib Guard Regiment *3rd Brigade **Egersky Leib Guard Regiment **Finnish Leib Guard Regiment

Order of battle in 1914

From the early 1900s to 1917 the division consisted of the following: *1st Brigade **Preobrazhensky Leib Guard Regiment **Semyonovsky Leib Guard Regiment *2nd Brigade **Izmaylovsky Leib Guard Regiment **Egersky Leib Guard Regiment *1st Life Guards Artillery Brigade

Known officer staff

Commanders

The list is incomplete.

Chiefs of staff

This list is incomplete.

References

Books

* {{Russian Empire Divisions Infantry divisions of the Russian Empire Military units and formations established in 1807 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 Russian Imperial Guard Divisions of World War I