The 1st Light Tank Brigade () was an armored brigade of the

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 ...

that fought in the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

. The brigade was formed as the 19th Mechanized Brigade in 1934 and was one of the units combined to form the 1st Tank Division in 1940.

History

The 19th Mechanized Brigade was formed in May 1934 in Detskoye Selo, part of the 7th Mechanized Corps of the

Leningrad 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 ...

. The brigade was relocated to

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

by 1938. The brigade was reorganized as the 1st Light Tank Brigade in 1938. The brigade took part in the

as part of the

10th Tank Corps The 10th Tank Corps was a tank corps of the Red Army, formed twice. First Formation In May–June 1938, the 7th Mechanized Corps headquarters was relocated from Novy Petergof to Luga and converted into the 10th Tank Corps when the Red Army m ...

, which it rejoined on 13 October 1939. After the disbandment of the corps headquarters the brigade was assigned to the 7th Army as a separate tank brigade. By the beginning of the Winter War, the brigade fielded 178 tanks and 23 armored cars. After the end of the Winter War, the brigade returned to Pushkin. Its headquarters and three tank battalions were used to form the 1st Red Banner Tank Division of the 1st Mechanized Corps, a process completed by the end of July 1940. The division was formed in camps near

Strugi Krasnye Strugi Krasnye (russian: Стру́ги Кра́сные) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Strugo-Krasnensky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Pskov. Municipally, it is incorporated ...

, and the 1st Tank Battalion of the brigade was one of the units that formed the division's 1st Tank Regiment. The 4th and 8th Tank Battalions of the brigade were among the units forming the division's 2nd Tank Regiment. The 19th Tank Battalion was one of the tank units used to form the 5th Tank Regiment of the 1st Mechanized Corps' 3rd Tank Division.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * *{{Cite book, last=Zaloga, first=Steven J., title=BT Fast Tank: The Red Army's Cavalry Tank 1931–45, publisher=Osprey, year=2016, isbn=978-1-4728-1065-6, series=New Vanguard 237, location=Oxford Tank brigades of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1934 Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 Military units and formations of the Soviet Union in the Winter War