The 36th Cavalry Division was formed prior to 1939 and was assigned to the
Belorussian Military District
, image = Soviet Union Belorussian Military District.svg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = The territory of the Byelorussian Military District in 1991.
, dates = 28 November 1918 – 6 May 1992
, country = (1918–1920) (1920–1991) (1922 ...
at the onset 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 ...
.
Wartime Service
Soviet invasion of Poland
Assigned to the
11th Army's 3rd Cavalry Corps for the
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
.
Soviet order of battle for invasion of Poland in 1939
The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for the Soviet surprise attack on Poland on September 17, 1939. As a result of joining battle after the Germans had already launched their invasio ...
1941
The division was located in
Vawkavysk
Vawkavysk ( be, Ваўкавы́ск, ; russian: Волковы́ск; pl, Wołkowysk; lt, Valkaviskas; yi, וואלקאוויסק; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#V, names in other languages) is one of the oldest towns in ...
,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
. This placed it in a position to be attacked by the Germans during the opening hours of the next phase. On 22 June the division was ordered to form part of an Operations Group with the
6th Mechanized Corps to counterattack against the German forces. It was attacked on 23 June by the Luftwaffe causing severe casualties among the troops and horses. The division was effectively destroyed within 48 hours of the invasion and was officially disbanded on 6 July 1941.
Subordinate Units
*24th Cavalry Regiment
*42nd Cavalry Regiment
*102nd Cavalry Regiment
*8th Tank Regiment (54 tanks and 3 armored cars)
See also
*
Cavalry Divisions of the Soviet Union 1917–1945
References
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
036
Military units and formations disestablished in 1938
Military units and formations of the Soviet invasion of Poland
Cavalry divisions of the Soviet Union in World War II