The 467th Guards District Training Center for Junior Specialists of the Western Military District (Russian: 467 гвардейский Краснознамённый Московско-Тартуский межвидовой окружной учебный центр подготовки младших специалистов) is a training formation of the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

. The training center traces its heritage back to the Moscow Workers' Division, a People's Militia division formed during the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...

in October 1941. This unit was redesignated as the 3rd Moscow Communist Rifle Division within weeks, and fought in the Battle of Moscow. In January 1942 it was converted into a regular unit, the 130th Rifle Division (Second Formation). For its actions, the division became the 53rd Guards Rifle Division in December of that year. The 53rd Guards served through the rest of the war, later receiving the honorific "

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

" and 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 ...

. After the end of the war, the division was relocated to

Kovrov Kovrov (russian: Ковро́в) is a city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Klyazma River, a tributary of the Oka. Kovrov's population as of the 2021 Census was 132,417, down from 145,214 recorded in the 2010 Census, ...

and became the 1st Separate Guards Rifle Brigade in 1946. In 1953, the brigade became the 62nd Guards Mechanised Division, and in the 1957 Soviet Army reorganisation it was redesignated the 62nd Guards Motor Rifle Division. The division became a training unit in 1960 and was renumbered as the 53rd Guards Motor Rifle Training Division four years later, restoring its original World War II designation. In 1979 it was converted into the 26th Guards Tank Training Division, and in 1987 it assumed its current title, the 467th Guards District Training Centre.

History

World War II

It traces its history from Moscow militia units of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The division was originally formed as the Moscow Worker's Division on 28 October 1941 in the Moscow Military District. On 14 November it was redesignated the 3rd Moscow Communist Rifle Division (also reported as the 3rd Moscow Communist People's Militia Division). It received a baptism of fire in the northwestern part of the group of the Moscow Defense Zone. It then became the

130th Rifle Division Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

(Second Formation) on 22 January 1942. The division was given a Guards banner on 8 December 1942 in the North-Western Front, when it became 53rd Guards Rifle Division. On 28 April 1943 the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In August 1944 it received the honorary name of "Tartu". From Moscow it fought through the cities of Staraya Russa, Leningrad, Pskov, Tartu, and Riga. With 51st Army of the Kurland Group (

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front The Karelian Front ...

) May 1945. The division ended the war on 9 May in Liepāja, Latvia. During the war, two women snipers from the division, Maria Polivanova and Natalya Kovshova, were awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

. In addition, Azerbaijani

Junior Lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, equivalent to Sub-lieutenant. Germany In the National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956. Eastern Europe In many Eastern European countries, the rank of junior l ...

Ziba Ganiyeva was a female sniper with the division who accounted for 21 kills and was awarded the Medal For the Defence of Moscow,

and the

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

Cold War

On 14 May 1946, the division became the 1st Separate Guards Rifle Brigade. On 18 September 1953, it became the 62nd Guards Mechanised Division. The division became a motor rifle division on 26 March 1957, and has been stationed at

Vladimir Oblast Vladimir Oblast (russian: Влади́мирская о́бласть, ''Vladimirskaya oblast'') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its closest border 66 Meter, km east of central Moscow, the administrative cen ...

ever since. On 23 April 1960, it was converted into a training unit. The division's original World War II number was restored on 1 December 1964 when it was renumbered as the 53rd Guards Motor Rifle Training Division. In October 1966 it received the honorific "Moscow". The division was awarded with a Banner of the CPSU Central Committee, the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet and the Council of Ministers, the sign "50 years of the USSR", Honorary Diploma of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The division became the 26th Guards Tank Training Division on 29 December 1979. On 3 October 1987 the 26th Guards Tank Training Division became the 467th District Training Centre. Holm
53rd Guards Training Motor Rifle Division
2015.

Russian Ground Forces

At the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the

11th Guards Tank Division 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

's 44th Guards Tank Regiment withdrew from Germany to Vladimir in the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, joining the centre, in the Moscow Military District. On its arrival it absorbed the 9th Tank Training Regiment. On 1 September 2012 it became 467th Guards Red Banner Moscow-Tartu District Training Centre for junior specialists of the Western Military District. In 2013, training of specialists of motorised infantry, armored forces, air defense forces and artillery, strategic rocket forces, unmanned aircraft, engineering, service dogs, communications, NBC defense, air force, navy, military, aerospace defense, and cooks was being carried out. The centre consists of 26 compounds of military units deployed in 10

oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom of ...

s/regions of Russia, in three federal districts. The 71st anniversary of the division was marked by the descendant 467th Guards District Training Centre in 2013. A veteran who attended the feast, Stanislav Iofin, one of the first volunteer militia - and one of the 29 survivors said '..In the division were more than 700 people ic; probably referring to female personnel snipers, machine gunners, and there was even a female mortar crew! Among them, a lot of Heroes of the Soviet Union, and the man who was awarded the highest award - 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 ...

- was also a woman. Women fought with dignity, they deserve the utmost respect.'

Notes

References

* {{Soviet Union divisions 1957–1989 Army training units and formations of Russia Military units and formations established in 1987