Guards (russian: гвардия) or Guards units (russian: гвардейские части, ''gvardeyskiye chasti'') were elite military units of
Imperial Russia prior to 1917–18. The designation of Guards was subsequently adopted as a distinction for various units and formations of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
and the modern
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. The tradition goes back to a chieftain's ''
druzhina
In the medieval history of Kievan Rus' and Early Poland, a druzhina, drużyna, or družyna ( Slovak and cz, družina; pl, drużyna; ; , ''druzhýna'' literally a "fellowship") was a retinue in service of a Slavic chieftain, also called ''knyaz ...
'' of medieval
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
and the
streletskoye voysko (Стрелецкое Войско), the
Muscovite
Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavag ...
harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550. The exact meaning of the term "Guards" varied over time.
Imperial Russian Guard
In the Russian Empire,
Imperial Russian Guard
The Russian Imperial Guard, officially known as the Leib Guard (russian: Лейб-гвардия ''Leyb-gvardiya'', from German ''Leib'' "body"; cf. Life Guards / Bodyguard) were military units serving as personal guards of the Emperor of Russi ...
units (also or ''life-guard'', ), derived from German
''Leibgarde'' (en: lifeguard or life-guard), were intended to ensure the security of the sovereign, initially, that of
Peter the Great in the 1690s. These were based on the
Prussian Royal Life Guards. During the 19th century the Imperial Russian Guard regiments were not exclusively composed of Russian troops, but also included Lithuanian, Finnish and Ukrainian units.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Imperial Guards consisted of 13
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 ...
, 4
rifles and 14
cavalry regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
s, artillery, engineers and transport, making up a separate entity within the army of three divisions. During the Brusilov Offensive the 1st and 2nd Guards' numbers were supplemented with line army corp and from September 1916 were known as the 'Special Army'.
In February–March 1917, the defection of reserve battalions of the Imperial Guard based in St.Petersburg was a major factor in the overthrow of the Tsarist government. The service units of the Guard at the front disintegrated along with the remainder of the Imperial Army, until it was formally replaced by the new Red Army on 28 January 1918.
Russian Revolution
The Red Guards (russian: Krasnaya Gvardiya) were armed groups of workers formed during the
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...
, although the designation and concept dates back to Moscow during the
Revolution of 1905. In 1917 the volunteers of the Red Guard and their elected leaders formed the main strike force of the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
. These workers' militias were created in March 1917 in by
Factory and Plant Committees and by Bolshevik party cells, with the initial purpose of defending the industrial enterprises and districts where they were recruited. In October 1917 the Red Guards of
Petrograd played a leading role in the capture of the
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace ( rus, Зимний дворец, Zimnij dvorets, p=ˈzʲimnʲɪj dvɐˈrʲɛts) is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the Russian Emperor from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now ...
and the overthrow of the Provisional Government. When the Soviet
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, afte ...
was formed in 1918, the Red Guards became the Army Reserve and the basis for the formation of regular military detachments.
The White Guard (russian: Belaya Gvardiya) of the
White Army (, whose members were called ), the military forces of the Russian
White Movement, which opposed the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
s after the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
and fought against 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, afte ...
during the
Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
from 1918 to 1921.
Soviet Guards
"Guards" (russian: Гвардия, translit=Gvardiya) designations were awarded to units and formations that distinguished themselves during 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 opposi ...
by the order of People's Commissar for Defence of USSR No.303 on the 18 September 1941, and were considered to have
elite status. However, the Guards badge was not introduced until 21 May 1943.
In late 1941, the
Stavka began awarding the honorific title 'Guards' to regiments, divisions, and corps that had distinguished themselves in combat. Units earning this title had often suffered up to 30 percent or more casualties after successfully performing desperate missions. It was not only a prestigious designation, as units so honoured were thereafter better equipped and given preference in personnel, supplies, equipment and material.
Zhukov
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( rus, Георгий Константинович Жуков, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ˈʐukəf, a=Ru-Георгий_Константинович_Жуков.ogg; 1 December 1896 – ...
said "the first period of the war gave birth to the Soviet Guards. For mass heroism and success in the battles of 1941-1942 the Guards title was awarded to 789 groups, formations, separate units, and fighting ships of the Soviet Armed Forces."
Pik Sovetskoy Gvardii
Pik Sovetskoy Gvardii (russian: link=no, пик Советской Гвардии, meaning "Soviet Guard Peak"), is a mountain in the Anyuy Range. Administratively it is part of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russian Federation.Google Earth
This ...
, meaning "Soviet Guard Peak", the second highest
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
in the
Anyuy Range
The Anyuy Mountains (russian: Анюйский хребет; ''Anyuyskiy Khrebet''), also known as South Anyuy Range are a range of mountains in far north-eastern Russia. Administratively the range is part of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. ...
, was named after the Soviet Guards.
[South Anyui Range // ]Great Soviet Encyclopedia
The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; ) is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Bolshaya rossiyskaya e ...
: n 30 vol. / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
There were eleven Guard Armies and six Guard Tank Armies:
*
1st Guards Army
*
2nd Guards Army
The 2nd Guards Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army that fought in World War II, most notably at Stalingrad.
History
The 2nd Guards Army was formed according to the order of the Staff of the Supreme High Command (Stavka) from Oc ...
*
3rd Guards Army
The 3rd Guards Army () was a field army of the Soviet Red Army that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II.
The army fought in the Battle of Berlin, during which it mopped up German resistance around Cottbus.
1942 to 1945
It was formed o ...
*
4th Guards Army
The 4th Guards Army was an elite Guards field army of the Soviet Union during World War II and the early postwar era.
History
On April 16, 1943, the Supreme Command ordered the army to be established. On May 5, 1943, the army was formed on the ...
*
5th Guards Army
The 5th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought in many critical actions during World War II under the command of General Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov. The 5th Guards Army was formed in spring 1943 from the 66th Army in recognition of ...
*
6th Guards Army
The 6th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought against Nazi Germany during World War II under the command of General Ivan Chistyakov. The Army's chief of staff was General Valentin Antonovich Penkovskii.
The 6th Guards Army was ...
*
7th Guards Army
The 7th Guards Army was a field army of the Red Army during World War II and of the Soviet Army during the Cold War.
History
The 7th Guards Army was formed from the 64th Army on April 16, 1943.
64th Army had originally been formed from 1s ...
*
8th Guards Army
*
9th Guards Army The 9th Guards Army was a field army of the Red Army during World War II, which fought in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive at the end of the war. The army was formed in January 1945 and included airborne divisions converted into infant ...
*
10th Guards Army
The 10th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought against Germany during World War II under the command of several generals. Formed in 1943, the army fought under various headquarters and ended the war besieging cut-off German force ...
*
11th Guards Army
The 11th Guards Army () was a field army of the Red Army, the Soviet Ground Forces, and the Russian Ground Forces, active from 1943 to 1997.
History
World War II
For its prowess in battle, the second formation of the 16th Army was redesignat ...
*
1st Guards Tank Army
The 1st Guards Tank Army () is a tank army of the Russian Ground Forces.
The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st Guards Tank Army in January 1944. The arm ...
*
2nd Guards Tank Army
*
3rd Guards Tank Army
The 3rd Guards Tank Army (russian: 3-я гвардейская танковая армия) was a tank army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. The 3rd Tank Army was created in 1942 and fought in the southern areas of ...
*
4th Guards Tank Army
The 4th Guards Tank Army was an operational military unit within the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War and in the post–war period.
Battle path during the Great Patriotic War Fighting in Upper Silesia
The 4th Guards ...
*
5th Guards Tank Army
The 5th Guards Tank Army (Russian: 5-я гварде́йская та́нковая а́рмия) was a Soviet Guards armored formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II. The army was formed in February 1943. Until the afte ...
*
6th Guards Tank Army
The 6th Guards Order of Red Banner Tank Army was a tank army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first formed in January 1944 as the 6th Tank Army,Glantz (Companion), p. 66. and disbanded in Ukraine in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Un ...
Russian Federation Guards
The Guards distinction was retained as designations of
unit
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (a ...
s and
formations in the armed forces of the former Soviet Union:
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
,
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 ...
, and
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
.
File:Chest badge Guards Russian Federation.png, Badge of Russian Guards units (1994)
File:Belarusian guard unit badge.png, Badge of Belarusian Guards units
File:Нагрудний знак «Гвардія».png, Badge of Ukrainian Guards units (removed 2016)
File:Russian Guards insignia 2011.png, Russian Guards badge (2011–present)
See also
*
List of guards units of Ukraine
References
{{reflist
Military units and formations of Russia
Military units and formations of the Soviet Union