The 119th Separate Tank Regiment, popularly known as the Sasuntsi-Davit Tank Column (; ) was a decorated
Soviet separate
tank regiment during the Second World War, consisting primarily of ethnic
Armenians. The unit was named after
David of Sasun, the hero of the medieval Armenian national epic ''
Daredevils of Sasun
''Daredevils of Sassoun'' ( hy, Սասնա ծռեր ''Sasna cṙer'', also spelled Daredevils of Sasun) is an Armenian heroic epic poem in four cycles (parts), with its main hero and story better known as ''David of Sassoun'', which is the story ...
''.
Formation
The regiment was formed in
Echmiatsin
Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is com ...
,
Armenian SSR
The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...
in January 1943 and was funded entirely through public subscription.
[ Sahakian, M. G. "Sasuntsi Davit," Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1984, vol. 10, p. 204.] Under the aegis of Archbishop Gevorg VI Chorekjian,
diaspora Armenians communities in
Cuba,
Cyprus,
Egypt,
Ethiopia,
Iran,
Iraq,
Transjordan Transjordan may refer to:
* Transjordan (region), an area to the east of the Jordan River
* Oultrejordain, a Crusader lordship (1118–1187), also called Transjordan
* Emirate of Transjordan, British protectorate (1921–1946)
* Hashemite Kingdom of ...
,
Lebanon, Syria, the United States, and elsewhere collectively raised
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
115,000 in the United States;
Can$37,000 in Canada;
£L185,000 in Lebanon;
£S 276,000 in Syria;
£E 14,000 in Egypt; and
Rls 2,500,000 in Iran. The
Armenian Apostolic Church itself donated gifts in the area totaling around 850,000
Rbls and £1,000
stg. Various fund raising committees were established, the first founded on March 7, 1943 in New York City.
The funds were finally distributed under the auspices of the Armenian Apostolic Church residing in Echmiatsin, which were sufficient to outfit the regiment with 21 tanks by February 1944. The regiment was initially equipped with the newer generation
T-34-85
The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The Chri ...
tanks, armed with the new
D-5T 85mm cannons. In February 1944, on the 119th Tank Regiment's turrets were inscribed with
Armenian letters
The Armenian alphabet ( hy, Հայոց գրեր, ' or , ') is an alphabetic writing system used to write Armenian. It was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader. The system originally had ...
spelling out "Sasuntsi Davit" (Սասունցի Դավիթ).
Combat history
On March 20, 1944, the 119th was attached to the
Second Ukrainian Front and sent to
Dniester. In early 1944, now also equipped with
KV tanks, the regiment was assigned to the
27th Soviet Army to take part in the
First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive and participated in the assaults to capture
Pervomaysk and
Iaşi (Romania).
The regiment was then sent north and incorporated into the
First Baltic Front
The First Baltic Front (Russian: Пéрвый Прибалтийский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was commanded by Army General Andrey Yeryomenko, succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It w ...
under the command of General
Ivan Bagramyan. It was reinforced with an additional 22 T-34/85s and attached to the Soviet
6th Guards Tank Army.
From July to August the unit fought against German forces in
Operation Bagration, participating in the liberation of
Vitebsk and
Polatsk. Along with the Soviet
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 aft ...
, the regiment broke through and overran fortified German positions.
On July 23, 1944, the unit was decorated with the
Order of the Red Banner. Thereafter, it was sent to
Panevėžys where it remained until the latter half of August. In 1945, the unit was reorganized and upgraded to the status of a
Guards regiment and was rechristened the 135th Guards Tank Regiment.
Commendation
Many of the Armenians were also decorated for their efforts during the war, including Sargis Nahapetian and Mikayel Stepanian, who both received 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 ...
for their heroism in the battles. A similar effort to fund another Armenian tank unit, to be named after General Bagramyan, was proposed by the Armenian community in
Tehran,
Iran, although the war ended before such plans materialized.
[Walker. ''Armenia'', p. 356.]
Gallery
Image:Tk david sasunsky-02.jpg, Soviet nurse Zoya Grezlova tends to the aid of Lieutenant Stepanov, commander of Tank 40 (seen in the background) of the regiment in July 1944.
Image:Tk david sasunsky-01.jpg, The tanks of the regiment lined up in a ceremonial procession column in June 1944. Tanks 4 and 6 in the column are identified with mine flail devices. The inscription on the turrets, written in Russian, read "David of Sassun."
See also
*
Soviet 89th "Tamanyan" Rifle Division
*
Soviet 76th "K. Y. Voroshilov" Division
References
{{reflist, 2
Regiments of the Soviet Union
Armoured units and formations of the Soviet Union
Red Army units and formations of World War II
History of Armenia
The history of Armenia covers the topics related to the history of the Armenia, Republic of Armenia, as well as the Armenians, Armenian people, the Armenian language, and the regions historically and Armenian Highlands, geographically consid ...
Military units and formations established in 1943