The 40th Independent Krasnodarsko-Kharbinsky Twice Red Banner Naval Infantry Brigade is a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

of the

Russian Naval Infantry The Russian Naval Infantry (MPR; ), often referred to as Russian Marines in the West, operate as the naval infantry of the Russian Navy. Established in 1705, they are capable of conducting amphibious operations as well as operating as more tradit ...

. It is based in

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky ( rus, Петропавловск-Камчатский, a=Петропавловск-Камчатский.ogg, p=pʲɪtrɐˈpavləfsk kɐmˈtɕatskʲɪj) is a city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultur ...

in the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admin ...

and has the

Military Unit Number A Military Unit Number (Russian: Войсковая часть) is a numeric alternate designation for military units in the armed forces and internal troops of post-Soviet states, originally used by those of the Soviet Union The Soviet ...

(v/ch) 10103. It is part of the North-East Group of Troops and Forces, a joint command directed by the headquarters of the Navy's

Kamchatka Flotilla The Kamchatka Military Flotilla ( rus, Камчатская флотилия, r=Kamchatskaya flotiliya) is a flotilla of the Russian Navy. On December 14, 1849, in accordance with the Decree of Emperor Nicholas I, the Okhotsk military flotilla wa ...

History

The brigade has a rather unusual history, in that it can trace its origins to a

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 ...

division formed in 1918, which became best known as the 22nd Rifle Division (not to be confused with the

22nd Guards Rifle Division The 22nd Guards Rifle Division was unique in being the only Guards rifle division formed twice during the Great Patriotic War. It was first formed from the 363rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union), 363rd Rifle Division in March 1942. Soon after forming ...

Historical names

2nd Infantry Division
Nikolayevsky Infantry Division
30th Nikolayevsky Soviet Infantry Division
3rd Independent Naval Infantry Regiment
40th Independent Naval Infantry Brigade
40th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade
22nd Motor Rifle Division
22nd Rifle Division

Early history

The division was first formed on 22 September 1918, as the 2nd Infantry Division. It was based on guerrilla groups from Nikolayevsk (in the

Volga region The Volga Region (russian: Поволжье, ''Povolzhye'', literally: "along the Volga") is a historical region in Russia that encompasses the drainage basin of the Volga River, the longest river in Europe, in central and southern European Russ ...

Novouzensk Novouzensk ( rus, Новоузе́нск, p=nəvəʊˈzʲɛnsk) is a town and the administrative center of Novouzensky District of Saratov Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Bolshoy Uzen River at its confluence with the Chertanly R ...

(in

Samara Governorate Samara Governorate (russian: Самарская губерния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian SFSR, located in the Volga Region. It existed from 1850 to 1928; its seat was in the city of Samara ...

) and Malousensk Volost (Samara Governorate), and two volunteer workers' units, from Balashov and

Penza Penza ( rus, Пе́нза, p=ˈpʲɛnzə) is the largest city and administrative center of Penza Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Sura River, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, Penza had a population of 517,311, making it the 38th-la ...

(both in the Volga region). From 2 October 1918 it was known as the Nikolayevsky Infantry Division, from 24 November 1918 as the 30th Nikolayevsky Soviet Infantry Division and from 13 January 1919 as the Nikolayevsky Infantry Division. After the previous redesignations, on 25 March 1919, it was named the 22nd Rifle Division. After the end of 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 ...

, the division was stationed in Krasnodar. A few years later, the 74th Taman Territorial Rifle Division (1921–1942) separated from the division. For military services on February 21, 1931, the division was awarded the Honor of the

Red Banner Red Banner (russian: Красное знамя) was a symbol of revolutionary struggle used late Russian Empire, in Soviet Russia, and in the USSR and the background of the Soviet state flag and other similar flags. Military units, ins ...

. In 1937, the division was relocated to the Far East, where a military conflict with the Japanese was brewing. In the summer of 1938, the 195th Yeisk rifle regiment of the division took part in the

Battle of Lake Khasan The Battle of Lake Khasan (29 July – 11 August 1938), also known as the Changkufeng Incident (russian: Хасанские бои, Chinese and Japanese: ; Chinese pinyin: ; Japanese romaji: ) in China and Japan, was an attempted military incu ...

Second World War

At the start 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 ...

in June 1941, the 22nd Rifle Division was stationed in the Far East. It did not take part in the battles with Germany, but between 1941 and 1943, the division sent 6086 soldiers to the Western Front. In May 1945, the 22nd Rifle Division became part of the

1st Red Banner Army The 1st Red Banner Army () was a Red Army field army of World War II that served in the Soviet Far East. Before 1941 The 1st Army was created in July 1938 under the name of the 1st Coastal Army (or, depending on translation, 1st Maritime Army) i ...

, an independent coastal formation, in the

. It saw active service during the

Soviet invasion of Manchuria The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian strategic offensive operation (russian: Манчжурская стратегическая наступательная операция, Manchzhurskaya Strategicheskaya Nastu ...

Cold War

In late 1945, the 22nd Rifle Division became part of the

137th Rifle Corps 137th may refer to: *137th (Calgary) Battalion, CEF, unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War *137th Air Reconnaissance Regiment, air reconnaissance and guidance regiment, part of the SFR Yugoslav Air Force *137th Special ...

Kamchatka The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and west ...

. It was re-designated from 22nd Rifle Division to 22nd Motor Rifle Division in 1957, part of the 43rd Army Corps.Feskov et al 2013, pp. 597–598 In 1980 it became part of the new

25th Army Corps The 25th Army Corps was an army corps of the Soviet Ground Forces active from 1957–1960 and 1980–89. In its first period of existence it was in the Odessa Military District, and in its second period of existence it garrisoned the remote Kamchatk ...

.Feskov et al 2013, pp. 596597 In 1982, its 168th Tank Regiment became the 59th Independent Tank Battalion. During the late 1980s, the division included the following units: *Division Headquarters ( Chapayevka) *59th Separate Tank Battalion *211th Motor Rifle Regiment ( Dolinovka) *246th Motor Rifle Regiment ( Rodygino) *304th Motor Rifle Regiment *996th Artillery Regiment *1006th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment *309th Separate Rocket Battalion *795th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion *784th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion *765th Separate Engineer-Sapper Battalion *124th Separate Communications Battalion *591st Separate Chemical Defense Battalion *197th Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion *24th Separate Medical Battalion *1251st Separate Material Support Battalion *Military Counterintelligence Department

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union

Until 1 June 2002, it was designated the 22nd Motor Rifle Division. It then became the 40th independent Motorised Rifle Brigade. In September 2007 it became the 40th Independent (twice Red Banner) Krasnodar-Harbin twice Red Banner Naval Infantry Brigade. This situation lasted until March, 2009 when it became the 3rd Naval Infantry Regiment. It is reported that its current (when?) commander is Colonel Valery Zhila. Today it is reported to include: *Assault (Airborne) Battalion *Naval Infantry Battalion *Artillery Battery *186th NI Engineer Battalion The brigade also incorporates a tank battalion which reportedly re-equipped with the T-80BV main battle tank in 2021. In 2013, the regiment was redesignated back to become the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade. It was reported on 19 March 2022 that the brigade was transferred to Belarus to replenish Russian losses after the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

. By May 19, 2022, it was in active combat in Ukraine.

References

* * Carey Schofield, 'Inside the Soviet Army', Headline Book Publishing, 1991, 114, 120–121.

External links

*http://warfare.be/?lang=&catid=321&linkid=2234 {{Soviet Union divisions Naval infantry brigades of Russia Military units and formations established in 2002