SOVIET ARMY UNIT HISTORIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00046R000500290004-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 17, 2009
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: October 17, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

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? iNF01RMATION FORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, ---
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by25X1
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
COUNTRY USSR/Austria/East Germany
SUBJECT Soviet Army Unit Histories
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 17 October 1955
NO. OF PAGES 7
REQUIREMENT NO. RD 25X1
REFERENCES
ARMY review completed.
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
STATE # X ARMY
L Yt X
NAVY X AIR FBI AEC
(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by
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CONFIDENTIAL
REPORT
COUNTRY USSR/Austria/East Germany
SU83ECT Soviet Army Unit Histories
DATE OF INFORMATION
PLACE ACQUIRED
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
qqNl?Zpg IA,
DATE DISTR. 7 September
1955
NO. OF PAGES 6
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1. Information
a. History of,82d How Brig
The brigade was activated sometime in the early part of WW II.
At this time, it was located generally on the Manohurian..Border and was
subordinate to the "Special Far Eastern. Army". The brigade was then sent
under strict security to the western Front and placed?in reserve at KLIN
(5620N-3643E) near MOSCOW. It participated in several campaigns and
fought its way to KALININQRAD.
The. brigade was slowly changed over from a horse-drawn to a
vehicle-drawn type during and following the war. After WW II, the unit
was sent,to MULINO from KALININGRAD and was quartered in dugouts while
the personnel''built a permanent camp. The latter was completed in 1948.
The brigade earned only the Order of the Red Banner. It was not entitled
to the title "Guards" since its unit banner had been burned or lost during
combat.
b. History of 13th Gds Mecz Div.
The full title 'of the division was "The 13th Gds POLTA78KAYA Mecz,
Order of Lenin, Twice decorated Order of the Red B4tzner, Order of SUVOROV,
Order of KUTUZOV, Division'. it was, allegedly activated 'in,io4i y , the
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75th (?) Airborne Rifle.Brigade in the vicinity of TIM.(5132N-37o8E)
Kurskaya Oblast and* participated in 'the defense of the towns of TIM and
S1CHIGRY (5152N-3655E)', for Which it was awarded -the .Order of Lenin. Its
also received the title,. "Guards" and was immediately redeeignat.ed as the
"13th .Gds Rifle Div" . During -the " war years it was 'commanded by :Gen Lt
.(fnu) RODIMTSEV, then a colonel.
In 1942 it was sent to the STALINGRAD area 'and became subordinate
to the 62d Army. It participated in the defense"of - STALINGRAD and was
awarded its first Order of the Red Banner,'
The Division then went into the offensive and was awarded a second
Order,of the Red Banner for seizing an unidentified.town between POLTAVA
and STALINGRAD. It also participated in the seizure of POLTAVA and for this
was awarded the honorific title Po,ltavskaya". The division fought on to
KIEV, seizing a number of villages along the.way, and continued onto YASY
(4710N-2737E), Rumania. For the latter actions, it received the Order of
Suvorov.
The division then moved northwest and seized a large area south 25X1
of WARSAW, for which it was decoratedwith the Order of Kutuzov. The
offensive c
rri
d th
a
e
e division on to th stmingf
eor o BERLIN. Following
this the unit was sent in the direction of'PRAGVE, but it. received orders
while en ro
t
t
u
e
o continue qn to VIENNA itdhtm
nsea, were i reained.
a. History of the 459th Mortar Regiment
The full title of the regiment was "The 459th Novograd-volineki ,
Order of the Red..Star, Mortar Regiment". It had been activated not far
from MOSCOW during the early part of WW II. It participated in the
seizure of NOVOORAD-VOLINSKI j, for which it was ' w onorific
title of the same name. the regiment
was awarded the Order. of , e regiment participated in the
Soviet offensive almost up to the gates of BERLIN; then it was re-routed
to the south in the direction of the Carpathians'.' It subsequently
returned to its present location.
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In the regimental Lenin P611tiCa1.Dayroom, there was a .p,
arently locally made, which depicted the history of the regiment
'ea its act;t at n cUnc erueath %this map'` there was a picture album
depicting the wain e'xploits' of the regiment.
b. History of the 20th Mtrzed Rifle Regiment
The 20th Motorized Rifle Regiment., 25th Tk Div, fought together with
the 459th Mortar Regiment. The former had been formed. initially as a rlf25X1
brigade.
a. History of the 76th Meez Regt, 6th Mecz?Divl
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It was formed as part of the 6th ads Mecz'Div.during the early part
of WW II, It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the honorific title
of "Suvorov`" and other unknown decorations.. it participated in the Soviet
offensive as far.as BERLIN and was then allegedly sent along with the rest
of the same It subsequently` returned to it present
location. the regiment was a,rifle, unit during the 25X1
war.
b. History of the 6th ads Mecz Dive,
'R
d Banner" Division.
the 6th Gde25X1
was known as
the 162d Sep
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,Special Garrison Bn in BOERNICKE 524ON-1 East Germany. This unit 25X1
had no unit history as such. It was activat'ed'in 1948 or 1949 initially 25X1
in the, BERLIN-VARDEN area and then moved to its present location in the
spring of 1953. This unit had no unit colors (Znamya) and 25X1
ha never *6een redesignated.
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Information
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a. History of Unidentified Artillery Regiment
b. History of the 45th Ode Mecz Regt
a een orm --as a- a regiment near,
STALINGRAD in the early part of the war and was subordinate to the 13th Ode
Mecz Div, which was "a rifle unit at that time. The regiment had earned the
order of'the Red Banner and other unknown decorations during the war.
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c. The 135th Sep Air Warning Bn
This unit had been activated on 1 March.1952,
accor ng to an order that had been read
Information
a. History of 42d BG Det2
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The full title of the unit was "The 42d Red Banner Border Guard
Otryad". This unit was activated in 1921 in the same area it occupied
at the time of the lecture. In 1921 the unit was engaged in fighting
renegade bands. For destroying the 400-man ALIPINSKAYA bandit group it
was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. During WW II, the Otr ad.con-
tinue.d to and the Soviet-Iranian border
Information
a. History of the 8th Shock Army
the Army had been the 62d Army During WW II and
the 2 Ar had fought near LENING and carried the offensive into
Germany.
b. History of the 93d Sep Security Bn
the 117th Rifle?Regt of its border security duties.
7 ? Information
a. History of the 735th Seu Radio-Comm Bn
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the 735th Sep Radio-Communications
Bn had no extensive unit a ory as,suc.. This battalion was formed on
5 Dee 53 in BADEN,'Austria and continued to remain in the same location.
The unit did not even have a banner (znamya), in opinion, a unit 25X1'
could be given a banner (or colors) not earlier.than one year following
its activation. 25X1
b. Unidentified Army Signal Regiment
s unit had been formed in NOVOSIBIRSKC 2
in 1942. From 1942 to it-took 1945 part in several unknown WW II campaigns
and finally halted in BADEN. The placard stated,that there were five Heroes
in the unit (their names were shown) and that five members of the unit in-
cluding a female soldier, had been. killed inaction,
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It was formed in 1952 in MEININGEN allegedly to-relieve
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