| 37th Guards Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations | |
| Battle honours | Rechitsa |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | |
The 37th Guards Rechitsa, twice Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov, and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Division (‹See Tfd›Russian: 37-я гвардейская стрелковая Речицкая дважды Краснознамённая орденов Суворова, Кутузова и Богдана Хмельницкого дивизия) was an infantry division of the Red Army which fought during World War II.[1]
The division was formed on 2 August 1942 from the 1st Airborne Corps in Lyubertsy, near Moscow.[2] Its most famous action was the defense of the Stalingrad Tractor Factory during the Battle of Stalingrad.[3] The division was highly decorated, receiving two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov 1st class, the Order of Kutuzov 1st class and the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. It became the 27th Guards Mechanised Division in December 1945 and on 20 April 1957 the 39th Guards Tank Division at Polotsk (Borovukha), Vitebsk Oblast, Belorussian Military District.[4] On 1 January 1965 it became the 37th Guards Tank Division, staying within 7th Tank Army for the duration. In 1992 it became part of the Belarus Ground Forces.[4] The tank division was converted to the 37th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade, which was disbanded in fall 2011.[5] The division's successor, with an unbroken lineage, is the 37th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base of the North Western Operational Command at Polotsk.[6]
- ^ "37-я гв. Речицкая стрелковая дивизия" [37th Guards Rifle Division]. samsv.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ^ "Гвардейские стрелковые 31–45" [Guards Rifle Divisions 31–45]. myfront.in.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ^ Volostnov, Nikolay (1983). На огненных рубежах [On the borders of fire] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat.
- ^ a b Holm, Michael. "37th Guards Tank Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ^ "Иркутско-Пинская дивизия" [Irkutsk-Pinsk Division]. Irkipedia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- ^ "Севоро-Западное оперативное командование" [North-Western Operational Command]. belarmy.by (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-23.