24th Motor Rifle Division

The 24th Samaro-Ulyanovsk Division was a rifle, then a motor-rifle division of the Red Army of the USSR. It is now a mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, based at Yavoriv in the west of Ukraine.

The full name of the division was 24th Samaro-Ulyanovsk Motor-Rifle Berdychivska, Iron, Awards of October Revolution, three times Red Banner, Suvorov's, Bogdan Khmelnytsky division.

Formation and Early Wars
The division was formed on the order of the Revolutionary Military Council on July 26, 1918 from voluntary groups under the name 1st Simbirsk Infantry Division. In November 1918 it was renamed as the 24th Simbirsk Rifle Division. It actively participated in the Russian Civil War in the Volga region, in the Southern Urals Mountains, and in Polissya and Volhynia. At this time one of its regimental commanders was a future Army General Maksim Purkayev.

In 1922 it was renamed as the 24th Samaro-Simbirsk Iron Rifle Division. In 1924 it was again renamed as the 24th Samaro-Ulyanovsk Iron Rifle Division. In 1939-1940, during the Russo-Finnish War the division distinguished itself during the breaking of the Mannerheim Line on the Karelian isthmus.

World War II
The division participated in fighting from the first days after the German invasion of the USSR in 1941. The division staff showed mass heroism when the German opponents arrived in the Lidy area. It also took part in the Kiev defensive operation, and as part of the 21st Rifle Corps and 13th Army, was involved in heavy defensive fighting in Belarus. Reportedly because the division's banner (unit colours) were lost in the Minsk area it was disbanded on December 27, 1941.

In February 1942 in the Vologda area a new 24th Rifle Division (2nd formation), with new traditions, was formed in Volgograd Oblast as part of 17th Guards Rifle Corps. During war this division was part of armies in the Western, Kalinin, Stalingrad, Don, and Southwest fronts, from April till May 1944. The division fought at Velikiye Luki, Stalingrad, Kiev, in the Carpathians, and at Morava Ostrava. In 1945 it was part of the 18th Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front.

The Division participated in Battle of Stalingrad, the Donbass offensive operation, clearing of Left-bank Ukraine, in Zhytomyr - Berdychiv, Khmelnytskyi - Chernivtsi, Lviv - Sandomierz, East - Carpathian, Western - Carpathian, Moravia - Ostrava and the Prague offensive operations.

The division's combat path finished on June 24, 1945, 100 km away from Prague. The last platoon of the division participated in Parade of the Victory led by Captain Klyuyev.

On July 10, 1945 the division was disbanded, and its number given to the 294th Rifle Division which became the 24th Rifle Division (3rd formation).

After the war
During the post-war period a place of a disposition of a division was the Carpathian Military District (in area of Lviv).

Under Ukrainian Control
After disintegration of Soviet Union the division became part of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. On April 19, 2001 by the decree of Leonid Kuchma N 268/2001, division was awarded Danylo of Halych designation. In 2003 the division was redesignated as 24th Mechanized Brigade.

Loss of its Banner
At the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the division was disbanded, apparently following the loss of its Banner (divisional colours).

As it was made known later, that the instructor of the political department of the division, senior Commissar A. V. Barbashev had the Banner while the division was trying to break out of the German encirclement. Barbashev died on August 6, 1941 near Anyutino village Cherykaw Raion Mogilev Oblast. Local farmer D.N. Tyapin later found the stained Banner on the officers corpse. He buried the body and the Banner in the local cemetery.

After clearing village Anyutino by the Soviet armies the Banner was taken and directed on to restoration. On February, 20th 1944 the restored Banner of former division was handed over to 24th Rifle Division (2nd formation). For his finding of the division's Banner, D.N. Tyapin has been honoured by being forever listed on the rolls of the 1st company of one of the division's regiments.

Russo-Finnish War

 * 7th Rifle Regiment
 * 168th Rifle Regiment
 * 274th Rifle Regiment
 * 246th Guards Artillery Regiment
 * 160th Reconnaissance Battalion
 * 315th Separate Armor Battalion

Late Soviet Period ~1988

 * 181st Tank Regiment
 * 7th Motor Rifle Regiment (Lvov)
 * 310th Motor Rifle Regiment (Рава-Русская)
 * 274th Motor Rifle Regiment
 * 849th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
 * 257th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment

2000

 * 181tp.jpg 181st Separate Armor Regiment
 * 7mp.JPG 7th Mechanized Regiment
 * 274mp.jpg 274th Mechanized Regiment
 * 310mp.jpg 310th Mechanized Regiment
 * 56bz.jpg 56th Signal Battalion
 * 29orb.JPG 29th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion
 * 30rhb.jpg 30th Chemical Battalion
 * 306oisb.JPG 306th Engineer Battalion
 * 849sap.jpg 849th Artillery Regiment
 * 396obtz.JPG 396th Combat Service Support Battalion

Awards

 * 1918 - awarded Honorable banner of Supreme Soviet
 * On September, 28th 1918 awarded the Honorable Revolutionary Red Banner
 * On December, 13th 1920 was given the honorable name "Samara"
 * On October, 25th 1921 was given the honorable name "Iron"
 * 1928 awarded the Honorable Revolutionary Red Banner
 * On February, 1st 1933 received the Order of the Red Banner
 * On April, 11th 1940 received the Order of the Red Banner (for operations in Winter war)
 * January 1944 has received the honorable name «Berdychivskaya»
 * 1944 received Order of Suvorov of 2-nd class (for clearing of the city of Chernivtsi)
 * 1944 received Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2-nd degree (for an output(exit) in foothills of Carpathian mountains)
 * October 5, 1967 received the Order of the Red Banner
 * 1978 received the Order of the October Revolution
 * 17 soldiers of a division were awarded ranks of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
 * About 9,000 of the Division's soldiers received awards and medals
 * On May 19, 2001 awarded Danylo of Halych designation.

Well-known people that served with the Division
In the division served:
 * Chairman of the Supreme body of USSR Shvernik, Nikolay Mikhajlovich
 * The marshal of Soviet Union Ivan Stepanovich Konev
 * 6 generals of army, 2 commanders of 2-nd rank, 11 general-colonels, 25 general-lieutenants, 68 general-majors.
 * Igor Rodionov, later Russian Defence Minister - during Soviet period as 24th Motor Rifle Division
 * Defector 'Viktor Suvorov' (Viktor Rezun)

Past commanders

 * Gai G. D. - July 27, 1918 - November 20, 1918
 * Pavlovskiy V. I. - November 20, 1918 - February 2, 1919
 * Vilymson E. F. - February 2, 1919 - April 25, 1919
 * Myretov M. V. - April 25, 1919 - April 30, 1919
 * Pavlovskiy V. I. - April 30, 1919 - July 21, 1920
 * Myretov M. V. - July 21, 1920 - January 11, 1921
 * Colonel Vasiliev - January 1938 -
 * Filip Fedorovich Aliabushev - 1936 - 193?
 * Colonel Veshchev Pyotr E. - 193? - December 6, 1939
 * Major General Kuzma Galitsky - December 23, 1939 - December 27, 1941
 * Major General Prohorov Fedor Alexandrovich January 1, 1942 - May 11, 1945
 * Lieutenant Colonel Lendar Kharakhalil - July 12, 2007
 * Colonel Volodymyr Trunovskyi July 12, 2007 - present

Source and See Also

 * Divisions of the Soviet Union 1917-1945
 * http://www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?part=armament&lang=en
 * V.A. Andrianov, The legendary Iron Division is 85, Military Thought, 2003