Second World War The 12th Guards Airborne Division was formed on 23 December 1943 from three Guards Airborne Brigades as part of the
38th Guards Airborne Corps. However, some Soviet accounts state that it began formation months later in March 1944. The division's first commander was
Mikhail Denisenko, who had commanded the 202nd Airborne Brigade before the war. On 18 December 1944, it became the 105th Guards Rifle Division in
Maryina Horka. On 5 January 1945, it was assigned to the
38th Guards Rifle Corps. From 21 January to 20 February, it was transported to
Szolnok, where the corps became part of the
9th Guards Army. On 30 March, the division crossed the
Rába. The 351st Guards Airborne Regiment was added to the division from the
106th Guards Airborne Division. From the division remained in the city of
Fergana the
345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment (much stronger than the usual regimental size) with the separate 115th military-transport aviation squadron. The rest of the personnel of the division were reassigned to fill out other incomplete airborne units and formations and to the newly formed air assault brigades. Based on the division's 351st Guards Parachute Regiment, the
56th Guards Air Assault Brigade was formed in Azadbash,
Chirchik district,
Tashkent Oblast,
Uzbek SSR. Meanwhile, the 111th Guards Parachute Regiment became the
35th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade. On the basis of the 387th Regiment, the 4th Airborne Brigade was formed. Later, the brigade became the 17th Air Assault Brigade of the
Uzbekistan Ground Forces. The unit took part in the
Andijan massacre, being led by Colonel
Pavel Ergashev. == Commanders ==