World War II The 336th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade traces its history back to the creation of the 347th Rifle Regiment of the
308th Rifle Division (2nd formation) (308th RD (II)), which was formed on March 28, 1942, from a cadre provided by the
Omsk Infantry School. The personnel of the regiment was mainly recruited from military men of the military school, residents of the Omsk Region, Altai Territory and Gorny Altai. At the end of May 1942, the 308th Rifle Division was redeployed to the
Volga Military District near the city of Saratov. On August 19, 1942, the division marched to the front and, by September 10, 1942, advanced to the front line and entered into battle with the opponents of the
24th Army,
Stalingrad Front, in the area of the
Kotluban state farm (to the north-west of
Stalingrad). In the face of the German onslaught, the 308th retreated into Stalingrad on October 2, 1942, and was re-subordinated to the
62nd Army. The combat positions of the division were in the area of the
Barrikady Factory. On November 3, 1942, the 308th RD transferred the defense of the plant to units of the
138th Rifle Division and was withdrawn to the rear. For its actions at Stalingrad between September and December 1942, the 308th Rifle Division was awarded the
Order of the Red Banner by an order dated 19 June 1943. Reassigned to the
Volga Military District to be rebuilt, the division spent the next several months reconstituting its strength. By 1 March 1943, the division was shipped back to the front and assigned to the
Kalinin Front reserves and then to the
11th Army in the
Reserve of the Supreme High Command. The division went back to the front in the
3rd Army of the
Bryansk Front in
Operation Kutuzov. Distinguishing itself in combat, the division was awarded Guards status and redesignated the
120th Guards Rifle Division. On 2 August 1944, the regiment was awarded the honorary designation "
Bialystok" for the liberation of the city of the same name. On 15 September 1945, it was awarded the
Order of Suvorov 3rd class, and on 15 April 1945, it received the
Order of Alexander Nevsky.
Postwar visits the brigade on
Navy Day at Baltiysk, 26 July 2015 After the end of the war, the regiment was relocated to
Minsk with the division later in 1945. In 1957, it was converted into the 336th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment when the division became a motor rifle unit. As a result of its performance in exercises, the 336th was chosen to be converted into a specialized naval infantry unit after the Naval Infantry reformed. In accordance with a directive of 7 June 1963, the regiment was ordered converted into the 336th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Regiment in July; it was to be stationed at
Baltiysk,
Kaliningrad Oblast. Fielding 1,519 men in peacetime, its structure was not changed when it transferred to the Naval Infantry and it was instead reequipped. The 336th consisted of three battalions of Naval Infantry equipped with the amphibious
BTR armored personnel carrier, a tank battalion with two companies of
PT-76 amphibious light tanks and a company of
T-55 main battle tanks. Artillery support was provided by a battery of
BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers and a battery of
anti-tank guided missiles, while air defense consisted of a platoon of
ZSU-23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft guns and a platoon of
9K31 Strela-1 surface-to-air missiles. Support units included support, reconnaissance, engineer, and NBC defense battalions. The conversion took place at
Uruchcha, and was completed in June, when the regiment deployed to Baltiysk in echelons. As of September 2025, elements of the brigade were reportedly operating in the area of
Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine as part of intensified Russian combat operations there. Elements of the brigade had previously been reported as operating in the area of
Novopavlivka. On June 13, 2025, the brigade received a commendation from Russian Minister of Defence
Andrey Belousov for the capture of
Komar. In December 2025, the brigade was reformed into the 120th Naval Infantry Division, retaining all its honors and decorations. The number 336 was assigned to the first regiment of the division. ==Units in the 1980s and 1990s==