World War II It traces its history from Moscow militia units of the
Second World War. The division was originally formed as the Moscow Worker's Division on 28 October 1941 in the
Moscow Military District. On 14 November it was redesignated the
3rd Moscow Communist Rifle Division (also reported as the 3rd Moscow Communist People's Militia Division). It received a baptism of fire in the northwestern part of the group of the
Moscow Defense Zone. It then became the
130th Rifle Division (Second Formation) on 22 January 1942. The division was given a Guards banner on 8 December 1942 in the North-Western Front, when it became
53rd Guards Rifle Division. On 28 April 1943 the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In August 1944 it received the honorary name of "Tartu". From Moscow it fought through the cities of Staraya Russa, Leningrad, Pskov, Tartu, and Riga. With
51st Army of the Kurland Group (
Leningrad Front) May 1945. The division ended the war on 9 May in
Liepāja, Latvia. During the war, two women snipers from the division,
Maria Polivanova and
Natalya Kovshova, were awarded the title
Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, Azerbaijani
Junior Lieutenant Ziba Ganiyeva was a female sniper with the division who accounted for 21 kills and was awarded the
Medal For the Defence of Moscow,
Order of the Red Banner and the
Order of the Red Star.
Cold War On 14 May 1946, the division became the 1st Separate Guards Rifle Brigade. On 18 September 1953, it became the 62nd Guards Mechanised Division. The division became a motor rifle division on 26 March 1957, and has been stationed at
Kovrov,
Vladimir Oblast ever since. On 23 April 1960, it was converted into a training unit. The division's original World War II number was restored on 1 December 1964 when it was renumbered as the 53rd Guards Motor Rifle Training Division. In October 1966 it received the honorific "Moscow". The division was awarded with a Banner of the CPSU Central Committee, the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet and the Council of Ministers, the sign "50 years of the USSR", Honorary Diploma of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The division became the 26th Guards Tank Training Division on 29 December 1979. On 3 October 1987 the 26th Guards Tank Training Division became the 467th District Training Centre.
Russian Ground Forces At the end of the
Cold War, the
11th Guards Tank Division's 44th Guards Tank Regiment withdrew from Germany to
Vladimir in the
Russian Federation, joining the centre, in the
Moscow Military District. On its arrival it absorbed the 9th Tank Training Regiment. The 71st anniversary of the division was marked by the descendant 467th Guards District Training Centre in 2013. A veteran who attended the feast, Stanislav Iofin, one of the first volunteer militia - and one of the 29 survivors said '..In the division were more than 700 people [sic; probably referring to female personnel]: snipers, machine gunners, and there was even a female mortar crew! Among them, a lot of
Heroes of the Soviet Union, and the man who was awarded the highest award - the
Order of Lenin - was also a woman. Women fought with dignity, they deserve the utmost respect.' == Notes ==