3rd Guards Kotelnikovskaya Red Banner order of Suvorov Tank Division

3-я гвардейская танковая Котельниковская Краснознамённая ордена Суворова дивизия

Military Unit: 44181

Activated 4.7.45 in Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland, from the 3rd Guards Tank Corps.

Organisation 1946:

• 3rd Guards Tank Regiment
• 18th Guards Tank Regiment
• 19th Guards Tank Regiment
• 2nd Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment
• 126th Guards Heavy Tank Self-Propelled Regiment
• 266th Mortar Regiment
• 1701st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
• 000 independent Howitzer Artillery Battalion
• 324th independent Guards Mortar Battalion
• 10th independent Guards Motorcycle Battalion
• 154th independent Sapper Battalion
• 430th independent Communications Battalion
• 160th independent Medical-Sanitary Battalion
• 000 independent Auto-Transport Battalion
• 00 independent Tank Training Battalion

28.10.46 reduced to 3rd Guards Tank Regiment (mobilisation) - all attached units remained, but were downsized (regiment to battalion, battalion to company), but 28.10.48 again expanded to full size.

23.5.53 re-organised:

• 2nd Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment was renamed 120th Guards Mechanized Regiment
• 733rd Artillery Regiment was activated from the 266th Mortar Regiment and the 000 independent Howitzer Artillery Battalion
• 10th independent Motorcycle Battalion was renamed 10th independent Reconnaissance Battalion
• 000 independent Chemical Defence Company was activated

In 4.55 the 1701st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment was renamed 740th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment.

In 6.57 reorganised (ordered 12.3.57):

• 19th Guards Tank Regiment was disbanded
• 126th Guards Heavy Tank Self-Propelled Regiment became 126th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment
• 120th Guards Mechanized Regiment was renamed 296th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment
• 10th independent Guards Reconnaissance Battalion was renamed 33rd independent Guards Reconnaissance Battalion

In 1960 the 00 independent Tank Training Battalion was disbanded.

Organisation 1960:

• 3rd Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 18th Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 126th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast) - from 1962 126th Guards Tank Regiment
• 296th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 733rd Artillery Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 740th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 33rd independent Guards Reconnaissance Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 154th independent Sapper Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 430th independent Communications Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 92nd independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 000 independent Chemical Defence Company (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 160th independent Medical-Sanitary Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 000 independent Motor Transport Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)

19.2.62 re-organised:

• 92nd independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion was activated
• 256th independent Missile Battalion was activated

In 1968 the 154th independent Sapper Battalion was renamed 154th independent Engineer-Sapper Battalion.

Organisation 1970:

• 3rd Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 18th Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 126th Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 296th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 733rd Artillery Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 740th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 33rd independent Guards Reconnaissance Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 256th independent Missile Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 154th independent Engineer-Sapper Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 430th independent Communications Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 92nd independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 000 independent Chemical Defence Company (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 160th independent Medical-Sanitary Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 000 independent Motor Transport Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)

In 1980 the 000 independent Motor Transport Battalion was renamed 1018th independent Material Supply Battalion.

Organisation 1980:

• 3rd Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 18th Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 126th Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 296th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 733rd Artillery Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 740th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 33rd independent Guards Reconnaissance Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 256th independent Missile Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 154th independent Engineer-Sapper Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 430th independent Communications Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 92nd independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 000 independent Chemical Defence Company (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 160th independent Medical Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 1018th independent Material Supply Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)

Organisation 1988:

• 3rd Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 18th Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 126th Guards Tank Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 296th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 733rd Artillery Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 740th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 33rd independent Guards Reconnaissance Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 256th independent Missile Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 154th independent Engineer-Sapper Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 430th independent Communications Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 92nd independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 000 independent Chemical Defence Company (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 160th independent Medical Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 1018th independent Material Supply Battalion (Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast)

1.6.89 renamed 5357th Guards Weapons and Equipment Storage Base.

Disbanded 11.89 - the 3rd Guards Tank Regiment was transferred to the 34th Tank Division, and the 740th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment to the 37th Guards Tank Division.

Headquarters:

• Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland, 7.45 - 5.48
• Zaslonovo, Vitebsk Oblast, 5.48 - 11.89

Subordination:

• 65th Army, 7.45 - 12.6.46
• 7th Mechanised Army, 12.6.46 - 20.5.57
• 7th Tank Army, 20.5.57 - 11.89

Equipment 12.85:

• 3100 men, 322 T-72, 175 BMP-1, 15 BMP-2, 20 BTR-60, 126 122mm D-30

Divisional coordinates:

• Zaslonovo barracks [US designation: Lepel Army Barracks Zaslonovo Stantsiya AL 4]: 54 50 03N, 28 55 24E (Divisional HQ, and all attached units)

The division was maintained as a Not Ready Division - High-Strength Cadre (US terms: Category III).