4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division

The 4th Guards "Kantemirovskaya" Tank Division, more usually known as the Kantemirovskaya Division was an elite armored division of the Russian Ground Forces. It was one of the key formations of the Moscow Military District, constituting part of the 20th Army. It was one of the Russian Army's 'constant readiness' divisions, with at least 80% manpower and 100% equipment holdings at all times. It was headquartered, and all of its units are based, in the town of Naro-Fominsk, 70km south-west of Moscow.

The 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Order of Lenin and Order of the Red Banner Tank Division named after Yury Andropov, which is also deployed in the Naro-Fominsk District, has an equally distinguished history. Formerly called the 17th Tank Corps, it was established in the spring of 1942 and renamed as the 4th Guards Tank Corps in 1943 for its exploits during the battle of the Don River. The corps fought in many other strategic operations and finished the war on May 9, 1945 on the outskirts of Prague.

The Soviet tank force was overhauled in the fall of 1945; and the corps was renamed as the 4th Guards Tank Division. Just like the Tamanskaya Division, the Kantemirovskaya Division participated in Red Square parades. On September 8, 1946, when the U.S.S.R. celebrated Tanker Day, the entire division marched through Red Square. In 1991 and 1993, the division's elements were also deployed in Moscow. Its officers and men fought in both Chechen campaigns, and took part in various peacekeeping operations.

The 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Order of Lenin and Order of the Red Banner Tank Division named after Yury Andropov, which was deployed in the Naro-Fominsk District, had a distinguished history. The Kantemyrovskaya division was formed in June of 1942 in Stalingrad as the 17th Tank Corps. It was established in the spring of 1942 and renamed as the 4th Guards Tank Corps in 1943 for its exploits during the battle of the Don River. Its first fight was during the liberation of the village Kantemirovka, after which the division got its name; it participated in the battle near the Middle Don, in the Belgorod-Kharkov sector of the Kursk Bulge, during liberation of a number of cities of the right-bank Ukraine. Its forces were among the first of those who reached the Elbe River, they participated in the capture of Dresden, made a rapid raid in Czechoslovakia and finished the war on May 9, 1945 on the outskirts of Prague.

For distinction in the battle against the Nazis in the Middle Don Corps in January 1943, it was converted to 4th Guards Tank and received the honorary title of "Kantemirovsky". On 31 July 1943, on the eve of the August attack and heavy fighting in the Belgorod-Kharkov sector Kursk Bulge, when giving the body the Guard Banner, the personal composition of the compound guards took his first oath. For courage and heroism during the liberation of a number of cities on the right-bank Ukraine: Zbraj, Tarnopol, Shepetovka in April 1944, the corps was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and division and separate battalions earned 17 honorary titles: Shepetovskij, Zhytomyr, Yampolsky, Tarnopolsky. For the liberation of Krakow the Corps was awarded the Order of Lenin. The case of the first reached the river Elbe , participated in the capture of Dresden, made a rapid raid in Czechoslovakia, ended his battle on the way to the outskirts of Prague.

For courage and bravery shown soldiers and commanders corps, military units during the war Connection awarded 23 medals, the personnel of the body 18 times thanks to the Supreme Commander, 32 soldiers awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (5 of them forever enrolled in the lists), more 20,000 were awarded orders and medals, including five full members of the Order of Glory.

On 14 June 1945 the Coorps was reforme as the 4th Kantemirovskaya Division and on 13 September 1945 became part of the forces of the Order of Lenin Moscow Military District with the relocation to Naro-Fominsk, Moscow region. Just like the Tamanskaya Division, the Kantemirovskaya Division participated in Red Square parades. On September 8, 1946, when the U.S.S.R. celebrated Tanker Day, the entire division marched through Red Square.

On the evening of 26 June 1953 tanks, reportedly from the Kantemirovskaya Division, were cruising around the Mayakovskii Square and along; the Sadovoye Koltso. Beria, upon being called to a meeting of the Party Presidium on 26 June, had been placed under arrest.

Beria, allegedly planning a coup for 27 June, won the support of Col Gen Arterniev, the commander of the Moscow Military District and commander of the MOSCOW Garrison, Artemiev was allegedly Instructed by Beria to order all his troops out of the city on maneuvers, leaving Beria's MVD troops in control. To counteract Beria's move, Bulganin moved the Kantemirovskaya Division into Moscow as well as some of Marshal Timoshenkov's troops from the Belorussian Military District. On 23 February 1984 the division was named for Yu V. Andropov.

In 1991 and 1993, the division's elements were deployed to Moscow. On 23 September 1993, Defense Minister Pavel Grachev held an emergency meeting of the ministry's collegium to discuss the Armed Force's stand in the event of a sharp deterioration of the situation in the country. The ministry's chiefs and military units' commanders flatly rejected the possibility of using the army for resolving domestic political problems. In particular, the commander of the Kantemirovskaya Tank Division, which took an active part in the events of August 1991, said that his soldiers would not enter Moscow under any circumstances. According to available information, on that same day Pavel Grachev had a telephone conversation with Boris Yeltsin, in which the minister advised the president of the military's viewpoint.

The soldiers took part in peacekeeping operations in South Ossetia in 1997, in Kosovo in 1998-2002, a counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya. In honor of the division named Kantemyrivs'ka street and metro station "Kantemyrivs'ka" in Moscow, street Guardsmen Kantimirovtsev ( Kramators'k , Donetsk region).

By November 2008 the Russian Defense Ministry was said to be moving to disband the Moscow Military District's 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motorized Rifle Division and 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division, and to convert them into four brigades. Both divisions had 12,000 to 14,000 officers and men. The four brigades would have 50% more personnel, or between 18,000 and 20,000 officers and men. This made for 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers per brigade.

In the course of the military reform of 2008-2009, it was reformed into the 4th Independent Tank Brigade. The Ministry of Defence forces include the Taman Motorized Rifle Division (12,000 troops deployed near the city of Naro-Fominsk outside Moscow) and Kantemir Tank Division (8,000 troops, also based in the Moscow suburbs). These two units were frequently used in parades in Red Square. These two divisions were employed during the August putsch in 1991, during which a tank unit of Taman division switched sides and backed Boris Yeltsin.

In May 2013 Russias’ Defence Minister issued an order to recreate earlier disbanded Taman and Kantemyrovskaya tank divisions. The bases for their formation were, respectively, the 5th Separate Motorized and the 4th Tank Brigade, which will include a number of other military units. The divisions received back their historical names, and they took part in the upcoming Victory Day Parade on Red Square, where they will carry their new military banners. The Defence Ministry said that, as part of the orders from the Russian president, contained in his annual address to the Federal Assembly, the defence authority revived the names and the other most famous regiments, military units of the previous eras. These two divisions were employed during the August putsch in 1991, during which a tank unit of Taman division switched sides and backed Boris Yeltsin.

An inspection team from the Austrian Armed Forces visited the training facilities of the Kantemirovskaya tank division of the Western Military District, which is stationed in the Moscow region, the Western Military District's press service reported 02 February 2016. "The foreign military inspectors were shown elements of the formation's range and a combat practice," Western Military District spokesman Igor Muginov told Interfax.

The Austrian inspectors were briefed by the First Tank Army commander and the commanders of the Kantemirovskaya and Tamanskaya formations of the Western Military District, and an artillery regiment of an airborne formation about the formations and military units and the military activity ongoing within the limits of the aforesaid territory, he said. The inspection was made in fulfillment of the 2011 Vienna document on confidence and security-building measures.

Units - 2017

12th Shepetovsky Guards Tank Order of the Suvorov and Kutuzov Regiment named after Marshal of the Armored Forces P.P. Poluboyarov, military unit 31985 (Moscow Region, Naro-Fominsk): management, 1st tank battalion, 2nd tank battalion, 3rd tank battalion, motorized rifle battalion, sniper rifle company, howitzer self-propelled artillery battalion, anti-aircraft missile and artillery division, reconnaissance company, combat engineer company, communications company, repair company company of material support, RHBZ platoon, commandant platoon. In service: 94 units. T-80U, 41 units. BMP-2, 18 units 122mm cr 2C1 "Carnation", 8 units 120 mm mortars 2S12 "Sled", 4 units. BM 9A34 (35) "Arrow-10", 4 units. ZSU 2S6M "Tunguska".

13th Guards Tank Shepetovsky Red Banner Orders of the Suvorov and Kutuzov Regiment, military unit 32010 (Moscow Region, Naro-Fominsk): command, 1st tank battalion, 2nd tank battalion, 3rd tank battalion, motorized rifle battalion , rifle company of snipers, howitzer self-propelled artillery division, anti-aircraft missile and artillery division, reconnaissance company, engineering and combat engineer company, communications company, repair company, material support company, platoon RCBZ, commandant platoon. In service: 94 units. T-80U, 41 units. BMP-2, 18 units 122mm cr 2C1 "Carnation", 8 units 120 mm mortars 2S12 "Sled", 4 units. BM 9A34 (35) "Arrow-10", 4 units. ZSU 2S6M "Tunguska".

423rd Yampol Motorized Rifle Regiment, military unit 91701 (Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Region, formation in 2016-2017): command, 1st Motorized Rifle Battalion, 2nd Motorized Rifle Battalion, 3rd Motorized Rifle Battalion, tank battalion, rifle company of snipers, howitzer self-propelled artillery battalion, anti-aircraft missile and artillery battalion, reconnaissance company, engineer-sapper company, communications company, repair company, logistics support company, platoon rkhbz, commandant platoon. In service: 41 units. T-72B3, 129 units. BMP-2, 18 units 122mm cr 2C1 "Carnation", 18 units 120 mm mortars 2S12 "Sled", 4 units. BM 9A34 (35) "Arrow-10", 4 units. ZSU 2S6M "Tunguska".

275th Guards Self-propelled Artillery Tarnopol Red Banner Orders of the Suvorov and Kutuzov Regiment, military unit 73941 (Moscow Region, Naro-Fominsk): command, 1st howitzer self-propelled artillery division, 2nd howitzer self-propelled artillery division rocket artillery division, artillery reconnaissance battery, control battery, repair company, material support company, commandant platoon. In service: 36 units. 152 mm sg 2S33 MSTA-SM, 18 units MLRS 2B17-1 "Tornado-G".

538th Guards anti-aircraft missile missile Tarnopol Order of the Alexander Nevsky Regiment at the 9K331M Tor-M2 SAM, military unit 51383 (Moscow Region, Naro-Fominsk): command, command post, four anti-aircraft missile batteries (4 combat vehicles 9A331M each) and 9C737 / 9C737M Battery Rangir / Ranzhir-M battery commander in each), technical battery, repair company, material support company.

137th Separate Reconnaissance Dembitsky Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevsky 2nd degree battalion, military unit 54919 (Moscow Region, Naro-Fominsk): command, 1st reconnaissance company, 2nd reconnaissance company, 3rd reconnaissance and landing company , a company of electronic intelligence, a communications company, a platoon of material support, a repair platoon.

413rd separate Dembitsky Order of the Red Star communications battalion, military unit 56132 (Moscow region, Naro-Fominsk): command, communications company (communications center KP), communications company (control points), communications platoon (mobile communications) , communication center (stationary), platoon of technical support, platoon of material support.

330th separate engineer-engineer battalion of Ternopil battalion, military unit 80808 (Moscow region, Naro-Fominsk): management, engineer-sapper company, engineering and road company, engineering company, pontoon company.

1088th separate battalion of material support, military unit 56164 (Moscow region, Naro-Fominsk): management, automobile company for the delivery of ammunition, automobile company for the supply of fuel, automobile company for the supply of food, support company, automobile repair platoon.

165th separate medical battalion, military unit 57069 (Moscow region, Naro-Fominsk): management, medical company, medical platoon, evacuation platoon, material support platoon.

Separate UAV company (Moscow region, Naro-Fominsk): control, calculation of a UAV of type 1, calculation of a UAV of type 2, a platoon of short-range UAVs.

Separate EW company (Moscow Region, Naro-Fominsk): control, platoon of control, platoon of HF radio interference platoon, platoon of VHF radio interference platoon, platoon of VHF radio interference platoon of aviation, platoon of radio jamming mobile communications and satellite communication systems (satellite navigation systems), platoon radio interference to the radio lines for the management of HE / shell explosions.

Separate company RHBZ (Moscow region, Naro-Fominsk): control, platoon RHBZ reconnaissance platoon, special processing platoon aerosol counter, flamethrower platoon.

Separate evacuation company (Moscow region, the city of Naro-Fominsk).