180th Rifle Division

180th Rifle Division 180th Motor Rifle Division
Active	1940–1989
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Soviet Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Motorized Infantry
Size	Division
Garrison/HQ	Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky (2nd formation)
Engagements	World War II Baltic Operation Demyansk Pocket Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh Offensive Battle of Kiev First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive Siege of Budapest
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner (2nd formation) Order of Suvorov 2nd class (2nd formation) Order of Kutuzov 2nd class (2nd formation)
Battle honours	Kiev (2nd formation)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Serafim Merkulov

The 180th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Red Army, formed thrice.

The division was first formed in September 1939 but this unit was disbanded a few months later. It was reformed in August 1940 from Estonian personnel after the Soviet occupation of that country. The first wartime formation of the division became the 28th Guards Rifle Division in May 1942. The second wartime formation was formed in June 1942, and served through the rest of the war.

The division briefly became the 14th Rifle Division in 1955, then 88th Motor Rifle Division 1957, but became 180th Kiev Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Motor Rifle Division in 1965 and remained under that title until the 1990s.^[1] After 1992 became Ukrainian 27th Mechanized Brigade. The 27th Mechanized Brigade was disbanded, most likely in the early 2000s.

The 180th Rifle Division was formed in September 1939 by the expansion of a regiment of the 6th Rifle Division in the Oryol Military District, but was disbanded in January 1940.^[2][3]

The 180th Rifle Division was formed again during August and September 1940 in the Baltic Special Military District. It was part of the 22nd Territorial Rifle Corps (Estonian) and was composed of Estonian People's Force personnel. It was commanded by Major General Richard Tomberg, the former commander of the Estonian Air Force.^[4] On 3 June 1941, Major General Ivan Missan replaced Tomberg in command.^[5] On 22 June 1941, it was based in Võru, which was in the rear area. While moving forward, it was attacked by German aircraft. The division entered combat on 26 June against the LVI Panzer Corps, which was attacking the 27th Army in the Daugava region. On 9 July, the division and its parent formation, the 22nd Rifle Corps, were transferred from the 27th Army to the 11th Army. It fought in defensive battles, making counterattacks in Soltsy, Porkhov and Novorzhev. In August it had retreated back to the Staraya Russa area. In September 1941, the division fought in the Demyansk Defensive Operation. It then fought in the Demyansk Pocket in early 1942. On 3 May 1942, the division became the 28th Guards Rifle Division for its actions.^[6]

The second formation of the division was created at Cherepovets in June 1942 from the 41st Rifle Brigade.^[7] It fought at Kiev, Târgu Frumos, and Budapest.^[8] The division was part of the 53rd Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in May 1945. During the war, the division was awarded the honorific Kiev for its actions during the 1943 capture of Kiev. It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov 2nd class and the Order of Kutuzov 2nd class.

In 1955, it became the 14th Rifle Division.^[9] On 17 May 1957, the 88th Motor Rifle Division was activated from the 14th Rifle Division in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, part of the 14th Guards Army.^[10] On 19 February 1962, the 276th Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion was activated along with the 244th Separate Missile Battalion.^[1]

On 17 November 1964, the 88th Motor Rifle Division became the 180th Motor Rifle Division, restoring its World War II numbering. In 1967, the 14th Army became the 14th Guards Army. On 15 November 1972, the 1303rd Separate Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion was activated along with a separate Reactive Artillery Battalion. In 1980, the Separate Motor Transport Battalion became the 1041st Separate Material Supply Battalion. During the same year, the 136th Artillery Regiment absorbed the reactive artillery battalion. During the Cold War, the division was maintained at 16% strength. On 1 December 1989, the division was ordered to become the 5775th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base, but this was appears to have been delayed to at least 1991. In 1990, CFE treaty data showed the division had 61 T-64 tanks, 13 T-54 tanks and 12 BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers, among other equipment. In January 1992, the storage base was taken over by Ukraine.^[1]

It became the 27th Separate Mechanized Brigade and was subordinated to the 1st Airmobile Division. The brigade was disbanded in 2004.^[11]

• Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.
• Meltyukhov, Mikhail (2008). Упущенный шанс Сталина. Схватка за Европу: 1939-1941 гг [Stalin's Missed Chance: The Struggle for Europe, 1939–1941] (in Russian) (3rd ed.). Moscow: Veche. ISBN 978-5-9533-2697-1.