The Ministry of Defense is reviving the legendary “Chechen division. The Ministry of Defense is reviving the legendary “Chechen division 42 division in Chechnya 71 regiment

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"Evpatoriya"

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42nd Guards Evpatoriya Red Banner Motorized Rifle Division- military formation of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of the USSR and the Russian Armed Forces. In June 2009, as part of the ongoing reform in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, three motorized rifle brigades of permanent readiness of a new organizational structure, each numbering about 3.5 thousand people, were created on the basis of the 42nd motorized rifle division. 17th separate guards motorized rifle brigade (Borzoi, Chechen Republic) former. 291st Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, 18th Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Motorized Rifle Brigade (Khankala and Kalinovskaya, Chechen Republic). The brigade headquarters are located in the settlements of Khankala, Shali and Borzoi.

Story

• The formation was formed in July 1940 in Vologda as the 111th Rifle Division on the basis of the 29th reserve brigade of the Arkhangelsk Military District. She met the war as part of the Kyiv Special Military District in the Vinnitsa region.
• On March 17, 1942, for the courage and courage shown in battles with the German invaders, for the discipline, organization, and heroism of the personnel, the 111th Rifle Division, by order of the USSR NKO No. 78, was transformed into the 24th Guards Rifle Division. With the start of counter-offensive operations, the division takes part in the liberation of the south of Ukraine and Crimea. For successful military operations to capture the cities of Evpatoria and Saki, by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 0185 dated April 24, 1944, she was awarded the honorary name “Evpatoria”, and for participation in the battles for the liberation of Sevastopol, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 25, 1944, she was awarded the Order Red Banner. Later he took part in the liberation of Western Ukraine and Poland. At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, as part of the strike group of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the division took part in the Berlin offensive operation. Over 14,000 officers, sergeants and soldiers of the unit were awarded orders and medals for courage and heroism shown during the war, 11 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
• At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the division was withdrawn to the Bryansk region and included in the Smolensk Military District. In February 1946, it was included in the Moscow Military District.
• By September 1, 1949, the division was redeployed to Grozny in the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and reorganized into the 24th Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Mountain Rifle Division of the North Caucasus Military District, which took place in 1950, and was re-equipped for 1951-1954. mountain training.
• On June 1, 1957, the formation was transformed into the 42nd Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Motorized Rifle Division of the 12th Army Corps.
• At the end of the 1960s. the division became a training division. In 1987, the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Training Evpatoria Red Banner Division was reorganized into the 173rd Guards District Training Evpatoria Red Banner Training Center for junior specialists (motorized rifle troops).
• The division was equipped with a double staff of armored vehicles, weapons and ammunition. In case of war, it was planned to create two full-blooded divisions on its base. There was already one and only from training it became combat. The second was mobilized by the local population. The second state of weapons, ammunition and ammunition, which were stored in its arsenals, was intended for it.
• By the summer of 1991, the training division had more than 400 armored vehicles. These were mainly tanks: T-62, T-72, BMP-1, various MTLB special vehicles, etc.

• The district training center included:
  • 70th Guards Training Motorized Rifle Regiment (Grozny);
  • 71st Guards Training Motorized Rifle Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Regiment (Grozny);
  • 72nd Guards Training Motorized Rifle Koenigsberg Red Banner Regiment (Grozny);
  • 392nd training tank regiment (Shali);
  • 50th Guards Training Artillery Regiment (Grozny);
  • 1203rd training anti-aircraft artillery regiment;
  • 95th separate training missile division (Grozny);
  • 479th separate training communications battalion (Grozny);
  • 539th separate training engineer battalion (Shali);
  • 367th separate training automobile battalion;
  • 106th separate training medical battalion.

• From September to December 1991, it was possible to remove some equipment and weapons from Chechnya by rail. But no more than 20% of the funds available there.
• In 1992, the 173rd Guards District Training Center was disbanded. By General Staff Directive No. 314/3/0159 of January 4, 1992, the 173rd Guards District Training Center was to be disbanded and weapons were to be removed.
• A coded telegram from the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army P.S. Grachev, dated May 20, 1992, allowed the commander of the North Caucasian Military District to transfer 50 percent of the military equipment and weapons from the 173rd Guards Training Center to the Chechen Republic.
• In 1992, when the division was disbanded, the following were transferred to the Chechen Republic: 42 tanks, 36 BMP-2, 14 armored personnel carriers, 44 MTLB, 139 guns and mortars, 101 anti-tank weapons, 27 multiple launch rocket systems, 2 helicopters, 268 aircraft, of which 5 were combat aircraft. 57,000 small arms, 27 wagons of ammunition, 3 thousand tons of fuel and lubricants, 254 tons of food.
• In December 1999, it was decided to station the division on a permanent basis in the Chechen Republic. At the same time, the arrangement of the division's locations began, which was completed during 2000. The division became part of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Red Banner North Caucasus Military District.
• In March 2000, according to the directive of the Chief of the General Staff, the 506th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Volga Military District became the 71st Motorized Rifle Regiment in the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division being formed on the territory of the Chechen Republic.
• For this purpose, a military camp with all the infrastructure was set up in the village of Khankala in the suburbs of Grozny. 20 modular-type prefabricated barracks, a hospital, and several storage hangars were built here.
• On April 1, 2000, in the city of Podolsk, Moscow Region, the 478th Separate Guards Order of the Red Star communications battalion (battalion commander - Guard Major D. Polynkov) was awarded the Battle Banner. By directive of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the battalion was included in the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division with a deployment in the Chechen Republic.
• On April 14, 2000, the 478th Guards Obs arrived at its permanent location.
• April 4, 2000 from n.p. Alabino, Moscow Region, the 72nd Guards Motorized Rifle Koenigsberg Red Banner Regiment, formed on the basis of the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Taman Order of the October Revolution Red Banner Order of Suvorov Division named after M. I. Kalinin, left the division. The regiment was redeployed to the village of Kalinovskaya, Naursky district, without military equipment. The regiment's strength is 2.5 thousand military personnel. They were recruited from Moscow and other military districts. During April 2000, the regiment received weapons and equipment, and units arrived at their places of permanent deployment.
• According to the directive of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Moscow Military District also formed a division control. In the future, the MVO carries out rotation of officers and warrant officers.
• In the division of military personnel serving under contract, up to 50%, military personnel serving on conscription have served for at least 6 months.
• On April 13, 2000, the 72nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment arrived in the village of Kalinovskaya, Naursky district.
• On May 15, 2000, they began organizing the regiment in Kalinovskaya. At the beginning of July 2000, the regiment's town came into operation.
• In mid-April 2000, the 291st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment began being sent from the Leningrad Military District to its place of permanent deployment in Chechnya.
• At first, it was decided to place the regiment in the village. Itum-Kale. At the end of June 2000, a decision was made to station the regiment in the village. Greyhound due to the difficult terrain and to save money.
• On April 28, 2000, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Marshal I. D. Sergeev, reported to acting. O. President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin on the completion of the formation of the 42nd motorized rifle division.
• On May 1, 2000, the formation of the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division was completed. The division administration and regiments were presented with Battle Banners, but without orders or registration cards. The historical form of the formation was also not transferred to the division headquarters.
• The government allocated $1.5 billion for the development of military camps and forts, and 6 thousand military builders and civilian specialists, as well as about 450 units of construction equipment, participated in their development.
• Since May 2000, the 70th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment has been serving in the village of Shali. It is staffed by 35% with contract soldiers and sergeants, mainly from the Tyumen region. The regiment's battalions consist of four companies.
• By the end of July 2000, the 1st stage of the division's deployment was completed. In Khankala, the restoration of permanent buildings and technical facilities was completed; in the Kalinovskaya garrison, a complex of buildings and structures was put into operation. In the Borzoi garrison, work was completed by the end of 2000.
• The 2nd stage of the division's arrangement was completed in 2001, the construction of the parking garage and utility and storage areas of the garrison was completed.
• The division is deployed in four garrisons and its composition (15,000 people - 1,450 officers and 600 warrant officers, 130 tanks, 350 armored combat vehicles, 200 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 100 artillery pieces with a caliber above 100 mm, 5 heavy bridgelayers) includes 5 regiments, 9 separate battalions and divisions and support units:
  • Division headquarters (Khankala);
  • 70th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (Shali village);
  • 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Regiment (Khankala);
  • 72nd Guards Motorized Rifle Koenigsberg Red Banner Regiment (stanitsa Kalinovskaya, Naursky district, 2600 people, military unit 42839);-
  • 291st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (Borzoi settlement, military unit 44822);
  • 50th Guards Artillery Regiment (Shali);
  • 478th Separate Guards Order of the Red Star Signal Battalion (Khankala);-
  • 539th separate engineer battalion;
  • 524th separate repair and restoration battalion;
  • 474th separate logistics battalion;
  • 106th separate medical battalion.
• The regiments in Shali and Itum-Kale were stationed in fortresses. For them, fort structures were built taking into account protection from fire damage. In Itum-Kale, to enhance the security of military personnel, a deep ditch was dug along the perimeter of the fortress. Firing points were installed on the fortress towers to monitor the surrounding areas. On the heights located around the fortress, 6 fire support points for the fortress garrison, as well as other fortifications, were created.
• As part of the ongoing reform in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, on the basis of the 42nd motorized rifle division, three motorized rifle brigades of permanent readiness with a new organizational structure of about 3.5 thousand people each were created. 17th separate guards motorized rifle brigade (Shali, Chechen Republic) former. 291st Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, 18th Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Motorized Rifle Brigade (Khankala and Kalinovskaya, Chechen Republic).

Combat path during the Great Patriotic War

• The history of the 42nd Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Motorized Rifle Division begins on the eve of the Great Patriotic War. The division was formed in July 1940 in Vologda as the 111th Rifle Division on the basis of the 29th Reserve Brigade of the Arkhangelsk Military District.
• In the active army from June 22, 1941 to March 17, 1942. On June 22, 1941, he was stationed in summer camps near Vologda.
• On July 16, 1940, the division was fully formed. July 16, 1940 - unit day. Until March 1941, the 111th Infantry Division was staffed by 3,000 people.
• According to the “Certificate on the deployment of the Armed Forces of the USSR in the event of war in the West,” prepared by N. F. Vatutin on May 13, 1941, the 111th Infantry Division was supposed to be included as a separate unit in the 28th Army.
• From June 10 to June 20, 1941, the 111th Infantry Division was replenished with 6,000 enlisted personnel. The peacetime staff of No. 4/120 in the spring of 1941 was 5,900 people.
• The division met the beginning of the war in the Vinnitsa region. On June 22, 1941, the 111th Infantry Division met in field camps at the Kushchuba training center, 50 km from Vologda.
• From June 24 to June 30, 1941, the 111th Infantry Division was included in the 41st Rifle Corps of the Moscow Military District. The division was redeployed through Yaroslavl and Leningrad. With the 41st, the division left for the Northwestern Front. On June 30, 1941, the corps arrived in the area of ​​​​the city of Ostrov, Pskov region, to occupy the defense in the Ostrovsky and Pskov fortified areas. Under enemy fire, units of the division unloaded at the stations of Pskov, Cherskaya, Ostrov and straight from the wheels into battle. On July 10, the first division commander, Colonel I.M. Ivanov, died.
• On July 1, 1941, the 41st Rifle Corps became part of the 11th Army of the North-Western Front. From July 3 to July 4, 1941, the division received its baptism of fire at the turn of the Velikaya River near the city of Ostrov.
• On August 1, 1941, the corps became part of the Luga operational group of the North-Western Front. The division defended itself northwest of the city of Luga and the Luga River, in the area of ​​the village of Maramorka (35 km from Pskov towards Luga). On September 1, 1941, it became part of the Southern Operational Group of the Leningrad Front.
• From October 1, the division was directly subordinate to the commander of the Leningrad Front.
• In October 1941, the 111th Infantry Division emerged from encirclement. The division was completed.
• On November 1, 1941, the division became part of the 52nd Separate Army.
• From November 10 to December 30, 1941, the division as part of the 52nd Separate Army took part in the Tikhvin offensive operation. She also participated in the Lyuban operation.
• On November 12, 1941, the division as part of the 52nd Separate Army went on the offensive north and south of Malaya Vishera, delivering a flank attack on the base of the enemy wedge. For a week there were hot battles on the approaches to Malaya Vishera. Due to shortcomings in the organization of the offensive, the 259th, 267th and 111th Rifle Divisions only broke through the enemy’s defenses on November 18, liberated a number of settlements and captured Malaya Vishera on the night of November 20th.
• On December 16, the troops of the 52nd Separate Army, having defeated the enemy garrison in Bolshaya Vishera, began to advance to the Volkhov River.
• The troops of the 4th and 52nd armies, united on December 17, 1941 into the Volkhov Front, reached the Volkhov River by the end of December and captured several bridgeheads on its left bank, throwing back the fascist German troops to the line from which they began their attack on Tikhvin .
• On December 17, 1941, the division as part of the 52nd Army of the Volkhov Front, in accordance with the directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters No. 005826, received the task of capturing Novgorod and further advancing in the direction of Solets to ensure the offensive of the Volkhov Front to the north-west.
• On February 1, 1942, the division became part of the 2nd Shock Army of the Volkhov Front. From March 1, 1942, the division operated as part of the operational group of General Korovnikov of the 59th Army of the Volkhov Front.
• On March 17, 1942, for the courage and courage shown in battles with the German invaders, for the discipline, organization, and heroism of the personnel, the 111th Rifle Division, by order of the USSR NKO No. 78, was transformed into the 24th Guards Rifle Division.
• In August 1942, near the village of Valkovo near Volkhov, the division was awarded the Guards Banner. At the end of August 1942, the division as part of the 6th Guards Rifle Corps became part of the 8th Army of the Volkhov Front. From August 19 to October 1, 1942, the division took part in the Sinyavin offensive operation.
• On the right flank of the 8th Army, Major General S. T. Biyakov’s 6th Guards Rifle Corps, which included the 3rd, 19th and 24th Guards and 128th Rifle Divisions, was advancing on Sinyavino.
• On September 6, 1942, the division was withdrawn from the 6th Guards Rifle Corps and began to report directly to the commander of the 8th Army. Subsequently, the 8th Army, consisting of the 24th Guards, 265th, 11th, 286th Rifle Divisions and the 1st Separate Mountain Rifle Brigade, received the task of firmly holding the line Kelkolovo - 1st Estonian village - Tortolovo - Voronovo and reliably ensuring the actions of 2 th shock army from counterattacks from the south.
• On October 15, 1942, the division was withdrawn from the Volkhov Front to the reserve of the Supreme High Command Headquarters. It was redeployed by railway along the route Tikhvin - Cherepovets - Vologda - Yaroslavl - Moscow - Tambov - Platonovka station. Then the division made a foot march near Rasskazovo. Here the division became part of the 1st Guards Rifle Corps of the 2nd Guards Army. The division received reinforcements, mainly cadets from military schools and sailors of the Pacific Fleet.
• On the afternoon of December 4, 1942, the division received an order to load onto railway trains, and as night fell, the first units of the division were already boarding the cars. The division was unloaded at the Ilovlya and Log stations. In the first day the division marched 65 km, in the second - no less. By the evening of December 14, 1942, the division arrived in Kalach.
• At the beginning of December 1942, the 2nd Guards Army was part of the Don Front, and on December 15, when the offensive of Nazi troops from the Kotelnikovsky (Kotelnikovo) region began with the goal of clearing the encircled troops in Stalingrad, it was transferred to the Stalingrad Front (from 1 January 1943 - Southern Front).
• On December 14, 1942, having received a combat order to advance to the line of the Myshkova River, the division made a difficult forced march in winter conditions, covering 200-280 km from the unloading sites to the concentration areas.
• By December 19, 1942, the division occupied a prepared defense from Nizhne-Kumsky to the south.
• Having entered the battle at the turn of the Myshkova River, the division played a decisive role in repelling the enemy’s attack, and on December 24, 1942, the division went on the offensive and forced the Nazi troops to begin retreating to the south.
• On December 29, 1942, the division liberated Kotelnikovsky. Developing an offensive in the Rostov direction, the division liberated the city of Novocherkassk on February 13, 1943, and 3 days later it reached the Mius River, where, having met stubborn enemy resistance, it went on the defensive.
• In August - September 1943, the division, as part of the troops of the Southern Front, participated in the Donbass operation of 1943, and at the end of September - October in the Melitopol operation of 1943, during which in early November it reached the Dnieper River and the Black Sea coast.
• In December 1943, after stubborn fighting, the division took part in the liquidation of the enemy's bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
• In February 1944, the division was redeployed to the Perekop Isthmus area and in April - May took part in the Crimean operation of 1944.
• For successful military operations to capture the cities of Evpatoria and Saki, by order of the NKO USSR No. 0185 dated April 24 (14), 1944, the division was given the honorary name “Evpatoria”, and for participation in the battles to liberate Sevastopol by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 25 (10 July) 1944, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
• Developing a decisive offensive in the Crimea, the division, in cooperation with other troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, liberated the hero city of Sevastopol on May 9, 1944. From May 5 to 9, 1944, the division took part in the assault on Sevastopol. The division's regiments broke through the enemy's fortifications on the Mekenzi Mountains, crossed the seven-kilometer Northern Bay with battles, and fought for the liberation of the northern Korabelnaya Side, the center of Sevastopol - Rudolfova Sloboda.
• In May - June 1944, the division as part of the 2nd Guards Army was redeployed to the area of ​​​​the cities of Dorogobuzh and Yelnya and on July 8 became part of the 1st Baltic Front.
• In July - August, the division took part in the Siauliai operation of 1944, during which it repelled strong enemy counterattacks to the west and north-west of Siauliai; in October - in the Memel operation of 1944.
• In December 1944, the division was transferred to the 3rd Belorussian Front and in January - April 1945 took part in the East Prussian operation of 1945, during which it successfully broke through the enemy’s long-term defenses, destroyed, together with other front troops, the encircled group of the south west of the city of Koenigsberg and the Zemland enemy group.
• The division took part in the Insterburg-Königsberg operation, fought 90 kilometers and stormed Königsberg.
• On April 15 and 16, 1945, the successful landing of two tactical landings of the 24th Guards Rifle Division on the Königsberg Canal dam in the Zimmerbud area and fire support from armored boats allowed the troops of the 43rd Army to capture the enemy strongholds of Zimmerbud and Paise and clear the canal dam. This created favorable conditions for the advance of front troops along the coast of Frishes Huff Bay and the deployment of armored boats. The division landed on the Fishes-Nerud spit and made a significant contribution to the capture of Pillau.
• At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the division was withdrawn to the Bryansk region and included in the Smolensk Military District. Here the division was reorganized into the 3rd Separate Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Rifle Brigade.

Contrary to skeptical forecasts and despite the objective economic difficulties experienced by the state, the command of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division still managed to transfer its unit to a contract in just one year, as provided for by the federal target program. Moreover, the entire personnel - and this is about 13,000 people! Of course, the main role in this was played by positive motivation for potential candidates for rank and file and command positions and a well-selected staff of officers.

I will not give a complete list of material and other incentives for serving in the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division (even if the Ministry of Defense is more actively involved in this), I will only say about some of them. For example, length of service for calculating a pension is calculated on the basis of one and a half months (or three months - for the time of actual participation in hostilities). And the monthly allowance from January 1, 2004 includes an allowance for special conditions of combat training, and with the deduction of personal income tax it is for a private rifleman - at least 15,000 rubles, for a senior lieutenant-platoon commander - about 19,000, and for the regiment commander - almost 24,000. Moreover, these amounts do not include monetary rewards for participation in hostilities - “combat”. Smart officers in the 42nd can also expect rapid career growth: if in other army formations they receive the next rank only after three years, then in Chechnya - after a year and a half. The so-called “ballast” in the division is now regularly cleared with the help of certification commissions, and the combat situation sometimes forces commanders to raise their personal level and engage in self-education. Therefore, probably, not only for the sake of a nice word, one of the division officers once uttered the following phrase: “The backbone of the Russian Armed Forces is, first of all, the officer corps, and if this bone is healthy, healthy meat will grow on it.”

As for the soldiers and non-commissioned officers, the district commander decided in advance to create a freelance training center on the basis of the 72nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division in Kalinovskaya, where people sent by military registration and enlistment offices from various regions of the country for three weeks 8 hours of training per day, they underwent additional training in their military specialties. Moreover, as part of regular units, together with those conscripted military personnel (as a rule, who served for 1.5-2 years) who also entered into contracts. And such large-scale joint preparation yielded positive results. Since the age limit for contract soldiers was different - up to forty years old - young people helped older contract soldiers to get involved in the service, and they, in turn, gradually restored their own military skills and abilities. And only after three weeks of additional training were these already partially coordinated staff units distributed to their units.

For example, the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment in Khankala, according to the deputy commander for educational work, Lieutenant Colonel Gennady Kostrykin, by the end of 2004 was already 91.6% staffed. 1,244 military personnel arrived at the unit from the training center. About 40% of new arrivals were under 25 years of age, almost the same number were under 30, and up to 18% were under 40. 347 people entered into contracts while serving under conscription. The tank company, reconnaissance company and motorized rifle battalions were able to be staffed to 100% (or so), but such specialties as driver mechanic, electrician driver, BMP gunner-operator, cook are in short supply. The staffing levels are approximately the same in other parts of the division.

On December 1, 2004, a ten-month combat training program began operating in the formation. To put it simply, soldiers are first trained to defend themselves competently: individually, as part of a squad, platoon and, finally, a company, and then, in the same order of increasing complexity, to attack. It must be said that a similar training program for conscripted military personnel was designed for only 5 months (the “conscripts” changed every six months, which means that fewer hours were allocated for their training on each topic). Now commanders plan not only to better train military personnel in military affairs, but also to achieve greater coherence in their actions in the field. It’s just that the existing levers of influence on errant or openly dishonest subordinates, in the opinion of the overwhelming majority of officers, are not enough - reprimands alone, even severe ones, cannot bring proper order, and therefore it is time to restore such a measure of punishment as a guardhouse in the disciplinary regulations . According to the command, even greater harm and losses to the state are caused by legislative shortcomings regarding the termination of contracts by military personnel. It is not uncommon for cases when, after a month or two of staying in a division, other rogue or simply infantile soldiers terminate contracts with the Ministry of Defense, without having any serious grounds for this, since de jure they subsequently do not bear any responsibility for such actions.

Unfortunately, as the regimental commanders said, a radical renewal of the fleet of combat vehicles and other equipment is not expected in the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division in the near future. For example, tank companies only have T-62 tanks that fought in the 80s. in Afghanistan, and motorized rifle battalions of individual units have not yet received BMP-2s. So, in the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, 60% of the equipment came after a major overhaul, the rest of the equipment is old and has expired. It gets to the point that many contract servicemen, once trained to operate the T-72, have to be hastily retrained to use tanks of the 1960s. In the 70th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, which is stationed in Shali, the situation with equipment is the same: either old-style equipment arrives there from storage bases, or after overhaul - T-62, BMP-1. Although, as the head of the organizational and planning department of the technical unit of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division, Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Demidenko, assured, the district command has already made a decision to switch some units, in particular the 70th Motorized Rifle Division, to more “fresh” BMP-2 vehicles during this year. In his own words, “The T-72 is not needed here in the mountains; here it is enough for us to have a more modernized model of the T-62M - it fully justifies itself.”

Let us pay tribute to the courage of this officer, who, unlike the deputy division commander for armaments, was not afraid to meet with journalists, but I am unlikely to agree with him. So far, I personally have seen in Chechnya only “sixty-two” tanks, “modernized” by regimental craftsmen: with reinforcing bars welded onto the tank armor to protect the crews from cumulative shells. And also after significant modifications, for example: installation of additional armor protection for the turret, hull and bottom, rubber-fabric side anti-cumulative screens and anti-neutron lining on the turret, installation of a caterpillar track from the T-72 tank, KTD-2 laser rangefinder, BV-62 ballistic computer and heat-protective casing for the gun - whatever one may say, the T-62 will still remain an outdated vehicle. If this armored power of the bygone Soviet era can still make some impression on Basayev’s bandits, then in the event of a real clash with any well-equipped foreign army, the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division risks being left without tanks altogether, and not in the Caucasus, but somewhere near Rostov -on-Don. And finally, the lieutenant colonel’s answer was most likely simply dictated by the current circumstances - the military-industrial complex correspondent learned from trustworthy sources that all available T-72s were being “scraped off” from the North Caucasian Military District and sent to storage bases, and in return the combat units were receiving T-62 tanks. And also that in the Siberian Military District the situation is even worse: there, tanks of more modern models are also sent for conservation, replacing them with T-55s.

Old, Soviet-made night vision devices and night sights for sniper rifles do not make the service of the division's fighters any easier - they are of almost no use when used in mountainous and wooded areas. Problems constantly arise with old batteries for these devices, which only last for half an hour of operation, then they are discharged. Officers know about the existence of similar night devices that also operate on ordinary AA batteries, but for some reason these “new products” are not available in division units. It seems that everyone in the 42nd Division also has body armor, but almost every second piece of personal protective equipment is worn out and tattered - the personnel are constantly engaged in combat training and go on combat missions. But since new bulletproof vests are not issued, soldiers have to patch the old ones themselves. True, in terms of equipment, there are changes for the better - regiment commanders assure that their subordinates receive everything that military personnel are entitled to according to the current clothing allowance standards. For example, at the beginning of the second Chechen campaign, khaki sweaters were bought with one’s own money, but now they began to be issued. Well, if one of the fighters, preparing, say, for reconnaissance and search operations, suddenly wants to wear high-top boots lined with boar's hair, or a turtleneck jumper with swan down - please, their bosses, as a rule , there is no objection to these conveniences. But comfortable clothes, naturally, are not cheap, and fighters buy them with their own money.

At the moment, in all garrisons of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division, almost all conditions for normal living of military personnel and their families have been created: crew-type dormitories with mandatory hot water, canteens, laundries, schools, kindergartens have already been built, utility networks are being reconstructed, and are gradually being put into operation other objects. The units have created army training bases and training grounds in Khankala, Borzoi, Shali, Kalinovskaya, which allow the division’s personnel, in addition to performing special tasks as part of the counter-terrorism operation, to engage in planned combat training and study in the field as part of platoons and companies.

The largest training ground in the division in Shali deserves special attention - the brainchild of the commander of the 70th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, Colonel Mikhail Nosulev, which allows for tactical exercises of a reinforced battalion with live fire. Being a divisional and at the same time regimental, it includes a tactical training field, a tankodrome, directorates for BMP-1 and BMP-2, a modern military shooting range equipped with trenches, moving targets, models of infantry fighting vehicles, tanks; areas for throwing live grenades, a shooting range, a sports complex, a training field for training reconnaissance units - the so-called "scout trail" and training fields for training units of the NBC, communications, electronic warfare, air defense, logistics, engineering units, a field park of combat vehicles, a field camp, autodrome, etc. In the future, regimental commander Nosulev plans to build and equip an underwater driving training class; fortunately, in 1999 in Dagestan, he already had to teach subordinates of his unit how to drive tanks under water.

However, from the first days of the quartering of the 70th regiment on the territory of the Shali region, the division command had a conflict with the local administration regarding this very training ground, or rather, because of the lands on which it is located. It turns out that in 2000, when the decision was made to create a training ground, the legal alienation of these lands in favor of the Ministry of Defense was not carried out. Now the local administration is ready to cede these lands to the military only for a lot of money. The Chechens do not want to assign these lands to the military, because the training ground was located on the most fertile soils of the Shali region, and, in addition, a railway line runs through its territory to the cement plant in Chiri-Yurt. (Although the plant is completely destroyed, and the railway exists only on the map - the rails were stolen by the local residents themselves, and the railway embankment is missing in many places.) The military also cannot now give the land of the training ground to the locals, since a lot of money has already been invested in its construction, the division must engage in planned daily combat training, but, most importantly, in the event of the liquidation of the training ground, the lives of the soldiers of the Shali garrison will immediately be at risk of terrorist attacks from gangs. So to this day the military cannot find mutual understanding with the local authorities on this issue. Certificates and reports on this problem have been lying around for a long time, but, as they say, things are still there.

And finally, the last thing - due to the unstable situation in Chechnya, many regiments of the 42nd division in the foreseeable future, most likely, are unlikely to have to operate in real regimental exercises with the participation of all units, both combat and support. The size of the training grounds does not allow this, and the transfer of any such unit even 10-15 km will immediately jeopardize the safety of garrison facilities, not to mention the performance of combat missions: territory protection, engineering reconnaissance, reconnaissance and search and other actions. The division officers sometimes lament that so far they have not been able to either study fully or fight fully.

Addition. "Since 2003, the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division was not part of the 58th OA, but was under district subordination." , - said Andrei Zhukov, who from January to July 2006 served in the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division as the chief of staff of the 1st Motorized Rifle Division of the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment.

The history of the 42nd Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Motorized Rifle Division of the 58th Army of the North Caucasus Military District begins on the eve of the Great Patriotic War. The division was formed in July 1940 in Vologda as 111th Infantry on the basis of the 29th reserve brigade of the Arkhangelsk Military District.

In the active army from June 22, 1941 to March 17, 1942. On June 22, 1941, he was stationed in summer camps near Vologda.On July 16, 1940, the division was fully formed. July 16, 1940 - unit day. Until March 1941, the 111th Infantry Division was staffed by 3,000 people.

According to the “Certificate on the deployment of the Armed Forces of the USSR in the event of war in the West,” prepared by N.F. Vatutin on May 13, 1941, the 111th Infantry Division was supposed to be included as a separate unit in the 28th Army.

From June 10 to June 20, 1941, the 111th Infantry Division was replenished with 6,000 enlisted personnel. The peacetime staff of No. 4/120 in the spring of 1941 was 5,900 people.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the division included:

- 399th Infantry Regiment (Vologda, commander - Major A.P. Filippov);

- 468th Infantry Regiment (Vologda, commander - Lieutenant Colonel D.D. Vorobyov);

- 532nd Infantry Regiment (Gryazovets, Vologda Region, commander - Major Vlasov);

- 286th light artillery regiment (Vologda);- 561st Howitzer Artillery Regiment (Vologda, until October 1, 1941);

- 267th separate anti-tank fighter division (Vologda);- 466th separate anti-aircraft artillery division (Vologda);

- 146th reconnaissance battalion (Vologda);

- 181st engineer battalion (Vologda);

- 223rd separate communications battalion (Vologda);

- 120th medical battalion (Vologda);

- 119th separate chemical defense company;

- 189th motor transport company (Vologda);

- 490th phz; - 1005th dvl;

- 1608th Field Postal Station;

- 1652nd pkg.

Division Command:

- Ivanov Ivan Mikhailovich (07/16/1940 - 07/12/1941) colonel (died near the village of Maramorka, Pskov region);

- Roginsky Sergei Vasilievich (07/13/1941 - 03/17/1942), colonel.

On March 17, 1942, for the bravery and courage shown in battles with the German invaders, for the discipline, organization, and heroism of the personnel, the 111th Rifle Division, by order of the USSR NKO No. 78, was transformed into 24th Guards Rifle Division.

The division included:

- 70th Guards Rifle Regiment;

- 71st Guards Rifle Regiment;

- 72nd Guards Rifle Regiment;

- 50th Guards Artillery Regiment.

The 71st Guards Rifle Regiment was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 3rd degree, and the 72nd was given the honorary name “Königsberg”.

For high military skill, valor and courage, over 14,000 officers, sergeants and soldiers of the division were awarded orders and medals, 11 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, P. Koshevoy twice, 4 became full holders of the Order of Glory.

At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the division was withdrawn to the Bryansk region and included in the Smolensk Military District. Here the division was reorganized into 3rd Separate Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Rifle Brigade.

In February 1946, the Smolensk Military District was disbanded and the brigade became part of the Moscow Military District.

By September 1, 1949, the division was redeployed to the city of Grozny in the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and reorganized into 24th Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Mountain Rifle Division North Caucasian Military District, which took place in 1950, rearmament for implementation in 1951-1954. mountain training.

On June 1, 1957, the connection was transformed into 42nd Guards Evpatoria Red Banner Motorized Rifle Division 12th Army Corps.All regiments of the division and their numbers remained the same.

At the end of the 1960s. the division became a training division.In 1987, the 42nd Guards Training Motorized Rifle Evpatoria Red Banner Division was reorganized into the 173rd Guards District Training Evpatoria Red Banner Training Center for Junior Specialists (Motorized Rifle Troops).

The division was equipped with a double staff of armored vehicles, weapons and ammunition. In case of war, it was planned to create two full-blooded divisions on its base. There was already one and only from training it became combat. The second was mobilized by the local population. The second state of weapons, ammunition and ammunition, which were stored in its arsenals, was intended for it.

By the summer of 1991, the training division had more than 400 armored vehicles. These were mainly tanks: T-62, T-72, BMP-1, various MTLB special vehicles, etc.

The district training center included:

- 70th Guards Training Motorized Rifle Regiment (Grozny);

- 71st Guards Training Motorized Rifle Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Regiment (Grozny);

- 72nd Guards Training Motorized Rifle Koenigsberg Red Banner Regiment (Grozny);

- 392nd training tank regiment (Shali);

- 50th Guards Training Artillery Regiment (Grozny);

- 1203rd training anti-aircraft artillery regiment;

- 95th separate training missile division (Grozny);

- 479th separate training communications battalion (Grozny);

- 539th separate training engineer battalion (Shali);

- 367th separate training automobile battalion;

- 106th separate training medical battalion.

From September to December 1991, it was possible to remove some equipment and weapons from Chechnya by rail. But no more than 20% of the funds available there.

In 1992, the 173rd Guards District Training Center was disbanded. By General Staff Directive No. 314/3/0159 of January 4, 1992, the 173rd Guards District Training Center was to be disbanded and weapons were to be removed.

A coded telegram from the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General P.S. Grachev on May 20, 1992, the commander of the North Caucasian Military District was allowed to transfer 50 percent of the military equipment and weapons from the 173rd Guards Training Center to the Chechen Republic.

In 1992, when the division was disbanded, the following were transferred to the Chechen Republic: 42 tanks, 36 BMP-2, 14 armored personnel carriers, 44 MTLB, 139 guns and mortars, 101 anti-tank weapons, 27 multiple launch rocket systems, 2 helicopters, 268 aircraft, of which 5 were combat aircraft. 57,000 small arms, 27 wagons of ammunition, 3 thousand tons of fuel and lubricants, 254 tons of food.

In December 1999, it was decided to station the division on a permanent basis in the Chechen Republic. At the same time, the arrangement of the division's locations began, which was completed during 2000. The division became part of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Red Banner North Caucasus Military District.

In March 2000, according to the directive of the Chief of the General Staff, the 506th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Volga Military District became the 71st Motorized Rifle Regiment in the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division being formed on the territory of the Chechen Republic.

For this purpose, a military camp with all the infrastructure was set up in the village of Khankala in the suburbs of Grozny. 20 modular-type prefabricated barracks, a hospital, and several storage hangars were built here.

On April 1, 2000, in the city of Podolsk, Moscow Region, the 478th Separate Guards Order of the Red Star communications battalion (battalion commander - Guard Major D. Polynkov) was awarded the Battle Banner. By directive of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the battalion was included in the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division with a deployment in the Chechen Republic.

At the beginning of April 2000, the 478th Guards Obs was sent to its place of permanent deployment.

April 4, 2000 from n.p. Alabino, Moscow Region, the 72nd Guards Motorized Rifle Koenigsberg Red Banner Regiment, formed on the basis of the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Taman Order of the October Revolution Red Banner Order of Suvorov Division named after M.I., left the division. Kalinina. The regiment was redeployed to the village of Kalinovskaya, Naursky district, without military equipment. The regiment's strength is 2.5 thousand military personnel. They were recruited from Moscow and other military districts. During April 2000, the regiment received weapons and equipment, and units arrived at their places of permanent deployment.

According to the directive of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Moscow Military District also formed a division control. In the future, the MVO carries out rotation of officers and warrant officers.

In the division of military personnel serving under contract, up to 50%, military personnel serving on conscription have served for at least 6 months.

On May 15, 2000, they began organizing the regiment in Kalinovskaya. At the beginning of July 2000, the regiment's town came into operation.

In mid-April 2000, the 291st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment began being sent from the Leningrad Military District to its place of permanent deployment in Chechnya.

At first, it was decided to place the regiment in the village. Itum-Kale. At the end of June 2000, a decision was made to station the regiment in the village. Greyhound due to the difficult terrain and to save money.

On April 28, 2000, Russian Defense Minister Marshal I.D. Sergeev reported to the acting President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin on the completion of the formation of the 42nd motorized rifle division.

On May 1, 2000, the formation of the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division was completed. The division administration and regiments were presented with Battle Banners, but without orders or registration cards. The historical form of the formation was also not transferred to the division headquarters.

The government allocated $1.5 billion for the development of military camps and forts, and 6 thousand military builders and civilian specialists, as well as about 450 units of construction equipment, participated in their development.

Since May 2000, the 70th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment has been serving in the village of Shali. It is staffed by 35% with contract soldiers and sergeants, mainly from the Tyumen region. The regiment's battalions consist of four companies.

By the end of July 2000, the 1st stage of the division's deployment was completed. In Khankala, the restoration of permanent buildings and technical facilities was completed; in the Kalinovskaya garrison, a complex of buildings and structures was put into operation. In the Borzoi garrison, work was completed by the end of 2000.

The 2nd stage of the division's arrangement was completed in 2001, the construction of the parking garage and utility and storage areas of the garrison was completed.

The division is deployed in four garrisons and its composition (15,000 people - 1,450 officers and 600 warrant officers, 130 tanks, 350 armored combat vehicles, 200 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 100 artillery pieces with a caliber above 100 mm, 5 heavy bridgelayers) includes 5 regiments, 9 separate battalions and divisions and support units:

- Division headquarters (Khankala);

- 70th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (Shali village);

- 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Regiment (Khankala);

- 72nd Guards Motorized Rifle Koenigsberg Red Banner Regiment (Kalinovskaya village, Naursky districtfor, 2600 people, military unit 42839);- 291st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (Borzoi settlement);

- 50th Guards Artillery Regiment (Khankala); (Blogger's addition zavsn : Correct me, fifty dollars - it’s in Shaly. At least it was there until 2005.
The medical battalion is also in Shaly. From 2003 to 2005, I saw him there with my own eyes, if a year before/a year after he wasn’t/wasn’t there, I would have known.)

- 478th Separate Guards Order of the Red Star Signal Battalion (Khankala);- 539th separate engineer battalion;

- 524th separate repair and restoration battalion;

- 474th separate logistics battalion;

- 106th separate medical battalion.The regiments in Shali and Itum-Kale were stationed in fortresses.

For them, fort structures were built taking into account protection from fire damage.

In Itum-Kale, to enhance the security of military personnel, a deep ditch was dug along the perimeter of the fortress. Firing points were installed on the fortress towers to monitor the surrounding areas. On the heights located around the fortress, 6 fire support points for the fortress garrison, as well as other fortifications, were created.

As part of the ongoing reform in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, on the basis of the 42nd motorized rifle division, three motorized rifle brigades of permanent readiness with a new organizational structure of about 3.5 thousand people each were created. The brigade headquarters are located in the settlements of Khankala, Shali and Borzoi.

The author of the history of the division is the former deputy commander - chief of staff of the 1st motorized rifle battalion of the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Order of the Kutuzov Regiment of the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Evpatoriya Red Banner Division of the Red Banner North Caucasus Military District, reserve captain ZHUKOV ANDREY EVGENIEVICH.

This virtual photo exhibition of mine presents photographic portraits of Russian Soldiers who served in the ranks of the legendary Guards 42nd Motorized Rifle Division, stationed on a permanent basis in the territory of the Chechen Republic.The 42nd Division was disbanded with the stroke of the pen of then Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and divided into three separate guards brigades...

1. Tank driver. Chechnya

Today a decision has been made to revive the legendary “most belligerent” “Chechen division”.
According to the Press Service of the Southern Military District, by the end of 2016, on the basis of separate motorized rifle brigades of the 58th Army of the Southern Military District (SMD) in the Chechen Republic, the formation of
The location of motorized rifle and artillery regiments, engineering and reconnaissance and medical units of the division will be military camps in the village. Khankala, Kalinovskaya, Shali and Borzoi.
Military units and divisions of the formation will be staffed exclusively by contract servicemen who are undergoing recertification. To accommodate personnel in military camps, all the necessary social and living infrastructure has been created.
The newly formed motorized rifle formation will be armed with new and modernized weapons and military equipment, incl. T-72B3 tanks, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, Grad-M multiple launch rocket systems, 152-mm Msta-S self-propelled howitzers, etc.

2. Contract recruits in the Orthodox Church in the village. Kalinovskaya, Chechen Republic

3. Contractors and the Snowman

4. Ready for battle! Checkpoint on the outskirts of the village. Khankala

5. A drop of water and that in half! Chechen Republic, training ground in the area of ​​the settlement. Greyhound

6. Special forces have arrived!.. Chechen Republic

7. Mukhtar and I! Contract soldier with his comrade - 172nd OKO (separate canine unit), Khankala, Chechen Republic

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The Russian Ministry of Defense has decided to re-form the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division (42 MRD) in Chechnya. In 2009, the legendary military unit, once considered the “most belligerent” in the Russian Armed Forces, was disbanded by former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. Instead of 42 MRD, separate motorized rifle brigades were created in Chechnya, which will now again be united into a division and will cover the state border.

“At present, the decision has already been made and work on reorganizing the division has begun,” an informed source in the military department told Izvestia. - The division will be formed on the basis of three motorized rifle brigades, which are currently based in the Republic of Chechnya. These brigades will be reorganized into motorized rifle regiments of the division.

According to Izvestia, the Russian military department plans to finally form the division within the next year.

42 MSD originates from the 111th Infantry Division, formed in 1940 in the Kiev Special Military District. During the Great Patriotic War, for the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, the unit was transformed into the 24th Guards Rifle Division. Later, for the liberation of the city of Evpatoria, the division received the honorary name “Evpatoria”, and for the capture of Sevastopol the unit was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

After the Second World War, the division changed its serial number, becoming the 42nd Guards MSD. The unit, relocated to the city of Grozny in the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, became a training center where, until 1992, future tank crews, signalmen, anti-aircraft gunners, motorized riflemen and even doctors were trained. After the situation in the North Caucasus worsened, the training center was disbanded.

At the end of 1999, the Russian Ministry of Defense decided to revive 42 MSDs and deploy them on a permanent basis in the Republic of Chechnya. Four motorized rifle and one artillery regiment, reconnaissance and engineer battalions of the newly created division were fully staffed with contract soldiers. Despite the ongoing fighting, a unique social infrastructure was created in Chechnya, and the fighters of the formation lived not in barracks, but in dormitories.

In addition to participating in the counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya, units and subunits of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division played an important role during the fighting with Georgia in August 2008. Thus, the personnel of the 70th and 71st motorized rifle and 50th artillery regiments, as well as the 417th reconnaissance battalion, made a multi-kilometer march from Chechnya to South Ossetia, crossed the Roki tunnel and immediately entered into battle with the Georgian forces. Subsequently, the division’s fighters took part in the defeat of the enemy on Georgian territory.

The division covered more than 300 km along mountain serpentines in difficult conditions. “At the same time, the march took less than a day,” Anton Lavrov, one of the authors of the book “Tanks of August,” dedicated to the Russian-Georgian conflict of 2008, told Izvestia. - Soldiers of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division liberated Tskvinvali and then took part in the attack on Georgian Gori. Although the division's personnel did not enter the city itself and therefore were not captured by television cameras, they completed the most important task - they blocked Gori and held the approaches to the city.

In 2009, by decision of the Ministry of Defense, the division was disbanded, separate motorized rifle brigades were created from two of its regiments, the remaining units and units were disbanded, and the personnel were dismissed or transferred to other positions.

Later, the 1st Guards Tank Regiment was transferred to the place of the 291st Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division in the village of Borzoi from Alabino near Moscow. Already in Chechnya, the regiment surrendered its tanks and became the 8th Mountain Rifle Brigade. Until recently, the emblem of the new brigade, which does not have a single tank, featured a cuirass (a symbol of armored forces - Izvestia), as well as alpenstocks, indicating that the military unit belonged to the mountain infantry. The strange combination of symbols on the unit’s emblem gave rise to jokes about “mountain tank climbers” capable of “conquering Elbrus” with tanks.

Previously, three brigades in the Republic of Chechnya were intended primarily to assist local law enforcement agencies in conducting counter-terrorism operations, Viktor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of the industry magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland, told Izvestia. - These military units had a largely unique staff and weapons, intended primarily to solve anti-terrorist tasks. But now the main task of the brigades has changed - they participate in covering the state border, and in the event of war they must hold the enemy’s advance, then defeat him with a counterattack. For such actions, a more heavily armed and numerous division is better suited, which, unlike brigades, can be more autonomous using its own resources and solve a fairly wide range of tasks both in defense and in the offensive.