| 343rd Rifle Division (1941–43) 97th Guards Rifle Division (1943–57) 97th Guards Motor Rifle Division (1957–1992) 97th Mechanized Brigade (1992–2004) | |
|---|---|
.png) Brigade Insignia | |
| Active | August 1941 – November 2004 |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Branch | Ukrainian Army |
| Type | Mechanized Brigade |
| Part of | 13th Army Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | А-1766[1] Slavuta,[2] Khmelnytskyi Oblast |
| Equipment | T-64[3] BMP-2[3] ZSU-23-4[3] 2S3 Akatsiya[3] 2S1[3] |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky |
The 97th Guards Mechanized Brigade (Ukrainian: 97-ма гвардійська мотострілецька дивізія, romanized: 97-ma hvardiys'ka motostrilets'ka dyviziya) was a rifle, and then a motor-rifle division of the Soviet Union's Army, before becoming a mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, based in Slavuta in western Ukraine.
The full name of the division was the "97th Guards Poltava Motor-Rifle Division, Red Banner, Suvorov's, Bogdan Khmelnitsky". After the division became part of Ukrainian Armed Forces it was known as the "97th Separate Mechanized Brigade" (97-ma okrema mekhanizovana bryhada).[4]
The division was formed in August–September 1941 as the 343rd Rifle Division near the city of Stavropol. Over the next twelve months it was assigned to the 56th, 6th, 9th, 21st, and 24th Armies. The division took part in the defensive operations at Rostov, then in the Rostov and Barvenko-Lozovaia offensive operations. Later, it fought in the Second Battle of Kharkov, then fled eastward to take part in defensive operations near Stalingrad. On July 17, 1942, when the 21st Army joined the Stalingrad Front, the division had 2,795 men and fewer than 20 artillery pieces.[5] After October, 1942, it was assigned to the 66th Army, which later became the 5th Guards Army.
On May 4, 1943, the division was re-designated as the 97th Guards Rifle Division.[6] Its order of battle was as follows:
The day before its re-designation the division was assigned to the newly-formed 33rd Guards Rifle Corps.[7] On May 2, the commander of the division, Matvei Usenko, was promoted to the rank of Major General. Just ten days later he was killed after being blown up by a land mine while crossing a road in a vehicle.[8]
The division took part in the Battle of Kursk, along with the rest of 5th Guards Army as part of the Steppe Front. Later, it fought in the liberation of left-bank Ukraine. In September, the division was awarded the 'Poltava' honorific, along with its sister divisions, the 13th and 95th Guards Rifle Divisions.[9] In 1944 and 1945, it took part in the Kirovograd, Uman-Botoshany, Lvov-Sandomir, Sandomir-Silesia, Upper and Lower Silesia, Berlin, and Prague offensives. The division ended the war in 32nd Guards Rifle Corps, still in 5th Guards Army.[6][7]
After World War II, the division was stationed in Austria, with the Central Group of Forces, where it remained until 1946. During that time, the division belonged to the 5th Guards Army. After its relocation to Slavuta, it became part of the 13th Army.[10] After it moved to Slavuta, the division was downsized into the 28th Separate Guards Rifle Brigade, but became a division again on 16 September 1949.[11] In 1957, it was reorganized from a Rifle into a Motor Rifle division.[12] After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the division was reorganized into a Brigade, which continued to exist until November 2004, when it was disbanded.[13]
Division commanders included:[14]
During the late 1980s, the division included the following units.[2]
