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10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank Division

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10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank Division

The 10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Volunteer Tank Division, also known as the Ural-Lvov Tank Division, is a tank division of the Russian Ground Forces and part of the Moscow Military District's 20th Guards Army. The division traces its heritage back to 1943, during World War II. It is headquartered and based at Boguchar, 160 kilometres south of Voronezh, Voronezh Oblast.

Its complete formal designation is: "The 10th Guards Tank Ural-L'vov the Order of October Revolution Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov and the Order of Kutuzov Volunteer division in the name of Marshal of the Soviet Union R.A. Malinovsky" (Russian: 10 гвардейская танковая Уральско-Львовская ордена Октябрьской революции Краснознаменная орденов Суворова и Кутузова добровольческая дивизия имени Маршала Советского Союза Р. А. Малиновского).

Reports indicate that the Division has been reduced in status to a mobilisable base for the storage of weapons and equipment, (which in wartime would become a tank brigade), during the 2009 Russian Ground Forces reorganisation.

The people of the Ural districts took the initiative to create the Urals voluntary tank corps which became an elite formation. Three tank brigades (including one from Perm) and one motor-rifle brigade and other military units were included in its structure. Colonel Vadim Sokolov oversaw the formation of the unit. On 28 March 1943, Major General Georgy Rodin took command. The formation was initially known as the 30th Uralsky Voluntary Tank Corps and was formed in April 1943 in the Ural Military District. Workers from the Ural tank factories were among its initial recruits. The Corps has the distinction of being entirely paid-for by the donations of the population of the Urals. This included its entire complement of T-34 tanks built by the Urals factories. 23 March 1943 is considered the "birthday" of the 243rd Perm Tank Brigade. On 1 June 1943, units of the corps were despatched to the front line for the first time.

The first action for the Urals Volunteer Tank Corps was at Oryol, the counterattack (Operation Kutuzov) on the northern side of the Kursk salient after the German defeat at the Battle of Kursk proper. Historian John Erickson wrote that, following a 'ragged' attack by 11th Tank and 6th Guards Mechanised Corps by 4th Tank Army on 26 July 1943, during which both corps were heavily battered by concealed German tanks and assault guns. The next day, the 30th Tank Corps 'pushed in with a fierce attack' but the tank army 'covered only about one mile in all'.

On 25 October 1943 it was honoured and renamed the 10th Guards Uralsky Voluntary Tank Corps. The corps then fought in battles at Bryansk, Lower Silesia, Upper Silesia, Proskurovo-Kamenetc-Podolsk, Lvov-Sandomir and during the Vistula-Oder, Berlin and Prague Offensives. On 16 March 1944, Major General Yevtikhy Belov became the corps commander. On 22 October 1944, Belov became deputy commander of the 4th Tank Army and Colonel Nil Chuprov replaced him in command. Chuprov was wounded on 10 February 1945 and replaced by Belov. The corps was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov and the Order of Kutuzov. The 62nd Guards Perm-Keletcky Tank Brigade, which had earlier received an honorific named for Kielce, was in addition awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky for heroism shown in battle.

The corps finished the war in what is now Poland, and briefly became part of the Northern Group of Forces.

On 28 June 1945, the corps became a division at Chrudim. The brigades became regiments. On 31 October 1946, the division was reduced to a mobilization tank regiment. All attached units remained but were downsized. In 1947, the regiment moved to Krampnitz, German Democratic Republic, and became a division again in March 1950. The division was one of the formations used to suppress the East German uprising of 1953.

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