59th Guards Motorised Rifle Division

59th Guards Kramatorskaya Red Banner orders of Suvorogv and Bogdan Khmelnitskiy Motorised Rifle Division

59-я гвардейская мотострелковая Краматорская Краснознамённая орденов Суворова и Богдана Хмельницкого дивизия

Military Unit: 35770

Activated 17.5.57 in Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR, from the 59th Guards Rifle Division.

Organisation 1960:

19.2.62 re-organised:

In 1968 the 66th independent Guards Sapper Battalion was renamed 66th independent Guards Engineer-Sapper Battalion.

Organisation 1970:

176th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
179th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Dubosary, Moldavian SSR)
183rd Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Rybnitsa, Moldavian SSR)
356th Tank Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
328th Guards Artillery Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
1162nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
000 independent Missile Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
102nd independent Reconnaissance Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
66th independent Guards Engineer-Sapper Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
201st independent Guards Communications Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
000 independent Chemical Defence Company (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
275th independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
64th independent Medical-Sanitary Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
000 independent Motor Transport Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)

15.11.72 re-organised:

1299th independent Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion was activated
00 independent Guards Reactive Artillery Battalion was activated - absorbed by the Artillery Regiment in 5.80

In 1980 the 000 independent Motor Transport Battalion was renamed 896th independent Material Supply Battalion.

Organisation 1980:

176th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
179th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Dubosary, Moldavian SSR)
183rd Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Rybnitsa, Moldavian SSR)
356th Tank Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
328th Guards Artillery Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
1162nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
000 independent Missile Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
1299th independent Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
102nd independent Reconnaissance Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
66th independent Guards Engineer-Sapper Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
201st independent Guards Communications Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
000 independent Chemical Defence Company (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
275th independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
64th independent Medical Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
896th independent Material Supply Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)

Organisation 1988:

176th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
179th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Dubosary, Moldavian SSR)
183rd Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (Rybnitsa, Moldavian SSR)
356th Tank Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
328th Guards Artillery Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
1162nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
000 independent Missile Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
1299th independent Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
102nd independent Reconnaissance Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
66th independent Guards Engineer-Sapper Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
201st independent Guards Communications Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
000 independent Chemical Defence Company (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
275th independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
64th independent Medical Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)
896th independent Material Supply Battalion (Tiraspol, Moldavian SSR)

1.6.97 renamed 8th independent Guards Motorised Rifle Brigade.

Disbanded 1.11.2002.

Headquarters:

Subordination:

Equipment 12.85:

8700 men, 207 T-64A, 13 T-64B, 110 BMP-1, 226 BTR-70, 18 122mm 2s1, 18 122mm D-30, 54 122mm M-30, 12 152mm 2s3, 18 152mm D-1

Equipment 19.11.90 (CFE treaty holdings):

176th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment: 26 T-64, 12 BTR-70, 6 BTR-60, 4 BMP-2, 2 BRM-1K, 12 2s1 Gvozdika, 12 2s12 Sani, 3 1V18, 1 1V19, 1 PRP-3, 3 R-145BM, 1 PU-12 and 1 MT-55A
179th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment: 22 T-64, 6 BMP-2, 12 BMP-1, 3 BRM-1K, 13 BTR-70, 10 2s1 Gvozdika, 2 BM-21 Grad, 1 BMP-1KSh, 1 PRP-3, 1 RKhM, 1 RKhM-4, 5 R-145BM, 1 PU-12 and 1 MT-55A
183rd Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment: 20 T-64, 129 BTR-70, 11 BTR-60, 6 BMP-2, 2 BRM-1K, 12 2s1 Gvozdika, 12 2s12 Sani, 5 BMP-1KSh, 1 PRP-3, 1 RKhM, 3 BREM-2, 3 R-145BM, 1 PU-12 and 1 MTU-20
356th Tank Regiment: 87 T-64, 14 BMP-2, 2 BRM-1K, 1 2s1 Gvozdika, 5 BMP-1KSh, 1 PRP-3, 3 RKhM, 2 R-145BM, 1 PU-12 and 3 MTU-20
328th Guards Artillery Regiment: 34 2s3 Akatsiya, 12 BM-21 Grad, 3 1V18, 1 1V19, 3 PRP-3, 2 R-145BM and 1 BTR-70
1162nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment: ZRK Osa (SA-8), 6 PU-12 and 3 R-145BM
1299th independent Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion: 15 MT-LBT
102nd independent Reconnaissance Battalion: 10 BMP-1, 7 BRM-1K and 6 BTR-70
201st independent Guards Communications Battalion: 11 R-145BM and 3 R-156BTR
66th independent Guards Engineer-Sapper Battalion: 3 UR-67

Divisional coordinates:

Tiraspol barracks [US designation: Tiraspol Army Barracks West AL 1]: 46 50 31N, 29 34 42E (Divisional HQ, and all attached units, except listed below)
Dubosary barracks [US designation: Dubossary Army Barracks AL 2]: 47 15 02N, 29 11 09E (179th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment)
Rybnitsa barracks [US designation: Rybnitsa Army Barracks AL 1]: 47 47 10N, 28 59 45E (183rd Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment)

The division was maintained as a Ready Division - Reduced Strength I (US terms: Category II). [Until 1984 Not Ready Division - High-Strength Cadre].