90th Guards Rifle Division
| 90th Guards Rifle Division (1943-1946) 26th Guards Mechanized Division (1946-1957) |
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|---|---|
Postwar photo of Mjr. Gen. N.B. Ibianskii
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| Active | 1941-1982 |
| Country |
 Soviet Union
|
| Branch | Soviet Army |
| Type | Infantry (former), Armored |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations |
 Order of the Red Banner (2) |
| Battle honours |
Vitebsk Novgorod |
26th Guards Mechanized Division (1946-1957)
38th Guards Tank Division (1957-1965)
Vitebsk
The 90th Guards Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army during World War II. Formed from the 325th Rifle Division in recognition of its actions during the winter of 1943, the division fought in the Battle of Kursk, the Belgorod-Khar'kov Offensive Operation, Operation Bagration, the Baltic Offensive, the Vistula–Oder Offensive, and the East Prussian Offensive.
The division was formed on April 18, 1943, by the re-designation of the first formation of the 325th Rifle Division, which had distinguished itself in the advance of 21st Army in Central Front in the late winter of that year. At about the same time, 21st Army became the 6th Guards Army. When formed, the order of battle of the 90th Guards was as follows:
It was one of the first units assigned to the new 22nd Guards Rifle Corps. Maj. Gen. N.B. Ibianskii retained command of the division when it was re-designated, but by the Battle of Kursk he had been replaced by Col. V.G. Chernov.
As the Battle of Kursk began on July 5, 6th Guards Army was in Voronezh Front, defending the south side of the salient, and 90th Guards was in the second echelon of its Army, dug in behind the swampy basin of the Pena River to defend the most likely German axis of attack towards Oboyan. After the first day's fighting, during which XXXXVIII Panzer Corps and part of II SS Panzer Corps had damaged and forced back the Army's first echelon, Gen. N.F. Vatutin, the Front commander, ordered the 1st Tank Army to support the second echelon. Overnight, 6th Tank Corps buttressed the left and center of the division, while 3rd Mechanized Corps also moved up in support. These reinforcements were important, because the 90th Guards had started the battle understrength, having yielded a rifle battalion and part of its artillery to the first echelon.
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