Cavalry division (Soviet Union)

The cavalry division (Russian: кавалерийская дивизия) of the Soviet Union's Red Army was a type of military formation that existed from the early days of the Russian Civil War until the early 1950s when they became obsolete with the rise of mechanized warfare.

In June 1918, the Revolutionary Military Council (RVSR) decided to form three cavalry divisions. On 3 August, the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs drew up tables of organization and equipment for cavalry divisions. Authorized 7,653 personnel and 8,469 horses, a cavalry division consisted of three cavalry brigades with two four-squadron regiments each, and a horse artillery battalion of four batteries. However, by the end of the year, only the Moscow Cavalry Division had been formed, and elements of others were included in the cavalry of field armies. On 26 December, the RVSR increased the authorized strength of a cavalry division to 8,346 personnel and 9,226 horses, and added a political department. On 4 January 1919, a technical squadron, consisting of telegraph-telephone and radiotelegraph departments, sapper, motorcycle, and auto platoons, was added.

In late January, the formation of cavalry divisions at the front level began, especially on the Southern Front, where the opposing White Army used large cavalry formations. The new divisions used the 1918 TO&Es and interim organization created by the Southwestern Front command, which differed in the amounts of personnel and horses. During 1919 and 1920, cavalry corps with two divisions each were formed, and later cavalry armies with multiple corps. By the end of the war, there were 27 cavalry divisions in the Red Army with a total of 88,192 personnel.

After the end of the Russian Civil War, the Red Army demobilized and transitioned to a peacetime footing, resulting in the reduction of the number of cavalry divisions to eleven by the end of 1921. On 10 June 1922, RSVR released a new TO&E, which reduced the division's authorized strength to 5,598 personnel and 5,340 horses. The cavalry division was to include three two-regiment brigades, separate communications and sapper squadrons, and a horse artillery battalion, along with support units and headquarters. In November 1922, each cavalry regiment's fourth squadron was eliminated due to a shortage of horses. In 1925 three territorial cavalry divisions were formed, bringing the total number of divisions to fourteen. In June 1926, RVSR introduced a three-year plan for the cavalry branch, which eliminated brigades and reduced divisions to four four-squadron regiments. The new divisional TO&E also included two reserve squadrons, a machine-gun squadron, and divisional artillery. Territorial divisions also had a similar structure, but with six regiments and no reserve squadrons.

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