242nd Training Centre
Encyclopedia
The 242nd Training Centre of the Airborne Forces (242 TC VDV) is a brigade
-sized training formation of the Russian Airborne Troops.
To prepare sergeants and junior specialists for airborne units in accordance with a directive of the Commander Soviet Ground Forces, the 4th Training Airborne Division was formed in July-October 1960 in Ostrov and Cheryokha, in Pskov Oblast
. Division personally formed while Deputy Commander of Airborne Troops, Lieutenant-General VF Margelov. The formation's birthday is 17 September.
The vast majority of officers had experience in training units of the liquidated at the same time, the regimental schools, 131 officers - from the participants of the Great Patriotic War
.
The division consisted of three training Airborne Regiments (301st and 304th Training Airborne Regiments - Ostrov, 302 - Cheryokha/Череха, a training artillery regiment (1120th, Ostrov) and other units.
The division's regiments were the heirs of the regiments with the corresponding WWII numbers: 301st and 304th were part of the 100th Guards Airborne Division/Rifle Division
, аnd the 302nd had been part of the 98th Guards Airborne Division
/Rifle Division. However, for unclear reasons, the division was soon renamed the 44th. Also the regiment numbering changed: instead of, respectively, the 302nd and 304th, the 226th and 285th regiments appeared (no longer associated historically with the VDV).
While it was not clear whether the division was formed as a Guards
formation, when it became the 44th, it was not just not a Guards formation, but the only non-Guards formation in the Soviet Airborne Forces. The regiments were not Guards units either.
In September 1961, available stocks, weapons, military equipment, and the bulk of the division were moved to the Lithuanian SSR
. The Divisional Headquarters and the 301st Regiment were established at Gaižiūnai
, the 304th Regiment at Rukla
(8 km south-east of Jonava
), and the 1120th Training Artillery Regiment in the city of Prienai
(28 km south of Kaunas). Apparently, after the relocation, the division and its regiments were renumbered. The division thus became the 44th Airborne Ovruch Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division (44 воздушно-десантная Овручская Краснознаменная орденов Суворова и Богдана Хмельницкого дивизия). This apparently meant the division had inherited the honours of the wartime 4th Guards Airborne Division, which was given the title 'Ovruch' in November 1943. The 4th Guards Airborne Division, formed from the 1st Airborne Corps at Moscow in December 1942, fought at Kursk, Orel, Zhitomir, Korsun, Targul Frumos, Debrecen, and Budapest. Of the old airborne division in Cheryokha remained only the 226th Training Airborne Regiment which stayed there until 1969, when it was also transferred to Lithuania.
On 1 December 1987 in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Defence of the Soviet Union of 18 August 1987, the 44th Training Airborne Division was renamed the 242nd Airborne Training Centre. In accordance with the directive of the Defense Ministry on 13.11.92, the Airborne Training Centre was removed from the Republic of Lithuania to Omsk in Russian territory. Shortly after the relocation, the 301st Training Airborne Regiment was disbanded, and the 1120th Training Artillery Regiment was moved to Ishim
in Tyumen Oblast
. The training centre headquarters is currently located in the village of Svetloe ('Bright') in the Omsk Oblast
. In the years since its relocation to Omsk the formerly division-sized formation has shrunk to the size of a brigade.
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
-sized training formation of the Russian Airborne Troops.
To prepare sergeants and junior specialists for airborne units in accordance with a directive of the Commander Soviet Ground Forces, the 4th Training Airborne Division was formed in July-October 1960 in Ostrov and Cheryokha, in Pskov Oblast
Pskov Oblast
Pskov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Pskov Oblast borders the countries of Estonia and Latvia, as well as Belarus. It is the westernmost federal subject of contiguous Russia . Its major cities are the administrative center Pskov and Velikiye Luki . Area: 55,300 km²...
. Division personally formed while Deputy Commander of Airborne Troops, Lieutenant-General VF Margelov. The formation's birthday is 17 September.
The vast majority of officers had experience in training units of the liquidated at the same time, the regimental schools, 131 officers - from the participants of the Great Patriotic War
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
.
The division consisted of three training Airborne Regiments (301st and 304th Training Airborne Regiments - Ostrov, 302 - Cheryokha/Череха, a training artillery regiment (1120th, Ostrov) and other units.
The division's regiments were the heirs of the regiments with the corresponding WWII numbers: 301st and 304th were part of the 100th Guards Airborne Division/Rifle Division
100th Guards Rifle Division
The 100th Guards Rifle Division was an elite Red Army airborne infantry division during World War II.-Creation:From the beginning of the war, the Soviet Army strongly emphasized the development of airborne forces and their use behind enemy lines...
, аnd the 302nd had been part of the 98th Guards Airborne Division
98th Guards Airborne Division
The 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, stationed in Ivanovo. It took part in the 2008 South Ossetian War....
/Rifle Division. However, for unclear reasons, the division was soon renamed the 44th. Also the regiment numbering changed: instead of, respectively, the 302nd and 304th, the 226th and 285th regiments appeared (no longer associated historically with the VDV).
While it was not clear whether the division was formed as a Guards
Russian Guards
Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
formation, when it became the 44th, it was not just not a Guards formation, but the only non-Guards formation in the Soviet Airborne Forces. The regiments were not Guards units either.
In September 1961, available stocks, weapons, military equipment, and the bulk of the division were moved to the Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
. The Divisional Headquarters and the 301st Regiment were established at Gaižiūnai
Gaižiūnai
Gaižiūnai is a village in Jonava district municipality, Lithuania. It is situated on the Taurosta River, tributary of Neris, about southeast of Jonava and northeast of Kaunas. The railroad from Šiauliai forks into Kaunas and Vilnius near the village...
, the 304th Regiment at Rukla
Rukla
Rukla is a small town in Kaunas County in central Lithuania. As of 2001 it had a population of 2376.-References:*This article was initially translated from the Lithuanian Wikipedia....
(8 km south-east of Jonava
Jonava
Jonava is the ninth largest city in Lithuania with a population of ca 35,000.It is located in Kaunas County in central Lithuania, north east of Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. It is served by Kaunas International Airport. The largest fertilizer factory in the Baltic states is...
), and the 1120th Training Artillery Regiment in the city of Prienai
Prienai
Prienai is a city in Lithuania situated on the Neman River, south of Kaunas. In 2001 the city had 11,353 inhabitants. The name of the city is a derivative from a surname Prienas. Pociūnai Airport is associated with the city.-History:...
(28 km south of Kaunas). Apparently, after the relocation, the division and its regiments were renumbered. The division thus became the 44th Airborne Ovruch Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division (44 воздушно-десантная Овручская Краснознаменная орденов Суворова и Богдана Хмельницкого дивизия). This apparently meant the division had inherited the honours of the wartime 4th Guards Airborne Division, which was given the title 'Ovruch' in November 1943. The 4th Guards Airborne Division, formed from the 1st Airborne Corps at Moscow in December 1942, fought at Kursk, Orel, Zhitomir, Korsun, Targul Frumos, Debrecen, and Budapest. Of the old airborne division in Cheryokha remained only the 226th Training Airborne Regiment which stayed there until 1969, when it was also transferred to Lithuania.
On 1 December 1987 in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Defence of the Soviet Union of 18 August 1987, the 44th Training Airborne Division was renamed the 242nd Airborne Training Centre. In accordance with the directive of the Defense Ministry on 13.11.92, the Airborne Training Centre was removed from the Republic of Lithuania to Omsk in Russian territory. Shortly after the relocation, the 301st Training Airborne Regiment was disbanded, and the 1120th Training Artillery Regiment was moved to Ishim
Ishim
Ishim is a town in the south of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. Population: -History:It was founded in 1670 as the village of Korkina Sloboda. In 1721 by the order of Tsar Peter the Great the village gained the right to establish Nikolskaya Trade Fair which rapidly became one of the most important trade...
in Tyumen Oblast
Tyumen Oblast
Tyumen Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tyumen. The oblast has administrative jurisdiction over two autonomous okrugs—Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Tyumen is the largest city, with over half a million inhabitants...
. The training centre headquarters is currently located in the village of Svetloe ('Bright') in the Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of and a population of with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center....
. In the years since its relocation to Omsk the formerly division-sized formation has shrunk to the size of a brigade.