Soviet Guards units, please explain.

[Owen]

How did a unit gain promotion to "Guards" ?
Did they have a better scale of equipment and supplies?
Did any Guards units lose their title?

[Cpl Rootes]

meritous service i think. For example the 2nd Guards Division got the title Guards after fighting well at Yelna

[Kyt]

According to wiki:


Soviet Guards (Советская Гвардия in Russian, Sovetskaya Gvardiya), units and formations of the Soviet Army, which distinguished themselves in combat during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
The title of the Soviet Guards was first introduced on September 18, 1941 in accordance with the decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Ставка Верховного Главнокомандующего, or Stavka Verkhovnogo Glavnokomanduyuschego) and by the order №308 of the People's Commissar of Defense for the distinguished services during the Yelnya Offensive. The 100th, 127th, 153rd and 161st Rifle Divisions were renamed into the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Guards Divisions, respectively. The Soviet 316th Rifle Division was renamed to the 8th Guards Rifle Division on November 18, 1941, following the actions of the panfilovtsy.
The units and formations nominated for the Soviet Guard title received special Guards banner in accordance with the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. On May 21, 1942, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR introduced Guards ranks and Guards badges to be worn of the right side of the chest. In June of 1943, they introduced the Guards Red Banners for the land forces and in February of 1944 - for the naval forces.

On another forum, some-one gave this answer (which seems quite thorough)

" The Russian term we translate as Guards is generally transliterated as Gvardeiskiy or Gvardeiskaya. Typically abbreviated Gv or simply G. Soldiers serving in Guards units were called gvardeytsy (guardsmen); the singular is gvardeyets (guardsman).

More than an honorary appelation, in official Soviet usage, this term -- which harkens back to Czarist traditions -- designated a unit that had distinguished itself in combat and that was therefore accorded a special standing.

Guards units had a different TO&E from other units of the same type and size. They generally had a higher establishment of life-saving artillery and automatic weapons, a greater basic load of ammunition and, for much of the war, a priority on supply allocations. Personnel in Guards units received a higher pay scale (1 1/2 time the normal scale for officers and 2 or 3 times the normal scale for troops at various times during the war) plus other privilages. Promotion for both offiers and NCOs was accelerated in Guards units. Units named to this status added the word Guards to their name and banner, and every soldier added the word Guards before his rank (e.g., Guards Sergeant, Guards Captain, etc.) and got a Guards badge to wear on his tunic pocket.

In short, members of Guards units were better paid and better fed, had greater prospects for advancement, and, in any given battlefield situation, were better equipped to survive than members of non-Guards units. On the other hand, they could also expect to be employed in the most difficult and dangerous operations.

The first official Guards units were created 18 September 1941. Under NKO Order No. 308, the first four Gvardeiskaya Strelkoviy Divizii (Guards Rifle Divisions) were named from among units that distinguished themselves in the Smolensk fighting. The 24th Armiya's 100th SD, 127th SD, 153rd SD and 161st SD were all upgraded to Guards status, becoming, respectively, 1st GvSD, 2nd GvSD, 3rd GvSD and 4th GvSD. By the end of the war, 148 rifle divisions, 20 cavalry divisions, 67 aviation divisions and 6 tank armies were granted the coveted guards designation.

Soviet Guards units can properly be considered elite units. However, note the following exceptions...

1. This term was also sometimes misused, as when Voroshilov named some LANO (Opolcheniya) divisions "guards" units as a morale booster in 1941. There is some evidence that such ad hoc use of the term "Guards" was still going on in 1942, but at least during 1941, you can't just assume that because a unit has "Guards" in its name, it has the charcateristics of an officially created "Guards" unit.

2. By summer 1944, the differences between Guards units and non-Guards units were disappearing. The Soviet Union was already running short of troops at that point in the war and was increasing the allocation of weapons and equipment in most units to keep firepower up. The situation continued to deteriorate during the bitter fighting for the Reich and by spring 1945, there weren't enough replacements to maintain the army's divisions, and a lot of Guards units were mere shadows of their former selves. So an April 1945 GvSD might, in fact, have a far lower combat capability than a run-of-the-mill SD that hadn't been used quite as hard."

[Owen]

Cheers Kyt, that about clears that up.
Was going to ask about pay but that has been answered too.
Anyone have any examples of actions where Guards units achieved results where other units had failed?

[Kyt]

Whether they were involved in decisive actions, after having won their status I don't know but they were involved in:

The Soviet Guards Airbourne took part in the battle of Kursk and played a significant part in blocking the Germans southern attack

The Soviet Guards Army was part of Marshal Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front. The 8th Guards Army spearheaded the Red Army drive to Berlin in the spring of 1945,

[Owen]

Just read about one Guards unit that lost the title.
From Battle for Budapest Krisztian Ungvary.
Page 90, chapter-note 95.

...the 214th Guard Cavalry Regiment in its entirety was reclassified as a penal unit and its commander degraded merely because the unit had lost its flag in the tank battle of Debrecen.

[Christos]

Just as another view, let me give you ALAN CLARK's passage notes from page 117 of his book "BARBAROSSA"......

There were three generic types of paramilitary civilian units operating around Leningrad in 1941.....The largest- the OPOLCHENYE or 'People's Army'- a more or less enthusistic rabble, indifferently armed, with only a memory of weekend training in the OSOAVIAKHIM and virtually without signals or communications equipment. In addition to "some" rifles and machine guns, the workers were armed mainly with molotov cocktails and some hand grenades; they also had 10,000 shot-guns, and about 12,000 small calibre and training rifles donated by the Leningrad's population. The cream of the OPOLCHENYE were organised on a divisional basis, with improved equipment and some cadre officers and N.C.O.'s These formations were termed "GUARDS" Divisions by Voroshilov.
At almost the same time a general reorganization of the Red Army was selecting those units which had particularly distinguished themselves in battle and using them as 'core' units around which to build up elite formations to which it was applying the same designation..."GUARDS". There is some confusion over the origin of the term, although in the later part of the war it came to refer ONLY to regular units.
The third group comprised the so-called "destruction battallions" of Party, Komsomol and NKVD personel. These units had been formed to fight German parachutists, and were well equipped. From the political element in their constitution it seems that they were concieved for general 'internal security' duties, as well as for combat with the enemy"

It should be noted that right up to Stalingrad, the Red Army was a distrusted force, it's commanding officers at all levels shackeled by political Commisars (POLITRUK) who countermanded oreders at their discretion.....the rule of the Commisar only started to dissappear as a force in Soviet command structures after the victory at Stalingrad itself....co-inciding conveniantly with an order by the Soviets to the British for 1,500 TONS of gold officers 'braid' for uniforms and dress parades, something suitable only for an army that has won back it's confidence and self respect.......

The ordinary 'Ivan' carried the Soviet regime to victory on his back....broad shouldered people that the Russians are....and their capacity for suffering was a marvel to the German troops serving in this theater....

POBYEDA!! (Victory!) to the Motherland!......And the cost was so enormous we still argue over the exact figures...

What a human tradgedy the Eastern Front was....

[deadb_tch]

Hmmm.. I've read topic. Quote from Wikipedia is quite enough to describe but I'll make an addition.
According to this site - Ðàáî÷å-Êðåñòüÿíñêàÿ Êðàñíàÿ Àðìèÿ (historical site about Workers' and Peasants' Red Army - russian Raboche-Krest'anskaya Krasnaya Armiya - first name of Red Army) i can report the following:
1. Red Army Guard units were gathered from units converted to 'guard' for displayed in fights mass courage, heroism and highest level of soldier skills.
2. In rear cases there were units created from scratch already with 'guard' in title. This showed their unique meaning in battle and faith in their skills.
3. According to order of Presidium of Supreme Council of USSR (not sure this is right translation) each guard unit should receive following special 'guard' flag (so called Guard's Red Banner): . On this picture u see face side of flag. On other side was printed name of unit and standard for WW2 text "Death to german invaders".
4. Yes, staff of 'guard' units received higher payment than staff in usual units. Officers received 1.5x payment, privates - 2x payment.
5. Flag of unit in Red Army (and in Russian too ) - is a relic of unit, flag must be saved and protected no matter what happened to unit (in war time of course). If flag is lost - personnel responsible for that have to be punished with military court and unit must be disbanded.
6. When unit received a title 'guard' and its 'guard' flag this event was a great holiday for all staff. It was a honoured army ceremony.

Receiving Red Banner
7. Each personnel of 'guard' unit must wear this badge: . Also this badge was painted on each vehicle belonging to this unit (if it was a tank division for example).
8. To titles of 'guard' unit must be added 'guard's' - so if it was 'corporal' now its 'guard's corporal', although there's no corporal in Red Army .
9. Guard's title of units used until breakage of USSR, after Russian Federation is formed this title was removed from all units and afaik not used now.

eagle six over.

[deadb_tch]

Yes, soldiers of newly formed guard's unit sweared the oath to its country and kissed flag - it was a sign of love to Motherland. Now this ritual is removed.

[Owen]

What is the Russian word for Guards?