Editorial Note

Long ago in issue #12 we presented the second installment of John Astell's article on Soviet Guards units. It has come to our attention that one of the charts for that article was unintentionally omitted. It is presented here along with the appropriate text.

GUARDS AIRBORNE BRIGADES
XX	DATE	NOTES
1	7.43?	formed; part of a Gds Abn XX? (1) (2)
2	7.43?	formed; independent? (1)
3	7.43?	formed; independent? (1) (2) 43 or 44 became 103 Gds Rifle XX
4	7.43?	formed; part of a Gds Abn XX? (1)
5	7.43?	formed; part of a Gds Abn XX? (1) (2)
6	7.43?	formed; part of 14 Gds Abn XX (4)
7	7.43?	formed; part of a Gds Abn XX (3) (4)
8	7.43?	formed; part of a Gds Abn XX (3) (4)
9	7.43?	formed; part of 15 Gds Abn XX (4)
10	7.43?	formed; part of 15 Gds Abn XX (4)
11	7.43?	formed; part of a Gds Abn XX (3) (4)
12	7.43?	formed; part of 15 Gds Abn XX (4)
13	7.43?	formed; part of 14 Gds Abn XX (4)
14	7.43?	formed; part of a Gds Abn XX (3) (4)
15	7.43?	formed; part of 14 Gds Abn XX (4)
16	7.43?	formed; part of a Gds Abn XX (3) (4)
17	7.43?	formed; part of a Gds Abn XX (3) (4)
18	7.43?	formed; part of 13 Gds Abn XX (4)
19	7.43?	formed; pail of 13 Gds Abn XX (4)
20	7.43?	formed; part of 13 Gds Abn XX (4)

Guards Airborne Brigades

In 1943 the Soviets began forming twenty Guards airborne brigades. Eighteen went into Guards airborne divisions (Divisions 11-16), and two were independent units. Brigades 1-5 participated in the airborne operation on the Dnepr River in September 1943. The only major airborne operation of the Guards forces, it was, at best, only partly successful.

Guards Airborne Brigades Notes

(1) Presumably, three of the first five brigades are part of a Guards airborne division (11, 12, or 16), and the other two are independent. Which are which is unclear. I showed all five as independent brigades in Scorched Earth. (No doubt OB accountants will notice that they get the three brigades, supposedly in a division, AND all six of the divisions formed by the brigades--a free division! Count it as a gift. If you find that unsatisfactory, then consider that several of the brigades that dropped in 9.43 got smashed and had to be rebuilt--equivalent in the game to "buying" the "extra" division out of the replacement pool. If this still doesn't satisfy you, then consider the fact that the Soviets may actually have had even more airborne brigades running around. German intelligence identified 21 and 23 Gds Abn X's, although no Soviet source mentions these.)

(2) 1, 3, and 5 Gds Abn X's were formed with cadre drawn from the Vyazma partisans. These partisans had been formed from paratroopers who dropped in the Vyazma area during the Soviet airborne operation in the winter of 1941-42.

(3) One of the 11, 12, or 16 Gds Abn XX

(4) See note (5) in the Guards rifle divisions notes for the 11-16 Gds Abn XX's.

More Soviet Guards: Part II

Introduction and Errata
Guards Divisions
Guards Brigades
Other Guards

More WWII Soviet Guard Units: Part I

Introduction and History
Guards Armies and Groups
Guards Corps