131st Separate Motor Rifle Brigade

9th Rifle Division (1918–1921; 1943–1946; 1954–1957) 1st Caucasian Rifle Division (1922–1931) 1st Caucasian Mountain Rifle Division (1931–1936) 8th Rifle Brigade (1946–1949) 9th Mountain Rifle Division (1936–1943; 1949–1954) 80th Motor Rifle Division (1957–1964) 9th Motor Rifle Division (1964–1992) 131st Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (1992–2009) 7th Military Base (2009–present)
Active	1918–2009
Country	Soviet Union(1918–1992) Russia(1992–2009)
Branch	Soviet Army(1918–1991) Russian Ground Forces(1991–2009)
Type	Motorized Infantry
Garrison/HQ	Maykop
Engagements	Russian Civil War World War II Battle of the Caucasus Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive Prague Offensive East Prigorodny Conflict First Chechen War Second Chechen War
Decorations	Order of Kutuzov2nd class Order of the Red Star
Battle honours	Krasnodar On behalf of the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR
Commanders
Notable commanders	Ivan Alexeyevich Savin Vladimir Zarudnitsky

The131st Separate Motor Rifle Brigade(Russian:131-я отдельная мотострелковая бригада) was a motorised infantry unit of theSoviet Armyand of theRussian Ground Forces.

The division traced its lineage back to the formation of the1st Kursk Infantry Divisionin 1918 during theRussian Civil War.The division was redesignated as the9th Rifle Divisionin October of that year, and fought as part of theSouthern Frontagainst theWhiteArmed Forces of South Russiafrom late 1918 to early 1920. In late 1920 it fought in thePerekop–Chongar Operation,completing the defeat of the remaining White forces in Crimea, after which it participated in theRed Army invasion of Georgiain early 1921. The division was stationed in Georgia after the end of the campaign, guarding a sector of the Soviet border with Turkey. In late 1921 it was broken up into two separate rifle brigades, which were combined into the1st Caucasian Rifle Divisionin 1922. The division was converted into a mountain unit in 1931, and was renumbered as the9th Mountain Rifle Divisionin 1936.

Following the beginning ofOperation Barbarossa,the German invasion of the Soviet Union duringWorld War II,the division remained in its positions on the Turkish border, although elements of the 9th fought in theBattle of the Kerch Peninsulaand the early stages of theBattle of the Caucasus.In late 1942 the entire division was relocated north to the front, fighting in the offensive that forced the withdrawal of German troops from theNorth Caucasusin early 1943, before spending most of the year fighting to capture theKuban bridgehead.Reorganized as the 9th Rifle Division in September, the division transferred to Ukraine in early 1944, after which it fought in theLvov–Sandomierz Offensive,Vistula–Oder Offensive,andPrague Offensivebefore the end of the war in May 1945.

Postwar, the division was relocated toKrasnodarin the North Caucasus and was reduced to a rifle brigade until 1949, when it became the 9th Mountain Rifle Division again. After moving toMaykopin 1950, the 9th became a regular rifle division again in 1954, and converted into the80th Motor Rifle Divisionin 1957. In 1964 its historic World War II designation was restored, and the division spent the rest of theCold Warin Maykop. After theDissolution of the Soviet Union,the 9th transferred to theRussian Ground Forcesand reorganized as the131st Separate Motor Rifle Brigadein late 1992. The brigade fought in theBattle of Groznyduring theFirst Chechen War,and elements of it served in theSecond Chechen War.In 2009, after theRusso-Georgian War,it was relocated toGudautain the disputed territory ofAbkhazia,and was redesignated the7th Military Base.

Russian Civil War and Interwar period

The 9th Kursk Infantry Division was created on the 20 July 1918 as one of the first divisions of the Soviet Union during theRussian Civil War.The division was stationed in the Caucasus region, later theTranscaucasian Military Districtand soon renamed 9th Infantry, and later 9th Rifle division.In 1922 the division was renamed the 1st Caucasus ('Kavkaz') Rifle Division.

After service during the Civil War, during which the division changed its name numerous times, the division was awarded the honorific name "of the Central Executive Committee of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic" (Russian:ЦИК ССР Грузии) in 1928. For the 10th anniversary of Red Army on February 29, 1928, the division was awarded theRevolutionary Red Banner of Honorand added the Red Banner (Krasnoznamennaya) to its title.

During 1931 the division was reorganised into a mountain rifle division.

On 23 February 1936 the division was awarded theOrder of the Red Starand on the 23 February the name was slightly changed to "of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic". In July of the same year the division was renamed again as the 9th Red Banner Mountain Rifle Division.

Second World War combat history

Before the war the division consisted of the following units:

• 36th Rifle Regiment (later, as the 36th Motor Rifle Regiment, a Georgian national unit. Originally 309th Caucasian infantry regiment.)
• 121st Rifle Regiment
• 93rd Rifle Regiment
• 256th Artillery Regiment
• 1448th Self-Propelled Gun Regiment
• 55th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion
• 26th reconnaissance company
• 140th self-propelled artillery gun battalion
• 232nd separate communications battalion (and 1432nd separate communications company)
• 123rd Medical Battalion
• 553rd separate company of chemical defence
• 161st auto-transportation company
• 104th Field Bakery
• 156th divisional veterinary treatment station
• 203rd Field Post Office
• 216th Field Cash Office of the State Bank

The division began the war in the Transcaucasian Military District with the40th Rifle Corpsalongside the31st Rifle Division.During the war the division was at various times serving as part of the46th,37th,56th,Separate Coastal,69th,18th,5th Guards Armyand60th Armies.The division took part in theBattle of the Caucasus.The division participated in the fighting forFeodosiya,Tuapse,in theKubanandTaman Peninsula,andKraków.

On September 3, 1943, for the liberation of Kuban region and the capital of the region,Krasnodar,the division was awarded the honorary name “Krasnodarskaya”, and the division was reformed again and became known as the 9thPlastunskayaKrasnodar Red Banner, Order of Red Star Rifle Division (Russian:9-я пластунская стрелковая Краснодарская Краснознамённая, ордена Красной Звезды дивизия).Its enlisted and non-commissioned personnel came largely from the cossacks of the Kuban region.

During the period 1944 – 1945 the division participated in theLvov-Sandomierz Offensive(13 July – 29 August 1944 also known as the 6th Stalin's Shock), and the liberation of Poland and Czechoslovakia for which in April 1945 the division was awarded theOrder of Kutuzov2nd class. With60th Armyof the4th Ukrainian Frontin May 1945.

Its full title in 1945 was Кrasnodar Red Banner,Order of Kutuzov,Red Star Supreme Soviet of theGeorgian SSR.

Post-war service history

Colonel Alexander Dorofeyeev inMaykop,1988.

After the war the division was returned to Krasnodar, and in 1950 the division was relocated to Maykop. After the reforms of 1956 the division became the 9th Motor Rifle Division and was based atMaykopfor many years.

On 12 September 1992 the division was reorganised as the 131st Separate Motor Rifle order of Kutuzov and Red Star Brigade of the 67th Army Corps,North Caucasus Military District(Russian:131 Отдельная мотострелковая орденов Кутузова и красной Звезды бригада (ОМСБ)). The brigade participated in theFirst Chechen Warof 1994–96, including theNew Year 1995 assault on Grozniyduring the combat for the railway terminal where it suffered severe casualties in dead and wounded following an ambush by superior enemy numbers.The battle forGroznycost 157 casualties, including 24 officers (including Colonel Savin), one warrant officer (Russian:прапорщик) and 60 NCOs and soldiers killed and 12 officers, one warrant officer and 59 NCOs and soldiers missing (presumed dead). The brigade also lost 22 T-72 tanks, 45 BMP-2s, and 37 cars and trucks.although other sources give higher losses attributed to the81st Motor Rifle Regimentwhich participated in the operation. The brigade was forced to withdraw from combat, was surrounded, and forced to abandon all of its equipment, with the personnel escaping individually or in small groups. From March 1995 the brigade participates in the Gudermes operation. In all the brigade suffered 1,282 casualties during the campaign.

On 26 April 1995 the brigade returned to Adygeya but was recalled to combat service three months later to participate in further operations in Chechnya, eventually as two manoeuvre groups from 20 February to 7 October 1996.

Since the Chechnya campaigns the brigade has remained in the Caucasus region, and has again changed its name to 131st Separate Motor-Rifle Krasnodar Red Banner, Order of Kutuzov and Red Star Kuban cossack brigade (Russian:131-й отдельная мотострелковая Краснодарская Краснознаменная, орденов Кутузова и Красной Звезды Кубанская казачья бригада) Two of its battalions are participating in the occupation missions in Georgia in the regions of Urta and along the Abkhazian-Georgian border. These battalions and the brigade's tank battalion are staffed completely with professional service personnel serving under the new contracts. The brigade has achieved first place in the performance assessment within the military district during 2005.

In 2009, it became the 7th Military Base.

Division commanders

• Vasily Glagolev(1918)
• Pyotr Solodukhin(1919–1920)
• Nikolay Kuibyshev(1920–1921)
• Mikhail Velikanov(1922–1922)
• Dmitry Fesenko(1927–1930)
• Mikhail Kovalyov(1931–1932)
• ColonelVsevolod Sergeyev(08.1937 — 04.1939)
• Colonel V. T. Maslov (1939–1941)
• Colonel V. S. Dzabakhidze (1941–42)
• Colonel M. V.Yevstigneyev (1942–43)
• Colonel A. E. Shapovalov (1943)
• Colonel S. M. Chorniy (1943)
• Colonel, from October 1943, General-Major P. I. Metal'nikov (1943–45)
• Colonel I. A. Savin (1994–95)
• Colonel Oleg Kozlov (1995–96)
• Major-General S. G. Sudakov (from August 2004)

Further reading

• Шевченко И. Н., Калиновский П. Н., Девятая пластунская, М., 1970; (Shevchenko, I.N., Kalinovsky P.N., Ninth plastun, Moscow, 1970)
• Петрашин И. М., Пластуны Кубани, Краснодар, 1977. (Petrashin I.M., Plastuns of Kuban, Krasnodar, 1977)