HUNDRED AND TWELFTH BASHKIR CAVALRY DIVISION

HUNDRED AND TWELFTH BASHKIR CAVALRY DIVISION (16th Guard Chernigov Cavalry Division), formed between January–March 1942, by the Resolution of the State Defense Committee of the USSR, on the Dyoma Railway Station (now within the boarders of Ufa City) as the 112th Bashkir Cavalry Division. Comprised the residents of the selos Avdon, Novoye Zhukovo, Staroye Zhukovo and Taptykovo (all – in Ufimsky Raion of the BASSR). Since February 1943, it became the 16th Guard Cavalry Division. The Division consisted of 275th, 294th, 313th (since February 1943, 58th, 60th and 62nd Guard respectively) Cavalry, 32th Tank (since May 1944) Regiments, 101st Equestrian Artillery Battalion, 112th Separate Anti-Aircraft Battery, 112th Separate Chemical Protection Platoon, 80th Separate Medical Squadron, 84th Supply Squadron, 83rd Separate Communication Half-Squadron, 379th Infirmary, 13th Commandant Platoon, 14th Special Department Platoon. Separate military units were temporarily part of the Division. Division was part of the troops of the South Ural Military Okrug, since May – 8th Cavalry Corps (since February 1943 7th Guard) of the 3rd Army of Bryansk Front; since October – 5th Tank Army of South- West, Steppe, Central, and Belarus fronts; since March 1944 – 2nd Belarus Front; since August – 69th Army of the 1st Belarus Front. During the Great Patriotic War, Division participated in 1942 – in the Voronezhsk–Voroshilovgrad, Stalingrad (attacks), and Middle Don battles; in 1943 – Gomelsk–Rechitskaya Battle; in 1944 – Kalinkovich-Mozyrskaya and Lyublin–Brest battles; in 1945 – Vislo-Oder, Eastern Pomerania and Berlin battles. Since June 1945, it was stationed in Brest and Nakhichevan. In October, reformed into the 31st Mechanized Division.

Honoured with the name of Chernigov (1943). Awarded with the Order of Lenin (1945), Order of the Red Flag (1944), the 2nd Class Order of Suvorov (1944), the 2nd Class Order of Kutuzov (1945). 78 soldiers of the Chernigov Cavalry Division were awarded with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, incl. the following natives of the RB: G.A. Akhmerov, K.Kh.Akhmetshin, S.G. Biktimirov, Kh.S.Bulatov, F.G.Gabdrashitov, Sh.Yu.Gatiatullin, A.G.Gizatullin, A.G. Davletov, B.R.Davlyatov, M.G.Kuzhakov, T.T.Kusimov, A.F.Nikiforov, K.K. Khaybullin, A.S.Khaydarov, T.G.Khalikov and S.Kh.Khasanov; 5 awarded with the Order of Glory of 3 classes; 3,860 soldiers – other orders and medals. Commanders of the Division: M.M.Shaymuratov (since December 1941) and Major General G.A.Belov (February 1943 – May 1945). Museums of the Division are open in Ufa, Tuymazy, and Selo Kushnarenkovo (Kushnarenkovsky Raion). Monuments in honour of the Division are installed in Petrovskoye, Chernigov, and on the Chernukhino Railway Station (all – in Ukraine). In Petrovsky, there is the Bashkir Cavalry Square.