17th Tank Division (Soviet Union)

17th Tank Division 1940–1941 Soviet Union Red Army Armor World War II Battle of Smolensk Ilya Alekseyenko Ivan Korchagin The 17th Tank Division (Military Unit Number 6061) was a tank division of the Red Army that was formed in mid-1940. The division suffered heavy losses during fighting against German forces during the Battle of Smolensk and was converted into a tank brigade in late August 1941. History The 17th Tank Division was formed in July 1940 at Crossing 77 with the 5th Mechanised Corps from the 37th Light Tank Brigade. It also included the 199th Flamethrower and 526th Transport Battalions. The 17th Tank Division's structure in 1941 included the 33rd and 34th Tank Regiments, the 17th Motor Rifle Regiment,http://mechcorps.rkka.ru/files/mechcorps/pages/lepel.htm Боевые действия 5-го и 7-го механизированных корпусов 20-й армии в контрударе под Сенно и Лепелем в июле 1941 г. Antonov L.N. 1993 mechcorps.rkka.ru ru 5th and 7th Mechanised Corps in the 20th Army counterattack at Senno and Lepel, July 1941 https://web.archive.org/web/20110628215644/http://mechcorps.rkka.ru/files/mechcorps/pages/lepel.htm 28 June 2011 6 August 2016 dead the 17th Howitzer Artillery Regiment, the 17th Reconnaissance Battalion, the 17th Transport Battalion and the 17th Maintenance Battalion. The division was commanded by Major General Ilya Alekseyenko. On 1 March 1941 Colonel Ivan Korchagin took command. Beginning on 12 June 1941 the division was relocated to Izyaslav.http://mechcorps.rkka.ru/files/mechcorps/pages/5_meh.htm 5 механизированный корпус Drig Yevgeny 12 March 2007 mechcorps.rkka.ru ru 5th Mechanized Corps https://web.archive.org/web/20110628215629/http://mechcorps.rkka.ru/files/mechcorps/pages/5_meh.htm 28 June 2011 5 September 2016 dead thumb|A destroyed T-26 of the type used by the division After the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the division moved with the corps to Smolensk. The division was 60% Ukrainian in early July, and German troops attributed its reportedly poor performance to its ethnic composition.Forczyk 2014 81 On 6 July, the division had 413 tanks, including 237 BT tanks and 130 T-26 tanks. The remainder were flamethrower or amphibious tanks. The division fought in the 5th Mechanized Corps' counterattack towards Senno and Lepel.Glantz 2010 72 The division was placed in the corps' first echelon during the counterattack. When it reached the region south of Senno, the division, reinforced by 6 KV-1 and 10 T-34 tanks, ran into the 17th Panzer Division. The counterattack failed with heavy losses.Glantz 2010 7475 The division was encircled in the Smolensk Pocket, in which it defended the Dnieper line to the west of the city.Glantz 2010 169170 The division fought against the 17th and 18th Panzer Divisions, which were attempting to establish positions on the southern bank of the river.Glantz 2010 186 On 25 July, the division had three KV tanks, four T-34s, 73 BT tanks, 28 T-26s, and 16 KhT-26 flamethrower tanks, for a total of 124 tanks. On the night of 31 July to 1 August, the division and the rest of the corps escaped the Smolensk Pocket through the gap in the German encirclement line.Glantz 2010 359 On 28 August, it was converted into the 126th Tank Brigade.Glantz 2010 154 On 31 August, the 17th Motor Rifle Regiment was awarded the Order of Lenin.Drogovoz 2003 453 The brigade was destroyed in the Vyazma Pocket in October. It was not officially disbanded until 22 August 1942.http://tankfront.ru/ussr/tbr/tbr126.html 126-я отдельная танковая бригада tankfront.ru ru 126th Tank Brigade 9 September 2016 Notes References Танковый меч страны Советов Drogovoz Igor AST 2003 9851311332 Moscow ru Tank Sword of the Soviet country https://books.google.com/books?id=-2ptBQAAQBAJ Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941–1942: Schwerpunkt Forczyk Robert Pen & Sword 2014 9781781590089 Barnsley, South Yorkshire https://books.google.com/books?id=SDfInc6Gb40C Barbarossa Derailed: The German Advance to Smolensk, the Encirclement Battle, and the First and Second Soviet Counteroffensives, 10 July – 24 August 1941 Glantz David M. Casemate 2010 9781906033729 Philadelphia June 2017 Category:Tank divisions of the Soviet Union in World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1940 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1941 Category:1940 establishments in the Soviet Union Category:1941 disestablishments in the Soviet Union