21st Guards Motor Rifle Division The 21st Guards Motor Rifle Division is a unit of the Russian Ground Forces , within the Far East Military District , formed from the Red Army 31st Guards Rifle Division , an infantry division of World War II which subsequently became a motor - rifle , and ultimately a tank division . Overview . The division traces its origin to the 328th Rifle Division , which was formed in the Yaroslavl area in August – September 1941 . The division initially consisted of the 1103rd , 1105th and 1107th Rifle Regiments and the 889th Artillery Regiment . Colonel P . A . Yeremin ( August , 1941 – April , 1942 ) took command . On December 7 , 1941 the division entered battle in area of the city of Mikhajlov of the Ryazan area . Colonel P . M . Gudz ( April – September , 1942 ) held command from April 1942 . As part of the 10th Army , then the 16th Army , the division joined the Western Front , participated in counterattack near Moscow and the winter offensive of 1942 , around Zhizdra and Kirov . On May , 24th , 1942 for its courage and heroism the division became the 31st Guards Rifle Division . The new regimental titles were the 95th , 97th , and 99th Guards Rifle Regiments and the 64th Guards Artillery Regiment . In the summer of 1942 the division fought in the Bryansk area . General - Major A . F . Naumov ( October , 1942 – February , 1943 ) took command in October 1942 . Colonel , since November 17 , 1943 , general - major , I . K . ShCherbina ( February , 1943 – July , 1944 ) took command from February 1943 . In 1943 as part of the 16th Army ( since April , 16th , 1943 – 11th Guards Army ) the division attacked the Oryol direction , on August , 15th , 1943 participated in clearing the city of Karachev . It then took part in Operation Bagration and the Gumbinnen operation . On July , 2nd , 1944 the division for skilful actions in Vitebsk - Orshansk ( Оршанской ) operations of 1944 has been awarded the honourable name Vitebsk , and on July , 23rd , 1944 at clearing the city of Molodechno it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner . In July , 1944 during the Vilnius operation the division skillfully forced the river Neman in area of the city of Alitus , for which , on August , 12th , 1944 it was awarded the Order of Suvorov , 2nd class . General - major I . D . Burmakov took command of the division in July and remained in command until the end of the war . The division has entered East Prussia on October , 18th , 1944 against stiff German resistance . On November , 15th , 1944 for valour and heroism of soldiers in these engagements the division was awarded the Order of Lenin . The division participated in the East Prussian Offensive of 1945 . During the assault on Koenigsberg , now Kaliningrad , the division distinguished itself breaking the external defensive boundary . The division participated in the rout of the remaining German forces and the taking of the Pilau ( Baltiysk ) naval base . Awards . More than 14 , 000 of its soldiers were awarded decorations and medals during the war , and eleven were awarded the coveted Hero of the Soviet Union . In 1945 31st Guards Rifle Division was reformed as 29th Guards Mechanised Division , with the 94th , 93rd , and 92nd Guards Mechanised Regiments . In 1957 29th Guards Mechanised Division was retitled 29th Guards Motor Rifle Division . Seven years later , in 1964 the division became 31st Guards Motor Rifle Division . It may have been based at Vilnius for a period . In 1969 31st Guards Motor Rifle Division was relocated from Kaunas in the Lithuanian SSR ( Baltic Military District ) to Belogorsk , in the Amur area of the Far East Military District . In 1978 31st Guards Motor Rifle Division became 21st Guards Tank Division . Composition . The division used to comprise : One of the machine - gun artillery divisions is deployed in Blagoveshchensk . Circa 2004 - 6 the division became the 21st Guards Motor Rifle Division , and its full formal title today is the 21st Guards Motor Rifle Vitebsk Lenin Order of the Red Banner Suvorov ' s awards Division .