The 8th Guards Airborne Division was an airborne division of the Red Army during World War II.[1] On 27 December 1944, it was renamed the 107th Guards Rifle Division.[1] It became the 107th Guards Airborne Division on 7 June 1946, before being disbanded in 1959.[2]
On 24 April 1943, the division was withdrawn from the front and moved to Voronezh as part of the Central Front .[1] At the beginning of May, the division became part of the 20th Guards Rifle Corps and from 3 October became part of the 21st Guards Rifle Corps. The division fought in the last part of the Battle of Kursk and the Chernigov-Poltava Offensive. From the area of Kotelva it advanced to the northwestern part of Poltava, establishing contact with the 5th Guards Army. On the night of 5 October, it crossed the Old Dnieper and crossed the Dnieper on the next night, capturing a bridgehead on the right bank near the village of Voronovka.
At this time, the 25th Guards Airborne Regiment crossed the Southern Bug in the area north of Semyonovka together with the 81st Guards Rifle Division capturing the villages of Romanova Balka, Ivanovka and Sokolovka. These units created a threat to the Germans holding Pervomaisk, which caused them to retreat. For its part in taking the city, the division was awarded the honorary title "Pervomaisk".
On 24 August, the division transferred to Kirzhach for resupply. On 27 December 1944, it was reorganized as the 107th Guards Rifle Division. On 8 July 1946, it became airborne again, joining the Soviet Airborne Troops, and was disbanded in 1959.[2]
Divisions of the Soviet Union 1957–1989