The 111th Tank Division was a Tank division of the Soviet Union's Red Army and after 1946, the Soviet Army. The division was formed in the summer of 1941 in the Soviet Far East from the tank regiment of a motorized division that had been reorganized into a motor rifle division, and had thus lost its tank regiment. The division never fought in combat and was in reserve during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Postwar, the division continued its garrison duty in the Far East. The 111th was renumbered as the 16th Tank Division in 1955.
History
Formation
The 111th Tank Division began its formation on 26 July 1941 in Borzya from the 82nd Motorized Division's 123rd Tank Regiment. The 82nd Division was being converted into a motor rifle division, and as a result lost its tank regiment. The division included the following units upon its formation:
On 1 August, Colonel Ivan Shevnikov became the division commander. The division's formation was completed on 20 August and it became part of the 36th Army.
World War II
On 9 September, the division was relocated to the 76th Rail Siding on the Molotov Railway. On 15 February 1942, Colonel Ivan Troitsky took command of the division. In June 1943, the division was directly subordinated to the Transbaikal Front. On 12 April 1944, division chief of staff Colonel Demyan Timokhin became the division commander. Colonel Ivan Sergeyev commanded the 111th from 31 December 1944 to 3 September 1945. In the summer of 1945, the division was transferred to Enger Shand in eastern Mongolia, where it was held in reserve while most of the rest of the front fought in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria.
Postwar
By 9 September 1945 the division had been relocated back to the 76th Rail Siding. On 10 October, it became part of the 6th Guards Tank Army. Around this time, the division also included the following units:
22nd Tank Regiment
223rd Tank Regiment
73rd Tank Regiment
165th Heavy Tank/Self-Propelled Gun Regiment
111th Motor Rifle Regiment
193rd Howitzer Artillery Battalion
26th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
111th Motorcycle Battalion
74th Guards Mortar Battalion
111th Communications Battalion
111th Sapper Battalion
111th Medical-Sanitary Battalion
111th Mobile Tank Repair Base
111th Field Auto Repair Base
111th Motor Transport Battalion
The division remained as a garrison force in the Far East after the war. On 4 March 1955, it was renumbered as the 16th Tank Division when the formation was re-raised for the second time.
