70th Guards Rifle Division

70th Guards Rifle Division (February 7, 1943 – 1957) 70th Guards Motor Rifle Division (1957–1991)
Active	1943–1991
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army (1943-1946)  Soviet Army (1946-1991)
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	World War II Battle of Kursk Operation Kutuzov Battle of the Dniepr Battle of Kiev Kiev Strategic Defensive Operation Proskurov-Chernivtsi Offensive Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive East Carpathian Strategic Offensive Operation Western Carpathian Offensive Moravia–Ostrava Offensive Prague Offensive Operation Whirlwind
Decorations	Order of Lenin  Order of the Red Banner (2)  Order of Suvorov  Order of Kutuzov  Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky
Battle honours	Glukhov
Commanders
Notable commanders	Maj. Gen. Ivan Ilich Lyudnikov Maj. Gen. Ivan Andreevich Gusev Col. Timofei Andronikovich Andrienko Col. Leonid Ivanovich Gredinarenko

The 70th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in February, 1943, based on the 1st formation of the 138th Rifle Division in recognition of that division's actions during the battle, and served in that role until well after the end of the Great Patriotic War.

The 70th Guards took part in heavy combat as part of 13th Army on the north flank of the Kursk salient in July 1943, helping to fight the German 9th Army to a standstill before going over to the counteroffensive. It earned a battle honor in the campaign to liberate the Oryol salient before advancing west toward the Dniepr, winning a second Order of the Red Banner in the process. After crossing that river it took part in the campaigns to liberate Kiev and then to hold the city during November. It was briefly assigned to 38th Army, then back to the 13th, before rejoining 38th Army for the duration of the war. It continued to see service through the northwest of Ukraine into the autumn of 1944 as it and its regiments received further battle honors and decorations, particularly as a result of the liberation of Lvov. In November it was reassigned with its Army to the 4th Ukrainian Front and spent the rest of the war battling through the Carpathian mountains, eventually participating in the advance on Prague in May, 1945. In the process the division became one of the most decorated formations of the Red Army.

The 70th Guards later became part of the Soviet Army as a motor rifle division and took part in the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. The division was finally disbanded in 1991.