2nd Tank Division
The 2nd Tank Division was a Soviet armoured formation established in two distinct historical formations, the first destroyed in the opening battles of the German invasion in 1941 and the second created through the postwar conversion of a Far Eastern rifle division.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 2nd Tank Division was a formation of the Red Army and, in its later incarnation, the Soviet Ground Forces. It was not a commercial brand, but a military unit whose designation was used for two substantially different formations separated by their origins, wartime experiences, and institutional histories. The first formation emerged within the Soviet prewar mechanisation programme. The 3rd Mechanised Corps was created in July 1940 in the Baltic Military District and included the 2nd Tank Division alongside the 5th Tank Division, the 84th Motorised Division, and supporting motorcycle, artillery, engineer, and signals units. At the start of Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941, the division was in the Gajzhuny area near Jonava, Lithuania. The corps had approximately 31,975 personnel and 651 tanks, including newer T-34 and KV-1 vehicles. The division was commanded by Major General Yegor Solyankin. The unit was committed almost immediately to the Soviet defensive battles in the Baltic region. During the fighting near Skaudvilė on 23 June 1941, elements of the division overran a German battle group associated with the 6th Panzer Division. Soviet KV-1 and KV-2 heavy tanks proved highly resistant to the German force's available antitank weapons. The following day, a single KV-2 famously blocked elements of the German 6th Panzer Division near Raseiniai, delaying their movement for roughly a day while German forces employed concentrated fire, engineering measures, and close assault. The episode became one of the best-known individual tank actions of the opening phase of the Eastern Front. The division was eventually encircled and destroyed in the Raseiniai fighting. A July report from the Northwestern Front's armoured directorate described the 3rd Mechanised Corps as effectively destroyed, with only a small number of personnel and one BT-7 tank escaping with the 2nd Tank Division. The second formation had a different institutional lineage. It originated in the Far East in 1932 as a collective-farm division, although sources differ over whether its initial designation was the 1st or 2nd Collective Farm Division. It became the 66th Rifle Division in May 1936. During the Soviet campaign against Japan in August 1945, the division served with the 35th Army of the 1st Far Eastern Front. It crossed the Songacha River in northern Heilongjiang and fought through fortified districts along the Ussuri region, including the Khotunsky, Mishansky, Border, and Duninsky areas. Its operations included the capture of Mishan, Jilin, Jantszy, and Harbin. For its conduct during the 1945 campaign, the 66th Rifle Division received the Order of Kutuzov, Second Degree, on 19 September 1945. The formation's personnel also received three Hero of the Soviet Union awards, 1,266 other awards, and 2,838 medals according to the referenced account. On 29 November 1945, it was reorganised as the 2nd Tank Division. This second formation was renamed the 32nd Tank Division in 1957 and the 66th Tank Division in 1965. On 30 March 1970, it became the 277th Motor Rifle Division. Thus, the 2nd Tank Division designation ultimately disappeared through successive reorganisations rather than through the commercial-style closure of an independent organisation.
History
The designation 2nd Tank Division belongs to two separate Soviet formations. The first was created during the rapid expansion and mechanisation of the Red Army before the Second World War. It served in the 3rd Mechanised Corps, which was formed in July 1940 in the Baltic Military District. On 22 June 1941, when Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the division was positioned near Gajzhuny in the Jonava area. Its parent corps contained a large armoured inventory, including T-34 and KV-series tanks, although Soviet formations faced serious organisational, logistical, and command difficulties during the invasion. The division entered combat during the Baltic strategic operation. Near Skaudvilė on 23 June, it defeated or overran elements of a German battle group connected with the 6th Panzer Division. The action demonstrated the temporary tactical advantage provided by Soviet heavy tanks, particularly the KV-1 and KV-2, against German light and medium antitank capabilities then available in that sector. On 24 June, a single KV-2 near Raseiniai obstructed a German advance and isolated elements of the 6th Panzer Division for approximately one day. German forces ultimately disabled the vehicle through concentrated fire and close engineering assault after it had exhausted its ammunition. The wider Soviet formation was encircled and destroyed in the Raseiniai battles. By 11 July, a Northwestern Front report stated that the 3rd Mechanised Corps had effectively perished, with only about 400 men and one BT-7 tank reported as having escaped with the division. The second formation followed a separate Far Eastern lineage. It was established in 1932 in the Ussuriysk region, reportedly as either the 1st or 2nd Collective Farm Division, reflecting the uncertainty in surviving accounts about its earliest title. It was redesignated the 66th Rifle Division on 21 May 1936 and spent the Second World War period in the Soviet Far East. In May 1945 it formed part of the 35th Army of the Independent Coastal Group. When the Soviet Union opened hostilities against Japan in August 1945, the 66th Rifle Division served with the 1st Far Eastern Front. Beginning on 9 August, it advanced across the Songacha River in northern Heilongjiang and fought through several Japanese fortified districts along the Ussuri frontier. The division participated in operations associated with the capture of Mishan, Jilin, Jantszy, and Harbin. Its wartime performance was recognised with the Order of Kutuzov, Second Degree, awarded on 19 September 1945. The referenced account also records three Hero of the Soviet Union awards and thousands of additional decorations for its personnel. On 29 November 1945, the 66th Rifle Division was converted into the 2nd Tank Division. The postwar armoured designation was temporary within a longer sequence of Soviet reorganisations: in 1957 it became the 32nd Tank Division, in 1965 the 66th Tank Division, and on 30 March 1970 the 277th Motor Rifle Division. The designation therefore ended as part of a formal transformation of the Soviet force structure. The first and second formations should not be treated as a continuous unit in terms of personnel or battlefield history, although the later formation inherited an official divisional title previously used by the 1941 armoured division.
- 1970
Converted into the 277th Motor Rifle Division
[1]On 30 March, the division became the 277th Motor Rifle Division, ending the second use of the 2nd Tank Division title.
- 1965
Renamed 66th Tank Division
[1]The formation was redesignated the 66th Tank Division.
- 1957
Renamed 32nd Tank Division
[1]The second formation received the designation 32nd Tank Division.
- 1945
Far Eastern campaign against Japan
[1]The 66th Rifle Division advanced across the Songacha River and fought through fortified districts during the Soviet offensive against Japan.
- 1945
Order of Kutuzov awarded
[1]The division received the Order of Kutuzov, Second Degree, on 19 September for its combat service.
- 1945
Second 2nd Tank Division formation established
[1]The 66th Rifle Division was reorganised as the 2nd Tank Division on 29 November.
- 1941
Destruction during Operation Barbarossa
[1]The first formation fought near Skaudvilė and Raseiniai before being encircled and destroyed during the opening German offensive.
- 1940
First 2nd Tank Division formation enters the mechanised corps structure
[1]The division served in the 3rd Mechanised Corps, formed in July in the Baltic Military District.
- 1936
Redesignated as the 66th Rifle Division
[1]The Far Eastern formation was renamed the 66th Rifle Division on 21 May.
- 1932
Far Eastern predecessor formed
[1]A predecessor of the second formation was created in the Ussuriysk region as a collective-farm division; sources differ over its initial numerical designation.
Products and positioning
A Soviet armoured military formation; the subject is an institutional military unit rather than a consumer or corporate brand.
Marketing campaigns
- 1945Soviet offensive against Japan
Far Eastern Soviet Union · Manchuria
The second formation, then designated the 66th Rifle Division, took part in the Soviet campaign against Japan. It crossed the Songacha River and attacked fortified districts in the Ussuri and northern Heilongjiang region.
Outcome. The division captured several cities and received the Order of Kutuzov, Second Degree.
- 1941Baltic Operation and Battle of Raseiniai
Baltic region · Lithuania
The first formation fought German forces during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, including the engagements near Skaudvilė and Raseiniai. Its heavy tanks temporarily disrupted the advance of the German 6th Panzer Division, but the division was subsequently encircled and destroyed.
Outcome. The formation was destroyed in the Raseiniai encirclement.
Brand decisions
1945
Conversion from rifle division to tank divisionOtherBackground
After the end of the Second World War, the decorated 66th Rifle Division was selected for reorganisation within the Soviet armoured force structure.
Action taken
On 29 November, the division was redesignated as the 2nd Tank Division.
Aftermath
The title was later replaced by the designations 32nd Tank Division, 66th Tank Division, and finally 277th Motor Rifle Division.
Sources4 sources
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