Without hiking and fighting: 7th Khingan Cavalry Division in 1946-1953

A considerable amount of information has been summarized in historiography, but a detailed picture of the reorganization in 1945-1953 at the level of military units has not yet been presented. The objectives of the article are to show the changes in the 7th (previously 59th) Khingan Cavalry Division to consider the issues of recruitment, training, and to show the role of inspections. This will give an idea of the adaptive capabilities of the Soviet military system. As introductory remarks, it is indicated that on the eve and during the Second World War, the Soviet cavalry developed very inconsistently, consistently going through the stages of reduction, increase and new reduction. Nevertheless, cavalry formations played a crucial role in the defensive and offensive operations of 1941-1942, compensating for the shortage of large tank formations. Since then the cavalry corps (less dependent on fuel supply) specialized in the formation of external fronts have specialized in forming the outer fronts of the enemy’s encirclement and deep breaches. The main part of the article is devoted to the post-war everyday life of one of the cavalry units preserved in the Soviet Army. The most important events in the history of the division, reflected in its historical form, are considered in chronological order. The opportunity was used to show the role of command at various levels in conditions when, fortunately, participation in campaigns and battles was not required. For example, the inspection of 1951 showed that the political and moral condition of the personnel is healthy, physically they are well prepared and military discipline and living conditions are satisfactory. In general, the units are well prepared and combat-ready. In October 1953, the division was disbanded.

1. Babakov A.A. (1987) The Armed Forces of the USSR af ter the war (1945-1986): the history of construction. Moscow: Voenizdat. 287 p. (In Russ.).

2. Varennikov V.I. (2001) Unique. In 7 vol. Vol. 2. Pt. III. Life without war. Moscow: Sovetskii pisatel'. 544 p. (In Russ.).

3. Vashurin P.S. (1995) Throw in the Carpathians. Voenno-istoricheskii zhurnal = Military-Historical Journal. No. 3. P. 79- 85. (In Russ.).

4. Gurkin V.V., Kruglov A.I. (1995) The mistake into which Hitler fell (E. von Manstein). Voenno-istoricheskii zhurnal = Military Historical Journal. No. 3 P. 48-59. (In Russ.).

5. Drig E.F. (2019) Troops of Semyon Mikhailovich. The history of the organizational construction of the strategic cavalry of the Red Army. Moscow: Russian Knights Foundation. 208 p. (In Russ.).

6. Isaev A. (2004) Antisuvorov. Ten myths of the Second World War. Moscow: Eksmo; Yauza. 416 p. (In Russ.).

7. Kovalev I.V. (1981) Transport in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). Moscow: Nauka. 480 p. (In Russ.).

8. Lashchenko P.N. (1972) From battle to battle. Moscow: Voenizdat. 336 p. (In Russ.).

9. Mel’tyukhov M.I.(2000) Stalin's missed chance. The Soviet Union and the Struggle for Europe: 1939-1941 (Documents, facts, judgments). Moscow: Veche. 608 p. (In Russ.).

10. Pavlovskii I.G. (1985) Land forces of the USSR: Origin, development, modernity. Moscow: Voenizdat. 320 p. (In Russ.).

11. Postnikov S.I. (2004) In distant garrisons. Moscow: POLYGON-press. 528 p. (In Russ.).

12. Petrenko V.M. (2016) Transbaikal-Amur (Transbaikalian) Military District in 1945-1953. Voenno-istoricheskii zhurnal = Military-Historical journal. No. 3. P. 10-17. EDN: VQUCAP. (In Russ.).

13. Pyatnitskii V.I. (2007) Cossacks in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Moscow: Yauza; Eksmo. 320 p. (In Russ.).

14. Rostov N.D. (2007) We are going into a decisive battle… Preparation of reserves for the front in Siberia during the Great Patriotic War. Monograph. Barnaul: Altai State Technical University. 516 p. (In Russ.).

15. Rostov N.D. (2011) Mobilization of transport resources of Siberia during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Barnaul: Altai State Technical University. 191 p. (In Russ.).

16. Samokhin A.V. (2013) Reorganization of the system of military administration of the USSR 1945-1947. Vlast' i upravlenie na vostoke Rossii = Power and Management in the East of Russia. No. 4 (65). P. 100-106. EDN: RSCYLH. (In Russ.).

17. Kudryashov S.V. (2018) The Soviet Army: years of reforms and trials. In 2 vol. Moscow: IstLit. 720 p.; 480 p. (In Russ.).

18. Strel'chenko B.I. (1995) Kuban Cossacks in Belovezh skaya Pushcha. Voenno-istoricheskii zhurnal = Military Historical Journal. No. 2. P. 7-13. (In Russ.).

19. Fes'kov V.I., Kalashnikov K.A., Golikov V.I. (2004) The Soviet Army during the Cold War (1945-1991). Tomsk: Tomsk State University. 246 p. (In Russ.).

20. Fes'kov V.I., Kalashnikov K.A., Golikov V.I., Slugin S.A. (2013) The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: from the Red Army to the Soviet One. Pt. 1. Ground Forces. Tomsk: NTL. 640 p. (In Russ.).