163rd Separate Tank Battalion

The battalion was formed at the end of 1941. At the end of December 1941, he arrived at the Volkhov Front , unloaded at Taltsy station,

In the army from January 1, 1942 to May 10, 1942 and from July 27, 1942 to June 12, 1944. Arrived on the Volkhov , after an 80-kilometer march from Taltsy to the Nekshino area, leaving half of the tanks stuck and broken along the road. Since January 7, 1942 during the Luban operation , it has supported the actions of the 378th Infantry Division , ensuring the capture of its bridgeheads near the village of Lezno ^[1] . On January 25, 1942, in connection with the regrouping of the front forces, it was relocated south to the Bolshaya Vyazhishchi area, where it took over the remaining materiel of the 166th separate tank battalion and then fought in the area of Spasskaya Polisti

Apparently, at the beginning of March 1942 it is being restored in the Greater Vishera area ^[2] . In early May 1942 sent to the reserve.

In July 1942, at the Los station of the Moscow Military District, it became part of the 213rd Tank Brigade, and further combat path was included in its composition. From July 1942 to March 1943 he was at the Gzhatsk - Yukhnov line , in March 1943 he attacked Vyazma , in July 1943 he took part in the Bolkhov-Oryol operation , supporting the 11th Guards Army , suffered heavy losses and already in July 1943 withdrawn to the reserve, where it is located until November 1943.

On October 3, 1943, in the Sermilevo - Yartsevo area, the battalion was re-equipped with captured tanks PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV (the 213th tank brigade became the only tank formation of the USSR armed forces fully armed with captured equipment, excluding several command tanks ^[3] )

On November 1, 1943, it began its transfer to the Duhatino region (west of the city of Krasny ), where it was attached to the 42nd Infantry Division and from November 14, 1943 supports the advance of the division, suffers losses in battles. From December 14, 1943, it receives replenishment again with captured tanks, and from December 22, 1943, it supports the 274th Infantry Division in the offensive. On December 24, 1943, the remaining tanks of the brigade were brought into the 163rd battalion (4 T-34s , 8 PzKpfw III and 1 PzKpfw IV ). During the battles, the battalion reached the Vitebsk - Smolensk railway in the vicinity of the villages of Khotemlya, Ivankina, Tenkova (Krynkovsky village council , Vitebsk region ). In the following days, the battalion took the villages of Lobany and Zazyba ( Shapechinsky village council , Vitebsk region ). In the vicinity of the village of Dribino, the remaining 3 T-34s and 2 PzKpfw III were ambushed and destroyed, with the exception of one captured tank. By December 31, 1943, two tanks remained in the battalion (respectively in the brigade) (1 PzKpfw III and 1 PzKpfw IV ). On January 6, 1944, the battalion was assigned to Staroselye, where it began replenishment. However, most of the tanks that arrived at the battalion needed repair, and in early February, some of the tanks were sent to the factories, 7 PzKpfw IV were transferred to the 23rd Guards Tank Brigade , and the battalion of the 213rd Brigade began to receive domestic equipment from the end of February .

On June 12, 1944 it was renamed the 1st Tank Battalion of the 213rd Tank Brigade and lost the status of a separate military unit.

• captain Zinoviev

• Tank battalions on the site Tank Front
• List No. 29 of armored units and subunits (individual battalions, divisions, companies and armored trains) that were part of the army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945