1st His Majesty's Life Guards Tank Division
| 1st His Majesty's Life Guards Tank Division | |
|---|---|
| 1. Záchranári Jeho Veličenstva Tanková Divize | |
 1st His Majesty's Life Guards Tank Division Emblem | |
| Country |  Holyn Socialist States (Until 1998) Holyn Kingdom |
| Branch |  Holyn Ground Forces |
| Type | Armoured |
| Size | 12,000 soldiers |
| Part of | 1st Guards Tank Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Pravek, Holynia |
| Patron | Mikuláš I Tadeáš Fišer (1952-2001) |
| Equipment | 216 HT-85BM, 100 HT-15A, 8 HT-85BV, 240 BVP-3K, 36 BVP-3G |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Major General Luděk Kuchta |
| Deputy Operations Commander | Major General Vlastislav Bílek |
| Deputy Support Commander | Colonel Eduard Sýkora |
| Chief of Staff | Colonel Jan Mladý |
| Notable commanders | Army General Vojtěch Ryšánek (ret.) |
The 1st His Majesty's Life Guards Tank Division (Holyn: 1. Záchranári Jeho Veličenstva Tanková Divize) is an elite armoured division of the Holyn Ground Forces. It is the ceremonial protective bodyguard unit of the King, performing escort of the monarch and guard duties around the Royal palaces. Soldiers within the unit rotate between the operational unit and the ceremonial unit of the division.
The Division was originally raised in 1932 as the 1st Cizekporok Tank Division of the Holyn Army. It became the basis of the 1st Holyn Army Corps in 1942. The division participated in the Battle of Goranci in Movargovina in 1951. The Division was renamed 1st Guards Tadeáš Fišer Tank Division. In recognition of its performance in the Movargovina War, the division received the honorary title of Guards and was named after Holyn revolutionary Tadeáš Fišer. The division was heavily involved in the testing of new military equipment, such as the HT-65, HT-75 and HT-85 main battle tanks. In 1997, the Division participated in the Bogoria War, most notably Operation Storm. In 2001, the Division lost the name Tadeáš Fišer as part of efforts to remove political influences from the military. In 2003, it was reformed into the 1st Life Guards Tank Division as the ceremonial household division of the Holyn monarchy. In 2004, the division unveiled new ceremonial uniforms. In 2005, it received its current name 1st His Majesty's Life Guards Tank Division.
The division began implementing the Brigade-centric Brigade Combat Group structure in 2008, with its first Tank Brigade Combat Group raised in late 2009. The BCG structure is a deployable maneuver unit structured to take advantage of the resources provided by the whole division. It is able to deploy by itself as a single brigade. Three Brigade Combat Groups had been formed by 2015. The division is the first unit within the Holyn military to accept the HT-15 main battle tank into active service. The 3rd Brigade Combat Group has been downgraded as non-deployable to effectively integrate the new tank.
History
The current 1st His Majesty's Life Guards Tank Division traces its lineage back to the 1st Cizekporok Tank Division of the post-revolutionary Holyn Army. The 1st Tank Division was formed in June 1932 in the Cizekporok suburb of Pravek, where the 1st Tank Division is based today. The division was initially equipped with the HT-3 light tank. In 1942, the division received the HT-40 following the Division's subordination to the 1st Holyn Army Corps. In 1949, the 35th Tank Regiment of the Division received HT-49 main battle tank. In 1951, the Division's 35th and 56th Tank Regiments participated in the Movargovina War.
The Division came to prominence in the aftermath of the war. The Division was credited with the most tank kills of any of the Holyn units deployed during the conflict. In recognition of its performance, the Central Committee of the Holyn Workers' Party bestowed the title of Guards onto the Division. A few months after the Division received the Guards prefix, the Division became named after Holyn socialist revolutionary Tadeáš Fišer.
The HT-50 was received by the 56th and 60th Tank Regiments of the Division in 1956. In 1962, the Division's 60th Tank Regiment received the HT-60 main battle tank.
The entire Division was outfitted with the HT-65 main battle tank in 1967. The tradition of the 1st Tank Division being first to receive and trial new equipment continued throughout the latter 20th century. Battalion Commander Albert Utěkal defected to Corvia in 1974. The commander fled with diagrams of the fire control system of the HT-65 main battle tank and documents on the then prototype HT-75.
In 1984, troops of the Division participated in the suppression of unrest in Bogoria. 5 soldiers of the Division were killed during clashes with Bogor protestors. In June 1987, the 56th Tank Regiment suffered a major equipment loss during the Vamik Dam disaster. 25 HT-75 main battle tanks were destroyed and six soldiers killed during flooding caused by the disaster. The Division was the second worst hit military unit during the natural disaster.
In 1997, the entire Division deployed to Bogoria during the initial attempts to suppress the rebellion. It was later involved in Operation Storm where it suffered heavy casaulties. In the spring of 1998, parts of the Division returned to Cizekporok in an attempt to supress internal dissent in the capital. By 1999, the Division had suffered almost 3,000 casaulties during the war. The Division withdrew along with the rest of the Holyn military in late 1999.
Structure
- 1st His Majesty's Life Guards Tank Division
- Division Headquarters in Rudíkov, Holynia (56 km from Cizekporok).
- Headquarters Company
- Honor Guard Battalion
- Division Band Company
- 1st Tank Brigade Combat Group
- Brigade Headquarters Company (1x HT-85BV)
- 2nd Battalion, 4th Royal Dragoons Regiment (6x BVP-3V-G, 9x HT-85BM)
- 2nd Battalion, 15th Guards Tank Regiment (30x HT-85BM)
- 1st Battalion, 18th Guards Tank Regiment (30x HT-85BM)
- 2nd Battalion, 23rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (BVP-3V-K)
- 2nd Battalion, 67th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Brigade (20x MD-99)
- 1st Battalion, 59th Engineering Brigade
- 1st Tank Support Company, 75th Logistics Brigade
- 2nd Tank Support Company, 75th Logistics Brigade
- 1st Company, 7th Medical Battalion
- 1st Signals Company, 98th Communications Battalion
- 1st Field Maintenance Company, 337th Maintenance Battalion
- 2nd Tank Brigade Combat Group
- Brigade Headquarters Company (1x HT-85BV)
- 3rd Battalion, 4th Royal Dragoons Regiment (6x BVP-3V-G, 9x HT-85BM)
- 1st Battalion, 15th Guards Tank Regiment (30x HT-85BM)
- 2nd Battalion, 18th Guards Tank Regiment (30x HT-85BM)
- 1st Battalion, 23rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (BVP-3V-K)
- 1st Battalion, 67th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Brigade (20x MD-99)
- 3rd Battalion, 59th Engineering Brigade
- 2nd Tank Support Company, 75th Logistics Brigade
- 1st Tank Support Company, 75th Logistics Brigade
- 2nd Company, 7th Medical Battalion
- 2nd Signals Company, 98th Communications Battalion
- 4th Field Maintenance Company, 337th Maintenance Battalion
- 3rd Tank Brigade Combat Group
- Brigade Headquarters Company (1x HT-15A)
- 1st Battalion, 4th Royal Dragoons Regiment (6x BVP-3V-G, 9x HT-15A)
- 3rd Battalion, 18th Guards Tank Regiment (30x HT-15A)
- 2nd Battalion, 22nd Guards Tank Regiment (30x HT-15A)
- 2nd Battalion, 204th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (BVP-3V-K)
- 3rd Battalion, 67th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Brigade (20x MD-99)
- 2nd Battalion, 59th Engineering Brigade
- 3rd Tank Support Company, 75th Logistics Brigade
- 3rd Tank Support Company, 75th Logistics Brigade
- 3rd Company, 7th Medical Battalion
- 3rd Signals Company, 98th Communications Battalion
- 2nd Field Maintenance Company, 337th Maintenance Battalion
- 157th Security Brigade
- 1st Battalion, 606th Military Police Regiment
- 4th Battalion, 59th Engineering Brigade
- 3rd Battalion, 106th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (PS-08K, PS-3)
- 2nd Battalion, 891st NBC-Defence Brigade
- 2nd Field Support Battalion, 75th Logistics Brigade
- 67th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Brigade
- Command and Reconnaisance Battery, 79th Artillery Regiment
- 1st Self-Propelled Gun Battalion, 79th Artillery Regiment (155mm MD-99 howitzer)
- 2nd Self-Propelled Gun Battalion, 79th Artillery Regiment (155mm MD-99 howitzer)
- 3rd Rocket Artillery Battalion, 79th Artillery Regiment (220mm RM-86 MLRS)
- 4th Rocket Artillery Battalion, 79th Artillery Regiment (300mm RM-91 MLRS)
- 1st Artillery Support Company, 75th Logistics Brigade
- 3rd Field Maintenance Company, 337th Maintenance Battalion
- 106th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade
- Command Battery, 106th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade
- 1st Battery, 106th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (PS-88C)
- 2nd Battery, 106th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (PS-88C)
- 3rd Battery, 106th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (PS-88C)
- 25th Aviation Brigade
- 271st Intelligence Company
- 7th Medical Battalion
- 98th Communications Battalion
- 75th Logistics Brigade
- 1st Field Support Battalion
- 3rd Field Support Battalion
- 59th Engineering Brigade
- 156th Seperate Reconnaissance Regiment
- 337th Maintenance Battalion
- Division Headquarters in Rudíkov, Holynia (56 km from Cizekporok).
Visual order of battle
See also
 Active divisions of the Holyn Defence Forces | |
|---|---|
| Tank divisions |
|
| Light rifle divisions |
|
| Motorized rifle divisions |
|
| Rocket divisions |
|
| Marine divisions |
|