45th Guards

With over 100 nationalities in the Soviet Union and an army that eventually grew to 16 million, the Red Army soldier came in all ages, shapes and sizes. It was quite usual for a soldier to arrive at the front line with only 3-4 weeks training, then go into battle where his unit could easily suffer over 80% casualties.

By 1945 nearly nine million Red Army soldiers, both men and women, had perished in the battle to throw back and defeat Nazi Germany, and it’s the ordinary Red Army soldier, both men and women that we seek to portray to the best of our ability. By  dressing in clothing and using equipment which is either original or has been carefully copied and constructed using the same materials as the original. We also carry original or reproduction weapons, and use the manuals of the period in order to use authentic commands and tactics. 

 Brief History

The 45th Mechanised Brigade first went into action in November 1941 in front of the capital Moscow where they managed to hold the line against a crack Waffen SS division trying to break through.

Pulled back to regroup, the Brigade next saw action during the climactic battle around Kursk in 1943, the biggest tank battle in history. From that point on, the Red army went on the offensive, steadily driving the Germans back, out of the Soviet Union, through Poland and finally to Berlin itself. As Mechanised infantry the 49th were used to support tanks, traveling in US lend-lease trucks or, often on the back of the tanks themselves, as they pushed deep into enemy territory.

Outside of Berlin in April 1945, the unit was finally given Guard status in recognition of the fighting achievements of the troops and the sacrifices they had made.

Getting in touch

If you would be interested in learning more about the ‘Tank Riders’ you can email me , Hugh Logan at zhenya@rkka49th.com or vistit our website at: