940th Fighter Bomber Aviation Regiment

History

The 940th Fighter Aviation Regiment was formed in August 1942, equipped with the then-obsolete Polikarpov I-16 fighter. The regiment was part of the 245th Fighter Aviation Division. In December 1944, it received newer Yakovlev Yak-9 fighters. From August 1945, the regiment was based in Mongolia. It fought in the Soviet Invasion of Manchuria. On 1 October, it was moved to Dalian. In July 1946, the regiment received Lend-lease Bell P-63 Kingcobra aircraft. The regiment became part of the 153rd Fighter Aviation Division in February 1949. It became part of the 37th Fighter Aviation Division in November 1950 and moved to Lüshunkou. In 1952, it received Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighters. The regiment moved to Mukden in June 1953. The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Titov at this time. The regiment did not see action combat action in the Korean War, as its inexperienced pilots were still being trained when the armistice was signed on 27 July. In June 1954, it was moved to Ross, Grodno Oblast in Belarus and became part of the 95th Fighter Aviation Division. In 1955, the MiG-15s were replaced with the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. On 18 March 1960, the regiment was converted to a Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment and transferred to the 1st Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division. It also changed its base to Postavy. In 1976, the regiment received Sukhoi Su-7B and Su-7BMK aircraft. In 1979, it received its first Su-7BKL aircraft. In 1982, the Su-7s were replaced with Mikoyan MiG-27D and MiG-27M aircraft. The regiment was disbanded in May 1988. Its aircraft and equipment were transferred to the 129th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment.