ORIGINAL: el cid again
Query: IJA intel believed that four of the "infantry divisions" in the Soviet Far East were "motorized." One - the 36th - had been identified as motorized in Mongolia before 1938. Any idea what the others were? Or if the intel appreciation was correct? Also - what does "motorized" mean? I assume artillery and support are motorized - but the infantry walks. Does it ride? Similarly - in 1941 there are three armored divisions (later disbanded) - in the Far East. By breaking them into armored brigades and infantry regiment, it does not matter they didn't stay one formation. But is that motorized infantry a riding formation?
36th and 57th Motorized Divisions (located in the Transbaikal District and Mongolia) were Motorized divisions and had their own TOE. They were the only Motorized Divisions in the Red Army; infantry was truck-mounted, artillery motorized and they had their own (organic) Tank Battalions (not related to 1939 Rifle Division Tank Battalions). Their organization (TOE) was not changed during the war and they still fielded BT-7 tanks in 1945. One of the Motorized Divisions saw action against the Japanese at Nomonhan in 1939 (have forgotten which, maybe it was the 36th).
There were two Tank Divisions in the Transbaikal MD (61st and 111th - both still existed in 1945) and two Tank Divisions (Ussuriiskaya and Amurskaya Tank Divisions) under Far Eastern Front in 1941 which were disbanded in 1942 (that means: their tank brigades became independent tank brigades; but is not clear if they ever had any infantry - possible for Ussuriiskaya, most unlikely for Amurskaya, I think). The tank divisions under Far Eastern Front were ad-hoc tank divisions without any fixed structure or TOE (if I remember correctly, Ussuriiskaya had five or six tank brigades under command in early 1942, Amurskaya two or three).
