119th Guards Rifle Division

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119th Guards Rifle Division
Active1943–1946
CountryFlag of the Soviet Union (1936-1955).svg  Soviet Union
Branch Red Army flag.svg Red Army (1943-46)
TypeDivision
RoleInfantry
Engagements Battle of Nevel (1943)
Pustoshka-Idritsa Offensive
Pskov-Ostrov Offensive
Baltic Offensive
Riga Offensive (1944)
Courland Pocket
Decorations Order of Red Banner.svg   Order of the Red Banner
Battle honours Rezhitsa
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Col. Sergei Ivanovich Aksyonov
Maj. Gen. Pavel Mendelevich Shafarenko
Maj. Gen. Ivan Vladimirovich Gribov
Col. Andrian Maksimovich Ilyin
Col. Anatolii Ivanovich Kolobutin

The 119th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in September 1943, based on the 11th Guards Naval Rifle Brigade and the 15th Guards Naval Rifle Brigade and was one of a small series of Guards divisions formed on a similar basis. Although the two brigades had distinguished themselves in the fighting south of Stalingrad as part of 64th Army they were moved to Northwestern Front in the spring of 1943 before being reorganized. After serving briefly in 22nd Army the division was moved to reinforce the 3rd Shock Army within the large salient that Army had created behind German lines after a breakthrough at Nevel in October. In the following months it fought both to expand the salient and defend it against German counterattacks in a highly complex situation. In January 1944 it was transferred to the 7th Guards Rifle Corps of 10th Guards Army, still in the Nevel region, after which it advanced toward the Panther Line south of Lake Peipus. During operations in the Baltic states that summer and autumn the 119th Guards was awarded both a battle honor and the Order of the Red Banner for its operations in Latvia. In March 1945 it joined the Kurland Group of Forces of Leningrad Front on the Baltic coast containing the German forces encircled in northwest Latvia. Following the German surrender it was moved to Estonia where it was disbanded in 1946.

Contents

Formation

By mid-1943 most of the Red Army's remaining rifle brigades were being amalgamated into rifle divisions as experience had shown this was a more efficient use of manpower.

66th Naval Rifle Brigade

This brigade was formed from October to November 1941 in the Volga Military District, [1] with a cadre from the Pacific Fleet and the Amur Military Flotilla. In December it was assigned to the reserves of Karelian Front and later to the 32nd Army of that Front. In June 1942 it was moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command and joined 1st Reserve Army which soon was redesignated as 64th Army west of Stalingrad. [2]

In this Army it joined the 154th Naval Rifle Brigade (below) and the two served closely through most of the battle of Stalingrad. The 66th NRB was originally positioned west of the Don River south of its junction with the Chir near Nizhne-Chirskaia but was forced to retreat to the east bank by July 27 after suffering up to 50 percent losses. In the face of the advance of 4th Panzer Army south of the city in early August the 64th Army took up a defense along a line from Logovskii on the Don to Tinguta Station on August 12 with the 66th along the Myshkova River. This proved ineffective when the offensive was renewed on August 20. On the night of August 30 the brigade withdrew to the Erik River with the 157th Rifle Division but by September 2 the two units were fighting in encirclement. Orders arrived from Stalingrad Front authorizing a further withdrawal to the Peschanka line. [3]

The battle for the city itself had begun in the third week of August but 64th Army was still attempting to guard the southern approaches. After Elkhi was lost on September 4 the 66th NRB was designated for a counterattack, but this did not succeed. The fighting on the approaches reached its climax on September 12; at this time it was holding the Army's left flank with the 154th NRB and the 36th Guards Rifle Division to the boundary with 57th Army and refitting. Its combat strength on September 10 is given as 1,134 men. By the beginning of October the brigade was in the Beketovka bridgehead south of Stalingrad and went over to the attack at 0430 hours on October 2 with five rifle divisions on an 8km-wide sector in an effort to break through to the isolated 62nd Army but made no significant gains and the effort was called off on October 4. [4]

154th Naval Rifle Brigade

The 154th Naval was formed in early December 1941 at Moscow in the Moscow Military District, [5] based on recruits from the Moscow Naval School and originally designated as 1st Moscow Separate Naval Group. By the beginning of January 1942 it was assigned to the Moscow Defense Zone and on February 5 was re-assigned to Northwestern Front. It marched some 250km through heavy snow to reach the Demyansk area where it took part in the fighting that cut off the German II Army Corps in a pocket. In June the brigade was pulled out of Front reserves and moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. [6]

The 154th was first sent to North Caucasus Front where it was under direct command of the Front as of July 7. Two weeks later it was in 64th Army and positioned west of the Don. When 4th Panzer Army began its advance toward Abganerovo on July 31 the brigade was sent southward to the Nizhne-Yablochnyi region (25km north of Kotelnikovo) to help block the German advance. Within days it was forced to fall back to the Aksay River near Novoaksaysky from where it had to withdraw another 5-10km on August 4. By August 12 it was in the Army's second echelon behind the Myshkova–Tinguta line and as fighting continued on August 20 the Army commander, Maj. Gen. M. S. Shumilov, withdrew the brigade, along with the 138th Rifle Division, to rear defensive positions about 5km to the rear. An Army report of September 1 stated that the 154th NRB was by now down to a strength between 500-1,000 personnel and the next day was reported as located in the Elkhi region. [7]

On September 4 the brigade was forced to abandon Elkhi although Shumilov reported that he was organizing a counterattack with his reserve 66th NRB. By September 12 the two brigades were defending in tandem on the Army's left flank while refitting in what was to become known as the Beketovka bridgehead on the west bank of the Volga south of the encircled 62nd Army. The brigade had 876 men on strength on September 10. [8]

Operation Uranus and Operation Ring

Stalingrad Front launched its part in the encirclement of German 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army on November 20. The 66th and 154th NRBs were still in 64th Army in the Beketovka bridgehead and had been partly rebuilt over the preceding weeks. On the first two days General Shumilov held them in reserve with orders to reinforce the Army's shock group's successes. At 2000 hours on November 22 the German IV Army Corps was ordered to fall back to a new defensive line anchored at Tsybenko and continuing east along the Karavatka Balka to Elkhi which was held by units of the 297th Infantry Division. This line would remain in German hands for many weeks. The next day the two brigades closed up to the line and for the rest of the month limited their activities to raiding and reconnaissance. [9]

By the beginning of January 1943 the 64th Army had been transferred to Don Front which was responsible for the final liquidation of the encircled German forces, beginning on January 10. Shumilov organized his main attack on a 6km-wide sector from south of Hill 111.6 east to Elkhi while holding the 29th Rifle Division and the 154th NRB in second echelon. 66th NRB was one of the formations deployed in defensive positions from Elkhi northeastward to the Volga. In the initial attack Tsybenko was encircled and Hill 111.6 captured but the advance seemed to stall, prompting Shumilov to commit the 154th west of Tsybenko as of the morning of the 12th, temporarily under control of 57th Army. During the day it captured the meat canning factory east of Kravtsov. On January 13 the brigade returned to 64th Army control and repulsed a weak counterattack by IV Army Corps reserves near Hill 119.7. At this point the combined assault by 64th and 57th Armies had gained up to 7km northward. But German resistance at Elkhi prevented major gains the following day, prompting the decision to commit the 66th NRB to the general advance scheduled for January 15. On January 27, as Don Front closed in on the German remnants still holding out in Stalingrad, both brigades were ordered to be withdrawn into the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for redeployment to other strategic axes. [10] They were moved by rail to the reserves of Kalinin Front where, during February and March the 66th was converted to the 11th Guards Naval Rifle Brigade while the 154th became the 15th Guards Naval Rifle Brigade. They were soon assigned to 22nd Army and helped form the 44th Rifle Corps, remaining under that command through the summer. [11]

On September 30, 1943 the combined brigades officially became the 119th Guards in the Northwestern Front; as they were already Guards formations there was no presentation of a Guards banner. Once the division completed its reorganization its order of battle was as follows:

  • 341st Guards Rifle Regiment
  • 343rd Guards Rifle Regiment
  • 344th Guards Rifle Regiment
  • 325th Guards Artillery Regiment [12]
  • 113th Guards Antitank Battalion
  • 108th Guards Reconnaissance Company
  • 123rd Guards Sapper Battalion
  • 119th Guards Signal Battalion (later 126th Guards Signal Company)
  • 109th Guards Medical/Sanitation Battalion
  • 111th Guards Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
  • 110th Guards Motor Transport Company
  • 106th Guards Field Bakery
  • 107th Guards Divisional Veterinary Hospital
  • 1799th Field Postal Station
  • 1756th Field Office of the State Bank

The division was placed under the command of Col. Sergei Ivanovich Aksyonov, who had previously commanded both the 170th and 171st Rifle Divisions in the Staraya Russa area. 44th Rifle Corps also contained the 32nd and 46th Rifle Brigades and 22nd Army was positioned south of Kholm, facing the II Army Corps of German 16th Army. [13]

Into Western Russia

Battle of Nevel and subsequent operations Map of Battle of Nevel (October 1943 - January 1944).jpg
Battle of Nevel and subsequent operations

On October 20 Northwestern Front was redesignated as 2nd Baltic Front and by November 1 the 119th Guards had left 44th Corps and was serving as a separate division in 22nd Army. [14] On the same date Colonel Aksyonov was transferred to command of the 185th Rifle Division and was replaced by Maj. Gen. Pavel Mendelevich Shafarenko, who had previously commanded the 25th Guards Rifle Division. The 3rd and 4th Shock Armies of Kalinin Front had achieved a surprise breakthrough of the German front on October 6 and liberated the town of Nevel before expanding into the rear of 16th and 3rd Panzer Armies over the following days, creating a deep salient. [15] The offensive was renewed from within the salient on November 2; in an early morning fog 3rd and 4th Shock Armies penetrated the defenses of the left flank of 3rd Panzer Army southwest of Nevel. After the breakthrough, which opened a 16km-wide gap, 3rd Shock turned to the north behind the flank of 16th Army while 4th Shock moved southwest behind 3rd Panzer Army. [16] As the offensive continued the Front commander, Army Gen. M. M. Popov, fed in reserves in an effort to encircle and destroy the German forces holding the deep salient running south from Novosokolniki to the initial gap that had been forced on October 6. In mid-November the 119th Guards was assigned to 3rd Shock Army. Supported by 118th Tank Brigade and flanked on the left by 146th Rifle Division it liberated the village of Podberezye and directly threatened to sever the Novosokolniki–Pustoshka rail line:

It seemed as if yet another effort – the mission assigned to us by the front commander – had been fulfilled. The army's forces had created a bridgehead for a deep flank attack on the Idritsa-Novosokolniki enemy grouping from the south in the direction of Idritsa and Sebezh, which would allow us to sever the withdrawal routes of a considerable force of Hitlerites.

The Soviet advance was aided by warm and dry weather and local partisan detachments. The situation so concerned the German command that six infantry battalions were brought in from 18th Army to reinforce the approaches to Pustoshka, which effectively halted the push toward that city as torrential rains began on November 15. Popov ordered his forces over to the defense on November 21. [17]

When December began the 119th Guards was under the command of 3rd Shock Army's 93rd Rifle Corps. [18] It was holding along the east side of the Soviet salient toward Pustoshka in conjunction with the 326th Rifle Division; 93rd Corps was facing the 23rd and 290th Infantry Divisions of the I Army Corps. On December 9 the STAVKA ordered Popov to pierce the defenses at Pustoshka, capture Idritsa, and destroy the German forces in the salient between Novosokolniki and Nevel using 3rd Shock and 6th Guards Armies. This attack began on December 16 but made little progress. The 119th Guards and 326th were joined by the 21st Guards and 20th Rifle Divisions plus the 118th Tank Brigade and dented but failed to penetrate the positions of the 290th Infantry, which was reinforced by the 122nd Infantry Division. The effort was halted after several days. [19]

Novosokolniki Pursuit

After this failure the division was transferred to the 100th Rifle Corps, still in 3rd Shock Army, where it joined the 21st and 46th Guards Rifle Divisions. [20] On December 16 Hitler had finally conceded the impossibility of closing the gap at Nevel and cutting off the Soviet forces inside the salient, rendering his own salient south of Novosokolniki useless. About a week earlier the STAVKA had ordered Western Front to transfer 10th Guards Army to 2nd Baltic Front to take part in a further attempt to wipe out the German salient. This redeployment took time both due to the seasonal conditions and the need to replenish 10th Guards' formations. In the event the Soviet plans were preempted when Army Group North began to withdraw northward on December 29. This took General Popov by surprise and he hastily organized a pursuit which included the 100th Corps pressing in from the west and following up the withdrawal of the 290th Infantry in cooperation with two divisions of 93rd Corps and three tank brigades. By January 6, 1944 a new German line had been established from Idritsa to south of Pustoshka to Novosokolniki and northward to Lake Ilmen. While this strengthened the German position it turned out to be temporary as the Red Army's offensive at Leningrad and Novgorod later that month would force 16th Army to wheel its defenses back to Pskov. [21]

Baltic Offensives

Later in January the 119th Guards was transferred to the 10th Guards Army, still in 2nd Baltic Front, joining the 7th Guards and 21st Guards Rifle Divisions in 7th Guards Rifle Corps. [22] The division would remain under these commands for the duration of the war. [23] Over the following months the 10th Guards Army closed up to the Panther Line east of Pskov and Ostrov. On May 10 General Shafarenko exchanged commands with Maj. Gen. Ivan Vladimirovich Gribov when he took over Gribov's 33rd Rifle Division; Shafarenko would go on to command the 23rd Guards Rifle Division and in the postwar period the 48th Guards Rifle Division before being promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1962.

German POWs march through Rezekne, 1944 Rezekne 2 kara laika-3.jpg
German POWs march through Rezekne, 1944

Near the end of June, as the destruction of Army Group Center was going on in Belarus, the 119th Guards was northeast of Novorzhev on the Sorot River, moving south from Porkhov. [24] During July it took part in the fighting that breached the Panther Line and later that month crossed the border into the Baltic states. Shortly thereafter the division was awarded a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Rezekne, Latvia:

REZEKNE... 119th Guards Rifle Division (Major General Gribov, Ivan Vladimirovich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Daugavpils and Rezekne, by the order of the Supreme High Command of 27 July 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns. [25]

By the beginning of August, 10th Guards Army was redeployed somewhat northwards to the area of Kārsava, from where it advanced westward into Latvia over the next six weeks, reaching Lubāna by mid-August. [26] The lowlands of the Aiviekste River and Lake Lubāns define the terrain in the Lubāna region and the division had to cross many waterways during its advance toward Madona, which was liberated on August 13.

During the course of this advance three men of the 341st Guards Rifle Regiment distinguished themselves sufficiently to become Heroes of the Soviet Union. The 1st Battalion was commanded by Maj. Andrei Yegorovich Chernikov and was the first to break through the German rearguards and reach the Aiviekste near Barkava on the night of August 3/4. Using captured rafts and boats Chernikov led his men in establishing and expanding a bridgehead, in the course of which over 100 German soldiers were killed or wounded while 18 artillery pieces and 28 machine guns were captured. [27] Sen. Sgt. Akram Iskandarovich Valiev was a squad leader in Chernikov's battalion who led his men across by swimming. As his squad held off counterattacks he captured three boats and proceeded to make six crossings, ferrying more men into the tenuous bridgehead under mortar and machine gun fire. [28] Sen. Sgt. Osip Andreevich Denisov captured a boat after killing a sentry. Taking advantage of confusion in the German ranks he led 25 of his men to the west bank in it, after which he personally killed or wounded 14 German soldiers while helping to expand the bridgehead. [29] All three men were decreed as Heroes on March 24, 1945 and all survived the war. Chernikov remained in the army and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel before his death in Moscow in 1950. Valiev reached the rank of lieutenant before being moved to the reserve in 1946 when he returned to his home village in Tatarstan, dying there in 1975. Denisov was demobilized in November 1945 and moved to Ulan-Ude where he lived until his death in 1957.

By the start of October the 119th Guards was on the approaches to Riga, north of the Daugava River, [30] and distinguished itself in the fighting for this city from October 13-15; in recognition, on November 3 it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. [31] General Gribov became the deputy commander of 10th Guards Army on October 15; he would later command both the 19th and 15th Guards Rifle Corps and would reach the rank of lieutenant general before his retirement in 1957. He was replaced by Col. Andrian Maksimovich Ilyin who had previously served as deputy commander of the 7th Guards Rifle Division.

Postwar

The 10th Guards Army moved to the Kurland Group of Forces in Leningrad Front in March 1945, where it remained for the duration. [32] On March 7 Col. Anatolii Ivanovich Kolobutin took over from Colonel Ilyin; the former had been serving as deputy commander of 7th Guards Rifle Corps. Following the German surrender the division carried the full title: 119th Guards Rifle, Rezekne, Order of the Red Banner Division. (Russian: 119-я гвардейская стрелковая Режицкая Краснознаменная дивизия.) Maj. Gen. Mikhail Grigorevich Makarov took over command in September and led the division for the rest of its existence. It was stationed at Pärnu still with 7th Guards Corps of 10th Guards Army before being disbanded in 1946. [33]

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The 321st Rifle Division was formed in September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, based on an existing division of militia. This formation had an extremely short career, coming under devastating attack in the north of the Crimea on the day of its redesignation and being officially disbanded just over a month later. A second division began forming in the Transbaikal in February 1942, and served in the defensive and offensive fighting around Stalingrad, eventually distinguishing itself sufficiently to be redesignated as the 82nd Guards Rifle Division. The world had not seen the last of the 321st, however, as a new division was formed from two existing rifle brigades in the spring of 1944, which gave very creditable service for the duration, completing its combat path in northeastern Germany, and serving into the postwar period.

The 343rd Rifle Division was first formed in late August, 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Stavropol, in the Caucasus region. Its first major operation was in the liberation of Rostov in December, 1941. Following this, it was nearly caught up in the debacle near Kharkov in May, 1942, but managed to evade the German spearheads during Operation Blue to join the forces defending the Stalingrad region during the summer and fall. Following the German surrender at Stalingrad, on May 4, 1943, it was re-designated as the 97th Guards Rifle Division. Over a year later, a new 343rd Rifle Division was formed, based on the personnel and equipment of a Fortified Region, just after the start of Operation Bagration, the destruction of German Army Group Center. This new division went on to distinguish itself by helping to liberate the Polish city of Białystok, and ended the war in East Prussia, near Königsberg.

The 2nd Training Motorized Rifle Division named after Alp Arslan is a division of the Turkmen Ground Forces. Its headquarters is at Tejen in the Ahal Region. It traces its history to the 357th Rifle Division formed in August 1941 in Sarapul in the then Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a standard Red Army rifle division. It notably served on the front lines of the 1st Baltic Front during the Second World War. Particularly, it helped lead the 3rd Shock Army in the battle and siege of Velikiye Luki. By late October 1945, the division had been transferred to the Turkmen SSR, where it was re-designated four times as Soviet Army unit. It remained in Turkmenistan even after the events of 1991 and serves as one of four units in its armed forces.

The 21st Guards Rifle Division was an elite infantry division of the Red Army during World War II. It was formed from the 361st Rifle Division on March 17, 1942, in recognition of that division's successes in the attempt to encircle the German 9th Army in the Rzhev area during the Soviet winter counteroffensive of 1941-42. After being partially encircled itself in the spring of 1942, the division was withdrawn for rebuilding, and then played a major role in the Battle of Velikiye Luki in 1942-43. It distinguished itself in the battle for Nevel in October, 1943, for which it was awarded a battle honor. The division went on to complete a combat path through northwestern Russia and into the Baltic States, ending its war containing the German forces trapped in the Courland Peninsula.

The 370th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as a standard Red Army rifle division, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August 1941 in the Siberian Military District. After forming, it was initially assigned to the 58th (Reserve) Army, but was soon reassigned to 34th Army in Northwestern Front, and until March 1943, was involved in the dismal fighting around the Demyansk salient. After this was evacuated the division took part in equally difficult combat for the city of Staraya Russa. Near the end of that year the division was reassigned to 2nd Baltic Front, and spent several months in operations near Nevel and north of Vitebsk. In the spring of 1944 its combat path shifted southwards when it was moved to 69th Army in 1st Belorussian Front, south of the Pripet Marshes. In August it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Kovel. It went on to help form and hold the bridgehead over the Vistula at Puławy, and in January 1945, joined the drive of 1st Belorussian Front across Poland and into eastern Germany, earning the battle honor "Brandenburg". It was disbanded later that year.

The 379th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August, 1941 in the Urals Military District. It first served in the winter counteroffensive west of Moscow, and later in the bitter fighting around the Rzhev salient, but was moved north late in 1942. It took up positions along the Volkhov River, mostly under command of the 8th Army, and continued to serve in this Army's battles near Leningrad until September 1943, when it was transferred to the 2nd Baltic Front, where it would stay for the remainder of its service. During this period the division served under many army and corps commands but mostly in the 3rd Shock Army. The division ended the war in Lithuania, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket. By this time it was judged as being surplus to the Red Army's needs and in December 1944 its personnel were parceled out to help bring other units of the Front closer to establishment strength. The 379th officially disbanded on the first day of 1945.

The 381st Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August, 1941 in the Urals Military District. It first served in the bitter fighting around the Rzhev salient, deep in the German rear in the 39th Army and came close to being completely destroyed in July, 1942. The division's survivors were moved north well away from the front for a major rebuilding. It returned to the front in October, joining the 3rd Shock Army for the battle and siege of Velikiye Luki. The division remained in this general area in western Russia until March, 1944, when it was moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command and then to 21st Army north of Leningrad in April. It served in the offensive that drove Finland out of the war from June to September, winning a battle honor and the Order of the Red Banner in the process, before being transferred back to the Soviet-German front in October. As part of the 2nd Shock Army of 2nd Belorussian Front the 381st advanced across Poland and Pomerania during the winter of 1945, then joined its Front's advance across the Oder River into north-central Germany in late April, ending the war on the Baltic coast. In the summer of that year the division was disbanded.

The 14th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in January, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 96th Rifle Division, which was officially a mountain unit at the time, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was in Southern Front when it was redesignated and was soon assigned to the 57th Army. It was encircled during the German counterattack in the Second Battle of Kharkov in May and its first commander was made a prisoner of war, later dying in German captivity. A cadre of the division managed to escape and was sent to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for rebuilding. In July it joined the 63rd Army and took part in the attacks against the Italian 8th Army that created the bridgehead south of the Don River near Serafimovich during August. In October, now in 21st Army of Don Front, it was active in two probing attacks against the Romanian forces now containing the bridgehead which inflicted severe casualties in advance of the Soviet winter counteroffensive. At the start of that offensive the division was in 5th Tank Army, but was soon transferred to 1st Guards Army and then to the 3rd Guards Army when that was formed. It was under this Army as it advanced into the Donbass in late winter before returning to 57th Army during most of 1943, fighting through east Ukraine and across the lower Dniepr by the end of the year. After being briefly assigned to 53rd Army in December it was moved to 5th Guards Army in February, 1944 where it remained for the duration, mostly in the 33rd Guards Rifle Corps. It saw action in the Uman–Botoșani Offensive and won its first decoration, the Order of the Red Banner, as it advanced, before being involved in the frustrating battles along the Dniestr River on the Romanian border. In late spring, 1944 the division was redeployed north becoming part of 1st Ukrainian Front and taking part in the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive into Poland. The 14th Guards made a spectacular advance across Poland during the Vistula-Oder Offensive and was awarded the Order of Lenin for its part in the liberation of Sandomierz. On January 22, 1945 its commander suffered mortal wounds in the fighting for a bridgehead over the Oder River. In the drive on Berlin in April the division and its regiments won further honors and decorations but despite these distinctions it was disbanded in August, 1946.

The 15th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in February, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 136th Rifle Division, and served in that role until well after the end of the Great Patriotic War. The division had already distinguished itself during the Winter War with Finland in 1940 and had been decorated with the Order of Lenin; soon after its redesignation it also received its first Order of the Red Banner. It was in Southern Front as this time but was soon moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command where it was assigned to 7th Reserve Army in May, then to 28th Army in Southwestern Front in June, then to 57th Army in Stalingrad Front in July. It remained in that Army for the rest of the year, with one brief exception, until it was transferred to Don Front's 64th Army in January, 1943 during the closing stages of the battle of Stalingrad. In March this Army became 7th Guards Army and was railed to the northwest, joining Voronezh Front south of the Kursk salient. In the battle that followed the 15th Guards assisted in the defeat of Army Detachment Kempf, then took part in the summer offensive into Ukraine, winning one of the first battle honors at Kharkov. It remained in either 7th Guards or 37th Army into the spring of 1944. It saw action in the Nikopol-Krivoi Rog Offensive and was awarded the Order of Suvorov before being involved in the frustrating battles along the Dniestr River on the Romanian border. In June the division became part of 34th Guards Rifle Corps in 5th Guards Army and was redeployed north becoming part of 1st Ukrainian Front and taking part in the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive into Poland. The 15th Guards made a spectacular advance across Poland during the Vistula-Oder Offensive and was further decorated with the Order of Kutuzov for forcing a crossing of the Oder River. It then saw action in the drive on Berlin in April and the Prague Offensive in May, winning a further battle honor and an unusual second Order of the Red Banner in the process. After the war the division did garrison duty in Austria, then in Ukraine, followed by a move in late 1947 to Crimea and the Kuban where its personnel assisted in rebuilding the local economy and infrastructure for nearly 20 years. It September 1965 it was renumbered as the "51st" and became the 2nd formation of the 51st Guards Motor Rifle Division.

Battle of Nevel (1943)

The Battle of Nevel was a successful military operation conducted by the Red Army in the Pskov Oblast of western Russia and in northern Belarus during World War II, from October 6 to roughly December 16, 1943 although fighting persisted in the area into the new year.

The 30th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in May, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 238th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It would soon after help provide the headquarters cadre for the 7th Guards Rifle Corps along with its "sister" 29th Guards Rifle Division. However, it was not assigned as a unit to the Corps until August when it joined 33rd Army of Western Front and saw extensive fighting, while also suffering extensive casualties, in the summer campaign against the German 3rd Panzer Army in the southern sector of the Rzhev salient. After leaving 7th Guards Corps the division was reassigned to several other armies in the Front until April, 1943 when it joined the 15th Guards Rifle Corps in 30th Army, which became 10th Guards Army the next month; it would remain under these commands for the duration of the war. The division took part in Operation Suvorov, Western Front's summer offensive towards Smolensk, and after the liberation of that city was involved in several unsuccessful drives on the Belarussian city of Orsha. By December the 30th Guards had been redeployed to 2nd Baltic Front and during the summer and fall of 1944 it took part in the offensives through the Baltic states, winning a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Riga. For the rest of the war the division remained in Latvia helping to contain the German forces trapped in the Courland Peninsula, eventually coming under command of Leningrad Front. In mid-1946 it was converted to the 30th Separate Guards Rifle Brigade.

The 43rd Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in October, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 201st Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. The 201st was the only division made up of Latvian nationals in the Red Army until 1944, and the 43rd was immediately nicknamed the "Latvian Guards" division, which stuck through its existence. Formed in Northwestern Front, its initial service was in the dismal fighting around the Demyansk salient until that was evacuated by German Army Group North in February, 1943. Through the rest of the year it fought in that Front, mostly facing the several German strongpoints in the area of Velikiye Luki. Beginning in January, 1944 the division took part in the offensive that finally drove the German forces away from Leningrad and before the summer offensive, now in 22nd Army of 2nd Baltic Front it provided a cadre to form the 130th Latvian Rifle Corps, and it served in that Corps for the duration of the war. Through 1943 and into 1944 the division was able to remain closer to full strength than many other Soviet units because it drew on a relatively large pool of Latvian refugee Communist Party members and Komsomol who had escaped ahead of the Germans in 1941. It crossed the border back into Latvia in July and entered Riga on October 16, winning a battle honor in the process. For the duration of the war the 43rd Guards served mostly in Leningrad Front, containing and reducing the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and also engaging in restoration work in its war-battered homeland. It continued to serve in this manner until it was converted to a rifle brigade in April, 1947.

The 46th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in October, 1942, based on the 2nd formation of the 174th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was in the 6th Army of Voronezh Front when it won its Guards title, but was immediately moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for rebuilding, where it was soon assigned to the 5th Guards Rifle Corps. In mid-November it moved with its Corps to join the 3rd Shock Army in Kalinin Front and played a leading role in the Battle of Velikiye Luki, both in the encirclement of the German garrison of that city and then in fighting off several relief attempts. It remained in the area through the spring and summer of 1943 before taking part in the breakthrough battle at Nevel and the subsequent operations to expand the salient and pinch off the German positions that 3rd Shock had partly surrounded. In June of 1944 the 46th Guards was reassigned to the 6th Guards Army of 1st Baltic Front in preparation for Operation Bagration and made a spectacular advance into Luthuania through the "Baltic Gap" between Army Groups Center and North. The division would continue to serve in the Baltic states in 6th Guards for the duration of the war, winning the Order of the Red Banner in the process and ending on the Baltic coast in 22nd Guards Rifle Corps helping to contain the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket. Despite a creditable record of service the division was disbanded shortly after the end of hostilities.

The 56th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in June, 1943, based on the 2nd formations of the 74th and 91st Rifle Brigades, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Along with its "sister", the 65th Guards Rifle Division, the 56th was formed "out of sequence", that is, many Guards rifle divisions were higher numbered and formed earlier than the 56th. The division was immediately assigned to the 19th Guards Rifle Corps of the 10th Guards Army and remained under those headquarters for the duration of the war. It first saw action in Western Front's summer offensive, Operation Suvorov. On September 8 the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment was given the honorific title "in the name of Aleksandr Matrosov" and on September 25 the division as a whole was awarded the honorific "Smolensk" for its role in the liberation of that city. During the winter of 1943-44 it took part in the stubborn fighting north and east of Vitebsk, first in Western and later in 2nd Baltic Front. During the following summer offensives it helped break through the defenses of the German Panther Line and advanced into the Baltic states, eventually being decorated with the Order of the Red Banner after the liberation of Riga. For the rest of the war it was part of the forces blockading the remnants of German Army Group North in the Courland Pocket in Latvia, eventually in Leningrad Front. After the war the 56th Guards was moved to the town of Elva in Estonia where it was disbanded in 1947, although the successor formations of the 254th Guards Regiment exist into the present day.

The 65th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in May, 1943, based on the 2nd formations of the 75th and 78th Rifle Brigades, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Along with its "sister", the 56th Guards Rifle Division, the 65th was formed "out of sequence", that is, many Guards rifle divisions were higher numbered and formed earlier than the 65th. The division was immediately assigned to the 19th Guards Rifle Corps of the 10th Guards Army and remained under those headquarters for the duration of the war. It first saw action in Western Front's summer offensive, Operation Suvorov. During the winter of 1943-44 it took part in the stubborn fighting north and east of Vitebsk, first in Western and later in 2nd Baltic Front. During the following summer offensives it helped break through the defenses of the German Panther Line and advanced into the Baltic states, eventually receiving a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Riga. For the rest of the war it was part of the forces blockading the remnants of German Army Group North in the Courland Pocket in Latvia, eventually in Leningrad Front. After the war the 65th Guards was moved to Estonia where it was disbanded in 1947.

The 71st Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in March 1943, based on the 1st formation of the 23rd Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War.

The 204th Rifle Division was twice formed as an infantry division of the Red Army, first as part of the buildup of forces shortly after the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The first formation was based on the shtat of July 29, 1941 and it then remained for nine months in the far east of Siberia training and organizing before it was finally sent by rail to the Stalingrad region in July 1942 where it joined the 64th Army southwest of the city. During the following months it took part in the defensive battles and later the offensive that cut off the German 6th Army in November. In the last days of the battle for the city it took the surrender of the remnants of a Romanian infantry division. Following the Axis defeat the division was recognized for its role when it was redesignated as the 78th Guards Rifle Division on March 1, 1943.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Walter S. Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2007, p. 86
  2. ↑ Charles C. Sharp, "Red Death", Soviet Mountain, Naval, NKVD, and Allied Divisions and Brigades 1941 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. VII, Nafziger, 1995, p. 40
  3. ↑ David M. Glantz, To the Gates of Stalingrad, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2009, pp. 222-23, 306, 364-65, 378-79, 553
  4. ↑ Glantz, Armageddon in Stalingrad, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2009, pp. 70, 93, 104, 109, 346-47
  5. ↑ Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, p. 102
  6. ↑ Sharp, "Red Death", p. 48
  7. ↑ Glantz, To the Gates of Stalingrad, pp. 114, 222, 278-80, 365-66
  8. ↑ Glantz, Armageddon in Stalingrad, pp. 70, 93, 104, 109
  9. ↑ Glantz, Endgame at Stalingrad, Book One, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2014, pp. 66, 325, 362
  10. ↑ Glantz, Endgame at Stalingrad, Book Two, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2014, pp. 423, 459, 462, 465, 473-74, 480, 540
  11. ↑ Sharp, "Red Guards", Soviet Guards Rifle and Airborne Units Divisions 1941 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IV, Nafziger, 1995, p. 99
  12. ↑ Sharp, "Red Guards", p. 88
  13. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2016, pp. 25-26
  14. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 273
  15. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 40-42
  16. ↑ Earl F. Ziemke, Stalingrad to Berlin, Center of Military History United States Army, Washington, DC, 1968, p. 203
  17. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 145-48, 150, 154. Quotation is taken from F. Ya. Lisitsyn, V te groznye gody [In Those Threatening Years], Moscow, 1985.
  18. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 300
  19. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 238-40
  20. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 10
  21. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 304-06, 691
  22. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 38
  23. ↑ Sharp, "Red Guards", p. 88
  24. ↑ The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, Multi-Man Publishing, Inc., Millersville, MD, 2009, p. 10
  25. ↑ http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-5.html. In Russian. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  26. ↑ The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, p. 22
  27. ↑ https://warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=10539. In Russian, English translation available. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  28. ↑ https://warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=3647. In Russian, English translation available. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  29. ↑ https://warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=13319. In Russian, English translation available. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  30. ↑ The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, pp. 29, 36
  31. ↑ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967a, p. 545.
  32. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945, p. 111
  33. ↑ Feskov et al. 2013, p. 431.

Bibliography

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