Maj. Gen. Gennady Korotkov Col. Gavriil Antonovich Kutalev Col. Tikhon Fyodorovich Egoshin Maj. Gen. Ivan Danilovich Krasnoshtanov
Military unit
The 238th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the months just before the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. It was the highest-numbered rifle division to be formed prior to the war. After forming in Kazakhstan it did not begin moving west until later September and arrived in 49th Army southwest of Moscow just after the first phase of Operation Typhoon. During October and November it took part in the defense of Tula before going over to the counteroffensive in early December. The division assisted in the liberation of Aleksin before pushing on toward Kaluga. After the latter place was taken on December 30 it was committed to the attempted encirclement of a large portion of Army Group Center by Western and Kalinin Fronts, and while this ultimately failed the 238th distinguished itself sufficiently to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner and to be redesignated as the 30th Guards Rifle Division in May 1942.
A new 238th was formed in the Moscow Military District on June 15, 1942. After a period for training and a couple of preliminary assignments in Kalinin Front it was moved to 22nd Army before the start of the Second Rzhev–Sychyovka offensive operation (Operation Mars). This Army was to conduct a supporting attack up the valley of the Luchesa River and while it gained some ground this was at significant cost and proved to be of no value after the main attacks failed. After a period in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for rebuilding the 238th returned to the fighting front in time to take part in Operation Kutuzov, during which it was awarded a battle honor. Following this victory it advanced through western Russian into Belarus as part of 50th Army, gradually gaining ground toward the Dniepr River through the winter of 1943/44. During the Soviet summer offensive in June it crossed this river and assisted in the liberation of Mogilev and other places and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, along with all three of its rifle regiments. During the pursuit into Poland the division was transferred to the same 49th Army the 1st formation had fought under, winning further distinctions in the process. As part of 2nd Belorussian Front it drove into Poland and Pomerania, assisting in the liberation of Gdańsk before moving west to play a secondary role in the final campaign in Germany. Along with many successful rifle divisions it was surplus to peacetime requirements and was disbanded in July 1945.
1st Formation
The 238th began forming on March 14, 1941 at Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan in the Central Asia Military District, based on the 499th Reserve Rifle Regiment, and so began with personnel mostly of Kazakh nationality. When completed it had the following order of battle:
Col. Gennady Korotkov was appointed to command of the division on the day it began forming. On June 22 it was still in the Central Asia District at Semipalatinsk and by the beginning of July it had come under command of the 58th Rifle Corps. Until the beginning of August it remained in the same situation,[2] a likely indication it was still not completely formed.[3] Late that month the 58th Corps, along with four cavalry divisions, was organized as an operational group,[4] which was intended to take part in the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, but as the situation before Moscow deteriorated the 238th left 58th Corps and began moving west.[5] At the beginning of October it was in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command,[6] and on October 10 it went into action at Leninsk, north of Tula, as part of 49th Army in Western Front.[7]
Battle of Moscow
49th Army had been in Reserve Front in the earlier stages of Operation Typhoon, but both that and Western Front had been severely damaged during the offensive's first ten days. By October 15 the Army had been forced to retreat from Kaluga and was retreating to the east and northeast. By October 23 the 238th had relieved the 5th Guards Rifle Division in the Aleksin area. The division was defending on the east bank of the Oka River to the south of Tarusa, along a line from Bunyrevo to Shchukino, repulsing efforts of the German XXXXIII Army Corps to cross the river using its artillery and mortar fire. Over the next two days German pressure increased and while the division continued to beat back all attacks on Aleksin, Tarusa was taken from the 60th Rifle Division at 1600 hours on October and the attackers continued to advance on Serpukhov.[8]
Operation Typhoon. Note positions of 49th Army as of October 30.
In the following period up to November 1 combat activities along 49th Army's front were characterized by separate collisions for the purpose of improving the position along the occupied lines. By the end of October the Army was solidly holding the line of the woods east of Burinovo–Voronino–Borovna, and then along the northern and eastern banks of the Protva and Oka as far as Aleksin. Over the next 10 days the 238th continued to hold it positions, repulsing various attempts to force the Oka, while the 60th, with the help of the 5th Guards, managed to retake some lost ground. This greatly aided the defense of Tula as it prevented the Moscow road from being cut near Serpukhov.[9]
On November 9 the 50th Army, which was responsible for the direct defense of Tula, was reassigned from Bryansk Front to Western Front. On the same day a German force struck the boundary of the 49th and 50th Armies and broke through to the area of Spas-Kanino. The two Armies were ordered to liquidate the breakthrough by joint flank attacks. In accordance with this directive the 49th Army commander, Lt. Gen. I. G. Zakharkin, assigned Colonel Korotkov the following mission on November 10:
Carry out a regrouping during the night of November 10-11, removing everything possible from the division's secondary sectors and move the units to their jumping-off points to defeat the enemy attacking in the direction of Nikulino and Sukhodol.
The time for the attack was set for 0800 on November 11 but this resulted in a meeting engagement as the German force continued its advance. Over the following night further units on the left flank of 49th Army were regrouped to reinforce the counterattack. On the morning of the 12th the 238th attacked and occupied Sukromna, Danilovka and Sukhodol while units of 50th Army pushed into the German flank and rear near the latter place. The division continued the battle the next day along it left flank, fending off German counterattacks. Particularly stubborn fighting occurred on November 14 in the area of Sukromna and Kolyupanovo when German units managed to retake the latter place. The flank forces of the two Soviet Armies continued to contest the area During November 15-16. As a result the XXXXIII Corps was prevented from reaching the Tula-Moscow road and was forced to go over to the defensive on several sectors.[10]
In the days following November 18 the 238th took up a defense along the line Bunyrevo–Aleksin–Nikulino. It was ordered to maintain a mobile reserve of no less than a rifle battalion in strength. On November 24, following a powerful preparation with mortar and machine gun fire, German reconnaissance parties attempted to pierce the forward edge of the division's defense but were repelled with losses. On the morning of November 27 more than three regiments of the 52nd and 31st Infantry Divisions attacked the entire front of the 238th and captured Bunyrevo, Pogiblovo, and four other villages. A divisional counterattack retook the first two places but was otherwise unsuccessful. The German effort, now supported by air attacks, continued the next day, pressing the division's left flank. In response Zakharkin subordinated a battalion of the 5th Guards, plus a battalion of a howitzer regiment, to Korotkov's support. During November 29-30 the division remained under attack by up to four regiments, particularly in the area of the woods north of Abryutino. By the end of November 30 a turning point had been reached along 49th Army's left flank. The 238th, having been reinforced, attacked on the morning of December 1 in order to restore the situation. During December 2-5 fighting occurred with variable success on both sides, although the division retained the offensive initiative.[11]
Tula Offensive Operation
By December 7 the divisions of 2nd Panzer Army, which had advanced to the north and east of Tula, began to fall back. To the northwest of the city German forces were attempting to hold in the Aleksin area. 49th Army, now with six rifle divisions under command, was occupying a line from the woods east of Burinovo to along the east bank of the Protva to Podmoklovo, then along the east bank of the Oka as far as Sotino, from where it swerved to the southeast and passed through Nikulino to the boundary of 50th Army. As of December 7 the 238th's frontage was roughly 14km (8.7mi) wide. Deep snow cover of up to 80cm added to the difficulty of offensive operations. In accordance with a Front directive (No. 093/op) of December 10 the 49th was tasked with encircling and destroying the German grouping operating between the Oka and Upa Rivers in the Aleksin area. For this purpose it was reinforced with two more divisions from 50th Army plus 20 tanks. The main blow was to be in the direction of Shchukino while the 238th would team up with the two reinforcing divisions (173rd and 340th) to strike the 31st and 131st Infantry Divisions near Aleksin.[12]
On the night of December 4/5 the 238th attacked German units along the sector Savino–Kaznacheevo–Morgen Rot and occupied these places. From December 6 it was waging defensive battles along its entire front, beating off attacks from the Aleksin area. In response to Front Order No. 093/op General Zakharkin formed a separate operational group from the 238th, 173rd and 340th. The group was assigned the following general tasks on December 12:
- the main blow is to be made by the forces of the 340th and 173rd rifle divisions toward Pleshivka and Shchukino; - a supporting blow is to be made by the forces of the 238th Rifle Division and the 20th Guards Mortar Battalion in the direction of Bunyrevo and Aleksin, for the purpose of encircling and destroying the enemy's Aleksin group...
The division was supposed to reach the line Kashcheevo–Shelepino by day's end on December 15. The security of its right flank was entrusted to a specially-selected reinforced company, which would cross the Oka in order to get into the German rear on the western outskirts of Aleksin. The offensive was to begin at 0700 hours on December 14. In the morning the division retook Bunyrevo and Pogiblovo, encircled Botnya, and began fighting for Goryanovo despite stubborn resistance and the presence of tanks. As German reserves arrived the 238th was again forced to relinquish Bunyrevo and Pogiblovo. The next day it held off numerous counterattacks and had to face flamethrower attacks in the Botnya area.[13]
A further Front Order (No. 0104/op) was issued on December 13. In accordance with this, Zakharkin ordered a general offensive to begin on December 16; the left-flank divisions were again directed to destroy the German Aleksin grouping before developing the success to the northwest in the Petrishchevo direction. The three divisions broke through the German defense along the line Bunyrevo–Naryshkino–Popovka, reached the Oka at 1530 hours on December 17, captured Aleksin and pushed on to the northwest as German units abandoned equipment and withdrew under the cover of rearguards. By now the divisions were advancing up to 8km (5.0mi) per day in the direction of Vysokinichi and Nedelnoye. On the night of December 18/19 Zakharkin was directed to send part of the forces of 5th Guards and 60th Divisions south of the Protva to reinforce the shock group's right flank. Meanwhile, the 238th and 173rd were to reach the line Latynino–Bogorodskoe–Yelkino with their main forces.[14]
As the offensive continued the 238th encountered strong resistance on December 19 and did not capture Petrishchevo until near the end of the next day, after which it continued in the direction of Kareevo. During December 20-22 the division crossed its main forces over the Tarusa River along the Pimenovo–Lotrevo sector. It was then ordered, along with the 173rd, to continue the pursuit and by the end of December 23 to reach the line Afanasevo–Detchino–Torbeevo. By December 25 the division was being backed up by the 30th Rifle Brigade as it fought for the line Nedelnoe–Bashmakova. The 5th Guards and 23rd Tank Brigade were also moved up to form part of the second echelon. The battle for Nedelnoe continued through the 27th, in large part because the German command considered it the key to the Kaluga–Maloyaroslavets railroad. Opportunities to bypass Nedelnoe and Bashmakova were not fully taken advantage of by the Army and divisional commands.[15]
Kaluga Offensive Operation
Beginning on December 16 Western Front had its sights set on retaking Kaluga with the 49th and 50th Armies. The city was in the operational zone of the 49th's left flank forces, and it was tasked with liberating it by a blow from the east. To this end, Lt. Gen. I. V. Boldin of 50th Army formed a mobile group; taking Kaluga was expected to drive a wedge between 2nd Panzer Army and 4th Army. The mobile group reached the southern approaches to the city by the end of December 20. It broke into the city on December 22 but became involved in street fighting over the next two days. As of December 26 the attack of the 238th was being held up in the Nedelnoe area by a battle group of the 17th Infantry Division. On the morning of December 30 this place was finally taken in a combined attack by the division and the 19th Rifle Brigade. Leaving behind some of its forces to mop up, the remainder of the division launched an attack toward Vosnesene, 4km (2.5mi) to the southwest. Kaluga was finally liberated on the same day. In the following days the 238th transferred to the Army's left flank and arrived there after encountering strong resistance at Torbeevo.[16]
Fighting for Polotnyany Zavod
During the January 1-9, 1942 period the division was involved in heavy fighting, particularly with the German units defending the area of Torbeevo and Nizhnie Gorki, which had been turned into a strong fortified junction. 49th Army estimated up to 2,000 infantry, with artillery and mortars, had been concentrated here. It was only by the morning of January 11, by enveloping Torbeevo from the north, that the division was able to overcome German resistance and force a retreat. Three days later the Western Front's military council assigned its latest objectives to it left-wing armies:
... to complete the defeat of the enemy's Kondrovo-Yukhnov group and then, with a blow toward Vyazma, to encircle and capture the enemy's Gzhatsk-Vyazma group in conjunction with the armies of the Kalinin Front and the Western Front's center armies.
The 238th had already been ordered to move its main forces to the Redkino area, while its forward units were to take Polotnyany Zavod. The latter place, along with Kondrovo, had been previously fortified in order to cover the approaches to the Warsaw–Minsk highway. In order to envelop Polotnyany Zavod from the southeast an independent ski battalion was sent forward along the south bank of the Sukhodrev River.[17]
Despite stubborn resistance by the German units in the area of Kashenka, 3km (1.9mi) south of Redkino, the division occupied that locale by the morning of January 14. The 49th Army's advance continued overnight and several centers north of Polotnyany Zavod were outflanked. The division left a regiment near Zhilnevo to pin down the German forces south of that place and crossed the Shanya River with its main forces by the morning of January 17 and, having bypassed Durnevo, reached the eastern approaches to Beli, where fighting broke out. This movement had been carried out under strong flanking fire from Durnevo and Mukovinino. After a regrouping on the morning of January 18 the 173rd Division was directed to bypass Polotnyany Zavod from the south so as to develop the 238th's advance in the direction of Surnevo, Sloboda, and Galkino, which was intended to cut off the retreat path of the German Kondrovo group. By the end of January 19 it was planned to move the division to the Potapovo. Meanwhile, the 173rd and 133rd Rifle Divisions took Polotnyany Zavod by the end of January 18 while the 238th engaged some 500 heavily armed men at Beli. Following the victory at Polotnyany Zavod the German forces fell back to a new prepared position from Aidarovo to Ostrozhnoe to Potapovo. After reaching this line the division ran into strong resistance in Dorokhi and fought for this place until January 28. By this time the entire German line had been broken and its defenders fell back to Rudenka–Fedyukovo–Shimaevka. After January 31 the Army, in conjunction with 50th Army was attacking along the Warsaw highway and enveloping Yukhnov from the northeast.[18]
Rzhev–Vyazma Offensive
The offensives of Western and Kalinin Fronts had jointly created the Rzhev salient by late February. Due to counterattacks the 33rd Army, attacking toward Vyazma, had been encircled and late in February the 49th and 50th Armies received orders from Western Front to break the German lines to effect a rescue by March 27. These efforts failed and 33rd Army was mostly destroyed by mid-April.[19] On April 21, after months of continuous fighting on the Ugra River near Yukhnov, the 238th was withdrawn 6–8 km from the front line to the 49th Army reserve for rest and replenishment. Colonel Korotkov was given the concurrent assignment of chief of staff of the Army on May 2, and the next day he was promoted to the rank of major general. This coincided with the official announcement that the division as a whole had been awarded the Order of the Red Banner.[20] On May 10 Korotkov handed his command over to Col. Maksim Gavrilovich Kirillov, but this officer was in turn replaced on May 16 by Col. Andrei Danilovich Kuleshov, who had previously led the 64th Naval Rifle Brigade. On May 24 General Korotkov returned to the division, which was redesignated as the 30th Guards Rifle Division the same day.[21] This division inherited the Order of the Red Banner won by the 238th.
2nd Formation
A new 238th began forming on June 15, 1942 at Arzamas, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, in the Moscow Military District, based on an unidentified rifle brigade. When completed it had the following order of battle:
616th Signal Battalion (later 616th, 382nd Signal Companies)
397th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
341st Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
272nd Motor Transport Company
141st Field Bakery
47th Divisional Veterinary Hospital
1997th Field Postal Station
447th Field Office of the State Bank
The division came under command of Col. Gavriil Antonovich Kutalev on the day it began forming. This officer had previously led the 331st Rifle Division but had been shell-shocked in an attack in early March and had recently been released from hospital. By July 1 it had been assigned to 9th Reserve Army in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. After less than two months in the reserves the division was assigned to the 43rd Army, which went to Kalinin Front in September. On October 3 the 238th entered the fighting front, and later in the month it was shifted to 41st Army. Colonel Kutalev left the division on October 29 due to a recurrence shell-shock, handing over to Col. Ilya Vasilevich Kaprov. This officer had previously led the 1075th/19th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 316th/8th Guards Rifle Division in the famous defense of the Volokolamsk Highway during the Battle of Moscow, which included the Panfilov's Twenty-Eight Guardsmen; he had more recently commanded the 31st Rifle Brigade. In November the 238th was reassigned to 22nd Army, still in Kalinin Front, in preparation for the next offensive against the Rzhev salient.[23]
Operation Mars
Operation Mars. Note position of 22nd Army and penetration into the Luchesa valley.
22nd Army was under command of Lt. Gen. V. A. Yushkevich and consisted of about 80,000 personnel, as well as 270 tanks due to the presence of the 3rd Mechanized Corps. The Army faced relatively weak defenses along the valley of the Luchesa River held by the 216th Grenadier Regiment of the 86th Infantry Division of XXXXI Panzer Corps and the 252nd Grenadier Regiment of the 110th Infantry Division of XXIII Army Corps. Yushkevich's characteristic plan was to attack at the boundary between the two divisions while also staging a demonstration attack with his 362nd Rifle Division. The Army carried out an extensive regrouping prior to the start of the offensive, moving up the 3rd Mechanized while Colonel Kaprov concentrated all three of his rifle regiments on the flank of the 185th Rifle Division, with just one rifle battalion remaining to cover his division's long right flank. The two divisions were to attack early in the morning of November 25, penetrate the German defenses, and clear a passage for the mechanized forces to advance up the valley.[24]
The terrain facing the Army was formidable. The river was narrow and winding, flanked on both sides by heavy forests and frozen swamps. There was one improved track that followed the river and few tracks to follow through the forests. The nearest real road was that which linked Olenino to Bely, almost 20km (12mi) from the front. The artillery preparation began at 0730 hours and shortly before 0900 the men of the 238th went into the attack. While the artillery had been effective in many places, the scattered nature of the German strongpoint defense made it impossible to eliminate every position. Thus, while some forward battalions made good progress, others were held up by fire from undestroyed German bunkers. Moreover, the tank support provided by 3rd Mechanized, which amounted to a tank company for each assaulting rifle battalion, was uneven due to the terrain and uncleared minefields. Kaprov's two first echelon regiments penetrated German defenses in the forests west and south of Petrovka, but progress was slowed in the forests behind. 49th Tank Brigade was supposed to begin supporting the infantry at noon, but arrived late and was also slowed by the forest fighting. By day's end the combined force had reached the German defenses at Tolkachi, south of the Luchesa and just 2km (1.2mi) from the start line.[25]
At dawn on the following day, after another artillery preparation, the assault was renewed. Kaprov launched repeated attacks against the German defenses and, finally, toward nightfall, captured the Tolkachi strongpoint. The casualty toll was high and the advance was delayed by the late arrival of the 1st Mechanized Brigade. Upon instructions from Yushkevich, Kaprov reconcentrated his division and planned a new attack for November 27. This would be made more difficult by the arrival of German reserves in the form of the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Regiment of Großdeutschland Motorized Division. Early in the day the 22nd Army finally began experiencing some success. The 238th pressed the German forces back into the village of Karskaya while 49th Tanks raced into the open country south of Starukhi until they were halted north of Goncharovo by fresh German infantry. Yushkevich believed that the penetration was finally occurring but by nightfall the advance had again ground to a halt against stiffening resistance.[26]
Kalinin Front expected a decisive attack on November 28 that would clear the Luchesa valley and drive to the Olenino–Bely road, but the arrival of Großdeutschland turned the battle into a two-day vicious slugfest. An overnight regrouping was hindered by driving snow, and the planned attack was delayed until noon. Early on November 29 both sides attacked virtually simultaneously. The 49th Tanks and 10th Mechanized Brigade, together with the 238th, smashed the German defenses at Goncharovo and drove west through the forests in the face of the counterattacking 1st Battalion of Großdeutschland's Grenadiers. 50mm antitank gun fire made little impression on the T-34s and KV-1 tanks but the fire of 88mm antiaircraft guns destroyed 15 tanks and halted the attack just short of the village of Smolkovo, only 8km (5.0mi) from the Olenino road. Both sides were equally exhausted at this point and at nightfall Yushkevich would have preferred to halt, but Army Gen. G. K. Zhukov, in overall command of the offensive, insisted that the attack continue "at all costs." The German battalion in Smolkovo was encircled, but managed to make its way back to Gorovatka in heavy fighting. As of November 30 the 22nd Army had lost almost half of its initial tanks and infantry losses, including to the 238th, exceeded 50 percent.[27]
Despite his misgivings, Yushkevich issued new orders in the early hours of December 1 to renew the attack at dawn in a staggered manner with all his forces following the strongest artillery preparation he could muster. By now the operation had clearly failed on other some other sectors and Zhukov was determined to persist with any and all successes achieved to date. As part of these orders the 238th was to attack with the 837th and 843rd Regiments in cooperation with the 49th Tanks and one battalion of the 10th Mechanized to clear German forces from the region south of the Luchesa and reach the Olenino road; the 830th Regiment swung westward to cover the south flank of the penetration. The fresh 39th Tank Regiment was also ordered forward to assist, but this movement was hampered by heavy new snowfall. In fighting whose intensity exceeded that of the day before, 22nd Army made steady but bloody progress. Bitter fighting raged along the approaches to Gorovatka and in the village itself, where, by nightfall, Soviet infantry and tanks had forced the defenders to retreat. The 49th Tanks was committed shortly before noon after elements of the 238th had seized Galitskina and then pushed the German forces eastward several kilometres to within 4km (2.5mi) of the Olenino road. Under heavy pressure the thin German defenses covering the road held, thanks to the timely arrival of a few reinforcing antitank guns.[28]
Over the following two days Yushkevich barely altered his attack orders. On December 2 the Soviet forces south of the Luchesa reached to within 2km (1.2mi) of the highway and brought it under mortar fire. The next day he made a command change, moving Kaprov to take over the approaching 155th Rifle Division, which he judged needed more experienced leadership, and appointing Col. Tikhon Fyodorovich Egoshin to the 238th. Kaprov remained in command of this division until April 1944 when he was forced to join the training establishment due to ill health. Egoshin had been serving most recently as Yushkevich's head of intelligence. At nightfall Egoshin, along with the armor forces, was ordered to regroup the division in anticipation of new assaults within several days. In fact, the 22nd Army was completely burnt out by this time, having lost over 200 tanks and roughly 60 percent of its infantry.[29]
Yushkevich planned to resume his attack at 0900 hours on December 7. However, before dawn on December 6 German motorized reinforcements began arriving along the highway. The counterattack that followed threw 22nd Army completely off balance and drove it back to 6km (3.7mi) distance from the highway; most of the Army's sparse reserves were consumed in efforts to regain lost positions. Nevertheless, he was ordered to carry out his planned attack the next morning, which predictably failed. The efforts continued until December 11 when Zhukov called a halt. Yushkevich was removed from command on December 15, replaced by Maj. Gen. D. M. Seleznev. The next day this officer noted the movement of German reserves northward from Bely as the Red Army forces in that sector had been defeated. During December 20-21 a German armored task force skirmished with forward elements of the 830th Rifle Regiment, which was still holding the south flank at Zabolote. Unable to restrain the pressure, at midday on December 21 the regiment withdrew northward through the heavy forests and took up stronger defenses at Malinovka, 4km (2.5mi) southeast of Karskaya, where other elements of the division had formed a strong antitank defense. Late that day the German forces attacked at Malinovka and, after a heavy two-day battle, captured it and advanced on Karskaya. With the help of the 155th Division Egoshin halted the German drive short of that place by December 23 and inflicted enough damage on the attackers that it could not be renewed.[30]
As this fighting was going on, other German reserves were observed swinging in a wide arc eastward and then northward along the road to Emelianki. On December 24 the German forces began probing attacks toward Galitskina but these were halted by the 238th and 155th Divisions. At about this time General Seleznev was informed that Operation Mars was officially ended, but there was little solace in this because the Luchesa salient, the only major achievement remaining from the operation, now became a prime target for counterattacks. On December 30 the German forces struck again against the Army's positions north and south of the river but after three days of fighting had made gains of just 3–4km (1.9–2.5mi). On January 1, 1943, Gen. W. Model, commander of German 9th Army, called off further attempts to eliminate the salient.[31]
Operation Kutuzov
In a report dated January 4 the chief of staff of Kalinin Front listed "shortcomings in the organization of the defense" in which the division was specifically noted:
... 4. Primarily only people in the rear units and facilities have been provided with warm items, while at the same time the soldiers and officers of the combat units have not received winter uniforms (the 185th, 238th and others). 5. Weapons, as a consequence of the lack of care in the combat units, are rusty, filthy, rifles lack foresights; many of the automatic weapons no longer fire automatically because of defects, and heavy machine guns are not operable (185th, 362nd, 238th Rifle Divisions and others). It is necessary to take urgent measures to eliminate the shortcomings noted above. Report regarding the measures you have taken by 7 January 1943. -- Antonov[32]
Before the end of the month the division had left 22nd Army for the 4th Shock Army in the same Front.[33] Colonel Egoshin left the division on February 22 to take over the 114th Rifle Brigade. He would go on to command the 332nd Rifle Division and be promoted to the rank of major general but would die of wounds after his position was struck by German artillery while leading his 1119th Rifle Regiment in a crossing of the Dubna River on August 1, 1944.[34] Col. Ivan Danilovich Krasnoshtanov, who had previously led the 139th Rifle Division, took command of the 238th on February 23 and he would hold this post for the duration of the war, being promoted to major general on September 1, 1943. On March 11, in accordance with STAVKA Order No. 46075, the division returned to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command at Plavsk for extensive rebuilding.[35][36]
In April the division moved to the reserves of Bryansk Front, where it joined the 185th and 362nd Divisions to form the 25th Rifle Corps, where it remained through the spring operational pause and the first stage of the Battle of Kursk. By the start of August the other divisions had left the Corps,[37] and in a report that month it was noted that 70 percent of the division's personnel were of the year group 1924, indicating that the losses from Operation Mars had been largely replaced by a very young cadre.[38] When it returned to the fighting front it was assigned to the 46th Rifle Corps of Bryansk Front's 11th Army.[39]
In the initial planning for the counteroffensive against the Oryol salient, which became Operation Kutuzov, the 25th Corps was designated for developing any successes along the 3rd Army's sector, but the 362nd and 185th were committed before the 238th, and under other commands. By August 12 the 11th Army was closing in on the German stronghold of Karachev. At 0200 the reconnaissance battalions of the 25th and 46th Corps' divisions began their attack. The battalions broke through the forward screen and reached the forward edge of the defensive zone, and in places penetrated into the main zone of resistance. At noon the artillery opened up a powerful 30-minute bombardment, suppressing the German defense. Following this the main forces of the two Corps attacked against a stiff defense marked by heavy firepower and multiple counterattacks. By the end of August 14 the Soviet forces had completely broken through the defensive zone and reached the approaches to Karachev.[40]
At 0300 hours on August 15 the immediate fighting for the town began. The Germans considered it significant as a road junction, supply base, and center of resistance and had concentrated units of the 78th and 34th Infantry Divisions, plus remnants of the 253rd and 293rd Infantry Divisions, 18th and 8th Panzer Divisions, and several other formations in its defense. The 238th and 369th Rifle Divisions outflanked the town from the northeast and north. At the same time two divisions of the 11th Guards Army struck from the east and southeast. The German grouping was unable to withstand the concentric attack; the Red Army force broke into Karachev at 0830 hours and completely occupied it. German casualties were assessed at 4,000 killed and wounded, and the remainder fell back to west, covered by rearguards.[41] On the same day the division was awarded the name of the town as a battle honor.[42]
Into Western Russian and Belarus
Shortly after this victory the 46th Corps was moved to 50th Army, still in Bryansk Front.[43] This Army was still under command of General Boldin. On October 10 the Front was disbanded and the Army came under command of Central Front, which was soon renamed Belorussian Front.[44]
Novyi Bykhov-Propoisk Offensive
By the third week of November the left (south) flank of 50th Army had reached the confluence of the Sozh and Pronya Rivers east of the town of Propoisk, which is on the west bank of the Sozh. The Front commander, Army Gen. K. K. Rokossovsky, ordered his 3rd and 50th Armies to attack across the Sozh, with the 3rd beginning on November 22 and the 50th two days later in a supporting role. At this time the 46th Corps was defending along the Army's right wing, facing the German 9th Army's XXXXI Panzer Corps, and did not immediately take part in the attack. The 413th and 110th Rifle Divisions attacked in the Uzgorsk and Krasnaia Sloboda sector just north of Propoisk after a ten-minute artillery raid with the 108th Rifle Division in second echelon. These forces were able to cross the river and penetrate the German defense despite rasputitsa conditions and an almost complete absence of roads; in fact, the attack developed quite slowly until 10th Army to the north entered the offensive on November 28. By this time the 46th Corps had entered the penetration, led by the 369th Division, and the commander of 9th Army, General Model, convinced Hitler to allow him to withdraw to new defenses closer to the Dniepr. By November 30 the Army had advanced from 16 to 30km (9.9 to 18.6mi) on a 37km (23mi) front, with the 238th by now in the first echelon with four other divisions.[45]
Bykhov-Chavusy Offensive
On January 4, 1944, a new offensive aimed at Bykhov and Chavusy was launched by elements of 3rd, 50th and 10th Armies. Under the plan for this offensive, 46th Corps was to be on call to exploit if it proved successful. While important gains were made, there was no breakthrough, in part due to the rifle divisions of all three armies numbering roughly 3,500 men each, and the 238th saw little action before the attack was suspended on January 8. During February the division left 46th Corps to join the 362nd Division in 19th Rifle Corps, still in 50th Army. In late March General Rokossovsky, whose command was now designated 1st Belorussian Front, produced a plan to eliminate the German bridgehead over the Dniepr, based on Mogilev. 50th Army formed a shock group based on 46th and 121st Rifle Corps, but the 238th was assigned a flank support role. In the event the attack, which began on March 25, collapsed after minimal gains and was called off on March 31, despite the division being committed to assist the 121st Corps in the last days.[46]
Operation Bagration
Mogilev Offensive. Note initial positions of 50th Army.
In April the 50th Army was reassigned to the newly-created 2nd Belorussian Front;[47] the 238th would remain in this Front for the duration. Just prior to the start of the Soviet summer offensive the division was moved to 121st Corps, joining the 380th Rifle Division.[48] The Front's objective in the first phase was to break through the defenses of German 4th Army along the Pronya, force the Dniepr and liberate Mogilev, much the same as had been attempted in March. Following a 30-minute artillery preparation the operation began at 0400 hours on June 22 with a reconnaissance in force; on the 50th Army sector this was carried out by reinforced rifle battalions of the 380th and 385th Rifle Divisions, which gathered information on the German defensive system and took prisoners.[49]
The main attack began the next day and, in general, 4th Army's defense held; however, the Army's commander was already seeking permission to withdraw his XXXIX Panzer Corps behind the Dniepr. On June 24, 121st Corps supported 49th Army's renewed attack on the 337th and Feldherrenhalle Divisions30km (19mi) northeast of Mogilev. By noon a gap had been opened in the German Corps' defense and the 337th was breaking up, having lost most of its artillery. At 0600 hours on June 25 the Front's three attacking armies struck the German divisions and drove them back over the Basya River. Chavusy was taken by elements of 50th Army and by evening a column of 90 Soviet tanks and infantry in trucks was on the road to Mogilev. The order for the next day was to reach the Dniepr north and south of the city. On the XXXIX Panzer Corps sector to the south the 12th and 31st Infantry Divisions held prepared positions east of the Dniepr in the morning but were finally dislodged during the day by the 121st and 38th Rifle Corps' attacks. By 2200 hours the two corps were closing up to the east bank of the Dniepr.[50]
On June 27 the 12th Infantry fell back to try to hold Mogilev itself. The next day the 49th and 50th Armies took the city after a stiff fight and heavy casualties. The two armies then began an all-out advance to the Drut River to the west. On July 1 on the Chervyen–Berezino road the composite Battle Group König (one regiment of the 31st Division and other remnants) was fighting the 38th and 19th Rifle Corps of 50th Army, which had crossed the Berezina River north of Brodets. Late in the morning Soviet tanks in Chervyen drove the German force farther west, at which point Boldin's army cut off 4th Army's remaining retreat route and headed for Minsk.[51] On July 10 the 238th would be awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its role in the forcing of the Pronya and Dniepr and the liberation of the cities of Mogilev, Shklov and Bykhov. Unusually, all three of the division's rifle regiments also received the same decoration on the same date for their parts in this fighting.[52]
As a result of the encirclement and destruction of 4th Army in the Minsk area there were no significant German forces in front of 3rd and 50th Armies as far as the Neman River. 50th Army (currently 121st and 70th Rifle Corps), advancing to the west behind the 3rd Army, forced the river on July 9 and was in the Shchors area. On the same day the Front commander, Col. Gen. G. F. Zakharov, assigned the two armies the task of continuing to vigorously pursue the scattered German groupings in the general direction of Białystok and by July 12 capture Grodno and reach the Svislach River.[53] Later in the month the 121st Corps, along with the 238th, was transferred to 49th Army,[54] and it would remain in this Army for the duration. From the end of July until mid-August it incorporated 1,800 replacements, mostly from the 58th and 185th Reserve Rifle Regiments.[55] During the Osovets (Osowiec) Operation the 830th Rifle Regiment (Lt. Col. Smurygin, Georgii Efimovich) distinguished itself in the storming of the fortress and was awarded its name as a battle honor,[56] while on September 1 the 837th and 843rd Regiments would each receive the Order of Alexander Nevsky for their roles in the same fighting.[57] In a further distinction, on September 15 the division as a whole was given the Order of Suvorov, 2nd Degree, for its part in the liberation of the town and fortress of Łomża.[58] In October the division was transferred to 70th Rifle Corps, where it remained until the war's end.[59][60]
Vistula-Oder Offensive
In the advance into Poland the 238th reached as far as the Narew River, where it would remain until the start of the Vistula-Oder Offensive. In the planning for this operation, 2nd Belorussian's Front's 3rd Army was to launch an attack along its left flank on a 6km (3.7mi) front, in the general direction of Janowo and Allenstein; 49th Army, while securely defending the Narew line from Novogrod to Chelsty with one corps would take advantage of 3rd Army's breakthrough to attack with its own main forces in the direction of Myszyniec.[61] At this time the 70th Corps consisted of the 238th, 385th and 139th Rifle Divisions.[62]
The offensive began on January 14, 1945, in conditions of poor visibility. 3rd Army crushed the resistance of the German units facing it, breaking through to a depth of 5km (3.1mi) on a 10km (6.2mi) front and creating the conditions for the 49th Army to follow. This advance began the next day, with 70th Corps in the Army's second echelon. On January 16 the 49th continued attacking along its left flank but ran into stubborn German resistance and gained only 2–3km (1.2–1.9mi) during the day. 70th Corps was deployed by the end of the day in an area 5–10km (3.1–6.2mi) northwest and northeast of Rozan. On January 18, the last day of the first phase of the offensive, the units of 49th Army continued to attack along the west bank of the Narew.[63]
By February 10, 70th and 121st Corps relieved the forces of 70th Army on the left bank of the Vistula River along the line Kulm–Grodek–Sierosław–Lniano in preparation for the offensive into eastern Pomerania. On February 19 the 49th Army was ordered to continue its attack in the direction of Sominy and Bytów, with the task of capturing the line Sominy–Kloden–the Liaskasee by the end of February 24. This advance brought the Army's forces to the approaches to Gdańsk, and during the fourth stage of the offensive, from March 14 to 30, the 49th was one of the armies that cleared and occupied the city.[64]
Berlin Operation
At the start of the Berlin Strategic Offensive the rifle divisions of 2nd Belorussian Front varied in strength from 3,600 to 4,800 personnel each. 49th Army deployed on a 16km (9.9mi) front on the Oder River from Kranzfelde to Nipperwiese. The 238th was in the first echelon of 70th Corps with the 139th and 385th Divisions. During April 18–19 the Front launched intensive reconnaissance efforts in preparation for the crossings, including the elimination of German advance parties in the lowlands between the East and West Oder. The division's forces took part in this task and by the end of April 19 had reached the eastern bank of the West Oder. On April 23 the 49th Army tried to force the West Oder, but was hindered by German fire. In the Army's zone three ferry crossings, a 50-ton and a 16-ton bridge were in operation. During the day only a portion of 121st Corps' forces were able to cross. On April 25 the 49th Army exploited the greater success of the 65th and 70th Armies in their crossing operations and passed its remaining forces to the west bank along the Harz sector using the 70th Army's ferries. Attacking to the southwest and having beaten off five German counterattacks the Army advanced 5–6km (3.1–3.7mi) in the day's fighting, and by the evening part of the 70th Corps had reached a line between Gatow and Hohenfelde. Throughout April 29–30 49th Army attacked to the west, beginning in the Neustrelitz area, and on May 3 its forward detachments established contact with British Second Army advance units in the Grabow area.[65]
On April 5 the 409th Sapper Battalion had been awarded the Order of the Red Star for its part in the fighting for the village of Chersk on the Bug River.[66] On April 26 the 837th and 843rd Rifle Regiments each received the Order of Kutuzov, 3rd Degree, for their successes at Bytów and Kościerzyna on the march to Gdańsk,[67] and on the same date the 693rd Artillery Regiment was given the Order of the Red Banner in recognition of its role in the fighting for Lauenburg and Kartuzy.[68]
Postwar
In a final award, on May 17 the division as a whole was granted the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Degree, for its part in the liberation of Gdańsk.[69] With this distinction the men and women of the division shared the full title of 238th Rifle, Karachev, Order of the Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division. (Russian: 238-я стрелковая Карачевская Краснознамённая орденов Суворова и Кутузова дивизия.) Under the terms of STAVKA Order No. 11097 of May 29, 1945, part 6, 70th Corps was to be transferred to 1st Belorussian Front by June 3, and under Order No. 11095 of the same date the 238th is listed as one of the rifle divisions to be "disbanded in place".[70] It was disbanded in accordance with the directive in July 1945.
Related Research Articles
The 220th Rifle Division was briefly a Red Army motorized infantry division that was re-organised shortly after the German invasion as a standard rifle division.
The 50th Army was a Soviet field army during World War II. It was formed in mid-August, 1941 and deployed on the southwest approaches to Moscow. Partly encircled and destroyed by German Second Panzer Army in the opening stages of Operation Typhoon, enough of the army escaped that it could be reinforced to successfully defend the city of Tula in November. It was at this time that the 50th came under the command of Lt. Gen. Ivan Boldin, who continued in command until February, 1945. During most of its career the army was relatively small and accordingly served in secondary roles. It finished the war in East Prussia, under the command of Lt. Gen. Fyodor Ozerov, as part of 3rd Belorussian Front.
The 413th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in the summer of 1941 in the Far Eastern Front. It was considered to be a "sister" division to the 415th, and was one of the divisions of Siberians sent west to help defend Moscow during the winter of 1941–42. It was assigned to the 50th Army and originally saw action in the defense of the city of Tula before going over to the counteroffensive in December, suffering massive casualties in the process. It spent much of the next year along the lines it gained over the winter, southwest of the capital, before beginning to push westward as part of Western Front's 1943 summer offensive. During the winter of 1943-44 it was in Belorussian Front gradually gaining ground towards the Dniepr River to the east of Rogachev. At the start of Operation Bagration the 413th was in the 3rd Army but was soon reassigned to the 65th Army where it remained for most of the rest of the war. The division was awarded a battle honor for its role in the liberation of Brest in July and in 1945 received both the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Suvorov as it advanced into Poland and Germany with 2nd Belorussian Front. The 413th had a distinguished career as a combat unit, ending its combat path north of Berlin. It was disbanded in the summer of 1946.
The 415th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in the autumn of 1941 in the Far Eastern Front. It was considered to be a "sister" division to the 413th, and was one of the divisions of Siberians sent west to help defend Moscow during the winter of 1941-42. It spent much of the next year in the same general area, west of the capital, taking part in the mostly futile battles against the German-held salient at Rzhev during late 1942. Following the evacuation of the salient in March, 1943 the 415th was assigned to the 61st Army, where it remained for most of the rest of the war. It took part in the summer offensives through western Russia and into eastern Belarus during the fall and winter, earning a battle honor in January, 1944. During the later stages of the next summer offensive, Operation Bagration, it distinguished itself in the liberation of Pinsk and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Following this it was redeployed northward, still in 61st Army, and took part in the offensives through the Baltic states. In the spring of 1945 the division also earned the Order of Suvorov, 2nd Degree, for its part in the capture of several towns in northeastern Germany. The 415th had a distinguished career as a combat unit, ending its combat path near Berlin, but was disbanded in the summer of 1945.
The 340th Rifle Division began forming in August 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Balashov in the Saratov Oblast. The division went into the lines defending Moscow in November, then into the winter counteroffensive in December. After rebuilding, the division was assigned as the only rifle division in the new 5th Tank Army, but avoided the fate of most of the tank units of that formation when it attacked in July 1942. Following another aborted offensive in July, the 340th settled into mostly defensive assignments until after the Soviet victory at Kursk, when it joined in the general offensive through eastern Ukraine to the Dniepr River, winning honors for its role in the liberation of Sumy, and later Kiev. During 1944 the division continued the westward march through northern Ukraine and on into Poland in the Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive before being reassigned to 4th Ukrainian Front advancing into the Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia. The 340th ended its distinguished record of service in 1st Guards Army in Czechoslovakia.
The 352nd Rifle Division started forming in August 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Bugulma in Tatarstan. When it entered the fighting it was assigned to the Western Front before Moscow, and it would remain in that Front for most of the war; when Western Front was dissolved the division went to one of its successor Fronts and served there until the last few weeks. It took part in the first Soviet winter counteroffensive, then played peripheral roles in the battles around the Rhzev salient, before advancing in the offensive that liberated Smolensk in the summer of 1943. After a series of frustrating attempts during the autumn and winter of 1943-44, the city of Orsha was finally liberated in the opening days of Operation Bagration, and the 352nd was recognized for its role in the battle. Soon after it was further decorated for its part in the liberation of Grodno. In the winter of 1945 the 352nd took part in the invasion of East Prussia and the capture of Königsberg, but in April it finally was swung off its very straightforward combat path when it and its 31st Army were transferred to 1st Ukrainian Front advancing into Czechoslovakia. Soon after the German surrender the division was slated as one of those to be disbanded in place in central Europe.
The 362nd Rifle Division began forming on 10 August 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Omsk. It did not reach the front until March 1942, assigned to the 22nd Army in Kalinin Front. It served under these commands for the next year, then was pulled out of the line for rebuilding before being moved south to 3rd Army of Bryansk Front, and later Belorussian Front, for the 1943 summer offensive, during which it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. It served in 50th Army during Operation Bagration, and earned a battle honor during the crossings of the upper Dniepr River near Shklov, but was soon reassigned to 33rd Army, where it remained for the duration of the war. The 362nd ended the war deep into Germany with 1st Belorussian Front, but in spite of an exemplary record of service, including three unit decorations, it was disbanded shortly thereafter.
The 380th 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 on 10 August 1941, one of a series of divisions formed in accordance to an order of that date in the Siberian Military District. The pace of moving newly formed units to the fighting front was beginning to ease and the division arrived there in late February 1942. Until the end of that year it was involved in the bloody fighting around the Rzhev salient. After a brief move to Northwestern Front and then a period in reserve for rebuilding, the division's combat path shifted southward when it was assigned to Bryansk Front. It won a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Oryol in the summer offensive, then spent the autumn and winter in the costly and difficult struggles on the approaches to the upper Dniepr River and in eastern Belarus. It then took part in Operation Bagration and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its successes. Following this it helped to eliminate the German forces trapped east of Minsk, for which it received a second unit decoration, before joining the advance into Poland. During the Vistula-Oder Offensive the 380th was part of 2nd Belorussian Front's 49th Army, winning its third decoration along the way before ending the war advancing north of Berlin towards the Baltic coast. Despite its distinguished record it was selected as one of the many divisions to be disbanded during the summer of 1945.
The 385th 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 Central Asian Military District. It was first assigned to Southwestern Front but on its arrival it was seen to be far from combat-ready and so was moved north to the Moscow area for further training. It served in the later stages of the counteroffensive west of the capital in Western Front and remained in that Front until early 1944. It was on a relatively quiet sector through most of 1942 and early 1943 before joining the summer offensive towards Smolensk. It then spent the autumn and winter in the costly and difficult struggles on the approaches to the upper Dniepr River and in eastern Belarus, during which it won a battle honor. From this point on it shared a very similar combat path with the 380th Rifle Division. The division took part in Operation Bagration and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its successes. Following this it helped to eliminate the German forces trapped east of Minsk, for which it received a second unit decoration, before joining the advance into Poland. During the Vistula-Oder Offensive the 385th was part of 2nd Belorussian Front's 49th Army, and ended the war advancing north of Berlin towards the Baltic coast. Despite its distinguished record it was selected as one of the many divisions to be disbanded during the summer of 1945.
The 12th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in January, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 258th Rifle Division and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was in 50th Army when it was redesignated but was soon assigned to the 49th Army, then to the 10th Army and finally to the 16th Army near the end of that month. In June it was assigned to the 9th Guards Rifle Corps of 61st Army where it remained almost continually for the duration of the war, serving under several Front commands but always on the central sector of the front. During the summer offensive in 1943 it fought through western Russia and into Belarus during the winter campaigns there. Along with the rest of 61st Army it took part in the second stage of Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944, advancing into the Pripyat marshes region, winning a battle honor and shortly thereafter the Order of the Red Banner. After a short time in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command it was moved to the 3rd Baltic and later the 1st Baltic Front driving into Latvia and Lithuania, being decorated with the Order of Suvorov for its part in the occupation of Riga. In December it was returned to the 1st Belorussian Front and took part in the offensives that propelled the Red Army into Poland and eastern Germany. After the fall of Berlin the division advanced to the Elbe River where it linked up with the US 84th Infantry Division. Following the German surrender it was disbanded in July, 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.
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 Belarusian 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 212th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army after a motorized division of that same number was badly damaged and then redesignated about five weeks after the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
The 217th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the months just before the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939. It was formed at Voronezh and was considered a "sister" to the 222nd Rifle Division. When Operation Barbarossa began it was in 28th Army but soon after moving to the front it helped form the 43rd Army before being reassigned to 50th Army in Bryansk Front. After barely escaping disbandment during Operation Typhoon it took part in the defense of Tula; in the following counteroffensive one of its rifle regiments was so reduced by casualties that it had to be replaced by a Tula militia regiment. During the rest of 1942 and into 1943 it served in a largely defensive role as part of 49th Army and 16th Army although it took part in one abortive offensive in March 1943 north of Zhizdra. It remained in the latter Army when it was redesignated 11th Guards and fought under its command in the July-August offensive against the German-held Oryol salient before being transferred to 11th Army and winning an honorific in the advance through western Russia. In recognition of its role in the battle for Gomel it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. After winter battles in eastern Belarus the 217th played leading roles in the liberation of Zhlobin and Bobruisk in the early stages of Operation Bagration as part of 48th Army. During the Vistula-Oder offensive it took part in the liberation of Mława and then crossed into the western part of East Prussia, winning the rare distinction of the Order of Lenin in the process. It ended the war in East Prussia and remained in the Königsberg area until the spring of 1946 when it was converted to the 3rd Rifle Brigade.
The 222nd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the months just before the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939. It was formed at Starodub and was considered a "sister" to the 217th Rifle Division. It first saw action in July 1941 as part of 28th Army in the fighting between Smolensk and Roslavl and the division took heavy casualties when it was partly encircled and forced to abandon the latter city in early August. It was again encircled during Operation Typhoon but managed to escape complete destruction and soon came under command of 33rd Army, where it remained for almost the entire length of the war.
The 232nd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the weeks just before the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939. It was quickly moved to the fighting front as part of the 66th Rifle Corps in 21st Army, and it remained in this Corps for its brief existence. 21st Army was deployed in western Belarus, attempting to plug the gaps created by the defeats of the border armies in the first weeks of Barbarossa, and the division made a deep penetration into the German rear in the eastern fringes of the Pripet Marshes, but this was ultimately unsustainable. By early September, the 232nd was greatly depleted due to almost continual combat, before being encircled and destroyed east of Kyiv.
The 233rd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the months just before the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939. As part of 20th Army it was moved from the Moscow Military District to the front west of Orsha by July 2. Serving under Western Front the 20th was soon pocketed in the Smolensk region and although remnants of the 233rd were able to escape the division was no longer combat-effective and was broken up for replacements in early August.
The 239th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army after a motorized division of that same number was reorganized in the first weeks of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was based on the shtat of July 29, 1941, and remained forming up and training in Far Eastern Front until early November when the strategic situation west of Moscow required it to be moved by rail to Tula Oblast where it became encircled in the last throes of the German offensive and suffered losses in the following breakout. When Western Front went over to the counteroffensive in the first days of December the division was in the second echelon of 10th Army and took part in the drive to the west against the weakened 2nd Panzer Army. As the offensive continued it took part in the fighting for Belyov and Sukhinichi before being subordinated to the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps in January 1942 to provide infantry support. It then became involved in the complicated and costly battles around the Rzhev salient as part of 50th, 10th and 31st Armies until December. It was then moved north to Volkhov Front, and took part in several operations to break the siege of Leningrad, mostly as part of 2nd Shock and 8th Armies. As part of 59th Army it helped to drive Army Group North away from the city and was rewarded with the Order of the Red Banner in January 1944. During the following months it continued to advance through northwestern Russia but was halted by the defenses of the Panther Line in April. The division took part in the advance through the Baltic states in the summer of 1944 but in February 1945 it was transferred to 1st Ukrainian Front, rejoining 59th Army as part of 93rd Rifle Corps and fought in upper Silesia. In the last weeks of the war the 239th was advancing on Prague, but despite its distinguished record it was selected as one of the many divisions to be disbanded during the summer of 1945.
The 194th Rifle Division was a Red Army division active from 1939 to 1946 under several designations. It was first formed as a motorized rifle division in the autumn of 1939, part of the first group of such divisions created by the Red Army. After brief service in the war against Finland it was moved to the Central Asian Military District where it was reorganized as a mountain rifle division. It was still in this configuration when the German invasion began on June 22, 1941, and it was soon moved into 49th Army of Reserve Front west of Moscow where it was again reorganized as a regular rifle division, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939, before seeing any combat. When the final German offensive on Moscow began the 194th was caught flat-footed in the process of being transferred by rail behind the front toward Bryansk. As a result its various subunits became separated as they were forced to disembark at several points along the route. Following this split, a lead group of about 4,500 men took part in the defense of Tula, eventually being incorporated into 50th Army's 258th Rifle Division, while the main body remained in 49th Army, defending in the area of Serpukhov. When the winter counteroffensive began on December 6 the first task assigned to 49th Army was to encircle and destroy the German forces between the Upa and Oka rivers. Subsequently, the 194th advanced on Medyn and Yukhnov before the offensive ground to a halt in early March. The division was on the fringes of the battles for Rzhev during the rest of 1942 but only saw action in battles of local significance. In early 1943 it was moved from Western Front to the new Central Front where it took part in the advance on Sevsk, mostly as part of 65th Army. It remained in this Army until after the battle of Kursk, when it was transferred to 48th Army, where it remained for the duration of the war. After advancing through eastern Ukraine the 194th entered eastern Belarus and spent the winter in battles around and west of Gomel, winning a battle honor in the process. In the wake of the German defeat in Operation Bagration the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the fighting for Slonim. It spent the winter along the Narew River, before taking part in the Vistula-Oder Offensive into Poland and East Prussia in January 1945, mostly as part of 53rd Rifle Corps. The division would be transferred in early February, along with its Army and Corps, to 3rd Belorussian Front, and all three of its rifle regiments would be decorated for their parts in the fighting in East Prussia. After the war the 194th was moved, with 53rd Corps, to the Kirov area, and in 1946 it was redesignated as the 40th Rifle Brigade.
The 185th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army just as the Second World War was beginning, in the Oryol Military District, based on the pre-September 13, 1939 shtat. As a standard rifle division it took part in the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940. In early 1941 it was selected for conversion to a motorized infantry division, but in fact it had received little in the way of vehicles by the start of the German invasion and so was a rifle division in all but name. It was sent to join Northwestern Front in the Baltic states with its 21st Mechanized Corps, and was soon assigned to 27th Army. Under these commands the division retreated through July and August as the German 16th Army advanced behind in the general direction of Novgorod. On August 25 it was officially reorganized as a regular rifle division.
References
Citations
↑ Charles C. Sharp, "Red Legions", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed Before June 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, vol. VIII, Nafziger, 1996, p. 101
↑ David M. Glantz, Zhukov's Greatest Defeat, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 1999, pp. 61-63. Note this source consistently misspells Colonel Kaprov's name as "Karpov".
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