341st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

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341st Rifle Division (September 1, 1941 – May 19, 1942)
341st Rifle Division (May 1, 1944 – 1955)
54th Rifle Division (March 1955 - June 4, 1957)
54th Motor Rifle Division (June 4, 1957 - 1997)
62nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (1997 - 1998)
35th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base (1998 - 2007) (Disbanded)
Active1941–2007
CountryFlag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Soviet Union
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Branch Red Army flag.svg Red Army
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
Engagements Barvenkovo–Lozovaya Offensive Operation
Second Battle of Kharkov
Continuation War
Lapland War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Col. Aleksandr Ilich Shchagin
Col. Ivan Vasilievich Obydenkin
Col. Ignatii Alekseevich Moskalev
Maj. Gen. Ivan Vasilievich Terentev

The 341st Rifle Division was first formed in September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Stalingrad. It was a "sister" unit to the 335th Rifle Division, which was formed at about the same time and place and shared a very similar combat path in its first formation. It was assigned to the southern sector of the Soviet-German front during the winter counteroffensive, but was effectively destroyed during the German spring offensive that formed the Izium Pocket, and was soon disbanded. The division was formed again almost exactly two years later, this time in the Karelian Front, facing Finland, and saw only limited action in the Continuation War before being assigned to coastal defense duties during 1945. The 341st Rifle Division continued to serve well into the Cold War, eventually being re-designated and becoming a motorized rifle division.

Contents

1st Formation

The division first formed on September 1, 1941 in the North Caucasus Military District [1] at Stalingrad. Its basic order of battle was as follows:

Col. Aleksandr Ilich Shchagin was assigned to command of the division on the day it began forming, and he continued in command throughout the existence of this formation. The division's personnel contained a significant number of non-Russian nationality. In October, while still barely formed, the division was assigned to 57th Army, which was also just in the process of forming-up in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. In December the division and its Army moved to join Southwestern Front, taking part in the winter counter-offensive which led to the creation of the Izium salient south of Kharkov. By the end of January 1942, the 341st had been transferred to 9th Army in Southern Front, on the southern flank of the salient. [3] It was still holding this position on May 17, as Southwestern Front was attacking northwards from the salient towards Kharkov, when the 14th Panzer Division of 1st Panzer Army smashed through the division's flank, driving its remnants north and west into what became the Izium Pocket. While 9th Army continued to carry the 341st in its order of battle until June 1, in fact it had broken up within 48 hours of the German attack; while Colonel Shchagin and many other personnel managed to escape, the division was effectively disbanded on May 19. [4]

2nd Formation

About two years later, almost to the day, a new 341st Rifle Division began forming on May 1, 1944, in the Karelian Front, based on the 77th Naval Rifle Brigade in 19th Army. [5]

77th Naval Rifle Brigade

This brigade formed from October to December in the North Caucasus Military District, [6] based on personnel from the Black Sea Fleet and the naval schools. In January 1942, the unit made a remarkably long move to join 14th Army in Karelian Front, the northernmost part of the front, facing Finnish and German forces. In April the brigade shifted slightly southwards to 19th Army, still in the same Front, defending the Kandalaksha area. By August the 77th was organized for defensive operations as follows:

As Karelian Front was relatively quiet, the brigade was kept on a "short" establishment, with only about 100 men per rifle company. It remained in the same are under the same commands until it was dissolved in the spring of 1944. [7]

Continuation War

The order of battle of this new formation of the 341st was mostly based on lower regimental numbers made available by the conversion of regular rifle divisions into Guards units in 1942-43, as follows:

Col. Ivan Vasilievich Obydenkin commanded the reformed division until mid-October. He was briefly succeeded by Col. A. V. Molokov until Col. Ignatii Alekseevich Moskalev took command on October 28, which he would hold for the duration of the war. The division served directly under 19th Army through September, taking part in the limited fighting that pushed Finnish forces back from Kandalaksha towards Alakurtti. In November the 341st moved even farther north, to the 131st Rifle Corps in 14th Army, which by then was simply a garrison force in northern Finland. In January 1945, the division left the active forces completely, assigned to the Belomorsky Military District on coastal defense duties. [8]

Postwar

The 341st ended the war without any battle honors or unit decorations. In July 1945, when the 14th Army was disbanded, the division, still with the 131st Rifle Corps, was re-stationed at Alakurtti. [9] It was under the command of Maj. Gen. Ivan Vasilievich Terentev from January 1947 to February 1951. [10]

The division was eventually transferred to the 6th Army of the Leningrad Military District, and in March 1955, it was redesignated the 54th Rifle Division. On 4 June 1957, it was converted into the 54th Motor Rifle Division (Military Unit Number 42395). [11] From 1962 to 1966 Valentin Varennikov commanded the disvision. In 1964 armed forces inspectors tested the division, and it was awarded as one of the six top divisions of the Ground Forces of the USSR Armed Forces by order of the Minister of Defence. [12]

In July 1970, the 54th's 279th Motor Rifle Regiment was used to form the new 91st Motor Rifle Division, and was replaced by the 221st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment. In 1976, the division participated in Exercise Sever, during which it was recognized as one of the best. Between January and February 1980, it sent troops to fight in the Soviet–Afghan War. [13]

In 1987, its 338th Guards Tank Regiment was downsized into the 82nd Separate Tank Battalion. On 19 November 1990, according to Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe data, the 54th had 40 T-80 main battle tanks, 39 PT-76 amphibious tanks, 125 BTR and MT-LB armored personnel carriers, 60 D-30 howitzers, and 12 BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher systems. During the Cold War, the division was maintained at 68% strength as a Ready Division - Reduced Strength I (US Category II) division. [14]

In 1997, the division was downsized into the 62nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, but a year later was converted into the 35th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base. The base continued as part of the Leningrad Military District until its 2007 disbandment. [14]

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The 365th Rifle Division began forming on 1 September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, in the Sverdlovsk Oblast. After forming, it was assigned to the 30th Army of Western Front, served briefly in the defense of Moscow, and played a role in the liberation of Klin, and later in the near-encirclement of the German 9th Army around Rzhev in the winter counteroffensive of 1941–42. In late January 1942, it was transferred to the 29th Army of Kalinin Front, which was very soon after encircled by German forces near Sychevka, and on 18 March the division was disbanded due to very heavy losses. In November 1944, a new 365th Rifle Division was formed in the Far Eastern Front, based on the 29th Rifle Brigade, and saw action in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945, being awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its services.

The 396th Rifle Division was created in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army and was activated twice during the Great Patriotic War. The division followed a very similar combat path to that of the 398th Rifle Division in its 1st formation. It was first formed in August in the Transcaucasus Military District. In January 1942 it was moved to the Crimea where it joined first the 47th and then the 44th Armies in Crimean Front. On 8 May it came under attack by the German 11th Army as part of Operation Trappenjagd and by the end of the month it was destroyed in the Kerch peninsula, being officially disbanded on 14 June. In the buildup to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria a new 396th was formed in the Far Eastern Front in early 1945. The new division was one of only three formed in 1945 and served with the 2nd Red Banner Army, crossing the Amur River on 11 August and helping to reduce a Japanese fortified zone while also marching towards central Manchuria. Its rifle regiments were all decorated for their achievements and the division was disbanded before the end of the year.

The 406th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served throughout the Second World War in that role, but saw relatively little combat. It was raised as a Georgian National division in the Transcaucasus Military District, where it remained until the forces of German Army Group A began its drive on the oil fields there as part of Operation Blue. In August 1942 it joined the Northern Group in the Transcaucasus Front, in the 46th Army, defending the high passes through the High Caucasus Mountains west of Mount Elbrus. Once the German threat receded, the 406th returned to guard duties along the borders with Turkey and Iran for the duration of the war.

The 205th Rifle Division was twice formed as an infantry division of the Red Army after a motorized division of that same number was destroyed in the first days 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. It was assigned to the 4th Tank Army which was attempting to hold a bridgehead west of the Don River based on Kremenskaya and Sirotinskaya. This soon came under attack by elements of German 6th Army as a preliminary to its advance on Stalingrad itself and during August the division was encircled and destroyed.

The 209th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army after a motorized division of that same number was destroyed in the first weeks of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It served through nearly the remainder of the war on a quiet sector in Transbaikal Front, mostly as part of 36th Army. During July 1945, in the leadup to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, it was transferred to 17th Army, still in Transbaikal Front. This Army was in the second echelon of the invading forces and saw very little, if any, actual combat, but the division was nevertheless given a battle honor. It had been disbanded by mid-1946.

The 210th 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 as a cavalry division in the first weeks of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It served through nearly the remainder of the war on a quiet sector in Transbaikal Front, entirely as part of 36th Army. During July 1945, in the leadup to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, it was transferred to the 86th Rifle Corps, still in 36th Army. This Army was in the second echelon of the invading forces and saw very little, if any, actual combat, but the division was nevertheless given a battle honor. It was transferred to 17th Army and was disbanded with it by mid-1946.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Dunn states the division was formed in the Central Asia Military District; Walter S. Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2006, p. 81
  2. ↑ Charles C. Sharp, "Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From June to December 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IX, Nafziger, 1996, p. 84
  3. ↑ David M. Glantz, Kharkov 1942, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, Surrey, UK, 1998/2010, p. 142
  4. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 84
  5. ↑ Sharp, "Red Swarm", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From 1942 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. X, Nafziger, 1996, p. 126.
  6. ↑ Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys, p. 87
  7. ↑ 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. 43
  8. ↑ Sharp, "Red Swarm", p. 126
  9. ↑ Feskov et al 2013, p. 429.
  10. ↑ "Terentev, Ivan Vasilevich". www.generals.dk. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
  11. ↑ Feskov et al 2013, p. 435.
  12. ↑ Valentin Varennikov, http://lib.rus.ec/b/280137/read
  13. ↑ Boyko, Vladimir (April 2002). "6-й Краснознаменной армии - полвека" [50th anniversary of the 6th Red Banner Army]. Karelia (in Russian). Vol. 27, no. 4. Archived from the original on 8 November 2004. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  14. 1 2 Holm, Michael. "54th Red Banner Motorised Rifle Division". ww2.dk. Retrieved 16 April 2017.

Bibliography

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