371st Rifle Division

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371st Rifle Division (August 1941 – 1946)
Active1941 - 1946
CountryFlag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Soviet Union
Branch Red Army flag.svg Red Army
TypeDivision
RoleInfantry
Engagements Battle of Moscow
Battles of Rzhev
Battle of Smolensk (1943)
Operation Bagration
Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive
Minsk Offensive
Gumbinnen Operation
Vistula-Oder Offensive
East Prussian Offensive
Heiligenbeil Pocket
Soviet invasion of Manchuria
Decorations Order of Red Banner.svg   Order of the Red Banner
Order of Suvorov 2nd class.png   Order of Suvorov
Order Kutuzov 2.png   Order of Kutuzov
Battle honours Vitebsk
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Maj. Gen. Fyodor Vasileevich Chernyshev
Maj. Gen. Nikolay Oleshev
Maj. Gen. Vasilii Lavrentevich Alekseenko
Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Alekseevich Volkhin
Col. Arkadii Semyonovich Loginov

The 371st 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 Urals Military District. It was soon moved to the front lines near Moscow, and took part in the counteroffensive that began on December 5. It spent all of 1942 and the first months of 1943 in the fighting around the Rzhev salient, and after a short break served in the offensive that liberated Smolensk. After a winter of brutal combat on the approaches to Orsha and Vitebsk it was reassigned to 5th Army in 3rd Belorussian Front and took part in Operation Bagration, during which it was recognized for its role in the liberation of the latter city with a battle honor. The division was further distinguished in late July with the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Vilnius. In January 1945, it fought its way into East Prussia, and as that campaign was winding down it was moved across Asia, along with the rest of 5th Army, to take part in the campaign against the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria.

Contents

Formation

The division began forming in August 1941 in the Urals Military District [1] at Sverdlovsk. Its order of battle was as follows:

Col. Fyodor Vasileevich Chernyshev was assigned to command of the division on September 18, and he would remain in command until January 30, 1942, being promoted to the rank of major general on November 9. Later that month the division was assigned to the 39th Army and began moving towards the front. On November 29 it was reassigned to 30th Army in Western Front, arriving under those commands with no antitank battalion and with a signal company so short of training and equipment that it could not manage to advise Army headquarters of its arrival until December 1. [2]

Battle of Moscow

Disembarkation of the 371st, at Savelovo station, took place from December 2-5, after which it was concentrated in its designated area behind the Army's front. The 348th and 379th Rifle Divisions were also reinforcing 30th Army at this time. The Army went over to the offensive on the morning of December 6 along its entire front, overcoming stubborn enemy resistance. Its main force was in the center and on the left flank, and the division, backed by the 21st Tank Brigade, joined the 365th Rifle Division, backed by 8th Tank Brigade, commanded by Col. P. A. Rotmistrov, in a drive towards Klin. During the day they successfully advanced to within 12-15km north of that city. The offensive continued over the next two days and was threatening to cut the Klin - Leningrad road and envelop the city from the northeast. The defending German 7th Panzer and 14th Motorized Divisions were by now falling back. On the morning of December 12 the 371st repulsed a counterattack on its line near Selyukhino, 6-10km northeast of Klin. Over the next three days the Soviet objective was to encircle Klin to destroy the German forces defending it, but cooperation between 30th and 1st Shock Armies was difficult to maintain. On December 13 the division crushed enemy resistance in the Praslovo area with two of its rifle regiments and broke into the northern outskirts of Klin. In the end, most of the defenders were able to withdraw, with heavy losses, and the city was liberated on December 15 by the 371st and 365th Divisions and their supporting troops. From December 9 to 15 the two Armies captured 82 tanks, 18 armored cars, 750 cars and trucks, 80 guns, 120 mortars, 250 machine guns, 800 submachine guns, up to 10,000 shells, and about 2 million small arms rounds. [3] [4]

Battles for Rzhev

30th Army continued its pursuit of the Third Panzer Group on December 16, and was transferred to Kalinin Front at noon. [5] Beginning on January 8, 1942, 30th Army took part in the Sychyovka-Vyasma Offensive Operation, which was planned "to encircle, and then capture or destroy the enemy's entire Mozhaisk - Gzhatsk - Vyasma grouping", that is, what later became known as the Rzhev salient. On January 21 the Front commander, Lt. Gen. I. S. Konev, ordered 30th Army to move from the Front's left flank to its right; this brought it to a position facing south at the north end of the salient, near Rzhev itself, where it would remain for most of the ongoing fighting. By the end of January the successful part of the Soviet counteroffensive had mostly come to an end, in part because most of the rifle regiments had been reduced to 80 - 120 men each. [6] On January 31, General Chernyshev handed his command to Col. Nikolai Viktorovich Yagodkin, who in turn was succeeded on February 19 by Col. Nikolai Nikolaevich Oleshev. [7]

According to STAVKA High Command Directive No. 170182 to the commander of Kalinin Front, dated March 22:

"2. Withdraw from the Kalinin Front into the Reserve of the Supreme High Command... (b)in the period from 20 April to 30 April of this year the [following] rifle divisions from the 30th Army: 371st Rifle Division - to Kalinin, 375th Rifle Division - to Likhoslavl for refitting, resupplying and collective combat training." [8]

As of May 1 the division was back under command of 30th Army. [9] Beginning on July 30 the rejuvenated division took part in the First Rzhev–Sychyovka Offensive Operation, eventually advancing to the southeast of Rzhev in very difficult fighting while the neighboring 29th and 31st Armies made significant gains on the east flank of the salient. In August the 371st was transferred to 31st Army in Western Front. [10] [11] 31st Army resumed the offensive at 0545 hours on August 24, but now progress became much more difficult, and on September 5 General Konev, now commanding Western Front, recommended a halt to rest, refit and organize a new attack to envelop and capture Rzhev, but instead the assault was renewed four days later. On September 16 the Army temporarily suspended its attacks, but resumed on September 21-23 with its three right-flank divisions, including the 371st. By the end of the month the 31st had gone over to the defensive. From August 4 to September 15 it had suffered 43,321 killed, wounded and missing-in-action. [12]

In part due to these massive casualties, 31st Army played a limited role in the Second Rzhev–Sychyovka Offensive Operation (Operation Mars). On the first day, three divisions on its left flank attacked out of its bridgehead over the Osuga River and were stopped cold with up to 50 percent casualties. The 371st escaped this carnage, and 31st Army played no further active role in the offensive. [13]

On February 14, 1943, Colonel Oleshev was promoted to the rank of major general. On March 2, as Army Group Center put its evacuation of the Rzhev salient, Operation Büffel, into effect, 31st Army began its role in the difficult and costly pursuit until the end of the month. [14] On May 13 General Oleshev was moved up to command of the 36th Rifle Corps, being replaced by Col. Usman Minibaevich Sakaev. At about the same time the division was moved back to the reserves of Western Front for rest and rebuilding, where it would remain until August. [15] On June 22 Colonel Sakaev was in turn replaced by Col. Vasilii Lavrentevich Alekseenko. [7]

Battles for Orsha and Vitebsk

During August the 371st returned to the front in 49th Army of Western Front, [16] in time to take part in the battles that liberated Smolensk. By October 1 it had been reassigned to the 70th Rifle Corps of 33rd Army, facing elements of the German IX Army Corps. [17] After nearly two months of attacking, by this time the division's rifle regiments had been reorganized with just two battalions each, but the 930th Artillery Regiment remained at full strength, so the division was still combat effective. [18]

On October 3, Western Front began the first of a series of ill-fated offensives in the direction of Orsha. The 371st and its corps-mate, 338th Rifle Division, were deployed on the army's right wing between Lenino and Mikulino facing the German 95th Infantry Division. 33rd Army's attack faced stronger German defenses than its neighboring armies to the north, and by October 9 its assaults expired without any success. Over the following days 33rd and 49th Armies regrouped for a new offensive; the 338th remained in place for several days to conceal and protect the movements behind its lines, while the 371st moved into 33rd Army's second echelon in position to exploit any breakthrough. The new assault, which included the action known as the Battle of Lenino, began on October 12 but was once again stymied with limited gains and significant casualties, especially among the ranks of the Polish 1st Infantry Division. As there was no breakthrough the 371st saw little action. [19]

By November 14 the division, along with its Corps, had been redeployed to 31st Army, north of the Dniepr River, still on the Orsha axis. After a lengthy artillery preparation on this date, four armies of Western Front made yet another attack to the west. Assault and penal battalions of 10th Guards Army to its north advanced up to 2.5 km despite heavy fog that shrouded the battlefield; the 338th kept pace with an advance of up to 1.5 km, but the 371st and the remaining divisions of the Army bogged down in the German forward security belt due to heavy machine gun fire. On November 17, 70th Corps, along with 15th Guards Rifle Corps spearheaded by units of 2nd Guards Tank Corps, wedged into the boundary between 78th Assault and 25th Panzer Grenadier Divisions north of the Orsha highway, but this attack also faltered. In five days of intense fighting the two Soviet armies managed to advance a mere 4 - 5 km, while the remainder of the Front's forces gained even less. [20]

Vitebsk Offensives

Following this fighting the division was moved back to the reserves of Western Front for further rest and rebuilding. Given the lack of success in the Orsha direction the Front commander, Gen. V. D. Sokolovski, chose to make his next efforts towards Vitebsk, which was partly encircled and threatened to the north and west by 1st Baltic Front. 33rd Army began this offensive on December 23 and made relatively good progress in the first days, reaching towards the Vitebsk - Orsha highway. During a brief pause for regrouping the 371st was released from reserve to join 36th Rifle Corps on January 2, 1944, and was committed at the junction of 199th and 274th Rifle Divisions to spearhead the advance on Sosnovka. The assault had begun in a blizzard the previous day, and over the next five days the shock group penetrated about a kilometer, forcing 3rd Panzer Army to commit its 131st Infantry Division from reserve. Despite this the 199th and 371st liberated Gribuny, reaching to within rifle shot distance of the highway, while the 274th captured a small section of the highway before being halted by counterattacks. [21]

After regrouping 33rd Army renewed its offensive on January 8. 36th Corps formed the shock group, and was ordered to attack the Feldherrnhalle Panzergrenadier Division and the 131st Infantry on a 6 km front between Gribuny and Maklaki at the western tip of the salient, between 12 and 16 km south-southeast of Vitebsk. The 371st was in the first echelon, which was backed by the 2nd and 23rd Guards Tank Brigades. After all the previous fighting the divisions and brigades of Western Front were at about 40 percent strength. Despite this, 36th Corps made significant initial progress; while the 199th failed to capture its first objective, the 371st, 274th and 95th Divisions surged forward through the defenses of Feldherrnhalle. In two days of heavy fighting the 371st crushed a small salient held by the 2nd Battalion of its Fusilier Regiment, crossed the Vitebsk - Orsha highway, and took the eastern outskirts of the village of Miakovo, 2 km deep in the German defenses. To its left, its corps-mates made even greater gains, and by the end of January 10 Col. Gen. V. N. Gordov, commander of 33rd Army, was prepared to exploit the breakthrough if a bridgehead could be forced over the Luchesa River. However, by this time the German forces were beginning to react to the near-crisis. Elements of the 131st Infantry were shifted south to hit the division in its right flank. This served to deny its complete capture of Miakovo and the crossing of the Luchesa on this sector. To the south, the 299th Infantry Division arrived from 2nd Army to bolster Feldherrnhalle, and by late on January 14 the offensive ground to a halt; the divisions of 36th Corps had been reduced to between 2,500 - 3,500 men each. [22]

Yet another attack was ordered for February 3. Sokolovski had been directed to drive directly on Vitebsk, rather than enveloping the city; for this to succeed the Luchesa would have to be forced, a task which fell to the 81st and 36th Rifle Corps. The 371st was in second echelon of its Corps, which was to attack on a 5 km sector from south of Gribuny southward to Sheliai. Despite a shortage of artillery ammunition, the lead divisions of the Corps, supported by a brigade of 2nd Guards Tank Corps, tore a gaping hole in the defenses of the 131st Infantry, advanced 1 - 2 km, captured two village strongpoints and approached the river north and south of Perevoz. However, a German grouping continued to hold a small bridgehead on the east bank, which was soon reinforced and threatened the flank of the advance. On the next day, General Gordov ordered the second echelon divisions, including the 371st, into the struggle for the river line, which seesawed back and forth for three days, with progress measured only in hundreds of metres before the effort faltered on February 7. A further 5 days of combat beginning on the 8th proved utterly futile. The 371st was able to compress, but failed to eliminate, 131st Infantry's bridgehead at and north of Karpovichi. [23]

On February 22, Colonel Alekseenko was promoted to the rank of major general. At about the same time his division was regrouped into 65th Rifle Corps, still in 33rd Army. A new offensive began on February 28, once again seeking to force the Luchesa. The objective for the 371st and 199th Divisions was to take the German bridgehead at Noviki, cross the river and capture Sosnovka. Just as the offensive was beginning, 3rd Panzer Army pulled back its lines north of Vitebsk to free up reserves. The 371st was able to capture the bridgehead, and the 199th helped to gain a foothold of its own on the west bank, but the enemy reserves brought the overall offensive to a halt by March 5. On March 7 General Alekseenko left command of the division to Col. Fyodor Fyodorovich Shishov. By April 1 it had returned to 36th Rifle Corps. [24]

Operation Bagration

Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive. Operation bagration battle wizebsk 1944 june 22-27.png
Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive.

Later that month the 371st was assigned to 5th Army in the newly-created 3rd Belorussian Front, and it remained in that Army for the duration of the war. In May it was returned to 65th Rifle Corps, [25] and it was under these commands at the start of the Soviet summer offensive. On May 4 General Alekseenko returned to command of the division. The immediate objective of 5th Army was to encircle the forces of 3rd Panzer Army in Vitebsk from the south. The main attack on June 22 was preceded by a two-hour-and-twenty-minute artillery and air bombardment against the German 256th and 299th Infantry Divisions; when the attack went in the division was in the first echelon and formed one of the focal points, along with the 277th Rifle Division. This lead element had the 2nd Guards Tank Brigade, plus the 395th Guards Heavy (ISU-152s) and the 343rd Guards (ISU-122s) Self-Propelled Artillery Regiments [26] in support. Altogether the 65th and 72nd Rifle Corps hammered 18 km of the German line on the Chernitsa River. 65th Corps faced two regiments of the 299th Division, and by the afternoon the 371st, flanked by the 97th Rifle Division, had gained 2.5 km, driving through the center of the German VI Army Corps' position and reaching the second zone of defense. By day's end they had advanced as much as 4 km and established bridgeheads across the Sukhodrovka River, which was bridged overnight. [27] The advance continued the next day, assisted by heavy artillery and air attacks. By 1300 hours, despite the arrival of German reinforcements, elements of 5th Army had crossed the rail line to Orsha. On the 24th the 371st and the 97th Divisions continued their attack and broke through the third German position, advancing a further 10 km. VI Corps was completely broken this day, with part of its remnants falling back to Bogushevsk, although that town was also cleared by noon the next day, during which 5th Army advanced another 20 km. Overnight on June 25/26 the Vitebsk salient was finally encircled, and the first Soviet troops crossed the Dvina and entered the city. By this time the 65th Corps was advancing well to the west in the direction of Cherekhya, [28] but the division was recognized for its role in the long and bloody fighting as follows:

VITEBSK... 371st Rifle Division (Maj. Gen. Alekseenko, Vasilii Lavrentevich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Vitebsk, by the order of the Supreme High Command of June 26, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns.

The 1233rd Rifle Regiment (Maj. Barinov, Timofei Alekseevich) was awarded the same honorific by the same decree. [29]

By the morning of June 30 the advanced detachment of 65th Corps was across the Berezina River north of Borisov and was pushing west without opposition. At this point the first phase of the offensive on this part of the front was suspended as the slower elements needed time to catch up. [30] On July 1 General Alekseenko again left his command, being replaced four days later by Col. Samuil Ilich Tsukarev.

Minsk Offensive

Minsk Offensive Operation bagration minsk pocket 1944 june 29-july 03.png
Minsk Offensive

During July 1 the 65th and 72nd Corps advanced roughly 10km - 14km. Minsk was largely liberated on July 3 as the 371st advanced with its Corps on the Molodechno axis. By July 6 the 5th Army had reached and forced the Viliya River from the march and ran up against the proposed German "East Wall" along the west bank of the Oshmyanka River. With few troops to defend it the position was soon overcome by the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps, in close coordination with 65th Rifle Corps, in the Soly area along the Smorgon - Vilnius railway and overnight the pursuit continued in the direction of the latter place. On July 8 the 65th, 72nd and 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps were all engaged in street fighting for the city. The German garrison was completely isolated on July 10 and broken into two groups by the 65th and 3rd Guards Corps. In a desperate effort to rescue the garrison 600 men of the 2nd Parachute Division were dropped west of Vilnius but most of these were quickly defeated and rounded up. [31]

On July 25 the 371st was recognized for its part in the liberation of Vilnius with the award of the Order of the Red Banner. [32] Weeks later, on August 12, the division was further recognized for its part in forcing a crossing of the Neman with the award of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd Degree. [33] The 1231st Rifle Regiment also received the name of that river as a battle honor. On August 21 Colonel Tsukarev was transferred to command of the 97th Rifle Division and General Alekseenko returned again to command on August 24.

Into East Prussia

General Alekseenko made his final departure on November 9, being replaced by Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Alekseevich Volkhin. Four days later, both the 1229th Rifle Regiment and the 930th Artillery Regiment were awarded the Order of the Red Banner for their roles in the battles along the border of East Prussia. [34]

At the start of the Vistula-Oder Offensive on January 12, 1945, 5th Army was tasked with a vigorous attack in the direction of Mallwischken and Gross Skeisgirren, with the immediate task of breaking through the enemy defense, then encircling and destroying the Tilsit group of forces in conjunction with the 39th Army. Progress proved slower than expected, with the German forces putting up fierce resistance. On the morning of January 14, 5th Army broke through the enemy's fourth trench line, and began to speed up the advance until the early afternoon, when heavy German counterattacks began. 65th Corps, with 97th and 144th Rifle Divisions in the first echelon and 371st in the second, faced tank and infantry attacks from the 5th Panzer Division, which slowed, but did not halt, the advance. [35]

The assault began to pick up tempo on the 17th. After consolidating the former German strongpoint at Radschen the 45th and 65th Corps reached a line 3 km east of Brakupenen. By now the German forces that had been thrown out of the Gumbinnen defensive line's main positions were conducting a fighting withdrawal to the west, throwing their last reserves into battle. Heavy fighting continued into January 19, as 65th Corps reached the approaches to the German strongpoint at Rudstannen; during this period operations on the front of 39th Army were developing more successfully and most of the Front's reserves were redirected there. On January 21, 5th Army was directed to encircle and destroy the German grouping defending Insterburg in conjunction with 11th Guards Army on the following day; 65th Corps was to attack towards Karlswalde. By 0600 hours on January 22 the town had been completely cleared. During the following week the Army continued to attack in the direction of Zinten. On January 29, 65th Corps turned its sector north of Friedland over to 28th Army and was moved to the left flank of 45th Corps before beginning an attack to the south. The German forces continued to resist along the Heilsberg fortified line, and it was not until February 7 that 5th Army's forces were able to secure Kreuzburg. [36]

General Volkhin had left his command on January 29 to take up the post of deputy commanding officer of 54th Rifle Corps, being replaced by Col. Arkadii Semyonovich Loginov, who would remain in command for the duration. On April 26 the 1231st Rifle Regiment was awarded the Order of Aleksandr Nevsky for its part in the battles southwest of Königsberg. [37] By then, 5th Army had been removed to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. [38]

Soviet invasion of Manchuria

As the war with Germany ended, the division, along with the rest of its Army, was moving to the far east of the USSR. By the end of June it was in the Maritime Group of the Far Eastern Front, which became the 1st Far Eastern Front at the beginning of August. [39] 5th Army was tasked with making the Front's main attack. It had its three rifle corps deployed abreast, with the 65th Corps on the right flank and the 371st in second echelon. When the attack began on August 9, it struck the Kuanyuehtai (Volynsk) center of resistance, which was held by one battalion of the Japanese 273rd Infantry Regiment of the 124th Infantry Division. The lead divisions enveloped the northern portions of the Japanese strongpoint, leaving isolated units in the rear for the 371st to deal with. By day's end, 5th Army had torn a gap 35 km wide in the Japanese lines and had advanced anything from 16 - 22 km into the enemy rear. Within three days the second echelon forces, backed by self-propelled artillery, had liquidated all remaining strongholds. By August 13 the lead elements of the division were advancing to meet its corps-mates on the road to Mudanjiang. This city was taken after a two-day battle on August 15 - 16, after which 5th Army advanced southwestward towards Ning'an, Tunghua and Kirin. On August 18 the Japanese capitulation was announced, and 5th Army deployed to accept and process the surrendering units. [40]

Postwar

On September 19 the division and its subunits were awarded their final decorations. The 1229th Rifle Regiment received the Order of Suvorov, 3rd degree; the 1233rd Rifle Regiment was given the Order of Aleksandr Nevsky; and the division as a whole was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd degree, in general recognition of its successes in the Manchurian campaign. [41] At this point it carried the full title of 371st Rifle, Vitebsk, Order of the Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division (Russian: 371-я стрелковая Витебская Краснознамённая орденов Суворова и Кутузова д144th Rifle Division and other 5th Army units. [42]

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. It managed to avoid destruction during Operation Typhoon, but only its 653rd Rifle Regiment remained battleworthy through the winter. Once rebuilt it took part in the fighting around Rzhev in 1942 and then in the follow-up to the German evacuation of the salient in the spring of 1943. When the summer offensive toward Smolensk began in August it was part of Western Front's 31st Army and it remained in this Army almost continuously for the duration of the war. During the following autumn and winter it took part in the front's increasingly futile offensives on Orsha, but in the first stages of the Destruction of Army Group Center it assisted in the liberation of that town and was awarded its name as an honorific; its rifle regiments soon also gained honors for the liberation of Minsk. Less than two weeks later it also shared credit for the liberation of the city of Grodno and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner while several of its subunits were recognized for successfully crossing the Neman River nearby. After the abortive offensive into East Prussia in October it contributed to the capture of that province in early 1945 before being moved to 1st Ukrainian Front in April, and it ended the war in Czechoslovakia. Despite its solid combat record it was disbanded during the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">251st Rifle Division</span> Military unit

The 251st Rifle Division was the seventh of a group of 10 regular rifle divisions formed from cadres of NKVD border and internal troops as standard Red Army rifle divisions, very shortly after the German invasion, in the Moscow Military District. It was largely based on what would become the shtat of July 29, 1941, with several variations. It served under command of 30th Army in an effort to recover Smolensk in late July and in the Dukhovshchina offensives in August and September, and was quickly reduced to a much-weakened state. It was largely encircled in the initial stages of Operation Typhoon but sufficient men and equipment escaped that it was spared being disbanded. In the following two and a half years the division slogged through the difficult and costly battles around Rzhev and Smolensk as part of 20th Army, and later 31st Army, of Western Front, including several abortive offensives toward Orsha and Vitebsk in late 1943 and early 1944. At the start of Operation Bagration in June the 251st was serving in the 39th Army of 1st Baltic Front and it won a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Vitebsk. Following this victory it advanced into the "Baltic Gap" that had formed between Army Groups North and Center, entering Lithuania and winning the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the fighting for Kaunas. The division was transferred to 43rd Army and then 4th Shock Army as the Front advanced on Riga, and two of its rifle regiments received decorations for the battles for the Latvian capital. In the first days of 1945 the 251st was reassigned yet again, to the 2nd Guards Army of 3rd Belorussian Front, and served under this Army for the duration of the war. It, and several of its subunits, received awards during the East Prussian campaign, and ended the war in East Prussia. After the war the 251st was moved into the Caucasus region, and was finally disbanded in early 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">331st Rifle Division</span> Military unit

The 331st Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in the summer of 1941, based on a cadre of volunteer workers and reservists from the Bryansk Oblast, and so was known from the beginning as the 331st Bryansk Proletarian Rifle Division. It fought to defend Moscow during the last stages of the German invasion, and then went over to the offensive in early December. It spent much of the next twelve months in the same general area, west of the capital, taking part in the mostly futile battles against the German-held salient at Rzhev. On September 25, 1943, the division shared credit with several other units for the liberation of the city of Smolensk and was given its name as an honorific. The 331st had a highly distinguished career as a combat unit, ending its combat path in Czechoslovakia, advancing on Prague.

The 338th Rifle Division was first formed in September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Penza. This formation took part in the early stages of the winter counteroffensive and made gains in the direction of Vyazma before being cut off behind German lines in February and largely destroyed by May. The division was formed again in June, once again in the Western Front, and proved itself a stolid and reliable unit in the often frustrating battles east and west of Smolensk and into the Baltic states over the next two and a half years. After taking part in the conquest of East Prussia in 1945, the 338th, along with the rest of its 39th Army, was railed all the way to the far east to join in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">352nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)</span> Military unit

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 359th 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 took part in the costly battles around the German salient near Rzhev through 1942 and into 1943. Following this it served in the summer offensive towards Smolensk, also at considerable cost, but it won a battle honor for its role in the liberation of Yartsevo. After a brief rebuilding in the reserves, the division was moved south to the 1st Ukrainian Front, taking part in the liberation of Ukraine through 1944. Following the Vistula-Oder Offensive, the 359th gathered high honors during the fighting around Breslau in 1945, but along with many other distinguished Soviet formations it was disbanded with the coming of peace.

The 22nd Guards Rifle Division was unique in being the only Guards rifle division formed twice during the Great Patriotic War. It was first formed from the 363rd Rifle Division in March 1942. Soon after forming it provided a command cadre for the second formation of the 53rd Army in Kalinin Front. Later, in the fall of that year, the division provided most of its personnel and equipment to form the new 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps, and was then disbanded. In April 1943, a new 22nd Guards was formed from the second formation of the 150th Rifle Division in the Moscow Military District, and went on to serve for the duration in 10th Guards Army. This formation first saw service in Operation Suvorov, the summer offensive of Western Front that liberated Smolensk in late September, and then fought through the autumn and winter in grinding battles towards the city of Orsha. During the summer offensive of 1944 it helped break the Panther Line in western Russia and then advanced into Latvia, winning a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Riga, before ending the war in Lithuania, helping to contain the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket. It was disbanded shortly after the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">369th Rifle Division</span> Military unit

The 369th Rifle Division began forming on 1 August 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, in the Chelyabinsk Oblast. After forming, it was assigned to the 39th Army which soon became part of Kalinin Front, and it participated 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 the same Front, which was very soon after encircled by German forces near Sychevka, and while it was written off by German intelligence in February, enough of the division escaped that it was not officially disbanded. By August it returned to battle, now in 30th Army of Western Front, still fighting near Rzhev. After the salient was finally evacuated in the spring of 1943 the division was moved to Bryansk Front, first in 11th Army and then in 50th Army, under which it served for most of the war. In the summer counteroffensive the 369th was awarded the battle honor "Karachev" for its part in the liberation of that city. At the start of Operation Bagration the division was in 2nd Belorussian Front and its commander, Maj. Gen. I. S. Lazarenko, was killed a few days later; despite this loss it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its successful crossing of the Dniepr River and the liberation of Mogilev. The division continued to advance through Belarus and into Poland and eastern Germany over the following months, but despite a fine record of service was disbanded soon after the German surrender.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th Guards Rifle Division</span> Military unit

The 16th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in February 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 249th Rifle Division, and served in that role until well after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was in Kalinin Front when it was redesignated and remained in the northern half of the front throughout the war. In the summer it was assigned to Western Front's 30th Army to the north of the Rzhev salient and took part in the stubborn and costly struggle for the village of Polunino just east of that town in August. It returned to the fighting in March 1943 in the followup to the German evacuation of the salient, then was reassigned to the new 11th Guards Army, where it would remain for the duration of the war. During the summer offensive against the German-held salient around Oryol it assisted in the liberation of Karachev and received its name as an honorific. By December, after fighting through western Russia north of Smolensk the division was in 1st Baltic Front, attacking south towards Gorodok and winning the Order of the Red Banner in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to seize Vitebsk. By the start of the offensive against Army Group Center in the summer of 1944 the 16th Guards had been redeployed with its Army to the south of Vitebsk as part of 3rd Belorussian Front, where it would remain for the duration. Driving westward during Operation Bagration the division helped to liberate the key city of Orsha and then drove on towards Minsk. With its Army it advanced through Lithuania to the border with East Prussia, being further decorated with the Order of Suvorov for its crossing of the Neman River. As part of the East Prussian Offensive the 16th Guards entered that heavily-fortified region and helped gradually break the German resistance there, particularly at Insterburg and Königsberg, ending the fighting at Pillau. The 16th Guards remained in the Kaliningrad Oblast well after the war until finally disbanded in September 1960.

The 88th Rifle Division was twice formed as an infantry division of the Red Army, first as part of the prewar buildup of forces. In its first formation in the far north it had an unusual shtat probably to facilitate its movement in the roadless tundra and forests of that region. During the Winter War against Finland it saw action in the fighting around Salla. Its organization again proved beneficial in the spring of 1942 during the first stages of the Great Patriotic War. It played a large role in holding and then pushing back the Finnish III Army Corps during Operation Silver Fox and for this success was redesignated as the 23rd Guards Rifle Division.

The 26th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in April, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 93rd Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It would soon after provide the headquarters cadre for the 8th Guards Rifle Corps. It was soon assigned, with its Corps, to 20th Army of Western Front and saw extensive fighting, while also suffering extensive casualties, in two campaigns against the German 9th Army in the Rzhev salient through the rest of 1942. The division, again with 8th Guards Corps, joined the 11th Guards Army when it was formed in April, 1943 and, apart from a brief reassignment in early 1944, remained under those commands for the duration of the war. During that summer the division took part in the liberation of Bryansk. By December, after fighting through western Russia north of Smolensk it was in 1st Baltic Front, attacking south towards Gorodok and won the name of that city as a battle honor. By the start of the offensive against Army Group Center in the summer of 1944 the 26th Guards had been redeployed with its Army to the south of Vitebsk as part of 3rd Belorussian Front, where it would remain for the duration. Driving westward during Operation Bagration the division advanced north of Orsha and then helped to seize a crossing over the Berezina River for which it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. It continued to advance through Lithuania to the border with East Prussia later that year. As part of the East Prussian Offensive the 26th Guards entered that heavily fortified region in the winter of 1945 and helped gradually break the German resistance there, particularly at Insterburg and Königsberg, winning the Order of Suvorov for its part in the battle for the former place. The division ended the war at Pillau. The 26th Guards remained in the Kaliningrad Oblast well after the war, becoming the 26th Guards Motorized Rifle Division in 1957 and not finally disbanded until 1989.

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 204th 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 weeks 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.

The 97th Rifle Division was thrice formed as an infantry division of the Red Army, first as part of the prewar buildup of forces. The first formation was based on the pre-September 1939 shtat and the division was initially intended to serve in the fortifications along the border with Poland in western Ukraine. Beginning on September 17, 1939 it took part in the invasion of eastern Poland and then was moved north to join the 7th Army and later the 13th Army on the Karelian Isthmus during the Winter War against Finland where it saw action in the latter part of the struggle. Following this it returned to western Ukraine where it was on the border at the time of the German invasion in June 1941. At considerable cost it was able to retreat back to the Dniepr River south of Kiev during July and was still there as part of 26th Army when the Soviet forces in eastern Ukraine were largely surrounded and wiped out in September. The division was finally disbanded in late December.

The 85th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in April 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 118th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Late during the conflict it became known as one of the "Latvian Guards" rifle divisions due to its role in the liberation of that state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandr Borisovich Rodionov</span> Soviet colonel (1902–1944)

Aleksandr Borisovich Rodionov was a Red Army colonel who held division command during World War II.

The 91st Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in April 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 257th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It ended the war in the far east of Asia following the Soviet invasion of Manchuria with a highly distinguished record.

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 234th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed out-of-sequence in the Moscow Military District in October-November 1941. Due to having a large cadre of members of the Communist Party it was commonly referred to as the Yaroslavl Communist Division. After forming and briefly taking part in the rear defenses of Moscow in early 1942 it was assigned to 4th Shock Army in Kalinin Front. It became involved in the fighting near Velizh and remained in that region until nearly the end of the year. In March 1943 the division played a minor role in the follow-up to Army Group Center's evacuation of the Rzhev salient, and at the beginning of August liberated several strategic villages northeast of Smolensk, soon being rewarded with a battle honor. During the following autumn and winter it took part in the grinding battles around Vitebsk until it was removed to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for rebuilding and reorganization. When it returned to the front it was assigned to 47th Army in 1st Belorussian Front and took part in the later stages of Operation Bagration, advancing to the Vistula River near Warsaw. In September it received a second honorific for its part in the liberation of Praga. The 234th fought across Poland and into Pomerania early in 1945, winning two decorations in the process before being transferred to the 61st Army for the final offensive into northeast Germany. It was disbanded shortly thereafter.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Walter S. Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2006, p. 78
  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. 98
  3. ↑ Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Moscow, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2015, Kindle ed., Part III, ch. 3; Part IV, ch. 2
  4. ↑ This source states that the first unit to enter Klin was the division's "1263rd Rifle Regiment". That regiment was in fact in 381st Rifle Division; see Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 103.
  5. ↑ Soviet General Staff, Battle of Moscow, Kindle ed., Part IV, ch. 2
  6. ↑ Svetlana Gerasimova, The Rzhev Slaughterhouse, ed. & trans. S. Britton, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2013, pp. 26-27, 37-38
  7. 1 2 Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1964, p. 281.
  8. ↑ Gerasimova, Rzhev Slaughterhouse, p. 199
  9. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1942, p. 82
  10. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1942, p. 168
  11. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 98
  12. ↑ Gerasimova, Rzhev Slaughterhouse, pp. 91, 94-95, 98-99
  13. ↑ David M. Glantz, Zhukov's Greatest Defeat, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 1999, pp. 82-83
  14. ↑ Glantz, After Stalingrad, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2011, pp. 330-33
  15. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 98
  16. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 217
  17. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2016, pp. 27, 69
  18. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 98
  19. ↑ Glantz, Belorussia, pp. 69, 72
  20. ↑ Glantz, Belorussia, pp. 158, 162, 164
  21. ↑ Glantz, Belorussia, pp. 292-300
  22. ↑ Glantz, Belorussia, pp. 318-21, 324
  23. ↑ Glantz, Belorussia, pp. 349-51, 355-58
  24. ↑ Glantz, Belorussia, pp. 372-79, 389
  25. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 98
  26. ↑ Sharp, "Red Hammers", Soviet Self-Propelled Artillery and Lend Lease Armor 1941 - 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. XII, Nafziger, 1998, pp. 31, 42. Note that Sharp mistakenly states the 395th was with 65th Army at this time rather than 65th Rifle Corps.
  27. ↑ Dunn, Jr., Soviet Blitzkrieg, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2008, pp. 117-20
  28. ↑ Dunn, Jr., Soviet Blitzkrieg, pp. 125-31
  29. ↑ http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-1.html. In Russian. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  30. ↑ Dunn, Jr., Soviet Blitzkrieg, pp. 128-33
  31. ↑ Soviet General Staff, Operation Bagration, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2016, Kindle ed., vol. 2, ch. 3, 8
  32. ↑ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967a, p. 411.
  33. ↑ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967a, p. 460.
  34. ↑ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967a, p. 559.
  35. ↑ Soviet General Staff, Prelude to Berlin, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2016, pp. 123, 192-93
  36. ↑ Soviet General Staff, Prelude to Berlin, pp. 195, 218-19, 222-24, 232-33
  37. ↑ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967b, p. 118.
  38. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945, p. 177
  39. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 98
  40. ↑ Glantz, August Storm, The Soviet 1945 Strategic Offensive in Manchuria, 2003, Kindle ed., ch. 8
  41. ↑ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967b, p. 423-24.
  42. ↑ Historical Form of the 65th Rifle Corps, pp. 1–2. In Russian typescript.

Bibliography

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