376th Rifle Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1941 – 1945 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | Red Army |
Type | Division |
Role | Infantry |
Engagements | Battle of Leningrad Lyuban Offensive Operation Operation Iskra Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive Pskov-Ostrov Offensive Baltic Offensive Riga Offensive Courland Pocket |
Decorations | ![]() |
Battle honours | Kuzbass Pskov |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Lt. Col. Dmitry Ivanovich Ugorich Col. Georgy Petrovich Isakov Maj. Gen. Nikolai Antonovich Polyakov |
The 376th 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 Siberian Military District. It followed a very similar combat path to that of the 374th Rifle Division. It joined the fighting front in December with the new 59th Army along the Volkhov River and it continued to serve in the battles near Leningrad until early 1944. The division took horrendous casualties in the combat to create and hold open a passage to the 2nd Shock Army during the Lyuban Offensive and was itself partly or fully encircled at several times during this dismal fighting. The division finally left this region as it advanced during the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive in January 1944 and in July won a battle honor in the liberation of Pskov, while its 1250th Rifle Regiment was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In October the 376th as a whole would also receive the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Riga. The division ended the war in Latvia, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and was reorganized as a rifle brigade shortly thereafter.
Like the 372nd and 374th Rifle Divisions, the 376th began forming on 10 August 1941 in the Siberian Military District based on an RKO order of that date [1] at Kemerovo, Stalinsk, Prokopyevsk and Leninsk-Kuznetsky in the Kuzbass, based on the first wartime shtat (table of organization and equipment) for rifle divisions. Many of its personnel were Kuzbass coal miners, and it was given the name of the region as an honorific when it was formed. Its order of battle was as follows:
Lt. Col. Dmitry Ivanovich Ugorich was assigned to command of the division on 1 September, and he would remain in command until 9 April 1942. In November the division was assigned to the 59th Reserve Army, and remained in there when it became the 59th Army. It moved by rail that month as far as Vologda from where it faced a march of about 700 km to reach the fighting front. The division and its Army joined Volkhov Front in December. The division contained a large number of experienced riflemen because when it first went into action it had 375 snipers on strength, five in each rifle platoon on average. [3]
Volkhov Front launched its main offensive on 6 January 1942. By the end of the day 59th Army's initial assault had expired due to heavy German resistance. Army Gen. K. A. Meretskov reported to the STAVKA the next morning, in part: "After repelling repeated enemy attacks, the 376th and 288th Rifle Divisions are along the Meneksha River line..." Following further bloody failure that day and later, on 10 January the STAVKA called a three-day halt in the attacks at Meretskov's request. After regrouping and forming new shock groups he resumed the offensive on 13 January, this time preceded by heavier and more effective artillery preparations. On 17 January the 2nd Shock Army resumed its attack, supported by more than 1,500 aircraft sorties, and finally penetrated the Germans' first defensive positions on the west bank of the Volkhov, advanced 5 – 10 km and created conditions that Meretskov considered favorable for developing success. Early on 22 January he proposed:
"1. Leave the 4th Army with the 44th, 310th and 190th Rifle Divisions and the 80th Cavalry Division along the Kirishi and Gruzino front and add to it the 59th Army's 288th and 376th Rifle Divisions, which are operating along the western bank of the Volkhov River north of Gruzino. The 4th Army will temporarily conduct local operations to tie down enemy forces."
This plan was approved later that day. [4] The 376th would remain in 4th Army until March. [5]
On 15 March the German 18th Army began its Operation Raubtier with the objective of pinching out the 10 km-wide corridor connecting 2nd Shock Army to the Soviet front along the Volkhov to encircle it and thwart its planned attack on Lyuban. Two days later the STAVKA ordered Meretskov to, among other measures, transfer the 376th to the Miasnoi Bor area to help hold the corridor open. In the event the German forces managed to link up on 20 March, but this success was tenuous at best. Meretskov proposed that four divisions of the 52nd Army, including the 376th which had been transferred there, launch an offensive towards Novgorod on 29 March, which would reopen communications to 2nd Shock and divert enemy forces to the defense of that city. He also noted that each division was understrength by 2,500–3,000 men. Despite these preparations by 26 March, the 18th Army had formed outer and inner encirclement lines around 2nd Shock Army and part of 59th Army and a more direct approach became necessary. An operational group from the two trapped armies began an assault to link up with the stubbornly advancing 52nd Army on 27 March at or near Miasnoi Bor. By the end of the day a gap 3–5 km wide was forced through the enemy cordon, which salvaged the situation for the time being. [6]
In the event the Novgorod operation was never carried out. On 8 April elements of 52nd and 59th Armies struck again, widening the gap to 2nd Shock's positions, although the passage was still inadequate. The 376th was then withdrawn into the Volkhov Front reserves for replenishment, deploying again in the Miasnoi Bor area. [7] On the 9th, Lt. Colonel Ugorich left command of the division, being replaced by Col. Georgy Petrovich Isakov. Volkhov Front was soon disbanded and the division returned to the front in 59th Army, which was now in the Group of Forces Volkhov Direction (later Volkhov Group of Forces) of Leningrad Front. It remained in that Army when Volkhov Front was reformed in June. [8]
In September the 376th was transferred to the rebuilding 2nd Shock Army, still in Volkhov Front, being briefly assigned to 6th Guards Rifle Corps. [9] Colonel Isakov handed his command to Maj. Gen. Nikolai Emilianovich Argunov on 29 December; Isakov would go on to be promoted to major general and was made a Hero of the Soviet Union. On 12 January 1943, the Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts launched the third Sinyavino offensive, also called Operation Iskra ("Spark"). Volkhov Front's part in the offensive began at 0930 hours with an artillery preparation with more than 2,000 guns, including 300 conducting direct fire on the forward edge of the German defenses. Soon this was accompanied by attacks from 14th Air Army. The 376th was on the extreme left flank of 2nd Shock, and made a joint attack with elements of 8th Army which penetrated the forward edge of the enemy defense but was halted by heavy fire from the 1st Infantry Division. Repeated attempts to resume the offensive in this sector were stymied by German counterattacks. Overnight on 12/13 January Meretskov reinforced the division's thrust towards Sinyavino with the 71st Rifle Division supported by the 98th Tank Brigade but deteriorating weather and the dense forests hindered coordination and accurate artillery fire. While Sinyavino remained out of reach, to the north at 0930 hours on 18 January the 123rd Rifle Division of 67th Army joined hands with the 372nd of 2nd Shock just east of Workers Settlement No. 1 and the siege of Leningrad was officially broken. [10]
On 27 January General Argunov resumed his post as Deputy Chief of Staff for Combat Training, Volkhov Front, and was replaced in command by Maj. Gen. Mikhail Danilovich Grishin. Following Operation Iskra the 376th moved with its Army into Leningrad Front, where it remained through the rest of 1943. [11] In August it was reassigned to 55th Army. [12]
In the preparations for the offensive that finally drove the German Army away from Leningrad for good, in December the 376th was reassigned again, now to the 116th Rifle Corps in 67th Army. [13] The initial task assigned to this Army was to tie down the German forces south and east of Leningrad to prevent them from reinforcing their forces facing 2nd Shock and 42nd Armies. Subsequently, the 67th was to attack through Mga and Ulyanovka towards Krasnogvardeisk. The offensive began on 14 January 1944, and on 19 January the latter town was liberated, primarily by 42nd Army. Early on 21 January Soviet intelligence detected a partial German withdrawal from Mga and 67th Army was ordered to pursue and destroy the enemy forces in the region. While the German forces evaded encirclement, Mga was liberated late in the day. On 26 January the 116th Corps was withdrawn into Front reserve, [14] and by the end of the month the division was transferred to the 118th Rifle Corps, also in Front reserve. [15] On 6 February that Corps was reassigned to serve as the second echelon of 42nd Army, [16] and it would remain under that command until July, becoming part of 3rd Baltic Front when that was created in April. On 4 March, General Grishin passed his command over to Maj. Gen. Nikolai Antonovich Polyakov.[ citation needed ]
At the start of the summer offensive the 376th was directly north of Pskov, near the shores of Lake Pskov, facing the defenses of the Panther Line. [17] After days of intense fighting the line was breached and on 23 July the division was recognized as follows:
"PSKOV... 376th Rifle Division (Maj. Gen. Polyakov, Nikolai Antonovich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Pskov, by the order of the Supreme High Command of July 23, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns. [18]
The 1250th Rifle Regiment was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its role in the same action. [19]
By 1 August the division was back in the 116th Rifle Corps of 67th Army, but during that month it was reassigned to the 119th Rifle Corps of 1st Shock Army. [20] It would remain under command of that Army for the duration. By the middle of September the 376th was in the vicinity of Ape in Latvia, continuing to advance to the west. On 19 September it took part in the liberation of Valga in Estonia. [21] By early October it was approaching Riga just east of Limbaži. [22] The division played a major role in the liberation of Riga, and was recognized with the award of the Order of the Red Banner on 31 October. [23]
After the battle for Riga the 3rd Baltic Front was disbanded and the 1st Shock Army was reassigned to the 2nd Baltic Front. Col. Dmitry Ivanovich Pavlov took command of the division from General Polyakov on 28 December. The 376th remained in 119th Corps until February 1945, when it was reassigned to the 123rd Rifle Corps, still in 1st Shock Army. It would remain under those Corps and Army commands for the duration, moving to the Courland Group of Forces with them in March. [24] On 15 January General Polyakov returned to command and would remain in that position for the duration.
The division ended the war with the full title: 376th Rifle, Kuzbass-Pskov, Order of the Red Banner Division (Russian: 376-я стрелковая Кузбасско-Псковская Краснознамённая дивизия). In September 1945 it was reorganized as the 48th Rifle Brigade. In June 1949 the brigade moved from Serdobsk in Penza Oblast to the Turkestan Military District, joining the 119th Rifle Corps. In July 1949 it was raised to divisional status again as the 376th Mountain Rifle Division. [25] In 1950 it was stationed at Osh, but then it was renamed the 71st Mountain Rifle Division in 1955. In February or June 1958 it was reduced into the 427th Independent Motor Rifle Regiment. [26]
In 1960, with the entry into service of the BTR-50, the 427th MRR was reorganized into the 71st Motorized Rifle Division (71st Motor Rifle Division) (cadre).[ citation needed ]
In 1962, the 71st Motor Rifle Division was reorganized into the 34th Separate Reinforced Motorized Rifle Battalion (34th Motorized Rifle Battalion), which began to cover the state border with the PRC.[ citation needed ]
In connection with the further aggravation of relations with the PRC, in accordance with the Directive of the Chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces No. 22831 of 14 December 1965, the 34th Motorized Rifle Battalion was reorganized on 13 May 1966, into the 860th separate motorized rifle Pskov Red Banner Regiment (860th Motorized Rifle Regiment or military unit 77701).[ citation needed ]
Later it became part of the Central Asian Military District when that was established in 1969. [27] It then was sent to Afghanistan with the 40th Army (Soviet Union). It was stationed at Fayzabad in the late 1980s. [28] [29]
On 21 July 1988, the regiment was withdrawn from the territory of Afghanistan in the city of Termez, where it was given a new code name - military unit 52060. On 28 October 1988, the regiment was disbanded. [30]
Kirill Afanasievich Meretskov was a Soviet military commander. Having joined the Communist Party in 1917, he served in the Red Army from 1920. During the Winter War of 1939–1940 against Finland, he had the task of penetrating the Mannerheim Line as commander of the 7th Army. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union shortly afterwards.
The 2nd Shock Army, sometimes translated to English as 2nd Assault Army, was a field army of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. This type of formation was created in accordance with prewar doctrine that called for Shock Armies to overcome difficult defensive dispositions in order to create a tactical penetration of sufficient breadth and depth to permit the commitment of mobile formations for deeper exploitation. However, as the war went on, Shock Armies lost this specific role and reverted, in general, to ordinary frontline formations.
The Red Army's 54th Army was a Soviet field army during the Second World War. It was first formed in the Leningrad Military District in August, 1941, and continued in service in the northern sector of the Soviet-German front until the end of 1944. It spent much of the war attempting to break the German siege of Leningrad, in which it helped to achieve partial success in January, 1943, and complete success one year later. During these operations the soldiers of the 54th served under five different commanders, most notably Col. Gen. Ivan Fedyuninsky in the winter of 1941–42. After helping to drive Army Group North away from Leningrad and into the Baltic states in the first nine months of 1944, the army was deemed surplus to requirements on the narrowing front, and was officially disbanded on the last day of the year.
The 310th Rifle Division was a standard Red Army rifle division formed on July 15, 1941 in Kazakhstan before being sent to the vicinity of Leningrad, where it spent most of the war, sharing a similar combat path with its "sister", the 311th Rifle Division. The soldiers of the division fought until early 1944 to, first, hold open some sort of lifeline to the besieged city, then to break the siege and drive off the besieging German forces. They then participated in the offensive that drove Germany's Finnish allies out of the war. Finally, the division was redeployed to take the fight to the German heartland in the winter and spring of 1945. It ended the war north of Berlin with a very creditable combat record for any rifle division.
The 378th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army that began forming in August 1941 in the Siberian Military District, before being sent to the vicinity of Leningrad, where it spent most of the war. The soldiers of this division fought until early 1944 to break the siege and drive off the besieging German forces, distinguishing themselves in the liberation of Novgorod. Finally, the division was redeployed to advance into the Baltic states in 1944 and into East Prussia in the winter of 1945. As the war was ending the 378th was disbanded to provide replacements for other divisions. Nevertheless, it had compiled a very creditable combat record for any rifle division.
The 311th Rifle Division was a standard Red Army rifle division formed on July 14, 1941 at Kirov before being sent to the vicinity of Leningrad, where it spent most of the war, sharing a similar combat path with its "sister", the 310th Rifle Division. The men and women of the division were fully engaged in the struggle for Leningrad until early 1944, fighting in several offensives to drive a lifeline through the German positions to the besieged city, and then to finally drive the besiegers away. When this was accomplished, the division was redeployed to take the fight into the Baltic States in 1944, then into the German heartland in the winter and spring of 1945. It ended the war north of Berlin after compiling a very distinguished record of service.
The 314th Rifle Division was a standard Red Army rifle division formed on July 15, 1941 at Petropavlovsk in northern Kazakhstan, before being sent to the vicinity of Leningrad, in the 7th Separate Army east of Lake Ladoga, facing the Finnish Army in East Karelia for more than a year. In consequence the division saw relatively uneventful service on this mostly quiet front until the autumn of 1942, when it was moved south to face German Army Group North, and took a leading role in Operation Iskra, which finally drove a land corridor through to besieged Leningrad in January 1943; a year later it also served prominently in the offensive that broke the enemy siege for good. During the summer the division played a role in the offensive that drove Finland out of the war. Following this, the 314th spent a few months fighting in the Baltic States, before being reassigned southwards to 1st Ukrainian Front to take the fight into Poland and then into the German heartland in the winter and spring of 1945. It ended the war in Czechoslovakia with a distinguished record of service.
The 364th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army during World War II.
The 366th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army during World War II, formed twice.
The 25th Cavalry Division was a mounted division of the Red Army that served for just over a year in the Great Patriotic War. It was formed in the summer of 1941 and served in the region south and west of Leningrad during the following months against the advance of Army Group North during Operation Barbarossa. It survived a German armored counterattack before being pulled back into the reserves in September. In January 1942, it was assigned to the Mobile Group of 2nd Shock Army to take part in the Lyuban Offensive Operation. This offensive aimed to encircle and destroy the German forces besieging Leningrad; in the event, 2nd Shock was itself encircled and forced to break out as individuals and small groups from May into July. The 25th Cavalry was disbanded, and its survivors were used to help rebuild the badly depleted 19th Guards Rifle Division, while the 25th's commanding officer took over the latter division.
The 374th 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 Siberian Military District. It joined the fighting front in December with the new 59th Army along the Volkhov River and it continued to serve in the fighting near Leningrad until early 1944. The dismal fighting on this front gave little opportunity for a unit to distinguish itself, and the division did not finally earn a battle honor until late January 1944, during the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive. It continued to serve in the summer and autumn offensive through the Baltic States, becoming so reduced in strength that its remaining infantry was consolidated into a single understrength regiment which nevertheless won a battle honor in the liberation of Riga. The 374th ended the war in Latvia, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and was disbanded shortly thereafter.
The 377th 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 followed a very similar combat path to that of the 374th and 376th Rifle Divisions. It joined the fighting front in December with the 4th Army, and then briefly came under command of 2nd Shock Army, but soon moved to the 59th Army along the Volkhov River, and continued to serve in this Army's battles near Leningrad until early 1944. The division took very heavy casualties during the Lyuban Offensive in several attempts to relieve the beleaguered 2nd Shock Army. After rebuilding the division held the Army's bridgehead over the Volkhov during 1943, and finally advanced during the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive in January 1944, taking part in the assault that liberated Novgorod. During the spring the division saw heavy fighting in the battles for Narva before moving south for the summer offensive into the Baltic states. In September it won a battle honor in the liberation of Valga, and in October also received the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Riga. The division ended the war in Latvia, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and was disbanded later in 1945.
The 379th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August 1941 in the Urals Military District. It first served in the winter counteroffensive west of Moscow, and later in the bitter fighting around the Rzhev salient, but was moved north late in 1942. It took up positions along the Volkhov River, mostly under command of the 8th Army, and continued to serve in this Army's battles near Leningrad until September 1943, when it was transferred to the 2nd Baltic Front, where it would stay for the remainder of its service. During this period the division served under many army and corps commands but mostly in the 3rd Shock Army. The division ended the war in Lithuania, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket. By this time it was judged as being surplus to the Red Army's needs and in December 1944 its personnel were merged with the 245th Rifle Division to bring that division closer to establishment strength; the latter division also inherited its battle honor. The 379th was officially disbanded on the first day of 1945.
The 382nd 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 August 10 in the Siberian Military District. It joined the fighting front in December with the new 59th Army along the Volkhov River. Apart from a few weeks in 1944 the division served in either the Volkhov Front or the Leningrad Front for the entire war. It suffered horrendous casualties after being encircled in the swamps and forests near Lyuban and was severely understrength for many months afterwards while serving on a relatively quiet front. It remained in the line in the dismal fighting near Leningrad until early 1944 with little opportunity to distinguish itself, and the division did not finally earn a battle honor until late January, 1944, during the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive. Following this the division was moved to the Karelian Isthmus and entered the summer offensive against Finland in the reserves of Leningrad Front before being assigned to the 23rd Army. Following the Finnish surrender it was redeployed westward, helping to mop up pockets of enemy forces in the Baltic states in early 1945. The 382nd ended the war in Latvia, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and was officially disbanded in February, 1946.
The 225th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed in December 1941 from the remnants of the pre-war 3rd Tank Division and based on the shtat of July 29, 1941. The 3rd Tank's single rifle regiment was joined by two reserve rifle regiments, and its howitzer regiment was converted to a standard artillery regiment. As part of 52nd Army in Volkhov Front it took part in largely local fighting in the Novgorod area, seeing combat in several abortive attempts to retake the city until it finally played a main role in its liberation in January 1944 and received its name as a battle honor.
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 256th Rifle Division was the last 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 was initially assigned to 29th Army in Western Front but was soon reassigned to 22nd Army in the same Front. It narrowly escaped being encircled and destroyed in late August, after which it retreated eastward as part of 27th Army before returning to the 22nd. In October the division, with one regiment detached, played a key role in the defense of Kalinin, during which it was transferred to 30th Army in the new Kalinin Front. During the Soviet winter counteroffensive the 256th came under command of 39th Army, which was attempting to trap the German forces holding Rzhev. This proved unsuccessful, and in July 1942 the 39th was itself encircled, forcing it to break out at the cost of heavy casualties. The division now moved to the north for rebuilding. It was then assigned to the Volkhov Front, and participated in the many battles to clear the German forces blockading Leningrad, culminating in Operation Iskra in January 1943, for which it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. During the rest of the year the 256th fought in several more offensives to widen the land corridor to the city, but only made marginal gains. Finally, in January 1944, it took part in the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive, advancing decisively to the west. It was encircled by a German counterattack in early February, but held out due to air supply and the assistance of partisan forces. After being relieved by 59th Army the division, and its 8th Army, were transferred to Leningrad Front and advanced on the Estonian city of Narva, which was already under attack by the Front. The fighting there went on for months until finally the city was taken in late July and the 256th was awarded its name as an honorific. Following this victory it advanced through Estonia and into Latvia as part of the 42nd Army in 2nd Baltic Front. During late 1944 and well into 1945 it was part of the forces blockading the German units trapped in the Courland Pocket. Shortly before the German surrender it returned to 22nd Army, which was being moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, and it travelled south to the Odesa Military District. It was there until October when it was disbanded.
The 259th Rifle Division was formed from reservists as a standard Red Army rifle division, 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. It was assigned to the 34th Army of Reserve Front before the end of July, but this Army was soon reassigned to Northwestern Front. Under these commands it took part in the Staraya Russa offensive operation in August. It suffered significant casualties in its first operation but after falling back toward Leningrad it took part, as part of 52nd Army, in both the defense of Tikhvin and the following counteroffensive that retook the city in one of the first major German reverses. In the new year the 259th was involved in the Lyuban offensive, mostly under command of the ill-fated 2nd Shock Army, and this struggle continued into June. Enough of the division escaped encirclement that it avoided disbandment, and it was sufficiently restored by late August that it was committed to the second Sinyavino offensive, eventually becoming encircled again and forced to break out, at considerable cost. In early October it was withdrawn to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for a lengthy period of restoration, well into 1943, in 2nd Reserve Army, as it moved well to the south.
The 198th 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 months of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was based on the shtat of July 29, 1941, with several modifications. It entered combat as a rifle division during the Tikhvin Offensive in December 1941 as a reinforcement for 54th Army, helping to drive elements of Army Group North back to the Volkhov River from their earlier gains. It would remain near that river line into early 1944. During 1942 it took part in several abortive offensives in an effort to relieve the siege of Leningrad, suffering heavy losses in one of them. In 1943 it was mainly used for line-holding duties at a reduced establishment, in an area where German forces were strictly on the defensive. The 198th was brought back up to something approaching the current establishment by the start of 1944 and, during the offensive that finally drove Army Group North away from Leningrad, it helped to maintain the offensive's momentum following the initial breakthrough as part of 119th Rifle Corps. It was finally reassigned to 3rd Baltic Front's 67th Army in April after it was halted at the Panther Line near Pskov. In August it briefly returned to 54th Army during the advance through the Baltic States, and after the capture of Riga it remained in western Latvia for the duration of the war, serving under several commands, mostly the 42nd and 10th Guards Armies. It was one of the very few divisions that served throughout the war without receiving any battle honors or decorations. Despite this, the 198th continued its service, now in western Siberia, for another 10 years, before being redesignated as the 23rd Rifle Division.
The 191st Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed as part of the prewar buildup of forces, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939. It began forming just months before the German invasion at Leningrad. At the outbreak of the war it was still not complete and was briefly held in reserve before being sent south to take up positions as part of the Luga Operational Group. After defending along the Kingisepp axis it was forced to withdraw in late August as part of 8th Army, and helped to establish the Oranienbaum Bridgehead. In October it was ferried into Leningrad itself, but was soon airlifted to 4th Army, which was defending against a German drive on Tikhvin. Although the town fell in November, within a week a counterstroke was begun against the vastly overextended German force, which was forced to evacuate on December 8. As it pursued to the Volkhov River the 191st was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, one of the first divisions so honored during the war. During the Lyuban Offensive it penetrated deep into the German lines as part of 2nd Shock Army, but was cut off, and only fragments of the division emerged from the encirclement in early June, 1942. In September it was committed from reserve in an effort to sustain the Second Sinyavino Offensive, but this failed and the division was again encircled and forced to break out at considerable cost. During Operation Iskra in January, 1943 the 191st played a secondary role in reestablishing land communications with Leningrad, partially raising the siege. The division was relatively inactive as part of 59th Army along the Volkhov during the remainder of the year, but in January, 1944 it took part in the offensive that finally drove Army Group North away from Leningrad and received a battle honor for its role in the liberation of Novgorod. As the offensive continued the division advanced as far as Narva, where it was held up for several months. In late July, it staged an assault crossing of the river and helped take the city, for which one of its regiments also gained a battle honor. Following this victory the 191st advanced into Estonia, gradually moving toward the Latvian capital of Riga. Once this city was taken the division was moved south, and by the start of the Vistula–Oder offensive in January, 1945 it was part of 50th Army in 2nd Belorussian Front, but it was soon reassigned to 49th Army, where it remained for the duration. During the East Pomeranian operation it advanced on Gdańsk, and two of its regiments would later receive decorations for their roles in the campaign. During the final campaign into central Germany the 191st crossed the Oder River before pushing northwest into Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; several of its subunits would receive decorations as a result of this fighting in the final days. The division had a fine record of service that encompassed most of the struggle for Leningrad, but it would be disbanded in July.
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