394th Rifle Division

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394th Rifle Division (19 August 1941 – 1 October 1945)
Active1941 - 1945
CountryFlag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Soviet Union
Branch Red Army flag.svg Red Army
TypeDivision
RoleInfantry
Engagements Battle of the Caucasus
Donbass Strategic Offensive (August 1943)
Battle of the Dniepr
Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive
First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive
Second Jassy-Kishinev Offensive
Decorations Order of Red Banner.svg   Order of the Red Banner
Battle honours Krivoi Rog
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Col. Valerian Sergeevich Dzabakhidze
Col. Semyon Pavlovich Storozhilov
Col. Timofei Ivanovich Volkovich
Lt. Col. Ivan Georgievich Kantariya
Col. Pavel Ivanovich Belekhov
Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Ivanovich Lisitsyn
Col. Ilya Samsonovich Titov

The 394th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army 1941-45. It was formed in August in the Transcaucasus Military District as a Georgian National division. It saw its first action in August 1942 with 46th Army in the Battle of the Caucasus, blocking some of the passes of the High Caucasus against the advance of the German Army Group A. Following the German retreat in the winter of 1943, the division was assigned to Southwestern Front (after 20 October the 3rd Ukrainian Front) in 46th Army until August 1944, winning a battle honor and the Order of the Red Banner on the way. At the end of that year it was assigned to the 37th Army, which was detached from the Front to serve as a garrison unit in the Balkans after the German forces were driven north into Hungary. It remained in this relatively inactive role for the duration of the war, being disbanded shortly thereafter.

Contents

Formation

The 394th began forming on 19 August 1941 at Tiflis in the Transcaucasus Military District, [1] Its order of battle, based on the first wartime shtat (table of organization and equipment) for rifle divisions, was as follows:

Col. Valerian Sergeevich Dzabakhidze was assigned to command of the division on the day it formed, but he was replaced on 2 September by Col. Semyon Pavlovich Storozhilov. Shortly after it began forming its personnel were noted as being mostly Georgian. [3] By the beginning of September it was assigned to the 47th Army [4] on the borders of Turkey and Iran, but as it was still forming it did not take part in the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. In December it was reassigned to the 46th Army in the same area. On 15 March 1942, Colonel Storozhilov handed his command to Col. Timofei Ivanovich Volkovich. In yet another change in command, on 23 July Colonel Volkovich was succeeded by Lt. Col. Ivan Georgievich Kantariya. In August the division moved with its Army into the Caucasus region to face the German and Romanian forces that were advancing there as part of Operation Blue. [5]

Battle of the Caucasus

This move brought 46th Army under command of the North Caucasus Front. At this time the 46th Army consisted of the 3rd Mountain Rifle Corps, the 389th, 392nd, 394th and 406th Rifle Divisions, a rifle brigade, the 63rd Cavalry Division, a fortified region and a single battalion of tanks. On 16 August the German XXXXIX Mountain Corps took the Front commander, Marshal S. M. Budyonny, by surprise with sudden thrust into the High Caucasus mountains. By the end of the day some of the leading Axis troops had reached Klukhori Pass, which was defended by just two companies of the 1st Battalion of 815th Rifle Regiment. This advance threatened the road to the port of Sukhumi and, by extension, the entire Soviet defense of the Black Sea coast north of that port. The two companies, untrained in mountain warfare and with only meagre defenses, were pushed back. [6]

In reaction, 46th Army reinforced its defenses west of Klukhori Pass with the 3rd Battalion of the 815th Regiment, the division's training battalion, detachments from the Sukhumi Infantry School and the 7th NKVD Rifle Division. These reached the area on 22 August, in time to halt the German advance 10–12 km (6.2–7.5 mi) west of the pass. However, as they were not strong enough to drive them back, by the 26th they were further reinforced with the 3rd Battalion of the 810th Rifle Regiment and a regiment of the 9th Mountain Rifle Division. The combined force stymied further efforts by the German 1st Mountain Division to advance, but its own counterattacks failed due to faulty tactics. In a reorganization on 29 August the division was also given responsibility for the defense of Marukh Pass. On 5 September two battalions of the German division assaulted elements of the 808th and 810th Regiments and seized the pass two days later. In response the Front reinforced the regiments with three battalions from the 155th and 107th Rifle Brigades and the 2nd Tbilisi Infantry School. Counterattacks by these forces, which began on 9 September and continued well into October, failed to retake the pass. Farther west, two battalions of the German 4th Mountain Division attacked a company of the 808th Regiment and a mixed detachment of 7th NKVD at Sancharo Pass on 25 August, again taking the pass before being halted by Soviet reinforcements, in this case designated as the Sancharo Group of Forces. This group was ordered to recapture the pass, which took until 20 October to accomplish. [7] [8]

On 27 October Lt. Colonel Kantariya was replaced in command by Col. Pavel Ivanovich Belekhov. [9] In November and December the 394th, still in 46th Army, was part of the Black Sea Group of Forces of Transcaucasus Front, defending against the last-ditch efforts of Army Group A to break through to one or more of the Black Sea ports. [10] As of 1 January 1943 it was still under those commands, facing two battalions of the 1st Mountain Division. [11] That month, as the German forces retreated north out of the mountains, the division was assigned to the 56th Army, still in the Black Sea Group, but in March it went into the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, where it returned to 46th Army. On 5 March, Col. Aleksandr Ivanovich Lisitsyn took over command of the division from Colonel Belekhov. In May the 394th and its Army were assigned to Southwestern Front. [12]

Into Ukraine

Nikopol-Krivoi Rog Offensive Nikopol-Krivoy Rog Offensive Map English.jpg
Nikopol-Krivoi Rog Offensive

In July the 394th returned to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, but it was back in the fighting front for the Donbass Offensive in August. During September, the 46th Army was reassigned to Steppe Front during the advance to the Dniepr River, but by 1 November the division and its Army were back in the renamed 3rd Ukrainian Front, with the division now in the 26th Guards Rifle Corps, where it remained into December, [13] when it was moved to the 34th Rifle Corps. [14] On 10 January 1944, the Front launched an attack in part with 46th Army west of the Buzuluk River against the rebuilt German 6th Army holding out in the great bend of the Dniepr, but this miscarried when the Soviet infantry failed to keep up with the tanks. Further efforts over the next three days forced the front line back about 8 km (5.0 mi) at considerable cost. The offensive was renewed on 30 January after a powerful artillery preparation against the positions of the German XXX Army Corps on the same sector, but this was met with a counter-barrage that disrupted the attack. A new effort the next day, backed by even heavier artillery and air support, made progress but still did not penetrate the German line. [15] On 1 February the XXX Corps line was pierced in several places and by nightfall the Soviet forces had torn a 9 km-wide (5.6 mi) gap in the line west of the Buzuluk. During the next two days 6th Army tried to avoid encirclement by slogging through the mud to the Kamenka River line, which was already compromised by the Soviet advance. Forward detachments of 8th Guards Army reached Apostolovo on the 4th and over the next few days 46th Army began to attempt a sweep westward to envelop Krivoi Rog from the south. The dispersion of the Front's forces, combined with German reserves produced by the evacuation of the Nikopol bridgehead east of the Dniepr and indecision on the part of the German high command, produced "a peculiar sort of semiparalysis" on this part of the front during the second half of the month. Finally, on 21 February elements of the 46th and 37th Armies broke into the outer defenses of Krivoi Rog. To avoid costly street fighting 6th Army was withdrawn west of the city, which was liberated the next day. [16] The 394th was given a battle honor for its part in this action:

"KRIVOI ROG... 394th Rifle Division (Colonel Lisitsyn, Aleksandr Ivanovich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Krivoi Rog, by the order of the Supreme High Command of 22 February 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns." [17]

During the following days the 6th Army fell back to the line of the Ingulets River but the division soon helped to force a crossing there and also took part in the liberation of the town of Novogo Buga, for which on 19 March it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. [18] On the same day Colonel Lisitsyn was promoted to major general.

First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive

As of 1 April, the 394th was still in 34th Rifle Corps with the 236th Rifle Division. The 46th was one of three armies on the right flank 3rd Ukrainian Front that were tasked with continuing the advance towards the Dniestr River while also protecting the Front's right flank. On 8 April the Army was ordered to advance to the river as rapidly as possible. 34th Corps, on the Army's left (south) flank, was to reach the river in the sector east of Raskaetsy, 30 km (19 mi) south of Tiraspol, capture the towns of Korotnoe and Nezaertailovka near the river's east bank, force a crossing, and prepare to advance to the west. Forward detachments of the Corps reached the Dniestr late on 11 April. The two divisions managed to capture small and precarious footholds on the narrow strip of flatlands west of the river but could advance no farther. In mid-April the Army was ordered to attack the two German strongpoints of Chebruchi and Raskaetsy. The assault on the former collapsed almost immediately but the attack by 34th Corps, which was soon reinforced by the 353rd Rifle Division, in three days of heavy fighting advanced 2–5 km (1.2–3.1 mi) deep in an 8 km-wide (5.0 mi) sector south of Raskaetsy, threatening to envelop the town from the south. However, the German XXIX Army Corps reinforced the defenses at Chebruchi, allowing the 76th Infantry Division to shift most of its forces to its left wing and halt the Soviet advance. 46th Army played little subsequent role in the First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive. [19]

Into the Balkans

From May through most of August the division remained in much the same positions while the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts prepared for a new offensive. 46th Army's front now ran from the western outskirts of Talmazy all the way to the Black Sea coast. In the last days before the assault, 34th Corps concentrated the 394th and 353rd Divisions in the bridgehead over the Dniestr at Purcari, while the 236th formed the Army's reserve. The offensive opened at dawn on 20 August, and during that day the stubborn strongpoint at Raskaetsy was finally captured. Overall, 46th Army achieved all of its first-day objectives. On the second day the 34th Corps continued its advance as the German 6th and Romanian 3rd Armies were being split apart by the Front's spearheads. By the 23rd, 46th Army was in the process of encircling the Romanian forces, and the division had advanced as far as Plakhtiivka, and the 259th Rifle Division had been subordinated to the Corps. [20]

As the offensive continued, by the beginning of September 34th Rifle Corps was temporarily transferred to 57th Army, [21] before coming under direct command of 3rd Ukrainian Front from September to November as the advance into Romania and Hungary went on. On 1 November the division saw its final change of command with the appointment of Col. Ilya Samsonovich Titov to replace General Lisitsyn. In the same month the Corps was reassigned to 37th Army. In December 37th Army became a separate army directly under command of Stavka, serving as a garrison for the southern Balkans for the duration of the war. [22]

Postwar

The men and women of the division ended the war with the full title 394th Rifle, Krivoi Rog, Order of the Red Banner Division. [Russian: 394-я стрелковая Криворожская Краснознамённая дивизия.] In September it was moved back to the area of Balta in Ukraine, where it was officially disbanded on 1 October.

Related Research Articles

The 46th Army was a Soviet Red Army field army during World War II. The army was formed in August 1941 and guarded the Turkish border. During the summer of 1942, it fought in the Battle of the Caucasus. During the spring of 1943, the army helped capture Maykop and Krasnodar. During the summer of 1943, it fought in the Donbass Strategic Offensive and the Battle of the Dnieper. During early 1944, it fought in the Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive and the Odessa Offensive. During the summer it fought in the Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive. The army advanced westward and participated in the Battle of Debrecen and Budapest Offensive during the fall. After the fall of Budapest in February 1945, the army fought in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive. During the summer of 1945, the army moved to the Odessa Military District and was disbanded in September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikopol–Krivoi Rog offensive</span> Russian military offensive (1944)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Guards Rifle Division</span> Military unit

The 4th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division on September 18, 1941, from the 1st formation of the 161st Rifle Division as one of the original Guards formations of the Red Army, in recognition of that division's participation in the successful counter-offensive that drove German forces out of their positions at Yelnya. The division then moved northwards to serve in the defense of Leningrad, as well as the early attempts to break that city's siege, but later was redeployed to the southern sector of the front as the crisis around Stalingrad developed. The 4th Guards took part in Operation Uranus which surrounded the German 6th Army in and around that city and then in the pursuit operations that drove the remaining German forces from the Caucasus steppes and the city of Rostov. The division remained in this sector for the duration of the war, fighting through the south of Ukraine through the summer of 1943 and winning the Order of the Red Banner in the process; it was further distinguished with the award of a battle honor in February, 1944. During April and May its advance was halted during the battles along the Dniestr River, but resumed in the August offensive that carried it and its 31st Guards Rifle Corps into the Balkans. It served extensively in the fighting through Hungary and in the outer encirclement during the siege of Budapest in the winter of 1944/45 and in mid-April was awarded a second battle honor for its part in the capture of Vienna. Despite this distinguished service the division was disbanded in 1946.

The 320th Rifle Division was formed in September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, based on an existing division of militia. This formation was devastated in the Kerch Peninsula in May 1942, and officially disbanded before the end of the month. A second division began forming in the Transcaucasus in August, and served for the duration in the southern regions of the Soviet-German front. It distinguished itself in the liberation of Yenakiyevo in March 1943, but also suffered massive losses, including the death of the division's commanding officer, along the Dniestr River in May 1944. A substantially rebuilt division soldiered on through the Balkans, ending the war near Vienna.

The 353rd Rifle Division formed on August 27, 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Krasnodar. It was assigned to the southern sector of the Soviet-German front, at first in 56th Army, and it would remain on this sector for the duration of the war. After assisting in the first liberation of Rostov-on-the-Don in late 1941, but in 1942 it retreated into the Caucasus region, and fought to hold the Axis forces from reaching the coast of the Black Sea. Following the retreat of the Germans and Romanians in the wake of their defeat at Stalingrad, the 353rd took part in the offensives that freed Ukraine in 1943 and 1944, winning a battle honor for the liberation of Dneprodzerzhinsk in October, 1943. In the summer of 1944 it participated in the offensive that finally drove Romania out of the Axis, and then advanced into the Balkan states. Shortly thereafter it was assigned to 37th Army, which was detached from the active army to garrison the southern Balkans, and the division remained on this quiet front for the duration of the war.

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 392nd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, and fought against the German Operation Barbarossa 1941-46. It was formed in August in the Transcaucasus Military District as a Georgian National division. It saw its first action in August, 1942, in the 37th Army and in the course of the final push by the 1st Panzer Army in October it was overrun and nearly destroyed, although it was never actually disbanded. In December what remained was moved to the 45th Army on the border with Turkey where it stayed for the duration of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">402nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)</span> Military unit

The 402nd Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served throughout the Second World War in that role. It was raised as an Azerbaijani National division in the Transcaucasus Military District and first formed part of the occupation force following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. It returned to the USSR in April, 1942, remaining in the Caucasus region until the forces of German Army Group A began its drive on the oil fields there as part of Operation Blue. In October it joined the Northern Group in the Transcaucasus Front, in the 44th Army, defending the direct route to Baku. The division took part in the counteroffensive that threw the German forces out of the Caucasus, but took heavy losses in the process. Once the German threat receded the 402nd returned to guard duties along the border with Turkey and served as a training establishment for Azeri recruits for the duration of the war.

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

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

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

The 48th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in October 1942, based on the 2nd formation of the 264th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was in the 3rd Tank Army when it formed but this force was badly damaged in Army Group South's counteroffensive south of Kharkov in March 1943 and the division had to be withdrawn for a substantial rebuilding in 57th Army of Southwestern Front during the spring. It remained in the south of Ukraine into early 1944, mostly in either that or the 37th Army, and won a battle honor in the process. It was then removed to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for another rebuilding before returning to the front in May 1944 and joining the 28th Army, where it remained for the duration of the war. Taking part in the summer offensive in Belarus the 48th Guards was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and several of its subunits also received decorations or distinctions. In January 1945 the division fought into East Prussia and assisted in the fighting southwest of the city/fortress of Königsberg before 28th Army was redeployed westward to take part in the Berlin operation. By now it was part of 1st Ukrainian Front and spent the last days of the war advancing on Prague. During the summer it was reassigned to the Belorussian Military District. The division was converted to the 38th Guards Rifle Brigade in 1946, but reformed as a new 48th Guards Rifle Division in 1949.

The 60th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in January, 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 278th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War.

The 61st Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in January, 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 159th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War.

The 109th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in July 1943, based on the 6th Guards Rifle Brigade and the 9th Guards Rifle Brigade and was the second of a small series of Guards divisions formed on a similar basis. It was considered a "sister" to the 108th Guards Rifle Division and they fought along much the same combat paths until the spring of 1945.

The 223rd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed as one of the first reserve rifle divisions following the German invasion of the USSR. This first formation had a short and disastrous combat career; after arriving at the front in Ukraine in the first days of August it was immediately encircled and destroyed in the Uman Pocket.

The 228th 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. After being formed in the Kiev Special Military District it soon took part in the fighting in northern Ukraine where it joined the 5th Army north of Kyiv. The presence of this Army in the fastnesses of the eastern Pripyat area influenced German strategy as it appeared to threaten both the left flank of Army Group South and the right flank of Army Group Center. In September the latter Group was turned south to encircle the Soviet forces defending Kyiv and in the process the 228th was cut off and destroyed.

The 236th 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, although it was briefly redesignated as a mountain rifle division prior to making an amphibious landing at Feodosia in late December. This overly ambitious undertaking by Crimean Front's 44th Army led to a disaster when a German counterattack retook the port, destroying much of the division's personnel and equipment. The remnants of the division were forced to evacuate the Crimea in the wake of the German counteroffensive in May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandr Ivanovich Lisitsyn</span> Soviet Army major general

Aleksandr Ivanovich Lisitsyn was a Soviet Army major general who held divisional commands during World War II.

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. 109
  3. ↑ David M. Glantz, Colossus Reborn, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2005, p. 594
  4. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 47
  5. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 109
  6. ↑ Glantz, To the Gates of Stalingrad, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2009, pp. 415, 446-49
  7. ↑ Glantz, To the Gates of Stalingrad, pp. 450-51
  8. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 109
  9. ↑ Note that Commanders of Corps and Divisions misspells his name as "Selekhov".
  10. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1942, pp. 217-18, 241-42
  11. ↑ Glantz, Operation Don's Main Attack, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2018, p. 25
  12. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 109
  13. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, pp. 206, 225, 252, 281, 310
  14. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 20
  15. ↑ Earl F. Ziemke, Stalingrad to Berlin, Center of Military History United States Army, Washington, DC, 1968, pp. 240-41
  16. ↑ Ziemke, Stalingrad to Berlin, pp. 241-44
  17. ↑ http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-3.html. In Russian. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  18. ↑ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967, p. 292.
  19. ↑ Glantz, Red Storm Over the Balkans, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2007, pp. 113-14, 133, 135, 137, 157. The 394th is mistakenly identified as the 294th Rifle Division on page 137.
  20. ↑ Soviet General Staff, The Iasi-Kishinev Operation, ed. and trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2017, pp. 83-84, 101, 107, 122
  21. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 262
  22. ↑ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 109

Bibliography

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