45th Rifle Division

Last updated
45th Rifle Division
Active1919–1932
1935–1943 (1st Formation)
1943–1957 (2nd Formation)
1957–1997 (as 131st MRD)
CountryFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
Branch Soviet Army
TypeInfantry
Engagements Russian Civil War

Polish-Soviet War
Soviet invasion of Poland World War II

Contents

Decorations Order of Lenin obverse Turova TB.png Order of Lenin (First formation)
Order of the red Banner OBVERSE.jpg Order of the Red Banner (First formation)
Battle honours Volyn (First formation)
Pechenga (Second formation)
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Iona Yakir Vasily Sokolov

The 45th Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division formed originally during the Russian Civil War that fought in World War II and then served through the Cold War in the Leningrad Military District.

The division was originally formed 16 June 1919 in the Odessa raion from the 5th Ukrainian Rifle Division.

Civil War service

The 45th Rifle Division was formed from the 5th Ukrainian Rifle Division around Odessa. In August 1919, during the Odessa Operation (1919), it was cut off and retreated between the White armies and the Ukrainian People's Army to reach Bolshevik-held territory near Korosten.

Second World War service

First Formation

It was attached to the Kiev Special Military District/Soviet Southwestern Front at the outbreak of World War II, as part of the 15th Rifle Corps, 5th Army. Under Colonel V.P. Solokov, it was earmarked to defend the mid-Volga River islands behind the hard-pressed 62nd Army on 7 October 1942. However it was deployed in the Battle of Stalingrad proper on 26 October 1942, being ferried over from the east to the west bank of the Volga River to take up positions between the Red October and the Barrikady factories. [1]

On 1 January 1943 the division was re-designated the 74th Guards Rifle Division.

Second formation

The division was re-formed on 5 May 1943 in the Kareliya territory from the 67th Naval Rifle Brigade of the Karelian Front, on defensive boundaries at Loukhi Stations of the Kirov railway. After its formation the division was concentrated towards Kestenga (Kiestinki), and from 6 May until 19 August 1943 was retained in the reserve of the 31st Rifle Corps in defensive positions. The division's first combat was on 9 August 1943 with the 61st Rifle Regiment and 85th Naval Rifle Brigade were supported by the 178th Artillery Regiment. On 20 August 1943 the division replaced the 85th Motor Rifle Brigade and 205th Rifle Division in the first echelon, and on 7 September 1943 conducted defensive operations against the Nazi 7th Infantry Division and 6th SS Mountain Division Nord. On 8 September 1944 the division had gone over to the offensive and on 10 September seized the Kestenga settlement. It was later relocated in the Kandalaksha direction to the area of Nyamozero Station. From 24 September till 28 September 1944, the 45th Rifle Division attacked the settlement of Alakurtti.

By 3 October 1944 the division had been relocated in the Murmansk direction and was a part of the army operations group, having the task to attack an auxiliary direction as part of the 14th Army. On 10 October 1944, 45th Rifle Division had broken through defense of its opponent on the Zapadnaya Litsa River near the Lake Chapr area. On 13 October 1944 the division joined 131st Rifle Corps (probably part of 14th Army) and on October 15 in cooperation with elements of 131st Rifle Corps seized Petsamo (as part of the Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation).

From 16 October until 25 October 1944 it conducted operations for seizing the village of Tornet and the Norwegian city of Kirkenes. On 25 October 1944 the 61st Rifle Regiment and the 253rd Rifle Regiment of the division helped seize the port and city of Kirkenes. On 1 November 1944 it was part of 131st Rifle Corps (with 14th and 368th Rifle Divisions) as part of 14th Army, Karelian Front.

For actions on clearing Pechenga (Petsamo) the divisional staff was thanked officially by the Supreme Commander in Chief Joseph Stalin, and the division was given the honourable name "Pechenga". For taking Kirkenes, the staffs of the 61st Rifle Regiment and 253rd Rifle Regiment were given the honorary name "Kirkenes". On 6 January 1945 for valour and courage in combat with fascist aggressors the 61st Rifle Regiment of the division was awarded the Military Order of the Red Banner. On 27 September 1945 parts of the division, following a decision of the Soviet government were withdrawn from Norway and billeted in Murmansk and the Pechenga area.

Cold War service

In 1957 the division was renamed the 131st Pechenga Motor-Rifle Division. In 1968, in days of celebrating the 25 anniversary of its second formation, the division was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class.

Russian Federation service

On 1 December 1997 the 131st MRD was reorganised as the 200th Pechenga Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade. The division, as the 200th Brigade, has been based for many years at Pechenga in Murmansk Oblast. However, Michael Holm lists the reorganisation date as June 1997. [2]

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The 367th 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 Chelyabinsk Oblast. After forming, it was initially assigned to the 28th (Reserve) Army, but was soon reassigned to Karelian Front, where it remained until nearly the end of 1944. The division had mostly a relatively quiet war on this defensive front, but later saw action against the German forces trying to hold northern Finland, being awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its services. The division ended the war in 14th Separate Army on garrison duties in the far north.

The 368th 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 Siberian Military District. After forming, it remained in the reserves of that district until March 1942, when it was assigned to the 7th Separate Army in Karelia, where it remained until mid-1944. The division had a mostly uneventful war on this defensive front, but then took part in the offensive that drove Finland out of the war in the summer of that year, being awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its services. It later saw action against the German forces trying to hold northern Finland. The division ended the war in the Belomorsky Military District on garrison duties in the Soviet Arctic.

The 101st Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in December 1944, based on the 1st formation of the 14th Rifle Division, and served briefly in that role during the final campaigns in northern Germany during the Great Patriotic War.

The 176th 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. The division completed its formation at Kryvyi Rih in the Odessa Military District and at the time of the German invasion of the Soviet Union was in the same area, assigned to the 35th Rifle Corps. Being relatively far from the frontier it escaped the early disasters and retreated mostly in good order through southern Ukraine into the autumn as part of 9th Army. It then took part in the counteroffensive against the overextended German Army Group South that liberated Rostov-na-Donu for the first time in December. When Army Group A began its summer offensive in 1942 the 176th fell back into the Caucasus region, losing much of its strength in the process, but finally helping to take up a firm defense along the Terek River and finally in front of Ordzhonikidze. As a result of this fighting the division, along with its artillery regiment, were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. After the German 6th Army was surrounded at Stalingrad the 176th advanced into the western Caucasus and entered the so-called Malaya Zemlya bridgehead south of Novorossiysk in the spring of 1943 where it helped to defeat the German Operation Neptun in April and in the autumn took part in the liberation of the city, for which it was redesignated as the 129th Guards Rifle Division.

The 205th Rifle Division was twice formed as an infantry division of the Red Army after a motorized division of that same number was destroyed in the first days of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The first formation was based on the shtat of July 29, 1941 and it then remained for nine months in the far east of Siberia training and organizing before it was finally sent by rail to the Stalingrad region in July 1942. It was assigned to the 4th Tank Army which was attempting to hold a bridgehead west of the Don River based on Kremenskaya and Sirotinskaya. This soon came under attack by elements of German 6th Army as a preliminary to its advance on Stalingrad itself and during August the division was encircled and destroyed.

The 1941 formation of the 186th Rifle Division was based on the 1st Polar (Polyarnaya) Militia Division that had been formed in the Murmansk area early in September 1941. 1st Polar distinguished itself as part of 14th Army during the last stage of the offensive by Mountain Corps Norway toward Murmansk. As this came to an end the division was reformed as a regular Red Army rifle division and was designated as the 186th despite the existence of another division of the same number at that time. It continued to serve in Karelian Front through 1942 and into mid-1943, seeing little combat on this mostly static front apart from a partly successful offensive near Kestenga as part of 26th Army in April/May 1942. It remained in this Army until it was redesignated as the 2nd formation of the 205th Rifle Division in late June 1943.

References

  1. pp. 420, 443, John Erickson (historian), The Road to Stalingrad, Cassel Military Paperbacks, 2003
  2. Michael Holm, http://www.ww2.dk/new/army/msd/131msd.htm

Sources