| 64th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch |  Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations | |
| Battle honours | Mogilev |
The 64th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army which existed between 1942 and 1945.
The new 64th Rifle Division was formed in early 1942 in Serpukhov from the 7th Sapper Brigade, part of the Moscow Military District. In June 1942 the division joined the 8th Reserve Army. The division included the following elements: [1]
On 16 August, the division was moved to the front and took up defensive positions in the area of the settlement of Spartak, on the northern outskirts of Pichuga with the task of preventing the enemy from moving north along the right bank of the Volga River. In sustained and bloody battles, the division suffered heavy losses, but stopped the Axis advance. The 8th Reserve Army became the 66th Army on 27 August 1942 after being sent to the Southwestern Front (the Don Front from 28 September). During September and October the division fought northwest of Stalingrad. From late November, the division participated in the encirclement and defeat of Axis troops at Stalingrad, Operation Uranus. By the end of the month, it had established itself on the bend in the railway, northeast of the village of Orlovka, where it fought until January 1943, after which it was withdrawn to the army reserve. From 20 January, the division was sent back into action during Operation Koltso, in which it ended the battle in the area of the Stalingrad Tractor Factory. [1] In total, during the Battle of Stalingrad, the division was credited with destroying 68 tanks, four armored vehicles, 23 other vehicles, 46 guns and mortars, 125 heavy machine guns, and killing and wounding over 2,500 German soldiers and officers, as well as downing four German aircraft with rifle fire.
From 27 January to 3 February 1943, the division was transferred to the area around Sukhinichi in the Smolensk region, where it was included in the 16th Army and fought on the right bank of the Zhizdra River. From the end of April, she was part of the 50th Army and fought defensive battles in the area of the settlement of Shchigry in the Zhizdrinsky District of the Kaluga Oblast. Then the division marched to the area of the city of Serpeysk, where it became part of the 38th Rifle Corps of the 10th Army and until November fought offensive battles in the Roslavl and Mogilev directions.
At the end of April 1944, it became part of the 49th Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front and fought defensive battles near the settlements of Ustye and Lapeni in the Kastsyukovichy District of the Mogilev Oblast. At the end of June, during Operation Bagration, as part of the 38th Rifle Corps, the division crossed the Basya, Resta and Rudya rivers, and participated in the liberation of the city of Mogilev on 28 June. For this it received the Mogilev honorific. In July, it crossed the Neman River near the town of Belitsa, and in August it took part in the capture of the Osowiec Fortress, for which she was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 2nd degree on 1 September 1944. From September 1944 to January 1945, the division was in the reserve and then joined the 33rd Army of the 1st Belorussian Front and participated in the Vistula-Oder offensive. During the Berlin Offensive, the division was part of the 33rd Army of the front, and from 15 April 1945 as part of the 3rd Shock Army fought in Berlin itself during the last weeks of the war. For its actions in the latter, the division was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class, on 11 June 1945. [1]
The division was disbanded in mid-1945 in accordance with the order that created the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. [2]
The 2nd Rifle Division was a rifle division of the Red Army that served from the Russian Civil War to the Second World War. Originally formed in 1919 from the 1st Ryazansk Rifle Division, the division was twice destroyed and reformed during the war. The division contained two or three rifle regiments.
The 5th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed twice. The division was formed in 1918, initially as the 2nd Penza Infantry Division. After becoming the 5th Rifle Division a month later, it fought in the Counteroffensive of Eastern Front in spring 1919 and later operations in Siberia. In the spring of 1920, the division was relocated west and fought in the Polish–Soviet War, participating in the Battle of Warsaw. The division was awarded the Honorary Revolutionary Red Banner for its actions during the wars in 1929. In September 1939, it fought in the Soviet invasion of Poland and was then sent to Lithuania under the Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty. After Operation Barbarossa, the division fought in the Baltic Operation and the Leningrad Strategic Defensive. During the winter of 1941-1942, it participated in the Battle of Moscow, fighting in the Kalinin (Tver) area. During the summer of 1942, the division fought in the Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive and became the 44th Guards Rifle Division for its actions there on 5 October.
The 63rd Army was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II.
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The 316th Rifle Division was formed as a Red Army division during World War II. The division was initially formed in July 1941, renamed the 8th Guards Rifle Division on 18 November 1941. The division was recreated at Vjasniki in July 1942, fought in the early battles around Stalingrad and was disbanded in November 1942. The division was recreated for the third time from the 57th and 131st Rifle Brigades in September 1943. The division ended the war assigned to the 27th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.
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The 120th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed three times. Its first formation became the 6th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in the Yelnya Offensive. Its second formation became the 69th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in the Battle of Stalingrad. The division was reformed a third time in late April 1943. It was disbanded "in place" with the Central Group of Forces in the summer of 1945.
The 146th Rifle Division was formed for the first time as a standard Red Army rifle division in mid-1939, as part of a major build-up of the Army prior to the start of World War II. After the start of the German invasion in 1941 it defended the approaches to Kiev for several months until being surrounded and destroyed in September. A second formation began in January 1942, and the new division spent the following year on a relatively quiet sector before joining the offensives that would drive the German invaders from north-central Russia, Lithuania, and Poland. The 146th ended the war fighting in the streets of Berlin, after compiling an enviable record of service, and saw postwar duty in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.
The 49th Rifle Division was a Soviet Army infantry division, formed three times. First formed as a territorial division in 1931, the 49th Rifle Division's first formation became a regular division by 1939 and fought in the Winter War. For its actions during the war, it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. However, the 49th Rifle Division was wiped out during the first ten days of Operation Barbarossa. Its second formation occurred in December 1941 and fought at Stalingrad, Kursk, the Vistula-Oder Offensive and the Battle of Berlin. The second formation was disbanded in 1946. The division was reformed in 1955 by renaming the 295th Rifle Division and became the 49th Motor Rifle Division in 1957.
The 169th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army beginning in late August 1939, as part of the pre-war Soviet military build-up. It saw service in the occupation force in western Ukraine in September. The German invasion found it still in Ukraine, fighting back to the Dniepr until it was nearly destroyed. The partly-rebuilt division fought again at Kharkov, then was pulled back into reserve and sent deep into the Caucasus where it fought south of Stalingrad throughout that battle. Following another major redeployment the division helped in the liberation of Oryol, and the following race to the Dniepr. In 1944 and 1945 it was in 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts, participating successfully in the offensives that liberated Belarus, Poland, and conquered eastern Germany. It ended the war on the Elbe River.
The 36th Guards Rifle Division was a Guards infantry division of the Red Army during World War II. It was formed from the 9th Airborne Corps in August 1942 as a result of the Soviet need for troops to fight in the Battle of Stalingrad. The division was awarded the honorific Verkhnedneprovsk for its crossing of the Dnieper in September 1943 near that town, later receiving the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class, for its actions in the Uman–Botoșani Offensive in March 1944. It fought in the siege of Budapest during late 1944 and early 1945, receiving the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class, for its actions. In late 1945, it was converted into the 24th Guards Mechanized Division. Stationed in Romania, it was disbanded in early 1947.
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