65th Guards Rifle Division

Last updated
65th Guards Rifle Division (May 1, 1943 – 1947)
Active1943–1947
CountryFlag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Soviet Union
Branch Red Army flag.svg Red Army
TypeDivision
RoleInfantry
Engagements Battle of Smolensk (1943)
Orsha Offensives (1943)
Battle of Nevel (1943)
Pskov-Ostrov Offensive
Baltic Offensive
Riga Offensive (1944)
Courland Pocket
Battle honours Riga
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Col. Aleksandr Efimovich Vinogradov
Col. Yakov Ivanovich Dmitriev
Maj. Gen. Mikhail Fedorovich Andriushchenko

The 65th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in May, 1943, based on the 2nd formations of the 75th and 78th Rifle Brigades, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Along with its "sister", the 56th Guards Rifle Division, the 65th was formed "out of sequence", that is, many Guards rifle divisions were higher numbered and formed earlier than the 65th. The division was immediately assigned to the 19th Guards Rifle Corps of the 10th Guards Army and remained under those headquarters for the duration of the war. It first saw action in Western Front's summer offensive, Operation Suvorov. During the winter of 1943-44 it took part in the stubborn fighting north and east of Vitebsk, first in Western and later in 2nd Baltic Front. During the following summer offensives it helped break through the defenses of the German Panther Line and advanced into the Baltic states, eventually receiving a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Riga. For the rest of the war it was part of the forces blockading the remnants of German Army Group North in the Courland Pocket in Latvia, eventually in Leningrad Front. After the war the 65th Guards was moved to Estonia where it was disbanded in 1947.

Contents

Preceding Formations

The 65th Guards was formed on the basis of two rifle brigades which had been part of the 6th "Stalin Siberian Volunteer" Rifle Corps (later redesignated as the 19th Guards Rifle Corps). [1]

75th Rifle Brigade

The 2nd formation of this brigade took place in late July, 1942 by redesignating the 2nd Omsk Volunteer Brigade in the Siberian Military District. [2] [3] Its order of battle consisted of:

This was the second of the Siberian Volunteer Brigades and it had, on September 15, 6,059 personnel, of whom 33.4 percent were Communist Party members or Komsomols. It was soon assigned to the 6th Rifle Corps and in late September sent under that command to the Kalinin area of the Moscow Military District. By November 1 the Corps had been assigned to the 22nd Army of Kalinin Front facing the western side of the German-held Rzhev salient. [4]

78th Rifle Brigade

The 2nd formation of this brigade also took place in late July, by redesignating the 3rd Krasnoyarsk Volunteer Brigade in the Siberian Military District. [5] [6] Its order of battle was very similar to that of the 75th, with additional support elements:

When formed the brigade had 5,982 personnel on September 15, of whom 37.8 percent were Communist Party members or Komsomols. It was also assigned to the 6th Rifle Corps and moved with it to Kalinin Front. [7] Once assembled the Corps consisted of the 150th Rifle Division and the 74th, 75th, 78th and 91st Rifle Brigades; prior to the start of Operation Mars it was transferred to the 41st Army, still in Kalinin Front. [8]

Operation Mars

In the plan for this offensive the 6th Rifle Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. S. I. Povetkin, was to penetrate the German front south of Bely to provide a passage into the German rear for the 1st Mechanized Corps. The 150th Division and the 75th and 74th Rifle Brigades were in the first echelon, with the 78th and 91st Brigades in the second. The offensive began on November 25 and the 75th Brigade, commanded by Col. Aleksandr Efimovich Vinogradov, soon routed elements of the 2nd Luftwaffe Field Division, broke clearly through the forward German defenses and continued to advance. The next day the two brigades continued to push forward towards Bykovo, the 74th supported by companies of the 65th Tank Brigade. However, by November 27 German reserves were arriving and the 91st Brigade was alerted for commitment while Col. I. P. Sivakov's 78th Brigade remained in Corps reserve. By December 1 the 78th had also been committed east of the 75th and they were deep inside the 41st Army's salient, southeast of Bely. [9]

Early on December 4 the 41st Army went over to the defense and the 75th and 78th were ordered to move to the southwest to face the SS Cavalry Brigade and the remnants of 2nd Luftwaffe, which were being besieged in the strongpoint of Demekhi by the 17th Guards Rifle Division. During December 5–6 the German forces encircled most of 41st Army south of Bely, with the 19th Panzer Division punching through the 78th Brigade north of Podselitsa. The commander of 41st Army, Maj. Gen. G. F. Tarasov, ordered Colonel Vinogradov to wheel the left flank of his brigade back toward Demekhi to join with the 17th Guards in erecting new defenses to prevent any deeper German thrust across the Vishenka River. Colonel Sivakov, whose brigade was apparently shattered, was ordered to assemble as many troops as possible and hold on to new defensive positions around Shevnino, but this village was seized before Sivakov's men could intervene. Late on December 7 the 65th and 219th Tank Brigades of 1st Mechanized Corps, cooperating with the 78th Brigade and various Soviet rear service troops, made another effort to retake Shevnino but were repulsed. Being closer to the base of the salient the 75th and 78th were able to largely escape the fates of the 91st and 74th, which were effectively encircled by this time. Sivakov was now ordered to join Vinogradov's damaged unit and the two tank brigades (down to fewer than ten tanks each) along the Vishenka. This line was reinforced late the next day by the just-arrived 279th Rifle Division and the battered 150th. From December 9–14 the encircled forces made multiple attempts to escape, culminating in a final effort on the night of December 15/16. In an after-action report the 1st Panzer Division reported the 74th, 75th and 91st Brigades as "destroyed" whereas in fact the 78th had suffered heavier casualties than the 75th and the 91st still had about 2,800 men on strength after its breakout. [10] [11]

During February, 1943 the 6th Rifle Corps returned to the 22nd Army. By the beginning of March the Corps had been withdrawn to the reserves of Kalinin Front. Later that month it returned to 22nd Army but did not remain with that Army when it was transferred to Northwestern Front in April. [12] Instead the 75th and 78th Brigades were moved to the Gzhatsk area where they were merged to form the 65th Guards Rifle Division in the redesignated 19th Guards Rifle Corps. By June 1 the Corps had joined the former 30th Army of Western Front, now redesignated as the 10th Guards Army; the Corps also contained the 22nd and 56th Guards Rifle Divisions. [13]

Formation

The 65th Guards officially received its Guards title on May 1. The division's order of battle was as follows:

Colonel Vinogradov, who had commanded the 75th Brigade, was appointed to command of the division on the same day. It spent the next three months working up before the start of the Western Front's summer offensive on August 7.

Operation Suvorov

General layout of the Smolensk region during the battle. General map of smolensk region.png
General layout of the Smolensk region during the battle.

The Front's main effort was made between Yelnya and Spas-Demensk by 10th Guards and 33rd Armies. The 10th Guards' 15th and 19th Guards Corps were deployed on a 10 km-wide sector between Mazovo and Sluzna; the 65th and 56th Guards Divisions were in the first echelon with the 22nd Guards in the second. Each division had about 8,000 personnel on strength. The 5th Mechanized Corps was assembled behind the Army, ready to exploit the expected breakthrough. The operational objective for the first day of the offensive was the town of Pavlinovo situated on the Smolensk - Spas-Demensk railway, 10 km to the south. The German defense in this sector was based on the Büffel-Stellung position, held by XII Army Corps. That Corps' 260th and 268th Infantry Divisions had both been reduced to just two infantry regiments and held very wide sectors, but the terrain was heavily wooded and dotted with numerous fortified villages. Furthermore, two key German positions at Gnezdilovo and nearby Hill 233.3 had not been identified by Soviet intelligence and so escaped the preparatory bombardment. [15]

That bombardment began at 0440 hours and continued until 0630, consuming more than 50 percent of Western Front's available ammunition. Shortly after crossing the start line the 65th and 56th Guards ran into heavy resistance from the 499th Regiment of the 268th Infantry. That Division's artillery broke up the assault groups before they could make any progress while a pair of German assault guns picked off advancing T-34s of the supporting 119th Tank Regiment. However, here and there some small detachments found a way through but it was soon evident that 19th Guards Corps had been stopped cold. The 15th Guards Corps made somewhat greater progress against the portion of the 499th Regiment that it faced. By the early afternoon the commander of Western Front, Col. Gen. V. D. Sokolovsky, was already making command changes and committing additional forces. During the rest of the afternoon the 10th Guards Army's infantry gradually outflanked the remaining strongpoints of the 499th Regiment and once night fell the 268th Infantry was authorized to pull back 2–3 km to form a new line. Meanwhile, a battlegroup of the 2nd Panzer Division, de-training near Yelnya, was ordered to march to support that Division. [16]

The offensive resumed at 0730 hours on August 8 after a 30-minute artillery preparation. The division, soon reinforced by the 22nd Guards, captured Veselukha almost immediately but both divisions remained stymied in front of Hill 233.3, held by the 1st Battalion of the 488th Grenadier Regiment with a company of assault engineers and armor support, well dug-in behind minefields, barbed wire and other obstacles. A further attack by the 65th Guards from 1030–1430 hours on August 9 was also repulsed; Hill 233.3 was not finally taken until the evening of August 10 by the reinforcing 29th Guards Rifle Division and the 23rd Tank Brigade. A few hours earlier the 56th Guards, now supported by the 249th Tank Regiment, had captured the village of Delyagino, causing the German forces to retreat 2 km to the south. These gains unhinged the Büffel-Stellung and allowed 10th Guards Army to finally reach the Smolensk - Spas-Demensk railway; the XII Corps was now forced to trade space for time until Sokolovsky's offensive outran its logistical support. Western Front's artillery had already shot off almost all of its available ammunition. [17]

On August 12 the 10th Guards Army made another major push and liberated Gnezdilovo. Despite German reinforcements by late afternoon XII Corps' front was crumbling and Soviet infantry and tanks were approaching Pavlinovo. Under the circumstances the Corps was ordered to evacuate Spas-Demensk overnight. By August 14 Sokolovsky brought the 21st Army into the 10th Guards Army's sector, allowing the latter to pull back for rest and rebuilding. During this down time Colonel Vinogradov, who was accused by Sokolovsky of having "lost control" of the division and failure to achieve his combat missions, was relieved on August 16 and replaced the next day by Col. Yakov Ivanovich Dmitriev. On August 21 the STAVKA authorized a suspension of the offensive. German losses had been heavy, but the 10th Guards Army had also lost 30 percent casualties, and the 65th Guards had been decimated, having lost 75 percent of its personnel killed or wounded in just seven days of fighting. [18]

The Liberation of Yelnya

The offensive was renewed on August 28, with the 10th Guards, 21st, 33rd and 68th Armies in the center of the Front making the main attack. The objective was to finally shatter the XII Army Corps and then push mobile groups through the gaps to seize Yelnya. At 0800 hours the Front began a 90-minute artillery preparation across a 25-km wide front southeast of that city. 10th Guards and 21st Armies attacked a German battlegroup around Terenino station, held by one infantry battalion and an engineer unit. German reserves were brought in and the battle see-sawed for about eight hours until the German battlegroup fell apart and began retreating to the Ugra River. In total the two Soviet armies advanced from 6 to 8 km. The next day the 10th Guards mopped up the German elements that had failed to make it over the Ugra and began pushing up the rail line toward Yelnaya. Despite intervention by the battlegroup of 2nd Panzer the 10th Guards pushed back the right flank of the 342nd Infantry Division with the 29th Guards and the 119th Tank Regiment in the lead. Yelnya was evacuated during the afternoon and was liberated on August 30. [19]

From here it was only 75 km to Smolensk. But by September 3 the German 4th Army had patched up a tenuous new front west of Yelnya. Sokolovsky continued local attacks through the first week of the month but his Western Front was again forced to a halt due to logistical shortages; he was authorized to pause the offensive for another week. During the night of September 14/15 Sokolovsky's center group of armies conducted aggressive probing all along the front of the German IX Army Corps which was holding a 40 km-wide line with five decimated divisions; known German positions were also pounded with artillery. At 0545 hours a 90-minute artillery preparation began, followed by an intense air bombardment. The ground attack began at 0715, south of the Smolensk - Yelnya railroad. At 1030 hours the 10th Guards Army struck the left flank of the 330th Infantry Division with a mass of infantry and tanks, pushing back two battalions. The Army, in cooperation with 21st Army, continued attacking into the afternoon, creating several small penetrations and advancing up to 3 km. [20]

The Liberation of Smolensk

Overnight the 330th Infantry made minor withdrawals to straighten its front. On September 16 the 10th Guards Army, now led by 15th Guards Corps, failed to make any substantive gains. However it was clear by the end of the day that IX Corps was close to breaking and during the night it fell back to the next defensive line, which was mostly incomplete. Sokolovsky ordered a pursuit to approach Smolensk from the south with the 10th Guards and 68th Armies and most of his armor. The retreat of the 330th Infantry was covered by the Tiger tanks of heavy Panzer-Abteilung 505. Supply problems forced the Soviet armies to pause for a few days outside Smolensk before making the final push. On the morning of September 22 that push began and 68th Army made a clear breakthrough southeast of the city. Late on the 23rd German 4th Army signalled the evacuation of Smolensk. During the next day the Soviet forces probed the German defenses but did not begin their attacks until nightfall. By 0600 hours on September 25 most of Smolensk was liberated, although much of it was destroyed or damaged. [21]

Battles for Orsha

By October 2, 10th Guards Army had reached a line from Liady southwards along the Mereia River to the town of Baevo. Early on October 3 the Army launched an assault as part of Western Front's offensive on Orsha; the 65th and 22nd Guards Divisions were in the first echelon of 19th Guards Corps with the 56th Guards in the second as the Corps prepared to attack across the river between Kiseli and Kovshichi, facing the boundary of 18th and 25th Panzer Grenadier Divisions. Fierce fighting developed for the crossing site at Kiseli, which was not overcome until 30th Guards Rifle Division finally took Liady on October 8 and 15th Guards Rifle Corps was able to commit 85th Guards Rifle Division from reserve to unhinge the river line. At this point the 19th Guards Corps finally crossed the river and joined the pursuit, which led to the eastern approaches to Dubrovno, 15 km east of Orsha, by the end of October 11. After a fast regrouping by 10th Guards Army the offensive was resumed the next day with the 22nd Guards leading the Corps on the left flank. Following an 85-minute artillery preparation that division stepped off, but almost immediately stalled due to the ineffectiveness of the artillery and armor. Ongoing assaults up to the 18th produced meager advances at considerable cost. [22]

General Sokolovsky then ordered another regrouping during which the 19th Guards Corps moved northward to take up the Ozery-Shcheki (Sheki) sector along the Verkheta River north of the Smolensk-Orsha road. The 65th Guards divisional history recorded:

The division turned its sector over to the 62nd and 63rd Rifle Divisions on the night of 20 October and, after marching along the route from Liady through Klimenki, Kransyi, Skvortsy, and Blashkino, arrived in the Sharino region on the following day. The division relieved units of the 359th Rifle Division during the night of 23 October and occupied jumping-off positions for an offensive along the Sheki, Skulaty and Tkhorino front.

The offensive was renewed on the morning of October 21, following a two-hour-and-ten-minute artillery preparation. The 197th Infantry Division was struck by the divisions of 31st Army which advanced as much as 4 km deep, and were reinforced on the right the next day by 65th Guards. However, the advance that day was considerably less, in part due to heavy German artillery fire and an inability to reply due to shell shortages on the Soviet side.

The 332nd and 181st Infantry Regiments... were defending positions in front of the 65th Guards Rifle Division. The first positions in the enemy's defensive belt consisted of three dense trenches with communications trenches, pillboxes, antitank and antipersonnel minefields, and two to three lines of barbed wire entanglements. The Siberians had to assault such a strong defensive position.

The main attack was made on the left flank directed at height marker 148.8, Petriki and Zapole. The division threw the 181st Regiment back from its positions by October 25, forcing it to withdraw to prepared positions from Shera to Kireeva. However, further attempts to develop the offensive failed and the division was ordered over to the defense before being relieved by the 22nd Guards on November 5. While the remainder of 10th Guards Army cleared German defenders from the bogs south of the Verkheta, this was also at considerable cost, and a halt was called once again at the end of October 26. In the course of five days of fighting the 10th Guards and 31st Armies together suffered 19,102 casualties, including 4,787 killed. [23]

A third offensive on Orsha began on November 14. The 10th Guards Army was again called upon to form part of the strike group which was concentrated on both sides of the Orsha-Smolensk highway. The plan for the offensive differed little from those previous. 10th Guards and 31st Armies were to provide a shock group to assault on both sides of the highway north of the Dniepr River, and were to be supported by the 2nd Guards Tank Corps. This effort did not directly involve the 65th Guards until the night of November 20 when it relieved the 56th Guards and 207th Rifle Divisions facing the 197th Infantry and 78th Assault Divisions. During the following seven days of combat the division made scant progress before being relieved by the 653rd Regiment of the 220th Rifle Division. On December 5 Sokolovsky decided to cease offensive operations and withdraw 10th Guards Army into reserve. The Army was transferred to the reserves of the 2nd Baltic Front in the Velikiye Luki region. [24] [25] This transfer, which began on December 8, involved the movement of 43,250 soldiers, 1,700 vehicles, and 6,500 horses, since the Army was still dependent on quite a lot of horse-drawn transport. This move of about 210 km was not completed until December 31. During its course the 19th Guards Corps received about half of 10,500 new replacements which were split with 7th Guards Rifle Corps. A large percentage of those received by the 65th Guards were of Latvian nationality and over the following months the division gradually lost its Siberian identity, becoming known unofficially as one of the "Latvian Guards" divisions. [26]

Baltic Offensive

The 10th Guards Army was deployed into the salient northwest of Nevel and south of Pustoshka, between the 3rd and 4th Shock Armies, with the intention of helping to eliminate the German-held salient north of Nevel with its base at Novosokolniki. However, its deployment was delayed by the need to replenish its forces, while Army Group North surprised the Soviet command by beginning a phased withdrawal from the salient on December 29, which was completed six days later. [27]

During the late winter 10th Guards Army gradually advanced north of Pustoshka towards Novorzhev. On April 4, 1944 Colonel Dmitriev left command of the division but was not replaced until May 15 when Maj. Gen. Mikhail Fedorovich Andriushchenko, former commander of the 98th Rifle Corps, was brought in to take over; he would remain in this position until the division was disbanded. As of July 1 the 65th was facing the defenses of the Panther Line just south of Novorzhev. One month later the division had advanced well to the west and had crossed the border into Latvia in the vicinity of Kārsava. The pace of the advance slowed over the next six weeks and by mid-September the 19th Guards Corps was located near Lubāna and Gulbene. In the first days of October the division was north of the Daugava River on the approaches to Riga near Ogre. [28] One week later the division received its only battle honor:

RIGA... 65th Guards Rifle Division (Major General Andriushchenko, Mikhail Fedorovich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Riga, by the order of the Supreme High Command of October 13, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns. [29]

Following the battle for Riga the 10th Guards Army was part of the forces of 2nd Baltic Front that were blockading the former Army Group North in the Kurland Peninsula of Latvia. In March it was transferred to Leningrad Front as part of the Kurland Group of Forces, where it remained for the duration. [30]

Postwar, the 65th Guards was withdrawn to Estonia by October 1, 1945 as part of the 19th Guards Rifle Corps. It was disbanded there between August 1, 1946 and 1947. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yelnya offensive</span> Part of Battle of Smolensk (1941)

The Yelnya offensive was a military operation by the Soviet Army during the Battle of Smolensk during Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which began the German-Soviet War. The offensive was an attack against the semi-circular Yelnya salient which the German 4th Army had extended 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-east of Smolensk, forming a staging area for an offensive towards Vyazma and eventually Moscow. Under heavy pressure on its flanks, the German army (Heer) evacuated the salient by 8 September 1941, leaving behind a devastated and depopulated region. As the first reverse that the Heer suffered during Barbarossa and the first recapture of the Soviet territory by the Red Army, the battle was covered by Nazi and Soviet propaganda and served as a morale boost to the Soviet population.

The 16th Army was a Soviet field army active from 1940 to 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern Operational Command</span> Military unit

The Northwestern Operational Command (SZOK) is a command of the Belarus Ground Forces. It is headquartered at Borisov and is commanded by Major General Alexander Volfovich. The command includes a mechanized brigade and a mixed artillery brigade. It was formed in 2001 from the 65th Army Corps.

The 5th Mechanised Corps was a mechanised corps of the Red Army, formed on three occasions. It was first formed in 1934 and was converted into the 15th Tank Corps in 1938. It was reformed in the Far East in 1940 and moved west before the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It fought in the First Battle of Smolensk, losing large numbers of tanks in the Lepel counterattack. The corps was encircled in the Smolensk pocket and after breaking out was disbanded in late August 1941. Its third formation, from elements of the 22nd Tank Corps, occurred in September 1942. The corps fought in: Operation Little Saturn, Operation Gallop, the Second Battle of Smolensk, the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, and the Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive. In September 1944, it became the 9th Guards Mechanised Corps.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">252nd Rifle Division</span> Military unit

The 252nd Rifle Division was the eighth 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Mechanized Corps (Soviet Union)</span> Military unit

The 7th Mechanized Corps was a mechanized corps of the Red Army, formed three times. The corps was first formed in 1934 in the Leningrad Military District and was converted into the 10th Tank Corps in 1938. The corps was reformed in the summer of 1940 in the Moscow Military District and fought in the Battle of Smolensk, after which its headquarters became part of Group Yartsevo's headquarters. The corps was formed a third time in August and September 1943. The third formation fought in the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, Uman–Botoșani Offensive, Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, Battle of Debrecen, Budapest Offensive, Bratislava–Brno Offensive, Prague Offensive, and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Postwar, the corps' third formation became a division and was disbanded in 1957.

The 16th Guards Tank Division was a tank division of the Soviet Army and later the Russian Ground Forces.

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.

The 417th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in the spring of 1942 and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Although it was formed in the Transcaucasus, unlike the 414th and 416th Rifle Divisions formed in about the same place at the same time it was never designated as a National division. After its formation it remained in service in the Caucasus under direct command of the Transcaucasus Front until the summer of 1942, when it was redeployed first to the Northern Group of Forces in that Front and then to the 9th Army. As German Army Group A retreated from the Caucasus in January, 1943 the division was reassigned to the 58th Army and a few months later to 37th Army in North Caucasus Front. In July it redeployed northward to join Southern Front, where it was assigned to the 63rd Rifle Corps in 44th Army in mid-September as the Front fought through south Ukraine, eventually reaching the land routes to the Crimea. It took part in the offensive that liberated that region in April and May, 1944, fighting in the 51st Army and winning both a battle honor and the Order of the Red Banner in the process. After the Crimea was cleared the 51st Army was moved far to the north, joining 1st Baltic Front. During operations in the Baltic states the 417th was further distinguished with the award of the Order of Suvorov. In March, 1945 it joined the Courland Group of Forces on the Baltic coast containing the German forces encircled in northwest Latvia. It ended the war there and was soon moved to the Ural Military District before being downsized to a rifle brigade. This brigade was briefly brought back to divisional strength during the Cold War.

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 56th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in June 1943, based on the 2nd formations of the 74th and 91st Rifle Brigades, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Along with its "sister", the 65th Guards Rifle Division, the 56th was formed "out of sequence", that is, many Guards rifle divisions were higher numbered and formed earlier than the 56th. The division was immediately assigned to the 19th Guards Rifle Corps of the 10th Guards Army and remained under those headquarters for the duration of the war. It first saw action in Western Front's summer offensive, Operation Suvorov. On September 8 the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment was given the honorific title "in the name of Aleksandr Matrosov" and on September 25 the division as a whole was awarded the honorific "Smolensk" for its role in the liberation of that city. During the winter of 1943-44 it took part in the stubborn fighting north and east of Vitebsk, first in Western and later in 2nd Baltic Front. During the following summer offensives it helped break through the defenses of the German Panther Line and advanced into the Baltic states, eventually being decorated with the Order of the Red Banner after the liberation of Riga. For the rest of the war it was part of the forces blockading the remnants of German Army Group North in the Courland Pocket in Latvia, eventually in Leningrad Front. After the war the 56th Guards was moved to the town of Elva in Estonia where it was disbanded in 1947, although the successor formations of the 254th Guards Regiment exist into the present day.

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.

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 212th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army after a motorized division of that same number was badly damaged and then redesignated about five weeks after the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

The 214th 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 moved to the fighting front to join 22nd Army in late June and took part in the fighting between Vitebsk and Nevel in early July, escaping from encirclement in the process, and then played a significant role in the liberation of Velikiye Luki, the first Soviet city to be retaken from the invading armies. In October it was again encircled near Vyasma during Operation Typhoon and was soon destroyed.

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 233rd 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. As part of 20th Army it was moved from the Moscow Military District to the front west of Orsha by July 2. Serving under Western Front the 20th was soon pocketed in the Smolensk region and although remnants of the 233rd were able to escape the division was no longer combat-effective and was broken up for replacements in early August.

The 199th 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. After being formed in the far east of the USSR just months before the German invasion but was very soon moved to the Kiev Special Military District, where it was soon assigned to the 49th Rifle Corps in the reserves of Southwestern Front. In fighting west of Kyiv it was separated from its Corps and suffered heavy casualties in early July. Later in the month it was subordinated to 26th Army as it retreated toward the Dniepr River, but after crossing south of Kyiv it was reassigned to 38th Army. It remained in this Army for the rest of its existence, retreating past Kharkiv during October and November. During the spring of 1942 it remained on the defense during the offensive near that city, but was forced to retreat in front of the German summer offensive. In early July it was encircled near Chertkovo and destroyed, although it remained on the books until mid-August.

The 178th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in the Siberian Military District, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939, on the basis of the separate 386th Rifle Regiment. Following the German invasion it was moved west and concentrated west of Moscow as part of 24th Army in early July. Late that month the Army was assigned to Reserve Front. While this Army played the main role in the successful offensive at Yelnya, the 178th was held in reserve. In late August, in response to a German drive against 22nd Army on the right flank of Western Front, the division was moved by rail and truck northward to join 29th Army in the vicinity of Nelidovo, to cover the gap between that Army and the 22nd. When Army Group Center launched Operation Typhoon in early October the 29th Army was not directly affected, but soon had to fall back to the northeast under pressure from German 9th Army, giving up the town of Rzhev in the process. On October 17 the 29th Army became part of the new Kalinin Front, and later in the month the 178th was moved to 22nd Army. On January 15, 1942, the Army went over to the counteroffensive, and the 178th soon found itself fighting to regain territory around Rzhev that it had been forced from months before. In February, the division was reassigned to 30th Army, and it remained in that Army through the summer battles for the Rzhev salient. During Operation Mars, in November, it was in 39th Army, and managed to gain ground during this otherwise failed offensive. During March 1943 the 178th took part in the pursuit of the German forces evacuating the salient, but soon came up on the extensive fortifications that had been built at its base, and remained facing them into August. When offensive fighting resumed the Army's objective was the town of Dukhovshchina, but it was only taken after heavy combat well into September. Once the town was taken the division was awarded a battle honor. Shortly after it was reassigned to 3rd Shock Army, still in Kalinin Front. During the fall and winter campaign of 1943/44 it faced the heavily fortified German positions just east of Novosokolniki as part of 2nd Baltic Front's 11th Guards and 22nd Armies, and finally liberated that town in late January 1944, earning the Order of the Red Banner. It left the fighting front in late March for a period of rebuilding in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command; when it returned in May it was assigned to 21st Army in Leningrad Front. During the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive it took part in the final drive toward Vyborg as part of 23rd Army, and after this city was taken all three rifle regiments of the 178th were awarded its name as honorifics. The division remained facing Finland until early 1945, when it was moved to Latvia and spent the remainder of the war containing the German forces trapped in Courland, eventually assisting in clearing the region after the German surrender in May. It was moved to the Gorkii Military District in August, and was disbanded there in April 1946.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Charles C. Sharp, "Red Guards", Soviet Guards Rifle and Airborne Units 1941 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IV, Nafziger, 1995, p. 71
  2. ↑ Sharp, "Red Volunteers", Soviet Militia Units, Rifle and Ski Brigades 1941 - 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. XI, Nafziger, 1996, p. 38
  3. ↑ Walter S. Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2007, p. 116
  4. ↑ Sharp, "Red Volunteers", p. 38
  5. ↑ Sharp, "Red Volunteers", p. 39
  6. ↑ Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, p. 116
  7. ↑ Sharp, "Red Volunteers", p. 39
  8. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1942, p. 234
  9. ↑ David M. Glantz, Zhukov's Greatest Defeat, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 1999, pp. 57, 59, 110, 114, 126, 203
  10. ↑ Glantz, Zhukov's Greatest Defeat, pp. 205, 231, 236-40, 242, 244-45, 247, 249-52
  11. ↑ Sharp, "Red Volunteers", p. 43
  12. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, pp. 61, 83, 106
  13. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 133
  14. ↑ Sharp, "Red Guards", p. 71
  15. ↑ Robert Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2019, Kindle ed.
  16. ↑ Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed. This source states that Sokolovsky "arbitrarily" relieved Vinogradov of his command on August 7; according to Commanders of Corps and Divisions this did not occur until August 16. See Bibliography.
  17. ↑ Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed.
  18. ↑ Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed.
  19. ↑ Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed.
  20. ↑ Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed.
  21. ↑ Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed.
  22. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2016, pp. 67-68, 71, 73-75
  23. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 80-82, 85-87
  24. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 156-57, 159-60, 166
  25. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 11
  26. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 675, 691
  27. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 304-05
  28. ↑ The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, Multi-Man Publishing, Inc., Millersville, MD, 2009, pp. 10, 22, 29, 36
  29. ↑ "Освобождение городов". www.soldat.ru. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  30. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945, pp. 8, 111
  31. ↑ Feskov et al. 2013, pp. 430–431.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.