7th Guards Rifle Division

Last updated
7th Guards Rifle Division
Active1941–1946
CountryFlag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Soviet Union
Branch Red Army flag.svg Red Army
TypeDivision
RoleInfantry
Engagements Battle of Moscow
Demyansk Pocket
Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda
Baltic Offensive
Riga Offensive (1944)
Memel Offensive Operation
Courland Pocket
Decorations Order of Red Banner.svg   Order of the Red Banner
Battle honours Rezekne
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Col. Afanasy Gryaznov
Maj. Gen. Efim Vasilevich Bedin Hero of the Soviet Union medal.png
Maj. Gen. Maksim Evseevich Kozyr Hero of the Soviet Union medal.png
Maj. Gen. Mikhail Emmanulovich Moskalik

The 7th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in September 1941, based on the 1st formation of the 64th Rifle Division and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was first assigned to Bryansk Front, then moved to Western Front where it took part in the early stages of the winter counteroffensive northwest of Moscow as part of 16th Army. On December 31 the 1st Guards Rifle Corps was formed for the second time and the 7th Guards was assigned to it as its core formation. It was then sent north to join Northwestern Front and became locked into the dismal fighting around Demyansk until that salient was finally evacuated by the German II Army Corps in February 1943. Through the rest of that year it participated in battles in the Staraya Russa region, mostly under command of 1st Shock Army, until in January 1944 it was transferred to the 7th Guards Rifle Corps of 10th Guards Army in the Nevel region. During operations in the Baltic states that summer and autumn the 7th Guards was awarded both a battle honor and the Order of the Red Banner. In March 1945 it joined the Courland Group of Forces of Leningrad Front on the Baltic coast containing the German forces encircled in northwest Latvia. Following the German surrender it was moved to Estonia where it was disbanded in 1946.

Contents

Formation

The division was officially raised to Guards status on September 26, 1941, although its sub-units would not be redesignated until February 1942. Its order of battle, based on the first wartime shtat (table of organization and equipment) for rifle divisions, was eventually as follows:

Col. Afanasy Gryaznov, who had led the 64th Rifle Division since July 24, carried on in command. As of October 1 the division is listed as being at the disposal of Bryansk Front. [2] It was positioned far enough to the east that it did not get swept up in the initial stages of Operation Typhoon. After falling back from the Kaluga region in late October, [3] the division was transferred to the 49th Army in Western Front by the start of November. [4]

Battle of Moscow

At this time the STAVKA and the Front command were making every effort to hold the city of Serpukhov. By November 7 the 7th Guards had moved into the sector from Shatovo to Noviki to Dashkovka and was preparing a defense. It was joined on November 10 by the 415th Rifle Division from the Far East and together they secured the Army's right (north) flank. Until November 23 the division was engaged in stubborn fighting with the attacking German forces and on that date was defending the line from Gurevo to Drakino with one rifle regiment while the other two regiments were concentrating in the area of Shatovo, Ivankovo and Kalinovo, about 5 km south of Serpukhov. From that date it was boarding trains at the Podolsk station en route to Povarovo station, having been transferred to 16th Army. On November 25 its lead regiment occupied a defensive line from the woods east of Yesipovo and Zhukovo (8 km southeast of Solnechnogorsk) while the remaining units were concentrating, as they disembarked, in an area about 12 km southeast of the same city with the objective of occupying a defensive line from Shelepanovo to Terekhovo to Zhukovo, astride the Leningrad road. [5]

During the following days the 7th Guards was involved in heavy fighting in the area south of Solnechnogorsk with the German 4th Panzer Group seeking to break out to the southeast. 16th Army faced the heaviest German attacks during November 29-30 as they attacked along the Kamenka-Ozeretskoe road, and along the Leningrad and Istra roads. By the end of November 30 the division, along with the 8th and 9th Guards and 18th Rifle Divisions, was waging a fierce struggle along part of the line from Lyalovo to Alabushevo to Barantsevo to Zhevnevo. During December 2-3 the German forces managed to take Kryukovo after heavy street fighting but were unable to break through 16th Army's lines. The 7th and 8th Guards continued to contest their hold there into the night of December 5 as the German forces began to go over to the defense. [6]

Winter Counteroffensive

On the evening of December 6 Lt. Gen. Konstantin Rokossovsky, commander of 16th Army, reported to the Western Front command that the Army would go over to the attack at 1000 hours the next day and described his objectives (in part):

2. The 7th Guards Rifle Division is to attack with the objective of taking Lyalovo and by the end of the day to consolidate along the line Klushino - Lyalovo(excluding)-Chashnikovo (four km southwest of Lyalovo)(exclusively).

The German forces put up fierce resistance along the entire front and the division's attack was halted by defensive fire. Despite this the vastly overstretched 4th Panzer Group began to withdraw to the west. The division had more success on December 8, driving two battalions out of Lyalovo which then began to fall back toward Zhilino and Nikolskoe. The next day it was pulled back into the Army reserve in the area of Bolshie Rzhavki, and on December 14 it went into the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. [7]

At the start of January 1942 the 7th Guards was still in the Reserve, but at the same time the 1st Guards Rifle Corps was being formed for the second time and Colonel Gryaznov was appointed to its command on January 5, being replaced in divisional command by Col. Efim Vasilevich Bedin. The division formed the major unit of the Corps, backed by the 14th, 15th and 52nd Rifle Brigades, 72nd Naval Rifle Brigade, 69th Tank Brigade and the 203rd, 204th and 205th Ski Battalions and was at the disposal of the command of Northwestern Front by February 1. [8] During January the very successful Toropets–Kholm Offensive by Kalinin Front had deeply outflanked the German II Army Corps to the south of its positions around Demyansk, and Northwestern Front saw the opportunity to encircle and destroy that Corps. Both the 1st and 2nd Guards Rifle Corps were deployed to the region southeast of Lake Ilmen in order to complete the encirclement from the north. [9]

Battles for Demyansk

In the last days of January Northwestern Front's 11th Army created a 32km-wide gap in the German defenses down the Redya Valley. The lead elements of 1st Guards Rifle Corps arrived near Staraya Russa after an approach march of 110km over frozen marsh tracks from Valday. On February 2 the 14th and 15th Rifle Brigades, followed by 7th Guards, [10] were ordered to seize a crossing over the Redya at Davidovo. At the same time the command of German 16th Army was scrambling to create several small battlegroups to control key road intersections. Battlegroup Leopold at Davidovo commanded about 900 men from a wide variety of sources, backed by artillery, antitank guns and mortars. On February 3 it repulsed the 15th Brigade with heavy losses. The more experienced 7th Guards soon came up, and 1st Guards Corps managed so slip ski troops behind the German river defenses. On February 5 the Corps launched a concentric attack that nearly overwhelmed Battlegroup Leopold; its survivors were forced to retreat westward. The Corps promptly advanced southeast and liberated the village of Ramushevo on the Lovat River on February 8. This cut the last road into Demyansk and II Corps was now completely dependent on airlift for supplies. [11]

On February 20 Northwestern Front began a concentric attack with 1st Guards Corps and Group Ksenofontov (primarily the 154th Naval Rifle and 42nd Rifle Brigades of 3rd Shock Army) to complete the encirclement which occurred five days later when the two forces linked up near Zeluchye. Slow movement through the mostly trackless forests and swamps of the region would be characteristic of the remainder of the battles for the pocket. The Front now received orders to crush the encircled grouping within four to five days. 7th Guards, backed by several rifle brigades and ski battalions, began a series of violent attacks on Group Eicke at Zeluchye, which was based on about 4,000 men of the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf. These attacks inflicted about 60 percent casualties on the SS men, but also cost the Soviet forces very heavily. In the end the German forces held the western part of the pocket in late February by the thinnest of margins. [12]

German plans for the relief of the pocket began almost at once and Operation Brückenschlag began at 0730 hours on March 21. By the end of the month the relief force was still 7km from Ramushevo and 20km from Group Eicke inside the pocket. The spring thaw turned the land to a quagmire and the German advance was reduced to a crawl; it wasn't until April 12 that their leading elements were able to spot Ramushevo in the distance. Two days later a breakout effort, Operation Fallreep began, using a force mostly based on the 32nd Infantry Division to batter a thin wedge through the 7th Guards' positions and advance towards the Lovat. It took another week of fighting for the relief force to capture Ramushevo and the breakout force to clear the east bank of the river, but the linkup was finally made late on April 21. A tenuous ground link less than 4km wide in places was soon established, but II Corps remained dependent in part on airlifted supplies. [13]

In June the 1st Guards Corps, which now consisted of the 7th Guards and 391st Rifle Divisions, came under command of the 1st Shock Army [14] which held the south side of the Ramushevo corridor. The Corps launched offensives in July, August and September in efforts to link up with 11th Army and cut the lifeline, but 7th Guards played little role in these. On September 27 the 16th Army launched Operation Michael in an attempt to drive back or even destroy the 1st Guards Corps in a salient it held south of the corridor. Supported by artillery and airstrikes the Germans surrounded and overwhelmed one regiment of the division within hours. After a six-day fight the east side of the salient was smashed in, and after a regrouping the west side was struck on October 7. With 1st Shock on the verge of a crushing defeat, the salient was evacuated. [15] Later that month the 1st Guards Corps headquarters went into the Reserve of the Supreme High Command [16] and the 7th Guards became a separate division under 1st Shock Army. [17]

Soviet positions at Demyansk, spring 1943. The 7th Guards was in the 1st Shock Army sector south of the Ramushevo corridor Demyansk 1943.jpg
Soviet positions at Demyansk, spring 1943. The 7th Guards was in the 1st Shock Army sector south of the Ramushevo corridor

The Soviet forces around Demyansk were intended to play a role in the second Soviet winter offensive, which also included Operation Uranus and Operation Mars, if only to tie down German forces that could be more usefully employed elsewhere. Yet another attack on the corridor began on the night of November 23/24, this time focused on its eastern end, but the division played no major role in it. [18] On November 27 Colonel Bedin was promoted to the rank of major general. Given that Demyansk had always been partially supplied by air, following the encirclement of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad those air assets were much more required to the south. Too late to make a difference, on January 31, 1943 Hitler authorized the evacuation of the salient. [19]

Meanwhile on January 27 General Bedin handed his command to Maj. Gen. Nikolai Pavlovich Anisimov. Bedin would go on to command the 253rd Rifle Division and became a Hero of the Soviet Union in October during the Battle of the Dniepr. [20] In the aftermath of Operation Iskra, which had restored land communications with Leningrad, Marshal Georgy Zhukov planned a further operation, Polyarnaya Zvezda, intended to completely end the siege of that city and destroy Army Group North. Northwestern Front's role in the offensive would once again be the elimination of the Demyansk pocket. At the same time the German command was planning its Operation Ziethen, the phased withdrawal from the salient. 1st Shock Army's part in the offensive was to begin on February 19. It was regrouped westward to attack the south side of the mouth of the corridor and was reinforced with four tank regiments, two artillery divisions, two Guards Mortar divisions, and two aviation corps. The 391st and 7th Guards formed a secondary shock group to launch an attack on a 5km sector from Shotovo to Viazki, with the objective of taking Ramushevo. In the event, nothing went as planned. In mid-month intense cold was replaced by continuous rain with reinforcements and supplies becoming bogged down. Ziethen began on February 17 and immediately began freeing up German troops to form reserves. 1st Shock's attack had to be postponed until February 26 by which time it was facing three German divisions instead of one. The assault troops managed to gain from 1 - 3km with great difficulty, and a further effort the next day was stopped in its tracks. [21]

Operations in 1943

On March 7 General Anisimov traded places with Maj. Gen. Maksim Evseevich Kozyr, commander of the 391st. In May the 7th Guards finally left 1st Shock and moved to the Front reserves where it joined the 14th Guards Rifle Corps. [22] In a final change in command on May 15 Col. Mikhail Emmanulovich Moskalik took over from General Kozyr. Kozyr would go on to become a Hero of the Soviet Union as commander of the 232nd Rifle Division before being killed in action while serving as deputy commander of 50th Rifle Corps in April 1945. [23] Moskalik would be promoted to major general on October 16. In July the 14th Guards Corps was briefly assigned to the 34th Army but by the beginning of September the division had been reassigned to the 12th Guards Rifle Corps and was back in the Northwestern Front reserves. [24]

On November 19 Northwestern Front was disbanded and most of its forces, including 12th Guards Corps, came under command of 2nd Baltic Front. The 7th Guards would remain in this Front until March 1945. 12th Guards Corps was subordinated to 1st Shock Army, [25] but in January 1944 the division was reassigned to the 7th Guards Rifle Corps of 10th Guards Army. This Army had been under command of 1st Baltic Front until its transfer, which covered a distance of 210km, began on December 8 and was completed on December 31, 1943. [26] At this time the 7th Guards Corps was made up of three regular rifle divisions (207th, 208th and 312th) but when the Army went back into action on January 14 these had been replaced by the 7th, 21st and 119th Guards Rifle Divisions. [27] The 7th Guards would remain under this Corps and Army command for the duration.

Baltic Offensives

German POWs march through Rezekne, 1944 Rezekne 2 kara laika-3.jpg
German POWs march through Rezekne, 1944

Near the end of June, as the destruction of Army Group Center was going on in Belarus, the 7th Guards was in the area of Novorzhev in western Russia, facing the defenses of the German Panther–Wotan line. [28] During July it took part in the fighting that breached this line and later that month crossed the border into the Baltic states. Shortly thereafter the division was awarded a battle honor for its part in the conquering of Rezekne, Latvia:

"REZEKNE... 7th Guards Rifle Division (Major General Moskalik, Mikhail Emmanulovich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Daugavpils and Rezekne, by the order of the Supreme High Command of July 27, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns. [29]

By the beginning of August, 10th Guards Army was redeployed somewhat northwards to the area of Kārsava, from where it advanced westward into Latvia over the next six weeks, reaching Lubāna by mid-September. By the start of October the 7th Guards was on the approaches to Riga, north of the Daugava River, [30] and distinguished itself in the fighting for this city from October 13-15; in recognition, on November 3 it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. [31]

During this fighting two officers of the division were killed in action in circumstances that would be recognized by being made Heroes of the Soviet Union. Guards Cpt. Vladimir Vladimirovich Bogatkin was the commander of the 1st Guards Antitank Battalion and led his unit through August in aggressive direct support fire in attacking several towns in Latvia and providing protection against several German counterattacks. He was killed on August 30 and awarded the Gold Star on June 29, 1945. [32] Guards Jr. Lt. Boris Alekseevich Lebedev commanded a rifle platoon of the 14th Guards Rifle Regiment. In the fighting for the village of Jaunpils near Tukums. He led his troops in suppressing seven German firing points, and on the night of September 26, in order to secure the advance of his men he used his body to block the embrasure of a bunker. He was awarded the Gold Star on March 24, 1945. [33]

10th Guards moved to the Kurland Group in Leningrad Front in March, where it remained for the duration. [34] Following the German surrender the division carried the full title: 7th Guards Rifle, Rezekne, Order of the Red Banner Division. (Russian: 7-я гвардейская стрелковая Режицкая Краснознаменная дивизия.) It was stationed at Pärnu still with the 7th Guards Corps of the 10th Guards Army before being disbanded in 1946. [35]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demyansk Pocket</span> 1942 battle of WW2s Eastern Front

The Demyansk Pocket was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II's Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February to 21 April 1942.

The 370th 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 was initially assigned to the 58th (Reserve) Army, but was soon reassigned to 34th Army in Northwestern Front, and until March 1943, was involved in the dismal fighting around the Demyansk salient. After this was evacuated the division took part in equally difficult combat for the city of Staraya Russa. Near the end of that year the division was reassigned to 2nd Baltic Front, and spent several months in operations near Nevel and north of Vitebsk. In the spring of 1944 its combat path shifted southwards when it was moved to 69th Army in 1st Belorussian Front, south of the Pripet Marshes. In August it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Kovel. It went on to help form and hold the bridgehead over the Vistula at Puławy, and in January 1945, joined the drive of 1st Belorussian Front across Poland and into eastern Germany, earning the battle honor "Brandenburg". It was disbanded later that year.

The 380th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming on 10 August 1941, one of a series of divisions formed in accordance to an order of that date in the Siberian Military District. The pace of moving newly formed units to the fighting front was beginning to ease and the division arrived there in late February 1942. Until the end of that year it was involved in the bloody fighting around the Rzhev salient. After a brief move to Northwestern Front and then a period in reserve for rebuilding, the division's combat path shifted southward when it was assigned to Bryansk Front. It won a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Oryol in the summer offensive, then spent the autumn and winter in the costly and difficult struggles on the approaches to the upper Dniepr River and in eastern Belarus. It then took part in Operation Bagration and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its successes. Following this it helped to eliminate the German forces trapped east of Minsk, for which it received a second unit decoration, before joining the advance into Poland. During the Vistula-Oder Offensive the 380th was part of 2nd Belorussian Front's 49th Army, winning its third decoration along the way before ending the war advancing north of Berlin towards the Baltic coast. Despite its distinguished record it was selected as one of the many divisions to be disbanded during the summer of 1945.

The 384th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served twice during the Great Patriotic War in that role. It was first formed on August 10 in the Siberian Military District. It joined the fighting front in February, 1942 with the 11th Army in the fighting north of the German force that was encircled at Demyansk. The division continued to take part in several savage battles in this area into the summer and autumn of that year, gradually being worn down in this attritional struggle on a secondary front until it was disbanded in December to provide replacements for other units. In the buildup to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria a new 384th was formed in the Far Eastern Front in late 1944. The new division fought with enough distinction that it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and continued to serve briefly into the postwar period.

The 391st 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 Central Asian Military District. It was first assigned to Southwestern Front but on its arrival it was seen to be far from combat-ready and so was moved north to the Moscow area for further training. It was finally assigned to the 3rd Shock Army in Kalinin Front and took part in the battle for the Kholm Pocket. Following this the division was moved to 1st Shock Army and took part in the dismal fighting for the Demyansk salient until it was finally evacuated by the German forces in March, 1943. The division moved on into the gradual advance across the Baltic states through 1943 and 1944, winning a battle honor along the way, until February, 1945, when it was transferred with its 93rd Rifle Corps to 1st Ukrainian Front as part of 59th Army. In the last weeks of the war the 391st was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its service in Upper Silesia, and ended the war advancing on Prague, but despite its distinguished record it was selected as one of the many divisions to be disbanded during the summer of 1945.

The 397th Rifle Division was partially raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army but this formation was disbanded after about five weeks. A new formation began on January 14, 1942 in the Volga Military District and it remained in that role through the rest of the Great Patriotic War. It first went to the front in March, briefly assigned to the 3rd Shock Army before it was moved to the 1st Shock Army in Northwestern Front. It spent nearly a year in the dismal fighting around the Demyansk salient; during January, 1943 two of its rifle regiments were encircled and nearly destroyed during an unsuccessful offensive before escaping. During the last stages of the Demyansk battles it was in the 53rd Army. After rebuilding it moved to Bryansk Front in the new 63rd Army and took part in the summer offensive that liberated Smolensk. Late in the year it was briefly assigned to the Belorussian Front and then to the 1st Ukrainian Front; while serving under this command it won a battle honor. In late February, 1944 it became part of the 47th Army in 2nd Belorussian Front. Prior to the summer offensive it was moved again, now to the 61st Army, where it would remain for the duration. During the later stages of Operation Bagration it was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner and in the fall during the campaign in the Baltic states it would also receive the Order of Kutuzov. By the end of the year the 61st Army was assigned to 1st Belorussian Front and the 397th fought through Poland and eastern Germany during the winter and spring of 1945, eventually taking part in the offensive on Berlin. Its soldiers had by then compiled a distinguished record of service, but despite this the division was disbanded in July.

The 23rd Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in March, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 88th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was one of just two Guards divisions to be formed in the far north, the 10th Guards being the other. It continued to serve in Karelian Front, where it was formed, until October when it was railed south to join the 1st Shock Army of Northwestern Front; it would remain in that Army until nearly the end of 1944. Over the next several months it took part in the dismal fighting around the Demyansk salient until it was evacuated by the German II Army Corps in March, 1943. During the rest of the year the division continued battling through the forests and swamps south of Lake Ilmen, occasionally under command of the 14th Guards Rifle Corps, until the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive began in late January, 1944. The 23rd Guards took part in the liberation of Staraya Russa in mid-February and went on to win a battle honor about a week later at Dno. 1st Shock Army closed up to the German Panther Line south of Lake Peipus during the spring and then helped break through it at the start of the Baltic Campaign in July. For its part in the liberation of Ostrov the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner before gradually advancing through Latvia towards Riga, which it helped to liberate in October. By now it was in the 12th Guards Rifle Corps which was transferred in late November to the 3rd Shock Army in 1st Belorussian Front. The 23rd Guards would remain under these commands for the duration of the war, advancing across Poland and eastern Germany into Berlin in 1945 and winning a second honorific after the fighting ended. Despite a fine record of service it was disbanded in 1947.

The 43rd Guards Rifle Division was an elite Latvian infantry division of the Red Army during World War II.

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.

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 108th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in July 1943, based on the 4th Guards Rifle Brigade and the 10th Guards Rifle Brigade and was the first of a small series of Guards divisions formed on a similar basis. It was considered a "sister" to the 109th Guards Rifle Division and they fought along much the same combat paths until the spring of 1945.

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 200th 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 it was moved to the northern Ukraine where it soon joined the 5th Army north of Kiev. 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 Kiev and in the process the 200th was cut off and destroyed.

The 202nd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed as a motorized division as part of the prewar buildup of forces, and from September 1941 serving as a regular rifle division. As with most pre-war motorized divisions it lacked most of its authorized motor vehicles and shortly after the German invasion had most of its tanks reassigned. Despite this it fought well in actions near Soltsy and Staraya Russa in July and August, gaining time for the defenders of Leningrad at significant cost to itself.

The 219th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army after a motorized division of that same number was redesignated about 10 weeks after the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Due to a chronic lack of vehicles, and especially tanks, the division had been effectively serving as a motorized rifle brigade since June 22, so the redesignation was a formality and it was soon destroyed in the encirclement battle east of Kiev.

The 227th 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 arrived at the front in July and was assigned to 26th Army along the Dniepr, but was fortunate to escape that Army's encirclement in September. During the next several months, the division fought as part of 40th Army in the Kursk region, operating toward Prokhorovka and Oboyan during the winter counteroffensive. It made noteworthy gains during the May 1942 offensive north of Kharkiv but these went for naught when the southern wing of the offensive collapsed. When the main German summer offensive began in late June, the division's 21st Army was directly in the path of the German 6th Army and the depleted 227th was soon destroyed on the open steppes.

The 235th 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 the 41st Rifle Corps it was soon sent to Northwestern Front to defend the distant approaches to Leningrad. Along with its Corps the division became part of the Luga Operational Group. After Novgorod was captured the Luga Group was largely encircled and had to fight its way north toward the city, suffering considerable losses in the process. The losses to the 235th were greater than those of some others and after officially carrying on in the reserves of Leningrad Front for some time the division was officially disbanded in late December.

The 241st Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army from the remnants of the 28th Tank Division in November/December 1941. It was based on the shtat of July 29, 1941 and was reformed in the 27th Army of Northwestern Front. It was soon moved to 34th Army and later to 53rd Army in the same Front, playing a relatively minor role in the battles against German 16th Army's forces in the Demyansk salient into the first months of 1943. Following the evacuation of the salient the division was moved southward to the Steppe Military District, joining the 2nd formation of the 27th Army. It next saw action in Voronezh Front's counteroffensive following the German offensive at Kursk, becoming involved in the complex fighting around Okhtyrka and then advancing through eastern Ukraine toward the Dniepr River. The 241st took part in the unsuccessful battles to break out of the bridgehead at Bukryn and after the liberation of Kyiv it was reassigned to 38th Army, remaining under that command, assigned to various rifle corps, mostly the 67th, for the duration of the war. In the spring of 1944 it won a battle honor in western Ukraine, and during the summer several of its subunits received recognition in the battles for Lviv and Sambir. During the autumn it entered the Carpathian Mountains and took part in the fighting for the Dukla Pass before being transferred, along with the rest of 38th Army, to the 4th Ukrainian Front. This Front advanced through Slovakia and southern Poland in the first months of 1945 and the division's subunits won further distinctions, but the division itself only received one, fairly minor, decoration. It ended the war near Prague and was disbanded during the summer.

The 245th Rifle Division was formed in the Moscow Military District as a reserve infantry division of the Red Army just days after the German invasion of the USSR. It was based on the shtat of April 5, 1941 with modifications due to the emergency. Initially assigned to 29th Army in Reserve Front it was soon reassigned to 34th Army in Northwestern Front and took part in the fighting around Staraya Russa in mid-August before retreating eastward, where it was involved in the dismal battles around Demyansk through 1942 and into early 1943. After the German II Army Corps evacuated the Demyansk salient in February the division advanced with 34th Army back to Staraya Russa, planning to take it by storm, but this effort failed and the 245th was again faced with siege warfare that continued into October when it was moved west to join the 22nd Army and soon after the 3rd Shock Army in the fighting west of Nevel. Following a brief period for restoration in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command it was reassigned to 42nd Army in the last stages of the Leningrad–Novgorod offensive and served along the east shores of Lake Peipus during the spring of 1944. When the summer offensive into the Baltic states began the 245th was part of 3rd Baltic Front and advanced through Latvia and Estonia under several commands, winning a battle honor in the process. After the liberation of Riga in mid-October the Front was disbanded and the much-depleted division was available for deployment elsewhere. Prior to the invasion of Poland and Germany it was transferred to the 59th Army of 1st Ukrainian Front, where it took over the men, materiel, and battle honor of the 379th Rifle Division. In January 1945 it took part in the Vistula-Oder Offensive as part of 115th Rifle Corps, and later in the Lower and Upper Silesian Offensives. During the latter it was distinguished for its part in the capture of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin with the Order of the Red Banner, while two of its rifle regiments received decorations for their part in the fighting near Oppeln. The 245th ended the war near Prague; it would be disbanded during the summer.

The 253rd Rifle Division was formed in the Odessa Military District as a reserve infantry division of the Red Army about two weeks after the German invasion of the USSR. It was based on the shtat of April 5, 1941 with modifications due to the emergency. Although it was assigned to Southern Front in early August it was probably never completely formed, as its recruiting area was overrun by Army Group South in the first weeks of that month. The division was officially disbanded on September 19.

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. 44
  2. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 52
  3. ↑ David Stahel, Operation Typhoon, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2013, pp. 186, 242, 284
  4. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 63
  5. ↑ Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Moscow 1941-1942, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2015, Kindle ed., part III, ch. 3, 5
  6. ↑ Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Moscow, Kindle ed., part III, ch. 3
  7. ↑ Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Moscow, Kindle ed., part IV, ch. 2
  8. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1942, pp. 18, 26
  9. ↑ Robert Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43: The frozen fortress, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2012, Kindle ed.
  10. ↑ Forczyk states the division was "reinforced", but does not specify in what manner.
  11. ↑ Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43, Kindle ed.
  12. ↑ Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43, Kindle ed.
  13. ↑ Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43, Kindle ed.
  14. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1942, p. 121
  15. ↑ Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43, Kindle ed.
  16. ↑ Sharp, "Red Guards", p. 37
  17. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1942, p. 209
  18. ↑ David M. Glantz, After Stalingrad, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2011, pp. 100-01
  19. ↑ Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43, Kindle ed.
  20. ↑ http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=13173. In Russian, English translation available. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  21. ↑ Glantz, After Stalingrad, pp. 415-25
  22. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 132
  23. ↑ https://warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=9487. In Russian. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  24. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, pp. 186, 215
  25. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 300
  26. ↑ Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2016, p. 691
  27. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, pp. 11, 38
  28. ↑ The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, Multi-Man Publishing, Inc., Millersville, MD, 2009, p. 10
  29. ↑ http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-5.html. In Russian. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  30. ↑ The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, pp. 22, 29, 36
  31. ↑ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967, p. 545.
  32. ↑ http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=12079. In Russian, English translation available. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  33. ↑ http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=3911. In Russian, English translation available. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  34. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945, p. 111
  35. ↑ Feskov et al. 2013, p. 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.