351st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

Last updated
351st Rifle Division
Active1941–1945
CountryFlag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Soviet Union
Branch Red Army
TypeDivision
RoleInfantry
Engagements Barvenkovo–Lozovaya Offensive Operation
Second Battle of Kharkov
Battle of the Caucasus
Kuban Bridgehead
Battle of Kiev (1943)
Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive
Vistula-Oder Offensive
Prague Offensive
Decorations Order of Red Banner.svg   Order of the Red Banner 2nd Formation
Order of Suvorov 2nd class.png   Order of Suvorov 2nd Formation
OrderKhmelnitsky2ndClass.png   Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd Formation
Battle honours Shepetovka
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Col. Nikolai Ustinovich Gursky
Maj. Gen. Yemelyan Vasilevich Kozik
Maj. Gen. Ilya Fyodorovich Dudarev

The 351st Rifle Division first formed in September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Stalingrad. It was assigned to the newly formed 57th Army in the same area shortly after forming, and remained in that Army for the duration of its existence. It helped to carve out the bridgehead north of Rostov known as the Izium Salient, but was encircled and destroyed during the Second Battle of Kharkov. A second 351st began forming in July 1942 in the North Caucasus, and went into combat in October, liberating the town of Alagir in January 1943. During the rest of that year and on into 1944 the division participated in the liberation of Ukraine under several Corps and Army headquarters and under command of a bewildering series of divisional commanders until Maj. Gen. I. F. Dudarev took command in April 1944, and held the post for just over a year. During its second formation the division compiled an enviable record of service and was recognized with several unit decorations and honors, but was disbanded shortly after the end of hostilities in Europe.

Contents

1st Formation

The division began forming in September 1941, in the North Caucasus Military District [ citation needed ] (Dunn states the division was formed in the Central Asia Military District) at Stalingrad. [1] Its basic order of battle was as follows:

The first recorded commander of the division was Col. Nikolai Ustinovich Gursky, but he was not appointed until April 1, 1942. He would lead this formation of the division until it was disbanded. The division's personnel included a large number of non-Russian nationality. [3] In October, while still barely formed, the division was assigned to 57th Army, which was also just in the process of forming-up in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, also in the Stalingrad area. In January 1942, the division and its Army moved to join Southern Front, taking part in the winter counter-offensive which led to the creation of the Izium salient south of Kharkov. In the course of this offensive, the 351st liberated the town of Barvenkovo, but the offensive became overextended and bogged down in the spring rasputitsa soon after. [2]

Second Battle of Kharkov

When Southwestern Front launched its offensive on Kharkov on May 11, Southern Front's forces were not directly involved, but 57th Army was deep inside the Izium salient from which Southwestern Front was staging the southern prong of its attack. The Army was holding a front of 80km with four divisions, including the 351st, in the first line with 14th Guards Rifle Division in reserve. The divisions averaged a strength of 6,000 to 7,000 men. The 351st was on the Army's eastern (left) flank, linking to 9th Army and mostly facing the German 1st Mountain Division. Over the coming days Army Group South staged a buildup of forces south of the salient, and on May 17, 9th Army (due east of the division) came under attack from the German III Motorized and XXXXIV Army Corps. [4]

On the first day of the German counteroffensive, 9th Army's front was deeply penetrated:

"Units on the right flank and in the center of Gen. Podlas's 57th Army remained in their positions, while at the boundary with 9th Army they turned their flanks to the north and, by the close of the day, they defended the line extending from Dobrovele through Malye Razdol to Novo-Prigozhaia. Withdrawn subunits of 9th Army's 341st Rifle Division defended the left flank of... 351st Rifle Division.

A breach 20km wide had been torn in the defenses between the two armies. The next day, Podlas was killed in action, and his army became leaderless during this crisis. Up to May 21 the division continued to hold most of its ground while being slowly driven backwards, but was not given explicit orders to retreat until the German forces completed its encirclement on that date. Over the following days the division was defending Krasnopavlovka, acting as a rearguard for the rest of the Army's remnants as they attempted to break out of the pocket. This duty gave little hope to escape themselves, and although the division held together well under such circumstances, it was destroyed by May 27, and was officially disbanded the same day. [2] [5]

2nd Formation

A new 351st Rifle Division began forming from July until August 9, 1942, at Ordzhonikidze in the North Caucasus Military District. Its basic order of battle remained the same as the first formation. [6] [7] Its initial commander was Col. I. G. Vinogradov, but he was replaced within a month by Maj. Gen. V. F. Sergatzkov, who would remain in command until January 14, 1943. For the duration of the war, the division was commanded by the following officers:

While still forming the division had to be moved south into the reserves of Transcaucasus Front since the German forces were approaching Ordzhonikidze. [6]

Battle of the Caucasus

The division was originally intended for the newly forming 66th Army, but due to the growing crisis in the Caucasus this plan was shelved. In mid-August, the German 17th Army began trying to force the passes through the High Caucasus mountains to reach the coast of the Black Sea. The division was assigned to 46th Army in the Black Sea Group of Forces with orders to organize a credible defense of the Ossetian Military Road and the pass it traverses. In the event, this pass was not contested. [8] On September 23, Army Group A made another attempt to take the Black Sea port of Tuapse; at this time 46th Army was facing First Panzer Army's XXXIX Mountain Corps. [9]

In October the 351st left 46th Army and was assigned to 12th Rifle Corps under direct command of the Front until December. In the first days of November, III Panzer Corps was struggling towards Ordzhonikidze, but on the 5th the city's defenders definitively halted 13th Panzer Division on the western and northwestern outskirts. A counterstroke was planned for November 7, the anniversary of the October Revolution, and the division, along with the 276th Rifle Division and 155th Rifle Brigade, was tasked to penetrate the southern wing of the panzer corps' defenses and link up with another assault group attacking from the north. These attacks went off piecemeal, which lessened their impact; despite this, 23rd Panzer Division was forced to withdraw and 13th Panzer was encircled near Gizel, northwest of Ordzhonikidze. Over the next days, Army Group A's overextended forces fought to rescue the beleaguered division, eventually linking up through a narrow corridor on November 11. Had the 351st acted more decisively the panzer troops might have been destroyed, but it held to its defensive positions in Mamisoisky Pass, just south of the escape route, protecting the Ossetian Military Road. [10]

In December the division left 12th Corps and joined the 37th Army in the Northern Group of Forces in Transcaucasus Front, and on January 24, 1943, it liberated the town of Alagir. By the end of the month it was transferred to 58th Army in the North Caucasus Front, and after April it was moved to 9th Army of the same front, facing the German 17th Army in the Kuban bridgehead. After the Germans finally evacuated this last pocket in the Caucasus in September, the 351st went into the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, in the 1st Guards Army. [11]

Into Ukraine and Czechoslovakia

In November, the division was transferred, along with its Army, to 1st Ukrainian Front, and the following month moved to 60th Army in the same Front. [12]

On February 11, 1944, the division was recognized for its role in the liberation of the western Ukrainian city of Shepetovka and received its name as a battle honor:

"SHEPETOVKA...351st Rifle Division (Maj. Gen. Kozik, Yemelyan Vasilevich)...By order of the Supreme High Command of 11 February 1944 and a commendation in Moscow, the troops who participated in the battles for the liberation of Shepetovka are given a salute of 12 artillery salvoes from 124 guns. [13]

Kozik led the division until March 14, when he was replaced. He would later command the 327th Rifle Division. On March 19 the 351st was further honored with the award of the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Starokostiantyniv and several nearby towns. [14] In that same month the division was assigned to 11th Rifle Corps in 1st Tank Army, but in April that Corps was reassigned to 18th Army in the same Front. [15] Within a few weeks it left that Corps and served under direct Army command through the early summer, until it was assigned the 95th Rifle Corps in July. It would remain under that command for the duration. [12]

In August, 18th Army was moved to the re-deployed 4th Ukrainian Front; the 351st would remain in that Front for the duration. On December 16 the division received the Order of Suvorov, 2nd Class, for its part in the liberation of the Slovakian town of Humenné and the village of Michalok. [16] In January 1945, 95th Corps became a separate corps under Front command, before being assigned to 38th Army in February. The Corps was reassigned once again in April, and the division ended its combat path back in 1st Guards Army, advancing on Prague. [12]

Postwar

The division completed its wartime service with the distinguished full title of 351st Rifle, Shepetovka, Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division. [Russian: 351-я стрелковая Шепетовская Краснознамённая орденов Суворова и Богдана Хмельницкого дивизия.] The division was disbanded in mid-1945 with the Northern Group of Forces. [17]

Related Research Articles

The 304th Rifle Division had its roots in the 109th Mechanized Division, which served before the Great Patriotic War as a mixed armor and infantry formation. Soon after the German invasion it was reorganized as a standard rifle division and renumbered as the 304th. It served in the southwestern part of the Soviet-German front for more than a year and a half, fighting under difficult conditions, including the German summer offensive of 1942. The division did not distinguish itself until Operation Uranus in late 1942 and the subsequent Operation Ring, in which it helped defeat the encircled German Sixth Army. In recognition of these successes, even before the German surrender at Stalingrad, it was raised to Guards status as the 67th Guards Rifle Division. A second 304th was raised six months later, based on a pair of rifle brigades, facing the German 17th Army in the Kuban. After helping to liberate this region the division continued in combat through Ukraine and Poland, winning its own distinctions at Zhitomir and an Order of the Red Banner, before ending the war near Prague.

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

The 327th Rifle Division was first formed in September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, based on a cadre of workers from Voronezh. This formation was assigned to the Volkhov Front near Leningrad, toiling through the so-called "Rat's War" in the wooded swamps of that region and taking significant casualties in the encirclement of its 2nd Shock Army near Lyuban in early 1942. In January 1943, it helped to lead the partial raising of the German siege of Leningrad in Operation Iskra, distinguishing itself sufficiently to be redesignated as the 64th Guards Rifle Division. Well over a year later a second 327th Rifle Division was formed and was also moved to the Leningrad region where it took part in the offensive that drove Finland from the war, then spent the first months of 1945 clearing German forces from the coasts of the Baltic States and containing the German forces trapped in Courland.

The 315th Rifle Division was a standard Red Army rifle division formed for the first time on February 12, 1942, in the Siberian Military District before being sent to the vicinity of Stalingrad, where it was engaged in the futile efforts to break through to the besieged city from the north near Kotluban. After rebuilding, it was part of the southern thrust of Operation Uranus in November, helping to encircle the German 6th Army and also to hold off its would-be rescuers. During 1943 and early 1944 the division advanced through the southern Donbas and into Ukraine, where it was honored for its role in the liberation of Melitopol, before taking part in the liberation of the Crimea in April and May 1944. The men and women of the 315th ended their war on an anticlimactic note, serving for the last year as part of the garrison of the Crimea. However, the unit, and its successors, continued to serve well into the postwar era.

The 317th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army. It was formed in July, 1941, in the Transcaucasus Military District, as a standard rifle division. It was designated as an "Azerbaidzhani National" ethnic division, based on Azeri reservists, and may have carried the honorific name "Baku". This first formation distinguished itself during the first liberation of Rostov in November, but was trapped and effectively destroyed in the Izyum Salient in May, 1942. A second division began forming, also in the vicinity of Baku, in the summer of that year and served in the offensives that drove the Axis forces out of the Caucasus. Following this, the division was transferred to Ukraine, eventually making its way into the Balkans and winning an honorific for its role in the siege of Budapest. In the final weeks of the war against Germany, the 317th was alerted for a major transfer to the Far East, where it was present for the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August, 1945, although it seems to have seen little if any combat in that brief campaign.

The 337th Rifle Division was first formed in August 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Astrakhan. Like the 335th Rifle Division, this formation was assigned to the southern sector of the Soviet-German front during the winter counteroffensive, but was encircled and destroyed during the German spring offensive that formed the Izium Pocket. The division was formed again from July until August 13, 1942, serving in the Caucasus and along the coast of the Black Sea before being moved to the central part of the front to take part in the Soviet counteroffensive following the Battle of Kursk. As the front advanced towards the Dniepr River the 337th was recognized for its role in the liberation of the Ukrainian city of Lubny and was granted its name as an honorific. As the division continued to advance through northern and western Ukraine and into Hungary, it earned further honors before ending its combat path in western Austria.

The 339th Rifle Division was first formed in late August, 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Rostov-on-Don. As it was formed in part from reservists and cadre that included members of the Communist Party from that city, it carried the honorific title "Rostov" for the duration. In late November it was part of the force that counterattacked the German 1st Panzer Army in the Battle of Rostov and forced its retreat from the city, one of the first major setbacks for the invaders. During 1942 the division was forced to retreat into the Caucasus, where it fought to defend the passes leading to the Black Sea ports. In 1943 it fought to liberate the Taman Peninsula, and then in early 1944 to also liberate Crimea. In the following months the division was reassigned to the 1st Belorussian Front, with which it took part in the Battle of Berlin in 1945. Following a distinguished career, the division was disbanded in the summer of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">346th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)</span> Military unit

The 346th Rifle Division began forming in late August, 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, in the Volga Military District. It was assigned to the 61st Army while both it and its Army continued to form up before moving to the front lines in December to take part in the winter counteroffensive south of Moscow. In September, 1942, it became part of the 5th Tank Army, and joined the offensive that encircled German Sixth Army at Stalingrad during Operation Uranus. During 1943 and early 1944 it continued to serve in the southern part of the front, taking part in the liberation of Crimea, before being transferred to the Baltic States region, serving in Latvia and Lithuania until February, 1945, when it was once again reassigned, this time to be part of the follow-on forces in the conquest of eastern Germany. The division ended the war with a distinguished service record, but was disbanded shortly after the German surrender.

The 347th Rifle Division began forming in mid-September 1941, as a Red Army rifle division, in the North Caucasus Military District. It was soon assigned to the 58th Army while both it and its Army continued to form up before entering combat in November, as part of the offensive that first liberated Rostov-on-Don. During the German summer offensive in 1942 the division retreated back into the Caucasus, fighting to defend the routes to the oil fields at Baku, until the German forces began to retreat after their defeat at Stalingrad. During 1943 and early 1944 it continued to serve in the southern part of the front, taking part in the liberation of Crimea, before being transferred to the Baltic States region, serving in Latvia and Lithuania for the duration of the war, compiling a distinguished record of service along the way. In 1946 it was reformed as a rifle brigade, and its several successor formations remained part of the Red Army until 1959, when it was finally disbanded.

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

The 395th Rifle Division was converted from a militia division to a regular infantry division of the Red Army in October 1941. From 1941-45, it fought against the German invasion, Operation Barbarossa. As a militia unit it was under command of the Kharkov Military District and designated as the Voroshilovgrad Militia Division, although it was unofficially known as the 395th before it was converted. It took part in the fighting near Rostov-on-Don during the winter of 1941–42 in the 18th Army, and retreated with that Army into the northern Caucasus mountains in the face of the German summer offensive, fighting under the command of the 18th and 12th Armies, then in the 56th Army in October. As the Axis forces retreated from the Caucasus in early 1943 it was sent to the 46th and later to the 37th Army of North Caucasus Front. During the battles that cleared the German forces from the Taman peninsula from August to October the 395th was back in 56th Army and was awarded a battle honor for its part in the campaign. By the end of 1943 it had returned to 18th Army, now under 1st Ukrainian Front near Kyiv. In January 1944 the division was decorated with both the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Suvorov. With its Front it advanced through western Ukraine, Poland and eastern Germany, finally taking part in the Lower Silesian, Berlin, and Prague offensives in early 1945 as part of 13th Army.

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

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

The 406th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served throughout the Second World War in that role, but saw relatively little combat. It was raised as a Georgian National division in the Transcaucasus Military District, where it remained until the forces of German Army Group A began its drive on the oil fields there as part of Operation Blue. In August 1942 it joined the Northern Group in the Transcaucasus Front, in the 46th Army, defending the high passes through the High Caucasus Mountains west of Mount Elbrus. Once the German threat receded, the 406th returned to guard duties along the borders with Turkey and Iran for the duration of the war.

The 414th Rifle Division was twice formed as an infantry division of the Red Army; very briefly in the winter of 1941/42, then from the spring of 1942 until after May 1945. It was officially considered a Georgian National division, having nearly all its personnel of that nationality in its second formation. After its second formation it remained in service in the Caucasus near the borders of Turkey and Iran in the 44th Army until the summer of 1942, when it was redeployed to help counter the German drive toward Grozny. As German Army Group A retreated from the Caucasus in January 1943 the division was reassigned to the 37th Army in North Caucasus Front, and during the fighting in the Taman Peninsula during the summer it served in both the 58th and 18th Armies, earning a battle honor in the process. It entered the Crimea during the Kerch–Eltigen Operation in November, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner following the offensive that liberated that region in April and May 1944, fighting in the 11th Guards Rifle Corps of the Separate Coastal Army. After the Crimea was cleared the Coastal Army remained as a garrison and the 414th stayed there for the duration of the war. Postwar, it was relocated to Tbilisi, being renumbered as the 74th Rifle Division in 1955 and disbanded the following year.

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

The 119th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in September 1943, based on the 11th Guards Naval Rifle Brigade and the 15th Guards Naval Rifle Brigade and was one of a small series of Guards divisions formed on a similar basis. Although the two brigades had distinguished themselves in the fighting south of Stalingrad as part of 64th Army they were moved to Northwestern Front in the spring of 1943 before being reorganized. After serving briefly in 22nd Army the division was moved to reinforce the 3rd Shock Army within the large salient that Army had created behind German lines after a breakthrough at Nevel in October. In the following months it fought both to expand the salient and defend it against German counterattacks in a highly complex situation. In January 1944 it was transferred to the 7th Guards Rifle Corps of 10th Guards Army, still in the Nevel region, after which it advanced toward the Panther Line south of Lake Peipus. During operations in the Baltic states that summer and autumn the 119th Guards was awarded both a battle honor and the Order of the Red Banner for its operations in Latvia. In March 1945 it joined the Kurland 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.

The 129th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in October 1943, based on the 1st formation of the 176th Rifle Division. It was the highest-numbered Guards division designated by the Red Army, although not the last to be formed.

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

References

Citations

  1. Dunn 2006, p. 81.
  2. 1 2 3 Sharp 1996, p. 89.
  3. Glantz 1998, p. 140.
  4. Glantz 1998, pp. 93, 194, 237–239, 309.
  5. Glantz 1998, pp. 242, 256, 279, 289, 294.
  6. 1 2 Sharp 1996b, p. 127.
  7. Dunn 2006, p. 116.
  8. Glantz 2009b, pp. 419, 448–553, 575.
  9. Glantz 2009a, p. 563.
  10. Glantz 2009a, pp. 584–586, 602, 607.
  11. Sharp 1996b, pp. 127–128.
  12. 1 2 3 Sharp 1996b, p. 128.
  13. "Освобождение городов" [Liberation of cities] (in Russian). Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  14. Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967a, p. 294.
  15. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, pp. 104, 134
  16. Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967b, p. 28.
  17. Feskov et al 2013, p. 408.

Bibliography