245th Rifle Division

Last updated
245th Rifle Division (June 26, 1941 – July 1945)
Active1941–1945
CountryFlag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Soviet Union
Branch Red Army flag.svg Red Army
TypeDivision
RoleInfantry
Engagements Leningrad strategic defensive
Staraya Russa offensive operation
Demyansk Pocket
Battle of Demyansk (1943)
Staraya-Russa Offensive (1943)
Pustoshka-Idritsa Offensive
Idritsa-Opochka Offensive
Leningrad–Novgorod offensive
Pskov-Ostrov Offensive
Baltic offensive
Riga offensive (1944)
Vistula-Oder offensive
Upper Silesian offensive
Prague offensive
Decorations Order of Red Banner.svg   Order of the Red Banner
Battle honours Valga
Rēzekne
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Kombrig Vladislav Vikentyevich Korchits
Maj. Gen. Fyodor Petrovich Ozerov
Col. Vasilii Adamovich Senkevich
Col. Konstantin Timofeevich Ilyin
Maj. Gen. Sergei Nikolaevich Aleksandrov
Maj. Gen. Vladimir Arkadevich Rodionov Hero of the Soviet Union medal.png

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 (table of organization and equipment) 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.

Contents

Formation

The 245th began forming on June 26 at Vyshny Volochyok in the Kalinin Oblast. [1] Once formed the division had the following order of battle:

The division came under the command of Kombrig Vladislav Vikentyevich Korchits on the day it began forming. As suggested by his obsolete rank this officer had been arrested and imprisoned in May 1938 during the Great Purge, but was released and rehabilitated in January 1940 and then served as an instructor at the Frunze Military Academy. As of July 10 the division was still forming up in the Moscow Military District, [3] but three days later it was assigned to 29th Army in Reserve Front and was marching on Bologoye. Before the end of the month it was reassigned to 34th Army in the same Front, [4] and it would remain in this Army until October 1943. [5]

Defense of Leningrad

On August 6 the 245th was reassigned, with 34th Army, to Northwestern Front. [6] Three days later the German X Army Corps of 16th Army seized Staraya Russa, a vital transportation hub in a nearly roadless region. This left a 48km-wide gap between it and the II Army Corps at Kholm. [7] In response to an overambitious plan proposed by Lt. Gen. N. F. Vatutin, the chief of staff of the Front, the STAVKA issued orders late that day:

3. The 34th Army will occupy jumping-off positions in the Kulakovo and Kolomna sector along the eastern bank of the Lovat River by the evening of 11 August...
4. Conduct your main attack with the 34th Army and a simultaneous attack by the 11th Army's left flank in the direction of Vzgliady and the 48th Army along the Utorgosh and Peski axis. The 34th Army will deploy one rifle division behind its right flank to protect the junction between 11th and 34th Armies and the 181st Rifle Division behind the junction of the 34th and 27th Armies.
The offensive by all armies will begin on the morning of 12 August.

In the event, this plan was partly preempted when X Corps attacked toward Novgorod on August 10, disrupting the 11th and 48th Armies' attacks. [8]

34th Army, spearheaded by the 202nd and 163rd Motorized Rifle Divisions, which were now in 34th Army, joined the 25th Cavalry Division in a lunge that pushed 40km westward through the German defensive cordon and reached the Staraya Russa–Dno rail line early on August 14. This determined assault enveloped X Corps in Staraya Russa, separated it from II Army Corps on its right flank and threatened the rear of the main German panzer force advancing on Novgorod. The situation was restored by August 22 through the intervention of the LVI Motorized Corps and three days later the 34th and 11th Armies had been driven back to the line of the Lovat. Although suffering heavy losses (from August 10-28 34th Army suffered 60 percent casualties in personnel, 89 percent losses in tanks and 58 percent in other vehicles) the operation delayed Army Group North's drive on Leningrad for another 10 days which may have been decisive in keeping the city in Soviet hands. [9]

Although the 245th survived this first battle, [10] on August 28 Kombrig Korchits left his command and was replaced by Col. Vasilii Nikolaevich Nichushkin. Korchits took over the 182nd Rifle Division in January 1942, and then served as deputy commander of 34th Army beginning in August, when his rank was modernized to major general. He later served as chief of staff of 1st Shock Army until he was transferred to the Polish Armed Forces in the East in May 1944. He later filled many senior positions in the Polish military and government before returning to the USSR and retiring in 1954. Nichushkin held the position for just three weeks before he was replaced by Col. Fyodor Petrovich Ozerov, who had been serving as chief of staff of 34th Army; he was promoted to major general on October 7.

Battles for Demyansk

Following the Staraya Russa fighting the commander of Army Group North, Field Marshal W. J. F. von Leeb, resolved to ensure that his right flank was secure before beginning the final push on Leningrad. Constant Soviet attacks from the Valdai Hills region enticed 16th Army to keep pushing farther eastward. Given the losses the 34th Army had suffered and the priority for Soviet reinforcements on the Moscow and Leningrad axes there was little it could do to stop this advance, although the 11th and 27th Armies held firm on the flanks. Demyansk was taken in early September, but by now the LVI Motorized Corps was in an absurd position at the end of a single 90km-long dirt road through swamps back to the railhead at Staraya Russa. [11]

LVI Motorized was soon withdrawn in preparation for the renewed offensive on Moscow, and was replaced by II Corps. As winter began to arrive in October the 16th Army's offensive came to a halt and a period of stalemate settled over the area. [12] Once the German efforts to take Leningrad and Moscow were defeated the STAVKA began planning a general offensive to begin on January 10, 1942. 34th Army was now under command of Maj. Gen. N. E. Berzarin and was deployed in the central sector of the Front. It was tasked with encircling and destroying the German forces in Demyansk. [13] Berzarin formed two division-sized shock groups to support the efforts of 11th and 3rd Shock Armies but otherwise to fix as much of German 16th Army in place as possible with diversionary attacks. The first shock group was based on the 254th Rifle Division which faced the weakened 290th Infantry Division. Beginning on January 10 the 254th infiltrated the positions of the 290th with ski troops through frozen marshes and cut the supplies of three company-sized strongpoints which were gradually eliminated by the rest of Berzarin's forces. [14]

At the beginning of February, the 290th Infantry was still holding east of the Pola River but its II Corps and several other German units were vulnerable to encirclement at Demyansk. The bridge at Davidovo over the Redya River was the target for 11th Army's 1st Guards Rifle Corps and was taken on February 5, after which the Corps reached the village of Ramushevo on the Lovat three days later, cutting the last road to Demyansk. The 290th was virtually surrounded with Soviet ski troops operating freely in its rear. To avoid annihilation it was permitted to pull back south from the Pola. On February 25 the full encirclement of II Corps was completed. The STAVKA ordered that Northwestern Front should crush the pocketed force within four or five days; meanwhile reinforcements were arriving from Germany and the airlifting of supplies was well underway. [15]

Soviet positions at Demyansk, spring 1943. The 245th was in the 34th Army sector northeast of Demyansk. Demyansk 1943.jpg
Soviet positions at Demyansk, spring 1943. The 245th was in the 34th Army sector northeast of Demyansk.

The German attempt to relieve the pocket, Operation Brückenschlag, began on March 21 but the linkup with the besieged grouping was not achieved until April 21. The so-called "Ramushevo corridor" was less than 4km wide and often under Soviet artillery fire so II Corps was still heavily dependent on air supply. [16] During this period, on April 2 General Ozerov left the 245th; he was soon given command of 27th Army and would be promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in September 1943, ending the war in command of 50th Army. He was replaced by Col. Vasilii Adamovich Senkevich who had previously served as deputy commander of the 188th Rifle Division. From May to October Northwestern Front made several attempts to sever the corridor. German engineers turned the area into a fortified zone, complete with deep barbed wire obstacles and extensive minefields. 11th Army was on the north side of the corridor while 1st Shock Army held the south side; 34th and 53rd Armies covered the remainder of the salient. [17] On October 26 Colonel Senkevich left the division to attend the Voroshilov Academy; he would later serve in a variety of staff appointments. He was replaced by Col. Konstantin Timofeevich Ilyin, who had previously led the 1st formation of the 422nd Rifle Division and its successor, the 397th Rifle Division.

Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda

The commander of Northwestern Front, Marshal S. K. Timoshenko, submitted yet another plan to liquidate the salient to the STAVKA on January 14, 1943. In a departure from the previous plans which focused on cutting the corridor, Timoshenko proposed to lead with shock groups from the 34th and 53rd Armies "in order to deprive the enemy of the opportunity to maneuver his forces." The 34th's shock group was to consist of the 245th and 175th Rifle Divisions, 161st Rifle Brigade, 60th Tank Brigade, and artillery support. The overall plan was approved on January 17, but before it could be carried out it was preempted by Marshal G. K. Zhukov's larger plan, Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda, for the destruction of Army Group North and the liberation of the entire Leningrad region. [18]

Unbeknown to the Soviet command, on January 31 the German High Command ordered that the Demyansk salient be evacuated, in the wake of the encirclement and upcoming destruction of 6th Army at Stalingrad. The division had been earmarked for Northwestern Front's part in Polyarnaya Zvezda, which began on February 15, but made only marginal gains against the 329th Infantry Division. [19] Operation Ziethen began on February 17; 34th Army attempted to harass the withdrawing forces, primarily with ski troops, but the German withdrawal freed up the reserves they needed to reinforce their lines along the Lovat, and the "pursuit" through the devastated landscape achieved little. [20]

Into Western Russia

On March 20 Colonel Ilyin in turn departed for the Voroshilov Academy, but died of a severe illness on July 25. The new commander of the 245th was Maj. Gen. Sergei Nikolaevich Aleksandrov, who had gained his rank while leading the 23rd Guards Rifle Division. On March 18 the 34th Army, along with forces recently reassigned from 27th Army, had attempted to take Staraya Russa by storm but had run into strong German forces just released from the salient. A further effort on March 20 had little more success and the two sides settled down to a siege through the spring and summer, broken only by a further unsuccessful attack on August 17-20. In October the 245th finally left the Army and the Front when it was reassigned to 22nd Army in 2nd Baltic Front. [21]

Pustoshka-Idritsa Offensive

Map of Battle of Nevel (October 1943 - January 1944) Map of Battle of Nevel (October 1943 - January 1944).jpg
Map of Battle of Nevel (October 1943 - January 1944)

On October 6 the 3rd and 4th Shock Armies had scored a surprise victory and liberated the town of Nevel. By November 2 the 1st Baltic Front was prepared to resume the offensive westward from the Nevel salient. The Front commander, Army Gen. A. I. Yeryomenko, had thoroughly reorganized 3rd Shock, replacing divisions worn down in the Nevel offensive with relatively fresh ones. Shortly after the offensive began the Army was further reinforced with the 245th, 219th and 119th Guards Rifle Divisions. The plan of the offensive called for "the defeat of enemy forces along the line of the Nevel'-Polotsk railroad..., the deep envelopment of the grouping of fascist forces defending west of Nevel' from the south and southwest, and the destruction of the group in cooperation with 6th Guards Army." [22]

The assault force smashed through the 16th Army's defenses almost immediately and then turned the right flank of the I Army Corps' 58th Infantry Division. The entire force then pivoted northward and headed deep into the German rear toward the objective of Pustoshka on the Velikiye Luki Riga railroad line. As they pushed deeper the Army commander, Lt. Gen. K. N. Galitskii, committed the 245th, 115th and 146th Rifle Divisions (soon organized as the 100th Rifle Corps) into the penetration on the shock group's right flank. Subsequently, the lead elements of 3rd Shock Army drove more than 30km deep along a 40km-wide front by November 7, although German forces still clung to positions along the flank of the 15-20km-wide corridor through which the Soviet force had attacked. [23]

After this success the offensive slowed. An effort by 6th Guards Army to lop off the salient separating it from 3rd Shock made almost no progress and that Army went over to the defense on November 15. About a week later 3rd Shock made several futile efforts to break through the German defenses east of Pustoshka but made only minimal gains and on November 21 the entire Front was ordered over to the defensive. [24]

Idritsa-Opochka Offensive

Under orders from the STAVKA on December 9 the 2nd Baltic Front planned a new effort through Pustoshka toward the town of Idritsa in late December, to begin on the 16th. At this time the 100th Corps had five rifle divisions under command, including the 245th and was defending the western half of the northern protrusion of the salient south of Pustoshka. 3rd Shock was facing two divisions of VIII Army Corps and two of the I Army Corps. In the event the attack was handily repulsed by the defenders after several days. [25] Later that month the 245th was reassigned to 90th Rifle Corps, still in 3rd Shock Army. [26]

2nd Baltic planned a new offensive to clear the salient south of Novosokolniki in early January 1944. However this was preempted beginning on December 29 when Field Marshal G. von Küchler, commander of Army Group North, began a phased withdrawal which took place over six days. This caught the Soviets by surprise and while 3rd Shock and 6th Guards Army hastily organized a pursuit this did nothing but harass the retreating Germans. [27] Later in the month the 245th was moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for a much needed period of replenishment and rebuilding. When it returned to the front in February it was assigned to the 98th Rifle Corps of 42nd Army in Leningrad Front. [28] Under these commands it took part in the final phase of the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive, and spent the spring involved in minor fighting along the east shore of Lake Peipus. On March 12 General Aleksandrov was seriously wounded and evacuated, being replaced by Col. Garif Ziyatdinovich Uldashev until April 4 when he returned to duty. On May 22 he exchanged commands with Col. Vladimir Arkadevich Rodionov, the commander of the 13th Rifle Division, also in 42nd Army. Aleksandrov would lead the 13th into the postwar, while Rodionov would command the 245th for the duration as well and be promoted to the rank of major general on September 13. In March the division had been reassigned to 118th Rifle Corps, still in 42nd Army, and in April the Army and the Corps moved to 3rd Baltic Front. [29]

Baltic Offensives

At the start of the Pskov-Ostrov Offensive in early July the 245th was located northeast of Pskov, facing the defenses of the Panther Line around that city. [30] After the breakthrough of those defenses the division was moved to the 7th Rifle Corps of 54th Army in the same Front. [31] At the beginning of August it was located near Abrene near the border of Latvia. [32] During that month it was reassigned again, now to the 12th Guards Rifle Corps of 1st Shock Army. [33] By mid-month it had advanced to Ape, on the border of Estonia. [34] Continuing its advance into Estonia the division won a battle honor:

VALGA - ...245th Rifle Division (Major General Rodionov, Vladimir Arkadevich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Valga, by the order of the Supreme High Command of 19 September 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 12 artillery salvoes from 124 guns. [35]

By this time the division was in the 119th Rifle Corps of 1st Shock Army. [36] In the first week of October the division had reached the area northeast of Limbaži as it closed in on Riga. [37] The fighting through the Baltic states had been a steady and exhausting drain on Soviet units, and on October 10, when the 898th Rifle Regiment made a river crossing near Riga the entire regiment could only put two under-strength rifle companies into the assault, about 20 percent of its authorized strength. [38] The Latvian capital was liberated on October 13 and the 770th Artillery Regiment (Maj. Tertishnikov, Sergei Fyodorovich) was awarded its name as an honorific. [39]

Into Germany

According to a directive issued by the STAVKA to the commander of 1st Ukrainian Front, Marshal I. S. Konev, on November 26, he was to receive the 59th Army as a reinforcement, along with:

... the 245th and 379th rifle divisions, which, upon their arrival are to be reformed into a single rifle division and included within the 59th Army. A directive on the reforming will be issued separately.

The Army and the two divisions were to arrive between December 13-30 in the Lubaczów Surochów area. [40] As the senior of the two divisions the 245th received the forces of the 379th, as well as its battle honor for Rēzekne, and the 379th ceased to exist on January 1, 1945. [41] In the same month the 245th was assigned to the 115th Rifle Corps; [42] it would remain under these commands for the duration of the war. [43]

Vistula-Oder Offensive

1st Ukrainian Front began its offensive from the Baranów bridgehead over the Vistula River at 0435 hours on January 12, and quickly achieved a breakthrough. The 245th was part of the Soviet force that liberated Kraków on January 18 and the 898th Rifle Regiment (Lt. Col. Konstantin Dmitrievich Nikolayev) was awarded its name as a battle honor. [44] On February 19 the 901st Regiment would be awarded the Order of Suvorov, 3rd Degree, for its part in the same fighting. [45] As the advance continued the division took part in the liberation of Katowice on January 27, and three days later staged a crossing of the Oder River to the west. For these accomplishments General Rodionov would be made a Hero of the Soviet Union on April 6. [46] On April 10, eight soldiers of the division were also awarded the Gold Star for the crossing operation, including Sen. Sgt. Fakhrutdin Rakhmatgalievich Ablyazov, who was a pre-war veteran and had been wounded six times during the war. [47]

Upper Silesian Offensive

Konev completed his Lower Silesian Offensive by February 24, after which he began laying plans for a new offensive into upper Silesia. Upon the arrival of his Front's main group of forces in the Neisse area the 59th and 60th Armies were to develop the attack from the bridgehead north of Ratibor to the west and southwest. Ultimately this operation would encircle and destroy the German group of forces in the Oppeln salient. The commander of 59th Army, Lt. Gen. I. T. Korovnikov, chose to launch his main attack along the left flank with the forces of 115th and 93rd Rifle Corps and 7th Guards Mechanized Corps in the general direction of Kostenthal and Zultz. At this time the personnel strength of the Army's divisions varied from 4,366 to 6,690 men and women. The commander of 115th Corps, Maj. Gen. S. B. Kozachek, placed his 92nd and 135th Rifle Divisions in first echelon with the 245th in second echelon. The Corps was to launch its main attack along the left flank in the direction of Lenschutz, Oberglogau, Repsch and Wiesengrund and break through the German defense along a 3km-wide sector and by day's end capture the line NesselwitzGroenweide in cooperation with 7th Guards Mechanized. [48]

The offensive on the 59th and 60th Army's sector began at 0850 hours on March 15 following an 80-minute artillery preparation, and went largely according to plan although more slowly than expected. The main German defense zone was broken through on a 12km front and the Armies advanced 6-8km during the day. Bad weather prevented air support before noon, and the advancing forces also had to repel ten counterattacks. In response Konev ordered that the advance continue through the night. During the day on March 16 the 59th Army managed to advance another 3-9km, and the 93rd Corps and 7th Guards Mechanized Corps cleared the entire depth of the German defenses and set the stage for the success of the attack over the next two days. By the end of March 17 these two Corps had reached the line TomasSchenauKittledorf while the 115th covered against flank attacks from the north. The slow advance of the Corps over the latter half of March 16 and all of March 17 was later blamed on General Kozachek who exaggerated the strength of German resistance, failed to make sufficient demands on his subordinates, allowed the artillery to lag behind, and failed to continue attacking through the night. Konev personally visited the 59th Army headquarters on the 17th and directed that the 115th be deployed to the northwest to capture Oberglogau and facilitate the advance of the 93rd and 7th Guards Corps. To do so he ordered the 245th to be committed from second echelon; by the end of March 18 the Corps was to link up with 21st Army in the Elgut area. During that day 59th Army's offensive unfolded more successfully. The encirclement of the German Oppeln grouping was completed and the divisions of 115th Corps had to repel numerous counterattacks by small subunits of infantry and tanks trying to break out to the south from Oberglogau and Friedersdorf, after which it seized Walzen and reached the southern outskirts of the other two towns. The encircled forces consisted of the 20th SS, 168th and 344th Infantry Divisions, part of the 18th SS Panzergrenadier Division, and several independent regiments and battalions. [49]

With the encirclement completed the 115th Corps was tasked with preventing the encircled grouping from breaking out to the south, while the 135th and 245th Divisions attacked to clear Oberglogau and reach the line KreenbuschRosenberg. This was assisted by most of 7th Guards Mechanized and 93rd Rifle Corps. The German command was now making efforts to pull its encircled forces out toward the west, including a break-in attempt by the Hermann Göring Panzer Division towards Steinau. At 0830 hours on March 19, after a 10-minute fire onslaught, the 115th Corps attacked, splitting the defenders and capturing Krappitz and Oberglogau plus several wooded areas. The next day the remnants of the trapped force tried to break out toward Steinau, but were unsuccessful, while the 155th Corps mopped up the Kreenbusch area. Late in the day the 59th Army began regrouping to continue the offensive. The total German casualties in the encirclement battle were 30,000 killed, 15,000 prisoners, 21 aircraft, 57 tanks and assault guns and 464 guns of various calibers. On March 21 the 59th Army resumed its advance in the direction of Jägerndorf which it reached but did not take on March 31. Due to the toll of casualties during the offensive and inadequate supplies of ammunition, the Army was ordered to go over to the defense. [50] On April 26 the 898th and 904th Rifle Regiments would both be awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for their roles in the fighting southwest of Oppeln. [51] Prior to this, on April 5 the division as a whole was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner for its part in clearing the Dombrovsky coal region and the southern part of the industrial region of upper Silesia. [52]

Postwar

Beginning on May 6 the division advanced with its Corps and Army in the Prague offensive, and took part in the final encirclement of Army Group Center. When the fighting ended its personnel shared the full title 245th Rifle, Valga-Rēzekne, Order of the Red Banner Division. (Russian: 245-я стрелковая Валгинско-Режицкая Краснознамённая дивизия.) According to STAVKA Order No. 11096 of May 29, 1945, part 8, the 245th is listed as one of the rifle divisions to be "disbanded in place". [53] It was disbanded in accordance with the directive in July 1945.

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The 374th 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 Siberian Military District. It joined the fighting front in December with the new 59th Army along the Volkhov River and it continued to serve in the fighting near Leningrad until early 1944. The dismal fighting on this front gave little opportunity for a unit to distinguish itself, and the division did not finally earn a battle honor until late January 1944, during the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive. It continued to serve in the summer and autumn offensive through the Baltic States, becoming so reduced in strength that its remaining infantry was consolidated into a single understrength regiment which nevertheless won a battle honor in the liberation of Riga. The 374th ended the war in Latvia, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and was disbanded shortly thereafter.

The 376th 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 Siberian Military District. It followed a very similar combat path to that of the 374th Rifle Division. It joined the fighting front in December with the new 59th Army along the Volkhov River and it continued to serve in the battles near Leningrad until early 1944. The division took horrendous casualties in the combat to create and hold open a passage to the 2nd Shock Army during the Lyuban Offensive and was itself partly or fully encircled at several times during this dismal fighting. The division finally left this region as it advanced during the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive in January 1944 and in July won a battle honor in the liberation of Pskov, while its 1250th Rifle Regiment was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In October the 376th as a whole would also receive the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Riga. The division ended the war in Latvia, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and was reorganized as a rifle brigade shortly thereafter.

The 391st Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and fought the German Operation Barbarossa. 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 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.

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 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 225th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed in December 1941 from the remnants of the pre-war 3rd Tank Division and based on the shtat of July 29, 1941. The 3rd Tank's single rifle regiment was joined by two reserve rifle regiments, and its howitzer regiment was converted to a standard artillery regiment. As part of 52nd Army in Volkhov Front it took part in largely local fighting in the Novgorod area, seeing combat in several abortive attempts to retake the city until it finally played a main role in its liberation in January 1944 and received its name as a battle honor.

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 259th Rifle Division was formed from reservists as a standard Red Army rifle division, very shortly after the German invasion, in the Moscow Military District. It was largely based on what would become the shtat of July 29, 1941. It was assigned to the 34th Army of Reserve Front before the end of July, but this Army was soon reassigned to Northwestern Front. Under these commands it took part in the Staraya Russa offensive operation in August. It suffered significant casualties in its first operation but after falling back toward Leningrad it took part, as part of 52nd Army, in both the defense of Tikhvin and the following counteroffensive that retook the city in one of the first major German reverses. In the new year the 259th was involved in the Lyuban offensive, mostly under command of the ill-fated 2nd Shock Army, and this struggle continued into June. Enough of the division escaped encirclement that it avoided disbandment, and it was sufficiently restored by late August that it was committed to the second Sinyavino offensive, eventually becoming encircled again and forced to break out, at considerable cost. In early October it was withdrawn to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for a lengthy period of restoration, well into 1943, in 2nd Reserve Army, as it moved well to the south.

The 182nd Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army following the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939 and utilizing the personnel of two divisions of the Estonian People's Army. At the outbreak of war with Germany it was still in Estonia, part of the 22nd Rifle Corps of Northwestern Front's 27th Army. It quickly lost strength, both due to combat losses and to the desertion of large numbers of ethnic Estonians from the ranks. The remainder concentrated near Porkhov by the beginning of July. During that month the 182nd, now under command of 11th Army, took part in the counterstroke at Soltsy against LVI Motorized Corps, and a further action near Staraya Russa in August, both of which slowed the advance of Army Group North toward Leningrad. During 1942 and 1943, under 11th, 27th, and 34th Armies, the division would repeatedly attempt to regain Staraya Russa, while the battles for Demyansk went on to its east through most of this period. The evacuation of the Demyansk salient in February 1943 freed up German forces to reinforce a much shorter line, which stymied Marshal G. K. Zhukov's Operation Polar Star. The front began to move again during the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive in January/February 1944; Staraya Russa finally fell after holding out for over 30 months and near the end of February the 182nd, now under command of 1st Shock Army in 2nd Baltic Front, won an honorific for its part in the liberation of Dno. At the start of the summer offensive into the Baltic states it was in 22nd Army, still in 2nd Baltic. It was under these commands at it advanced through Latvia and into northern Lithuania before being transferred to 43rd Army of 1st Baltic Front in late September. It was almost immediately involved in this Army's rapid advance on Memel, which was reached on October 10. It was impossible to take this heavily fortified city with the means at hand, so the 182nd went over to the defense on the border of East Prussia. When the winter offensive began the division was soon involved in the fighting for Tilsit, and two of its rifle regiments would receive decorations. Following this it pushed through to the Kurisches Haff, and began isolating the German forces in Königsberg. It played little part in the eventual capture of this city, but in April, as part of 2nd Guards Army, it was involved in the clearing of the Samland Peninsula. In the last days of the war the 182nd returned to 43rd Army, now in 2nd Belorussian Front. It would be disbanded in July.

References

Citations

  1. Walter S. Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2007, p. 75
  2. Charles C. Sharp, "Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From June to December 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, vol. IX, Nafziger, 1996, p. 42
  3. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 26
  4. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 32
  5. Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 42
  6. David M. Glantz, The Battle for Leningrad 1941 - 1944, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2002, p. 48
  7. Robert Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43: The frozen fortress, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2012, Kindle ed.
  8. Glantz, The Battle for Leningrad 1941 - 1944, p. 54
  9. Glantz, The Battle for Leningrad 1941 - 1944, pp. 54-58
  10. Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 42
  11. Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43: The frozen fortress, Kindle ed.
  12. Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43: The frozen fortress, Kindle ed.
  13. Glantz, The Battle for Leningrad 1941 - 1944, pp. 149, 156
  14. Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43: The frozen fortress, Kindle ed.
  15. Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43: The frozen fortress, Kindle ed.
  16. Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43: The frozen fortress, Kindle ed.
  17. Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43: The frozen fortress, Kindle ed.
  18. Glantz, After Stalingrad, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2011, pp. 394-97, 403
  19. Glantz, After Stalingrad, pp. 415-18
  20. Forczyk, Demyansk 1942-43: The frozen fortress, Kindle ed.
  21. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 273
  22. Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2016, pp. 39-42, 145-46. This source states the 245th had come from 4th Shock Army.
  23. Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 146-47
  24. Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 150-51, 154
  25. Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 235-40
  26. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 10
  27. Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, pp. 304-05
  28. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, pp. 57, 66
  29. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, pp. 96, 127
  30. The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, Multi-Man Publishing, Millersville, MD, 2009, p. 18
  31. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 216
  32. The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, p. 22
  33. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 247
  34. The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, p. 29
  35. http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-1.html. In Russian. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  36. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 279
  37. The Gamers, Inc., Baltic Gap, p. 36
  38. Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 42
  39. http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-5.html. In Russian. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  40. Soviet General Staff, Prelude to Berlin, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2016, p. 543
  41. Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 103
  42. Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945, p. 53
  43. Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 42
  44. http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/9-poland.html. In Russian. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  45. Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967b, p. 327.
  46. https://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=751. In Russian. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  47. https://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=1329. In Russian. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  48. Soviet General Staff, Prelude to Berlin, pp. 469, 477, 497
  49. Soviet General Staff, Prelude to Berlin, pp. 503-04, 506-09
  50. Soviet General Staff, Prelude to Berlin, pp. 510-14, 519-20
  51. Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967b, p. 156.
  52. Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967b, p. 91.
  53. STAVKA Order No. 11096

Bibliography