The 11th Siberian Rifle Division (; ''11-ya Sibirskaya Strelkovaya Diviziya'') was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

formation of the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

History

The division was formed in 1910. On 11 June 1910, Lieutenant General Sergei Nekrasov took command of the division. Nekrasov was still the division commander on 1 June 1911. The division was headquartered at

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

from at least February 1913. From at least 1 January 1913, its 1st Brigade was at

Tomsk Tomsk ( rus, Томск, p=tomsk, sty, Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, located on the Tom River. Population: Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. The city is a not ...

with the 41st Siberian Rifle Regiment. From at least February 1913, its 2nd Brigade was headquartered at Omsk. In 1914, the division was part of the

Omsk Military District The Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. The district was originally formed as a military district of the Russian Empire in 1864. In 1924 it was reformed in the Red Army. After the end of World War II the ...

. It consisted of the 1st Brigade at Omsk with the 41st (

Novonikolayevsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Census, ...

) and 42nd (Tomsk) Siberian Rifle Regiments, and the 2nd Brigade at Nikolayevsk with the 43rd (Omsk) and 44th (Omsk) Siberian Rifle Regiments. The division also included the 11th Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade, a Siberian Separate Mountain Horse-Artillery Battery and a Siberian Separate Howitzer Battery.

World War I

After the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the division was moved to the front in mid-August 1914 and became part of the 1st Turkestan Army Corps. The corps, part of the 10th Army, advanced from the

Osowiec Fortress Osowiec Fortress (Polish: ''Twierdza Osowiec'', Russian: ''Крепость Осовец'') is a 19th-century fortress built by the Russian Empire, located in what is now north-eastern Poland. It saw heavy fighting during World War I when it ...

against Lyck during late September. On 22 September the division and the rest of the corps reached the German border, and two days later captured Lyck. Advancing father to the north, they reached the Klein Oletzko lake, 30 kilometers north of the border. To the south, on 28 September, the 11th Division advanced through Pisanitsa while attacking towards

Prostki Prostki (german: Prostken) is a village in Ełk County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Prostki. It lies approximately south of Ełk and east of the regional c ...

. However,

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-cre ...

commander

Nikolai Ruzsky Nikolai Vladimirovich Ruzsky (russian: Никола́й Влади́мирович Ру́зский; – October 18, 1918) was a Imperial Russia, Russian general, member of the state and military councils, best known for his role in World Wa ...

decided to withdraw the 10th Army back to Russian territory. On 29 September, the main forces of the corps withdrew to

Shchuchyn Shchuchyn and Ščučyn ( be, Шчучын, Ščučyn, ; russian: Щýчин, ; pl, Szczuczyn Litewski; lt, Šukynas; Yiddish: שטשוטשין, Shtshutshin) is a city in the Grodno Region of Belarus. It is the center of Shchuchyn District. The ...

and

Grajewo Grajewo (, yi, גראיעווע, translit=Grayavah) is a town in north-eastern Poland with 21,499 inhabitants (2016). It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (since 1999); previously, it was in Łomża Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the ...

in Russian territory. The corps was then moved to the area of

Ruzhany Ruzhany ( be, Ружаны, pl, Różana, yi, ראָזשינאָי, Rozhinoy, lt, Ružanai; former / alternative spellings include Różana and Ruzhinoy) is a small town located in Pruzhany Raion of Brest Region, Belarus. Geography Ruzhany ...

and

Pułtusk Pułtusk (pronounced ) is a town in northeast Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it had a population of about 19,000 . Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in ...

. The division was disbanded in 1918.

References

{{Russian Empire Divisions Infantry divisions of the Russian Empire