137th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
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The 137th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Raised in 1939 as a standard
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
rifle division, it served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. The division fought in the central part of the Soviet-German front. It shared credit with other formations for the liberation of Bobruisk during
Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...
, and ended the war in the conquest of East Prussia.


Formation

The division was organized at Gorkiy in the Moscow Military District in September 1939, based on a cadre from the 51st Rifle Regiment of the
17th Rifle Division The 17th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. First Formation The division was first formed on 23 October 1918 from the 1st Vitebsk Rifle Division and 2nd Smolensk Rifle Division by the orde ...
, as part of the major pre-World War II mobilization of the Red Army. On June 22, 1941, its order of battle was as follows: * 409th Rifle Regiment * 624th Rifle Regiment * 771st Rifle Regiment * 278th Light Artillery Regiment * 497th Howitzer Regiment * 169th Sapper Battalion * 238th Antitank Battalion * 176th Reconnaissance Company * 122nd Signal Company * 179th Medical-Sanitation Battalion Kombrig Sergei Evlampeivich Danilov, who had been the commanding officer of the 97th Rifle Regiment, served as commander of the division until he was promoted and succeeded by Col. Ivan Tikonovich Grishin in late October 1940. Grishin remained in command until Mar. 17, 1942, and went on to command the
49th Army "Thank God for Mississippi" is an adage used in the United States, particularly in the South, that is generally used when discussing rankings of U.S. states. Since the U.S. state of Mississippi commonly ranks at or near the bottom of such rankings ...
. On June 25, the division was subordinated to 20th Army's 20th Rifle Corps, part of the
Reserve of the Supreme High Command The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the '' Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK ( ru , РВГК)) comprises reserve military formations and units; the Sta ...
. Beginning on June 26, the division was transferred to
Orsha Orsha ( be, О́рша, Во́рша, Orša, Vorša; russian: О́рша ; lt, Orša, pl, Orsza) is a city in Belarus in the Vitebsk Region, on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers. History Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha ...
. The first trains carrying men of the 771st Rifle Reg't. arrived there on June 29. At the beginning of July, the division was subordinated to the 13th Army. The division was also transferred to the 61st Rifle Corps. It held positions at Ponizova (south of Orsha) and on the Dniepr, a front of 20 kilometers. On July 5, the division's 176th Reconnaissance Company, operating in advance of the division at
Borisov Borisov or Borisova may refer to: Places * Barysaw, or Borisov, Belarus ** Borisov Arena, a football stadium ** Battle of Borisov, 1812 * Borisov, Volgograd Oblast, Russia * Borišov, a mountain in Slovakia * Borisova, Perm Krai, Russia * Boriso ...
, was heavily assaulted by German tanks and withdrew to the Dniepr. On July 8, the division was ordered to move east and hold positions on the Resta River. However, the division at this point had only the 771st Rifle Regiment, elements of the 624th Rifle Regiment and the two artillery regiments actually at the front; the transports of the 409th Rifle Regiment and the remainder of the 624th were still approaching
Krichev Krychaw or Krichev ( be, Кры́чаў, Łacinka: Kryčaŭ, ; russian: Кричев, , pl, Krzyczew) is a city in the eastern Belarusian Mogilev Region. Krychaw is the administrative center of Krychaw District. As of 2009, its population was 27, ...
, and later joined the 7th Airborne Brigade (
4th Airborne Corps The 4th Airborne Corps was an airborne corps of the Red Army in World War II. It fought in the Vyazma airborne operation, an unsuccessful landing during the Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive. History The corps was formed in the spring of 1941 in the Weste ...
). The division's antiaircraft artillery battalion was heavily bombed by German aircraft and ceased to exist as an effective combat unit. The medical battalion reached Roslavl and was attached to a different unit.


Battle of Smolensk

On July 10, German troops of the
2nd Panzer Group The 2nd Panzer Army (german: 2. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian (german: Panzergruppe Guderian) was formed on 5 June 1940 ...
crossed the Dniepr and seized a bridgehead. The 137th Rifle Division was ordered to counterattack and eliminate the bridgehead, beginning its involvement in the Battle of Smolensk. On July 11, the division began the march westward to the line of Dubrovka, Volkovichi and Usushek. The division was re-subordinated to the 45th Rifle Corps. By July 13, the division was at the starting line for the attack. The immediate objective was to capture
Seredyna-Buda Seredyna-Buda ( uk, Сере́дина-Бу́да) is a city in Shostka Raion of Sumy Oblast of northeastern Ukraine. It was the administrative center of Seredyna-Buda Raion until it was abolished on 18 July 2020. It is located on Bryansk to Kon ...
, Pustoy Osovets, Chervonny Osovets and Davidovichi. On the right flank, the
132nd Rifle Division Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...
was also attacking. The 148th Rifle Division moved forward on the 137th's left. The German troops repulsed the division's attack and soon moved forward themselves. The 771st Rifle Regiment had captured Chervonny Osovets, but was forced to retreat under pressure from German tanks. The division did not retreat beyond its jumping-off line but was bypassed on the flanks by German armor. After six weeks of heavy fighting around Smolensk, the 137th was reduced to the equivalent of only two or three rifle battalions. On or before August 21, the division was again transferred, now to 3rd Army in Bryansk Front; it would remain in that army until February 1943.Sharp, p 69 A report by Lt. Gen. K.D. Golubev, commander of the 13th Army, on Aug. 21, implies that the 137th, along with three other rifle divisions, had barely escaped encirclement by running the gauntlet eastward through the advancing forces of the German XXIV Motorized Corps and were in no shape to continue active operations. What remained of the division, described as a "composite battalion" on Aug. 29, was tasked with protecting the approaches to Trubchevsk, in the army's third line of defense. By Sept. 3 its strength was reported as "one regiment, with its remaining forces and headquarters", still in the same positions. Ordered into an attack against elements of 17th Panzer Division on the 5th, the remnants of the division made no gains and, in fact ended up ceding ground. On September 7, an attack by a German motorized regiment with tanks was beaten off. The division continued to hold in these positions until early October as the German forces carried out their encirclement of Kiev. When Operation Typhoon began in early October, 3rd Army mostly escaped being encircled in the Bryansk pocket, but still had to fall back to the east; Trubchevsk was given up on Oct. 9. The army managed to stabilize its positions between Mikhaylov and Yelets by late November, before beginning the counteroffensive against the southern flank of Army Group Center on Dec. 6. The counteroffensive ended in late winter with the 137th and its army well to the east of
Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, p=ɐˈrʲɵl, lit. ''eagle''), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast situated on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow. It is part of the Central Fed ...
; it would hold these positions for nearly a year.


Second Winter Counteroffensive and Battle of Kursk

In the winter of 1943 the 137th took part in the Voronezh-Kastornoye operation, helping to partly encircle and destroy both the German and Hungarian 2nd Armies to the west of
Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the ...
as part of the northern pincer of the operation. After capturing several villages on February 3, the division reached a line between Novofedorovka and Pavlovka. At around this time the division was reassigned to 48th Army; it would remain in this army for the duration, apart from a brief reassignment to
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
in April 1944. By Feb. 9, 48th and 13th Armies were splitting German 2nd Army and 2nd Panzer Army apart; the 137th had taken the southwestern outskirts of Smirnye. The offensive slowed in late February due to German forces being evacuated from the
Rzhev Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa (town), Tver Oblast, Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It ...
salient, as well as lax practices on the part of lower-level commands. On February 17, Bryansk Front reported about the 48th Army operations east of Maloarkhangelsk, admonishing lower level HQs against concentrating in the relative warmth and comfort of villages: On March 6 the division was combined with the 143rd Rifle Division to form a shock group, supported by the 28th and 30th Guards Tank Regiments, in a supporting attack along the Pokrovskoe–
Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, p=ɐˈrʲɵl, lit. ''eagle''), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast situated on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow. It is part of the Central Fed ...
road, but after two days of fighting did not manage to dent the German defenses, while suffering considerable losses. The front soon went over to the defense. Later in March the 48th Army was reassigned to Gen. K.K. Rokossovsky's
Central Front The Central Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War formed on July 24, 1941. The Central Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first entity existed for just a month during th ...
. At the outset of the
Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...
the 137th was a separate division, although still alongside the 143rd. 48th Army was on the right flank of its front, on the north shoulder of the Kursk salient. The main blow of the German 9th Army attack fell on the 13th Army to the west. When the German assault ran down by July 12, 48th Army was in good shape to take part in the counteroffensive towards Oryol, which continued into August.


Advance

During September and October the 137th advanced, along with the rest of its army, in the direction of Gomel. Following the crossing of the
Dnepr River } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...
and the liberation of
Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
in November, Rokossovski's Front (now named Belorussian) continued a remorseless western advance along the southern fringes of the
Pripet Marshes __NOTOC__ The Pinsk Marshes ( be, Пінскія балоты, ''Pinskiya baloty''), also known as the Pripet Marshes ( be, Прыпяцкія балоты, ''Prypiackija baloty''), the Polesie Marshes, and the Rokitno Marshes, are a vast natural ...
. At around this time the division, by order of the front command, formed a separate Submachine Gun Battalion for "assault and... counterattack duties". This unit was organized as follows: * 2
submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...
companies (110 men each) * 1 mortar company (9 82mm mortars) * 1 light machinegun platoon (24 men, 8 LMGs) * 1 reconnaissance platoon (armed with SMGs) * 1 antiaircraft platoon (4 AAMGs) * 1 antitank platoon (9 ATRs) This battalion was formed from experienced "young men... from 19 to 33 years old", and was placed under command of the 771st Rifle Regiment. During the winter of 1943-44 the division also formed its own ski battalion, but this was disbanded at the end of the winter. In January 1944, the division became part of the
42nd Rifle Corps The 42nd Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 14th Army. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. Its initial commander was Major General Roman Ivanovich Panin. The corps was disbanded on 14 October 1941. The Corps ...
, where it would remain for the duration. Belorussian Front was renamed 1st Belorussian in February. During the Soviet summer offensive,
Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...
, the 42nd Corps was concentrated north of
Rogachev Rahachow or Rahačoŭ ( be, Рагачо́ў, ; russian: Рогачёв, Rogachyov, also transliterated Rogachev; pl, Rohaczów; yi, ראגאטשאוו, ''Rogatshov'', ) is a town in the Gomel Region of Belarus. It is center of Rahachow District ...
to assist its partner 29th Rifle Corps and units of the 3rd Army to break through the positions of the German 134th and 296th Infantry Divisions. By late on June 24 this had been achieved, with the Germans overwhelmed and the 9th Tank Corps exploiting to the rear. The 137th was given part of the credit for the liberation of the city of Bobruisk on June 29 and was awarded its name as an honorific. With the defenses of Army Group Center shattered, the division trekked westward towards Poland. 48th Army was transferred to
2nd Belorussian Front The 2nd Belorussian Front (Russian: Второй Белорусский фронт, alternative spellings are 2nd Byelorussian Front) was a military formation, of Army group size, of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. Soviet army g ...
in the late autumn of 1944. During the Vistula-Oder Offensive the 137th pushed on through northern Poland before the army was once again transferred to
3rd Belorussian Front The 3rd Belorussian Front () was a Front of the Red Army during the Second World War. The 3rd Belorussian Front was created on 24 April 1944 from forces previously assigned to the Western Front. Over 381 days in combat, the 3rd Belorussian Fron ...
. The division fought in the East Prussian Offensive, and ended the war near Elbing. Ten men of the division were named as Heroes of the Soviet Union, five of them posthumously. At the end of the war the men and women of the division carried the full title 137th Rifle, Bobryusk,
Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet award established on July 29, 1942 ...
Division. (russian: 137-я стрелковая Бобруйская ордена Суворова дивизия.) The division was part of the
42nd Rifle Corps The 42nd Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 14th Army. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. Its initial commander was Major General Roman Ivanovich Panin. The corps was disbanded on 14 October 1941. The Corps ...
, 48th Army of the
3rd Belorussian Front The 3rd Belorussian Front () was a Front of the Red Army during the Second World War. The 3rd Belorussian Front was created on 24 April 1944 from forces previously assigned to the Western Front. Over 381 days in combat, the 3rd Belorussian Fron ...
in May 1945.
Combat composition of the Soviet Army ''Boevoi sostav Sovetskoi armii'' ("Combat composition of the Soviet army") is an official Second World War Soviet Army order of battle published in five parts from 1963 through 1990 by the Voroshilov Academy of the General Staff and Voenizdat. ...
On 12 May, the division was moved to Elbing for garrison duty. In late May, the older personnel of the division were demobilized. The division was ordered to disbanded in August 1945. Remaining personnel were demobilized or transferred to other units. The division was disbanded in the Baltic Military District on August 31, 1945.


References


Citations


Bibliography

*


Further reading

* Kiselyov, Valeri
«Заплачено кровью»
"Paid in Blood" * Kiselyov, Valeriy

"Last Crane" * Akulov, Ivan "Крещение" ("Baptism") {{Soviet Union divisions before 1945 Infantry divisions of the Soviet Union in World War II Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945