The 172nd Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

during

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, formed thrice.

First formation

On 22 June 1941 it was part of the 61st Rifle Corps of the 20th Army in 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 Stav ...

. By 10 July the division transferred to the 13th Army of the

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 maj ...

with the corps. It was officially disbanded on 19 September.

Second formation

It was formed on 10 October 1941 from the 3rd Crimean Motorized Division as part of the 51st Army. By 1 November it transferred to the Coastal Army. It was officially disbanded on 25 June 1942.

Third formation

The division was reformed again on 9 September in the area of the Dorokhovo railway station, part of the

Moscow Defense Zone Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million re ...

, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Kostitsyn. The latter transferred to command the 183rd Rifle Division on 30 September. At the end of the war, it was part of the 102nd Rifle Corps of the 13th Army. In mid-1945 it was withdrawn to

Korosten Korosten ( uk, Ко́ростень, ; historically also ''Iskorosten'' ) is a historic city and a large transport hub in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh River. Korosten serves as the administrative c ...

in the

Carpathian Military District The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early Post-Soviet period. It was established on 3 May 1946 on the ...

with the army's

27th Rifle Corps 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

. The division was disbanded in 1946.

Commanders

The division's first formation was commanded by the following officers: * Major General

Mikhail Romanov Michael I ( Russian: Михаил Фёдорович Романов, ''Mikhaíl Fyódorovich Románov'') () became the first Russian tsar of the House of Romanov after the Zemskiy Sobor of 1613 elected him to rule the Tsardom of Russia. He ...

(14 March–19 July 1941) The division's second formation was commanded by the following officer: * Colonel Ivan Laskin (6 March–25 June 1942) The division's third formation was commanded by the following officers: * Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Kostitsyn (14–30 September 1942) * Colonel Gavriil Sorokin (31 September 1941–22 January 1943) * Colonel Nikolay Timofeyev (23 January 1943–1 January 1944; promoted to major general 18 May 1943) * Colonel Nikita Korkishko (2 January–7 May 1944) * Major General Anatoly Krasnov (8 May 1944–after 11 May 1945)

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * {{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 1946 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner