The 203rd Rifle Division was an
infantry division
A division is a large military unit or Formation (military), formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers.
In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically mak ...
of the Soviet Union's
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 ...
.
World War II
The division was formed in the
Kuban
Kuban (Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Кубань; ady, Пшызэ) is a historical and geographical region of Southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Pontic–Caspian steppe, ...
near
Labinsk
Labinsk (russian: Лаби́нск) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the Bolshaya Laba River (Kuban's tributary) southeast of Krasnodar and southwest of Armavir. Population: 59,330 (2020), 53,000 (1972).
History
The ''sta ...
,
Kurgan
A kurgan is a type of tumulus constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into much of Central Asi ...
and
Mikhailovka from February to 20 May 1942. During the second half of May the division left the Kuban. At the end of the month at
Frolovo
Frolovo (russian: Фро́лово) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the Archeda River (Don River (Russia), Don's drainage basin, basin), north of Volgograd, the administrative center o ...
, the division received missing weapons and vehicles. It continued training at a faster pace. The division then moved to the front and until August built defensive positions on the
Don
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
*Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
*Don, Benin, a town in Benin
*Don, Dang, a vill ...
northwest of
Vyoshenskaya
VyoshenskayaAlso tranliterated Veshenskaya. ( rus, Вёшенская, p=ˈvʲɵʂɨnskəjə), colloquially known as Vyoshki (russian: Вёшки, is a rural locality (a ''stanitsa'') and the administrative center of Sholokhovsky District of R ...
.
On 18 August, the division received orders to cross the Don near Elanskaya village. Three days were spent on preparations for the assault. The attack began on the night of 22 August. The crossing was reportedly so fast that opposing Italian troops were unable to put up much resistance. On 26 August, the 610th and 619th Rifle Regiments went on the attack from the bridgehead and advanced 10 kilometers, capturing the Bahmutkin and Shirtikov farms. Three hours later, the enemy counterattacked and the regiments retreated in disarray. The division and regimental commanders were relieved of command.
On 31 August, the 592nd Rifle Regiment transferred to the division from the
197th Rifle Division. Two battalions of the regiment took up defensive positions on the right flank. The 197th was on the 203rd's right and the
14th Guards Rifle Division on its left. On 6 October, the division was transferred to the
21st Army. On 18 October, advanced units of the division carried out a reconnaissance in force of Hill 226.7. In early November, the division was subordinated to the
1st Guards Army, with which it would fight in
Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus (russian: Опера́ция «Ура́н», Operatsiya "Uran") was the codename of the Soviet Red Army's 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis ...
. The 592nd, 610th and 619th Rifle Regiments received the mission to advance and reach the Don. Then, the regiments would advance to the
Chir River
The Chir (russian: Чир) is a river in Rostov and Volgograd oblasts of Russia. It is a right tributary of the Don, and is long, with a drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a singl ...
and hold positions there, protecting the
Southwestern Front's right flank against counterattacks from the west.
On 19 November, Operation Uranus began. By 0700 on the morning of 22 November, the division overcame fierce resistance and captured the enemy second line positions. Pursuing retreating forces by noon, the division advanced 10–12 kilometers to the southwest. By the morning of 23 November, the 592nd and 610th Rifle Regiments had resumed the attack and advanced another 2–3 kilometers. However, heavy enemy fire halted the advance. At dawn on 24 November, the German troops began a counterattack. During 25–26 November, the 592nd and 619th Rifle Regiments were forced by the counterattacks to retreat 500 to 800 meters.
On 13 December, the division moved to positions east of
Krasnokutskaya and was relieved by the
159th Rifle Division. The division fought in
Operation Little Saturn
Operation Little Saturn was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942.
The success of Operation Uranus, launch ...
with the
3rd Guards Army. The 1243rd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment and two battalions were ordered to capture Krasnokutskaya, Novaya Kultura and Golensky. By the first day of the attack the division was to advance to the
Sovkhoz
A sovkhoz ( rus, совхо́з, p=sɐfˈxos, a=ru-sovkhoz.ogg, abbreviated from ''советское хозяйство'', "sovetskoye khozyaystvo (sovkhoz)"; ) was a form of state-owned farm in the Soviet Union.
It is usually contrasted wit ...
Krasnaya Zarya and Talova. On the right the 159th Rifle Division attacked and on the left the
50th Guards Rifle Division attacked. The Chir River, which needed to be crossed, was 20–30 meters at this point, but was covered with thin ice. The banks were icy and steep. On the other bank of the river, there were enemy firing points. On 14 December, the division moved to its starting positions. Sappers dug paths to the river, prepared ladders, bridges and fascines.
On the morning of 16 December, the division began the attack after a 75-minute artillery barrage. The 610th Rifle Regiments captured a kurgan one and a half kilometers from the farm and captured Ilyavinov, as well as ten anti-tank guns with ammunition. Until 20 December, the division attacked the enemy multiple times a day, despite severe ammunition shortages. However, they were unable to capture Krasnokutskaya. The 619th Rifle Regiment was transferred from the division's right to its left to reinforce that flank. On 23 December, the 592nd Rifle Regiment captured Krasnokutskaya and the next the division began the pursuit.
On 25 December, the division was ordered to reach the area of the village and assist the
Tatsinskaya Raid. The division made a 120-kilometer march south and by the end of 27 December concentrated at the village of Skosyrskaya. On 29 December, the division, after repulsing several German counterattacks, went on the offensive. The neighboring
266th Rifle Division's 1006th Rifle Regiment was attacked by German tanks approaching Skosyrskaya and withdrew into the 203rd's positions. Zdanovich ordered the regiment to defend the western edge of Grinyova. By the evening, the 1006th's commander found the headquarters of the 266th, and the regiment returned to subordination of the 266th. The 203rd was running out of ammunition and began a withdrawal. The 592nd left the Grinev farm and crossed to the right bank quickly. Advance units of the 610th and 619th moved positions. On 31 December, the division was relieved by the
1st Mechanized Corps and moved to the area of the Petrovsky farm for rest and resupply.
Two hours before New Year 1943, the division was ordered to retake their old positions on the river north of Bystraya. At 0700, the division attacked after a short artillery barrage and
Katyusha salvo. The division captured Grinyov and Nizhny Nikolayev in the next half-hour. The German troops retreated to their defenses at Skosyrskoy. Until 8 January, the division fought to capture and hold Skosyrskaya. The division was reinforced with the
24th Tank Corps and captured Zahara Oblivsakya and Kryukov. On 16 January, Zarubin and the Mikhailovskaya farm were captured. The division was supported by the
25th Tank Corps
The 25th Tank Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 12th Army. It took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 admin ...
. On 17 January, the division captured the Krutensky farm and Pogorelov on the next day. The division moved to the
Kalitvenskaya and
Varguny areas soon after.
On 12 August 1944, the division reached the
Prut
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , uk, Прут) is a long river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube. In part of its course it forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates ...
in the second echelon of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.
It fought at Stalingrad, Zaporizhia, and Budapest. With
53rd Army of the
2nd Ukrainian Front
The 2nd Ukrainian Front (2-й Украинский фронт), was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War.
History
On October 20, 1943 the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front.
During the Second Jassy–Kishinev O ...
in May 1945.
Postwar
The division was reduced to the 33rd Rifle Brigade in 1946 at
Kansk
Kansk (russian: Канск) is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on both banks of the Kan River. Population:
History and economy
Founded in 1628 as a Russian fort, it was transferred to its current location in 1636 and granted town st ...
. In 1947, the brigade moved to
Karaganda
Karaganda or Qaraghandy ( kk, Қарағанды/Qarağandy, ; russian: Караганда, ) is the capital of Karaganda Region in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, fourth most populous city in Kaza ...
.
On 25 June 1957, in Semipalatinsk, Semipalatinsk Oblast, the 102nd Motorised Rifle Division was established from the
30th Rifle Division. It was part of the
17th Army Corps,
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...
. On 11 January 1965 the division was redesignated the 203rd Pomeranskaya Red Banner order of Suvorov Motorised Rifle Division. The division was stationed at Semipalatinsk, Semipalatinsk Oblast (June 1957 – 1958); Chardzhou, Chardzhou Oblast, 1958 – 1969, and Karaganda, Karaganda Oblast, 1969 – May 1992.
On 7 May 1992 the formation (the 5204th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base since November 1989) was taken over by
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
. On October 19, 2006, based on the 5204th Base for storage military equipment, the 7th Mechanised Brigade (Military Unit No. 31775), in the village board (until 2003 – Village Green Beam), 4 kilometers east of Karaganda. At the grand building in front of the brigade personnel, the
Minister of Defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...
of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Lieutenant-General Mukhtar Altynbaev handed a new battle flag to the brigade commander, Lt. Col. Ruslan Saduyev. On May 7, 2008, in Karaganda hosted the first military parade in the city's history, which was attended by units of the 7th Independent Mechanised Brigade. The parade was dedicated to the 16th anniversary of the Armed Forces and took place in Independence Square.
The full name of the formation in Kazakh service is now the 7th Separate Mechanized Brigade (Russian: 7-я отдельная Запорожско-Хинганская Red Banner ордена Суворова II степени).
В войсковой части 31775 Регионального командования «Астана» стартовали десятидневные учебно-методические сборы молодых лейтенантов
/ref>
References
*Robert G. Poirier and Albert Z. Conner, The Red Army Order of Battle in the Great Patriotic War, Novato: Presidio Press, 1985. .
External links
*http://myfront.in.ua/krasnaya-armiya/divizii/strelkovye-196-210.html
{{Soviet Union divisions
Military units and formations established in 1941
203
Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner