The 236th Rifle Division was formed as 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 ...
after a motorized division of that same number was reorganized in the first weeks of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was based on the ''shtat'' (
table of organization and equipment
A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of Military unit, units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as ...
) of July 29, 1941, although it was briefly redesignated as a mountain rifle division prior to making an amphibious landing at
in late December. This overly ambitious undertaking by Crimean Front's
44th Army
The 44th Army (russian: 44-я армия) of the Soviet Union's Red Army was an army-level command active during World War II. Initially part of the Transcaucasian Front, its main actions included the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran and the Kerch a ...
led to a disaster when a German counterattack retook the port, destroying much of the division's personnel and equipment. The remnants of the division were forced to evacuate the Crimea in the wake of the German counteroffensive in May.
As it gradually rebuilt in the western Caucasus region the 236th played an important role in the defense of
Tuapse
Tuapse (russian: Туапсе́; ady, Тӏуапсэ ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. Population:
Tuapse i ...
during Army Group A's summer offensive. Over the winter it pursued the German 17th Army as it withdrew to 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, ...
and took part in the liberation of
Krasnodar
Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...
3rd Ukrainian Front
The 3rd Ukrainian Front (Russian: Третий Украинский фронт) was a Front of the Red Army during World War II.
It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwester ...
) and advanced through eastern Ukraine, forcing a crossing of the
Dniepr 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 helping to liberate
Dnepropetrovsk
Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...
, for which it received a battle honor. Soon after, it was awarded two decorations for its successes in the winter battles in the great bend of the Dniepr. Its combat path was halted for a few months along the Dniestr River, but in August 1944 it began its advance through
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...
and into the Balkans, where all three of its rifle regiments received honors for the liberation of Belgrade. After crossing the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
the 236th took part in the battles outside the Hungarian capital in early 1945, and then advanced toward Vienna, ending the war in Austria as part of 26th Army's135th Rifle Corps. It continued to serve in the Balkans after the German surrender, but was disbanded in the fall.
236th Motorized Division
The division began forming in April 1941 as part of the prewar buildup of Soviet mechanized forces, at
Qazax
Qazax (; ) is a city in and the capital of the Gazakh District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 20,900. Gazakh is a city and administrative district in the west of Azerbaijan, the "western gate" of Azerbaijan.
History
Early history
In ...
in the
Transcaucasian Military District
The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Grou ...
as part of the 28th Mechanized Corps. Its main order of battle was intended to be as follows:
* 509th Motorized Rifle Regiment
* 814th Motorized Rifle Regiment
* 672nd Howitzer Artillery Regiment
* Antitank Battalion
* Antiaircraft Battalion
* Reconnaissance Battalion
* Sapper Battalion
Maj. Gen. Vasilii Konstantinovich Moroz was appointed to command on April 20. This cavalry officer came to the division after 10 months as a senior instructor at the
Frunze Military Academy
The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...
. While there was a large number of tanks (mostly T-26s) in the Transcaucasus, there is no evidence that the 236th ever had a tank regiment and was therefore never more than a partially-formed rifle division. At the start of the German invasion the division was located at
Ashtarak
Ashtarak (Armenian language, Armenian: ), is a town and urban municipal community in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, northwest of the capital Yerevan. It is the administrative centre of ...
. In a ''STAVKA'' order dated July 26, effective August 1, the 28th Corps was to form the basis of the new
47th Army The 47th Army (russian: 47-я армия) of the Soviet Union's Red Army was an army-level command active from 1941 to 1946.
History
The 47th Army was formed in late July 1941 in the Transcaucasian Military District as part of the Soviet Union's ...
in preparation for the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran and the 236th was officially redesignated as a rifle division. While the former Corps' two tank divisions took part in this operation, the 236th was still too raw and disorganized to play any active role.
Formation
After the division reorganized its order of battle was substantially changed, and there were further changes during the course of its existence:
* 177th Rifle Regiment (from 177th Reserve Rifle Regiment; later 818th and 976th Rifle Regiments)
* 509th Rifle Regiment (from 509th Motorized Rifle Regiment; later 180th Rifle Regiment)
* 814th Rifle Regiment (from 814th Motorized Rifle Regiment)
* 687th Artillery Regiment (later 889th Artillery Regiment)
* 27th Antitank Battalion (later 28th Antitank Battalion)
* 178th Antiaircraft Battery (later 292nd Antiaircraft Battalion until March 29, 1943)
* 496th Reconnaissance Company (later 311th Reconnaissance Battalion)
* 404th Sapper Battalion
* 615th Signal Battalion (later 630th Signal Company)
* 392nd Medical/Sanitation Battalion
* 102nd Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company (later 10th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company)
* 94th Motor Transport Company (later 665th Motor Transport Battalion)
* 337th Field Bakery (later 459th Motorized Field Bakery)
* 236th Divisional Veterinary Hospital
* 701st Field Postal Station
* 508th Field Office of the State Bank
General Moroz remained in command. At the beginning of September the division's 180th Rifle Regiment was in 45th Army, while the balance remained in 47th Army, both of which were in the redesignated
Transcaucasian Front
Transcaucasian Front or Transcaucasus Front (russian: Закавказский Фронт) was a front of the Soviet Red Army—a military formation comparable to an army group, not a geographic military front—during the Second World War.
Th ...
; one month later the entire division had been assigned to the 45th.
In December the 236th was again reassigned, now to the
9th Rifle Corps
The 9th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Red Army. Located in Simferopol during the beginning of the war in the east.
History
The corps headquarters was formed in accordance with orders of the North Caucasus Military District of 6 June and 26 Aug ...
of 44th Army in Caucasus Front, and was officially redesignated as a mountain rifle division. However, in a report on December 20 its manpower and equipment was not that of a mountain division, especially in terms of specialized equipment:
* Total personnel – 11,113
*
Rifles
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with bo ...
/
Semi-automatic rifles
A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger, and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber. For comparison, a bolt-act ...
– 6,922/1,548
*
Submachine guns
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 automati ...
/
Light machine guns
A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the same ...
/
Heavy machine guns
A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require mounting onto a weapons platform to be operably stable or t ...
cannon
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
Caucasus Front (soon renamed Crimean Front) began its operations to retake the
Kerch Peninsula
The Kerch Peninsula is a major and prominent geographic peninsula located at the eastern end of the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine.
This peninsula stretches eastward toward the Taman peninsula between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Most of the ...
overnight on December 25/26 with landings in the vicinity of Kerch itself. This was followed on December 28/29 with further landings at the port city of Feodosia which took the defending German XXXXII Army Corps utterly by surprise. The assault was led by naval infantry detachments plus the 633rd Rifle Regiment of the 157th Rifle Division and by 0730 hours the German forces had completely lost control of the port. By the end of the day elements of three Red Army divisions were ashore, including part of the 236th. The response of the German Corps commander, Lt. Gen. H. von Sponeck, was one of near panic as the communications of his own 46th Infantry Division were in immediate danger of being cut off from the rest of the Crimea. He disobeyed orders from the headquarters of 11th Army and directed the 46th to retreat from the Kerch area despite the fact that nearly 20,000 Romanian troops were on hand to counterattack Feodosia.
Sponeck ordered two Romanian brigades to counterattack the Soviet lodgement on December 30 but these troops, tired from countermarching and without artillery or air support, were quickly repulsed. 9th Corps now pushed northward to complete the isolation of XXXXII Corps. Over two days the 46th Infantry marched westward in a snowstorm; fuel shortages led to some motor vehicles being abandoned and heavy weapons lagged behind. When its lead elements reached the crossroads town of Vladislavovka they were shocked to find it held in strength by the
63rd Mountain Rifle Division
The 63rd Mountain Rifle Division was formed as a specialized infantry division of the Red Army in July 1936, based on the 2nd Georgian Mountain Division. When the German invasion of the Soviet Union began it was in the Transcaucasus Military Distri ...
. The German divisional commander ordered his lead regiments to crash through the position but this failed due to exhaustion and lack of artillery. Inexplicably the 9th Corps had left a gap between its pincer and the south shore of the
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov ( Crimean Tatar: ''Azaq deñizi''; russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; uk, Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, ...
through which the German division was able to escape with light losses in personnel. By January 1, 1942, the XXXXII Corps had established a new line roughly west of Feodosia. The Romanian 4th Mountain Brigade was in a strong position at
Staryi Krym
Staryi Krym (russian: Старый Крым; uk, Старий Крим; crh, Eski Qırım, italic=yes; in all three languages) is a small historical town and former bishopric in Kirovske Raion of Crimea, Ukraine. It has been illegally occupie ...
but the 236th was pushing against its lines.
An attack that day on the XXXXII Corps command post at Ismail-Terek by infantry and
T-26
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light tank used during many conflicts of the Interwar period and in World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and was one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s until its light ...
tanks of 44th Army failed with the loss of 16 vehicles knocked out. Despite this setback the army appeared to be in a good position with 23,000 troops ashore and the Axis forces appearing weak and disorganized. The 236th was holding about west of Feodosia on the Biyuk-Eget ridge, the best defensive terrain in the area, with a forward security zone farther west, while the 63rd Mountain remained on the defense in and around Vladislavovka as 51st Army moved up from the
Kerch
Kerch ( uk, Керч; russian: Керчь, ; Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ; Ancient Greek: , ''Pantikápaion''; Medieval Greek: ''Bosporos''; crh, , ; tr, Kerç) is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of t ...
area. In fact the 44th Army was overextended and the Crimean Front was hampered by the inept leadership of Lt. Gen. D. T. Kozlov. By January 13 the commander of 11th Army, ''Gen. d. Inf.'' E. von Manstein, had concentrated more than four divisions outside Feodosia.
Manstein's counteroffensive began at dawn on January 15, focused on the 236th; Kozlov was convinced the German objective would be Vladislavovka and had therefore concentrated most of his reserves to this sector. A brief artillery preparation fell on the forward zone, followed by Ju 87s and He 111s bombing the ridge line. This was immediately followed by a German infantry assault, led by the 213th Regiment of 73rd Infantry Division along with two battalions of the 46th Division, which apparently took the forward defense by surprise and overran it. Three StuG IIIs supported the attack and knocked out two T-26s, but one of the assault guns was then knocked out by a 76 mm cannon. The commander of 44th Army, Maj. Gen. A. N. Pervushin, was badly wounded in an air attack, which disrupted command and control. By evening the 213th Regiment had taken the Biyuk-Eget ridge, completing the defeat of the 236th. The next day the German attack steadily pushed 63rd Mountain back toward the sea and threatened to isolate the 236th in Feodosia.
The 132nd Infantry Division was brought up on January 17 and attacked directly into the northern part of the port, ripping apart the remaining defenses. After taking Sarygol the 236th was effectively isolated. The
Black Sea Fleet
Chernomorskiy flot
, image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet
, dates = May 13, ...
braved air attack to attempt an emergency evacuation but few troops managed to escape in this manner. Others managed to filter through German lines to the east, eventually reaching the Parpach Narrows, but by the end of the next day 5,300 men had been taken prisoner in Feodosia, mostly from the division, roughly half its strength. Among those who escaped was General Moroz and most of his command cadre. On February 6 he was relieved of his command and arrested "for the loss of control of the division". He was court-martialed and condemned to death on February 18 with the sentence being carried out four days later. He had been replaced by Col. Pyotr Ivanovich Nemertsalov.
Operation Bustard Hunt
As of February 1 the 236th had lost its designation as a mountain division. Later in the month its remnants were transferred to 47th Army, still in Crimean Front, which was positioned near Kerch as a second echelon holding command for some time. Beginning on February 27 General Kozlov launched a number of offensives from his positions at the Parpach, but these did little to restore his situation while also causing heavy casualties to his forces. Before the last of these offensives ended General von Manstein began planning an operation to destroy all three armies of Crimean Front in one stroke. Operation ''Trappenjagd'' would initially target the 44th Army, which was defending a sector about long with five rifle divisions and two tank brigades. When the operation began on May 8 the division was still in 47th Army and so largely escaped the disaster that overwhelmed 44th and 51st Armies. The still-depleted 236th managed to evacuate most of its personnel and some equipment across
Kerch Strait
The Kerch Strait, uk, Керченська протока, crh, Keriç boğazı, ady, Хы ТӀуалэ is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from ...
to the
Taman Peninsula
The Taman Peninsula (russian: Тама́нский полуо́стров, ''Tamanskiy poluostrov'') is a peninsula in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia, which borders the Sea of Azov to the North, the Strait of Kerch to the West and the ...
. By June 1 it was in North Caucasus Front, again in 44th Army. On May 30 Colonel Nemertsalov was replaced by Col. Gleb Nikolaevich Korchikov, who concurrently commanded the
396th Rifle Division
The 396th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served twice during the Great Patriotic War in that role. The division followed a very similar combat path to that of the 398th Rifle Division in its 1st fo ...
for the next two weeks.
Battle of the Caucasus
When 1st Panzer and 17th Armies began their part of the German summer offensive on July 7 the 236th was part of
1st Rifle Corps
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
, which was under direct command of the Front. By the time these German forces reached the line of the lower
Don River
The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire.
Its ...
around July 25 the division (still described as "remnants") was part of 18th Army of Southern Front along with the 383rd, 395th, and 216th Rifle Divisions, 68th Naval Rifle Brigade and remnants of 16th Rifle Brigade, defending a sector from the Kagalnik at the mouth of the Don eastward to Kiziterinka, southeast of
Rostov
Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:
While t ...
. By August 1 the division and its Army had again come under the command of the
North Caucasian Front
The North Caucasian Front or North Caucasus Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War.
The North Caucasus Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war.
First Creation
The first formation wa ...
. On August 10 the ''STAVKA'' signaled the Front commander, Marshal S. M. Budyonny, in part:The Front's staff replied with a detailed plan of defense on August 13. On September 1 Colonel Korchikov was relieved of his command for his conduct of the retreat and was replaced the next day by Maj. Gen. Nikita Emelianovich Chuvakov. The former officer would return to the fighting as deputy commander of the 353rd Rifle Division and later as commander of the 48th Guards Rifle Division and be promoted to the rank of major general in March 1944. The latter had been serving as deputy commander of 12th Army but refused to fully comply with the terms of
Order No. 227
Order No. 227 () was an order issued on 28 July 1942 by Joseph Stalin, who was acting as the People's Commissar of Defence. It is known for its line "Not a step back!" (, ''Ni shagu nazad!''), which became the primary slogan of the Soviet press i ...
, leading to his arrest and sentence of 2 years imprisonment, suspended until after the war. The sentence was annulled in February 1943.
Defense of Tuapse
At the start of September the division was still in 18th Army, and remained on the defense on the approaches to Tuapse. 17th Army, which had already attempted to reach the city during the previous weeks, began Operation ''Attika'' on September 23 with a total of seven divisions of the LVII Panzer, XXXXIX Mountain, and XXXXIV Army Corps, although the latter two Corps did not kick off until two days later. The objective was to capture Tuapse and encircle the bulk of 18th Army northeast of Shaumyan, where the 236th was currently positioned. While the distance to be covered was a modest , it would require negotiating winding mountain roads against stiff resistance in deteriorating weather conditions.
By this time North Caucasian Front had been split and 18th Army was part of the
Black Sea Group of Forces
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...
. The group consisted of four armies deployed along the Black Sea coast and the crest of the western Caucasus Mountains, with 18th Army on the right wing from Staroobriadcheskii to Mount Matazyk. The 236th was one of five rifle divisions in the first echelon. The defense had been augmented by the creation of the Tuapse Defensive Region under the Black Sea Fleet. However the limited road network prevented adequate supply of the forward forces.
The 97th and 101st Jäger Divisions of XXXXIV Corps began their parts in the offensive by attacking the 32nd Guards on September 25 along the Shaumyan road. This continued for three days as the Guardsmen limited the advance to only a few kilometres. The German divisions now turned to the south and assaulted the 236th and 383rd Divisions on Mount Lysaya, which fell after heavy fighting. In an effort to complete the breakthrough the assault on the 383rd's right wing was reinforced. Since this division was defending along a sector it was forced to withdraw westward on September 30. This in turn collapsed the defenses on the right flank of the 236th and it was obliged to conform. By October 5 the mountain troops of Group Lanz had captured Mounts Gunai and Geiman, reached the valley of the Gunaika River, and was deep into 18th Army's defenses. On October 7, under pressure from ''STAVKA'', the 18th Army commander, Lt. Gen. F. V. Kamkov, initiated a counterattack against Group Lanz's forward positions in the valley with the 236th, the
12th Guards Cavalry Division
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
, 40th Motorized and 119th Rifle Brigades. This effort was hastily organized and failed to dent the German defenses. A better-planned series of counterattacks brought the German group to a halt on October 9, barely short of the
Khadyzhensk
Khadyzhensk (russian: Хады́женск) is a town in Apsheronsky District of Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the Pshish River, southeast of Krasnodar.
History
It was founded in 1864 as the ''stanitsa'' of Khadyzhenskaya (). Town status wa ...
Tuapse road. 17th Army now paused for rest and reorganization until October 13.
The 17th resumed its offensive on the 14th, still attempting to reach Tuapse and encircle 18th Army. As a result of its initial successes General Kamkov was replaced by Maj. Gen. A. A. Grechko on October 18. This officer's more effective leadership, in addition to attrition of the German forces and the arrival of Soviet reinforcements, brought the offensive to a standstill by early November. By this time the 236th was providing most of the manpower for the Tuapse Defensive Region, along with the devastated 408th Rifle Division and the 408th Rifle Brigade.
Pursuit Into the Kuban
As of December 1 the division was still the main formation of the Tuapse Defensive Region, especially after the disbanding of the 408th Division on November 25. As the position of the German armies in southern Russia deteriorated, especially with the encirclement of 6th Army at Stalingrad, it became clear that Army Group A would soon be forced to retreat from the Caucasus to avoid encirclement. By the beginning of the new year all Red Army forces in the region were under Transcaucasian Front, although still split between a Northern Group and a Black Sea Group, and as of January 1 the 236th was under direct command of the Front. On January 11 the ''STAVKA'' approved plans for Operations "Mountain" and "Sea" to encircle and destroy the German armies as they pulled back toward Rostov and the Kuban. The division had returned to 18th Army and was part of
16th Rifle Corps
The 16th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army, formed twice.
It took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 and destroyed in the Baltic Operation during Operation Barbarossa. Reformed in 1942, the corps fought through the rest ...
, along with the 10th and 107th Rifle Brigades, and according to the plan was to advance eastward along the Shaumyan and Khadyzhensk axis at the start of the offensive.
The army began its advance on January 14, reacting to what was believed to be a withdrawal by the German forces opposite. 16th Corps was to attack along the Tuapse road against the defenses of the 101st Jäger and elements of 4th Mountain Division, reach the withdrawal route of the German main grouping and destroy it in cooperation with 353rd Division and 40th Motorized Brigade. The Corps was in the center of the army's formation and because it faced the strongest German sector was allocated most of the army's artillery in support. When the attack began at dawn it encountered very strong resistance and harsh winter weather, with heavy rains and snow up to a metre deep, and made only modest progress of , capturing Kotlovina and reaching the Mount Gunai and Geiman line. The next day the Corps reached the southern outskirts of Shaumyan, which was liberated on January 16, and the 236th took Navaginskii. Although none of the initial objectives had been met, the offensive did force 17th Army to accelerate its withdrawal.
On January 26 the 18th Army was directed to attack to capture Khadyzhenskaya by the end of the next day and reach the Saratovskaya region by January 30. It was then to force the
Kuban River
The Kuban; Circassian: Псыжъ, ''Psyẑ'' or Псыжь, ''Psyź'' ; abq, Къвбина, ''Q̇vbina'' ; Karachay–Balkar: Къобан, ''Qoban''; Nogai: Кобан, ''Qoban'') is a river in Russia that flows through the Western Caucas ...
at Pashkovskaya and destroy the German Krasnodar grouping in cooperation with 56th Army. The 236th and 353rd Divisions were to attack from second echelon toward Lineinaya, Suzdalskaya, and Shabanokhabl. Due to the transportation difficulties the army was told to rely on local resources for food. 17th Army began its planned withdrawal from defensive line "F" to the line of the Kuban on January 28. On the same day the division reached the village of Abkhazskaya and pushed north from there the next day against rearguards from the 46th Infantry Division. Anticipating that the 17th Army was about to evade encirclement the Black Sea Group's forces were ordered to accelerate their pursuit, and on January 30 the division captured Kochkin, east of Zarya Vostok. The next day the 236th, in a joint advance with the 68th Rifle Brigade, reached the Vochepshiy region, southeast of Krasnodar. As this stage of the campaign ended on February 1 the division, which had been the strongest in 18th Army on January 10, with 6,933 personnel, had been reduced to 4,636 or 49 percent of authorized strength.
On February 4 the commander of the Black Sea Group, Lt. Gen. I. Ye. Petrov, issued orders to his 18th, 46th and 56th Armies to prepare for a converging attack on Krasnodar for the east and the south. Despite continued difficulties due to rainy weather the attack began on February 9. Maj. Gen. A. I. Ryzhov, the 18th Army's commander, almost immediately noticed that XXXXIX Mountain Corps had pulled back from the Kuban River and sent infantry to gain a crossing and then had his engineers construct a pontoon bridge. Once this was completed he sent the 40th Motorized Brigade and sent it across. On the morning of the next day German rearguards of the 198th Infantry crossed the river into Krasnodar and blew up the last bridges.
On February 11 the 236th put two rifle regiments across, including the 509th, which reached the southern outskirts of the city by 2000 hours and captured the railway station by 2300. Krasnodar was fully liberated the next day. By the start of March the division had been transferred to 46th Army. On March 4 General Chuvakov left the division to take command of the
23rd Rifle Corps
The 23rd Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 4th Army. It took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.
On 22 June 1941 it was part of the Transcaucasian Military District comprising the 136th and 138th Rifl ...
. He would hold other corps commands into the postwar era, be made a
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...
on October 25, and would be promoted to the rank of major general in April 1945. The new commander of the division was Maj. Gen. Nikita Fyodorovich Tsepliaev, who had been leading the 40th Motorized Brigade. Under ''STAVKA'' Order No. 46082 of March 20 was one of a group of divisions that were to be moved by rail to
Millerovo Millerovo (russian: Миллерово) is the name of several inhabited localities in Rostov Oblast, Russia.
;Urban localities
*Millerovo, Millerovsky District, Rostov Oblast, a town in Millerovsky District
;Rural localities
* Millerovo, Kuyby ...
in preparation for transfer to 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 ...
for redeployment to the
Kursk
Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...
region.
Into Ukraine
By the start of May the division was in 46th Army in the
Steppe Military District
The Steppe Military District () was a military district of the Soviet Union, formed twice. It was first formed in April 1943 during World War II near Voronezh as a strategic reserve, and after the beginning of the Battle of Kursk in July it became ...
. At the end of the month General Tsepliaev left the division to take command of the Military Horse Breeding Directorate and was replaced by Hero of the Soviet Union Col. Ivan Ivanovich Fesin. Fesin had won the honor while commanding the 13th Motorized Rifle Brigade in battles near
Rossosh Rossosh (russian: Россошь) is the name of several types of inhabited localities in Russia, inhabited localities in Russia.
;Urban localities
*Rossosh, Rossoshansky District, Voronezh Oblast, a town in Rossoshansky District of Voronezh Oblast ...
and
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Southwestern Front, where it remained into July.
Before the division could take part in the second Donbas Strategic Offensive it returned to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command with its Army and moved north. After a lengthy redeployment it reached the right (north) flank of Southwestern Front and went into action on August 25 after crossing the
Siverskyi Donets River
The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets, is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv, Don ...
south of Kharkiv. That city had changed hands for the final time on August 21 and the 236th was exploiting the breakthrough of the German front in the direction of
Dniprodzerzhynsk
Kamianske ( uk, Кам'янське, ), formerly Dniprodzerzhynsk, is an industrial city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine and a port on the Dnieper. Administratively, it serves as the administrative center of Kamianske Raion. Kamianske hosts ...
. On September 25-26 elements of the division were the first in the army to reach the Dniepr, and overnight successfully forced a crossing near the village of Soshinovka near Dnepropetrovsk. Under Colonel Fesin's leadership the bridgehead was entrenched and held for three days under heavy counterattacks until the remainder of the army could come up. In recognition, on November 1 he would be awarded a rare second Gold Star, and would be promoted to the rank of major general on November 17. Some 20 other soldiers of the division, including the commander of the 509th Regiment, Lt. Col. Ivan Mikhailovich Orlov, were also made Heroes for this action.
46th Army had been reassigned to
Steppe Front
The Steppe Front (russian: Степной фронт) was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War which existed from July to October 1943.
History
On 9 July 1943, Stavka designated a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh region, that had ...
on September 10, but early in October it returned to Southwestern Front (3rd Ukrainian Front from October 20). Later that month the division had been assigned to
26th Guards Rifle Corps
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
. On October 25 it took part in the liberation of Dnepropetrovsk and was awarded a battle honor:At the same time that this Dnipropetrovsk Operation was being carried out, elements of 2nd Ukrainian Front, after crossing the Dniepr farther upstream, reached
Piatykhatky Piatykhatky ( uk, П'ятихатки) can refer to
* Piatykhatky, a city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
* Piatykhatky, a historic neighborhood in Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Хар ...
before driving on to
Kryvyi Rih
Kryvyi Rih ( uk, Криви́й Ріг , lit. "Curved Bend" or "Crooked Horn"), also known as Krivoy Rog (Russian: Кривой Рог) is the largest city in central Ukraine, the 7th most populous city in Ukraine and the 2nd largest by area. Kr ...
, which was liberated but then lost under the weight of counterattacks by 1st Panzer Army.
Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive
By the start of the new year the 236th had been transferred to 34th Rifle Corps, still in 46th Army. On January 10, 1944, 3rd Ukrainian Front launched an attack in part with 46th Army west of the
Bazavluk River
The Bazavluk () is a river in Ukraine and a right tributary of the Dnieper
}
The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through ...
against the rebuilt German 6th Army holding out in the great bend of the Dniepr, but this miscarried when the Soviet infantry failed to keep up with the tanks. Further efforts over the next three days forced the front line back about at considerable cost. The offensive was renewed on January 30 after a powerful artillery preparation against the positions of the German XXX Army Corps on the same sector, but this was met with a counter-barrage that disrupted the attack. A new effort the next day, backed by even heavier artillery and air support, made progress but still did not penetrate the German line.
When February began the division was under command of
6th Guards Rifle Corps
The 6th Danube Guards Rifle Corps was a Rifle Corps of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II. During the war, it formed part of the 8th, 2nd Shock, 1st Guards, 46th, 37th, and 57th Armies.
History
The corps was part of the 'operation ...
. On that day the XXX Corps line was pierced in several places and by nightfall the Soviet forces had torn a gap in the line west of the Bazavluk. During the next two days 6th Army tried to avoid encirclement by slogging through the mud to the Kamenka River line, which was already compromised by the Soviet advance. Forward detachments of
8th Guards Army
The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army (abbreviated 8th CAA) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered in Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, within Russia′s Southern Military District, that was reinstated in 2017 as a success ...
reached
Apostolove
Apostolove ( , russian: Апо́столово) is a city in Kryvyi Rih Raion, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Apostolove urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: In 2001, the populat ...
on the 4th and over the next few days 46th Army began to attempt a sweep westward to envelop Kryvyi Rih from the south. The dispersion of the Front's forces, combined with German reserves produced by the evacuation of the Nikopol bridgehead east of the Dniepr and indecision on the part of the German high command, produced "a peculiar sort of semiparalysis" on this part of the front during the second half of the month. Finally, on February 21 elements of the 46th and 37th Armies broke into the outer defenses of Kryvyi Rih. To avoid costly street fighting 6th Army was withdrawn west of the city, which was cleared the next day. On February 13 the 236th was awarded the
Order of the Red Banner
The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...
for its part in the battles for the lower Dniepr, Nikopol and Apostolove, and on the 26th it was further decorated with the
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 ...
, 2nd Degree, for its role in the second liberation of Kryvyi Rih.
First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive
As of March 1, the division had returned to 34th Corps and a month later was advancing under this command with the 394th Rifle Division. The 46th was one of three armies on the right flank 3rd Ukrainian Front that were tasked with continuing the offensive towards the Dniestr River while also protecting the Front's right flank. On April 8 the army was ordered to advance to the river as rapidly as possible. 34th Corps, on the army's left (south) flank, was to reach the river in the sector east of Răscăieți, south of
Tiraspol
Tiraspol or Tirișpolea ( ro, Tiraspol, Moldovan Cyrillic: Тираспол, ; russian: Тира́споль, ; uk, Тирасполь, Tyraspol') is the capital of Transnistria (''de facto''), a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the th ...
, capture the towns of Korotnoe and Nezaertailovka near the river's east bank, force a crossing, and prepare to advance to the west. Forward detachments of the Corps reached the Dniestr late on April 11. The two divisions managed to capture small and precarious footholds on the narrow strip of flatlands west of the river but could advance no farther. In mid-April the army was ordered to attack the two German strongpoints of Cioburciu and Răscăieți. The assault on the former collapsed almost immediately but the attack by 34th Corps, which was soon reinforced by the 353rd Rifle Division, in three days of heavy fighting advanced deep in an sector south of Răscăieți, threatening to envelop the town from the south. However, the German XXIX Army Corps reinforced the defenses at Cioburciu, allowing the 76th Infantry Division to shift most of its forces to its left wing and halt the Soviet advance. 46th Army played little subsequent role in the first offensive.
Second Jassy-Kishinev Offensive
On June 13 General Fesin was admitted to hospital due to illness and left his command five days later, handing the division over to Hero of the Soviet Union Col. Pyotr Ivanovich Kulizhskii. Fesin would remain in hospital until August, when he became commandant of the Moscow Infantry School. He would remain in the training establishment until his retirement in 1965. Kulizhskii had won his Gold Star while leading the 152nd Rifle Division in the Dnepropetrovsk operation and would be promoted to the rank of major general on November 2; he commanded the 236th for the duration of the war. At the start of August it was still in 34th Corps of 46th Army.
From May through most of August the division had remained in much the same positions while the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts prepared for a new offensive. 46th Army's front now ran from the western outskirts of
Talmaza
Talmaza is a village in Ștefan Vodă District, Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the nor ...
all the way to the Black Sea coast. In the last days before the assault, 34th Corps concentrated the 394th and 353rd Divisions in the bridgehead over the Dniestr at Purcari, while the 236th formed the army's reserve. The offensive opened at dawn on August 20, and during that day the stubborn strongpoint at Răscăieți was finally captured. Overall, 46th Army achieved all of its first-day objectives. On the second day the 34th Corps continued its advance as the German 6th and Romanian 3rd Armies were being split apart by the Front's spearheads. By the 23rd, 46th Army was in the process of encircling the Romanian forces while the 236th was concentrating in the Fridenstal area, still serving as the army's reserve. This encirclement completed the demoralization of the Romanian Army and led to that nation soon leaving the Axis. The 46th was now to completely clear the southern part of Bessarabia and occupy favorable positions for further operations into Romania.
Into the Balkans
By the beginning of September the 236th had come under direct command of 3rd Ukrainian Front, and remained there into October. Through September the Front advanced through Romania and northern Bulgaria with the intention of pushing north and south of Arad for a thrust across the
Tisza River
The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders.
The Tisza be ...
to Budapest, but this was too ambitious after the lengthy offensive. On October 4 Soviet forces reached
Pančevo
Pančevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Панчево, ; german: Pantschowa; hu, Pancsova; ro, Panciova; sk, Pánčevo) is a city and the administrative center of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located on ...
on the north bank of the Danube downstream from Belgrade and on the 8th the railroad running into the city from the south was cut. On the night of October 14 a combined force of Soviet troops and Yugoslav partisans entered Belgrade and took the city center by the next afternoon. For this feat one of the division's regiments was awarded a battle honor:At this time the division was serving in the
75th Rifle Corps 75th may refer to:
*75th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2002, held on March 23, 2003
* 75th Avenue–61st Street Historic District, a national historic district in Ridgewood, Queens, New York
*75th Grey Cup, the 1987 Canadian Football Lea ...
of 57th Army, still in 3rd Ukrainian Front. On November 14 the other two rifle regiments would also receive honors: the 814th would be awarded the Order of the Red Banner, while the 507th was given the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd Degree. Later in October the 3rd Ukrainian Front crossed the
Sava River
The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...
and by the end of the month reached the
Ruma
Ruma (; hu, Árpatarló) is a town and municipality in the Srem District of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, the town has a population of 30,076, while the municipality has a population of 54,339.
History
Traces of orga ...
area, northwest of Belgrade. At this time the 57th Army's forces were dispersed over a very large area with lengthy lines of communication. By the beginning of November the 236th had been shifted to the 64th Rifle Corps in the same Army.
Budapest Campaign
At the start of the Budapest Operation on October 29 the 64th Corps (
19th
19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number.
Mathematics
19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...
Hrtkovci
Hrtkovci ( sr-Cyrl, Хртковци) is a village located in the municipality of Ruma, Serbia. As of 2011 census, it has a population of 3,036 inhabitants.
Name
In Serbo-Croatian, the village is known as ''Hrtkovci'' (Хртковци), and in ...
to
Progar
Progar ( sr-cyr, Прогар) is a List of Belgrade neighborhoods, suburban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Surčin.
Location
Progar is located in Syrmia's sub-region of Podlužje, in southwester ...
, then along the right bank of the
Kolubara River
The Kolubara ( sr-cyr, Колубара, ) is a long river in western Serbia; it is an eastern, right tributary to the Sava river.
General overview
Kolubara is formed by the two small rivers Obnica and Jablanica.
''Obnica'' is the river in W ...
before reaching the
Stara Pazova
Stara Pazova (, ; hu, Ópazova) is a town and municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 64792, while Stara Pazova municipality has 65,792 inhabitants. The entrance into ...
Nova Pazova
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...
area which was occupied by the 236th's main forces. The Corps had the task of leaving a covering force along these lines before concentrating by October 31 at crossing points on the
Sava River
The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...
at Belgrade,
Grocka
Grocka ( sr-cyr, Гроцка, ) or Grocka na Dunavu ( sr-cyr, Гроцка на Дунаву, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has 83,906 inhabitants.
Location and geography
The ...
, Dubrovica, and
Surduk
Surduk (Serbian Cyrillic: Сурдук) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Stara Pazova municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,589 people (2002 censu ...
. The Corps got over from October 31 to November 3 and was to concentrate in the SamborMiletic area by November 5 in preparation for a further crossing of the Danube.
Before the forcing was to begin on November 15 the division, along with the 32nd Motorized Rifle Brigade, was moved to the 57th Army reserve and was on the march in the
Žabalj
Žabalj ( sr-cyrl, Жабаљ, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town Žabalj has a population of 9,107 and the municipality Žabalj has a population of 25,777 ...
area. By the 15th it had reached its assigned crossing point at Kupusina. By the end of November 18 it had two rifle regiments over the river into the bridgehead that had been established by 75th Corps. These were occupying positions near the dyke northwest of Kozjak and then to the south along the dyke. The third regiment was at the crossing point. After completing its crossing the division went over to the attack and by the end of November 22 had expanded the breakthrough of the German defense up to toward the flanks and captured the MonoroszCsiprasat and, after overcoming the last defensive line along the second dyke, advanced in the direction of Mirkovac. By this time it was again officially subordinated to 75th Corps, and as of November 24 the Corps was east of
Kneževi Vinogradi
Kneževi Vinogradi ( hu, Hercegszöllős; sr-cyr, Кнежеви Виногради) is a village and municipality in Croatia. It is situated in the Osijek-Baranja County, on the southern slopes of Bansko Brdo, 11 km southeast of Beli Manas ...
east of Grabovacnorthern outskirts of Lug. One division was fighting for the former place the next day while the remainder of the Corps was held up by heavy German fire resistance. Kneževi Vinogradi finally fell on November 28.
On December 26 the Hungarian capital was encircled, and the Axis forces began operations to relieve the garrison on January 1, 1945. The third such operation, called Konrad III, began on January 18. On the morning of January 20 the German forces continued to attack to the east and northeast in an effort to capture
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér ...
. In reaction the 236th and 233rd Rifle Divisions were pulled into Front reserve in case they were needed to defend the southern sector of the new defensive front. Székesfehérvár fell on January 22. Two days later the headquarters of 133rd Rifle Corps was attached to 57th Army and the two divisions came under its command; the Corps formed the army's right flank along the Sárvíz Canal. The 236th relieved the 32nd Mechanized Brigade, which was pulled into the army reserve in the Tamasin area. As an indication of the rapidly evolving situation on the Soviet side, the next day the 135th Rifle Corps headquarters was also subordinated to the army and the two divisions shifted to its command. The 236th would remain in the Corps for the duration of the war. By the 26th the German relief force had reached to within of the inner encirclement but this proved to be the limit of the advance. On January 31, as the Front went over to the counteroffensive, a German counter-effort struck the division. Up to a regiment of infantry, supported by 80 armored vehicles and 35 tanks, was able to encircle or partly encircle most of the division's subunits, but was defeated with the loss of 15 armored vehicles, plus 700 prisoners, six guns, 30 machine guns and more than 100 motor vehicles captured.
Budapest fell on February 13. During the month the 135th Corps, which now also contained the 74th Rifle Division, was moved to 26th Army, still in 3rd Ukrainian Front. The 236th remained in this Army into the postwar. After helping to defeat the
6th SS Panzer Army
The 6th Panzer Army (german: 6. Panzerarmee) was a formation of the German Army, formed in the autumn of 1944. The 6th Panzer Army was first used as an offensive force during the Battle of the Bulge, in which it operated as the northernmost element ...
in Operation Spring Awakening in March, during early April the 26th Army advanced on Vienna, which was taken on April 13, and the division ended the war advancing north of
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
.Ziemke, ''Stalingrad to Berlin'', pp. 455-56
Postwar
At the time of the German surrender the men and women of the division shared the full title of ''236th Rifle, Dnepropetrovsk, Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Division''. (Russian: 236-я стрелковая Днепропетровская Краснознамённая ордена Суворова дивизия.) On June 15 it was assigned, along with the rest of its Army, to the
Southern Group of Forces
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
, but this was short-lived as the division was disbanded in October.
236
__NOTOC__
Year 236 ( CCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verus and Africanus (or, less frequently, year 989 ''Ab ...