The 269th Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

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, afte ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Formed in the summer of 1941, the division served with the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front (russian: Брянский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first f ...

in the same area until late 1943, when it began advancing westwards. The 269th fought in

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 southern Baltic states, and the Battle of Berlin during 1944 and 1945. Postwar, it was disbanded in 1946 in Belarus.

History

The 269th began forming on 13 July 1941 from reservists at

Kolomna Kolomna ( rus, Колóмна, p=kɐˈlomnə) is a historical city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Moskva and Oka Rivers, (by rail) southeast of Moscow. Population: History Mentioned for the first time in 1177, Ko ...

, part of the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military D ...

. Its basic order of battle included the 1018th, 1020th, and the 1022nd Rifle Regiments, as well as the 836th Artillery Regiment. By 5 August, the division had been moved to Teplukha, and assigned to the 24th Army of the

Reserve Front The Reserve Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation The Reserve Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first version was created on July 30, 1941 in a reorganiza ...

. In mid-August the 269th was transferred to the newly formed 50th Army, but by the end of August the division was part of the 3rd Army in the

. Colonel

Andrey Chekharin Andrey Yevseyevich Chekharin (; 26 October 1892 – 20 October 1941) was a Red Army colonel killed in World War II. Chekharin ended World War I as a junior officer, but did not see much action in the Russian Civil War. He served at military ed ...

became division commander in early September. The 269th was encircled during

Operation Typhoon The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive ...

and Chekharin was reported missing, presumably killed, during a breakout attempt on 20 October. The division served in roughly the same positions, covering the southern flank of the Moscow defenses, until late 1943. From late 1943 to early 1944, the division slowly advanced towards 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 Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...

as part of the Belorussian Front. The 269th fought in

as part of the 3rd Army's 41st Rifle Corps during the summer of 1944. On 21 July, it received 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 t ...

for its actions. The division then fought in the southern Baltic states in late 1944 as part of the

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 ...

and 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 Fr ...

. During April and May 1945 it participated in the Battle of Berlin as part of the 1st Belorussian Front. In the summer of 1945, the division was relocated to

Maladzyechna Maladzyechna ( be, Маладзе́чна, Maladziečna, ; russian: Молоде́чно, Molodechno; pl, Mołodeczno) is a city in the Minsk Region of Belarus, an administrative centre of the Maladzyechna District (and formerly of the Maladzyech ...

in the

Minsk Military District Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...

along with the 46th Rifle Corps, where it was disbanded in late 1946.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{Soviet Union divisions before 1945

269 Year 269 (Roman numerals, CCLXIX) was a common 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 Claudius and Paternus (or, less frequently, year 102 ...

Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner