The 42nd Rifle Division was a unit 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 ...

during the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...

. The division, first formed in 1940, was nearly destroyed in the opening days of the

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

defending the

Brest Fortress Brest Fortress ( be, Брэсцкая крэпасць, '; pl, Twierdza brzeska, russian: Брестская крепость), formerly known as Brest-Litoŭsk Fortress, is a 19th-century fortress in Brest, Belarus. In 1965, the title "H ...

. Disbanded in late December 1941 and immediately reformed in the

Volga Military District The Volga Military District (PriVO) was a military district of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation that existed from 1918 to 1989 and 1992 to 2001. The district headquarters was located at Kazan, Saratov and Kuibyshev (Samara) at different ...

. The division then served on the front until disbanded at the end of the war.

History

1st Formation

The division was formed on 17 January 1940 in the

Leningrad Military District The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District. Hi ...

from individual infantry and construction battalions in the Karelian Fortified Region. Kombrig

Ivan Sidorovich Lazarenko Ivan Sidorovich Lazarenko (russian: Иван Сидорович Лазаренко; 8 October 1895 – 26 June 1944) was a Red Army major general and a posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union. From 1940 to 1941 he was the commander of the 42nd Rifle ...

was appointed as commander. In February 1940 it fought in the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

as part of the 7th Army's

34th Rifle Corps The 34th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 19th Army. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. Organization * 129th Rifle Division * 158th Rifle Division * 171st Rifle Division Commanders * Divisional comma ...

and on 27 February was assigned to the

10th Rifle Corps The 10th Rifle Corps (Military Unit Number 16058 until June 1956) was an infantry corps of the Red Army, which later became the 10th Army Corps after the Second World War. Interwar period The corps was formed by an order dated 12 July 1922 in ...

Talvisota Soviet infantry crossing Rajajoki

In June 1940 the division was sent to

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

as part of the 8th Army's

19th Rifle Corps The 19th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 23rd Army. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. Organization * 142nd Rifle Division * 115th Rifle Division Commanders * Kombrig Vsevolod Yakovlev (14.07.1937 - ...

, but was reassigned to the

Western Special Military District Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

to replace the

33rd Rifle Division The 33rd Rifle Division was a rifle division of the Red Army and Soviet Army, formed twice. The division was formed in 1922 at Samara and moved to Belarus in the next year. It fought in the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939 and in the O ...

. In the spring of 1941 the division was ordered to the area of

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest, ...

. As part of the 4th Army's

28th Rifle Corps The 28th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 4th Army. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. Battle Organization * 6th Rifle Division * 42nd Rifle Division The 42nd Rifle Division was a unit of the Red Ar ...

, the division was tasked to defend the right wing of the

Brest Fortified Region Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest ...

from the mouth of the river to Drohiczyn Pulva. By early June 1941 the division was still not fully manned having about 8,000 assigned out of 14,500 authorized.

Beginning of the War

On 22 June 1941 the units of the division were in several places within the Brest covering region. The 459th Rifle Regiment, 472nd Artillery Regiment, 4th Antitank Battalion, and the 3rd Medical Battalion were in their training area around Zhabinka. The remaining units were based in the

and the immediate surrounding areas. The massive artillery strike by the German 4th Army's 45th Infantry Division at 0400 on 22 June disrupted many of the division's units located inside the fortress. Many units inside the fortress dispersed into scattered groups and the division lost a significant number of personnel and most of its equipment. The 393rd Separate Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion escaped from the fortress with three of its guns, but no ammunition for them. In the Zhabinka training area the division managed to gather together two battalions of the 44th and 455th Rifle Regiments (mostly without weapons), as well as vehicles from the 7th Motorized Infantry Company of the 84th Reconnaissance Battalion. The rest of the division's surviving members were consolidated into a small number of groups, who either took up the

Defense of Brest Fortress Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

or joined the 22nd Tank Division on the outskirts of Zhabenko in an attack to relieve the siege of Brest. The remaining parts of the 42nd Rifle Division, stationed east of Brest attempted a defense in the Kobrin District and the Birch-Kartuzskaya area. During the period 25–27 June the division lost all of its assigned artillery and together with the rest of the Soviet 4th Army attempted a series of delaying actions as they took up positions on the east bank of the

Berezina River The Berezina or Biarezina ( be, Бярэ́зіна; ) is a river in Belarus and a right tributary of the Dnieper. The river starts in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The length of the Berezina is 613 km. The width of the river is 15-20 m, the ...

at Babruysk. The division fought a series of fierce defense battles in the area. By 1 July the occupied positions near Zhuravichi where it received 1,000 replacements. In early July 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 majo ...

ordered to construct a defensive line along the Berezina River to the

Dnieper 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 ...

on the line of: Lyubanichi - Ohotichi - Ozerany - Shapchitsy to a depth of 5 km in order to counter possible enemy actions north of Bobruisk. The division along with local civilian parties built these barriers. Unfortunately these efforts proved worthless as German flank attacks thwarted these plans and the entire 4th Army was surrounded. By 4 July the division was completely unfit for combat, but yet managed to escape from the encirclement and gather in the

Gorki Gorki may refer to: * Gorki Águila (b. 1968), Cuban rock musician *Gorki (band), a Belgian band of Luc De Vos * Gorki (Kazan Metro), a station of the Kazan Metro, Kazan, Russia * Gorki Ridge, a ridge in Antarctica * Gorki, Russia, several inha ...

- Vydrenka area. At this point the division had about 4,000 members, of which half were reservists who had arrived at the unit just before the war began.

Battle of Smolensk

After resupply the division, still assigned to the 4th Army's 28th Rifle Corps, took up positions, along with the rest of the Corps, in the second tier of the Soviet Western Front near Propoisk. However, the rapid breakthrough of German Panzer groups across the Dnieper line brought the division again under attack. By 15 July its divisions were pushed back from Propoisk and were surrounded, and the German

4th Panzer Division The 4th Panzer Division ( en, 4th Tank Division) was an armored division in the Army of Nazi Germany. In World War II, it participated in the 1939 invasion of Poland, the 1940 invasion of France, and the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. It ...

took the town. On 29 July, Colonel M.E. Kozyr with a group from the division headquarters and headquarters of the 44th Infantry Regiment, escaped from the encirclement. On 30 July, the 21st Army ordered the 42nd Division resubordinated to the

21st Rifle Corps The 21st Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the Western Front. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. The headquarters formed in the Moscow Military District in September 1939. Assigned to the WSMD with the 17th, ...

, and then reassigned to the 67th Rifle Corps. In early August 1941 the division transferred to the 3rd Army and participated in the battles in the

Pripyat 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 ...

. After leaving the Pripyat Marshes the 42nd Division again became a part of the 67th Corps of the 21st Army, now assigned to the Bryansk Front.

Battle of Kiev

By 1 September 1941 the 67th Rifle Corps was deployed on the line Obolon - Reymentarovka - Zhadovo - Semenivka front to the east and began an offensive against the units 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 ...

. However, on 2 September the Corps came under the flank attack by the Das Reich Motorized Division and the German 1st Cavalry Division and began to withdraw to their original positions . By the end of 12 September, Soviet forces fought along the on line Grigorovka - Hvastovtsy - Nizhin. By 20 September a large group of Soviet troops, including the 42nd Division, was locked in Kiev cauldron. Likely destroyed by the end of September, the division was disbanded 27 December 1941. The 42nd Rifle Division name was assigned to one of the new units being formed at this time in the

Subordinate Units

: 44th Rifle Regiment : 455th Rifle Regiment : 459th Rifle Regiment (formerly 459th Light Motorized Rifle Rgt) : 472nd Artillery Regiment : 17th Howitzer Artillery Regiment : 4th Separate Antitank Artillery Battalion : 393rd Separate Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion : 84th Reconnaissance Company : 262nd Sapper Battalion : 18th Separate Signal Battalion : 3rd Medical Battalion : 35th Separate Chemical Defense Company : 158th Motor Transport Battalion : 9th Field Bakery : 188th Field Office of the State Bank

2nd Formation

Started forming on 27 December 1941 at

Volsk Volsk (russian: Вольск) is a town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, opposite the mouth of the Bolshoy Irgiz (a tributary of the Volga), northeast from Saratov, the administrative center of the oblast. ...

in the Volga Military District.Sharp and Russian Wiki both have 27 Dec 41 formation dates; Poirer and Connor, acting on FHO information, said January 1942. The division remained in the

until Mar 42 and was assigned to the STAVKA reserves for another two months before being assigned to the front line. Assigned to 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 ...

in the

. The division had a quiet year with the 49th Army before being reassigned to the 33rd Army in April 43. As the Soviet summer offensive began the division, along with the 33rd Army, Western Front, and the neighboring fronts advanced west. The division participated in the Battle of Smolensk liberating the city in late September 1943. In June 1944, now back with the 49th Army the division took part 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� ...

and the defeat of Army Group Center. The division fought towards

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, and the liberated

Grodno Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...

. The unit was awarded both 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 ...

and the

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established du ...

II Class for it actions during this operation. In 1945 the division participated in the East Prussian Strategic Offensive Operation, fighting at Danzig,Poirer and Connor the East Pomeranian Strategic Offensive Operation, and the

Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

s. The division ended the war on the Elbe River near Ludwigslust. It was still part of the

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 ...

. Initially, part of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany, the division was ordered to disband in June 1945, and completed disbanding on 12 June 1945. Fought at Lenino, Mogilev.

Subordinate Units

* 44th Rifle Regiment * 455th Rifle Regiment * 459th Rifle Regiment * 472nd Artillery Regiment * 4th Antitank Battalion * 102nd Mortar Battalion (until 14 October 1942) * 84th Reconnaissance Company * 262nd Sapper Battalion * 563rd Separate Signals Battalion (formally 18th Sep. Signals Battalion, 158th Sep. Signals Company) * 3rd Medical Battalion (formally 607th Medical Battalion) * 504th Separate Chemical Defense Company * 166th Auto-Transport Company (formally 158th Auto-Transport Company) * 420th Field Bakery * 885th Veterinary Field Hospital * 1655th Field Postal Station * 1076th Field Cash Office of the

State Bank A state bank is generally a financial institution that is chartered by a federated state, as opposed to one regulated at the federal or national level. State banks differ from a reserve bank in that it does not necessarily control monetary policy ...

Commanders

* Kombrig Ivan Lazarenko - (31 Jan 1940 - 02 Jul 1941) Major General 4 Jun 1940 * Colonel M.D. Grishin - (24 Jul 1941 - 27 Dec 1941) * Colonel S.L. Sadovskii - (27 Jul 1941 - 14 Jul 1942) * Colonel N.K. Mul'tan - (15 Jul 1942 - 26 Nov 1943) Major General 14 Feb 1943 * Colonel S.M. Moiseyenkov - (27 Nov 1943 - 1 Jan 1944) * Colonel S.M. Moiseyenkov (07 Jan 1944 - 23 Jan 1944) * Colonel A.I. Slits - (24 Jan 1944 - 21 Mar 1944) * Colonel S.I. Stanovskii - (22 Mar 1944 - 29 Mar 1944) * Colonel A.I. Slits - (30 Mar 1944 - 30 Oct 1944) * Colonel N.S. Pachkov - (31 Oct 1944 - 16 Apr 1945) * Colonel S.K Isakov - (17 Apr 1945 - 27 Apr 1945) * Colonel G.I. Yemel'Yanenko - (28 Apr 1945 – after 9 May 1945) (probably until unit disbanded)

References

Sources

*Aliev, Rostislav & Britton, Stuart, The Siege of Brest 1941: A Legend of Red Army Resistance on the Eastern Front, Pen & Sword, October 2013 *Crofoot, Craig, Armies of the Bear, orbat.com, 42nd Rifle Division *Sharp, Charles C., Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Volume VIII, Red Legions: Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed Before June 1941, George F. Nafziger, 1996 *Sharp, Charles C., Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Volume X, Red Swarm: Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed Frome 1942 to 1945, George F. Nafziger, 1996 {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017

042 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations of the Soviet Union in the Winter War ru:42-я стрелковая дивизия