The 81st Guards Rifle Division is an infantry division of the
Russian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...
, previously serving in 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 ...
and the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
. It was formed after the
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
from the
422nd Rifle Division in recognition of that division's actions during the battle, specifically the
encirclement
Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The situation is highly dangerous for the encircled force. At the strategic level, it cannot receive supplies or reinforceme ...
and the
siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
of the German forces in the city. The 81st Guards continued a record of distinguished service through the rest of the Great Patriotic War, and continued to serve postwar, as a rifle division and later a motor rifle division, until being reorganized as the 57th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade in 2009 in the Russian Ground Forces. Most of its postwar service was in the Soviet (Russian) far east, where it was originally formed as the 422nd.
Formation
The 81st Guards was one of nineteen Guards rifle divisions created during and in the immediate aftermath of the
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
. It was formed from the 422nd Rifle Division, which had helped to surround and later defeat the German
Sixth Army. When formed, its order of battle was as follows:
* 233rd Guards Rifle Regiment from 1326th Rifle Regiment
* 235th Guards Rifle Regiment from 1334th Rifle Regiment
* 238th Guards Rifle Regiment from 1392nd Rifle Regiment
* 173rd Guards Artillery Regiment from 1061st Artillery Regiment
* 92nd Guards Sapper Battalion
* 87th Guards Antitank Battalion
* 109th Guards Signal Battalion
* 79th Guards Reconnaissance Company
* 506th Antiaircraft Battery (from 20 April 1943)
The division spent March and April rebuilding in the new
7th Guards Army
The 7th Guards Army was a field army of the Red Army during World War II and of the Soviet Army during the Cold War.
History
The 7th Guards Army was formed from the 64th Army on April 16, 1943.
64th Army had originally been formed from 1s ...
(former
64th Army) before being sent north to
Voronezh Front
The 1st Ukrainian Front (Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front (Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a ...
, where it took up and fortified positions on the southern shoulder of 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 ...
salient, east of
Belgorod
Belgorod ( rus, Белгород, p=ˈbʲeɫɡərət) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River north of the border with Ukraine. Population: Demographics
The population of Be ...
.
Battle of Kursk
![Destroyed German tanks at Kursk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Destroyed_German_tanks_at_Kursk.gif)
During the Battle of Kursk, the 81st was faced with attacks from the
German Army Detachment Kempf
German Army Detachment Kempf was an army-sized formation of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front during World War II. As part of Army Group South, Detachment Kempf saw action during Operation Citadel, the German attempt to cut off the Kursk salie ...
. The division's positions prevented a German advance from the Mikhailovka bridgehead. It initially repulsed the attacks of the
168th Infantry Division on July 5th. The
19th Panzer Division broke through near Razumnoe and attacked at the junction of the
78th Guards Rifle Division
The 78th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in March 1943, based on the 1st formation of the 204th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War.
As the 204th ...
with the 81st. On the next day the 19th Panzer Division continued to attack along with the 168th and attacked the division's left flank and rear. The 81st put up strong resistance, but
Belovskoe and
Kreida Station were captured. The division's training battalion was sent into battle around
Iastrebovo to stop the German advance. On July 7,
III Panzer Corps
III Army Corps was a corps level formation of the German Army during World War II.
III Army Corps
The III Corps was formed in October 1934 as III. Armeekorps. The corps took part in Fall Weiss, the 1939 invasion of Poland as a part of Army Gr ...
tried to outflank the division and the 19th Panzer Division captured
Blizhniaia Igumenka after fierce fighting. In these first days the division was encircled in its forward positions, and in the course of breaking out lost all of its divisional artillery, most of its regimental artillery, and was reduced to 3,000 men reporting for duty, with about 20 percent unarmed.
Following this breakout, the division was subordinated to
69th Army
The 69th Army (russian: 69-я армия) was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War.
History
Formation, Operation Star, and Third Battle of Kharkov
The army was formed in February 1943 with the ...
on July 9, where it would remain until the end of the battle. It was now in the
35th Guards Rifle Corps The 35th Guards Rifle Corps () was a rifle corps of the Red Army during World War II that became part of the Soviet Army during the Cold War.
World War II
Formation
The 35th Guards Rifle Corps was formed in accordance with a Stavka directive ...
, holding a line from Staryi Gorod to Postnikov, preparing for an attack by the III Panzer Corps. During the third assault of the day at 1400 hrs. a neighboring rifle regiment was crushed, and the 81st was outflanked, but the German forces were unable to achieve their objective of Shishino. At 2200 hrs. 69th Army ordered the division to withdraw to new lines, and it was transferred again, now to
48th Rifle Corps, where it would remain until the end of the battle. The new lines ran along the right bank of the
Northern Donets River from Hill 147.0 to Shcholokovo. The panzer troops, much weakened during the previous five days of heavy combat, had to rest and resupply on July 10th. When the attack resumed on July 11, 19th Panzer Division took the villages of Khokhlovo and Kiselevo, pinning the 81st against the river. It was apparent that the German objective was to encircle 48th Corps. On the following day, the division thwarted an attempt to force the river at Shcholokovo; its main opponent, 19th Panzer, was by now down to only 14 operational tanks. However, a more successful crossing by
6th Panzer at Rzhavets to the north made the position of the rifle corps even more vulnerable, and elements of
5th Tank Army
5th Tank Army is the name of several Soviet units during World War II (not to be confused with the 5th Guards Tank Army).
Its first formation occurred on 5 June, 1942, commanded by Major-General Alexander Lizyukov, serving under the Bryansk Front ...
were diverted to reinforce it. The 81st received the support of the 26th Guards Tank Brigade. Even with this, after a week of heavy fighting and losses, morale was becoming shaky, and Maj. Gen. Morozov issued an order the following day: Between July 12 - 17, 398 men of the 81st were detained by
blocking detachments
Barrier troops, blocking units, or anti-retreat forces are military units that are located in the rear or on the front line (behind the main forces) to maintain military discipline, prevent the flight of servicemen from the battlefield, capture spi ...
. On the night of July 13, the
89th Guards Rifle Division
The 89th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in April 1943, based on the 1940 formation of the 160th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It would figh ...
and a rifle battalion of
375th Rifle Division
The 375th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August, 1941 in the Urals Military District. It reached the fighting front ...
were subordinated to Morozov's command. Finally, before dawn on July 15, 48th Rifle Corps began to withdraw from the loose pocket in which it was held, and completed this move by 1040 hrs. The 81st was directed to assemble in the area of Dalnii Dolzhik, where it began a long process of rest and replenishment.
Advance to the Dniepr
Following the battle, and after rebuilding, the 81st rejoined the 7th Guards Army, where it remained until November 1944, in either the
24th or
25th Guards Rifle Corps
Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five.
Fifth or The Fifth may refer to:
* Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth"
* Fifth column, a political term
* Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...
. During the
Belgorod-Khar'kov Offensive Operation, on September 14, General Morozov suffered a serious wound and left command of the division. On September 19 it assisted in the liberation of
Krasnograd
Krasnohrad or KrasnogradAlso known as ''Krasnograd'' fortress (Красноград) (1731-1784), ''Konstantinograd'' fortress (Константиноград) (1784-1922), city of Konstantinograd (1922-1943). ( uk, Красногра́д, ) is a ...
, and was granted its name as an honorific: Another commander, Col. S.G. Nikolaiev, was appointed the same day, and he continued in command until Morozov returned on December 12. During this time the division participated in the drive to 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 ...
. From September 25 to 27 the commander of the 235th Guards Rifle Regiment,
Lt. Col. Grigorii Trofimovich Skiruta, led his troops in crossing two channels of the river near the village of Orlik, and was recognized for his personal courage and bravery with the award of the Gold Star of 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 26. In January 1944, the division also took part in the
liberation
Liberation or liberate may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War
* "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode
* "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode
Gaming
* '' Liberati ...
of
Kirovograd Kirovograd (russian: Кировогра́д) or Kirovohrad ( uk, Кіровогра́д) may refer to:
*Kropyvnytskyi, a city in Ukraine formerly named Kirovohrad
**Kirovohrad Oblast, of which Kropyvnytskyi is the administrative center
*Ganja, Azerb ...
.
First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive
During the Uman–Botoșani Offensive the 81st Guards advanced from the Kirovograd area southwestward, reaching
Pervomaisk on March 22nd. On April 1 the division was in 24th Guards Rifle Corps, along with the
8th Guards Airborne and the
72nd Guards Rifle Divisions. On the night of April 24/25 the division was relieving the
27th Army's 3rd Guards Airborne Division The 3rd Guards Airborne Division was a Red Army division of World War II. In December 1945 it appears to have become 125th Guards Rifle Division, while serving with 35th Guards Rifle Corps, 27th Army, Carpathian Military District.Feskov et al. 20 ...
in the front lines in northern Romania, to the west of
Jassy. Before its units could get properly dug-in they came under attack from the
1st Guards Royal Romanian Division. During this sharp fight the Romanian division penetrated the defenses of the 81st Guards and drove its forces northwards to the southern outskirts of the town of Harmanesti, west-northwest of
Târgu Frumos
Târgu Frumos (also spelled ''Tîrgu Frumos'', sometimes ''Târgul / Tîrgul Frumos''), ) is a town in Iași County, Western Moldavia, Romania. Eleven villages were administered by the town until 2004, when they were split off to form Balș, Coste ...
. Here the division was able to halt the enemy advance, and prepare a counterattack with its second-echelon rifle regiment, supported by all of the divisional artillery. After a short but bloody encounter, the Romanians broke for the rear, prompting their divisional commander to call for assistance from the neighboring German
Grossdeutschland Division
Pan-Germanism (german: Pangermanismus or '), also occasionally known as Pan-Germanicism, is a pan-nationalist political idea. Pan-Germanists originally sought to unify all the German-speaking people – and possibly also Germanic-speaking ...
. In response, on April 26 a small battlegroup of tanks was dispatched to help the Romanians escape. After several more hours of fighting the front stabilized, and by April 28 both sides went over to the defensive, but the Axis forces held most of their gains, forcing a delay to the next Soviet offensive.
That effort finally kicked off on May 2nd. The 81st Guards was attacking in the first echelon of its corps, with support from the 27th Guards Tank Brigade plus the leading brigades of
29th Tank Corps, and the division's official history describes its mission as follows: The attack began at 0400 hrs., and in the early going the 7th Guards Army advanced from , in the direction of Târgu Frumos. According to the official history: "
e resistance offered by the Romanian infantry was weak. As soon as the Soviet tanks appeared in front of their trenches, with infantry advancing steadily behind them, few of them remained..." But this resistance increased as the Romanians retreated southwards. By midday the division had bypassed and isolated several of Grossdeutschland's strong points and advanced up to 12km southwards, capturing several other fortified villages and approaching the outskirts of Târgu Frumos by late afternoon, before being intercepted by a battlegroup from the
3rd SS Panzer Division. In addition, Grossdeutschland committed a battery of
88s and its tank reserves against the Soviet armor. This served to force the 81st, and its support, back up the valley as far as Radiu.
Overnight the Front commander,
Marshal I.S. Konev, ordered a regrouping of the attack forces. The 81st and the 72nd Guards were to concentrate on a narrow sector between Mount Hushenei and Radiu. They were to penetrate the German defenses northwest of Târgu Frumos and support the commitment of 5th Tank Army forces into the penetration. But this assault met "with completely no success", and the division suffered considerable losses. In the words of its official history:
This defensive posture continued until late August, when the Second Jassy-Kishinev Offensive began. Within days the Axis forces in eastern Romania were crushed, and the 81st Guards drove into Hungary.
Into the Balkans
In preparation for the final drive on
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
, in November, the 81st, under 24th Guards Rifle Corps, was transferred to
53rd Army for the duration. In the same month, on November 11, Maj. Gen. Morozov was removed from command, replaced by Col. M.A. Orlov, who remained in command for the duration. The division ended the war in this corps and army near
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
.
[Sharp, ''"Red Guards"'', p. 78] It was now known by the official title of 81st Guards Rifle, Krasnograd,
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 ...
,
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 ...
Division (Russian: 81-я гвардейская стрелковая Красноградская Краснознамённая ордена Суворова дивизия), and four men of the division had received the Gold Star of
Heroes 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 ...
.
Postwar
The division became part of the
27th Guards Rifle Corps
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
in the
Kiev Military District
The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exist ...
and became the 9th Guards Rifle Brigade at
Glukhov and
Romny
Romny ( uk, Ромни́, ) is a city in northern Ukraine, Ukrainian Sumy Oblast. It is located on the Romen (river), Romen River. Romny serves as the administrative centre of Romny Raion. It is administratively incorporated as a City of region ...
. In October 1953, it became a division again. The division was soon relocated to
Arad and became part of the
Special Mechanized Army
The Special Mechanized Army () was a mechanized army of the Soviet Army. It was formed from the Southern Group of Forces in 1947 in Romania. Elements of the army fought in Operation Whirlwind, the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. I ...
. Its 233rd Guards Rifle Regiment was attached to the
33rd Guards Mechanized Division, fighting in the
Soviet invasion of Hungary
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...
.
On June 4, 1957, the division was reorganized as the 81st Guards Motor Rifle Division. The division was relocated to
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
and then to
Konotop
Konotop ( uk, Конотоп ) is a city in Sumy Oblast in northeastern Ukraine. Konotop serves as the administrative center of Konotop Raion. Konotop is located about 129 km from Sumy, the oblast administrative center. It is host to Ko ...
. It briefly became part of the
27th Guards Army Corps but in August, 1958 became part of the 1st Army (the former Special Mechanized Army) after the corps was disbanded. In July 1969, the division was sent to
Bikin
Bikin (russian: Бики́н) is a town in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located on the river Bikin (a tributary of the Ussuri) southwest of Khabarovsk. Population: 19,000 (1967).
History
It was founded in 1885 as Bikinskaya and was granted town s ...
, the city where the 422nd Rifle Division had formed in late 1941, as part of the
45th Army Corps. In 1970 its order of battle was as follows:
* 233rd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (Bikin)
* 235th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (
Vyazemsky)
* 238th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (
Lermontovka)
* 296th Tank Regiment (Bikin)
* 91st Guards Artillery Regiment (
Rozengartovka)
* 1169th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment (Rozengartovka)
* 118th Reconnaissance Battalion (Bikin)
* 236th Guards Engineer-Sapper Battalion (Bikin)
* 547th Guards Communications Battalion (Bikin)
In November 1972, the corps was disbanded and the division became part of the
15th Army.
In October, 1993 the army became the 43rd Army Corps and in May, 1998 was disbanded. The division became part of the
Far Eastern Military District
The Far Eastern Military District (russian: Дальневосточный военный округ; Dalʹnevostochnyĭ voennyĭ okrug) was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific ...
. On June 1, 2009 it became the 57th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade,
5th Combined Arms Army (now
Eastern Military District
The Eastern Military District (Russian: Восточный военный округ) is a military district of Russia.
It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction within the Far Eastern Federal ...
).
References
Citations
Bibliography
* p. 326
*
*
External links
Ivan Konstantinovich Morozov
{{Brigades of the Russian Ground Forces
G081
Military units and formations established in 1943
Military units and formations disestablished in 2009