infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
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, afte ...
, formed three times 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 ...
, in 1939 and twice in 1941.
First Formation
Its First Formation was established at Kozelsk in September 1939, on the basis of a regiment of the
81st Rifle Division
The 81st Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army during World War II.
It was established at Lubny (Kiev or Kharkov Military Districts) around 1936. As 81st Mechanised Division, part of 4th Mechanised Corps, with 6th Army, Southw ...
. 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 ...
with
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. It initially consisted of the 718th, 609th, and 364th Rifle Regiments. Fighting as part of 8th Army, it was defeated at the
Battle of Tolvajärvi
The Battle of Tolvajärvi ( tol.va.jær.vi fi, Tolvajärven–Ägläjärven taistelu, russian: Битва при Толваярви) was fought on 12 December 1939 between Finland and the Soviet Union. It was the first large offensive victory ...
on 12 December 1939. It was serving with 37th
Rifle Corps A rifle corps (russian: стрелковый корпус, translit=strelkovyy korpus) was a Soviet corps-level military formation during the mid-twentieth century. Rifle corps were made up of a varying number of rifle divisions, although the allo ...
Kiev Special Military District
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
, on 22 June 1941. It was wiped out during the
Battle of Uman
The Battle of Uman (15 July – 8 August 1941) was the World War II German offensive in Uman, Ukraine against the 6th and 12th Soviet Armies. In a three-week period, the Wehrmacht encircled and annihilated the two Soviet armies.
The battle occ ...
in August 1941.
Force Composition 2 October 1939
* 364th Rifle Regiment
* 609th Rifle Regiment
* 718th Rifle Regiment
* 354th Light Artillery Regiment
Second Formation
It was recreated (II formation) from 9th Moscow People's Militia Rifle Division (In 1941, residents of Zamoskvorechye formed the Twelfth Militia Division of Kirovsky District (дивизия народного ополчения Кировского района) (
Zamoskvorechye District
Zamoskvorechye District (russian: райо́н Замоскворе́чье) is a district of Central Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow, Russia. Population:
The district contains the eastern half of historical Zamoskvorechye ...
). It was destroyed again at Vyazma in October 1941.
Third Formation
It was recreated (III formation) at
Cheboksary
Cheboksary (; russian: Чебокса́ры, r=Cheboksáry, p=tɕɪbɐˈksarɨ; cv, Шупашкар, ''Şupaşkar'') is the capital city of Chuvashia, Russia and a port on the Volga River.
Geography
The city is located in the Volga Upland reg ...
in January 1942. Fought at Kursk and Gdynia. It received a large number of volunteers from Siberia before participating in the
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history ...
. A popular song was written about a platoon of the division "Na Bazimyannoy Visote" (russian: link=no, "На безымянной высоте") ( On a nameless height) featured in the film "Tishina" (Silence) that documented the events of a defence of a height at the village of Rubezhenka, Kuybyshevsky rayon,
Kaluga Oblast
Kaluga Oblast (russian: Калу́жская о́бласть, translit=Kaluzhskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kaluga. The 2021 Russian Census found a population of 1,069,904.
G ...
, when the platoon defended against an attack by a German
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...
estimated at a strength of 200 on 14 September 1943. There were only two survivors from the platoon, but the height was held.http://www.ocito.kaluga.ru/res/sites/bsch/content/site/index.htm It was serving with the 49th Army 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 ...
in May 1945.
The division appears to have disbanded "in place" with the
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Western Group of Forces (WGF),. previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG). and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG),. were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupat ...
during the summer of 1945.
Notable commanders
*
Pavel Ponedelin
Pavel Grigoryevich Ponedelin (russian: Па́вел Григо́рьевич Понеде́лин; 4 March 1893 Moscow 25 August 1950) was a Soviet general executed after World War II for being taken prisoner by the Germans.
Early life
He fou ...