64th Rifle Division (1925–1941)
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The 64th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
during the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The division suffered heavy losses in the
Battle of Białystok–Minsk The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock during the penetration of the Soviet border region in the opening stage of Operation Barbaros ...
but with some troops escaping from encirclement, it was rebuilt in mid-July 1941. For its actions in the Battle of Smolensk it became the elite 7th Guards Rifle Division.


Prewar service

The 64th Rifle Division was formed in May 1925 in
Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...
as a cadre-strength territorial unit from the 80th Rifle Regiment of the
27th Rifle Division The 27th Rifle Division () was a tactical unit in the Red Army of Soviet Russia and then the Soviet Union, active between 1918 and 1945. First formed during the Russian Civil War on November 3, 1918, as part of 5th Red Army. Commanded by Vitov ...
. As a territorial unit, the division conducted annual training for thousands of locals in the next decade. By 1935, its headquarters, 190th Rifle Regiment, and 64th Artillery Regiment were at Smolensk, while the 191st Rifle Regiment was at
Roslavl Roslavl (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Roslavlsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is a road and rail junction and a market town. Population: History Roslavl was founded as Rostislavl in the 1130s or 1140s. The name is ...
and the 192nd Rifle Regiment was at
Orsha Orsha (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662. History ...
. The 190th was named for the Smolensk City Council and the 192nd had the honorific Orsha. The division was assigned to the
11th Rifle Corps The 11th Rifle Corps () was a corps of the Soviet Red Army, Red Army, formed twice. The 11th was first formed in 1922 in the Petrograd area but soon moved to the Belorussian Military District. After fighting in the Soviet invasion of Poland, the c ...
of the
Belorussian Military District The Byelorussian Military District (; alternatively Belarusian; ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally formed just before World War I as the Minsk Military District out of the remnants of the Vilno Military District an ...
together with the 29th Rifle Division, also a territorial unit. The division was switched to the cadre model in the late 1930s and during the expansion of the Red Army in August and September 1939 its rifle regiments of the division were expanded to form three new divisions: the 64th, 145th, and the 164th. The 64th remained at Smolensk, while the 145th was sent to
Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, , ɐˈrʲɵl, a=ru-Орёл.ogg, links=y, ), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, situated on the Oka Rive ...
, and the 164th remained at Orsha. During the
Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...
in September 1939, the division advanced into what was annexed as western Belarus with the second-echelon 10th Army. Although it was not with the 11th Rifle Corps or the invasion force on 17 September, it had returned to that unit by 2 October.Colonel
Sergey Iovlev Sergey Ivanovich Iovlev (; 30 September 1899 – May 1979) was a Red Army major general. After rising to junior command positions during the Russian Civil War, Iovlev spent most of the 1920s and 1930s with the Soviet Border Troops. Decorated for ...
, who had led a regiment in the
Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...
, became division commander on 8 June 1940. In the spring of 1941, the division was organized along ''shtat'' 04/120 with more than 6,000 cadre personnel. It received 6,000 conscripts to bring it up to strength from 1 June, and was sent to the
Dorogobuzh Dorogobuzh (; Belarusian: Дарагабуж) is a historic town and the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, straddling the Dnieper River and located east of Smolensk, the administrative center of th ...
camp near Smolensk. The division became part of the
44th Rifle Corps The 44th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Red Army of the Soviet Union. It took part in the Great Patriotic War in 1941 and 1943-45. On 22 June 1941, the corps consisted of the 64th Rifle Division and the 108th Rifle Division ( General Major Ale ...
of 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 ...
together with the
108th Rifle Division 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, and was ordered from the Smolensk and Vyazma area to the area of Minsk for exercises on 15 June. On 20 to 21 June the first units of the division unloaded at the station of Ratomka near Minsk.


Battle of Smolensk

From the beginning of
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...
, the 44th Rifle Corps became part of the
13th Army Thirteenth Army or 13th Army may refer to: * Thirteenth Army (Japan) * Japanese Thirteenth Area Army * 13th Army (Russian Empire), unit in World War I *13th Army (RSFSR), a unit in the Russian Civil War *13th Army (Soviet Union) The 13th Army (, ...
of the Western Front and was tasked with defending the northern sector of the Minsk Fortified Region. Between 25 and 28 August, the 64th Rifle Division fought in sustained battles, with the 159th Rifle Division fighting in the area of
Zaslavl Zaslawye or Zaslavl is a town in Minsk District, Minsk Region, Belarus. It is located northwest of the capital Minsk. In 2009, its population was 14,400. As of 2025, it has a population of 17,317. History According to chronicles, Zaslawye was ...
, the 30th Rifle Regiment in the area of Rogovo, and the 288th Rifle Regiment to the north. The division was encircled on 29 June and in the first ten days of July fought its way out to the east. After breaking out of encirclement, the division was rebuilt in mid-July. Colonel Afanasy Gryaznov, who had been a staff officer at the Western Front headquarters, took command of the division on 15 July. Having completed rebuilding, the division conducted a forced march to the area of
Yartsevo Yartsevo () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Yartsevo, Smolensk Oblast, a town in Yartsevsky District of Smolensk Oblast; administratively incorporated as Yartsevskoye Urban Settlement ;Rural localities *Ya ...
on 26 July to join the Battle of Smolensk. The division entered battle from the march on the night of 29–30 July despite being 20 percent incomplete. From 30 July to 6 August, the 64th fought against the German 7th, 239th and 364th Infantry Regiments on the line of Staro-Zavopye, Skrushevskiye, and the
Vop river The Vop () is a river in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Dnieper. It is 158 km long, with a drainage basin of 3300 km². The average discharge is 22 m³/s.16th Army on 16 August. At 10:00 on 17 August the division went on the offensive in the general direction of Leskovki, and Nefedovshchina. The attack put the opposing German troops to flight, as they withdrew in disorder, abandoning weapons and ammunition. By the end of the day on 19 August, the German troops, bringing up reserves, established a new defensive line on the Tsarevich river. In these actions the division captured 18 guns, 540 shells, 30 machine guns, 250,000 rounds of ammunition, 2,000 mortar bombs, ten mortars, nine radios, 19 submachine guns, three vehicles, six bicycles and a few hundred rifles. Repeated German attacks against the 64th on 26 August were repulsed. Despite its small numbers, the division launched a counterattack against the German troops. Until 11 September the division fought in sustained battles as part of the 19th Army on the line of the Tsarevich. The division was withdrawn to the front reserve on 12 September and concentrated in the area of Gorokhovka, south of Vadino station. On 17 September, being loaded onto troop trains at the stations of Izdeshkovo and Alfyorovo, the 64th was withdrawn to the reserve, to
Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...
. The division concentrated in Voronezh by the end of the day on 21 September. The division was converted into the 7th Guards Rifle Division on 26 September 1941.


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* * * * – Located in fond 838, opus 1, file 52 of the Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defence * * * * {{Soviet Union divisions before 1945 Infantry divisions of the Soviet Union in World War II Military units and formations established in 1925