121st Rifle Division

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121st Rifle Division
ActiveSeptember 1939 – June 1945
Country Soviet Union
Branch Red Army
TypeInfantry
Engagements
Decorations
Battle honours
Commanders
Notable
commanders

The 121st Rifle Division (Russian: 121-я стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of the Red Army during World War II.

Formed in September 1939 in Belarus, the division participated in the Soviet invasion of Poland later that month and in the June 1940 occupation of Lithuania.

History

The division was formed between 6 and 11 September 1939 from the 99th Rifle Regiment of the

Alexey Muravyov, previously a cavalry division assistant commander, became division commander in March.[3]

Occupation of Lithuania

The division was slated for the

Viliya River.[5] The division was planned to finish unloading from railcars at Polotsk on 12 June and begin a 150-kilometer march to the Opsa area. Within two days, the 121st was to concentrate near Opsa with one regiment still on the march, preparing to advance behind the first-echelon 126th Rifle Division on 15 June, the first day of the invasion.[6] The invasion plan was again revised on 13 June, assigning the 121st to the 4th Rifle Corps and no longer dividing the forces of the 3rd Army into two echelons. This resulted in new orders that directed the division to take up its starting positions by 20:00 on 14 June in the area of Gervyaly, with flanks at Pupina and Borovka 8 to 15 kilometers northwest of Vidzy. The corps was assigned the mission of advancing in the direction of Rimšė, Dūkštas, Daugailiai, Užpaliai, and Svėdasai.[7]

When the invasion began on 15 June, the 121st approached the state border at 16:00 and by the end of the day reached Gyajunai, south of Lake Dysnykštis.

Western Special Military District, on the eve of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.[14]

Second World War

After the beginning of Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941, the division as took up defensive positions on the eastern bank of the

Khutor Mikhailovsky and the Kinelsky forest, but broke out in the area of Pesochnaya and Lgov. The division went on to fight in the defense of Tim and the Yelets offensive, and was withdrawn to the Southwestern Front reserve in the Yelets area on 15 December.[12]

After being receiving reinforcement, the 121st joined the 40th Army in February 1942 and defended positions near Tim from Novo-Aleksandrovskoye to Polevoye. For his actions, Zykov was awarded a third Order of the Red Banner on 27 March 1942. The division was transferred to the 60th Army on 28 June and fought in attacks in the Battle of Voronezh and by 4 July reached the area of Zemlyansk, but was forced to retreat to the line of Medvezhye and Chistaya Polyana, covering the crossings of the Don. From 7 July it fought in battles south of Voronezh in what became known in Soviet historiography as the Voronezh–Voroshilovgrad Defensive operation. In October, Zykov became deputy commander of the 60th Army.[12]

Colonel

Kiev. On 6 November 1943 the 121st received the name of the city as an honorific. Between 18 November and late December the division fought against German counterattacks in the Kiev Defensive Operation.[16]

The division resumed the advance in the

Lvov–Sandomierz offensive. During the latter, Ladygin was severely wounded and evacuated to the hospital on 22 July,[16] and was replaced in command by division deputy commander Colonel Pyotr Dotsenko on the next day. In heavy fighting the division forced the San on 14 August and then went on the defensive.[17]

The division went on the offensive again from 8 September in the

Moravska Ostrava offensive, participating in the capture of Bielsko-Biała, Wadowice, and Nowy Sącz. The division was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class, on 19 February 1945 for its participation in the capture of Wadowice, Spišská Nová Ves, Spišská Stará Ves, and Levoča.[18] On 3 April Bushtruk was wounded and evacuated from the front.[19] From 12 April 1945 the 121st was commanded by Colonel Ivan Dryakhlov. The division subsequently fought in the Prague offensive. For participating in the capture of Bohumín, Fryštát, Skoczów, Čadca, and Bytča the division was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class, on 4 June 1945.[20]

The division was disbanded at Osiek between 28 and 30 June after completing a march from Golczowice, with its troops being used to bring units of the 52nd Army up to strength by 6 July.[21]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Meltyukhov 2004, p. 459.
  2. ^ Meltyukhov 2004, p. 527.
  3. ^ Tsapayev & Goremykin 2011, p. 43.
  4. ^ Meltyukhov 2014, p. 291.
  5. ^ Meltyukhov 2014, pp. 307–308.
  6. ^ Meltyukhov 2014, p. 316.
  7. ^ Meltyukhov 2014, pp. 325–327.
  8. ^ Meltyukhov 2014, p. 410.
  9. ^ Meltyukhov 2014, pp. 416, 429.
  10. ^ Meltyukhov 2014, pp. 435.
  11. ^ Meltyukhov 2014, pp. 450–452.
  12. ^ a b c Tsapayev & Goremykin 2014, pp. 1082–1084.
  13. ^ Zaremsky 2005, pp. 25–26.
  14. ^ Leo Niehorster, Western Special Military District, 22 June 1941
  15. ^ Tsapayev & Goremykin 2014, p. 377.
  16. ^ a b Tsapayev & Goremykin 2015, pp. 554–555.
  17. ^ a b Tsapayev & Goremykin 2014, pp. 850–851.
  18. ^ a b Tsapayev & Goremykin 2014, p. 580.
  19. ^ Tsapayev & Goremykin 2014, pp. 379–380.
  20. ^ Tsapayev & Goremykin 2014, p. 872.
  21. ^ Operations Directorate, Staff of the Northern Group of Forces 1945, p. 22.

Bibliography

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