The 200th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed as part of the prewar buildup of forces, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. After being formed in the far east of the USSR just months before the German invasion it was moved to the northern Ukraine where it soon joined the 5th Army north of Kiev. The presence of this Army in the fastnesses of the eastern Pripyat area influenced German strategy as it appeared to threaten both the left flank of Army Group South and the right flank of Army Group Center. In September the latter Group was turned south to encircle the Soviet forces defending Kiev and in the process the 200th was cut off and destroyed.
A new 200th Division was created from the redesignated 425th Rifle Division in February 1942 and was soon assigned to the
Northwestern Front. It then spent nearly 10 months in the dismal and costly fighting against the German II Army Corps that was nearly encircled at Demyansk. After this salient was evacuated in March 1943 the division became bogged down in similar battles along the Lovat and Polist Rivers. From November 1943 until the end of the war the 200th was moved extensively among several commands as it took part in fighting near Nevel and on into the Baltic states, where it won a battle honor, Poland, and eastern Germany. At the time of the German surrender it was in 49th Army, linking up with British forces in northern Germany. In April and May its four regiments were each decorated for their roles in the East Pomeranian campaign and the division itself won the Order of the Red Banner
in June. Shortly after the division was disbanded.
1st Formation
The division officially formed on March 14, 1941, in the Far Eastern Front but almost immediately began moving west by rail intending to reach Korosten in the Kiev Special Military District. As of June 22, 1941 it had the following order of battle:
Col. Ivan Ilich Lyudnikov was appointed to command on the day the division formed; he had previously served as commandant of the Zhitomir Infantry School. When the German invasion began the division was in the reserves of Southwestern Front (the renamed Kiev District) as part of the 31st Rifle Corps, which also included the 193rd and 195th Rifle Divisions.[2] The Corps was soon alerted to move west from Korosten and by the end of June 27 the 200th was approaching Rozhyshche, which had just been captured by the 14th Panzer Division.[3]
Battle of Kiev
The division had seen its first action the previous day at Viche and by June 28 it was trying to defend the line of the
Novohrad-Volynskyi against the XXIX Army Corps but a week later the 200th had been forced back to north of Yemilchyne.[6] In the interim the 195th Division had rejoined the Corps.[7] The presence of 5th Army in this region was beginning to affect German strategy as noted in Führer directive No. 33 of July 19:
The Kiev fortifications and the Soviet 5th Army's operations on our rear have inhibited active operations and free maneuver on Army Group South's northern flank.
The directive set the task, among others, "to destroy the Soviet 5th Army by means of a closely coordinated offensive by the forces on Army Group Center's southern flank and Army Group South's northern flank."[8]
Over the following weeks the division made a well-organized retreat, falling back to a line along the Uzh River by the end of August 11,[9] but continuous combat was wearing the division down; by August 19 it had only 1,684 personnel on strength, less than half the strength of a prewar rifle regiment.[10] On August 1 Colonel Lyudnikov had been withdrawn from command and placed at the disposal of the Front headquarters. He was replaced the next day by his chief of staff, Maj. Aleksei Pavlovich Kolpachev who would remain in command for the duration of the 1st formation. After recovering from wounds suffered during his escape from the Kiev Pocket Lyudnikov would go on to lead the 138th Rifle Division in the fighting for the Barricady Factory in the Battle of Stalingrad, becoming a Hero of the Soviet Union and reaching the rank of colonel general before the end of the war.
Gomel fell to forces of German 2nd Army on August 19 which effectively unhinged the defenses of the Soviet 21st Army east of the Dniepr. The commander of Southwestern Front, Marshal S. M. Budyonny, signalled the STAVKA that this Army's divisions were withdrawing to a line some 20 km north of the Repki region where the 200th was organizing defenses. In response to this crisis the division was ordered at noon on August 27 to move in that direction in order to come under that Army's command along with the 62nd Rifle Division. This order was overridden on September 1 when the 200th was directed to hold its present positions and carry out reconnaissance.[11] Meanwhile, in late August the 2nd Panzer Group and 2nd Army of Army Group Center began their drives southward. At this time the 200th was attempting to hold positions west of Chernihiv from elements of the XXIII Army Corps outflanking it to the east. By September 10 the remnants of 5th Army were grouped north of Kozelets but on September 16 the 2nd Panzers linked up with the 1st Panzer Group of Army Group South well to the east and the Army was deeply encircled.[12] The division was officially declared destroyed on September 20;[13] Major Kolpachev was taken prisoner but survived the war, being released in 1945.
2nd Formation
The 425th Rifle Division began forming in December at Buzuluk in the South Ural Military District, based on the rifle division shtat of December 6, 1941. Most of the 400-series divisions would be redesignated with the numbers of previously disbanded formations, and in February 1942 the 425th became the 2nd formation of the 200th Rifle Division. In April it was assigned to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command from where it went to the 11th Army of Northwestern Front in May.[14] The division's order of battle remained similar to that of the 1st formation:
600th Signal Battalion (later 183rd, 405th Signal Companies)
405th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
507th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
299th Motor Transport Company
424th Field Bakery
889th Divisional Veterinary Hospital
1679th Field Postal Station
1080th Field Office of the State Bank
Col. Konstantin Alekseevich Elshin was given command of the division on January 14, 1942. In an operation that had begun in early January the Northwestern Front, led by its 11th Army, had first isolated and later completely encircled the German II Army Corps of 16th Army in the area of Demyansk. This led to a dismal campaign amidst forests and swamps that stretched into the beginning of March 1943.[16]
Battle of Demyansk
Prior to the arrival of the 200th the German forces had managed to restore land communications through the "Ramushevo corridor" on March 21 although its forces in the salient would continue to rely on air supply for most of its needs for the duration.