299th Rifle Division
| 299th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active |
|
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Rifle division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Battle honours |
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Gleb Baklanov |
The 299th Rifle Division (Russian: 299-я стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, formed twice.
The division was first formed in the summer of 1941 and was destroyed during the
Belgrade Offensive
, before being disbanded postwar in the summer of 1945.
History
First Formation
The 299th Division began forming on 10 July 1941 at
Operation Typhoon, the German attack on Moscow, at the end of September. Although it was not trapped in the Bryansk pocket, the division suffered heavy losses in the fighting in October and early November, and on 18 November only 800 men were left in the division. On 3 December, the 299th was officially disbanded, possibly to add replacements to one of the other divisions preparing for the Soviet counteroffensive at Moscow.[1]
Second Formation
The 299th Rifle Division was reformed on 6 June 1942 from a rifle brigade at
Belgorod-Khar'kov Offensive Operation, during which it was in the second echelon of the 53rd Army attack which broke through to recapture Kharkov on 23 August. For its actions, the 299th was awarded the honorific "Kharkov."[2]
In January 1944, the 299th became part of the
Belgrade Offensive and then advanced into Hungary south of Lake Balaton and Budapest. At the end of the war, the division was part of the 64th Rifle Corps, still with the 57th Army.[2] The division was disbanded in the summer of 1945, part of the Southern Group of Forces.[3]
References
Citations
- ^ Sharp 1996a, pp. 67–68.
- ^ a b Sharp 1996b, pp. 111–112.
- ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 422.
Bibliography
- Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.
- Sharp, Charles C. (1996a). The Soviet Order of Battle World War II: An Organizational History of the Major Combat Units of the Soviet Army. Vol. 9. West Chester, Ohio: George F. Nafziger. OCLC 258366685.
- Sharp, Charles C. (1996b). The Soviet Order of Battle World War II: An Organizational History of the Major Combat Units of the Soviet Army. Vol. 10. West Chester, Ohio: George F. Nafziger. OCLC 39214254.