30th Rifle Division
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2011) |
30th Rifle Division | |
---|---|
Active | I Formation: October 1918 – 18 December 1942 II Formation: 1943–1945 III Formation: 1955–1957 |
Country | Soviet Union |
Branch | Red Army |
Engagements | Russian Civil War World War II |
Decorations | Order of Lenin (1st formation) Order of the Red Banner (2nd, and 3rd formations) (2; 1st formation) Order of Suvorov (3rd formation) |
Battle honours | Irkutsk (1st formation) Kiev (2nd formation)Zhitomir (2nd formation)Zaporizhia (3rd formation)Khingan (3rd formation) |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Vasily Blyukher |
The 30th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the
History
Formed in October 1918 by the merger of the 3rd and 4th infantry divisions of the Ural as the 4th Ural Infantry Division, in November 1918 the division was renamed the 30th Rifle Division. Two senior Soviet military leaders served with the division in its early years;
The division was part of the 'operational army' from 22 June 1941 to 18 December 1942.
On 22 June 1941, the division was stationed at the Soviet-Romanian border on the river Prut at Sculeni (Calarasi, Frontier District Number 5). The division was part of the 35th Rifle Corps of the 9th Army. On 24 June 1941 the division had entered the battle and was forced to retreat on 30 June 1941. The division held the line of Vnishora, German, and Petreshtipri. During the disorganized retreat the division lost much equipment and personnel. On 5 July the division held positions at the front from Popovka to Lipovanka. On 7 July 1941 the division was in reserve. Up to 11 July, the division numbered no more than one regiment.
On 6 August 1941, the division was transferred to the
The division fought in the Tuapse Defensive Operation. By 20 August 1942 the division covered the road through the Pyatigorsk and Khrebtovy passes, After a lull in the fighting, which lasted until 23 September 1942, the division was again involved in heavy fighting. By the end of October the 30th Rifle Division held the line in the Kaverze River valley, covering the Khrebtovy Pass. On 12 December 1942 the division was transformed into the 55th Guards Rifle Division as a reward for its actions.
The Second Formation of the 30th Rifle Division was recreated at Rossosh in April 1943. It fought at Rostov, Kiev, Zhitomir, and in the Carpathian Mountains. It was with 38th Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front in May 1945.[1] The division was disbanded with the Northern Group of Forces in the summer of 1945.[2]
Postwar
In 1955 the division was reformed by redesignation of the
Subordination
- Southern Front, 9th Army, 35th Rifle Corps – on 22 June 1941.
- Southern Front, Separate Coastal Army – on 6 August 1941,
- Southern Front, 9th Army – on 1 October 1941.
- Southern Front, 56th Army – from January 1942.
- Trans-Caucasian Front, the Black Sea Group of Forces, 56th Army – on 1 October 1942.
Composition
30th Mountain Division
- 35th Mountain Rifle Regiment
- 71st Mountain Rifle Regiment
- 256th Mountain Rifle Regiment
- 369th Mountain Rifle Regiment
- 59th Artillery Regiment
- 121st Howitzer Artillery Regiment
- 147th Separate Antitank Battalion
- 89th Cavalry Squadron
- 101st Sapper Battalion
- 115th Separate Battalion
- 40th Division Artillery Park
- 57th Medical-Sanitary Battalion
- 66th Separate Company Chemical Protection
- 407th Trucking Company
- 80th Field Bakery
- 94th Second Division Veterinary Hospital
- 81st Field Postal Station
- ?th Field Ticket Office of the State Bank
30th Rifle Division
- 35th Rifle Regiment
- 71st Rifle Regiment
- 256th Rifle Regiment
- 59th Light Artillery Regiment
- 121st Howitzer Artillery Regiment (until 30 December 1941)
- 147th Separate Antitank Artillery Battalion (up to 19 January 1942)
- 436th Anti-Aircraft Battery (287th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion)
- 551st Mortar Division (from 27 November 1941 to 3 November 1942)
- 89th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion
- 101st Sapper Battalion
- 115th Separate Battalion
- 40th Divisional Artillery Park (until 6 April 1942)
- 57th Medical-Sanitary Battalion
- 66th Separate Company Chemical Protection
- 407th Trucking company
- 80th Field Bakery
- 94th Second Division Veterinary Hospital
- 81st Field Postal Station
- 1721st (341st) Field Ticket Office of the State Bank
In March 1942, the 13th Rifle Brigade temporarily became part of the division.
Commanders
- Sergey Gavrilovich Galaktionov (16 August 1939 – 25 August 1941) brigade commander to 5 June 1940 major general(shot "for negligence and inaction")
- Mikhail D. Goncharov (25 August 1941 – 4 December 1941) major general
- Sawa Kalistratovich Potekhin (5 December 1941 – 14 June 1942) colonel
- Boris Nikitich Arshintsev (15 June 1942 – 18 December 1942) colonel
Hero of the Soviet Union
- Senior Sergeant Gerasimos Evseyevich Kucheryavyi, Hero of the Soviet Union — Gunner 256th Rifle Regiment. Posthumously awarded the title 31 March 1943, for fighting in Goryachy Kluch on 11 November 1942. He was left alone to defend a high location and was surrounded by German soldiers. They offered to let him surrender. He allowed them to come close to him and detonated a grenade, killing four German soldiers.
Awards
- 13 December 1920 — Received the name Irkutsk
- 16 July 1921 — Named after the Central Executive Committee
- December 1938 — Name changed to "Named for the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR"
- ? – Honorary Revolutionary Red Banner
- 18 April 1920 — Order of the Red Banner
- 4 April 1921 — Order of Red Banner
- 8 May 1921 — Order of the Red Banner of the USSR
- 27 February 1934 — Order of Lenin
- 10 December 1942 — converted into a Guards unit
References
Sources and 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.
- Кудрявцев, Ф. А. Иркутская гвардейская. Kudryavtsev, FA Irkutsk Guards. – 2 ed. — Иркутск: 1944. – Irkutsk: 1944. — 39 с. – 39.
- Богданов, Л. Г. В пламени и славе . Bogdanov, LG in flames and glory . — 2 ed., Corr. and add. — Иркутск: Восточно-Сибирское книжное издательство, 1988. – Irkutsk: East Siberian Publishing House, 1988. — 381 pages
- GK Puzhaev Blood and glory Mius. Таганрог: БАННЭРплюс, 2008. Taganrog: BANNERplus, 2008. – 385 p.; ISBN 5-7280-0041-X
External links
- 30th Rifle Division (in Russian). — Handbook on the club's website, "Memory", Voronezh State University. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- Справочник соединений и частей РККА (in Russian). Retrieved 4 November 2008.
- "Иркутско-Пинская дивизия" [Irkutsk-Pinsk Division]. Irkipedia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 23 December 2015.