351st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
351st Rifle Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1941–1945 |
Country | Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd Formation |
Battle honours | Shepetovka |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Col. Nikolai Ustinovich Gursky Maj. Gen. Yemelyan Vasilevich Kozik Maj. Gen. Ilya Fyodorovich Dudarev |
The 351st Rifle Division first formed in September 1941, as a standard
1st Formation
The division began forming in September 1941, in the
- 1157th Rifle Regiment
- 1159th Rifle Regiment
- 1161st Rifle Regiment
- 904th Artillery Regiment[2]
The first recorded commander of the division was Col. Nikolai Ustinovich Gursky, but he was not appointed until April 1, 1942. He would lead this formation of the division until it was disbanded. The division's personnel included a large number of non-Russian nationality.
Second Battle of Kharkov
When
On the first day of the German counteroffensive, 9th Army's front was deeply penetrated:
"Units on the right flank and in the center of Gen. Podlas's 57th Army remained in their positions, while at the boundary with 9th Army they turned their flanks to the north and, by the close of the day, they defended the line extending from Dobrovele through Malye Razdol to Novo-Prigozhaia. Withdrawn subunits of 9th Army's 341st Rifle Division defended the left flank of... 351st Rifle Division.
A breach 20km wide had been torn in the defenses between the two armies. The next day, Podlas was killed in action, and his army became leaderless during this crisis. Up to May 21 the division continued to hold most of its ground while being slowly driven backwards, but was not given explicit orders to retreat until the German forces completed its encirclement on that date. Over the following days the division was defending Krasnopavlovka, acting as a rearguard for the rest of the Army's remnants as they attempted to break out of the pocket. This duty gave little hope to escape themselves, and although the division held together well under such circumstances, it was destroyed by May 27, and was officially disbanded the same day.[2][5]
2nd Formation
A new 351st Rifle Division began forming from July until August 9, 1942, at Ordzhonikidze in the North Caucasus Military District. Its basic order of battle remained the same as the first formation.[6][7] Its initial commander was Col. I. G. Vinogradov, but he was replaced within a month by Maj. Gen. V. F. Sergatzkov, who would remain in command until January 14, 1943. For the duration of the war, the division was commanded by the following officers:
- Col. F. M. Bobrakov (January 15 - 22, 1943)
- Maj. Gen. A. M. Pykhtin (January 23 - 31, 1943)
- Col. F. M. Bobrakov (February 1 - 19, 1943)
- Col. K. P. Neverov (February 20 - March 12, 1943)
- Col. A. V. Vorozhishchev (March 13 - October 14, 1943)
- Lt. Col. Ya. I. Dyashkov (October 15, 1943 - January 30, 1944)
- Maj. Gen. Yemelyan Vasilevich Kozik (January 31 - March 14, 1944)
- Maj. Gen. N. M. Zamirovsky (March 18 - April 8, 1944)
- Maj. Gen. Ilya Fyodorovich Dudarev (April 9, 1944 - April 12, 1945)
- Col. Ya. I. Dyashkov (April 13 - April 23, 1945)
- Col. I. E. Vasilev (April 24 - May 11, 1945)
While still forming the division had to be moved south into the reserves of Transcaucasus Front since the German forces were approaching Ordzhonikidze.[6]
Battle of the Caucasus
The division was originally intended for the newly forming
In October the 351st left 46th Army and was assigned to
In December the division left 12th Corps and joined the
Into Ukraine and Czechoslovakia
In November, the division was transferred, along with its Army, to 1st Ukrainian Front, and the following month moved to 60th Army in the same Front.[12]
On February 11, 1944, the division was recognized for its role in the liberation of the western Ukrainian city of
In August, 18th Army was moved to the re-deployed 4th Ukrainian Front; the 351st would remain in that Front for the duration. On December 16 the division received the Order of Suvorov, 2nd Class, for its part in the liberation of the Slovakian town of Humenné and the village of Michalok.[16] In January 1945, 95th Corps became a separate corps under Front command, before being assigned to 38th Army in February. The Corps was reassigned once again in April, and the division ended its combat path back in 1st Guards Army, advancing on Prague.[12]
Postwar
The division completed its wartime service with the distinguished full title of 351st Rifle, Shepetovka, Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division. [Russian: 351-я стрелковая Шепетовская Краснознамённая орденов Суворова и Богдана Хмельницкого дивизия.] The division was disbanded in mid-1945 with the Northern Group of Forces.[17]
References
Citations
- ^ Dunn 2006, p. 81.
- ^ a b c Sharp 1996, p. 89.
- ^ Glantz 1998, p. 140.
- ^ Glantz 1998, pp. 93, 194, 237–239, 309.
- ^ Glantz 1998, pp. 242, 256, 279, 289, 294.
- ^ a b Sharp 1996b, p. 127.
- ^ Dunn 2006, p. 116.
- ^ Glantz 2009b, pp. 419, 448–553, 575.
- ^ Glantz 2009a, p. 563.
- ^ Glantz 2009a, pp. 584–586, 602, 607.
- ^ Sharp 1996b, pp. 127–128.
- ^ a b c Sharp 1996b, p. 128.
- ^ "Освобождение городов" [Liberation of cities] (in Russian). Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- ^ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967a, p. 294.
- ^ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, pp. 104, 134
- ^ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967b, p. 28.
- ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 408.
Bibliography
- Dunn, Walter S. Jr. (2006). Stalin's Keys to Victory. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books.
- 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.
- Glantz, David M. (1998). Kharkov 1942. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing.
- Glantz, David M. (2009a). Armageddon in Stalingrad. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.
- Glantz, David M. (2009b). To the Gates of Stalingrad. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.
- Sharp, Charles C. (1996). "Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From June to December 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IX. Nafziger.
- Sharp, Charles C. (1996b). "Red Swarm", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed from 1942 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. X. Nafziger.
- Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1964). Командование корпусного и дивизионного звена советских вооруженных сил периода Великой Отечественной войны 1941 – 1945 гг [Commanders of Corps and Divisions in the Great Patriotic War, 1941 – 1945] (in Russian). Moscow: Frunze Military Academy. p. 274.
- Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1967a). Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть I. 1920 - 1944 гг [Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part I. 1920–1944] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1967b). Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть II. 1945 - 1966 гг [Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part II. 1945–1966] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-07-06. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)