50th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

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50th Rifle Division
Active1936–1947
Country Soviet Union
Branch Red Army
TypeInfantry
EngagementsSoviet invasion of Poland

Winter War
World War II

Decorations
Battle honours
  • Zaporizhia
  • Kirovograd
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Arkady Boreyko

The 50th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the

Berlin Offensive.[1]

History

In May 1936, the division was formed from Construction Headquarters No. 27 as the Urovskaya Division of the Polotsk Fortified Region.[2] It took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939. On 17 September, it was part of the 3rd Army's 4th Rifle Corps.[3] On 2 October, it was transferred to the 10th Rifle Corps of the same army.[4]

The 50th Rifle Division then fought in the Winter War. On 28 December, it was stationed in the region near Lake Sukhodolskoye. On 18 January 1940, it was subordinated to the 13th Army. The division became part of the 30th Rifle Corps on 30 January. On 21 January, the division went to the front lines. From 1–2 February, it fought in the Pasuri village on the Karelian Isthmus. On 11 February, it again attacked Finnish positions at Pasuri. It broke through the Finnish positions at Salmenkayta due to its artillery support, which damaged the morale of the defenders.[5] On 23 February, it was stationed near the Salmenkayta River.[6] Between 1–7 April, the division was transported by train back to Belarus.[4]

The division was then based in

Begoml. However, the division was able to hold the German advance for three days during fighting north of Barysaw.[8] On 5 July, the division began the retreat to Syanno and was fighting near Vitebsk from 7 July. On 11 July, it was sent to Velizh to be rebuilt due to heavy losses. On 14 July, German troops attacked Velizh and the division had to retreat to the east.[9]

On 23 July, remnants of the division were withdrawn from the fighting with the intention of reinforcing positions 12 kilometers east of

Vop River and defend the east bank at Kurganova, Podylische and Ozerische, repulsing German attempts at crossing the river. On 5 October, army commander Ivan Konev ordered the division to move to Vyazma. Due to various motor transport delays, the division didn't arrive at Vyazma until 7 October. Upon its arrival, the division was ordered by Rokossovsky to defend the northern approaches to the city. Due to the German advance, the division was then forced to retreat to the east.[11] It was able to escape being encircled in the Vyazma Pocket.[9]

On 19 October, the division fought in the battle for

103rd Rifle Divisions. On 23 October, the division came under heavy attack along with the 22nd Tank Brigade and was forced to retreat eastwards. On 25 October, more than 800 personnel of the 230th Reserve Training Rifle Regiment, attached to the division, were killed in the village of Gorbovo [ru]. By 31 October, the division had stopped its retreat at Tuchkovo.[9]

From 16 November to 11 December, it held the line at

Moskva River on 13 December and capturing several villages. The division continued to advance and by 20 December had captured Krasotinom, Kozhin and the village of Kagonovich on the south bank of the Moskva. On 21 December, German troops launched a heavy counterattack and the division was forced to withdraw across the river.[9]

On 11 January 1942, the division began a renewed offensive and recaptured Tuchkovo. On 12 January, it continued to advance in towards Mozhaisk and surrounded German troops in Beloborodova. On 13 January, it captured

Tatyanovka. However, the division was forced to retreat to the other bank and was relocated downstream to the Sidorovka area.[9]

On 17 July, the division crossed the Donets during the

Zaporizhia on 14 October. On 14 October 1943, the division was awarded the honorific "Zaporizhia" for its actions during the capture of the city. During the Aleksandriia–Znamenka Offensive during November and December, the division advanced to the area of Znamenka.[9]

The division resumed the offensive on 5 January 1944 during the

Volodymyr-Volynskyi. From there it was sent to the area of Gmina Jeżowe, Rozvaduv and Rudnik.[9]

The division became part of the 52nd Army's 73rd Rifle Corps from January 1945.

Prague Offensive. It advanced on Prague from the north through Mladá Boleslav. The division ended the war in Prague. It was still subordinated to the 52nd Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front at the end of the war.[13] On 26 May, the division was awarded the Order of Kutuzov 2nd class.[2][9]

Postwar, the division transferred to Sambir in the Carpathian Military District with the corps. The division was disbanded in 1947.[14]

Commanders

The following officers commanded the division:[4]

Composition

The 50th Rifle Division included the following units:[2]

  • 2nd Rifle Regiment
  • 49th Rifle Regiment
  • 359th Rifle Regiment
  • 202nd Light Artillery Regiment
  • 257th Howitzer Artillery Regiment
  • 480th Mortar Battalion (1 November 1941 – 20 October 1942)
  • 89th Separate Antitank Battalion
  • 6th Reconnaissance Battalion
  • 68th Separate Sapper Battalion
  • 81st Separate Communications Battalion (later 81st, then 1443rd Separate Communications Company)
  • 614th (later 10th) Medical Battalion
  • 107th Separate Chemical Defence Company
  • 41st (later 130th) Trucking Company
  • 125th (later 273rd) Field Bakery
  • 51st Divisional Veterinary Hospital
  • 883rd Field Post Office
  • 320th Field Ticket Office of the State Bank

References

Citations

  1. ^
    ISBN 9780972029629
    .
  2. ^ a b c d "50-я Запорожско-Кировоградская Краснознаменная стрелковая дивизия" [50th Zaporizhia Kirovohrad Red Banner Rifle Division]. rkka.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 16 Jan 2016.
  3. ISBN 9781841764085
    .
  4. ^ a b c d "50-я стрелковая дивизия" [50th Rifle Division]. samsv.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  5. ^ Irincheev 2012, pp. 190–191.
  6. ISBN 9780811710886
    .
  7. ^ "Перед атакой на Москву. Сентябрь 1941–го года" [Battle for Moscow Typhoon 1941]. smol1941.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  8. ^ Ivanov, Semion (1990). Штаб армейский, штаб фронтовой [Army headquarters, front headquarters] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizat. p. 86.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Ganichev, D.V.; Muryev, D.Z. (1988). Дорогами мужества [Roads of courage] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat.
  10. ISBN 9781846030178
    .
  11. ISBN 9781908916501
    .
  12. ^ "Яковченко Иван Ефимович" [Yakovchenko Ivan Yefimovich]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  13. ^ Poirer and Connor, Red Army Order of Battle
  14. ^ Feskov et al 2013, pp. 468, 471

Bibliography

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