Col. Semyon Samuilovich Levin Maj. Gen. Sergei Nikolaevich Kuznetsov
Military unit
The 96th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in May 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 258th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It would become one of the more highly decorated rifle divisions of the Red Army.
The 96th Guards was formed in
Dniepr. As part of 1st Belorussian Front it took part in the summer campaign that destroyed Army Group Center and was soon awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its role in the fighting around Babruysk and shortly after the Order of Lenin for its part in the liberation of Minsk. After this campaign it was transferred with 28th Army to 3rd Belorussian Front and in early 1945 took part in the Vistula-Oder Offensive, winning further honors in East Prussia. It was moved again with its Army to join 1st Ukrainian Front in April and played an important role in the battles south of Berlin. Following the German surrender the 96th Guards was assigned to occupation duty as part of the Central Group of Forces
but was moved back to Belarus in 1946 and disbanded in early 1947.
Formation
The 258th had fought in the defensive phase of the Battle of Stalingrad as part of
65th Army for Operation Uranus.[1] During the pursuit of the defeated Axis forces it was moved to 5th Shock Army and distinguished itself sufficiently to merit Guards status. As of the beginning of May the 258th was serving as a separate rifle division in 5th Shock Army in Southern Front.[2]
On May 4 the division was redesignated as the 96th Guards; it would receive its Guards banner on June 10. Once the division completed its reorganization its order of battle was as follows:
92nd Guards Signal Battalion (later 24th Guards Signal Company)
100th Guards Medical/Sanitation Battalion
99th Guards Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
101st Guards Motor Transport Company
97th Guards Field Bakery
98th Guards Divisional Veterinary Hospital
1601st Field Postal Station
1687th Field Office of the State Bank
The division remained under the command of Col. Semyon Samuilovich Levin, who had commanded the 258th since January 12. At the time of its redesignation it was noted that the division's personnel were roughly 50 percent Russian nationality and 50 percent Turkmens.[4] At the beginning of July it remained a separate division in the Army.[5]
Into Ukraine
In February the 4th Panzer Army and Army Detachment Hollidt (later renamed 6th Army) had fallen back to the Mius-Front, which had been constructed the year previous. Southern Front launched its first effort to break this line on July 17 as the Battle of Kursk was winding down, but after a great deal of costly back-and-forth fighting finally suspended the effort on July 27, although German counterattacks would continue until August 2.[6]
A renewed offensive began on August 13 and although Southwestern Front to the north was initially unable to penetrate the front of 1st Panzer Army south of Izium, Southern Front broke through 6th Army beginning on August 18. 5th Shock Army, with an overwhelming concentration, especially of artillery, on a narrow front, penetrated 7 km behind the front through a 3 km-wide gap. Under the light of a full moon the Army spread out north and south behind the 6th Army's front. The 96th Guards distinguished itself in the fighting for Savur-Mohyla. This hill was a lynchpin of the Mius-Front at a height of 277.9m. The 295th Guards Rifle Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. Andrei Maksimovich Voloshin, led his soldiers along the west edge of the hill and captured Hill 183.0 which unhinged the German defense.[7]
German efforts to close the gap on August 20 made some initial progress but failed due to a strong Soviet reaction. By August 23 1st Panzer Army was also in trouble with its army corps south of Izium reduced to a combat strength of just 5,800 men and unable to hold a continuous line. On the 31st Field Marshal E. von Manstein was finally authorized to withdraw both armies to the Kalmius River, effectively beginning the race to the Dniepr.[8]
As of the start of September the 96th Guards had been assigned to the 31st Guards Rifle Corps, still in 5th Shock Army.[9] As the advance into the Donbas continued the division liberated an important city on September 4 and the men and women of the division were soon awarded a unique honorific:
ILOVAISK... 96th Guards Rifle Division (Col. Levin, Semyon Samuilovich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of the Donbas, during which they captured Ilovaisk and other cities, by the order of the Supreme High Command of 8 September 1943, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns.[10]
By this date the division had been transferred to the 3rd Guards Rifle Corps, where it would remain for the rest of the war. At about this time it was recorded that close to 50 percent of the division's personnel were of the 1925 year group, making this a very young cadre for any rifle division.[11]
Lower Dniepr Offensive
During the rest of September Southern Front, with 5th Shock on its right (north) flank, forced the German 6th Army back through the Donbas towards the southernmost part of the
Zaporozhe to Melitopol. On October 9 the Front (renamed 4th Ukrainian on October 20) renewed its offensive on both sides of the latter city. The 51st Army's battle for Melitopol lasted until October 23 after which 6th Army was in a near rout across the Nogay Steppe. The larger part of its forces fell back to form a bridgehead east of the Dniepr south of Nikopol with the 5th Shock and 2nd Guards Armies in pursuit. During November substantial German reserves were moved into the bridgehead in anticipation of an offensive to restore communications with Crimea, which had been cut off by the remainder of 4th Ukrainian Front. This came to nothing in the face of Soviet threats elsewhere, but the bridgehead remained strongly held.[12]
Nikopol-Krivoi Rog Offensive
A cold wave in the first week of January 1944 firmed up the ground enough for the 4th and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts to begin moving against the remaining German positions in the Dniepr bend. 3rd Ukrainian began its assault on January 10, but this had largely failed by the 13th. On the same day the 4th Ukrainian attacked the bridgehead but made minimal gains before both Fronts called a halt on January 16. The offensive was renewed on January 30 against a bridgehead weakened by transfers and 4th Ukrainian drove a deep wedge into its south end. On February 4 the German 6th Army ordered the bridgehead to be evacuated.[13] During February 5 Shock Army was transferred to 3rd Ukrainian Front.[14]
On February 17 Colonel Levin left the division to further his military education; he would go on to command the
Nikolayev, which Hitler had designated as a "fortress" on March 8.[15] Nikolayev was finally liberated on March 28; immediately following this victory the 3rd Guards Corps was moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command and assigned to the 28th Army.[16] While in the Reserve the 102nd Guards Antitank Battalion gave up its 45mm antitank guns and was reequipped with 12 SU-76 self-propelled guns.[17]