Yury Novoselsky

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Yury Vladimirovich Novoselsky
Novoselsky, 1942
Born17 August 1895
Moscow, Russian Empire
Died10 December 1975(1975-12-10) (aged 80)
Moscow, Soviet Union
Allegiance
  • Russian Empire
  • Soviet Union
Service/branch
Years of service
  • 1915–1917
  • 1918–1950
RankGeneral-leytenant
Commands held
Battles/wars
AwardsOrder of Lenin

Yury Vladimirovich Novoselsky (Russian: Юрий Владимирович Новосельский; 17 August 1895 – 10 December 1975) was a Red Army general-leytenant who held corps and divisional commands during World War II.

After being captured as a junior officer during World War I, Novoselsky returned to fight in the Russian Civil War. He rose through command positions in the interwar Red Army and led the 86th Motor Rifle Division during the Winter War. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Novoselsky was in command of the 2nd Mechanized Corps, destroyed in the Battle of Uman. He escaped from encirclement and ended the war as a rifle corps commander. Novoselsky continued to hold senior positions until his retirement.

Early life, World War I and Russian Civil War

Yury Vladimirovich Novoselsky was born on 17 August 1895 in Moscow. He graduated from the six-year 2nd Moscow

Preußisch Holland.[1][2]

Novoselsky was freed in a prisoner exchange on 4 December 1918 and returned to Moscow in the midst of the Russian Civil War. He joined the Red Army six days later and was appointed a squad leader in the 88th Workers' Regiment in Moscow. He was transferred to the 317th Rifle Regiment of the 36th Rifle Division in April 1919, serving as a platoon leader, chief of the regimental school, battalion commander and assistant regimental commander. With the division, he fought with the 9th Army on the Southeastern Front against the White Armed Forces of South Russia. After catching typhus in March 1920 he was sent to the infantry inspectorate of the army, and a month later appointed commander of the Separate Novocherkassk Battalion of Convalescents. In June he became chief and commissar of the 3rd Battalion of the Don Oblast Territorial District, and in November, chief of the Rostov Territorial District and a detachment of Special Purpose (ChON).[1][2]

Interwar period and Winter War

In February 1921, Novoselsky was sent to the

22nd Rifle Division as assistant commander of the 190th Rifle Regiment, then as a battalion commander and assistant commander of the 64th Rifle Regiment. From May 1923 he served as chief of the summer training camps of the division, and in December took command of the 65th Novorossiysk Rifle Regiment.[1][2]

Novoselsky left the Caucasus for the Moscow Military District, being posted to the Moscow Military-Political School in February 1924 as chief of combat units. He took command of the 1st Moscow Separate Regiment in August and the 243rd Medyn Rifle Regiment of the 81st Rifle Division at Kaluga and Medyn. After completing the Vystrel course between September 1927 and September 1928, he continued to command the regiment. Novoselsky was relived of command for "excesses in collectivization in Medyn" in December 1929 and in February 1930 appointed commander of the 18th Rifle Regiment of the 6th Rifle Division at Livny.[1][2]

From May 1931, he served as chief of staff of the

Belorussian Special Military District at Vitebsk. For successes in combat training, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 22 February 1938. In August Novoselsky was transferred to command the 86th Rifle Division of the Volga Military District at Kazan. The division was reorganized into a motor rifle division and sent to the Northwestern Front.[1][2]

During the

islands in Vyborg Bay between late February and 12 March, an action known as the Battle of Vyborg Bay. On the right of the 28th Rifle Corps, the division moved across the ice of the bay, with the 169th Motor Rifle Regiment and two ski battalions capturing Tuppura on 2 March at the cost of up to 320 casualties, including 60 killed.[4] Two days later, the 86th Rifle Division began crossing the bay to the Finnish side, with the 169th Motor Rifle Regiment, supported by a tank battalion, crossing the ice to Häränpääniemi, capturing a bridgehead. The 284th Motor Rifle Regiment reached Vilaniemi on the right.[5] The division faced a Finnish counterattack on 6 March, managing to hold its bridgehead at Vilaniemi. On 9 March the corps was ordered to go on the offensive, with the 86th covering the left flank of the corps' main forces, ordered to reach the line of Säkkijärvi and Alauotila. As the war ended, the 330th took Alauotila, driving back the Finnish battalion. However, the 169th and 284th were halted east of Muhulahti, unable to reach Säkkijärvi.[6] For his performance, Novoselsky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and promoted to the rank of komdiv on 21 March 1940.[3]

Novoselsky was appointed chief of the Vystrel course on 14 May 1940, but did not actually take the position and in early June took command of the 2nd Mechanized Corps of the Odessa Military District at Tiraspol. When the Red Army introduced general officer ranks, Novoselsky received the rank of general-leytenant.[3] From November he completed the Improvement Course for Higher Command Personnel at the Academy of the General Staff, and from May 1941 returned to command of the 2nd Mechanized Corps of the 9th Army.[1][2] On paper, this was a formidable force of as many as 527 tanks on 22 June, but only 60 were the new T-34 and KV tanks.[7]

Eastern Front

Alerted on the night of 21–22 June by army headquarters, Novoselsky assembled his subordinates and transmitted the 9th Army's orders to bring troops to full combat readiness, move out of bases, and camouflage equipment.

146th Rifle Division at Kazan in the Volga Military District.[1][2]

Novoselsky's division was sent to the Western Front in March. Assigned to the 50th Army, it took part in fighting on the Yelnya axis. By a front order of 11 June, he was relieved of command for "heavy losses in battle, indiscipline and negligence." Novoselsky was again placed at Voroshilov's disposal and in November became assistant commander of the Bryansk Front for the formation of new units. During winter and spring 1943 he commanded an Operational Group of the front operating on the Romny axis.[1][2]

In November, Novoselsky was appointed commander of the

Upper Silesian Offensive, encircling and destroying the German troops around Oppeln.[1][2]

Postwar

After the end of the war, Novoselsky's corps was disbanded in August 1945, and he was placed at the disposal of the Main Cadre Directorate. From November he served as deputy commander of the 6th Guards Army of the Baltic Military District, and in July 1946 became assistant commander of the 10th Guards Army of the Leningrad Military District. In April 1948 he was appointed deputy chairman of the Rifle Tactical Committee of the Ground Forces. He was transferred to the reserve on 28 July 1950. Novoselsky died in Moscow on 10 December 1975.[1][2]

Awards

Novoselsky was a recipient of the following decorations:[1][2]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tsapayev & Goremykin 2015, pp. 1002–1005.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bulkin 2018, pp. 549–551.
  3. ^ a b c Solovyov 2019, pp. 64–65.
  4. ^ Raunio & Kilin 2018, p. 277.
  5. ^ Raunio & Kilin 2018, p. 279.
  6. ^ Raunio & Kilin 2018, p. 282.
  7. ^ Drig 2005, p. 103.
  8. ^ Drig 2005, pp. 105–107.
  9. ^ "Новосельский Юрий Владимирович: Орден Кутузова II степени". Pamyat Naroda (in Russian).
  10. ^ "Новосельский Юрий Владимирович: Наградной документ". Pamyat Naroda (in Russian).

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yury_Novoselsky&oldid=1170573118"