The 10th Rifle Division was a
military formation
Military organization ( AE) or military organisation ( BE) is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. Formal military organization tends to use hierarc ...
of the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
. It existed by 1920, but was formally created on 20 June 1922, based on the 29th Infantry Brigade. It was then recreated at
Vladimir in September 1939, and fought in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Second World War
Around 1939, the division was stationed in the
Leningrad Military District, Western Special Military District, and the Baltic Special Military District. It participated in the Polish campaign in 1939, and in the accession of Lithuania to the USSR in June 1940.
It was part of the
10th Rifle Corps,
8th Army on 22 June 1941.
The division fought in northern Russia and the Baltic States. From April 1942 to December 1944 it was part of the
23rd Army,
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front () was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941.
History
The Leningrad Front was immediately ...
, engaged in the
siege of Leningrad
The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...
. From June to August 1944 it took part in the
Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive as part of 115th Rifle Corps.
It was engaged in operations (in Russian terms, part of the 'operational army') during the
Eastern Front campaign against Germany, from June 22, 1941, to May 9, 1945.
The division was disbanded in spring 1946 with the
6th Rifle Corps in the
Don Military District.
Latvian battalion
In July 1940, the 1st and 2nd Latvian workers regiments (the last later changed to
76th Latvian Rifle Regiment) were formed in
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
from Latvian workers guard battalions and other active duty soldiers, who at the beginning of German attack, fled from
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
to Estonia.
1st Latvian Workers Regiment was formed on July 18, 1941. Their strength was about 900 men, and that was subordinate to
8th Army (Soviet Union),
10th Rifle Corps. In the beginning the regiment guarded the Corps rear lines and fought with Estonian and Latvian
Destruction battalions, but later joined in battles against the
Army Group North (until July 29). The regiment suffered heavy losses, and at the end of July transferred to
Gogland Island and later to
Kotlin Island
Kotlin (; ) is a Russian island, located near the head of the Gulf of Finland, west of Saint Petersburg in the Baltic Sea. Kotlin separates the Neva Bay from the rest of the gulf. The fortified city of Kronstadt is located on the island and form ...
(
Kronstadt). From the left over regiment was later formed (3rd through September 7)
Latvian Battalion (commander
Žanis Grīva-Folkmanis), which was part of (Russian) 10th Rifle Division 62nd Regiment. The Latvian battalion had only 283 soldiers. By riflemen, Germans battalions destroyed them and the remaining part retreated to
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, and
Peterhof to be placed in
76th Latvian Riflemen Regiment.
[ Aviel Roshwald, Ethnic nationalism and the fall of empires.]
References
*
Further reading
*
External links
*Leo Niehorster
Division as part of 8th Army June 22, 1941{{Soviet Union divisions before 1945
010
Military units and formations established in 1922
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner
Continuation War