The 11th Rifle Division (; 11 RD) was a military formation (

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

Division) of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

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 ...

. Its personnel were involved in the protection of the demarcation line in Pskov (March – May 1918), defensive battles against the Army of the Southern Front in Krasnov Novohopersk - Borisoglebsk (October - December 1918), against the army and the forces of Estonia, Bulak Balakhovich in Marienburg (April 1919) in defense of

Petrograd Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

and as the offensive against Yudenich's troops in Pskov (August 1919) the Luga-Gdov, Yamburg, Narva, Dvina-Rezhitsk directions (October–December 1919 – January–February 1920), the Polish-Soviet war of 1920 (in the July (4–23 July) and Warsaw (July 23 – August 25) operations (fighting in the area of the rivers Narew, Vistula)), in the suppression of the Kronstadt uprising (March 1921) participated in the Soviet-Finnish War (January – March 1940) and

World War II 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 ...

. On 22 June 1941 it was part of

11th Rifle Corps The 11th Rifle Corps () was a corps of the Soviet Red Army, Red Army, formed twice. The 11th was first formed in 1922 in the Petrograd area but soon moved to the Belorussian Military District. After fighting in the Soviet invasion of Poland, the c ...

, 8th Army, Baltic Special Military District, which rapidly became

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

. During August 1945, the division moved to

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

and disbanded there by February 1946.Feskov et al. 2013, p. 147, 477

Russian Civil War

By order of the Petrograd Defense region and the Northern

Screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing or ''silkscreening'', a printing method * Big screen, a nickname for motion pictures * Split screen (filmmaking), showing two or more images side by side * Stochastic screening and Halftone ...

on 14 March 1918, the

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

detachments created to repulse the advance of German troops in February 1918 joined the Luga district and reorganized as part of the Novoselskaya department of the district. Between March and May it guarded the demarcation line in the area of Pskov. The district was renamed the

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

sector on 1 April 1918, and on 21 April the formation of the Pskov Infantry Division from units of the Luga District and a cadre from the Novgorod Infantry Division of the Imperial Army. The Pskov Division was renamed the Luga Infantry Division on 17 May and on 9 June the headquarters of the Novgorod Sector merged with that of the Luga Infantry Division. The existence of the latter proved brief, however, as on 31 May it was renamed the 4th Petrograd Infantry Division. The division was transferred to the Yaroslavl Military District in July and then to the

Volga Military District The Volga Military District (PriVO) was a military district of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation that existed from 1918 to 1989 and 1992 to 2001. The district headquarters was located at Kazan, Saratov and Kuibyshev (Samara) at differen ...

in September. The division joined the 5th Army of the Southern Front in October and fought in defensive battles against the

Don Army The Don Army (, ) was the military of the short lived Don Republic and a part of the White movement in the Russian Civil War. It operated from 1918 to 1920, in the Don region and centered in the town of Novocherkassk. History On 23 April, K. ...

in the area of

Novokhopyorsk Novokhopyorsk () is a town and the administrative center of Novokhopyorsky District in Voronezh Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Khopyor River, southeast of Voronezh, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: Histor ...

and

Borisoglebsk Borisoglebsk () is a town in Voronezh Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Vorona River near its confluence with the Khopyor. Population: 65,000 (1969). History Borisoglebsk was founded in 1646 and was named for the Russian s ...

until December. By an order of the Southern Front on 21 January 1919, the division was merged with elements of the 11th (the former 1st) Nizhny Novgorod Rifle Division to become the Consolidated Rifle Division. Briefly transferred to the 9th Army in January 1919, the 11th was relocated to the Western Front in February, where it was redesignated as the 11th Rifle Division on 1 March. The 11th fought against Estonian troops and the forces of

Stanisław Bułak-Bałachowicz Stanisław Bułak-Bałachowicz (10 February 1883 – 10 May 1940) was a Polish-Belarusian general and veteran of World War I, the Russian Civil War, Estonian War of Independence, Polish-Soviet War, and the Invasion of Poland at the start of Wor ...

in the area of Marienburg in April, serving as the headquarters of the Marienburg Group of Forces. In May the division became part of the Army of Soviet Latvia, which was redesignated as the 15th Army on 9 June. The division was renamed the 11th Petrograd Rifle Division on 7 August 1919. During that month it fought in the defense of Petrograd and the offensive against the Northwestern Army in the Pskov area, then on the Luga–

Gdov Gdov () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Gdovsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the river Gdovka, just from its outflow into Lake Peipus. Population: History It was first menti ...

, Yamburg,

Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...

, and

Dvinsk Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...

– Rezhitsa sectors between October and December and January and February 1920. The 11th then fought against Polish troops in the area of Lake Ssho, Kamen, and Ushachy, and in the May Offensive. The division fought in the July Offensive during the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

between 4 and 23 July and then in the Battle of Warsaw, fighting in the area of the

Narew The Narew (; ; or ) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided h ...

and the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

, retreating into Belarus after the Red defeat in the Battle of Warsaw. The 15th Army was disbanded in December and the division joined the Petrograd Military District. It fought in the suppression of the

Kronstadt rebellion The Kronstadt rebellion () was a 1921 insurrection of Soviet sailors, Marines, naval infantry, and civilians against the Bolsheviks, Bolshevik government in the Russian port city of Kronstadt. Located on Kotlin Island in the Gulf of Finland, ...

in March 1921 as part of the 7th Army.

Interwar period

The division's title Petrograd was changed to Leningrad in February 1924 after the city was renamed, becoming the 11th Leningrad Rifle Division. At the same time, the Petrograd Military District became the Leningrad Military District. The division was awarded the

Honorary Revolutionary Red Banner An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

in 1928 in recognition of its actions during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. The 31st Mechanized Brigade was formed from the 11th Rifle Division's 32nd Volodarsky Rifle Regiment between May and September 1932 as part of the 11th Mechanized Corps in the

Leningrad Military District The Order of Lenin Leningrad Military District () is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010, it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern ...

at Stary Petergof near

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 ...

. It was commanded by Alexey Skulachenko from its formation until early 1935. It later became the 13th Light Tank Brigade. The division fought in the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

between January and March 1940, and was part of the 65th Rifle Corps of the Baltic Special Military District between August and October of that year.

Commanders

*K.I. Sheremetyev (3 May–9 June 1918) *B.V. Malyutin (9–13 June 1918) *Ye.N. Martynov (13 June–3 August 1918) *A.G. Keppen (3–20 August 1918) *M.A. Polikarpov (acting, 20 August–2 October 1918) *M.S. Lyubushkin (2 October 1918–10 April 1919) *A.G. Skorobogach (10 April–19 June 1919) *G.G Mangul (19 June–17 July 1919) *G.M. Rodenko (15–24 July 1919) *A.G. Natsvalov (24 July 1919–12 February 1920) *M.K. Simonov (acting, 12 February–19 August 1920) *V.P. Mariinsky (19 August 1920–15 July 1921) *

Ivan Smolin Ivan Ivanovich Smolin (; 5 July 1895 – 20 September 1937) was a Soviet army commander. He fought in the Imperial Russian Army in World War I and in the Soviet Red Army in the Russian Civil War. He was a recipient of the Order of the Red Banner (1 ...

: 1921–1924 * Semyon Turovsky: 1927–1928 * Kasyan Chaykovsky: 1931–1932 * Fyodor Bakunin: 1938–1939 * Vladimir Ivanovich Shcherbakov: 1941–1942

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{Soviet Union divisions before 1945 011 011 Military units and formations established in 1918 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations of the Soviet Union in the Winter War Soviet infantry divisions in the Russian Civil War