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The 120th Rifle Division was an infantry division 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 ...
, formed three times. Its first formation became the 6th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in the Yelnya Offensive. Its second formation became the 69th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...
. The division was reformed a third time in late April 1943. It was disbanded "in place" with the
Central Group of Forces The Central Group of Forces (Russian: Центральная группа войск) was a formation of the Soviet Armed Forces used to incorporate Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945 to 1955 and tr ...
in the summer of 1945.Feskov et al. 2013, p. 413


First Formation

The 120th Rifle Division was formed in July 1940 in the Orel Region from the 35th Reserve Rifle Brigade under the command of Major General
Konstantin Petrov Konstantin Yuryevich Petrov (; born 16 January 1964) is a retired Kazakhstani butterfly swimmer. He won a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially brand ...
, part of the 33rd Rifle Corps. The 120th Rifle Division was composed of the following units: * 401st Rifle Regiment * 474th Rifle Regiment * 540th Rifle Regiment * 606th Artillery Regiment * 180th Separate Antitank Battalion * 105th Separate Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion * 150th Intelligence Company * 193rd Sapper Battalion * 224th Separate Communications Battalion * 208th Medical Battalion * 50th Separate Chemical Defense Company * 187th Motor Transport Battalion * 113rd Field Bakery * 164th Corps Veterinary Hospital * 84th Field Post Office * 81st Field Cash Office of the State Bank On 28 June 1941, it was transferred to
Bryansk Bryansk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), Desna River, southwest of Moscow. It has a population of 379,152 at the 2021 census. Bryans ...
. On 10 July it was concentrated in the Novoselki area west of Bryansk to establish a defensive line, including antitank ditches. The division became part of 24th Army on 15 July and was moved to the area 20 kilometers southeast of
Yelnya Yelnya () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities * Yelnya, Yelninsky District, Smolensk Oblast, a town in Yelninsky District of Smolensk Oblast; administratively incorporated as Yelninskoye Urban Settlement ;Ru ...
. It went into combat on 30 July. Between August and September it fought in the Yelnya Offensive. The division helped capture Yelnya on 6 September. On 16 September, it was withdrawn from the front and sent to Stavka reserve in the
Bologovsky District Bologovsky District () is an administrative and municipalLaw #4-ZO district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Tver Oblast, thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the north of the oblast and borders with Borovichsky Distr ...
. On 26 September, the division became the 6th Guards Rifle Division for its actions at Yelnya.


Second Formation

The division was reformed in
Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...
from the 405th Rifle Division on 10 March 1942. 80% of the soldiers of the division were
Kazakhs The Kazakhs (Kazakh language, Kazakh: , , , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They share a common Culture of Kazakhstan, culture, Kazakh language, language and History of Kazakhstan, history ...
. The division was commanded by Colonel Nikolai Ryakin. The division included the following units: * 289th Rifle Regiment * 538th Rifle Regiment * 543rd Rifle Regiment * 1033rd Artillery Regiment * 410th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion * 464th Anti-Aircraft Truck Company * 161st Intelligence Company * 328th Sapper Battalion * 678th Separate Communications Battalion * 248th Medical-Sanitary Battalion * 148th Separate Chemical Defense Company * 532nd Road Transport Company * 376th Field Bakery * 847th Divisional Veterinary Hospital * 1974th Field Post Office * 1155th Field Cash Office of the State Bank In May the 120th was assigned to 8th Reserve Army in the
Reserve of the Supreme High Command The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the '' Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK () or RGK ( comprises reserve military formations and units; the ''Stavka'' ...
. In June 1942 the division was moved by river to
Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...
, where it received reinforcements. On 24 August, 8th Reserve was re-designated as
66th Army The 66th Army was a field army of the Red Army. It was established in August 1942 from the 8th Reserve Army. The 66th Army fought to break through to the Volga to the north of Stalingrad during September and October 1942. During Operation Uranus, ...
and was rushed to Stalingrad. The division was thrown into a series of costly counterattacks north of the city from 4 September. On 27 September Colonel Kirill Dzhakhua took command. By 20 October, at the outset of Don Front's Fourth Kotluban counteroffensive, the division was noted as being severely under strength, with roughly a battalion's worth of fighting men remaining. Prior to the start of the Soviet counteroffensive at Stalingrad, the 120th had been transferred to 24th Army, still in the same general area, and rebuilt. On 22 November the division supported the army's shock group with two of its rifle regiments, but the attack made little progress against deeply dug-in German positions. Further efforts on the following three days were equally unsuccessful. However, once the Axis forces had been encircled, the 120th gave distinguished service during
Operation Ring Operation Ring (; , ), known in Azerbaijan as Operation Chaykand () was the codename for the May 1991 military operation conducted by the Soviet Army, Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Soviet Union), Ministry of Internal Af ...
, finishing off the trapped German 6th Army. In recognition of this, on 6 February the division was converted into the 69th Guards Rifle Division for its actions.


Third Formation

The division was reformed on 22 April 1943 from the 11th Rifle Brigade and the 142nd Naval Rifle Brigade on the
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 ...
, part of the 67th Army, under command of 11th Rifle Brigade commander Colonel Alexei Batluk. The division included the following units: * 289th Rifle Regiment * 538th Rifle Regiment * 543rd Rifle Regiment * 1033rd Artillery Regiment * 410th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion * 161st Intelligence Company * 328th Sapper Battalion * 678th Separate Communications Battalion (later 709th Separate Communications Company) * 248th Medical-Sanitary Battalion * 148th Separate Chemical Defense Company * 532nd Road Transport Company * 376th Field Bakery * 847th Divisional Veterinary Hospital * 2276th Field Post Office * 1216th Field Cash Office of the State Bank Between July and early September it was part of the
2nd Shock Army The 2nd Shock Army (), sometimes translated to English as 2nd Assault Army, was a field army of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. This type of formation was created in accordance with prewar doctrine that called for Shock Armies to ''o ...
, but then was returned to 67th Army. During the Sixth Sinyavino offensive the 120th provided right flank support to the
30th Guards Rifle Corps 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
, which was finally able to storm and hold the Sinyavino heights on 15 September, although the offensive bogged down and was halted three days later.Glantz, ''The Battle for Leningrad, 1941 - 1945'', University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2002, pp 315-18 The division transferred to front reserve later that month. On 13 November the 120th was assigned to 117th Rifle Corps, where it would remain for most of the duration.Sharp, p 46 In January 1944 it became part of the 59th Army. The division fought in the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive, during which it participated in the capture of
Gatchina Gatchina (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which links Saint Petersburg and Pskov. Population: It was pr ...
(formerly Krasnogvardeysk) on 25 January, penetrating into the northeastern section of the town from the north, just as 108th Rifle Corps was seizing the northwestern sector. After an all-night battle, the town was completely cleared the following morning: On 27 January 1944 it was awarded the honorific "Gatchina". The division received the
Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...
for helping to liberate Luga on 12 February. In April 1944, the division became part of the 8th Army. In late July and August the division fought in the
Battle of Tannenberg Line The Battle of Tannenberg Line (; ) or the Battle of the Blue Hills () was a military engagement between the German Army Detachment Narwa and the Soviet Leningrad Front. They fought for the strategically important Narva Isthmus from 25 Jul ...
, part of the
Battle of Narva (1944) The Battle of Narva was a World War II military campaign, lasting from 2 February to 10 August 1944, in which the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus. ...
. It was part of the 117th Rifle Corps during the battle. The division attacked the Grenadier Hill from the east on 29 July. The division suffered casualties of 1,808 men killed or wounded during the attack. In August it became part of the 2nd Shock Army again. On 31 August Colonel Matvei Fedotov took command. In September 1944 the division, with its corps, was briefly moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, where it became part of the 21st Army. On 11 December Ivan Govorov became the division's commander. In that same month, 21st Army was assigned to
1st Ukrainian Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...
, and the 120th would remain in that front and army, in either 55th or 117th Rifle Corps, for the duration. It was disbanded "in place" in the summer of 1945 with the Central Group of Forces.


References

* {{Soviet Union divisions before 1945
120 120 may refer to: *120 (number), the number *AD 120, a year in the 2nd century AD *120 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *120 film, a film format for still photography * ''120'' (film), a 2008 film *120 (MBTA bus), a Massachusettes Bay Transport Aut ...
Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945