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 ...
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 during
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 ...
, in 1939 and twice in 1941.
First Formation
Its First Formation was established at
Kozelsk
Kozelsk () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Kozelsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Zhizdra (river), Zhizdra River (a tributary of the Oka (river), Oka), southwest of Kaluga ...
in September 1939, on the basis of a regiment of the 81st Rifle Division. It 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 ...
with
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. It initially consisted of the 718th, 609th, and 364th Rifle Regiments. Fighting as part of 8th Army, it was defeated at the
Battle of Tolvajärvi
The Battle of Tolvajärvi ( tol.va.jær.vi , ) was fought on 12 December 1939 between Finland and the Soviet Union. It was the first large offensive victory for the Finns in the Winter War.
The battle took place on the territory of so-called ...
Kiev Special Military District
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, on 22 June 1941. It was wiped out during the
Battle of Uman
The Battle of Uman (15 July – 8 August 1941) was the World War II German offensive in Uman, Uman, Ukraine against the 6th Army (Soviet Union), 6th and 12th Army (Soviet Union), 12th Soviet Armies. In a three-week period, the Wehrmacht encircle ...
in August 1941.
Force Composition 2 October 1939
* 364th Rifle Regiment
* 609th Rifle Regiment
* 718th Rifle Regiment
* 354th Light Artillery Regiment
Second Formation
It was recreated (II formation) from 9th Moscow People's Militia Rifle Division (In 1941, residents of Zamoskvorechye formed the Twelfth Militia Division of Kirovsky District (дивизия народного ополчения Кировского района) (
Zamoskvorechye District
Zamoskvorechye District () is a district of the Central Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow, Russia. It has a population of up from
The district contains the eastern half of the historical Zamoskvorechye District, its weste ...
). It was destroyed again at Vyazma in October 1941.
Third Formation
It was recreated (III formation) at
Cheboksary
Cheboksary is the capital city of Chuvashia, Russia. It is a port on the Volga River.
Geography
The city is located in the Volga Upland region and stands on the shore of the Cheboksary Reservoir. Its area is .Resolution #2083 The satellite city ...
in January 1942. Fought at Kursk and Gdynia. It received a large number of volunteers from Siberia before participating in the
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...
. A popular song was written about a platoon of the division "Na Bazimyannoy Visote" () ( On a nameless height) featured in the film "Tishina" (Silence) that documented the events of a defence of a height at the village of Rubezhenka, Kuybyshevsky rayon,
Kaluga Oblast
Kaluga Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Kaluga. The Russian Census (2021), 2021 Russian Census found a population o ...
, when the platoon defended against an attack by a German
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
estimated at a strength of 200 on 14 September 1943. There were only two survivors from the platoon, but the height was held.http://www.ocito.kaluga.ru/res/sites/bsch/content/site/index.htm It was serving with the 49th Army of the
2nd Belorussian Front
The 2nd Belorussian Front (, ''Vtoroi Belorusskiy front'', also romanized "Byelorussian SSR, Byelorussian"), was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group.
I ...
in May 1945.
The division appears to have disbanded "in place" with the
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Western Group of Forces (WGF), previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG) and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG), were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupation ...
during the summer of 1945.
Notable commanders
*
Pavel Ponedelin
Pavel Grigoryevich Ponedelin (; 4 March 1893 Moscow 25 August 1950) was a Soviet general executed after World War II for being taken prisoner by the Germans.
Early life
He fought in World War I in the Imperial Russian Army before going over t ...