The 205th Rifle Division was twice formed as 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 ...
after a motorized division of that same number was destroyed in the first days of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The first formation was based on the ''shtat'' (
table of organization and equipment
A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of Military unit, military units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of ...
) of July 29, 1941 and it then remained for nine months in the far east of Siberia training and organizing before it was finally sent by rail to the Stalingrad region in July 1942. It was assigned to the
4th Tank Army which was attempting to hold a bridgehead west of the
Don River
The Don () is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire.
Its basin is betwee ...
based on
Kremenskaya and
Sirotinskaya. This soon came under attack by elements of German
6th Army as a preliminary to its advance on Stalingrad itself and during August the division was encircled and destroyed.
In June 1943 the 1941 formation of the
186th Rifle Division was redesignated as the 205th in large part to eliminate confusion with the 1939 formation of the
186th which was concurrently in service. The new 205th remained in
26th Army of
Karelian Front
The Karelian Front ) was a front (a formation of Army Group size) of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, and operated in Karelia.
Wartime
The Karelian Front was created in August 1941 when Northern Front was split into Karelian ...
until late 1944 when the Continuation War with Finland was over, after which it was moved to the south and eventually assigned to the
19th Army of
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 ...
which fought through East Pomerania in February and March 1945, winning a battle honor and a decoration in the process. While it saw little action in the Berlin campaign it was soon involved in the landings on the German-occupied Danish island of
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...
under command of
43rd Army. The 205th remained there until it was returned to the mainland in May 1946 and was soon after disbanded.
205th Motorized Division
The division began forming in February 1941 as part of the prewar buildup of Soviet mechanized forces, based on a tank brigade at
Byaroza
Byaroza (; ; also spelled ''Bereza''), formerly Byaroza-Kartuzskaya, is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Byaroza District. As of 2025, it has a population of 28,192.
History
The village of Biaroza ( ...
in the
Western Special Military District
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
* Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
* Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that ...
as part of the
14th Mechanized Corps. Once formed its order of battle was as follows:
* 226th Motorized Rifle Regiment
* 721st Motorized Rifle Regiment
* 127th Tank Regiment
* 672nd Artillery Regiment
* 30th Antitank Battalion
* 164th Antiaircraft Battalion
* 293rd Reconnaissance Battalion
* 394th Light Engineering Battalion
* 598th Signal Battalion
* 203rd Artillery Park Battalion
* 369th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
* 688th Motor Transport Battalion
* 112th Repair and Restoration Battalion
* 46th Regulatory Company
* 482nd Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
* 498th Field Postal Station
* 921st Field Office of the State Bank
Col. Filipp Fyodorovich Kudyurov was appointed to command on March 11. Once formed the division was at full strength in artillery and other heavy weapons, including mortars, antitank guns and even antiaircraft guns, but the 127th had only one battalion of tanks and in common with most of the other motorized divisions was missing most of its authorized trucks and tractors so was "motorized" mostly in name only.
On June 22 the 14th Mechanized Corps (
22nd and
30th Tank Divisions, 205th Motorized, 20th Motorcycle Regiment) was under command of
4th Army in the renamed
Western Front. The 205th was still located near Byaroza and began moving southwest during the day toward Zaprudy and
Kobryn
Kobryn or Kobrin is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Kobryn District. It is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus, where the Mukhavets river and Dnieper–Bug Canal meet. The town lies about east ...
, parallel with the 30th Tanks to its north. According to the operational plan the 14th Mechanized was to link up with
28th Rifle Corps
The 28th Rifle Corps was a corps 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 estab ...
to counterattack the German forces that had encircled and were pushing past
Brest. During this move the division came under heavy air attacks and lost most of the vehicles it had. During the following days it became trapped in the
Białystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area.
Biał ...
pocket and was effectively destroyed, being stricken from the Red Army's order of battle on June 30. Colonel Kudyurov managed to escape and went on to command the
40th Cavalry Division; he was killed in action in the Crimea in December.
1st Formation
A new division began forming as a regular rifle division on October 1, 1941 at
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...
in the
Far Eastern Front
The Far Eastern Front (Russian: Дальневосточный фронт) was a front — a level of military formation that is equivalent to army group — of the Red Army during the Second World War.
Early war service
Тhe Far Eastern Front wa ...
on the basis of the Krasnaya Rechka Separate Rifle Regiment with a similar order of battle:
* 577th Rifle Regiment
* 721st Rifle Regiment
* 731st Rifle Regiment
* 672nd Artillery Regiment
* 30th Antitank Battalion
* 167th Antiaircraft Battery
* 792nd Mortar Battalion
* 293rd Reconnaissance Company
* 394th Sapper Battalion
* 598th Signal Battalion
* 369th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
* 195th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
* 515th Motor Transport Company
* 357th Field Bakery
* 834th Divisional Veterinary Hospital
* 1488th Field Postal Station
* 922nd Field Office of the State Bank
Col. Aleksei Yakovlevich Khvostov was assigned to command the division on the day it began forming. On April 22, 1942, he was moved to command of the
18th Cavalry Corps and would later lead the
5th Rifle Corps
The 5th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed twice.
Formed in 1922, the corps was based at Bobruisk in Belarus for most of the interwar period. It fought in the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, with elements ...
and the
51st Rifle Division, being promoted to the rank of major general in June 1944. He was replaced by Maj. Gen. Ivan Alekseevich Makarenko who had previously led the
79th and
12th Rifle Divisions. The division remained in the Far Eastern Front reserves until July 1942 when it was rushed west to the front, being assigned to 4th Tank Army in
Stalingrad Front
The Stalingrad Front was a front, a military unit encompassing several armies, of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the city of St ...
.
Battle of Stalingrad
By August 1 the 205th had joined the 4th, which was already so depleted in armor in its
22nd Tank Corps that it was derisively being referred to as the "4 Tank Army"; it also contained the
18th Rifle Division and the 5th Destroyer Antitank Brigade. Elements of German
6th Army reached
Kalach-na-Donu
Kalach-na-Donu (), or Kalach-on-the-Don, is a town and the administrative center of Kalachyovsky District in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the Don River, west of Volgograd, the administrative center of the oblast. Population:
The tow ...
on August 7 and inflicted a serious defeat on the Soviet
62nd Army
The 62nd Army () was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War.
History
The Army was formed on 28 May 1942 as the 7th Reserve Army, a part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. The formation wa ...
over the following days, clearing the west bank of the Don River on this sector. Its obvious next target was the 50 km-wide bridgehead being held by 4th Tank Army south of Kremenskaya and Sirotinskaya. By this time the Army had been reinforced with the
184th,
192nd and
321st Rifle Divisions and the 54th Fortified Region. On August 14 the 205th was reported as having 8,374 personnel on strength.
The expected attack had begun the previous day. 6th Army concentrated 11 divisions, including one panzer and two motorized, on the 55 km front. The 205th was deployed on 4th Tank Army's right (west) flank and was supported by the 321st and the recently arrived
343rd Rifle Division; these were faced by the
XI Army Corps in what was intended as a diversionary attack. The ''STAVKA'' intended to back 4th Tank Army with the
1st Guards Army, but this was still ''en route''. The main attack began at 0630 hours on August 15 following a two-hour artillery preparation. With air support the
XIV Panzer Corps
XIV Panzer Corps (also: XIV Army Corps or XIV. ''Armeekorps'') was a corps-level formation of the German Army which fought on both the Eastern Front and in the Italian Campaign.
History
The XIV Panzer Corps was originally formed as the XIV Moto ...
and
VIII Army Corps demolished the defenses of the 192nd, 184th and 205th Divisions and pushed rapidly eastward. By day's end the 205th and 192nd were reported as having been enveloped from the flanks and fighting in encirclement in the Oskinskii region. The attack effectively split 4th Tank Army into two halves, forcing the 205th to withdraw toward Kremenskaya along with the 321st and 343rd.
As the situation deteriorated the leading elements of 1st Guards Army began to arrive in the area and the three divisions, along with the
40th Guards Rifle Division
The 40th Guards Rifle Division was one of a series of ten Guards rifle divisions (32nd – 41st) of the Red Army formed from airborne troops in the spring and summer of 1942 in preparation for, or in response to, the German summer offensive. It fo ...
, were ordered to counterattack at dawn on August 17. This effort faltered from the start as 6th Army pressed its advantage. The
376th Infantry Division captured Kremenskaya and the 40th Guards was forced to fight defensively to prevent the bridgehead from being liquidated entirely. By the end of the day 4th Tank Army was "no longer combat capable"; the 205th, among other divisions, was decimated and had run out of ammunition. In desperation it was transferred to control of 1st Guards but its bypassed remnants were already being mopped up. Despite 6th Army's claim of a complete success the Red Army managed to hold a portion of the bridgehead, which would provide a springboard for the counteroffensive in November. Later in August the 205th was officially disbanded. General Makarenko took over command of the 321st (later the
82nd Guards Rifle Division
The 82nd Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in March 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 321st Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War, including brie ...
) on August 24 and would be promoted to the rank of lieutenant general shortly before his retirement in 1958.
2nd Formation
The next formation of the 205th was actually a redesignation of the 1941 formation of the 186th Rifle Division in the 26th Army of Karelian Front. This had been formed as a militia division in September 1941 in the
Murmansk
Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...
region and was designated as 1st Polar for about a month. It was then put on the footing of a regular division and inexplicably given the same number (and subunit designations) as the existing
186th, which had been formed in 1939. When the redesignation was complete on June 26, 1943, the 205th had the same order of battle as the 1st formation with a few exceptions:
* it contained no antiaircraft battery or mortar battalion
* the field bakery was designated as the 306th
* the field postal station was the 01453rd (later 1483rd) and the office of the state bank was the 915th
In addition the signal battalion would later be replaced with the 293rd Signal Company. Given the challenges of the harsh and almost roadless terrain of the far north the 672nd Artillery Regiment was recorded in September 1944 as having the following equipment:
* 1st and 2nd Battalions, each with two batteries of four
M1909 mountain guns and one battery of four
122mm howitzers;
* 3rd Battalion with three batteries of four 122mm howitzers each.
The mountain guns were horse drawn (or
animal-packed) while the howitzers were towed by tractors.
The division was located at
Kestenga
Kestenga (; ; ) is a rural village in the Loukhsky District of the Republic of Karelia in Russia on the northern shore of Lake Topozero.
It is the administrative centre of the ''Kestenga rural settlement''.
There is a railway station on the L ...
at the time of its redesignation and was serving in the
31st Rifle Corps
31 (thirty-one) is the natural number following 30 and preceding 32. It is a prime number.
Mathematics
31 is the 11th prime number. It is a superprime and a self prime (after 3, 5, and 7), as no integer added up to its base 10 digits res ...
which also contained the
45th and
61st Rifle Divisions and the 85th Naval Rifle Brigade. It remained under the command of Col. Fyodor Ivanovich Litvinov who had led the 186th since June 2, 1942, but he would be replaced on July 7 by Col. Mikhail Alekseevich Beloskurskii. Litvinov was sent to study at the
Voroshilov Academy before returning to the front to command the
25th Rifle Division; Beloskurskii had previously led the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade and would be promoted to the rank of major general on November 2, 1944.
Continuation War
Through the rest of 1943 the situation along Karelian Front remained effectively static, but the situation began to change when the German/Finnish siege of Leningrad was finally broken in January 1944. From this point Finland came under increasing pressure to leave the war. On June 10 the
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 Karelian Fronts went over to the offensive against both the Finnish Army and the remaining German forces in the country. At this time the 205th was still in 26th Army in 31st Corps with the 45th and
83rd Rifle Divisions; the Army also contained the
54th and
367th Rifle Divisions. In its positions it faced elements of the German
XVIII Mountain Corps
XVIII. ''Armeekorps'' was formed in Salzburg, Austria, on 1 April 1938, following the Anschluss of Austria into the German Reich. During the life of the XVIII. Armeekorps, they took part in the Polish campaign, Fall Weiss, and the campaign in ...
over the next several months, while to the south Finland was being driven out of the war in the
Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive
The Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive or Karelian offensive was a strategic operation by the Soviet Leningrad and Karelian Fronts against Finland on the Karelian Isthmus and East Karelia fronts of the Continuation War, on the Eastern Front of Wor ...
. During September the 205th was serving as a separate division within 26th Army. On September 4/5 a Soviet-Finnish cease-fire went into effect, and on the 6th the German forces in Finland began
Operation Birke
Operation Birke (Operation Birch) was a German operation late in World War II in Finnish Lapland to protect access to nickel.
Background
Finnish attempts to find an acceptable exit from the Continuation War in spring 1944 alarmed the Germans, w ...
, with the goal of a withdrawal into Norway, although the Germans were secretly determined to hold the
Pechenga District for the sake of the nickel mines there. XVIII Mountain Corps withdrew by stages, and 26th Army followed up as far as the 1940 Soviet-Finnish border.
On September 15 fighting between the Finnish and German Armies, the
Lapland War
During World War II, the Lapland War (; ; ) saw fighting between Finland and Nazi Germany – effectively from September to November 1944 – in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland. Though the Finns and the Germans had been fighting together ...
, began. By the end of the month the German
''OKW'' had decided that holding Pechenga was no longer necessary or desirable; meanwhile the ''STAVKA'' was expanding its
14th Army for the
Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive
The Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive was a major military offensive during World War II, mounted by the Red Army against the ''Wehrmacht'' in 1944 in the Petsamo region, ceded to the Soviet Union by Finland in accordance with the Moscow Armist ...
and its 26th and 19th Armies in Karelia were not necessary for this offensive. As of November 1 the 205th was under command of the
132nd Rifle Corps but within weeks the remainder of 26th Army had been moved to 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'' ...
for redeployment.
Into Poland and Germany
During December as it moved south the division joined the
134th Rifle Corps in
32nd Army in the Reserve, but in January 1945 this Corps was reassigned to 19th Army which became part of 2nd Belorussian Front shortly after the start of the
Vistula-Oder offensive. This became effective from midnight on January 28. 134th Corps had concentrated in the
Ostrów Mazowiecka
Ostrów Mazowiecka (; ) is a town in eastern Poland with 23,486 inhabitants (2004). It is the capital of Ostrów Mazowiecka County in Masovian Voivodeship.
History
Ostrów was granted town rights in 1434 by Duke Bolesław IV of Warsaw. Its name ...
area and consisted of the 205th,
272nd and
310th Rifle Divisions.
East Pomeranian Offensive
As early as February 10 the 19th Army was concentrating in the DobrzyńLipno
Rypin
Rypin is a town in north-central Poland, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, about 50 km east of Toruń. It is the capital of Rypin County. Population is 16,528 (2010).
History
Rypin was founded in the Middle Ages, and was part of Poland ...
area; in addition to the 134th the Army contained the
40th Guards and 132nd Rifle Corps. The Front was generally facing the German
2nd Army of
Army Group Vistula
Army Group Vistula () was an Army Group of the ''Wehrmacht'', formed on 24 January 1945. It lasted for 105 days, having been put together from elements of Army Group A (shattered in the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive), Army Group Centre (similar ...
. The
65th,
49th and
70th Armies went over to the attack that day, primarily from a bridgehead over 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 ...
that was being held by 65th Army near
Graudenz. Meanwhile, the Front commander, Marshal
K. K. Rokossovskii, ordered the 19th Army and
3rd Guards Tank Corps, which constituted his reserve, to begin moving to the left of his attacking forces, with the 19th concentrating in the
Chojnice
Chojnice (; or ; or ) is a town in northern Poland with 38,789 inhabitants, as of June 2023, near the Tuchola Forest. It is the capital of the Chojnice County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Founded in , Chojnice is a former royal city of Poland ...
LubiewoTuchel Tuchel is a German surname that may refer to the following notable people:
*Günther Tuchel, West German slalom canoeist
*Johannes Tuchel (born 1957), German political scientist
*Thomas Tuchel, (born 1973), German football manager
See also
* ...
area by February 21. The first stage of the Front's offensive gained up to 70 km in 10 days but was effectively halted by February 19.
New instructions from the ''STAVKA'' on February 17 called for 2nd Army to be cut off from the main German forces prior to its final destruction. To this end the 19th Army and 3rd Guards Tanks were to attack on February 24 to reach the Baltic in the
Kolberg sector. The Army was reinforced with the
3rd Artillery Breakthrough Corps and relieved elements of 70th Army along a line from Deringsdorf to
Preußisch Friedland, although later than the plan called for. It faced the reinforced
32nd Infantry Division and the
15th SS Grenadier Division (1st Latvian). The 134th and 40th Guards Corps were in first echelon with the 132nd Corps in second; 134th Corps had its divisions three echelons. The width of the breakthrough sector was 10 km and the average artillery density (76mm calibre or larger) reached 152 guns and mortars per kilometre. Being fresh the Army's rifle divisions averaged a personnel strength of 8,000, roughly double that of the Front's other divisions which had been in near-continuous combat for over a month.
Following a 40-minute artillery preparation 19th Army launched its assault in the direction of Köslin and broke through the defense along the entire sector, overcoming stubborn resistance and counterattacks by German armor. The leading corps advanced 10–12 km through the day and widened the gap to 20 km. On February 25 the Army continued to develop the offensive, assisted by the left flank units of 70th Army and the
3rd Guards Cavalry Corps, gaining another 10–12 km and widening the breakthrough gap to 30 km, into which the 3rd Guards Tank Corps was introduced. Meanwhile, the center and right-wing armies of the Front were having no success against established German defenses. The following day, assisted by the tanks and cavalry, 19th Army captured
Schlochau, Stegers and
Hammerstein
Hammerstein is a municipality on the river Rhine in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.
Near the village, is the Hammerstein castle. The ancient German noble family Hammerstein, which have sponsored the Hammerstein Ball ...
after a further advance of up to 22 km, with the armor operating as much as 30 km forward of the rifle divisions. On April 5 the 205th would be awarded the
Order of Suvorov
The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800).
History
The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet Union, Soviet award established on ...
, 2nd Degree, for its role in the capture of these towns and others. The XVIII Mountain Corps and
VII Panzer Corps were forced to fall back to the north, putting up minimal resistance. At this point the 19th Army's commander, Lt. Gen.
G. K. Kozlov, began to lose control of his battle as communications became disrupted, marching units fell behind and the artillery lagged due to poor road conditions.
Kozlov spent February 27 largely in putting his forces in order while attacking toward
Prechlau in conjunction with 70th Army while also beating off up to 24 counterattacks from German tanks and infantry. Rokossovskii ordered Kozlov to resume his advance the next day to reach a line from
Rummelsburg
Rummelsburg () is a subdivision or neighborhood (''Ortsteil'') of the Boroughs and neighborhoods of Berlin, borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin, Lichtenberg of the German capital, Berlin.
History
Rummelsburg was founded in 1669. On 30 Jan ...
to
Groß Karzenburg to Worchow by the end of the day. He specifically directed as follows:The German forces, which included the
XXXXVI Panzer Corps
XXXXVI Panzer Corps (46th) was a tank corps of the German Army during World War II that participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia.
The Corps was created as the XXXXVI Army Corps and converted to a Panzer Corps on 21 June 1942.
The Panzer Corps ...
, were putting up their fiercest resistance in the Rummelsburg area, mounting numerous counterattacks. The fighting for the town continued until March 3 when it finally fell and 19th Army advanced an additional 20 km during the day, reaching the area north of
Pollnow.
Danzig Offensive
19th Army reached the Baltic coast on March 5 north and northeast of Köslin on a 20 km-wide sector and German 2nd Army was effectively isolated. It was now directed to advance, still with 3rd Guards Tanks, in the direction of
Stolp and Putzing. The 134th Rifle Corps was leading the Army and on March 7 linked up with 1st Belorussian Front on the outskirts of Kolberg. The main forces of 2nd Army were already falling back to the
DanzigGdynia fortified area. On March 8 the
1st Guards Tank Army
The 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army () is a tank army of the Russian Ground Forces (Military Unit Number 73621).
The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st ...
was assigned to the Front and was ordered to support 19th Army. During March 11–12 the two Armies advanced 35 km, capturing
Neustadt and
Reda before closing up to the fortified lines the next day.
Rokossovskii's plan to seize the fortified area was to first attack in the direction of
Zoppot
Sopot (; or ) is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomerania Province and has the status of county – the smallest city in ...
to reach the shore and split the defenses of the two cities. 19th and 1st Guards Tank Armies would attack Gdynia from the north; the 19th would employ the 40th Guards and 134th Corps with armor support while a detachment from the 132nd Corps, also with tanks, was responsible for taking the
Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula (; ; ; or ''Putziger Nehrung'') is a sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is located in Puck County of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Name
The name of the peninsula ...
. The assault would also be supported by the 1st and 18th Artillery Breakthrough Divisions and the 4th
Guards Mortar
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison gu ...
Division. The garrison consisted of the remnants of VII Panzer Corps including the
7th Panzer and 32nd Infantry Divisions and the 4th SS Panzer Group. The attack began on March 14 but despite the preponderance of force made little progress up to March 22, on some days no progress at all. Zoppot fell on the 23rd in part to 19th Army's forces while the remainder fought for the second defense line in Gdynia. This line was finally broken by the end of March 26. Despite 1st Guards Tanks being pulled out of the battle overnight on March 26/27 after two further days of street fighting the 40th Guards and 134th Corps cleared Gdynia and its suburbs by the end of March 28. In recognition of this victory the division was granted an honorific:Despite this success the following day General Beloskurskii was removed from command of the division and placed at the disposal of the Front command. He would lead the
372nd Rifle Division
The 372nd Rifle Red Banner Novgorod Division was a division of the Red Army during the Second World War.
History
World War II
It was established at Barnaul, Altai Krai, Siberian Military District, in September 1941. Formed in accordance wit ...
in the last weeks of the war and serve as a military adviser to both the Romanian and Hungarian Armies in the mid-1950s before his retirement in February 1957. He was replaced by Col. Yan Petrovich Sinkevich, who in turn was replaced by Col. Pyotr Grigorevich Nosov on April 25.
Berlin Operation and Bornholm Landings
After the East Pomeranian operation concluded on March 31 the 2nd Belorussian Front was redeployed to the lower
Oder River
The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through west ...
for the final offensive into central Germany. The Front began its crossing operations on April 20 but 19th Army was not part of the Front's assault force and did not join the offensive until April 29. Meanwhile, the 43rd Army was transferred on April 24 from the
Zemland Group of Forces to 2nd Belorussian Front. By the beginning of May the 205th had been transferred to 132nd Rifle Corps, joining the 18th Rifle Division.
Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945
p. 153
A few days later the Corps came under command of 43rd Army and the two divisions were designated to make landings to clear German forces from the Danish island of Bornholm. The garrison commander, Navy Captain Gerhard von Kamptz, refused to surrender his 12,000 troops to Soviet forces; in response the Red Air Force carried out bombing raids on May 7/8. The landings followed on May 9 and after a short fight the garrison surrendered.
Postwar
The men and women of the division ended the war with the full title ''205th Rifle, Gdynia, Order of Suvorov Division''. (Russian: 205-я стрелковая Гдынская ордена Суворова дивизия.) It remained on Bornholm after the end of the war with the Corps, part of 43rd Army in the Northern Group of Forces
The Northern Group of Armed Forces (; ) was the military formation of the Soviet Army (Russian Ground Forces starting 1992) stationed in Poland from the end of Second World War in 1945 until 1993 when they were withdrawn in the aftermath of the fa ...
from June 1945, and was disbanded in June 1946 after the Corps was withdrawn to Poland on May 4.
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
* pp. 97, 205
* pp. 205–06, 338
External links
Aleksei Yakovlevich Khvostov
Article "POLAR DIVISION REACHED THE BALTIC" via the Wayback Machine. In Russian.
{{Soviet Union divisions before 1945, state=collapsed
205
Military units and formations established in 1941
Military units and formations disestablished in 1946
1941 establishments in the Soviet Union
1946 disestablishments in the Soviet Union