The 211th 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 ...

, originally formed just after the start of the German invasion, 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 September 13, 1939. In fact the division remained chronically short of equipment, particularly heavy weapons, throughout the existence of the 1st formation. Assigned to 43rd Army of

Reserve Front The Reserve Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation The Reserve Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first version was created on July 30, 1941 in a reorganizat ...

it first saw combat along the

Desna River The Desna ( Russian and ) is a river in Russia and Ukraine, a major left-tributary of the Dnieper. Its name in means "right hand". It has a length of , and its drainage basin covers .48th Army in

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front () was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it fi ...

and remained on this quiet sector for the rest of the year. In January and February 1943 it took part in the offensives north of

Kursk Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of Kursk ...

that destroyed part of German 2nd Army and carved out the northern portion of the Kursk salient. Serving in

Central Front The Central Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War formed on July 24, 1941. The Central Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first entity existed for just a month during the ...

it played only a small role in the defense of the salient in July and soon began advancing through eastern Ukraine as part of

13th Army Thirteenth Army or 13th Army may refer to: * Thirteenth Army (Japan) * Japanese Thirteenth Area Army * 13th Army (Russian Empire), unit in World War I *13th Army (RSFSR), a unit in the Russian Civil War *13th Army (Soviet Union) The 13th Army (, ...

, winning a battle honor in the process. Transferred to 1st Ukrainian Front's 38th Army it saw extensive fighting in the complex battles west of Kiev in November and December and in March 1944 it was awarded 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 its part in the liberation of

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...

. During the Lvov–Sandomierz offensive in July and August its four regiments each received distinctions for their roles in this victory. Following this the division moved into the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...

of Czechoslovakia, soon joining the

4th Ukrainian Front The 4th Ukrainian Front () was the name of two distinct Red Army strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The front was first formed on 20 October 1943, by renaming the Southern Front and was involved in the Lower ...

and eventually the 1st Guards Army of that Front in the last months of the war and receiving further honors as a result of this difficult fighting. It ended the war near Prague with a very distinguished record but was disbanded within months of the German surrender.

1st Formation

The division began forming in July 1941 at

Zagorsk Sergiyev Posad ( rus, Сергиев Посад, p=ˈsʲɛrgʲɪ(j)ɪf pɐˈsat) is a city that is the administrative center of Sergiyevo-Posadsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Population: The city contains the Trinity Lavra of St. Serg ...

in the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 191 ...

. When completed it had the following order of battle: * 887th Rifle Regiment * 894th Rifle Regiment * 896th Rifle Regiment * 829th Artillery Regiment * 357th Antitank Battalion * 550th Antiaircraft Battalion * 376th Reconnaissance Battalion * 572nd Sapper Battalion * 725th Signal Battalion * 292nd Medical/Sanitation Battalion * 747th Motor Transport Battalion * 431st Field Bakery * 327th Field Postal Station Lt. Col. Matvei Stepanovich Batrakov was appointed to command on August 4, the day the division officially entered service. It was assigned to 43rd Army of Reserve Front on August 10, less than a week after it finished forming; it was nearly at full strength in personnel but suffered considerable shortages of equipment, particularly heavy weapons.

Battle of Yelnya

During mid-July the

2nd Panzer Group The 2nd Panzer Army () was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian () was formed on 5 June 1940 and named after its commander, general Heinz Gude ...

had seized the town 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 ...

and surrounding territory just as it was reaching the limits of its over-extended supply lines, forming a semi-circular salient into Soviet-held territory. During August this was handed over to the XX Army Corps and came under attack by the 24th Army of Reserve Front in mid-month. When this proved unsuccessful it was suspended on August 21 to allow the Army to be reinforced and for additional forces to be brought up, including 43rd Army to the south of the salient. Once it was deployed the 43rd Army had four rifle divisions (

53rd 53 may refer to: * 53 (number) * one of the years 53 BC, AD 53, 1953, 2053 * FiftyThree, an American privately held technology company that specializes in tools for mobile creation and visual thinking * 53rd Regiment Alabama Cavalry * 53rd Regiment ...

, 149th, 211th and 222nd) and one tank division ( 109th) on a 48km-wide front along the Desna River from 18km southwest of Yelnya to 40km east of

Roslavl Roslavl (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Roslavlsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is a road and rail junction and a market town. Population: History Roslavl was founded as Rostislavl in the 1130s or 1140s. The name is ...

. It was facing the three divisions of the German VII Army Corps. Fighting on this sector was complicated by the swampy and marshy western bank of the river. 24th Army began its assault on the salient at 0700 hours on August 30. Simultaneously the shock group of 43rd Army, consisting of the 211th and 149th Rifle and the 109th and 104th Tank Divisions, thrust across the Desna and penetrated the VII Corps' defenses between its 23rd and 197th Infantry Divisions. After an advance of up to 6km westward the group was halted the following day by two regiments of the 267th Infantry Division which German 4th Army had dispatched hastily forward from its reserve LIII Army Corps. A counterattack by a battlegroup of 10th Panzer Division later in the day caused panic in the ranks of the 211th and forced it and the other attacking Soviet divisions to break off their attack and retreat back to the Desna's eastern bank. Overnight the commander of Reserve Front, Army Gen. G. K. Zhukov, communicated with Stalin's advisor A. N. Poskrebyshev in part:Zhukov was granted permission to delay a trip to Moscow and visited the 43rd Army's front on September 1. Over the following days, under the pressure of 24th Army's attacks, XX Army Corps began a phased withdrawal from the Yelnya salient, which was completed on September 8. During this time Stalin asked Zhukov "...will the illustrious 211th Division 'sleep' for long?" and Zhukov replied:Stalin permitted him to "judge them with full severity." In the course of the operation the 43rd Army suffered roughly 10,000 casualties, a large number of which were from the 211th.

Operation Typhoon

Even at the end of September the division was far from fully equipped. Although it had 9,638 personnel on strength they were armed with just 44 light and heavy machine guns, 32 artillery pieces and mortars, four antiaircraft guns and just eight antitank guns. In other words it was nearly full strength in manpower but had little more firepower than a rifle regiment. The day before the start of the German offensive it still had none of its 82mm mortars and just two

120mm mortars 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

on hand. As of October 1 the 211th was still in 43rd Army of Reserve Front, along with the 53rd, 149th and 222nd Rifle Divisions. The 53rd was the strongest division and was defending a 24km-wide sector along the Desna, with the 149th in second echelon and the 211th and 222nd protecting the left flank. At 0615 hours on October 2 a 15-minute artillery preparation began along the Army's entire sector, followed by the actual assault. The 211th was struck by one infantry division and part of another, along with a battalion of tanks. By noon the front had been breached, following which a panzer and a motorized division were committed through the gap toward

Spas-Demensk Spas-Demensk (А. М. Прохоров. "Большой энциклопедический словарь". Москва, 1997, p. 1135.) is a town and the administrative center of Spas-Demensky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on ...

. By the early afternoon of October 10 the Army's headquarters had arrived at Lapshinka and the remnants of some of its divisions were moving through

Gzhatsk Gagarin (), known until 1968 as Gzhatsk (), is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative centre of Gagarinsky District, Smolensk Oblast, Gagarinsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Gzhat River, n ...

and

Mozhaysk MozhayskAlternative transliterations include ''Mozhaisk'', ''Mozhajsk'', ''Mozhaĭsk'', and ''Možajsk''. (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Mozhaysky District, Moscow Oblast, Mozhaysky Distri ...

toward

Kaluga Kaluga (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia. It stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Its population was 337,058 at the 2021 census. Kaluga's most famous residen ...

but German forces now blocked further retreat. The 211th did not get this far; by the end of October 5 it had been encircled near Spas-Demensk and was soon forced to surrender. The division was considered destroyed by October 13 although it was not officially stricken from the Red Army order of battle until December. Lt. Colonel Batrakov managed to escape the debacle and was not held accountable for the division's failings. He was wounded later in the Battle of Moscow and after recovering was given command of the 42nd Rifle Brigade, which he led in the Battle of Stalingrad. Wounded again in the city fighting he furthered his military education after leaving hospital, rose to the rank of major general and commanded the 59th Rifle Division during the

Soviet invasion of Manchuria The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or simply the Manchurian Operation () and sometimes Operation August Storm, began on 9 August 1945 with the Soviet Union, Soviet invasion of the Emp ...

2nd Formation

A new 211th Rifle Division was designated in January 1942, based on the 429th Rifle Division that had begun forming in the

South Ural Military District The South Ural Military District (Russian: Южно-Уральский военный округ, ЮжУрВО; tr. Yuzhno-Uralsky Voyenny Okrug, YuzhUrVO) was a military administrative division of the Soviet Armed Forces that existed from 1 Dec ...

the previous month. Based on the ''shtat'' of July 29, 1941 it took about three months to complete its forming up and when this was complete its order of battle was as follows: * 887th Rifle Regiment * 894th Rifle Regiment * 896th Rifle Regiment * 829th Artillery Regiment * 357th Antitank Battalion * 90th Antiaircraft Battery (until April 25, 1942) * 376th Reconnaissance Company * 572nd Sapper Battalion * 725th Signal Battalion (later 30th Signal Company) * 292nd Medical/Sanitation Battalion * 358th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company * 447th Motor Transport Company * 428th Field Bakery * 893rd Divisional Veterinary Hospital * 1681st Field Postal Station * 1084th Field Office of the State Bank Col. Aleksandr Borisovich Barinov, who had been made commander of the 429th on December 12, 1941, remained in command after the redesignation. In March it was 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'' ...

where it remained until May when it was assigned to the 48th Army in Bryansk Front; it would remain under these commands until January 1943. On June 23 Colonel Barinov was replaced by Col. Viktor Lvovich Makhlinovskii. This officer had previously led the 240th Rifle Division and would be promoted to the rank of major general on February 14, 1943.

Voronezh–Kastornoye Offensive

During the balance of 1942 the 211th was on a relatively quiet sector as the main German offensives took place toward Stalingrad and the Caucasus. As the German 6th Army faced utter defeat at the former place Bryansk Front went over to the offensive in the direction of

Kastornoye Kastornoye () is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Kastorensky District of Kursk Oblast, Russia. Population: Telephone code: +7 47157; postal code: 306700. It was first mentioned in 1590 and was ...

. This joint operation with

Voronezh 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 ...

targeted the German 2nd and Hungarian 2nd Armies. Bryansk Front carried out an extensive regrouping for the operation with 13th Army to be ready to attack on January 26 in conjunction with Voronezh Front's 38th Army; as part of this regrouping the 211th was moved from 48th to 13th Army. This Army was to break through along an 18-km-wide sector between the Kshen and Olym rivers with a shock group of seven rifle divisions. The 211th was in second echelon with the 280th and 81st Rifle Divisions. These three divisions were, upon the arrival of the first echelon divisions in the area VolochikNizhne-BolshoeVysshee-Bolshoe, to develop, in conjunction with 148th Rifle Division, the offensive to the west and southwest to create an external encirclement front. Through January 26 the first echelon of 13th Army broke through the Axis defense and advanced up to 8km in depth but was unable to develop this success. The next day, while several of those divisions were held up by enemy strongpoints, the second echelon had advanced to the TurchanovoZamaraikaKshen line in readiness to develop the attack to the west. By now the Army had penetrated to a depth of 20km through a 25km-wide gap and routed the main forces of the German

82nd Infantry Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from tho ...

, creating an immediate threat to Kastornoye from the north. On January 28, while the first echelon fought for Kastornoye the second echelon divisions began their drive from the Kshen River to the west, facing the 383rd Infantry Division. By day's end they had begun to develop the offensive toward the

Tim River The Tim River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District in northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river is entirely within Algonquin Provincial Park, and is a left tributary of the Peta ...

, followed by the 148th and 15th Rifle Divisions.

Oryol Offensive

Late in January Marshal Zhukov had persuaded Stalin to add Kursk to the list of objectives to be seized in the overall Red Army winter counteroffensive. Under orders issued by Zhukov late on January 26 the taking of Kursk was to be another joint operation between Bryansk and Voronezh Fronts. The two fronts would be facing elements of the

2nd Panzer Army The 2nd Panzer Army () was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian () was formed on 5 June 1940 and named after its commander, general Heinz Gude ...

and that part of 2nd Army that had escaped the Kastornoye encirclement. The encirclement battle was effectively completed by February 2. On that same date Bryansk Front reported that the 211th had:The following day the division developed its success and captured the western bank of the Polevaya Snova River in the Goriainovo and Bukreevka sector, and by the end of February 5 had reached a line from Nizhnye Smorodnoye to Derlovo; the Front also reported that 13th Army had accounted for 1,000 German soldiers and officers killed or captured the previous day. Given these successes the ''STAVKA'' decided on February 6 to shift the axis of advance northwestward toward Oryol with the intention of outflanking and getting into the rear of 2nd Panzer Army. Kursk was liberated by 60th Army on February 8. The following day the 211th was reported as concentrating in the Molotochi, Khmelevoye and Teploye region. Among other places the 13th Army took

Ponyri Ponyri () is the name of several inhabited localities in Kursk Oblast, Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in ...

the same day, but German resistance was beginning to firm up with counterattacks by infantry and tanks on some sectors. The commander of the Front, Col. Gen. M. A. Reyter, ordered the division to move forward from Molotochi and Khmelevoye toward Trosna and

Kromy Kromy () is the name of several types of inhabited localities in Russia, inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Kromy, Oryol Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Kromskoy District of Oryol Oblast ;Rural localities *Kromy, Ivanovo Oblas ...

beginning on the morning of February 10. At midnight on February 12 General Reyter reported that the 211th, now part of Grou
Novoselsky
which also contained the 280th Rifle Division, three ski brigades and the

19th Tank Corps The 19th Perekop Red Banner Tank Corps was a Tank corps (Soviet Union), tank corps of the Red Army during World War II. Formed in December 1942, the corps saw its first action in the Sevsk–Dmitrovsk offensive in spring 1943. That summer it took p ...

, under direct command of the Front, had captured Chermoshnoye and was continuing to attack toward the north, but that more German reserves were arriving in the region and shortages of supplies were hampering operations. On February 16 Reyter directed his chief of staff to urge Group Novoselsky forward:Novoselsky replied with two situation reports. The second, on February 21, read in part:In response, Reyter ordered Novoselsky to mobilize 5,000 local men to clear the roads of snow. Meanwhile, on February 19 forces of Army Group South had begun the offensive that would become known as the

Third Battle of Kharkov The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by Nazi Germany's Army Group South against the Soviet Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February ...

and before long the forces of Voronezh and Bryansk were scrambling to hold their gains of the past weeks. By mid-March the entire front had effectively come to a standstill due to the spring ''

rasputitsa ''Rasputitsa'' (from ; literally "season of bad roads") is the mud season that occurs in various rural areas of Eastern Europe, when the rapid snowmelt or thawing of frozen ground combined with wet weather in spring, or heavy rains in autumn lea ...

''.

Battle of Kursk

Later that month 13th Army was moved to Central Front and the 211th was assigned to

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 ...

along with the 280th and 132nd Rifle Divisions. In April the Corps was reassigned to 70th Army in the same Front. When Operation ''Zitadelle'' began the Army was deployed on a 62km-wide sector on the northwestern side of the salient. The division was in the first echelon with the 280th, 106th and 102nd Divisions. This echelon held a line from north of Teploye through Krasavka to Buzovko to Katomki. During the course of the battle only the right flank of 70th Army was heavily engaged, mostly in the area of Teploye, and this did not involve 28th Corps except in a supporting role. By July 9 it was clear that the offensive by German 9th Army had stalled, and on July 12 the Red Army launched

Operation Kutuzov Operation Kutuzov was the first of the two counteroffensives launched by the Red Army as part of the Kursk Strategic Offensive Operation. It commenced on 12 July 1943, in the Central Russian Upland, against Army Group Center of the German ''Ger ...

against the north flank of the Oryol salient it occupied. Central Front now began preparing for its part in this operation. As of the end of July 14. 28th Corps, now consisting of the 211th, 102nd, 106th and 132nd Rifle Divisions, was deployed along a line from Krasavka to Buzovo to Katomki. At 0600 hours on July 15 the Front attacked along its entire front following a 15 minute artillery onslaught. Despite heavy resistance and counterattacks the German line was penetrated up to 3km. The following day the offensive was renewed and 70th Army was back to its original lines by the 17th.

Into Ukraine

Later in July the 211th returned to 13th Army, still in 28th Corps. By August 1 the 13th and 70th Armies were making a joint advance in the direction of

. Oryol itself fell to forces of

on August 5. On or near August 18 the Soviet forces reached the Hagen position at the base of the former salient. On August 26 Central Front resumed the offensive against Army Group Center, striking at the 9th Army right flank east of

Karachev Karachev () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Karachevsky District in Bryansk Oblast, Russia. Population: History First chronicled in 1146, it was the capital of one of the Upper Oka Principal ...

and near 2nd Army's center at

Sevsk Sevsk () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Sevsk, Bryansk Oblast, a town in Sevsky District of Bryansk Oblast; ;Rural localities * Sevsk, Kemerovo Oblast, a settlement in Burlakovskaya Rural Territory of Pr ...

and east of

Klintsy Klintsy () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Turosna River, southwest of Bryansk. Population: 60,000 (1972). Administrative and municipal status Within the subdivisions of Russia# ...

. The thrust at Sevsk scored a deep penetration and the German Army Group committed what reserves it had to a counterattack against it on August 29. This left an opening for 60th Army to make a sudden advance to Yesman, 40km behind 2nd Army's south flank. The Front commander, Army Gen. K. K. Rokossovskii, now regrouped 13th Army and

2nd Tank Army The 2nd Guards Tank Army () was a large military formation of the Red Army and Soviet Army, later part of the Russian Ground Forces of the Russian Federation. The army was originally formed in early 1943 as the 2nd Tank Army. It was the firs ...

from his right to his left flank to exploit this success. Over the following days 2nd Army retreated to the Desna River as Rokossovskii shifted his attention to the left (north) flank of

4th Panzer Army The 4th Panzer Army (), operating as Panzer Group 4 () from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, was a German panzer formation during World War II. As a key armoured component of the Wehrmacht, the army took part in the crucial ...

. On September 9 elements of Central Front crossed the Desna south of

Novhorod-Siverskyi Novhorod-Siverskyi (, , , ''Novgorod-Severskiy''), historically known as Novhorod-Siversk () or Novgorod-Seversk (), is a historic city in Chernihiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Novhorod-Siverskyi Raion, alth ...

and at Otsekin and between September 16 and 18 the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps aimed a two-pronged thrust northward across the Desna on either side of Chernigov which collapsed the south flank of 2nd Army. Within days the city was liberated and the division, along with the rest of 28th Corps, was recognized with an honorific:The Front now continued its advance toward the Dniepr in the direction of Kiev. In October the 13th Army was moved to Voronezh Front (as of October 20

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 division was transferred to

15th Rifle Corps The 15th Rifle Corps () was a rifle corps of the Red Army, formed five times; each formation was a distinct unit unrelated to the others. It was part of the 5th Army. It took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. History 1922–1924 ...

, joining the

8th Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...

and 148th Rifle Divisions. During this period the division controlled the 292nd and 572nd Separate Rifle Battalions as an augmentation to its strength. In a report dated October 10 the division was noted as having 7,259 personnel on the rolls, making it the largest in 13th Army, armed with 30 82mm mortars, nine 120mm mortars, six 76mm regimental guns, and the 829th Artillery had 18 76mm cannon plus eight 122mm howitzers. A further report from early November showed that 70 percent of its personnel were from the 1893-1902 year groups, which was quite an elderly cadre.

Battle of Kiev

At dawn on November 6 troops of 1st Ukrainian Front liberated Kiev. During the three previous days the 13th Army had not been involved in fighting and was doing reconnaissance and improving its positions. Overnight on November 4/5 the 336th Rifle Division of 28th Corps and the 211th were pulled out of the front line, transferred to 60th Army, and began to move south. In the process they linked up with a detachment of 8th Rifle Division that had forced the

Pripyat River The Pripyat or Prypiat is a river in Eastern Europe. The river, which is approximately long, flows east through Ukraine, Belarus, and into Ukraine again, before draining into the Dnieper at Kyiv Reservoir. Name etymology Max Vasmer notes in h ...

in early October before being encircled by counterattacks. In a daring move the commander of 151st Rifle Regiment, Col. Georgii Sergeevich Tomilovskii, led the encircled troops in a breakout to the west, joining a partisan detachment near

Ovruch Ovruch (, ) is a city in Korosten Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine, first mentioned as Vruchiy in 977. It was the capital city of the Drevlians in the 900s, later conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century, then later part of the Grand D ...

. In recognition of his leadership Tomilovskii was made a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

on October 16. He would become the commander of the 211th on April 26, 1944. During November 6 the forces of 60th Army forced the German grouping on its sector, including the

8th Panzer Division The 8th Panzer Division was a formation of the ''Wehrmacht'' German Army (Wehrmacht), ''Heer''. The division was formed by reorganising the 3rd Light Division (Wehrmacht), 3rd Light Division in October 1939. It was transferred to the west and fo ...

, to withdraw across the Zdvizh River, and also cut the Kiev

Korosten Korosten (, ), also historically known as Iskorosten (), is a historic city and a large transport hub in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh (Pripyat), Uzh River. Korosten serves as the Capital city, administrative center ...

railroad. However, the Army was beginning to face serious shortages of ammunition and fuel. Upon joining the 60th the 211th was assigned to the 17th Guards Rifle Corps, which also contained the

70th Guards Rifle Division The 70th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in February, 1943, based on the 1st formation of the 138th Rifle Division (Soviet Union), 138th Rifle Division in recognition of that division's actions during ...

. The Front commander, Army Gen. N. F. Vatutin, ordered the offensive to continue into western Ukraine with 60th Army directed to take bridgeheads over the

Teteriv River The Teteriv () is a right tributary of the Dnieper River in Ukraine. It has a length of and a drainage basin of . The Teteriv flows generally in northeastern direction through geographic regions of Podolian Upland, Dnieper Upland, and Polesi ...

in the area of

Radomyshl Radomyshl (, ) is a historic city in Zhytomyr Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. Before 2020, it was the administrative center of the former Radomyshl Raion. It is located on the left bank of the Teteriv River, a right tributary of ...

by the end of November 9. 17th Guards Corps was held in the Army's second echelon. On November 11 the Army cleared the Teteriv along its entire front, advanced from 10-25km and captured 200 prisoners and large amounts of equipment. During the next day the Corps moved to the south of the Army's main axis and by the day's end had reached 38th Army's sector in the Stavetskaya Sloboda area; by now that Army was approaching

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

. Throughout the advancing Soviet forces divisional artillery was falling behind, ammunition was in short supply, and 38th Army was starting to face counterattacks from panzer forces. During the evening the ''STAVKA'' ordered Vatutin to cease the advance and consolidate the liberated area. As part of this order the 17th Guards Corps was transferred to 38th Army. At this time the 221st was in quite good shape with 7,514 personnel on strength. It would remain under command of this Army until the last few months of the war.

Kiev Strategic Defensive Operation

During the rest of November the 1st Ukrainian Front was on the defensive, under attack by the 4th Panzer Army. In the morning of November 15 the division was organizing a defense along a line from Zapadnya to Gnilets. This line was incomplete when it was struck by the 1st Panzer and 1st SS Panzer Divisions. In heavy fighting throughout the day against 38th Army the German forces managed to capture Solovyovka and drive the 17th Guards Corps to the north. The next day the two German divisions continued to attempt to break through to Brusyliv but were only able to reach Divin against 70th Guards. Having failed in the direct approach the German divisions began attacking the 211th in the direction of Vodotyi and Vilnya, forcing it to make a fighting withdrawal to the north; by the end of the day German tanks broke into the Vilnya area, creating a threat that they might reach the rear of the 75th Guards and 202nd Rifle Divisions. Despite heavy resistance on November 17 the panzers were able to reach the paved road from Kiev to Zhytomyr, threatening to envelop the Soviet forces there. 38th Army continued to reorganize the following day and the 17th Guards Corps, which now included the 75th Guards Division, was engaged in defensive fighting along a front from Tsarevka to Privorotye to Morozovka. During the next day the 211th joined the

253rd Rifle Division The 253rd Rifle Division was formed in the Odesa Military District, Odessa Military District as a reserve infantry division of the Red Army about two weeks after the German invasion of the USSR. It was based on the ''shtat'' (table of organization ...

in fighting in the Kocherovo area. Overnight General Vatutin issued orders to the Army to launch a counteroffensive on November 21. During November 19 the momentum of 4th Panzer Army began to decline, although 17th Guards Corps was forced to abandon Morozovka. After regrouping the panzer forces focused on encircling 38th Army's Brusyliv group of forces and although the town was taken on November 23 and Vatutin's planned counterstroke was suspended the encirclement was not successful. Fighting continued through November 25-29 but both sides were by now effectively played out.

Zhitomir–Berdichev and Proskurov-Chernivtsi Offensives

Vatutin's counteroffensive finally began on December 24 but initially only involved the 1st Guards and the 1st Tank Armies. It soon expanded to include the 38th Army, which was facing the German XIII Army Corps north of

. By December 30 the 4th Panzer Army's front was breaking apart and a 58km-wide gap had opened between it and XIII Corps; the following day Zhytomyr was liberated for the second time. On January 4, 1944, that Corps, attempting to hold at and northwest of

Berdychiv Berdychiv (, ) is a historic city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Berdychiv Raion within the oblast. It is south of the administrative center of the oblast, Zhytomyr. Its population is approximat ...

, reported that it was falling apart, and that city fell a few days later. By the end of the month the lines had stabilized north of Vinnytsia. On January 16 General Makhlinovskii was removed from command of the 211th due to dereliction of duty and transferred to deputy command of the

107th Rifle Division 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

; he was replaced by Maj. Gen. Nikolai Alekseevich Kichaev. Within months Makhlinovskii commanded the 340th Rifle Division but was hospitalized in September. He retired from the Army in 1946 due to ill health and died in 1950. The offensive was renewed on March 4. During February the division had been reassigned to 101st Rifle Corps with the 70th Guards and 241st Rifle Divisions. 38th Army was on the left (south) flank of the Front and its initial objective was Vinnytsia, after which it was to continued to advance southwest toward

Zhmerynka Zhmerynka (, ) is a city in Vinnytsia Oblast, central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Zhmerynka Raion within the oblast. Population: It is located in the historic region of Podolia. Name There are many propositions as far as ...

, which had been designated as a ''Festung'' (fortress) by Hitler. The former was liberated on March 20 and three days later the 211th was recognized for its role with the award of the Order of the Red Banner. On March 28 General Kichaev was seriously wounded and hospitalized. He never held another command at the front and died at Leningrad in October 1972. He was replaced by Col. Grigorii Matveevich Kochenov, but this officer was in turn replaced on April 26 by Colonel Tomilovskii. Two months later he left the 211th and returned to the 8th Rifle Division as deputy commander, being replaced by Lt. Col. Ivan Pavlovich Elin. On September 29 Tomilovskii again took over the division and led it until it was disbanded.

Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive

In the planning for the Lvov-Sandomierz operation in July the 38th Army was to penetrate the German defense in the Bzovitsa and Bogdanovka sector on a width of 6km. It would then develop the offensive with seven divisions in the direction of

Peremyshliany Peremyshliany (, ; ; , ''Premishlan'') is a small city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (region) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Peremyshliany urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: Przemyślany, as the town is called i ...

with the objective of encircling the German

Lvov Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

grouping in cooperation with the 4th Tank and 60th Armies. The offensive began on July 13 and went largely according to this plan; Lvov was liberated on July 27 and three days later the 101st Rifle Corps reached a line from

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

Dobromyl Dobromyl (, ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast, in western Ukraine. It is located some 5 kilometers from the border with Poland. It hosts the administration of Dobromyl urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukrai ...

before forcing the

San River The San (; ''Sian''; ) is a river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. With a length of , the San is the 6th-longest Polish river. It has a basin area of 16,877 km2, of which 14,426 k ...

south of

Dynów Dynów () (, , ) is a small town in Rzeszów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 6,058 (02.06.2009). History Dynów was first mentioned in written sources in 1423. At that time, together with other villages, it belong ...

and capturing the town of

Sanok Sanok (in full the Royal Free City of Sanok — , , ''Sanok'', , ''Sianok'' or ''Sianik'', , , ''Sūnik'' or ''Sonik'') is a town in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of southeastern Poland with 38,397 inhabitants, as of June 2016. Located on the San ...

. One of the 211th's rifle regiments was awarded a battle honor:On August 10 the 887th and 896th Rifle Regiments would also be rewarded for their roles in the Lvov battles with the Order of the Red Banner, while the 829th Artillery Regiment received the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd Degree.

Into the Carpathians

In September and October the division took part in the East Carpathian Offensive, particularly in the area of the

Dukla Pass The Dukla Pass (, , , ; AMSL) is a strategically significant mountain pass in the Laborec Highlands of the Outer Eastern Carpathians, on the border between Poland and Slovakia ( Lemkivshchyna) and close to the western border of Ukraine. The Du ...

. During September it was transferred to the

67th Rifle Corps The 67th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Red Army during World War II, formed twice. First formation The corps was formed in March 1940 in the Kharkov Military District with the 102nd Rifle Division, 132nd, and 151st Rifle Divisions, 194th S ...

and then to the

76th Rifle Corps 76th may refer to: *76th Academy Awards ceremony honored films of 2003 *76th Air Army, an air army of the Soviet Air Forces from 1949 to 1980 and from 1988 to 1998 *76th Air Assault Division (Russia), a division of the Russian Airborne Troops based ...

in October but returned to the 101st Corps in November when 38th Army was itself transferred to 4th Ukrainian Front. The 211th would remain in this Front for the duration of the war. Fighting died down until the start of the Western Carpathian Offensive on January 12, 1945. By now the 211th had returned to 67th Corps; it would remain under this command for the duration. 38th Army attacked following a heavy artillery preparation with the 101st and 67th Corps and by January 15 had broken through the

XI SS Army Corps The XI SS Corps (German: ''XI. SS-Armeekorps'' later ''XI. SS-Panzerkorps'') was a ''Waffen-SS'' corps created on July 24, 1944 in southern Poland on the basis of the remains of the headquarters of the defeated V Army Corps and employed on the Ea ...

and began advancing westward. Four days later the 887th Regiment was awarded an honorific:In addition, on February 19 the 894th Regiment would be decorated with the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd Degree while the 896th Regiment would receive 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 ...

, 3rd Degree. During March the division was transferred along with 67th Corps to 1st Guards Army for the duration. The Moravia–Ostrava Offensive began on March 10 and during the course of the operation the 211th was rewarded for its part in the capture of

Bielsko Bielsko (, ) was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that town. Bielsko was founded by ...

with the Order of Suvorov, 2nd Degree, on April 5. The division ended the war near Prague. Its full title at this time was ''211th Rifle, Chernigov, Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Division''. (Russian: 211-я стрелковая Черниговская Краснознамённая ордена Суворова дивизия.)

Postwar

In a final presentation of awards on June 4 the 894th Rifle Regiment received the Order of the Red Banner while the 887th Rifle Regiment was presented with the

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov ( ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established during World War II t ...

, 3rd Degree, both for their parts in the liberation of

Bohumín Bohumín (; , ) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Bohumín consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 202 ...

and nearby towns. According to ''STAVKA'' Order No. 11097 of May 29, 1945, parts 5 and 8, the 211th is listed as one of the rifle divisions to be transferred to

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 ...

(soon redesignated as 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 ...

) in the

Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship. However, Częstochowa is historically part of Lesser Poland, not Si ...

area by June 20 before being "disbanded in place".''STAVKA'' Order No. 11097
/ref> It was finally disbanded in August.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * p. 99 * pp. 208-09

External links

HSU Georgii Sergeevich Tomilovskii
{{Soviet Union divisions before 1945, state=collapsed

211 Year 211 ( CCXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, in the Roman Empire it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Terentius and Bassus (or, less frequently, year 964 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomin ...

Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner 1941 establishments in the Soviet Union 1945 disestablishments in the Soviet Union