The 267th Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
's
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 ...
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 ...
.
First formed in the summer of 1941, the division was destroyed in early 1942 during the
Lyuban offensive operation
The Battle of Lyuban, Lyuban offensive operation or Battle of the Volkhov (7 January 1942 – 30 April 1942) (Russian: Любанская наступательная операция; German: Schlacht am Wolchow) was a Soviet offensive operatio ...
of the
siege of Leningrad
The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...
. Reformed in the summer of 1942, the division's second formation fought in 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 ...
, the
Crimean offensive, and in the
Baltic states
The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
.
History
First formation
The division began forming from reservists on 10 July 1941 at
Stary Oskol
Stary Oskol (, ) is a city in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located south of Moscow. Population: It is called ''Stary Oskol'' () to distinguish it from Novy Oskol () located south. Both are on the Oskol River.
History
Oskol was first mentioned i ...
, part of the
Orel Military District
The Orel Military District () was a military district of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union. Established in 1918 during the Russian Civil War, the district was disbanded after the end of the war in 1922. It was re ...
. Its basic order of battle included the 844th, the 846th, and the 848th Rifle Regiments, as well as the 845th Artillery Regiment. By mid-August, the 268th had been assigned to the
52nd Army, defending the
Volkhov River
The Volkhov ( ; ; ) is a river in Novgorodsky District, Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky District, Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. The Volkhov River, Volkhov, whi ...
line near
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, where it remained until early 1942. The division's positions were located in impassable swampy forests, and as a result it held a front of 34 kilometers in October 1941. From January 1942, the division fought in the
Lyuban offensive operation
The Battle of Lyuban, Lyuban offensive operation or Battle of the Volkhov (7 January 1942 – 30 April 1942) (Russian: Любанская наступательная операция; German: Schlacht am Wolchow) was a Soviet offensive operatio ...
, initially as 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 ...
Operations Group, attacking across the Volkhov. The Soviet attack achieved a breakthrough, and in February the 267th was transferred to General
Korovnikov's Operational Mobile Group of the
59th Army, which was attempting to exploit the breakthrough by advancing into the rear of the German troops besieging Leningrad. A German counterattack in the spring cut off the 2nd Shock Army and the 59th Army, and the division was trapped in the swamps west of Volkhov. It took several months for the German forces to completely clear the pocket, but by 1 June the division had only 2687 men, 964 officers, and 773 non-commissioned officers. After the pocket was eliminated, the 267th was officially disbanded on 30 July 1942.
Second formation
The division was reformed on 12 September 1942 at
Serpukhov
Serpukhov ( rus, Серпухов, p=ˈsʲerpʊxəf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Oka River, Oka and the Nara (Oka), Nara Rivers, 99 kilometers (62 miles) south fro ...
, part of 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 ...
, with the same basic order of battle as the previous division. In mid-September the 267th was transferred to the
Moscow Defence Zone for training, and in late November it was sent to the front as part of the
6th Army of the
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 ...
. At the end of 1942 the division moved south with the 6th Army to the
Southwestern Front, and fought in the Soviet offensive in early 1943 towards
Kharkov
Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine. and the northern
Donbas
The Donbas (, ; ) or Donbass ( ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The word ''Donbas'' is a portmanteau formed fr ...
. The 267th remained with the 6th Army until September 1943, and was usually part of the
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 ...
. In September, the division was withdrawn 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'' ...
(RVGK), but returned to the front a month later in the
28th Army of 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 ...
. It was transferred to the
5th Shock Army
The 5th Shock Army was a Red Army field army of World War II. The army was formed on 9 December 1942 by redesignating the 10th Reserve Army. The army was formed two times prior to this with neither formation lasting more than a month before bein ...
's
63rd Rifle Corps in November, and in January 1944 was withdrawn to the RVGK with the 63rd Corps.
In February, the corps and the 267th joined the
51st Army, with which they fought in the
Crimean offensive in May 1944. After the recapture of Crimea, the 51st Army became part of the RVGK and moved north to the
1st Baltic Front
The First Baltic Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Прибалтийский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was commanded by Army General Andrey Yeryomenko, succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It ...
. By 27 July, the division was fighting at
Šiauliai
Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...
during the
Šiauliai offensive
The Šiauliai offensive () was an operation of the Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front, commanded by General Hovhannes Bagramyan, conducted from 5 July to 29 August 1944, during the Second World War. It was part of the third phase of the Opera ...
. On 15 August, the division was fighting off armored counterattacks from the
Großdeutschland Division
Pan-Germanism ( or '), also occasionally known as Pan-Germanicism, is a pan-nationalist political idea. Pan-Germanism seeks to unify all ethnic Germans, German-speaking people, and possibly also non-German Germanic peoples – into a sin ...
and the
4th
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama
...
and
12th Panzer Divisions at
Auce
Auce (; ; ) is a town in Dobele Municipality, in the Semigallia region of Latvia. It is situated near the Lithuanian border.
History
Before the 13th century, the territory of Auce was a part of a Semigallians, Semigallian Spārnene county.
Aft ...
. From late August to the end of the war, the 267th was part of the army's
1st Guards Rifle Corps. In February 1945, the army transferred to the
2nd Baltic Front
The 2nd Baltic Front () was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War.
History
The 2nd Baltic Front was formed on October 20, 1943 as a result of the renaming of the Baltic Front, it ...
, and it spent the last weeks of the war blockading German troops trapped in the
Courland Pocket
The Courland Pocket was a Pocket (military), pocket located on the Courland Peninsula in Latvia on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 9 October 1944 to 10 May 1945.
Army Group North of the ''Wehrmacht'' were ...
. In the fall of 1945, the division and the 1st Guards Rifle Corps were relocated to 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 ...
, with the division stationed at
Tula prior to its disbandment by early 1946.
References
Citations
Bibliography
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*
*
{{Soviet Union divisions before 1945
267
__NOTOC__
Year 267 ( CCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Paternus and Arcesilaus (or, less frequently, year 1020 ''Ab urbe condita''). The d ...
Military units and formations established in 1941
Military units and formations disestablished in 1946
Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner