The 2nd Rifle Division was a rifle

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military * Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

that served from the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Originally formed in 1919 from the 1st Ryazansk Rifle Division, the division was twice destroyed and reformed during the war. The division contained two or three rifle

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

Russian Civil War

The 2nd Rifle Division was formed in Moscow in September 1918. It fought at

Ufa Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...

on the Eastern Front in April–July 1919. Then it fought against

Yudenich Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich ( – 5 October 1933) was a commander of the Russian Imperial Army during World War I. He was a leader of the anti-communist White movement in Northwestern Russia during the Civil War. Biography Early life Yuden ...

with the 7th Army in October–December 1919. Finally it fought in the Polish Campaign on the Western Front in May–August 1920, and against Bulak-Balakhovich in October 1920.

Second World War

During the war there were four distinct formations that bore the title of ''2nd Rifle Division''.

1st Formation

Formed in 1919 in the Belorussian Military District. On 22 June 1941 the division was part of the

1st Rifle Corps First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, 10th Army and took up defensive positions on the right flank of the army stationed in the Bialystok "bulge". The division escaped from the Bialystok pocket only to be annihilated by the German army in a pocket west of

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...

in early July 1941. The division was removed from the Soviet order of battle on 24 July 1941 and officially disbanded on 19 September 1941.Crofoot, Craig, Journal of the Soviet Army, 2nd Rifle Division * 13th Rifle Regiment (originally 4th Rifle Regiment) * 200th Rifle Regiment (originally 5th Rifle Regiment) * 261st Rifle Regiment (originally 6th Rifle Regiment) * 164th Light Artillery Regiment (originally 2nd Artillery Regiment) * 243rd Howitzer Regiment (possibly formed after September 1939) * 70th Antitank Battalion * 94th Antiaircraft Battalion * 320th Sapper Battalion * 91st Medical Battalion * 87th Decontamination Platoon * 84th Auto-Transport Battalion The full honorific title of the division was the ''2nd Belorussian Red Banner Rifle Division in the name of M.V. Frunze''.

2nd Formation

Formed from the 2nd Moscow Militia Division on 26 September 1941, the second formation served in the 32nd Army. The division received new equipment to supplement the equipment issued by the Moscow

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non- professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. With the start of the German offensive against the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

at the end of September the division was forced into combat before it was fully brought up to strength. By 10 October 1941 the division had been driven into the 19th Army's and was encircled and destroyed by the Germans in the

Vyazma Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Th ...

pocket in October 1941. The division was destroyed by the end of October and officially removed from the order of battle on 23 November 1941. * 1282nd Rifle Regiment from 4th Militia Regiment * 1284th Rifle Regiment from 5th Militia Regiment * 1286th Rifle Regiment from 6th Militia Regiment * 970th Artillery Regiment from Artillery Regiment (no number) * 694th Separate Antitank Artillery Battalion * 469th Reconnaissance Company * 858th Separate Signals Battalion * 492nd Medical Battalion * 331st Decontamination Company * 328th Auto-Transport Company

3rd Formation

Formed in

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

fortress on 23 November 1941 from the dismounted 2nd Cavalry Division, this formation served with the Separate Coastal Army and was renamed the 109th Rifle Division on 29 January 1942.Sharp, Charles C., Red Tide, Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From June to December 1941, 1996 * 383rd Rifle Regiment (formed from NKVD Border Troops)(renumbered 381st Rifle Regiment 29 January 1942) * 1330th Rifle Regiment (reservists)(renumbered 456th Rifle Regiment 29 January 1942) * Mixed Rifle Regiment (Border Troops plus dismounted cavalry)(becomes 602nd Rifle Regiment 29 January 1942) * 51st Artillery Regiment (from Corps troops)(renumbered 404th Artillery Regiment 29 January 1942) * 105th Medical Battalion (renumbered 93rd Medical Battalion 29 January 1942)

4th Formation

Commenced forming in

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near i ...

on 21 December 1941 possibly from the 410th Rifle Division. By the end of March 1942 the division was "ready" for combat and transferred to the

Volkhov Front The Volkhov Front (russian: Волховский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the first period of the Second World War. It was formed as an expediency of an early attempt to halt the advance of the Wehrmacht Army Group ...

. The division took part in numerous operations, including the rescue of

2nd Shock Army The 2nd Shock Army (russian: 2-я Ударная армия) 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 ''overcome difficu ...

(May-Jul 1942),

Operation Iskra Operation Iskra (russian: операция Искра , translation = Operation Spark), a Soviet military operation in January 1943 during World War II, aimed to break the Wehrmacht's siege of Leningrad. Planning for the operation began shortl ...

in January 1943, and the Leningrad-Novograd Strategic Offensive Operation in early 1944. During the summer of 1944 the division took part in the operations to clear the Baltic States, ending in Estonia at the end of 1944. During December 1944 the division was transferred to the

2nd Belorussian Front The 2nd Belorussian Front ( Russian: Второй Белорусский фронт, alternative spellings are 2nd Byelorussian Front) was a military formation, of Army group size, of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. Soviet army g ...

's 50th Army. It took part in the East Prussian Strategic Offensive Operation ending the war near

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was na ...

as part of the 81st Rifle Corps in the

3rd Belorussian Front The 3rd Belorussian Front () was a Front of the Red Army during the Second World War. The 3rd Belorussian Front was created on 24 April 1944 from forces previously assigned to the Western Front. Over 381 days in combat, the 3rd Belorussian Front ...

. With the 81st Rifle Corps, it was withdrawn to the

Kiev Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exist ...

and disbanded with the corps on 30 December 1945. Feskov et al 2013, p. 478 * 13th Rifle Regiment (II) * 200th Rifle Regiment (II) * 261st Rifle Regiment (II) * 164th Artillery Regiment * 70th Separate Antitank Artillery Battalion * 96th Mortar Battalion (until 29 October 1942) * 59th Reconnaissance Company * 15th Sapper Battalion * 192nd Separate Signals Battalion (formally the 773 Sep Signals Company, 43 Sep Signals Battalion) * 91st Medical Battalion * 497th Decontamination Company * 84th Auto-Transport Company

Subordination

External links and Sources

Journal of the Soviet Army

References

* {{Soviet Union divisions before 1945 002 Military units and formations established in 1919 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946 Soviet invasion of Poland ru:2-я стрелковая дивизия (1-го формирования)