The 58th 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 ...

formed during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

. Its second formation 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 ...

gained the

Oder 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 wes ...

honorific.

History

The 58th Rifle Division was formed in 1931 at

Cherkasy Cherkasy (, ) is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy serves as the administrative centre of Cherkasy Oblast as well as Cherkasy Raion within the oblast. The city has a population of Cherkasy is the cultural, educational and industrial centre ...

. Its first recorded commander and commissar was

Vasily Polyakov Vasili, Vasily, Vasilii or Vasiliy (Russian: Василий) is a Russian masculine given name of Greek origin and corresponds to ''Basil''. It may refer to: *Vasily I of Moscow Grand Prince from 1389–1425 *Vasily II of Moscow Grand Prince fro ...

, who took the position in April 1932. Polyakov transferred to command the

96th Rifle Division The 96th Rifle Division, also designated the 96th Mountain Division, was a division of the Red Army, active from 1923. First formation In December 1923, in the Ukrainian Military District in Vinnytsia the 96th Podolsky Territorial Rifle Divisi ...

in December 1933, and was replaced by assistant division commander

Grigory Kaptsevich Grigory, Grigori and Grigoriy () are Russian masculine given names. Russian version of Gregory (given name). Grigory * Grigory Baklanov (1923–2009), Russian novelist * Grigory Barenblatt (1927–2018), Russian mathematician * Grigory Bey-Bienk ...

(who received the rank of

kombrig () is an abbreviation of Commanding officer of the brigade (), and was a military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces of the USSR from 1935 to 1940. It was also the designation to military personnel appointed to command a brigade sized formation (X ...

in 1935 when the Red Army introduced personal ranks). During the 1935 Kiev Military District maneuvers, the division took on the role of an airborne division as a demonstration as the Red Army did not yet include airborne divisions. Kaptsevich was arrested during the

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

on 13 August 1937 and ultimately executed. The division was headquartered at

as part of 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 ...

. It participated in 1940 in the

Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina Between 28 June and 3 July 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, following an ultimatum made to Romania on 26 June 1940 that threatened the use of force. Those regions, with a total area of and a population of 3,776 ...

. After that, it remained at peacetime strength until January 1941 when it was re-formed as the 58th Mountain Rifle Division. The 58th Mountain Rifle Division was surrounded and destroyed along with other parts of the 6th and 12th armies. Its commander, Major General Nikolay Proshkin, was captured and died in January 1942 in a prisoner of war camp, Commissar M. Pozhidaev disappeared without a trace. The division was disbanded on September 19, 1941.

Organization on Formation

The division was first formed in 1932 as the 58th Rifle Division. In

the division had the following structure: * 170th Rifle Regiment * 279th Rifle Regiment * 335th Rifle Regiment * 244th Artillery Regiment *138th Howitzer Regiment

Organization on Disbandment

Organization of the division before it was destroyed during the

Uman pocket Uman (, , ) is a city in Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. It is located to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the east of the historical region of Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River. Uman serves as the administrative cent ...

: * Headquarters ** 170th Rifle Regiment ** 279th Rifle Regiment ** 335th Rifle Regiment ** 368th Rifle Regiment ** 244th Artillery Regiment ** 258th Howitzer Regiment ** 138th Anti-Tank Battalion ** 125th Anti-Aircraft Battalion ** 81st Reconnaissance Battalion ** 126th Engineer Battalion ** 100th Signal Battalion ** 114th Medical Battalion ** 132nd Supply Battalion ** 105th Chemical Defense Company * ''Also Attached'' **59th Field Bakery **258th Field Post Station **353rd Field Ticket Officer of the State Bank ***

Commanders

The division had a number of divisional commanders, including: * Major General Nikolay Ignatevich Proshkin *

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Nikolay Nikolayevich Shkodunovich * Major General Vasiliy Akimovich Samsonov

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{Soviet Union divisions before 1945 Infantry divisions of the Soviet Union in World War II