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The 64th Guards Rifle Division was created on January 19, 1943, from the 327th Rifle Division, in recognition of that division's distinguished combat record in the Second Siniavino Offensive and
Operation Iskra Operation Iskra (), 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 shortly after the failure of the Sinyavino Offensive (1942), Sinyavino Offe ...
. It was one of a relatively small number of formations raised to Guards status in the northern sector of the Soviet-German Front. As such, it was employed as an assault division in the subsequent fighting, particularly in the final defeat of the German forces before Leningrad, and the final offensive against Finland. The division ended the war in Lithuania, helping to contain the enemy forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and went on to serve well into the postwar era, still in the Leningrad/St. Petersburg area.


Formation

When the 64th Guards was formed, its basic order of battle was as follows: * 191st Guards Rifle Regiment from 1098th Rifle Regiment * 194th Guards Rifle Regiment from 1100th Rifle Regiment * 197th Guards Rifle Regiment from 1102nd Rifle Regiment * 134th Guards Artillery Regiment from 894th Artillery Regiment The division was considered a "sister" to the
63rd Guards Rifle Division 63rd may refer to: ;Metro stations *Ashland/63rd (CTA station), on the Green Line *East 63rd-Cottage Grove (CTA), on the Green Line *63rd (CTA Red Line), on the Red Line *63rd Street station (SEPTA Market–Frankford Line) on the Market-Frankford L ...
, which was forming in the same area at the same time. The two divisions served almost the entire remainder of the war in
30th Guards Rifle Corps 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
. During
Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda Operation Polar Star (Russian: Операция Полярная звезда, ''Operatsia Polyarnaya Zvezda'') was an operation conducted by the Soviet Leningrad, Volkhov and Northwestern Fronts in February and March 1943. The operation was ...
, in February and March, the 64th Guards was in 8th Army. On March 19 it was in the army's second echelon as it started its attack from south of Voronovo towards
Mga Mga () is an types of inhabited localities in Russia, urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast, Kirovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: The name is almost certainly derived from the iden ...
. During the first three days of intense fighting the first echelon divisions penetrated 3 – 4 km along a 7 km front at the junction of the defending
1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
and 223rd Infantry Divisions. The army commander, Lt. Gen. F.N. Starikov, then committed a small mobile group, the 191st Guards Rifle Regiment and a battalion of the 122nd Tank Brigade, with orders to cut the rail line between Mga and
Kirishi Kirishi (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Kirishsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volkhov River, southeast of St. Petersburg. Population: It was previously known as ''Soltsy'' (unti ...
, and then wheel northwest towards Mga Station. Despite heavy rain which prevented any air support, the group reached the rail line east of Turyshkino Station before being halted by hastily assembled German reinforcements. A further effort was made by the full division, backed by 14th Rifle Division and 1st Separate Rifle Brigade from reserve, on April 1 against the German defenses around Karbusel, just east of the Mga-Kirishi line. This attack was repelled by the 121st Infantry Division, with heavy losses to the attackers. This marked the end of ''Polarnaya Zvezda'', and the Soviets went over to the defense the following day.


Breaking the Siege

At the start of the Fifth Siniavino Offensive on July 22, 64th Guards was in the newly formed 30th Guards Rifle Corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. Nikolai Simoniak, in 67th Army. The corps' objective was to capture Arbuzovo and advance on Mga from the north, supported by the 30th Guards and 220th Tank Brigades and the 31st and 29th Guards Tank Regiments. At the start of the operation the division was in the corps' second echelon. On the second day 63rd Guards Rifles occupied the first line of enemy trenches in the Arbuzovo region, and the second line the next morning, but by August 4 the attack had bogged down in the face of German reinforcements, becoming little more than an exchange of artillery and mortar fire. 30th Guards Corps was pulled back for rest and refitting east of Leningrad later that month. On September 13 the corps headquarters got orders to prepare to take the leading role in the Sixth Siniavino Offensive. Once again, 64th Guards was to be in second echelon. On September 15, following a reorganized and improved artillery fire plan, and with significant air support, the three Guards divisions stormed the Siniavino Heights and finally seized them in only 30 minutes. This brought an end to the struggle that had been waged for this position for nearly two years at the cost of hundreds of thousands of casualties. Having achieved this objective, the offensive quickly wound down. As of January 1, 1944, the 64th Guards was in 30th Guards Corps, now under
42nd Army 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...
in Leningrad Front. In the plan for the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive, the three rifle corps of that army were to penetrate German defenses in the 17 km sector from Ligovo Station to Bolshoe Kuzmino southwest of Leningrad and liberate
Krasnoye Selo Krasnoye Selo (, lit. ''Red (or beautiful) village''). Г. П.  Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-Пресс", 2002 is a municipal town in Krasnos ...
. The assault began at 1100 hours on January 15, following an artillery preparation of 220,000 shells fired from 2,300 guns over one hour and 40 minutes. The three divisions of 30th Guards Corps attacked from
Pulkovo Heights Pulkovo Heights () is a chain of hills located to the south of Saint Petersburg. They run to the south-west in the direction of the Izhora Plateau and have an altitude of up to 73 meters. In Neolithic times (about 75005000 years ago) Pulkovo heig ...
and by the end of the day had advanced 4.5 km through very dense defenses, although the corps on each flank encountered greater resistance. An advance of another 3 – 4 km was achieved the next day, but at greater cost. By the 17th the enemy forces north of
Ropsha Ropsha ( rus, Ропша, p=ˈropʂə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, settlement in Lomonosovsky District, Leningrad Oblast, Lomonosovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated about south of Petergof, Peterhof and south ...
and Krasnoye Selo were under threat of encirclement, and 123rd Rifle Corps was committed on the right flank of 30th Guards Corps. On January 19 the encirclement was completed while the two rifle corps stormed Krasnoye Selo, and 64th Guards Rifle Division was granted that name as an honorific: It shared this honour with 63rd Guards and two divisions of the 123rd Corps. For the remainder of January, 42nd Army pursued the defeated German forces in the direction of
Kingisepp Kingisepp ( or ), formerly Yamburg (), Yam (), and Yama (; Votic language, Votic: Jaama), is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located along the ...
, which was liberated on February 1. In the course of this fighting, 2nd Shock Army forced two crossings of the
Narva River The Narva, formerly also Narwa or Narova, flows north into the Baltic Sea and is the largest Estonian river by discharge. A similar length of land far to the south, together with it and a much longer intermediate lake, Lake Peipus, all togeth ...
, north and south of the fortress city of
Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...
. As a reward for this achievement, Leningrad Front transferred 30th Guards Corps to the latter army from the former on February 3. 2nd Shock launched a new attack on February 11, in which the 30th Guards Corps scored the only real success, advancing from the south to cut the road and railroad running from Narva to Iykhvi on the 15th, and taking Auvere with 64th Guards two days later. However, this was the limit reached, as the corps was counterattacked by
Feldherrnhalle Panzergrenadier Division The Panzergrenadier Division Feldherrnhalle, was a semi-armoured formation of the German Army during World War II. History The Panzergrenadier Division "Feldherrnhalle" was created on 20 June 1943 in the south of France by the renaming and reor ...
. The 64th, along with its corps, took significant casualties in this operation and soon were withdrawn for rebuilding.


Karelian Offensive

In April, ''STAVKAs attention turned to completing the war with Finland. For this purpose Leningrad Front was reinforced with the headquarters of 21st Army on April 28. 30th Guards Corps was in Front reserves southwest of Leningrad at this time. In early May it was assigned to 21st Army. When the offensive began on June 9–10, the 64th Guards was once again in second echelon of its corps. Following initial penetrations of the line held by the Finnish IV Army Corps, 21st Army surged forward, and on the 11th the division was ordered to deploy forward, attack the flank and rear of the forces defending Khirelia, which were blocking the advance of 97th Corps, and capture the Khirelia-Perola line by the end of the day. 30th Guards Corps as a whole was to capture Kivennapa, one of the most important strongpoints in the Finns' second defensive belt, by the end of July 12. These initial operations were successful, and the Front commander, Army General
Leonid Govorov Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov (; – 19 March 1955) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander. Trained as an artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Aca ...
, confidently expected to capture
Vyborg Vyborg (; , ; , ; , ) is a town and the administrative center of Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of Vyborg Bay, northwest of St. Petersburg, east of the Finnish capital H ...
by June 18–20. In the event, the city did fall on that latter date. Days later, at the start of the
Battle of Tali-Ihantala A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...
, 64th Guards was about 15 km east of Vyborg, astride the rail line from there to Vuosalmi.


Baltic Offensive

In August, 30th Guards Corps was once again assigned to 2nd Shock Army. With the fighting around Narva finally ending that month, 2nd Shock was able to move past that choke-point towards Estonia, crossing the narrows between
Lake Pskov Lake Peipus is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on the international border between Estonia and Russia. The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (in Russia), Lake Vänern (in Sweden), and Lake Sa ...
and Lake Chud. By mid-September, 64th Guards was on the outskirts of
Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...
, advancing northwards. In October, the division and its corps was reassigned to 8th Army, clearing the Baltic islands and coasts, where they would remain for the duration, helping to contain the former
Army Group North Army Group North () was the name of three separate army groups of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its rear area operations were organized by the Army Group North Rear Area. The first Army Group North was deployed during the invasion of Pol ...
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 ...
. When the shooting stopped the division was officially designated as the 64th Guards Rifle, Krasnoye Selo,
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 ...
Division. (Russian: 64-я гвардейская стрелковая Красносельская Краснознамённая дивизия).


Postwar

The 64th Guards continued to serve well into the postwar era, still in 30th Guards Rifle Corps, which in 1957 was redesignated as
30th Guards Army Corps The 30th Guards Leningrad Army Corps (Russian: 30 Гвардейского армейского общевойскового Краснознамённого Ленинградского корпуса) was an army corps of the Soviet Ground Forces. ...
. In 1957, the division was converted into a motor rifle division at
Sapyornoye Sapyornoye (; ) is a rural locality (a logging depot settlement) in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, located on the Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (; ; ) is the approximately stretch of land situated between the Gulf of Finlan ...
. During
Operation Anadyr Operation Anadyr () was the code name used by the Soviet Union for its Cold War secret operation in 1962 of deploying ballistic missiles, medium-range bombers, and a division of mechanized infantry to Cuba to create an army group that would be a ...
, the four motor rifle regiments sent to
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
in the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...
were drawn from the 30th Guards Army Corps. The 302nd, 314th, and 400th Regiments were formed from units of the 269th, 194th, and 197th Guards Regiments respectively. In Cuba, they became the 43rd, 74th, and 108th Regiments. In the late 1980s, the division included the 197th Guards and 269th Guards Motor Rifle Regiments, the 10th Artillery Regiment, the 1001st Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment, and other smaller units at Sapyornoye. The 194th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment was at Svobodnoye, and the 83rd Separate Tank Battalion and 75th Guards Separate Engineer-Sapper Battalion were at Pontonnoye. On June 1, 1997, the division was disbanded by being renamed the 36th Guards Weapons and Equipment Storage Base. The storage base was disbanded in 2007.


References

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External links


Nikolai Antonovich Poliakov
{{Soviet Union divisions 1957–1989 G064 Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1998