The 73rd Rifle Division was a formation of the Great Patriotic War Soviet Army. The division began assigned to the
20th Army at the beginning of the war and was destroyed and rebuilt twice before the war ended.
According to research in the Soviet archives published by Michael Avanzini and Craig Crofoot, the division was formed five times from 1930 to the late 1940s. Its first formation was established at Omsk in the
Siberian Military District in 1930, and reformed a second time in September 1939 after serving as the cadre for the
109th Rifle Division and the
194th Rifle Division. Disbanded for unknown reasons in October 1939.
Third Formation
Established Omsk in Jul 1940. Assigned to the newly formed 20th Army formed in June 1941 in the
Orel Military District, under the command of Colonel
Alexander Akimov. Wiped out in October 1941 near Vyazma during the opening stages of the
Battle of Moscow.
Fourth Formation
Rebuilt in February 1942 at
Ordzhonikidze, Ukraine. Destroyed sometime prior to October 1942.
Fifth Formation
Formed on 15 October 1942 from the
122nd Rifle Brigade in the city of
Livny, Orel Oblast.
In January–February 1943 the division participated in the
Voronezh-Kastornoye and
Maloarkhangelsk Offensive operations. In early April 1943 the division took up defensive positions on the right flank of the
48th Army.
On 20 July 1943 the division participated in the counteroffensive after the
Battle of Kursk. The division participated in the Liberation of
Novozybkov. By October 1943 the division was located southwest of
Gomel
Gomel (, ) or Homyel (, ) is a city in south-eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Gomel Region and Gomel District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it is the List of cities and largest ...
. On 11 November 1943 the division participated in the
Gomel-Rechitsa Offensive and by the end of the month was in defensive position 10 km south of
Zhlobin. By the end of December 1943 the division had advanced to the right bank of the
Berezina River south of Parichi and repelled enemy counterattacks.
The division spent the next several months in defensive positions south of
Parichi.
On 23 June 1944 as part of
Operation Bagration the division deployed to the western bank of the Berezina River and reached the approaches of
Babruysk and later participated in the capture of the city. The division then advanced in the general direction of Warsaw.
In September 1944 the division was in the 2nd echelon of the 48th Army protecting the army's right flank during its advance. The division entered battle between the 217th Rifle Division and 399th Rifle Division, 42nd Rifle Corps and captured a bridgehead over the
Narew River. The bridgehead was gradually expanded through October 1944.
From January 1945 until the end of the war, the division participated in the
Mlawa-Elbing Offensive and ended the war on the Baltic Coast at
Frisches Haff.
Gained the honorifics 'Novozybkov Order of Lenin Red Banner Order of Suvorov'.
Postwar, the 73rd Rifle Division was relocated to the
Kuban Military District with the
29th Rifle Corps and was based at
Novorossiysk. It became the 39th Rifle Brigade and was redesignated the 73rd Mountain Rifle Division on 23 July 1949. In 1954 it became a rifle division again. On 10 June 1957 it became the 73rd Motor Rifle Division. In June 1968 the division transferred to
Komsomolsk-on-Amur and became part of the
15th Army.
On 29 October 1989 it became the 5505th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base.
[Feskov et al 2013, p. 592] The base was disbanded in 1993.
Subordinate Units
* 3rd Formation
** 392nd Rifle Regiment
** 413th Rifle Regiment
** 471st Rifle Regiment
** 11th Artillery Regiment
** 148th Separate Antitank Battalion
Commanders
* Colonel
Dimitri Ivanovich Smirnov (15 Oct 42 - 12 May 1943), from 18 May 1943 Major General
* Colonel
Peter Spiridonov (12 Jun 1943 - 29 Jul 1943)
* Colonel
Vasily Ivanovich Matronin (21 Jul 1944 - 2 Nov 1944)
* Colonel
Ilya Pashkov (3 Nov 1944 - 9 May 1945) from 5 May 1945 Major General
Notes
*
References
DirectoryCombat strength of the Soviet Army 1941 - 1945List no 5 "Small, mountain infantry, motorizied and motorized divisions' were part of the army in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
{{Soviet Union divisions
073
Military units and formations established in 1930
Military units and formations disestablished in 1957