List of infantry divisions of the Soviet Union 1917–57

Divisional banner of the 50th Guards Rifle Division

This is a list of infantry divisions of the Soviet Union 1917–1957. It lists infantry divisions in the Soviet Union from the 1917 Revolution to the reorganisation of the Soviet Army in the aftermath of the Stalinist era. Mechanised Divisions were formed during 1945–46, and then all remaining Rifle Divisions were converted to Motor Rifle Divisions in 1957.

The main source used in the compilation of this page was Robert G. Poirier and Albert Z. Conner's The Red Army Order of Battle in the Great Patriotic War, published by Novato: Presidio Press, in 1985. Most of the details not specifically cited in this page are sourced from Poirer and Connor. Thus this page represents primarily pre-1989, Western scholarship; however new materials available since 1989, primarily A.G. Lenski's 2000 book, have also been inserted where available.

Divisions of the Russian Civil War

Many infantry (pekhotniye), literally 'movement', and rifle (strelkoviye), literally 'sharpshooter', divisions were inherited by the Workers-Peasants Army from the former Imperial Russian Army, but were renamed in the spirit of the Revolutionary times, often with names including words such as "Proletariat", "workers and peasants", or other titles that differentiated them from the past. They employed some of the 48,000 former Tsarist officers and 214,000 Tsarist NCOs along with over 10,000 administrative personnel. Initially the new Bolshevik rifle divisions were composed of rifle brigades, and included:

two or three brigades of two regiments each[1]
an artillery brigade
a cavalry regiment
a communications battalion
a reconnaissance company
an engineer battalion
an air (balloon) detachment (otryad)
an aviation group (aircraft)
rear services

The division was to have an establishment of 26,972, with 14,220 combat troops, and depended on 10,048 horses to manoeuvre. Due to difficulties with recruiting volunteers into the armed forces early in the Russian Civil War, conscription was introduced on the 29 May 1918, and all infantry divisions were renamed into rifle divisions on 11 October 1918.

The first six of the 11 formed divisions were those formed in the Petrograd, Moscow, Orel, Yaroslav, Privolzhsk and Ural okrugs. However, the divisions were initially only numbered, eventually 1st through to 47th by 1919. Five of these divisions were also named.

The Russian Civil War divisions were allocated to the various Fronts, including:

Other Civil War rifle divisions

The establishment and organisation of the divisions (N 220/34) had changed by the end of 1918 to increase the number of regiments in brigades to three, while eliminating the artillery brigade headquarters, leaving the nine artillery divizions (battalions) and one horse artillery battery to be allocated to rifle brigades. An armoured auto detachment (otryad) was also instituted. By 1921 the establishment of the rifle division had changed substantially in accordance with TO&E N 1400/246 for peace-time, with two brigades and only 15,876 personnel, and the reduction of artillery to two battalions and one battery, and the cavalry from four to three squadron regiment.

From 10 June 1922 the organisation of rifle divisions war changed from brigade to regiment structure, with three regiments in each. The establishment of divisions stationed in the border areas was reduced to 8,705 personnel, and those in the interior regions to 6,725, including the reduction to a single cavalry squadron. The number of divisions was increased to 49.

Divisions of the interwar years

Due to increasing economic difficulties in the post-war USSR, the armed forces were substantially reduced, and from 8 August 1923 transferred to the territorial system of organisation. All divisions were reduced to an establishment of 1,437 permanent cadre and 8,084 conscripted personnel. These new divisions were initially called militia-rifle divisions (Russian: милиционной-стрелковая дивизия), and later were renamed territorial-militia divisions (Russian: территориально-милиционная дивизия). However, despite reduction in number of service personnel, the number of territorial-militia divisions quadrupled by summer 1928.

The territorial principle of manning the Red Army was introduced in the mid-1920s. In each region able-bodied men were called up for a limited period of active duty in territorial unit, which comprised about half the Army's strength, each year, for five years.[7] The first call-up period was for three months, with one month a year thereafter. A regular cadre provided a stable nucleus. By 1925 this system provided 46 of the 77 infantry divisions and one of the eleven cavalry divisions. The remainder consisted of regular officers and enlisted personnel serving two-year stints.

Most of the divisions that participated in the Russian Civil War were disbanded by 1927, however, Leon Trotsky initiated a formation of the new armed force with a professional cadre which was supported in its evolution even after his departure from Soviet Union. The reform in the rifle forces that begun in 1924 did create some notable changes, including commencement of adding names to the regular and newly formed territorial divisions, and creation of national divisions, notably one Belarus, four Ukrainian, two Georgian, one Armenian, and one Azerbaijanian divisions. In 1928 1st and 3rd Turkestan, and in 1929 an Azerbaijanian divisions were reorganised as mountain-rifle divisions. Of the 70 rifle division, 41 were now territorial in their establishment.

During the 1930s the RKKA infantry forces were not only expanded, but also substantially reorganised, in part due to substantial input of military theorists into their doctrinal development, such as that of Mikhail Tukhachevsky who's 1934 report to the Defence Committee included 13 types of infantry division divisions. On the 31 January 1935 the Committee decreed adoption of a single 13 thousand personnel peace-time establishment for a rifle division which included:

three rifle regiments
one artillery regiment:
one tank battalion (mixed)
separate reconnaissance battalion (light tank company, cavalry squadron and SP artillery battery)
communications battalion
separate anti-aircraft machine-gun company
sapper company
aviation flight
rear services

This structure more than double the number of combat personnel in the division from the 1929 establishment of 20.2% to 41.7%. In May 1937 the military commissars were added to the establishment of all RKKA military forces.

On 29 November 1937 four types of structures for rifle forces were established:

Far Eastern District divisions - 10,000 establishment
Cadre divisions - 7,000 (6950) establishment
Cadre mountain divisions - 4,000 establishment
Cadre territorial divisions - 6,000 (5,220) establishment. These lacked the communications, reconnaissance and sapper battalions.

The territorial system was reorganised, with all remaining formations converted to 'cadre' divisions, in 1937 and 1938,[8] with the cadre divisions retaining one territorial regiment until reorganisation that followed 1938 restructuring of all armed forces. Kamchatka and Sakhalin divisions were also added in the wake of the Soviet–Japanese Border Wars.

By 1938 there were plans to increase the number of rifle divisions in the RKKA from 98 to 173. These would include:

17 rifle divisions with 14 thousand personnel
1 rifle divisions with 12 thousand personnel (TO&E 04/400)
33 rifle divisions with 8,900 personnel (TO&E 04/100)
76 rifle divisions with 6 thousand personnel (TO&E 04/120)
33 rifle divisions with 3 thousand personnel
13 mountain-rifle divisions with 4 thousand personnel

The wartime strength of the new rifle division that was intended to include two artillery regiments was to have 18 thousand personnel, but none had been brought up to this strength by 1941.

Divisions of the Second World War

Two events shaped the evolution of the RKKA rifle divisions during the initial period of the Second World War: the decision in 1938 to reorganise the Army, in part due to and following the repressions of the officer corps in 1937, and the 1939 campaign in Poland, and later war against Finland.

In the course of the Second World War the Soviet Union's Red Army raised over four hundred and fifty numbered rifle divisions (infantry). Usually the rifle divisions were controlled by the higher headquarters of the Rifle Corps. But scores of these formations were reformed several times; the total number of divisional formations formed may have been as high as 2,000, according to Craig Crofoot.

On 22 June 1941 the Red Army had 103 divisions in the western military districts, of which 70 were organised according to peace-time TO&E 04/100 with 10-thousand bayonet strength (actual number of rifles 7,818), but brought up to the 12-thousand strength (TO&E 04/400), with another six at the 11-thousand strength. Another 78 rifle divisions in the interior military districts were organised according to peace-time TO&E 04/120 6-thousand (5,864) bayonet strength (actual number of rifles 3,685). The wartime organisation of the RKKA rifle division was 14-thousand (14,483) with 10,420 rifles, but only 20 western border divisions had been brought up to this establishment when the war begun.

Zaloga notes that the Red Army formed at least 42 'national' divisions during the Second World War, including four Azeri, five Armenian, and eight Georgian rifle divisions and a large number of cavalry divisions in Central Asia, including five Uzbek cavalry divisions.

Note on Designations

During the war, many divisions were formed, destroyed or otherwise disbanded, and reformed several times: A notional example, using imaginary designations, runs:

"The 501st Rifle Division (1st formation), readiness category B organised to 1937 tables may have been disbanded at Vyazma in 1941, and a new 501st Division (2nd formation), readiness category A organised on 1942 tables formed in Rostov thousands of km away, then renamed 200th Guards Rifle Division in 1944, and a new 501st (3rd formation), readiness category A organised to 1944 tables division formed in Minsk".

Rifle Divisions list

1–10

11–20

21–30

31–40

41–50

51–60

61–70

71–80

81–90

91–100

101–110

111–120

121–130

131–140

141–150

151–160

161–170

171–180

181–190

191–200

201–210

211–220

221–230

231–240

241–250

251–260

261–270

271–280

281–290

291–300

301–310

311–320

321–330

331–340

341–350

351–360

361–370

371–380

381–390

391–400

401–420

421–440

441–477

Guards Rifle Divisions

1 - 10 Guards Rifle Division

11 - 20 Guards Rifle Division

21 - 30 Guards Rifle Division

31 - 40 Guards Rifle Division

41 - 50 Guards Rifle Division

51 - 60 Guards Rifle Division

61 - 70 Guards Rifle Division

71 - 80 Guards Rifle Division

81 - 90 Guards Rifle Division

91 - 100 Guards Rifle Division

101 - 110 Guards Rifle Division

111 - 120 Guards Rifle Division

121 - 129 Guards Rifle Division

Motor Rifle Divisions

People's Militia

Leningrad People's Militia

People's Militia divisions, listed in the order of creation, were hastily created in mid-1941 as the German advance neared Leningrad. In Russian, they were designated дивизия народного ополчения – Narodnoe Opolcheniye Division – or гвардейская дивизия народного ополчения – Guards Narodnoe Opolcheniye Division. On 23 September 1941 all the divisions of the Leningrad Narodnoe Opolcheniye Army divisions were used to form Red Army units mostly within the Leningrad Front.

Moscow People's Militia

Although 25 Narodnoe Opolcheniye divisions were intended for formation, only 16 were formed due to demand for workers in building the fortifications for the defence of Moscow. By the 7 July 1941 140,000 volunteers had been accepted into the Moscow People's Militia, and organised into 12 divisions (of establishment (shtat) 11,633) named according to the city rayons. However on 20 September 1941 they were redesignated as regular rifle divisions (numbers in brackets):

These divisions were allocated to the Mozhaisk Defence Line Front (commander General P.A. Artemyev) which consisted of the 32nd Army (General N.K. Klykov) in Vyazma, 33rd Army (Kombrig D.P. Onuprienko) in Spas-Demyansk and 34th Army (General N.I. Pronin), and also included five NKVD divisions (one each in the 32nd and 34th Armies, and three in the 33rd Army).

In October 1941 four more divisions were formed

Other People's Militia divisions

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Seaton 1968 p. 42
  2. 1 2 3 4 Crofoot, Craig. Armies of the Bear, Vol 1. Part 1.
  3. ↑ Central State Archives of the Soviet Army Volume 2 Guidebook, p. 55
  4. ↑ Центральный государственный архив Советской армии Том 2. Путеводитель. [Central State Archives of the Soviet Army, Volume 2: Guidebook] (in Russian). Minneapolis: East View Publications. 1993. p. 60. ISBN 9781879944039.
  5. ↑ Crofoot, Craig (2005). Armies of the Bear, Orders of Battle Vol 1, Part 2. Tiger Lily Publications LLC.
  6. ↑ Crofoot, Craig. Armies of the Bear, Vol. 1, Part 3. Tiger Lily Press.
  7. ↑ Scott and Scott, 1979, p.12
  8. ↑ David Glantz, Colossus Reborn: The Red Army at War 1941–43, University Press of Kansas, 2005, p. 717 note 5.
  9. ↑ Feskov et al 2004, 71.
  10. ↑ Avanzini and Crofoot, 'Armies of the Bear,' Vol. I, Part 2, p.54.
  11. ↑ Armies of the Bear
  12. ↑ & # entry43861 47 Mountain Division
  13. ↑ Crofoot, Avanzini, Armies of the Bear
  14. ↑ Feskov et al 2004, p.73.
  15. ↑ Feskov et al 2004, p.105.
  16. ↑ 63rd Infantry Division
  17. ↑ http://www.rkka.ru/handbook/reg/69md41.htm, accessed July 2011
  18. ↑ Awarded with the Order of Lenin after the Winter War. On the combat history of the division see, for example, Soviet Military Encyclopaedia, v.4, pp.431-431.
  19. ↑ history of 77 Infantry Division and 77-Rifle Division
  20. ↑ Bonn, 2005, says that 82nd Motorised Rifle Division was originally formed in Perm region as 82nd Self-Propelled Gun Division, converted to 82 MRD 1941. Bonn, Slaughterhouse, Aberjona Press, 2005, p.350
  21. ↑ Kolomiets (2001), p. 58
  22. ↑ Боевой путь 108-Бобруйской ордена Ленина краснознаменной дивизии
  23. ↑ S.N.Zhilin and others “Under the Guard banner ". Arkhangelsk/Vologda. 1980
  24. 1 2 Журнал Санкт-Петербургский университет ISSN 1681-1941 / № 1-2 (3657-3658), 19 January 2004
  25. ↑ Data of the Red Army in the Winter War, OOB
  26. ↑ M.K.Smolnyy “7,000 kilometers in battles and campaigns". Military Publishing, 1982.
  27. 1 2 Feskov et al 2013, Table 4.1.5, p.180 (1955-57 rifle division redesignations).
  28. ↑ Irregular Units of RKKA
  29. ↑ 'A Short description of 15 MEchanised Corps combat operations during the period from 22.6.41 through 12.7.41,' SBDVOV, issue 36, 253, via Glantz, Stumbling Colossus, 136.
  30. ↑ FEskov et al 2013, 152.
  31. ↑ David Glantz, Stumbling Colossus, 208, drawing on SBDVOV, issue 37, 226.
  32. ↑ Crofoot and Avanzini, Armies of the Bear
  33. ↑ Форум
  34. ↑
  35. ↑ 402 Rifle Division
  36. ↑ "78-я Запорожская Краснознаменная стрелковая дивизия". Retrieved 29 Dec 2015.
  37. ↑ Holm, 31st Army Corps
  38. ↑ Holm and Feskov et al 2013, 535.
  39. ↑ Armenia and Armenians in World War II
  40. ↑ "2 СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ 4 ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ". bdsa.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  41. ↑ "24th Rifle Division (1941)". rkka.ru. Retrieved 30 Dec 2015.
  42. ↑ 416 Rifle Division
  43. 1 2 "Стрелковые 406-422 |". myfront.in.ua. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  44. ↑ "167-я (ф. 1941) Сумско - Киевская стрелковая дивизия". samsv.narod.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  45. ↑ "Региональный общественный Фонд поисковых отрядов Республики Башкортостан". www.bashpoisk.ufanet.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  46. ↑ "171-я (ф. 1941) стрелковая дивизия". samsv.narod.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  47. ↑ "Уголок России - 219 Идрицкая краснознаменная стрелковая дивизия". www.scnew.narod.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  48. ↑ "282 СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ 2 ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ". bdsa.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  49. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sharp, Charles (1996). Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol IX. George F. Nafziger.
  50. ↑ "112-я (ф. 1942) Краснознаменная Рыльско-Коростенская стрелковая дивизия" [112th Rila-Korosten Red Banner Rifle Division]. samsv.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  51. ↑ "298 СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ 2 ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ". bdsa.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  52. ↑ "Стратегическая оборона. 1941—1942 гг. Мобилизация | Красноярск-Берлин". pobeda.krskstate.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  53. ↑ "Красноярские воинские формирования — Интернет-энциклопедии Красноярского края". my.krskstate.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  54. ↑ "303 СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ 2 ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ" [303rd Rifle Division 2nd Formation]. bdsa.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  55. ↑ Dunn, Walter S. Stalin's Keys to Victory, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2007, p. 100
  56. ↑ "312-я стрелковая дивизия (2 формирования)". www.center-rost.ru. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  57. ↑ "Стратегическая оборона. 1941—1942 гг. Мобилизация | Красноярск-Берлин" [Strategic defense of 1941-1942 Mobilization Krasnoyarsk to Berlin]. pobeda.krskstate.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  58. ↑ "Память народа::Боевой путь воинской части::228 стрелковая дивизия (228 сд)" [Memory of Nation :: Fighting the way the military unit 228 :: Infantry Division (228 cd)]. pamyat-naroda.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  59. ↑ Irinarkhov, Ruslan (2014-04-03). Агония 1941. Кровавые дороги отступления [Agony 1941: Bloody Road of Retreat] (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 5457061388.
  60. ↑ "232-я (ф. 1942) Сумско-Киевская стрелковая дивизия - страница клуба "Память" Воронежского госуниверситета" [232-I (p. 1942) Sumy-Kiev Infantry Division - Home Club "Memory" Voronezh State University]. samsv.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  61. ↑ "235 СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ 2 ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ" [235th Rifle Division 2nd Formation]. bdsa.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  62. ↑ "237-я (ф. 12.1941) стрелковая дивизия - страница клуба "Память" Воронежского госуниверситета" [237-I (p. 12.1941) Infantry Division - Home Club "Memory" Voronezh State University]. samsv.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  63. ↑ "97 СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ 2 ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ" [97th Rifle Division 2nd Formation]. bdsa.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  64. ↑ p.12, Perecheni, rifles divisions
  65. ↑ "29 СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ 3 ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ" [29th Rifle Division 3rd formation]. bdsa.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  66. ↑ "38 СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ 2 ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ" [38th Rifle Division 3rd Formation]. bdsa.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  67. ↑ "69-я Севская дважды Краснознаменная стрелковая дивизия" [69th Sevsk twice Red Banner Rifle Division]. rkka.ru. Retrieved 1 Jan 2016.
  68. ↑ "103-я (ф. 1941) стрелковая дивизия - страница клуба "Память" Воронежского госуниверситета" [103rd (1941) Rifle Division - website of the club "Memory" Voronezh State University]. samsv.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  69. ↑ "91-я Мелитопольская стрелковая дивизия" [91st Melitopol Rifle Division]. rkka.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2 Jan 2016.
  70. ↑ "266 СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ 2 ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ" [266th Rifle Division 2nd formation]. bdsa.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  71. ↑ Poirier and Conner show the 21st GRD as being formed from the 361st RD in Mar 1942
  72. ↑ BSSA
  73. ↑ Feskov et al. 2004, p.114
  74. ↑ Michael Holm, 29th Guards Missile Division, accessed January 2013.
  75. ↑ Feskov et al 2004, p23
  76. ↑ Feskov et al 2004, 75.
  77. ↑ Feskov et al., 2004, Table 2.4, p.51/52
  78. ↑ Feskov 2013 also says this division was disbanded in the Baltic in 1945-46. Feskov et al 2013, 147
  79. ↑ http://rkka.ru/handbook/guard/84gvsd.htm
  80. ↑ Feskov et al 2004.
  81. ↑ Michael Holm, 10th Guards Airborne Division, accessed January 2013.
  82. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Armchair General http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=237068
  83. ↑ Holm, Michael. "113th Guards Motorised Rifle Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  84. ↑ Feskov et al 2013, p. 147
  85. ↑ Graham H. Turbiville, 'Restructuring the Soviet Ground Forces: Reduction, Mobilization, Force Generation,' Military Review, December 1989
  86. ↑ Feskov et al 2004, p.68
  87. ↑ Feskov 2013, 147
  88. ↑ Keith E. Bonn (ed.), Slaughterhouse: The Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005, p.376
  89. ↑ First division of Narodnoe Opolcheniye (Первая дивизия народного ополчения) in Russian
  90. ↑ Pettibone, Charles D. (2009-11-18). The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II: Volume V - Book B Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Trafford Publishing. p. 537. ISBN 9781426978159., and Armies of the Bear.

References

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