15th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
The 15th Rifle Division was a military formation of the Red Army
formed by renaming the Red Army
's Inzensk Revolutionary Division on 30 April 1919. The division was active during the Russian Civil War
and World War II
.
The 15th Rifle Division was awarded the Order of Lenin
, two Orders of the Red Banner
, the Order of Suvorov
, and the Red Banner of Labour of the Ukrainian SSR, ultimately receiving the honorific
designation 15th Sivash-Stettin Order of Lenin, Twice Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of the Red Banner of Labour of the Ukrainian SSR Division (15-я стрелковая Сивашско-Штеттинская, ордена Ленина, дважды Краснознамённая, орденов Суворова, Трудового Красного Знамени УССР дивизия).
's Inzensk Revolutionary Division on 30 April 1919. Units from the disbanded 31st Turkestan Rifle Division joined the division on 2 December 1920.
It was renamed as the 15th Motorized Rifle Division in September 1939 and took part in the Red Army's march into Romanian-ceded Bessarabia in 1940.
On 22 June 1941, the division was stationed in Bender
and Tiraspol
as part of the 2nd Mechanized Corps
, 9th Army
, Odessa Military District
.
Its first battle after the start of Operation Barbarossa
occurred in the Skulyan raion (part of Kalarash
) on 24 June 1941, after which it pulled back and departed for the Dniester
. In July 1941, the 15th Motorized Rifle Division was caught in the encirclement around Uman
, and was largely destroyed. Its name was reverted to 15th Rifle Division, with the 676th Mountain Rifle Regiment of the 192nd Mountain Rifle Division added as its third regiment. The division's commander during the Uman encirclement, Major-General Nikolay Nikanorovich Belov
was killed on 9 August 1941. Some of its members escaped from the encirclement by the end of September 1941. It remained on the Southern Front and took part in defending the Donbass in the area near Artemovsk
until being transferred to the Bryansk Front
's 13th Army
in May 1942.
The 15th Rifle Division took part in the defensive battle at Voronezh in the summer of 1942
and in the subsequent battle to liberate the city in 1943
. On the night of 05.07.1944, reconnaissance units of the division seized a prisoner who showed that the enemy on this day will be launched attack on Kursk
, and the division fought in the 1943 Kursk Battle
.
Its subsequent operations included the Chernigov-Pripyat and Gomel-Rechitsa Operations in 1943, the Kalinkovichi-Mozyr Operation, Operation Bagration and the liberation of Baranovichi
in 1944, the Mława-Elbing
Operation, the East Pomeranian Offensive
, and the Battle of Berlin
in 1945.
After the Second World War the division briefly became the 26th Mechanised Division, then by 1957 the 100th Motor Rifle Division. In 1965 it regained its Second World War number and became the 15th Motor Rifle Division. Through much of the postwar period it was part of 7th Guards Army
in the Transcaucasus Military District. During this period it was stationed at Kirovakan.
As the 15th Rifle Division (renamed on 6 August 1941):
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
formed by renaming the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's Inzensk Revolutionary Division on 30 April 1919. The division was active during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The 15th Rifle Division was awarded the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
, two Orders of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
, the Order of Suvorov
Order of Suvorov
The Order of Suvorov is a Soviet award, named after Aleksandr Suvorov , that was established on July 29, 1942 by a decision of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of the USSR. This decoration was created to award senior army personnel for exceptional leadership in combat operations...
, and the Red Banner of Labour of the Ukrainian SSR, ultimately receiving the honorific
Honorific
An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
designation 15th Sivash-Stettin Order of Lenin, Twice Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of the Red Banner of Labour of the Ukrainian SSR Division (15-я стрелковая Сивашско-Штеттинская, ордена Ленина, дважды Краснознамённая, орденов Суворова, Трудового Красного Знамени УССР дивизия).
Overview
The 15th Rifle Division was formed by renaming the Red ArmyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's Inzensk Revolutionary Division on 30 April 1919. Units from the disbanded 31st Turkestan Rifle Division joined the division on 2 December 1920.
It was renamed as the 15th Motorized Rifle Division in September 1939 and took part in the Red Army's march into Romanian-ceded Bessarabia in 1940.
On 22 June 1941, the division was stationed in Bender
Bender
- Places:* Bender, Moldova, also known as Bendery or Tighina* Bender, California, a former settlement in Fresno County, California* Bender Bayla District, a district of Bari, Somalia- Fiction :...
and Tiraspol
Tiraspol
Tiraspol is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic . The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River...
as part of the 2nd Mechanized Corps
2nd Mechanized Corps (Soviet Union)
The 2nd Mechanised Corps was a formation in the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War.Initially formed in June 1940 in response the German victories of 1940 it was attached to the Odessa Military District, & attached to the 9th Army in the Odessa fortified region in Soviet Union It was under...
, 9th Army
9th Army (Soviet Union)
The 9th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was a Soviet field army, active from 1939 – 43, and then after the war from 1966 to 1989.It was active during the Winter War against Finland as part of the Leningrad Military District, beginning operations at the end of November 1939 under ComKor M.P....
, Odessa Military District
Odessa Military District
The Odessa Military District was a military administrative division of the Imperial Russian military, the Soviet Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was known under such name from around 1862 to 1998. It was reorganized as part of the Military of Ukraine and the Military of Moldova in...
.
Its first battle after the start of Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
occurred in the Skulyan raion (part of Kalarash
Calarasi, Moldova
Călăraşi was founded 1848. Long ago, the word "călăraşi" meant "horsemen". The name of Călăraşi was inspired by a legend. In this legend, it is said that once when Ştefan cel Mare fought the Ottomans, he ordered a regiment of horsemen to stand guard...
) on 24 June 1941, after which it pulled back and departed for the Dniester
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
. In July 1941, the 15th Motorized Rifle Division was caught in the encirclement around Uman
Uman
Uman is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. The city rests on the banks of the Umanka River at around , and serves as the self-governing administrative center of the Umanskyi Raion ....
, and was largely destroyed. Its name was reverted to 15th Rifle Division, with the 676th Mountain Rifle Regiment of the 192nd Mountain Rifle Division added as its third regiment. The division's commander during the Uman encirclement, Major-General Nikolay Nikanorovich Belov
Nikolay Nikanorovich Belov
Nikolay Nikanorovich Belov was a Red Army World War II major-general who commanded the 15th Motorized Rifle Division / 15th Rifle Division.Belov was wounded during the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 4 August 1941, but chose to remain with his men rather than escape by aircraft.He was...
was killed on 9 August 1941. Some of its members escaped from the encirclement by the end of September 1941. It remained on the Southern Front and took part in defending the Donbass in the area near Artemovsk
Artemivsk
Artemivsk or Artemovsk is a city in the Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Artemivsky Raion. It is located on the Bahmutka River about 89 km away from the administrative center of the Donetsk Oblast, Donetsk. As of 2005, its population is 80,655.-History:There is...
until being transferred to the Bryansk Front
Bryansk Front
The Bryansk Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War.General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first formed in mid-late August 1941, comprising, in Erickson's words, 'on paper two armies, 50th and 13th, with eight rifle divisions each, three...
's 13th Army
13th Army (Soviet Union)
The 13th Army was a name given to several field armies of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first created during the Russian Civil War...
in May 1942.
The 15th Rifle Division took part in the defensive battle at Voronezh in the summer of 1942
Battle of Voronezh (1942)
The Battle of Voronezh was a battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, fought in and around the strategically important city of Voronezh on the Don river, south of Moscow, from 28 June-24 July 1942, as opening move of the German summer offensive in 1942....
and in the subsequent battle to liberate the city in 1943
Battle of Voronezh (1943)
The 1943 battle of Voronezh was a Soviet counter-offensive on recapturing the city of Voronezh during the Ostrogozhsk-Rossoshansk and Voronezh-Kastornensk operations on the Eastern Front of World War II. The Nazis had captured the city in a 1942 battle.-External links:...
. On the night of 05.07.1944, reconnaissance units of the division seized a prisoner who showed that the enemy on this day will be launched attack on Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
, and the division fought in the 1943 Kursk Battle
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
.
Its subsequent operations included the Chernigov-Pripyat and Gomel-Rechitsa Operations in 1943, the Kalinkovichi-Mozyr Operation, Operation Bagration and the liberation of Baranovichi
Baranovichi
Baranovichi , is a city in the Brest Province of western Belarus with a population of 173,000. It is a significant railway junction and home to a state university.-Overview:...
in 1944, the Mława-Elbing
Elbing
Elbing is the German name of Elbląg, a city in northern Poland which until 1945 was a German city in the province of East Prussia.Elbing may also refer to:- Ships :* SMS Elbing, light cruiser of the Imperial Germany Navy...
Operation, the East Pomeranian Offensive
East Pomeranian Offensive
The East Pomeranian Strategic Offensive operation was an offensive by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front...
, and the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
in 1945.
After the Second World War the division briefly became the 26th Mechanised Division, then by 1957 the 100th Motor Rifle Division. In 1965 it regained its Second World War number and became the 15th Motor Rifle Division. Through much of the postwar period it was part of 7th Guards Army
7th Guards Army
The Red Army's 7th Guards Army was re-designated from the Soviet 64th Army on April 16, 1943.64th Army had originally been formed from 1st Reserve Army in July 1942, and alongside the 62nd Army, fought the German offensive during the Battle of Stalingrad to a standstill, for which it was raised to...
in the Transcaucasus Military District. During this period it was stationed at Kirovakan.
Composition
As the 15th Rifle Division (in June 1941):- 47th Motor Rifle Regiment
- 321st Rifle Regiment
- 14th Tank Regiment
- 203rd Artillery Regiment
- 166th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion
- 114th Separate Anti-Aircraft Battalion
- 77th Reconnaissance Battalion
- 75th Light Engineering Battalion
- 53rd Separate Signals Battalion
- 96th Medical Battalion
- 156th Auto-Transport Battalion
- 35th Repairing Battalion
- 38th Traffic Control Company
- 61st Field Bakery
- 77th Field Post Station
- 357th Field Bank Department
As the 15th Rifle Division (renamed on 6 August 1941):
- 47th Rifle Regiment
- 321st Rifle Regiment
- 676th Rifle Regiment
- 203rd Howitzer Regiment (until 04.11.1941)
- 203rd Artillery Regiment (from 21.04.1942)
- 81st Howitzer Regiment (from 16.11.1941 to 15.01.1942)
- 166th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion
- 425th Anti-Aircraft Battery (114th Separate Anti-Aircraft Battalion) (until 29.04.1943)
- 77th Reconnaissance Company
- 5th Ski Battalion (from 05.11.1943 to 30.04.1944)
- 75th Sapper Battalion
- 527th Separate Signals Battalion (182nd Separate Signals Company)
- 96th Medical Battalion
- 79th Separate Chemical Defense Company
- 43rd Auto-Transport Company
- 324th Field Bakely (61st Field Mobile Baking Factory)
- 170th Divisional Veterinary Hospital
- 77th Field Post Station
- 357th Field Bank Department
Commanders
During World War II:- Major-General Nikolay Nikanorovich BelovNikolay Nikanorovich BelovNikolay Nikanorovich Belov was a Red Army World War II major-general who commanded the 15th Motorized Rifle Division / 15th Rifle Division.Belov was wounded during the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 4 August 1941, but chose to remain with his men rather than escape by aircraft.He was...
: 11.03.1941 - 09.08.1941, killed in action - Colonel Afanasy Nikitovich Slyshkin (major-general from 1.10.1942): 04.09.1941 - 25.06.1942
- Colonel Vladimir Nikolayevich Dzhangdzhava: 26.06.1943 - 14.07.1943
- Colonel Vasily Ivanovich Bulgakov: 15.07.1943 - 07.08.1943
- Colonel Kuzma Yedvokimovich Grebennikov (major-general from 03.06.1944): 08.08.1943 — 28.03.1945
- Colonel Andrey Petrovich Varyukhin: 29.03.1945 — 09.05.1945