78th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
The 78th Rifle Division was an infantry
division
of the Red Army
, formed in 1932, in Novosibirsk
, in the Siberian Military District
. After being used to provide cadres for new divisions, in September 1939 the division was reformed for the second time. In 1940 the division was transferred to Khabarovsk
in the Far Eastern Front.
Due to distinguished service, the division was awarded Guards
status and renamed as the 9th Guards Rifle Division on November 26, 1941. The 78th Division was formed again, for the third time, by renaming the 403rd Rifle Division at Samerkand, and once it had finished forming was sent west to the Moscow Military District
. The division was subordinated then to the 30th Army, which fought against Army Group Center, within Operation Jupiter
and Operation Mars
. Due to Mars' failure, the division was once again transferred to the South Western Front and assisted 1st and 3rd Guards Armies in fighting against the Germans in Donbass region. In 1944, the unit took part in the offensives clearing Ukraine
and the Balkan states, including the Battle of Debrecen
and the Vienna Offensive
. At the end of the war, the division was subordinated to the 3rd Ukrainian Front, within the 27th Army.
It was then withdrawn to the Carpathian Military District
and reorganised into a mechanised division. According to Feskov et al.'s 'The Soviet Army in the Period of the Cold War,' circa 1957 that mechanised division was reorganised as the 17th Tank Division in 1957. In 1965 the division became the 78th Tank Division, as part of the 20-year anniversary renaming of formations back to their World War II identities. In 1991, on the fall of the Soviet Union, the 78th Tank Division was serving at Ayaguz
, Kazakh SSR
, in the Turkestan Military District
. post 1991 it became part of the Kazakh Ground Forces.
According to Crofoot's Armies of the Bear, the 78th Rifle Division was once again formed, for the fourth time, in 1955 and was subordinated to the Volga-Ural Military District, being reorganized in 1957 into the 78th Motor Rifle Division (later motor rifle training division) which stayed at Chebarkul
until it was disbanded after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The division was reduced to a base for storage of weapons and equipment, and later the 15th 'Mozyr' Guards Tank Division was withdrawn from the Central Group of Forces
and relocated to Chebarkul.
Later on (1990 or 1992), briefly, the 167th Motor Rifle Brigade was formed at Chebarkul also, but later disbanded, possibly after helping to collect troops to formed the 205th Motor Rifle Brigade in the North Caucasus.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of 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...
, formed in 1932, in Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
, in the Siberian Military District
Siberian Military District
The Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.- History :...
. After being used to provide cadres for new divisions, in September 1939 the division was reformed for the second time. In 1940 the division was transferred to Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk is the largest city and the administrative center of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located some from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. The city became the administrative center of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
in the Far Eastern Front.
Due to distinguished service, the division was awarded Guards
Russian Guards
Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
status and renamed as the 9th Guards Rifle Division on November 26, 1941. The 78th Division was formed again, for the third time, by renaming the 403rd Rifle Division at Samerkand, and once it had finished forming was sent west to the Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
. The division was subordinated then to the 30th Army, which fought against Army Group Center, within Operation Jupiter
Operation Jupiter
Operation Jupiter may refer to:* in 1942, a failed Soviet offensive against the Rzhev salient* in 1944, Operation Jupiter was an attack launched by the Second British Army...
and Operation Mars
Operation Mars
Operation Mars was the codename for the Rzhev offensive operation part of the Rzhev-Vyazma strategic offensive operation launched by Soviet forces against German forces during World War II. It took place between 25 November and 20 December 1942 in a salient in the vicinity of Moscow...
. Due to Mars' failure, the division was once again transferred to the South Western Front and assisted 1st and 3rd Guards Armies in fighting against the Germans in Donbass region. In 1944, the unit took part in the offensives clearing Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and the Balkan states, including the Battle of Debrecen
Battle of Debrecen
The Battle of Debrecen, called by the Red Army the Debrecen Offensive Operation, was conducted by the 2nd Ukrainian Front on the Eastern Front of World War II...
and the Vienna Offensive
Vienna Offensive
The Vienna Offensive was launched by the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front in order to capture Vienna, Austria. The offensive lasted from 2–13 April 1945...
. At the end of the war, the division was subordinated to the 3rd Ukrainian Front, within the 27th Army.
It was then withdrawn to the Carpathian Military District
Carpathian Military District
The Carpathian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1945 after the conclusion of the Second World War to 1990-91. It became part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1991 and was disbanded by being redesignated the Western Operational Command later in the 1990s.Two...
and reorganised into a mechanised division. According to Feskov et al.'s 'The Soviet Army in the Period of the Cold War,' circa 1957 that mechanised division was reorganised as the 17th Tank Division in 1957. In 1965 the division became the 78th Tank Division, as part of the 20-year anniversary renaming of formations back to their World War II identities. In 1991, on the fall of the Soviet Union, the 78th Tank Division was serving at Ayaguz
Ayaguz
Ayagoz or Ayakoz City of regional submission in Kazakhstan, administrative centre Ayagoz districts of the East Kazakhstan area. It's located in eastern Kazakhstan, till both parties of the proceeding river Ayagoz. The population is over 40,000 ....
, Kazakh SSR
Kazakh SSR
The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Kazakh SSR for short, was one of republics that made up the Soviet Union.At in area, it was the second largest constituent republic in the USSR, after the Russian SFSR. Its capital was Alma-Ata . Today it is the independent state of...
, in the Turkestan Military District
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with its headquarters at Tashkent. The District was first created during the 1874 Russian military reform when by order of Minister D.A. Milyutinym the territory of Russia was...
. post 1991 it became part of the Kazakh Ground Forces.
According to Crofoot's Armies of the Bear, the 78th Rifle Division was once again formed, for the fourth time, in 1955 and was subordinated to the Volga-Ural Military District, being reorganized in 1957 into the 78th Motor Rifle Division (later motor rifle training division) which stayed at Chebarkul
Chebarkul
Chebarkul is a town in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located on the shores of Chebarkul Lake west of Chelyabinsk. Population: Founded in 1736 as a fortress on the border between Russian and Bashkir lands, it later grew into a large Cossack stanitsa...
until it was disbanded after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The division was reduced to a base for storage of weapons and equipment, and later the 15th 'Mozyr' Guards Tank Division was withdrawn from the Central Group of Forces
Central Group of Forces
The Central Group of Forces was a Soviet military formation used to control Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945-55 and troops stationed in Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring of 1968....
and relocated to Chebarkul.
Later on (1990 or 1992), briefly, the 167th Motor Rifle Brigade was formed at Chebarkul also, but later disbanded, possibly after helping to collect troops to formed the 205th Motor Rifle Brigade in the North Caucasus.
Structure during 1941
- 40th Rifle Regiment (formerly the 232nd Rifle Regiment)
- 131st Rifle Regiment (formerly the 233rd Rifle Regiment)
- 258th Rifle Regiment (formerly the 234th Rifle Regiment)
- 71st Light Artillery Regiment (renamed the 159th Light Artillery Regiment on 5 November 1939)
- 210th Howitzer Artillery Regiment
- 139th Independent Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion
- 435th Independent Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion
- 60th Reconnaissance Battalion
- 89th Sapper Battalion
- 110th Independent Signals Battalion
- 104th Medical-Sanitation Battalion
- 70th Auto-Transport Battalion (reorganized into the 168th Auto-Transport Company)
- 25th Mobile Field Bakery
- 485th Field Postal Station
- 451st Field Cash Office of the State Bank
External links and sources
- 78th Rifle Division Order of Battle.
- Feskov et al., The Soviet Army during the Period of the Cold War, Tomsk University Press, TomskTomskTomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
, 2004