| 117th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939 – 1946 |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 12,000 |
| Part of | Volga Military District |
The Soviet117th Rifle Division was a rifle division that served during theSecond World War. Originally formed in 1939 destroyed and reformed during the war.
Formed on 23 August 1939 in theVolga Military District, under the command of ColonelSpiridon Chernyugov. On 22 June 1941 the division was still located in the district. The division was assigned to the21st Army moving from the Volga Military District toGomel in theWestern Special Military District when the war started. The army was to attack north from Gomel area into the flank and rear of the German advance. On 5–6 July 1941 the division attacked across theDnepr River atZhlobin as part of the63rd Rifle Corps and 21st Army. Of the 12,000 men assigned to the division and despite the support of the546th Corps Artillery Regiment the division lost almost 20% of its strength in the space of two days. By 12 July the division was retreating back behind the Dnepr River. By early September when the German2nd Panzer Group struck south the division, along with most of theCentral andSouthwestern Fronts in theKiev Pocket and annihilated. The division headquarters was disbanded on 20 September 1941.[1]
The second formation was formed on 7 January by redesignating the308th Rifle Division atIvanovo in theMoscow Military District. In late February the division left the Moscow Military District and moved to theKalinin Front reserves. In March the Front assigned the division to the3rd Shock Army and it remained in that army until February 1943. In February the division went back into Kalinin Front reserves as part of the2nd Guards Rifle Corps and as part of this corps was assigned to the22nd Army. In April 1943 the 22nd Army was transferred from the Kalinin to theNorthwestern Front. In September 1943 the division was moved to the4th Shock Army, which became part of the1st Baltic Front after 20 October 1943. In February 1944 the division briefly served in the 1st Baltic Front's43rd Army and then went into STAVKA reserves and moved south. In late April 1944 the division was assigned to the91st Rifle Corps in the69th Army of the1st Belorussian Front. The division spent the rest of war under this command structure.[2]
