 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Russian. (December 2013)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| 181st Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Russian:181-я стрелковая дивизия Latvian:181. strēlnieku divīzija | |
| Active | August 1940-16 October 1941 (Disbanded, reorganized into183rd Infantry Division) |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg) Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Commanders | |
| First commander | Major-GeneralJānis Liepiņš [lv] (1940-1941) |
| Second commander | Colonel Peter Vasiliyevich Borisov (03.06.1941 — 17.07.1941) |
| Third commander | Colonel Aleksey Stepanovich Frolov (18.07.1941 — 29.09.1941) |
The181th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the SovietRed Army duringWorld War II that was active from 1940-1945. It was created from former units of theLatvian Army after theSoviet occupation of Latvia.
It was formed in August–September 1940, after the occupation and forced annexation of Latvia to the USSR, based on the1st Kurzeme Infantry Division [lv] and the2nd Vidzeme Infantry Division [lv] of the Latvian Army (renamed People's Army of Latvia in the summer of 1940 shortly before disbandment). The division wore the old uniforms of the Latvian Army with Soviet insignia and were also equipped with weaponry of the former army, which made them stand out from other units of the Red Army. It became part of the24th Rifle Corps and was stationed inRiga.
It was part of the 'operational army' duringWorld War II from 22 June 1941 to 16 October 1941.
On June 22, 1941, it was stationed at summer camps in theGulbene area in an abbreviated format. Here until July 29, the division was expanded to full wartime strength.[citation needed]
From the beginning of theNazi German-Soviet war,desertion ofLatvians began, and from June 29, 1941, according to some sources, they began theirdemobilization. More precisely, Latvians were simply released from house to house, previously disarmed - all more than 2,000 people (mostly from old time required). The division was completed with personnel of the interior regions of the USSR.[citation needed] The main body (about 30% of the total force) came from the central and southern areas of the currentPskov Oblast. However, the core personnel were Latvian. The combat training level of the Latvian Riflemen was quite high - many of them received awards and honors from the commanders in the war, including for their period of stay in the 181st Division.
The division was wiped out atStaraya Russa in September 1941.
The division was formally disbanded after defeats duringOperation Barbarossa on 16 October 1941.
It was briefly recreated atStalingrad, wiped out atKalach in August 1942.[1]
Created again atChelyabinsk from the10th Rifle Division NKVD in February 1943, fought at Demyansk,Korosten, and in Poland and Germany. Later the division was assigned to the6th Army of the1st Ukrainian Front in May 1945.
Organization of the division in 1941:[2]
