| 27th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | I Formation: 1918–1941 II Formation: 1941–1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg) Red Army |
| Type | Infantrydivision |
| Engagements | Russian Civil War |
| Decorations | Honorary Revolutionary Red Banner (2) (1st formation) Order of the Red Banner (2nd formation) |
| Battle honours | Omsk (1st formation) Named for the Italian Proletariat (1st formation) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Vitovt Putna Kuzma Podlas |
| External image | |
|---|---|
| 27th Rifle Division | |
 27th Rifle Division in 1920 |
The27th Rifle Division (Russian:27-я стрелковая дивизия) was atactical unit in theRed Army ofSoviet Russia and then theSoviet Union, active between 1918 and 1945. First formed during theRussian Civil War on November 3, 1918, as part of5th Red Army. Commanded byVitovt Putna, it was transferred to the16th Red Army in 1920,[1] and took part in thePolish–Soviet War. Defeated in thebattles of Radzymin andOssów (collectively known as theBattle of Warsaw), it practically ceased to exist.
Reformed in Russia, it returned to Poland in 1939 and took part in theSoviet invasion of Poland as part of the 3rd Army's 4th Rifle Corps,[2] reachingParafianów and the line ofSerwecz River on September 18, 1939. It was then stationed in Soviet-occupied Poland with its headquarters inSuchowola and regiments stationed inAugustów,Grajewo andSuchowola. By 2 October 1939, the division had been subordinated to the 16th Rifle Corps of the 11th Army.[3]
On 22 June 1941, the division was again part of4th Rifle Corps,3rd Army (Soviet Union), itself part of the Western Special Military District which quickly became theWestern Front, under the command of Major GeneralAleksandr Stepanov. DuringOperation Barbarossa, the division was attacked by theGerman 256th and162nd Infantry Divisions. Its regiments fought separately and retreated eastwards, towardsSokółka. By June 24 the division lost 40% of its soldiers and the following day unsuccessfully tried to defend theSwisłocz river line. In accordance with orders, it defended the line until the end of the day when it was annihilated. Only small groups of soldiers from the division reached Soviet lines in July and early August. The division was officially disbanded on September 19, 1941.
The second formation of the division was recreated August 1941 at Arkhangelsk, (renamed from Rebolsky Direction Division on September 24, 1941) and the division subsequently fought against theFinnish Army.[4] The division was subordinated to the26th Army of theKarelian Front in May 1942, and was deployed in the far north of Russia until the end of 1944.[5] It was awarded theOrder of the Red Banner on 5 April for its actions in the capture ofStolp.[6] The unit completed the war with the19th Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front in May 1945.
| Date assigned | Rifle Corps | Army | Front (or reserve) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1941 | 4th | 3rd | Western |
| Sep 1941[7] | - | 7th | Karelian |
| Oct 1941 | - | Kem Op. Group | Karelian |
| May 1942 | - | 26th | Karelian |
| Apr 1944 | - | 32nd | Karelian |
| Sep 1944 | 127th Light | 32nd | Karelian |
| Oct 1944 | 132nd | 26th | Karelian |
| Dec 1944 | 132nd | 19th | Reserve |
| Feb 1945 | 132nd | 19th | 2nd Belorussian |
Postwar, the division was stationed in Poland near Gdynia with theNorthern Group of Forces and disbanded in the summer of 1945.[8]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Airborne | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry |
| ||||||||
| Rifle |
| ||||||||
| Motorized | |||||||||
| Tank |
| ||||||||
| Motor Rifle | |||||||||
| Other | |||||||||
.svg)
