| 285th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg) Red Army |
| Type | Rifle division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations |  Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd class |
| Battle honours | Dabrowa |
The285th Rifle Division (Russian:285-я стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of theSoviet Union'sRed Army duringWorld War II. Formed in the summer of 1941, the division entered combat during the fall of that year, fighting in operations attempting to break thesiege of Leningrad. The division fought in the same area until the relief of Leningrad in February 1944, when it began advancing into the Baltic states. The division served in the Baltic states until October, when it transferred south to Poland, where it fought in theVistula–Oder Offensive andSilesian Offensives in early 1945. The division was disbanded soon after the end of the war in the summer of 1945.
The 285th began forming on 2 July 1941 atKostroma, part of theMoscow Military District. Its basic order of battle included the 1013th, 1015th, and 1017th Rifle Regiments, as well as the 835th Artillery Regiment. While still forming in early September, the 285th was assigned to the54th Army, also forming to the east ofLeningrad. The division was transferred to the4th Army for its first combat in theTikhvin Defensive andTikhvin Offensive operations between October and December.[1]
By the beginning of 1942 the 285th had been transferred back to the 54th Army, which became part of theVolkhov Front, holding positions on theVolkhov River to the east and southeast of Leningrad. In February 1944, the front was disbanded after theLeningrad–Novgorod Offensive ended thesiege of Leningrad, and the 54th Army became part of theLeningrad Front. The division was transferred to the3rd Baltic Front's67th Army in April 1944. The division served with the 67th Army or the1st Shock Army fighting in the Baltic states until October, when it transferred to theReserve of the Supreme High Command. The 285th was subsequently transferred to the21st Army of the1st Ukrainian Front, with which it moved south.[1]
As part of the 21st Army's55th Rifle Corps, the division fought in theVistula–Oder Offensive and theSilesian Offensives in early 1945. The 285th remained with the army until the end of the war.[1] The division was disbanded in the summer of 1945 with theCentral Group of Forces.[2]
