| 297th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active |
|
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg) Red Army |
| Type | Rifle division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations | 2nd formation: |
| Battle honours | 2nd formation: |
The297th Rifle Division (Russian:297-я стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of theSoviet Union'sRed Army duringWorld War II, formed twice. Its first formation was formed in the summer of 1941 and destroyed duringCase Blue, the German summer offensive towards Stalingrad, in 1942. Reformed in the summer of 1943, the division's second formation fought in combat for the rest of the war before being disbanded postwar.
The division began forming on 2 July 1941 atLubny in theKharkov Military District. Its basic order of battle included the 1055th, 1057th, and the 1059th Rifle Regiments, as well as the 824th Artillery Regiment. On 12 August, the 297th was assigned to theSouthwestern Front's38th Army. In early September, the division absorbed elements of theKremenchug Militia Division, from which it may have received mountain and infantry reconnaissance companies. The division escaped from the Kiev pocket, and after October 1941 became part of the21st Army, fighting in theKursk-Belgorod area. During the 21st Army's attack in theSecond Battle of Kharkov, the 297th was in a secondary sector. The division and its army were able to avoid being destroyed in the Kharkov pocket but were weakened. In June, the 297th was forced to retreat by the German summer offensive,Case Blue, but suffered heavy losses and was disbanded on 15 July.[1]
The division was reformed on 25 July 1943 from the253rd Rifle Brigade, part of the Southwestern Front's33rd Rifle Corps, and included the same basic order of battle as the previous division. The 33rd Corps was assigned to the8th Guards Army soon after. In late August, the division was transferred to the3rd Guards Army but in October returned to the 8th Guards Army. In November the 33rd Rifle Corps and the 297th were sent into the3rd Ukrainian Front reserve. In early 1944 the division became part of the7th Guards Army, but was withdrawn to the reserve again in March, this time in the2nd Ukrainian Front. In April the 297th became part of the27th Guards Rifle Corps, which became part of the27th Army in May. From June to September the corps was in the front reserve.[2]
Beginning in late fall, the 297th fought in thesiege of Budapest, during which it was transferred back and forth between front reserves and various armies. Between October 1944 and March 1945, the division served in the53rd Army and the 7th Guards Army, and in the37th Rifle Corps and the18th Guards Rifle Corps in front reserves. The 297th fought in theVienna Offensive, at the beginning of which it was assigned to the46th Army's68th Rifle Corps.[2] The division was disbanded between 1945 and 1946 in theOdessa Military District or theTauric Military District.[3]
The 297th Rifle Division is featured extensively in Multi-Man Publishing's 2011Historical Advanced Squad Leader moduleFestung Budapest.[4]
