| 265th Motor Rifle Division (1965–1989) 119th Motor Rifle Division 71st Mechanized Division 34th Separate Rifle Brigade 265th Rifle Division (1941–1946) | |
|---|---|
| Active | July 1941–October 1989 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Rifle division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Battle honours | |
The265th Motor Rifle Division (Russian:265-я мотострелковая дивизия) was a motorized infantry division of theSoviet Army during theCold War.
The division traced its heritage back to the 265th Rifle Division, which was formed in mid-1941 from anNKVD division. The 265th fought in theContinuation War and thesiege of Leningrad through 1944 and theBattle of Berlin in 1945. Postwar, it was withdrawn to the Soviet Union and downsized into a rifle brigade before being expanded into the 71st Mechanized Division in 1953. It was relocated toVilnius and converted into the 119th Motor Rifle Division in 1957 before relocating to theSoviet Far East in 1964 and being renumbered as the 265th Motor Rifle Division. It spent the rest of its career in the Far East and was downsized into a storage base in 1989.
The 265th Rifle Division began forming on 26 June 1941 in theMoscow Military District as the 17th NKVD Mountain Division. It was one of the fifteenNKVD divisions that began forming on 26 June and was transferred to theRed Army in early July. The 265th, whose major subunits included the 450th, 941st, and 951st Rifle Regiments, the 798th Artillery Regiment, and the 224th Anti-Tank Battalion, remained in the Moscow Military District at least until 10 July, and later that month moved toLeningrad with a 1500-man cadre of NKVD personnel. In early August it joined the23rd Army, fighting in theContinuation War north of Leningrad on theKarelian Isthmus. On 26 August, its first Red Army commander, MajorIvan Prytkov, was assigned to the division.[1][2]
On 14 October, the division was transferred to theNeva River front, south of the city. In November it became part of the8th Army, which was part of theVolkhov Front from early 1942. In November 1943, the 265th was withdrawn to theReserve of the Supreme High Command and from February 1944 was either part of theLeningrad Front or the3rd Baltic Front until the end of 1944. Between June and July, it was part of the21st Army's110th Rifle Corps for theSvir–Petrozavodsk Offensive on the Karelian Isthmus, which eventually forced Finland out of the war. In August the 265th became part of the 3rd Baltic Front reserves, and in October it was with the3rd Shock Army's7th Rifle Corps in the2nd Baltic Front. Just before theVistula–Oder Offensive began in January 1945, the division transferred to the1st Belorussian Front. It fought in the advance through Poland and in theBattle of Berlin in April and May 1945.[2] During the war, the division was awarded the honorific "Vyborg".[3]
As of 1 December 1945, the division was still with the 3rd Shock Army's 7th Rifle Corps in eastern Germany, part of theGroup of Soviet Forces in Germany.[4] On 6 June 1946, the 265th was withdrawn to theMoscow Military District with the 7th Rifle Corps, which was disbanded.[5] The 265th further relocated toShuya in theGorky Military District as part of the1st Guards Rifle Corps, where it became the 34th Separate Rifle Brigade. In October 1953, it was expanded into the 71st Mechanized Division.[6] By the beginning of August 1956, the 71st was relocated fromIvanovo toVilnius,[7] and on 5 June 1957 was converted into the 119th Motor Rifle Division, part of the10th Army Corps (formerly the10th Rifle Corps)[8] in theBaltic Military District.[9] Beginning on 11 July 1964, the division was relocated from Vilnius to theAmur Oblast. It was replaced at Vilnius by the107th Motor Rifle Division.[10][11]
On 11 January 1965, the division was renumbered as the 265th Motor Rifle Division.[9] In the Far East, the division was stationed atVozzhayevka (nearBelogorsk), and became part of the35th Army from 1969. In the late 1980s, the division's 421st Motor Rifle Regiment was based atPozdeyevka, the 373rd Tank Regiment and division headquarters at Vozzhayevka, the 695th Motor Rifle Regiment and 798th Artillery Regiment atSrednebelaya, and the 212th Motor Rifle Regiment atCheremkhovo. On 25 October 1989, it was downsized into the 5507th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base.[12]
The following officers commanded the division during World War II:[1]
 Divisions of the Soviet Union 1945–1957 | |||||||||
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| Airborne | |||||||||
| Artillery |
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| Cavalry | |||||||||
| Rifle |
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| Mechanised |
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| Tank | |||||||||
| Other | |||||||||
Guards units marked inbold. | |||||||||