| 120th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | I Formation: 1940–1941 II Formation: 1942–1943 III Formation: 1943–1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg) Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations |  Order of the Red Banner (3rd formation) |
| Battle honours | Gatchina (3rd formation) |
The120th Rifle Division was an infantry division of theRed Army, formed three times. Its first formation became the6th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in theYelnya Offensive.[1] Its second formation became the69th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in theBattle of Stalingrad.[2] The division was reformed a third time in late April 1943.[3] It was disbanded "in place" with theCentral Group of Forces in the summer of 1945.[4]
The 120th Rifle Division was formed in July 1940 in theOrel Region from the 35th Reserve Rifle Brigade under the command of Major GeneralKonstantin Petrov, part of the33rd Rifle Corps.[5][1] The 120th Rifle Division was composed of the following units:[6]
On 28 June 1941, it was transferred toBryansk. On 10 July it was concentrated in the Novoselki area west of Bryansk to establish a defensive line, including antitank ditches. The division became part of24th Army on 15 July and was moved to the area 20 kilometers southeast ofYelnya. It went into combat on 30 July. Between August and September it fought in theYelnya Offensive. The division helped capture Yelnya on 6 September.[7] On 16 September, it was withdrawn from the front and sent to Stavka reserve in theBologovsky District. On 26 September, the division became the 6th Guards Rifle Division for its actions at Yelnya.[1][8]
The division was reformed inKazan from the405th Rifle Division on 10 March 1942. 80% of the soldiers of the division wereKazakhs. The division was commanded by ColonelNikolai Ryakin. The division included the following units:[9]
In May the 120th was assigned to8th Reserve Army in theReserve of the Supreme High Command.[10] In June 1942 the division was moved by river toSaratov, where it received reinforcements. On 24 August, 8th Reserve was re-designated as66th Army and was rushed to Stalingrad. The division was thrown into a series of costly counterattacks north of the city from 4 September.[11] On 27 September ColonelKirill Dzhakhua took command. By 20 October, at the outset ofDon Front's Fourth Kotluban counteroffensive, the division was noted as being severely under strength, with roughly a battalion's worth of fighting men remaining.[12]
Prior to the start of theSoviet counteroffensive at Stalingrad, the 120th had been transferred to24th Army, still in the same general area, and rebuilt. On 22 November the division supported the army's shock group with two of its rifle regiments, but the attack made little progress against deeply dug-in German positions. Further efforts on the following three days were equally unsuccessful.[13] However, once the Axis forces had been encircled, the 120th gave distinguished service duringOperation Ring, finishing off the trapped German6th Army. In recognition of this, on 6 February the division was converted into the 69th Guards Rifle Division for its actions.[2][14]
The division was reformed on 22 April 1943 from the 11th Rifle Brigade and the 142nd Naval Rifle Brigade on theLeningrad Front, part of the67th Army, under command of 11th Rifle Brigade commander ColonelAlexei Batluk.[15] The division included the following units:[16]
Between July and early September it was part of the2nd Shock Army, but then was returned to 67th Army. During the SixthSinyavino offensive the 120th provided right flank support to the30th Guards Rifle Corps, which was finally able to storm and hold the Sinyavino heights on 15 September, although the offensive bogged down and was halted three days later.[17] The division transferred to front reserve later that month. On 13 November the 120th was assigned to117th Rifle Corps, where it would remain for most of the duration.[18]
In January 1944 it became part of the59th Army. The division fought in theLeningrad–Novgorod Offensive, during which it participated in the capture ofGatchina (formerly Krasnogvardeysk) on 25 January, penetrating into the northeastern section of the town from the north, just as108th Rifle Corps was seizing the northwestern sector. After an all-night battle, the town was completely cleared the following morning:
"Wednesday, 26 January. The battle for Gatchina did not cease throughout the night. The enemy11th Infantry Division, which has been defending the city, has been destroyed. At 1100 hours Colonel A.V. Batluk's 120th Rifle Division, cooperating with Colonel F.A. Burmistrov's224th Rifle Division and other units, completely cleared the occupiers from Gatchina."[19]
On 27 January 1944 it was awarded the honorific "Gatchina". The division received theOrder of the Red Banner for helping to liberateLuga on 12 February. In April 1944, the division became part of the8th Army. In late July and August the division fought in theBattle of Tannenberg Line, part of theBattle of Narva (1944).[15] It was part of the117th Rifle Corps during the battle.[20] The division attacked the Grenadier Hill from the east on 29 July.[21] The division suffered casualties of 1,808 men killed or wounded during the attack.[22] In August it became part of the 2nd Shock Army again. On 31 August ColonelMatvei Fedotov took command. In September 1944 the division, with its corps, was briefly moved to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, where it became part of the21st Army. On 11 DecemberIvan Govorov became the division's commander.[3] In that same month, 21st Army was assigned to1st Ukrainian Front, and the 120th would remain in that front and army, in either55th or 117th Rifle Corps, for the duration.[18] It was disbanded "in place" in the summer of 1945 with the Central Group of Forces.[4]
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