| 273rd Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active |
|
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg) Red Army |
| Type | Rifle division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations |
|
| Battle honours |
|
The273rd Rifle Division (Russian:273-я стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of theSoviet Union'sRed Army duringWorld War II, formed twice.
The division was first formed in the summer of 1941 and was destroyed in Ukraine during the fall of that year, Reformed in the spring of 1942, the division served through the entire war before being disbanded postwar in the summer of 1945.
The 273rd began forming on 10 July 1941 atDniprodzerzhinsk, part of theOdessa Military District. Its basic order of battle included the 967th, 969th, and the 971st Rifle Regiments, as well as the 812th Artillery Regiment. With its formation delayed by a shortage of machine guns and other heavy weapons, the division was still forming up on 7 August, and was not assigned to theSouthern Front's6th Army until the end of the month. In October, the 273rd was transferred to the12th Army but disbanded after 1 November, presumably destroyed in the fighting.[1]
The 273rd began forming for a second time from February to 16 May 1942, initially part of theUral Military District. It was moved west before it finished forming, being relocated toPodolsk in theMoscow Military District during March. After receiving its commander, the 273rd was assigned to theMoscow Defence Zone on 16 May and in late August transferred to theVoronezh Front reserves. In late September, it was transferred to the front as part of theDon Front's1st Guards Army, north ofStalingrad. Between November 1942 and February 1943, the 273rd fought inOperation Uranus andOperation Koltso as part of the24th Army and the66th Army. After the end of theBattle of Stalingrad in February, the division became part of theStalingrad Group of Forces in theReserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK). In April, the 273rd was assigned to the11th Army, which was sent to theBryansk Front in July. On 17 September, during theBattle of Smolensk, the division participated in the recapture ofBezhitsa and was awarded the honorific "Bezhitsa" for its actions.[2]
In October, the division became part of the army's25th Rifle Corps, now in theBelorussian Front. At the end of the year, the corps and the 273rd were transferred to the48th Army. In March the division was withdrawn to the RVGK and became part of the3rd Guards Army's120th Rifle Corps there. In April it returned to the front with the army and corps, remaining part of these commands until October. By the end of the spring fighting in Ukraine, the 812th Artillery Regiment had been depleted so much that each 76 mm gun was manned by only 3 men, and each 122mm howitzer by 4, which made it almost impossible to the weapons without horses or trucks. In September, the division transferred to the76th Rifle Corps, and a month later to the21st Rifle Corps. At the end of the year, the 273rd transferred to the6th Army and for most of 1945 was part of the 6th Army's22nd Rifle Corps, except for a few weeks with the74th Rifle Corps in early February.[2] The division fought in theSiege of Breslau, receiving theOrder of the Red Banner for its actions on 4 June.[3] The division received the honorifics "Bezhitsa Red Banner Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky" for its actions, and was disbanded in the summer of 1945 with theCentral Group of Forces.[4]
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