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| 3rd Guards Volnovakha Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1993 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army (Soviet Army from 1946) |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations | |
| Battle honours | Volnovakha |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | |
The3rd Guards Volnovakha Red Banner Order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Division (Military Unit Number 61415) was adivision of theSoviet Army from 1941 to around 1992. It traced its history from the highly decorated 3rd Guards Rifle Division of World War II. The 3rd Guards Rifle Division was formed from the153rd Rifle Division.
From 20 September to 9 November, the 3rd Guards fought as part of the54th Army of theLeningrad Front in the area ofMga andSinyavino. From 10 to 14 November, the division relocated to the left flank of the army, south of the city ofVolkhov. From 15 November to 28 December, the division fought operations near Volkhov and then pursued the retreating German troops to the station ofPogostye [ru].
In the summer of 1942, the 3rd Guards was brought back up to strength and entered theReserve of the Supreme High Command. From late August to September 1942, the division took part in theSinyavino Offensive of theVolkhov Front. The division was tasked with leading the breakthrough of the German defenses in the area of the Kruglaya grove and the capture of the station ofSinyavino. On 27 August, the 5th Guards Rifle Regiment advanced towards Gontovaya Lipka. From 10 September to 15 October, the division fought on the hill of Kruglaya grove.
In early December 1942, the 3rd Guards was withdrawn from the reserve and transferred to theStalingrad Front under the2nd Guards Army. In winter conditions, the division completed a difficult forced march of approximately 240 kilometers from the railway station to the concentration areas. From 15 to 31 December 1942, the division engaged in active combat operations nearStalingrad.
DuringOperation Uranus on theMyshkova river [ru] line, the 2nd Guards Army played a decisive role in repelling the counterattack of the GermanKotelnikovo group. On 17 December, the division was assigned to concentrate on a defensive line near thesovkhoz of Krep on the banks of the Myshkova river. On 20 December, the division fought heavy battles in Vasilyevka area. Elements of the 3rd Guards defended the sector from Ivanovka to Kapkinka, repelling the main offensive in the sector from Vasilyevka to Kapkinka. On 24 December, the division went on the offensive with the army and forced a German retreat to the south. On 29 December, the division reached the area of the Lenin sovkhoz (10 km east of Kotelnikovo) by 15:00. On 31 December, at 10:30, the division fought on the line from hill 107.8 to the northern outskirts of Verkhny Vasilyevsky to the eastern outskirts of Komissarovsky. Continuing the offensive toward Rostov, the division participated in the liberation ofNovocherkassk on 13 February 1943, and three days later reached theMius River, where heavy German resistance forced it to take defensive positions. On 22 February, the 22nd Guards Artillery Regiment was awarded theOrder of the Red Banner.
In August–September 1943, the 3rd Guards Division took part in theDonbas strategic offensive. The division took part in liberating the inhabited localities ofVolnovakha (on 10 September 1943) andBolshoy Tokmak (on 20 September 1943). The 3rd Guards Rifle Division was among the units to receive the Volnovakha honorific in recognition of its actions.
In late September, during theMelitopol Offensive, the 3rd Guards reached the lower reaches of theDnieper and theBlack Sea coast, liberatingKakhovka on 2 November 1943. In December, as part of the4th Ukrainian Front, the division eliminated the German bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper (in the area ofKherson) after a fierce battle. In February 1944, the army was transferred to the area of theIsthmus of Perekop, and in April–May it took part in theCrimean Offensive, liberatingYevpatoriya on 13 April 1944, and, together with other forces of the 4th Ukrainian Front and theBlack Sea Fleet,Sevastopol on 9 May. In May–June, the2nd Guards Army was redeployed to the area of the cities ofDorogobuzh andYelnya. From 20 May, it was in reserve, and on 8 July it was assigned to the1st Baltic Front. In July, during theŠiauliai Offensive, the division repelled German counterattacks to the west and northwest ofŠiauliai. In October, it participated in theMemel Offensive, occupying the town ofPagėgiai on 21 October. On 20 December, it was reassigned to the3rd Belorussian Front. In January–April 1945, during theEast Prussian Offensive, it broke through German defenses and eliminated, in conjunction with other troops, encircled German groups southwest ofKönigsberg and theSambia group.
After the end of the war, the 3rd Guards Division was reduced to the 13th Separate Guards Rifle Brigade on 31 July 1946. It was reformed as the 3rd Guards Rifle Division again in October 1953. The division was reformed as the 3rd Guards Motor Rifle Division inKlaipėda on 25 June 1957.[1][2]
The 3rd Guards Rifle Division was assigned to theVoronezh Military District under the11th Guards Rifle Corps in 1945–46, and later in 1955 and 1957. In the 1980s, the division became the 3rd Guards Motor Rifle Division for Coastal Defence on 12 October 1989 and transferred to the Baltic Fleet. Before that time it had been subordinated to theBaltic Military District. On 1 September 1993, the division was disbanded.
The following officers commanded the first formation of the 153rd Rifle Division and the 3rd Guards Rifle Division:[1]
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Guards units marked inbold. | |||||||||
