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| 4th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active |
|
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Russian Civil War |
| Decorations |  Order of the Red Banner (3rd formation) Order of Suvorov 2nd class (2nd formation) |
| Battle honours | Smolensk (1st formation) On behalf of the German Proletariat (1st formation) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ivan Rosly Nikolai Zaiyulev |
The4th Rifle Division was aninfantry division of the Soviet Union'sRed Army, formed three times. It was first formed in 1919 from the remnants of theLithuanian Rifle Division and fought in theDefence of Petrograd during theRussian Civil War. The division then fought in thePolish–Soviet War.
In 1939, the division fought in theSoviet invasion of Poland. It fought in theWinter War from December 1939 and suffered heavy losses in theBattle of Kelja. AfterOperation Barbarossa, the division fought in theBarvinkove-Losowaja Operation and the 1942Battle of Voronezh. It suffered heavy losses at Voronezh and was disbanded in November 1942.
The division re-formed in 1943 and fought in theBryansk Offensive,Gomel-Rechitsa Offensive,Lublin–Brest Offensive,Warsaw-Poznan Offensive andBerlin Offensive. It was disbanded in the summer of 1945. The division was re-formed a third time from the 160th Rifle Division and inherited that division's honorifics and awards. It became the 4th Motor Rifle Division in 1957 and disbanded in 1959.
The division was activated 1919 near Petrograd during theRussian Civil War, and fought on the western front of that war and in thePolish-Soviet War. Until 1923 its headquarters was atMinsk. During the 1930s the division was part of the5th Rifle Corps, stationed in theBelorussian Military District. It was moved north in 1939 and fought in theWinter War, including at theBattle of Kelja, later joining the newly formed13th Army.
In July 1941, the division was part of the3rd Rifle Corps of theTranscaucasian Military District. By an order of 23 July 1941, the 3rd Rifle Corps became the46th Army, as of 1 August 1941, and the 4th Rifle Division thus became part of the 46th Army. In the middle of April 1942 the division under ColonelIvan Rosly was fighting as part of the12th Army. In August 1942 it participated in theBattle of the Caucasus. The division was disbanded after heavy combat in November 1942.
It was re-formed 1943 in theMoscow Military District and from April 1943 – May 1944 it was part of theBaltic Front's11th Army. Later reassigned to48th Army. By January 1945, now part of the25th Rifle Corps of the69th Army, it took part in the fighting for thePuławy bridgehead in Poland; much weakened by the battle, its effective strength was reduced to not more than six battalions. In April 1945, still part of the 69th Army, it took part in theBattle of Berlin.
It disbanded in accordance with Stavka Directive No. 11095 to the Commander of the1st Belorussian Front "About renaming of the front to theGroup of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and its composition" dated May 29, 1945. The troops of the division strengthened other group formations.
The division was re-formed again in 1955 from the179th Rifle Division in theSouth Ural Military District atBuzuluk but then was reorganised as the 4th Motor Rifle Division on 25 June 1957.[1] The 4th Motor Rifle Division was disbanded in 1959.[2]
 Divisions of the Soviet Union 1945–1957 | |||||||||
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| Artillery |
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| Cavalry | |||||||||
| Rifle |
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| Mechanised |
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| Other | |||||||||
Guards units marked inbold. | |||||||||