| |
|---|---|
| Active | June 1942 – June 1946 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army /Soviet Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | |
| Honorifics | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Vladimir Rusakov |
The58th Guards Rifle Division (Russian:58-я гвардейская стрелковая дивизия) was an eliteGuards infantry division of theRed Army duringWorld War II.
It was formed in June 1942 as the1st Rifle Division (1st formation)[N 1] and was converted into the 58th Guards Rifle Division at the end of the year for its actions inOperation Little Saturn. Advancing into Ukraine, the division participated in theThird Battle of Kharkov in early 1943. From midyear it fought in theBelgorod–Kharkov Offensive, theBattle of the Dnieper, and theDnieper–Carpathian Offensive, receiving the honorificKrasnograd for its capture of that city and theOrder of the Red Banner. After capturing theSandomierz bridgehead at the end of theLvov–Sandomierz Offensive, the division fought in theSandomierz–Silesian Offensive in January 1945, receiving theOrder of Suvorov for its crossing of theOder. It was the first to meet American forces on theElbe during theBerlin Offensive on 25 April 1945, receiving theOrder of Lenin. For its actions in thePrague Offensive at the end of the war, the division was awarded the name ofPrague as an honorific. It was disbanded a little more than a year after the end of the war.
The 1st Rifle Division (1st formation) was formed between 3 March and 22 June 1942 in the city ofMelekess,Kuybyshev Oblast, part of theVolga Military District. The division was formed in accordance withshtat (table of organization and equipment) 04/200 from personnel of the disbanded9th Sapper Army, conscripts from Kuybyshev Oblast, convalescents from hospitals, and freed prisoners fromforced labor camps. It included the 408th, 412th, and 415th Rifle Regiments, the 1026th Artillery Regiment, and smaller units.[2] The 1st was quickly assigned to the 5th Reserve Army (which became the63rd Army on 10 July and the1st Guards Army (Second formation) in November) on 9 June at the village ofAleksikovo, where it was reorganized in accordance withshtat 04/300 due to being understrength in equipment and transport.[3]
The division took up defensive positions on the left bank of theDon River along the line of Novaya Kalitva,Verkhny Mamon, and Sukhoy Donets on 27 June, covering the left flank of theStalingrad Front.[3] It first saw combat on 3 July and defended its positions until the beginning of the first Soviet counteroffensive near Stalingrad. DuringOperation Little Saturn, with the 1st Guards Army, the division went on the offensive on 16 December. Crossing the Don near Solontsy, Olkhovy, and Grushevo, it broke through fortified Axis defenses and developed the offensive to captureBoguchar on 19 December in cooperation with the44th Guards Rifle Division.[2]
In recognition of its courage in the initial stages ofOperation Little Saturn, the 1st Rifle Division was converted into the 58th Guards Rifle Division, an eliteGuards unit, on 31 December 1942. The 408th, 412th, and 415th Rifle Regiments became the 173rd, 175th, and 178th Guards Rifle Regiments, respectively, while the 1026th Artillery Regiment became the 130th Guards Artillery Regiment on 27 February 1943.[4] Continuing the attack, the 58th Guards capturedMillerovo alongside the38th Guards Rifle Division on 17 January 1943. During February, it reached theSeversky Donets nearVoroshilovgrad, contributing to the capture of the latter on 14 February. During the second half of February and early March, initially with the1st Guards, then the6th Army, and the3rd Tank Army from mid-March, of theSouthwestern Front, the division participated in the repulse of the Germancounteroffensive south ofKharkov.[2][5]
In early August the division joined the57th Army of theSteppe Front and fought in theBelgorod–Kharkov Offensive, then in theBattle of the Dnieper. For its courage in the battles forKrasnograd, the division received the name of the city as an honorific on 19 September. Division chief of staff ColonelVladimir Rusakov succeeded to command of the 58th Guards on 24 September.[6] The division began crossing the Dnieper north ofVerkhnodniprovsk on 26 September, with the machine gun crew ofYefreytorGrigory Shtonda of the 175th Guards Rifle Regiment being among the first across. For repulsing German counterattacks and ensuring the crossing of the vanguard of the regiment, Shtonda was made aHero of the Soviet Union. Between October and December the division fought in attacks towardKrivoy Rog with the 57th Army of the Steppe Front (the2nd Ukrainian Front from 20 October).[2][5]
In early 1944, the division was transferred to the37th Army of the3rd Ukrainian Front and fought in theNikopol–Krivoy Rog Offensive, theBereznegovatoye–Snigirevka Offensive, and theOdessa Offensive. Rusakov was wounded on 13 March and evacuated; he would return to the division in July and remained in command for the rest of its existence.[6] For distinguishing itself in the capture ofVoznesensk on 24 March the 58th Guards received theOrder of the Red Banner on 29 March. In mid-July 1944, the division was transferred to the5th Guards Army of the1st Ukrainian Front, with which it served for the rest of the war. During theLvov–Sandomierz Offensive, it entered the battle with the army and defeated the German forces counter-attacking fromMielec, then fought in the battles for the retention and the expansion of theSandomierz bridgehead.[2][5]
During theSandomierz–Silesian Offensive of early 1945, the 58th Guards advanced more than 200 kilometers (120 mi) in eleven days, crossing theOder on 23 January north ofOppeln. It captured and held a bridgehead in the area of Oderwerder. For their actions in the crossing of the Oder, thirteen soldiers of the division were made Heroes of the Soviet Union. The division fought in theLower Silesian Offensive and theUpper Silesian Offensive in February and March. For the "exemplary performance of combat missions" in the breakthrough of German defenses and the defeat of German troops southwest of Oppeln, the 58th Guards received theOrder of Suvorov, 2nd class, on 26 April.[2][5]
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The division broke through German defenses on theNeisse during theBerlin Offensive and on 25 April made contact with the American69th Infantry Division atTorgau on theElbe River on 25 April 1945, splitting Germany into two separate parts, an event that became known asElbe Day. The first contact was made between patrols nearStrehla, when U.S.First Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue crossed the River Elbe in a boat with three men of an intelligence and reconnaissance platoon. On the east bank, they met forward elements of the 175th Guards Rifle Regiment of the division, under the command ofLieutenant Colonel Alexander Gardiev.[7] For breaking through to the Neisse, the division was awarded theOrder of Lenin on 28 May. The units of the division rapidly advanced during thePrague Offensive, participating in the capture ofDresden on 8 May and on the next day reaching the vicinity ofBeřkovice, 35 kilometers (22 mi) northwest ofPrague. For distinguishing itself in the advance on Prague, the division received the name of the city as an honorific on 11 June. For their actions during the war, roughly 11,000 soldiers of the division were decorated, and 28 received the titleHero of the Soviet Union.[2][5]
The division marched toČeské Budějovice between 30 May and 3 July, where it was brought up to strength with the personnel of the disbanded253rd Rifle Division of the3rd Guards Army and served on the demarcation line between the Allied and Soviet forces. During this period the division conducted combat training and was rated excellent at inspections for the summer training period. Relocated toAmstetten on 11 November 1945, the division served the demarcation line with American troops, responsible for a 180 kilometers (110 mi) sector. The division again received a rating of excellent in inspections carried out in May 1946 for the winter training period. The 58th Guards handed over their sector of the demarcation line to the95th Guards Rifle Division on 17 May and transferred enlisted men not scheduled for demobilization to the 95th and4th Guards Rifle Divisions. Most officers were sent toTata to be transferred to the reserve, while some went to other units for further service. The remainder of the division moved toPöchlarn on 22 May, where the transfer of all personnel and equipment was completed in June, finishing the disbandment process.[8][2] The rest of the 33rd Guards Rifle Corps was also disbanded at the same time, still with theCentral Group of Forces.[9]
The following officers commanded the division:[2][5]
Military documents
