| 97th Cavalry Division (November 1941 – 4 March 1943) | |
|---|---|
 Major General Ya.K. Kuliev | |
| Active | 1941–1943 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg) Red Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Cavalry |
| Engagements | Did not see combat |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Ya. K. Kuliev Col. V. A. Koninskii |
The97th Cavalry Division was a cavalry division of theRed Army that served in the first years of the Great Patriotic War, but did not see any combat. It began forming in November, 1941, in theCentral Asia Military District as a "Turkmen National Division". Three other cavalry divisions, the61st,63rd and the81st were formed in this district at about the same time, also from men of Central Asian nationalities, and while those divisions became the latest complement of the 3rd Formation of the4th Cavalry Corps in November,[1] the 97th did not join that Corps until over a year later.
When formed, its partial order of battle was as follows:
The division was initially commanded by Colonel T.P. Gaikazyan, but on Feb. 28, 1942 he was replaced by the newly promoted Major GeneralYakub Kuliev, who had previously commanded the21st Mountain Cavalry Division. From August to December the division remained in the reserves of the Central Asia Military District.[3] On August 28, Kuliev went on to the post of deputy commander of 4th Cavalry Corps.
In January, 1943, the 97th, now under command of Colonel V.A. Koninskii, was ferried across theCaspian Sea by theCaspian Flotilla toAstrakhan to join 4th Cavalry Corps, which was being rebuilt in this area after taking very heavy losses south of Stalingrad duringOperation Uranus andOperation Winter Storm. In the event, this effort was abandoned, and the division, along with the rest of the Corps, was disbanded in March.[4]
