| 2nd Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | I Formation: 1919–19 September 1941 II Formation: 26 September–23 November 1941 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Russian Civil War |
| Decorations | Honorary Revolutionary Red Banner (1st formation) Order of Kutuzov (3rd formation) |
| Battle honours | Belorussian (1st formation) named for M.V. Frunze (1st formation) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Aleksandr Loktionov Vladimir Vashkevich |
The2nd Rifle Division was arifledivision of theRed Army that served from theRussian Civil War to theSecond World War. Originally formed in 1919 from the 1st Ryazansk Rifle Division, the division was twice destroyed and reformed during the war. The division contained two or three rifleregiments.
The 2nd Rifle Division was formed in Moscow in September 1918. It fought atUfa on theEastern Front in April–July 1919. Then it fought againstYudenich with the7th Army in October–December 1919. Finally it fought in thePolish Campaign on the Western Front in May–August 1920, and againstBulak-Balakhovich in October 1920.
During the war there were four distinct formations that bore the title of2nd Rifle Division.
Formed in 1919 in the Belorussian Military District. On 22 June 1941 the division was part of the1st Rifle Corps,10th Army and took up defensive positions on the right flank of the army stationed in the Bialystok "bulge". The division escaped from the Bialystok pocket only to be annihilated by the German army in a pocket west ofMinsk in early July 1941. The division was removed from the Soviet order of battle on 24 July 1941 and officially disbanded on 19 September 1941.[1][2]
The full honorific title of the division was the2ndBelorussian Red Banner Rifle Division in the name ofM.V. Frunze.
Formed from the 2nd Moscow Militia Division on 26 September 1941, the second formation served in the32nd Army. The division received new equipment to supplement the equipment issued by the MoscowMilitia. With the start of the German offensive against theWestern Front at the end of September the division was forced into combat before it was fully brought up to strength. By 10 October 1941 the division had been driven into the19th Army's and was encircled and destroyed by the Germans in theVyazma pocket in October 1941. The division was destroyed by the end of October and officially removed from the order of battle on 23 November 1941.[2][3]
Formed inSevastopol fortress on 23 November 1941 from the dismounted2nd Cavalry Division, this formation served with theSeparate Coastal Army and was renamed the109th Rifle Division on 29 January 1942.[2][3]
Commenced forming inArkhangelsk on 21 December 1941 possibly from the 410th Rifle Division. By the end of March 1942 the division was "ready" for combat and transferred to theVolkhov Front. The division took part in numerous operations, including the rescue of2nd Shock Army (May-Jul 1942),Operation Iskra in January 1943, and theLeningrad-Novograd Strategic Offensive Operation in early 1944. During the summer of 1944 the division took part in the operations to clear the Baltic States, ending in Estonia at the end of 1944. During December 1944 the division was transferred to the2nd Belorussian Front's50th Army. It took part in theEast Prussian Strategic Offensive Operation ending the war nearKönigsberg as part of the81st Rifle Corps in the3rd Belorussian Front.[2] With the 81st Rifle Corps, it was withdrawn to theKiev Military District and disbanded with the corps on 30 December 1945.[4]
