309th Rifle Division
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The 309th Rifle Division was formed for the first time as a standard Red Army rifle division shortly after the German invasion. It fought its first battles at the Yelnya Salient, participating in that early Soviet success before being swept up in Operation Typhoon, encircled and destroyed. At the very end of 1941 the division was reformed. It served on mostly inactive sectors during 1942, but in 1943 it played an important role in containing the offensive of 4th Panzer Army at Kursk. It followed this in September with one of the first successful assault crossings of the Dniepr River, for which many men of the 309th were named as Heroes of the Soviet Union. The division continued in combat through Ukraine, Poland and Silesia before ending the war near Breslau.
309th Rifle Division | |
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Active | 1941–1945 |
Country | Soviet Union |
Branch | Red Army |
Type | Division |
Role | Infantry |
Engagements | Operation Barbarossa Yelnya Offensive Operation Typhoon Operation Blue Battle of Kursk Battle of the Dniepr Battle of Kiev (1943) Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive Vistula–Oder Offensive Siege of Breslau |
Decorations | Order of the Red Banner Order of Kutuzov 2nd class |
Battle honours | Piryatin |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Col. Nikifor Alekseevich Ilyantzev Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Nikolaievich Afanasev Maj. Gen. Mikhail Ivanovich Menshikov Maj. Gen. Dmitry Feoktisovich Dryomin Col. Mikhail Vasilevich Yevstigneev Col. Boris Davidovich Lev |