36th Guards Rifle Division

36th Guards Rifle Division
36th Guards Rifle Division
Active	August 1942 – March 1947 (Redesignated 24th Guards Mechanized Division October 1945)
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army(Soviet Armyfrom 1946)
Type	Infantry (Mechanized Infantry from October 1945)
Engagements	Battle of Stalingrad; Battle of the Dnieper; Balaton Defensive Operation; Vienna Offensive;
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner; Order of Suvorov2nd class; Order of Kutuzov2nd class;
Honorifics	Verkhnedneprovsk
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Mikhail Denisenko

The36th Guards Rifle Division(Russian:36-я гвардейская стрелковая дивизия) was aGuardsinfantry division of theRed ArmyduringWorld War II.It was formed from the9th Airborne Corpsin August 1942 as a result of the Soviet need for troops to fight in theBattle of Stalingrad.The division was awarded the honorificVerkhnedneprovskfor itscrossingof theDnieperin September 1943 near that town, later receiving theOrder of the Red Bannerand theOrder of Suvorov,2nd class, for its actions in theUman–Botoșani Offensivein March 1944. It fought in thesiege of Budapestduring late 1944 and early 1945, receiving theOrder of Kutuzov,2nd class, for its actions. In late 1945, it was converted into the24th Guards Mechanized Division.Stationed in Romania, it was disbanded in early 1947.

History

Origins

The 9th Airborne Corps was formed in late 1941 when theSoviet Airborne Troopswere rebuilt after losses suffered in the defense againstOperation Barbarossa,the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which began in June of that year. It was held in reserve, but after the situation around Stalingrad worsened due toCase Bluethe ten airborne corps were converted into infantry and sent to the front.^[1]

Stalingrad

The 36th Guards Rifle Division was formed during August 1942 inIvanovo Oblastfrom the 9th Airborne Corps. ColonelMikhail Denisenko,commander of the latter, continued in command of the 36th Guards; he was promoted to major general on 27 November. In addition to smaller support units, it included the 104th, 106th, and 108th Guards Rifle Regiments and the 65th Guards Artillery Regiment. Entering combat on 11 August in theBattle of Stalingrad,it served with the57thand64th Armiesin fierce defensive battles and participated in the encirclement and elimination of the German troops in Stalingrad. For their steadfastness and courage at Stalingrad, 3,000 soldiers of the division received orders and medals, and the 36th Guards' 39th Guards Anti-Tank (Tank Destroyer) Artillery Battalion was awarded theOrder of the Red Banner.^[2]

1943 to 1945

From March 1943 as part of the 64th Army (which became the7th Guards Armyon 16 April) of theVoronezh Frontthe 36th Guards fought in fierce fighting on theSeversky Donetsto the southeast ofBelgorodand the defensive phrase of theBattle of Kursk.After the army transferred to theSteppe Front,the division fought in the counteroffensive near Kursk and the recapture ofKharkov,returning to the 57th Army in these battles. On the night of 26 September the division crossed theDnieperand secured a bridgehead on the right bank of the river near Soshinovka northwest ofDnipropetrovsk.For their successful Dnieper crossing, eight soldiers of the division received the titleHero of the Soviet Union.Developing the offensive, the 36th Guards took the railway station ofVerkhnodniprovsk,contributing to the capture of the city of the same name on 22 October. As a result, the division received the name of the city as an honorific on the next day.^[2]

Denisenko was transferred and replaced by Major GeneralGeorgy Lilenkovin February 1944; Lilenkov commanded the division for the remainder of the war. During the MarchUman–Botoșani Offensiveof the2nd Ukrainian Front,the 36th Guards, advancing as part of the 7th Guards Army, facilitated the capture ofNovoukrainkaby the5th Guards Armyand captured the rail junction ofPomoshnaya,for which it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 29 March. For successful actions in the crossing of theSouthern Bugand the capture ofPervomaysk,the division was awarded theOrder of Suvorov,2nd class, on 1 April. The 36th Guards went on to cross thePrutand fought battles on Romanian territory. The division fought in theSecond Jassy–Kishinev Offensive,with the 104th Guards Rifle and 65th Guards Artillery Regiments receiving the Jassy honorific on 15 September for their actions in the capture of the city on 21 August.^[2]

Between October and January 1945, the division fought in theBattle of Debrecenand theBudapest Offensive.For capturing the large rail junction ofSzolnokthe 104th Guards Rifle and 65th Guards Artillery Regiments were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and the 41st Guards Sapper Battalion received theOrder of Alexander Nevsky.For exemplary actions in the breakthrough of strong fortified defenses and the capture of theAszódcity and rail junction the 106th Guards Rifle Regiment received theOrder of Suvorov,3rd class. During the street fighting in thesiege of Budapestthe personnel of the division were credited with killing 3,600 and capturing 5,300 Axis personnel. For distinguishing itself in the siege of Budapest, the division was awarded theOrder of Kutuzov,2nd class on 5 April. In addition, its 108th and 106th Guards Rifle Regiments received the Order of Alexander Nevsky and the Budapest honorific, respectively, on the same day.^[2]

From January 1945, the division, transferred to the26th Armyof the3rd Ukrainian Front,fought in theBalaton Defensive Operationand theVienna Offensive.The 36th Guards ended the war on theMur rivernearJudenburgin Austria. During the war, 13,000 soldiers of the division received orders and medals, eleven were made Heroes of the Soviet Union, and three became full cavaliers of theOrder of Glory.^[2]

Postwar

In October 1945, the division was converted into the 24th Guards Mechanized Division. The 104th, 106th, and 108th Guards Rifle Regiments became the 77th, 78th, and 79th Guards Mechanized Regiments, respectively. Each of the latter included a separate tank battalion: the 159th Guards for the 77th, the 160th Guards for the 78th, and the 167th Guards for the 79th.^[3]The division also included the 125th Guards and 34th Tank Regiments.^[4]It was assigned to the 57th Army, which became the9th Mechanized Armyin June 1946, as part of theSouthern Group of Forces.By this point it was based atSibiuin Romania.^[5]The division was relocated to theKiev Military Districtbefore its disbandment on 21 March 1947.^[6]

References

Citations

^Glantz 1994,pp. 60–61, 64.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^eGrachev 1994,pp. 74–75.
^Feskov et al. 2013,p. 210.
^Feskov et al. 2013,pp. 220–221.
^Feskov et al. 2013,pp. 422–423.
^Feskov et al. 2013,p. 205.

Bibliography

Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013).Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской[The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing.ISBN 9785895035306.
Glantz, David M. (1994).The History of Soviet Airborne Forces.Ilford, Essex: Frank Cass.ISBN 0714634832.
Grachev, Pavel, ed. (1994). "Верхнеднепровская стрелковая дивизия" [Verkhnodneprovsk Rifle Division].Военная энциклопедия в 8 томах [Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes](in Russian). Vol. 2. Moscow: Voenizdat. pp. 74–75.ISBN 5-203-00299-1.