140th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
| 140th Rifle Division (August 16, 1939 – September 19, 1941) 140th Rifle Division (September 26, 1941 – December 27, 1941) 140th Rifle Division (December 1941 – August 19, 1942) 140th Rifle Division (November 1, 1942 - 1946) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939 - 1946 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Operation Barbarossa Operation Typhoon Operation Blue Battle of Kursk Operation Kutuzov Battle of the Dnieper Gomel-Rechitsa Offensive Battle of Kiev (1943) Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive Vistula-Oder Offensive Prague Offensive |
| Decorations | Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner (2) |
| Battle honours | Siberian Novgorod-Severski (4th Formation) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. Luka Basanets Col. Pavel Yefremovich Morozov Maj. Gen. Ivan Kopyak Maj. Gen. Mikhail Yenshin Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Yakovlevich Kiselyov Col. Mikhail Markovich Vlasov |
The 140th Rifle Division was a Red Army rifle division that saw service during the Great Patriotic War. Originally formed during the prewar buildup of the Red Army, the 140th might be regarded as the unluckiest division in the Army, as it, uniquely, had to be completely, or almost completely, re-formed three times between 1941 and 1943, being destroyed in the Uman pocket during Operation Barbarossa, the Vyasma pocket during Operation Typhoon, and on the Caucasian steppes in the face of the German summer offensive of 1942. In spite of this, the fourth formation of the 140th went on to have a very distinguished record in combat, a testament to the resiliency of the Red Army in World War II.