185th Rifle Division

The 185th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army just as the Second World War had begun in the Oryol Military District, based on the pre-September 13, 1939 shtat (table of organization and equipment). As a standard rifle division, it took part in the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940. In early 1941, it was selected for conversion to a motorized infantry division, but in fact, it had received little in the way of vehicles by the start of the German invasion and so was a rifle division in all but name. It was sent to join Northwestern Front in the Baltic states with its 21st Mechanized Corps, and was soon assigned to 27th Army. Under these commands the division retreated through July and August as the German 16th Army advanced behind in the general direction of Novgorod. On August 25 it was officially reorganized as a regular rifle division.

During September it was substantially rebuilt with a large influx of conscripts. When the Army Group Center launched Operation Typhoon in the first days of October the division was forced to retreat into the Valdai Hills, where it became part of Vatutin's Operational Group and within days Kalinin Front. Later that month it took part on the fighting along the Kalinin–Torzhok road, especially in the Mednoye area, in which a large part of XXXXI Panzer Corps was encircled and forced to break out, at considerable cost. In the last stages of the German offensive on Moscow in November it was on the right flank of 30th Army on the north bank of the Volga River and then went over to the counteroffensive on December 6, driving south to recapture Klin, which happened on December 15. As the counteroffensive expanded the 185th was pulled into fighting for the town of Rzhev as part of 29th, 39th, and later 22nd Armies. It was badly damaged in a German counterattack in July 1942, and in November/December took part in an abortive advance up the valley of the Luchesa River. After rebuilding during early 1943, elements of the division staged a successful operation for a German strongpoint in August, earning the 185th its first battle honor. It was then reassigned, first to 3rd Shock and later 6th Guards Army, and played a relatively small part in the October - December battles near Nevel. It was removed from the front lines in early 1944 and railed south to join the 77th Rifle Corps of 47th Army in 1st Belorussian Front, where it remained into the postwar. In the concluding phase of Operation Bagration it earned a second honorific during the fighting near Warsaw. At the start of the Vistula-Oder Offensive in January 1945 the 47th Army initially played a secondary role, but despite this three of the 185th's regiments soon won battle honors of their own, and for taking Schneidemühl two regiments received decorations. Following the battles in Pomerania in February and March the division as a whole was awarded the Order of Suvorov. During the battle for Berlin the division attacked from the bridgehead over the Oder River at Küstrin and along with its Army helped lead the northern prong of the Soviet forces that encircled the city on April 25. It ended the war west of Berlin. During the rest of the year the division was part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, but in early 1946 47th Army was disbanded and its units were withdrawn to the Soviet Union. In 1947 the 185th's remaining personnel were used to create a rifle brigade in the Ural Military District.