211th Rifle Division
| 211th Rifle Division (July 1941 - October 13, 1941) 211th Rifle Division (December 12, 1941 - July 1945) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Operation Barbarossa Yelnya offensive Operation Typhoon Voronezh–Kastornoye offensive Oryol Offensive Battle of Kursk Battle of the Dniepr Battle of Kiev (1943) Zhitomir–Berdichev offensive Proskurov-Chernivtsi offensive Lvov–Sandomierz offensive Battle of the Dukla Pass Western Carpathian offensive Moravia–Ostrava offensive Prague offensive |
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner (2nd formation) Order of Suvorov (2nd formation) |
| Battle honours | Chernigov (2nd formation) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lt. Col. Matvei Stepanovich Batrakov Col. Aleksandr Borisovich Barinov Maj. Gen. Viktor Lvovich Makhlinovskii Maj. Gen. Nikolai Alekseevich Kichaev Col. Georgii Sergeevich Tomilovskii Lt. Col. Ivan Pavlovich Elin |
The 211th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed just after the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. In fact the division remained chronically short of equipment, particularly heavy weapons, throughout the existence of the 1st formation. Assigned to 43rd Army of Reserve Front it first saw combat along the Desna River at the time of the Yelnya offensive and several of its subunits were overtaken by panic when counterattacked by German tanks. During the first day of Operation Typhoon its line was breached and it was soon encircled and destroyed.
A new 211th was formed in January 1942 based on the 429th Rifle Division. It was soon assigned to 48th Army in Bryansk Front and remained on this quiet sector for the rest of the year. In January and February 1943 it took part in the offensives north of Kursk that destroyed part of German 2nd Army and carved out the northern portion of the Kursk salient. Serving in Central Front it played only a small role in the defense of the salient in July and soon began advancing through eastern Ukraine as part of 13th Army, winning a battle honor in the process.
Transferred to 1st Ukrainian Front's 38th Army it saw extensive fighting in the complex battles west of Kiev in November and December and in March 1944 it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Vinnytsia. During the Lvov–Sandomierz offensive in July and August its four regiments each received distinctions for their roles in this victory. Following this the division moved into the Carpathian Mountains of Czechoslovakia, soon joining the 4th Ukrainian Front and eventually the 1st Guards Army of that Front in the last months of the war and receiving further honors as a result of this difficult fighting. It ended the war near Prague with a very distinguished record but was disbanded within months of the German surrender.