409th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
| 409th Rifle Division (August 19, 1941 – 1945) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch |  Red Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | Battle of the Caucasus Donbass Strategic Offensive Battle of the Dniepr First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive Second Jassy-Kishinev Offensive Budapest Offensive Vienna Offensive |
| Decorations | Template:OrderKhmelnitsky2ndClass |
| Battle honours | Kirovograd |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Col. Artashes Arshakovich Vasilyan Kombrig Mikhail Ivanovich Zaporozhchenko Col. Vasilii Fedorovich Gladkov  Col. Mikhail Ignatevich Dobrovolskii Col. Gavriil Stepanovich Sorokin Maj. Gen. Evstafii Petrovich Grechanyi |
The 409th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served in that role for the duration of the Great Patriotic War. It was officially considered an Armenian National division, and initially almost all its personnel were of that nationality. After forming it remained in service along the border with Turkey until nearly the end of 1942, when it was redeployed to the 44th Army in Transcaucasus Front, assisting in driving the German 17th Army into the Kuban peninsula. Following this the division was moved to the 46th Army in Southwestern Front and took part in the summer offensive through the Donbass and eastern Ukraine. In October it was moved again, now to the 57th Army in 2nd Ukrainian Front; it would remain in that Front for the duration of the war. After crossing the Dniepr the 409th won a battle honor in January, 1944, then spent the spring and summer in the battles around Jassy and Kishenev in Moldova. After the defeat of Romania the division advanced into Hungary as part of the 27th Guards Rifle Corps. In October it became part of the 7th Guards Army, where it remained for the duration, mostly in the 25th Guards Rifle Corps. After the fall of Budapest the division joined the final advances on Vienna and Prague in the spring of 1945, and was disbanded shortly thereafter.
Formation
The 409th Rifle Division began forming on August 19, 1941, at Stepanavan in the Transcaucasus Military District[1] along with its "sister" 408th Rifle Division nearby. Its order of battle was as follows:
- 675th Rifle Regiment
- 677th Rifle Regiment
- 684th Rifle Regiment
- 964th Artillery Regiment[2]
- 196th Antitank Battalion
- 192nd Antiaircraft Battery (later 688th Antiaircraft Battalion until July 1, 1943)
- 463rd Reconnaissance Company
- 682nd Sapper Battalion
- 852nd Signal Battalion (later 784th Signal Company)
- 486th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
- 479th Chemical Protection (Anti-gas) Company
- 344th Motor Transport Company
- 251st Field Bakery
- 826th Divisional Veterinary Hospital (later 409th)
- 1460th Field Postal Station
- 731st Field Office of the State Bank
Col. Artashes Arshakovich Vasilyan was appointed to command of the division on the day it began forming. That month it was noted that 95 percent of its personnel were Armenian, in contrast to its "sister" 408th which had nearly 80 percent non-Armenian.[3] For well over the entire first year of its service, the 409th was in 45th Army along the border with Turkey. On February 3, 1942, Kombrig Mikhail Ivanovich Zaporozhchenko took command of the division from Colonel Vasilyan, but the latter returned to command on July 15. Shortly before the 409th moved to the fighting front, Vasilyan handed the unit over to Col. Vasilii Fedorovich Gladkov.
References
Citations
- ↑ Walter S. Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2007, p. 78
- ↑ Charles C. Sharp, "Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed from June to December 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Nafziger, 1996, p. 112
- ↑ David M. Glantz, Colossus Reborn, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2005, pp. 594-95
Bibliography
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. p. 162
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. pp. 293-94
