Recent from talks
397th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
397th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 397th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, active twice during 1941–45, fighting the German Operation Barbarossa.
It was partially raised in 1941 as an infantry division but this formation was disbanded after about five weeks. A new formation began on January 14, 1942, in the Volga Military District. It first went to the front in March, briefly assigned to the 3rd Shock Army before it was moved to the 1st Shock Army in Northwestern Front. It spent nearly a year in the dismal fighting around the Demyansk salient; during January, 1943 two of its rifle regiments were encircled and nearly destroyed during an unsuccessful offensive before escaping. During the last stages of the Demyansk battles it was in the 53rd Army. After rebuilding it moved to Bryansk Front in the new 63rd Army and took part in the summer offensive that liberated Smolensk. Late in the year it was briefly assigned to the Belorussian Front and then to the 1st Ukrainian Front; while serving under this command it won a battle honor. In late February, 1944 it became part of the 47th Army in 2nd Belorussian Front. Prior to the summer offensive it was moved again, now to the 61st Army, where it would remain for the duration. During the later stages of Operation Bagration it was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner and in the fall during the campaign in the Baltic states it would also receive the Order of Kutuzov. By the end of the year the 61st Army was assigned to 1st Belorussian Front and the 397th fought through Poland and eastern Germany during the winter and spring of 1945, eventually taking part in the offensive on Berlin. Its soldiers had by then compiled a distinguished record of service, but despite this the division was disbanded in July.
The early history of the 397th Rifle Division is a convoluted tale. A new rifle division began forming on December 1, 1941, in the Far Eastern Front under the command of Col. Konstantin Timofeevich Ilin, provisionally designated by this number according to some documents. It was only partly formed when the formation was abandoned on December 25. The divisional headquarters, now under Col. Fyodor Ivanovich Komarov, continued to exist until January 7, 1942, when it too was disbanded. Finally on January 14 the remaining troops and equipment of the abandoned formation were incorporated into the 422nd Rifle Division which was also forming in the Far East.
On the same day a new 397th began forming in the Volga Military District in the Saratov Oblast at Atkarsk. Its order of battle, based on the first wartime shtat (table of organization and equipment) for rifle divisions, was as follows:
Col. Rodion Nikanorovich Shabalin was appointed to command on the day the division re-formed but he was replaced on January 27 by Colonel Ilin. It remained in the Volga region until March when it was moved to Kalinin Front's 3rd Shock Army in the Toropets salient. Within weeks it was reassigned, along with the 391st Rifle Division, to 1st Shock Army in Northwestern Front in the Demyansk region, just as the German 16th Army was opening the Ramushevo corridor to the encircled II Army Corps.
1st Shock Army was located on the south side of the corridor and in July, August and September launched three unsuccessful attempts to link up with 11th Army to the north and cut land communications to the Demyansk grouping. The division played a largely supporting role in these attacks as 1st Shock relied on its 1st Guards Rifle Corps to carry out the actual assaults. A further attack on November 28 fared no better. On October 11 Colonel Ilin had handed his command to Col. Viktor Aleksandrovich Vasilev, but he was in turn replaced by Col. Boleslav Albinovich Kenevich on November 12.
The turn of the 397th came in the first days of January, 1943. It formed a shock group with the 129th Rifle Division and the 177th Tank Brigade which succeeded in making a penetration of the German lines near Tsemena. However units of II Corps immediately counterattacked and surrounded the bulk of this force, including two of the division's regiments:
"Summarizing the second stage of the operation, the forces of the 129th and 397th Rifle Divisions and 177th Tank Brigade succeeded in wedging 2-3 kilometres into the enemy's defenses on a narrow sector. However, from 3 to 6 January, groups of enemy forces succeeded in cutting off some of these forces by conducting counterattacks at night against the flanks of the penetrating units. During the first half of January the army devoted its efforts to rescuing... the 397th Rifle Division's 447th and 448th Rifle Regiments... which were encircled in the small woods 1.5 kilometres southwest of Tsemena. The encircled group, which was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel P. G. Saenko, the commander of the 448th Rifle Regiment, fought selflessly for 18 days, while experiencing critical shortages of ammunition and food. Senior Lieutenant Golovin, a deputy battalion commander in the... 447th Regiment, became one of the heroes of this epic. After the death of his battalion commander he assumed command. On 2–3 January alone, his battalion repelled 16 enemy attacks, and Golovin himself is reported to have killed 37 Germans, for which he later received the Order of Lenin. On the night of 20 January, Major P. I. Iakovenko, Saenko's assistant, who had taken command of the group after his commander perished, led 140 soldiers, 122 of which were either wounded or sick, out of the encirclement."
Hub AI
397th Rifle Division (Soviet Union) AI simulator
(@397th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)_simulator)
397th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 397th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, active twice during 1941–45, fighting the German Operation Barbarossa.
It was partially raised in 1941 as an infantry division but this formation was disbanded after about five weeks. A new formation began on January 14, 1942, in the Volga Military District. It first went to the front in March, briefly assigned to the 3rd Shock Army before it was moved to the 1st Shock Army in Northwestern Front. It spent nearly a year in the dismal fighting around the Demyansk salient; during January, 1943 two of its rifle regiments were encircled and nearly destroyed during an unsuccessful offensive before escaping. During the last stages of the Demyansk battles it was in the 53rd Army. After rebuilding it moved to Bryansk Front in the new 63rd Army and took part in the summer offensive that liberated Smolensk. Late in the year it was briefly assigned to the Belorussian Front and then to the 1st Ukrainian Front; while serving under this command it won a battle honor. In late February, 1944 it became part of the 47th Army in 2nd Belorussian Front. Prior to the summer offensive it was moved again, now to the 61st Army, where it would remain for the duration. During the later stages of Operation Bagration it was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner and in the fall during the campaign in the Baltic states it would also receive the Order of Kutuzov. By the end of the year the 61st Army was assigned to 1st Belorussian Front and the 397th fought through Poland and eastern Germany during the winter and spring of 1945, eventually taking part in the offensive on Berlin. Its soldiers had by then compiled a distinguished record of service, but despite this the division was disbanded in July.
The early history of the 397th Rifle Division is a convoluted tale. A new rifle division began forming on December 1, 1941, in the Far Eastern Front under the command of Col. Konstantin Timofeevich Ilin, provisionally designated by this number according to some documents. It was only partly formed when the formation was abandoned on December 25. The divisional headquarters, now under Col. Fyodor Ivanovich Komarov, continued to exist until January 7, 1942, when it too was disbanded. Finally on January 14 the remaining troops and equipment of the abandoned formation were incorporated into the 422nd Rifle Division which was also forming in the Far East.
On the same day a new 397th began forming in the Volga Military District in the Saratov Oblast at Atkarsk. Its order of battle, based on the first wartime shtat (table of organization and equipment) for rifle divisions, was as follows:
Col. Rodion Nikanorovich Shabalin was appointed to command on the day the division re-formed but he was replaced on January 27 by Colonel Ilin. It remained in the Volga region until March when it was moved to Kalinin Front's 3rd Shock Army in the Toropets salient. Within weeks it was reassigned, along with the 391st Rifle Division, to 1st Shock Army in Northwestern Front in the Demyansk region, just as the German 16th Army was opening the Ramushevo corridor to the encircled II Army Corps.
1st Shock Army was located on the south side of the corridor and in July, August and September launched three unsuccessful attempts to link up with 11th Army to the north and cut land communications to the Demyansk grouping. The division played a largely supporting role in these attacks as 1st Shock relied on its 1st Guards Rifle Corps to carry out the actual assaults. A further attack on November 28 fared no better. On October 11 Colonel Ilin had handed his command to Col. Viktor Aleksandrovich Vasilev, but he was in turn replaced by Col. Boleslav Albinovich Kenevich on November 12.
The turn of the 397th came in the first days of January, 1943. It formed a shock group with the 129th Rifle Division and the 177th Tank Brigade which succeeded in making a penetration of the German lines near Tsemena. However units of II Corps immediately counterattacked and surrounded the bulk of this force, including two of the division's regiments:
"Summarizing the second stage of the operation, the forces of the 129th and 397th Rifle Divisions and 177th Tank Brigade succeeded in wedging 2-3 kilometres into the enemy's defenses on a narrow sector. However, from 3 to 6 January, groups of enemy forces succeeded in cutting off some of these forces by conducting counterattacks at night against the flanks of the penetrating units. During the first half of January the army devoted its efforts to rescuing... the 397th Rifle Division's 447th and 448th Rifle Regiments... which were encircled in the small woods 1.5 kilometres southwest of Tsemena. The encircled group, which was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel P. G. Saenko, the commander of the 448th Rifle Regiment, fought selflessly for 18 days, while experiencing critical shortages of ammunition and food. Senior Lieutenant Golovin, a deputy battalion commander in the... 447th Regiment, became one of the heroes of this epic. After the death of his battalion commander he assumed command. On 2–3 January alone, his battalion repelled 16 enemy attacks, and Golovin himself is reported to have killed 37 Germans, for which he later received the Order of Lenin. On the night of 20 January, Major P. I. Iakovenko, Saenko's assistant, who had taken command of the group after his commander perished, led 140 soldiers, 122 of which were either wounded or sick, out of the encirclement."