109th Guards Rifle Division
The 109th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in July 1943, based on the 6th Guards Rifle Brigade and the 9th Guards Rifle Brigade and was the second of a small series of Guards divisions formed on a similar basis. It was considered a "sister" to the 108th Guards Rifle Division and they fought along much the same combat paths until the spring of 1945.
| 109th Guards Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1943–1960 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army (1943-46) Soviet Army (1946-60) |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | Kuban Bridgehead Nikopol–Krivoi Rog offensive Uman–Botoșani offensive Odessa Offensive First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive Belgrade offensive Budapest Offensive Siege of Budapest Operation Spring Awakening Vienna Offensive Soviet invasion of Manchuria |
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov |
| Battle honours | Beryslav Khingan |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Ilya Vasilevich Baldynov |
Following a further abortive offensive against the German Gotenkopfstellung on the Taman Peninsula that month the division was moved into reserve and then sent northwest to join the 44th Army in Southern Front. During the advance to the Dniepr River in early November that Army was disbanded and the division, along with its 10th Guards Rifle Corps, was reassigned to 28th Army. Under this command the 109th Guards fought along the southern flank of the German bridgehead over the Dniepr River based at Nikopol until it was finally evacuated in early February 1944. Following this the 109th Guards advanced through western Ukraine, winning a battle honor at Beryslav and decorations for its part in the battles for Nikolaev and Odessa. Its advance was brought to a halt along the Dniestr River in early May. When a new offensive began in August the 10th Guards Corps was initially in reserve but soon forced a crossing of the Prut River which began an advance through southern Romania. In late October the 109th Guards took part in the liberation of Belgrade, for which all four of its regiments were decorated or received battle honors. Following this the division pushed northward and participated in the encirclement and the siege of the Hungarian capital, winning further distinctions.
In mid-March 1945 the division began advancing through northern Hungary and into Czechoslovakia as part of the 18th Guards Rifle Corps in 53rd Army, ending the war against Germany near Brno. It then moved under these commands to the far east and took part in the offensive into Manchuria, winning a second battle honor in the process although it saw little actual fighting. After the war it was moved with its Corps to western Siberia and continued to serve until 1960.