160th Rifle Division (1940 formation)
The 1940 formation of the 160th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed as part of the prewar buildup of forces, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. The division completed its formation at Gorki in the Moscow Military District and at the time of the German invasion of the Soviet Union was in the same area, assigned to the 20th Rifle Corps in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. It was moved west by rail to join the 13th Army of Western Front in the first days of July 1941 in the Mogilev area. At the end of the month the division was assigned to the reserves of Central Front before becoming part of Operations Group Akimenko in the reserves of Bryansk Front. In mid-September it was encircled and forced to break out; in the process it lost its commanding officer, much of its command staff and so many men and heavy weapons that it was briefly written off. Its number was reallocated to the 6th Moscow Militia Division and for the next 18 months there were two 160th Rifle Divisions serving concurrently. By the start of Operation Typhoon at the end of September it was in Operations Group Ermakov; while falling back to southwest of Kursk it managed to avoid encirclement but remained barely combat-effective due to its heavy losses.
| 160th Rifle Division (July 16, 1940 - April 18, 1943) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1940–1943 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Operation Barbarossa Siege of Mogilev Operation Typhoon Battle of Bryansk (1941) Kursk-Oboyan Operation Case Blue Operation Little Saturn Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh offensive Voronezh–Kastornoye offensive Operation Star Third Battle of Kharkov |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Ivan Mikhailovich Skugarev Col. Mikhail Borisovich Anashkin Col. Mikhail Petrovich Seryugin Col. Aleksei Ivanovich Baksov |
The 1940 formation went into reserve at the end of November and was rebuilt to the December 1941 shtat. At the end of December it returned to the fighting in 40th Army of Southwestern Front in the Voronezh area where it remained for most of 1942, after July in 6th Army of Voronezh Front. Under this command it took part in the winter counteroffensives against the Axis forces west of the Don River, eventually as part of 3rd Tank Army in Operation Star which liberated Kharkov. It was then caught up in the German counteroffensive that retook the city and was again badly mauled, but had performed with enough distinction in difficult conditions that it was redesignated as the 89th Guards Rifle Division on April 18, 1943.