197th Rifle Division

The 197th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed as part of the prewar buildup of forces, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. It began forming just months before the German invasion in the Kiev Special Military District, where it was soon assigned to the 49th Rifle Corps in the reserves of Southwestern Front. At the start of Operation Barbarossa it was in western Ukraine and quickly came under intense pressure from the 1st Panzer Group which split the Corps apart. Forced to the south and east it was assigned to 6th Army and in early August was encircled and destroyed near Uman.

A new 197th began forming in March 1942 in the North Caucasus Military District. During the crisis caused by the German summer offensive it was assigned to 63rd Army in Stalingrad Front in mid-July. As German Army Group B pressed toward Stalingrad in August the Front was ordered to conduct several diversionary attacks across the Don River. One of these, by 63rd Army against elements of Italian 8th Army, carved out a substantial bridgehead west of Serafimovich, which would serve as a springboard for the Soviet counteroffensive in November. When this began the 197th was still in the western corner of the bridgehead, now part of the 1st Guards Army of Southwestern Front. It was not part of the Front's shock group and played a supporting role in the offensive, making little progress against the Romanian forces that were now containing the bridgehead. 1st Guards was being held back for Operation Saturn, but before this began on December 16 it had been renamed Little Saturn and the over-large Army had been split, with the division becoming part of the new 3rd Guards Army. This Army's main objective was to encircle and destroy the two divisions of Army Group Hollidt and the remainder of Romanian 3rd Army. Over the next two weeks this was largely successful, and on January 3, 1943, the division was redesignated as the 59th Guards Rifle Division.

The third 197th was formed from a pair of rifle brigades in the Moscow Military District in May 1943. It was soon assigned to 11th Army in Bryansk Front in time to take part in the Soviet summer counteroffensive following the Battle of Kursk. As it advanced it soon earned a battle honor. It was soon also awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In November it played a secondary role in the fighting for the city of Gomel, and remained involved in Belorussian Front's (later 1st Belorussian) grinding winter battles in eastern Belarus as part of 48th Army. At the start of March, 1944 it was removed to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for rebuilding and was also redeployed to the south, joining the 3rd Guards Army in 1st Ukrainian Front, where it would remain for the duration. During the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive the 197th played a key role in the taking of Volodymyr-Volynskyi and three of its regiments received its name as an honorific. It helped to create the bridgehead over the Vistula near Sandomierz in August before pausing until the winter campaign. During the Lower Silesian Offensive in February 1945 it was involved in battles along the Oder River in the Glogau area, before advancing to the Neisse River. During the Berlin Offensive in April the 197th was part of the forces that encircled and destroyed the German 9th Army, for which it was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Degree, and several of its subunits received decorations for their parts in the capture of Dresden. It ended the war advancing toward Prague, but despite a distinguished combat record it was disbanded in July.