25th Rifle Division
The 25th Rifle Division (Russian: 25-я стрелковая дивизия) was a rifle division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War, formed twice.
| 25th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | I Formation: 1918–1942 II Formation: 1943–1946 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | Russian Civil War
Polish-Soviet War Soviet invasion of Poland
|
| Decorations | Order of Lenin (1st formation) Order of the Red Banner (1st formation) |
| Battle honours | named for V.I. Chapayev |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Gaspar Voskanyan Mikhail Velikanov Vasily Chapayev |
Formed in 1918, it was a Russian, and later Soviet, Red Army formation formed on the Eastern Front during the Russian Civil War. It was named after its first commander, Vasily Chapayev. As Chapayev's command it gained fame during the war and as a result received his name, designated the 25th Chapayev Rifle Division (Russian: 25-я Чапаевская стрелковая дивизия). The division was transferred west to fight in the Polish–Soviet War and was stationed in Ukraine during the interwar period. Moved forward to participate in the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia in 1940, the division retreated east after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. It was disbanded after being destroyed in the siege of Sevastopol in mid-1942.
The 25th was formed for a second time, without inheriting the honors of the original unit, in 1943. This unit served in the Arkhangelsk Military District without seeing combat in the rest of the war, and was disbanded shortly after the end of the war.