324th Rifle Division
The 324th Rifle Division was a standard Soviet infantry division of the Red Army during World War II. It was formed as part of the massive mobilization of August 1941, and first saw action in early December in the counteroffensive west of Moscow. During 1942 and into 1943 it saw limited action on a relatively quiet sector of the front north of Bryansk, before joining a limited offensive in February. During the general offensives of that summer, the division fought in the drive past Smolensk, and made a forced crossing of the upper Dniepr River. The 324th played a limited role in Operation Bagration, but distinguished itself in the fighting in East Prussia in 1945, sufficiently to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner. During the course of the war the men and women of the division served under no fewer than nine commanding officers.
| 324th Rifle Division (August 1941 – May 6, 1946) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1946 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | Battle of Moscow Zhizdra Offensive Operation Kutuzov Battle of Smolensk (1943) Battle of the Dniepr Rogachev-Zhlobin Offensive Operation Bagration Vistula-Oder Offensive East Prussian Offensive Battle of Königsberg |
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner |
| Battle honours | Upper Dniepr |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Nikolai Ivanovich Kiryukhin Major Ivan Yakovlevich Kravchenko Maj. Gen. Nikolai Timofeevich Shcherbakov Maj. Gen. Mikhail Yemilyaonovich Yerokhin Col. Ernest Zhanovich Sedulin Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Bondovsky Col. Ivan Kornilovich Kazak |