302nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

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302nd Mountain Rifle Division (18 July 1941 - 31 March 1942)
302nd Rifle Division (31 March 1942 - 28 May 1945)
Active 1941 - 1945
Country  Soviet Union
Branch Red Army flag.svg Red Army
Type Division
Role Infantry
Engagements Battle of the Kerch Peninsula
Battle of Stalingrad
Donbass Strategic Offensive
Lower Dniepr Offensive
Kamenets-Podolsky Pocket
Vistula-Oder Offensive
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Col. M.K. Zubkov
Col. A.P. Rodionov
Col. N.P. Kucherenko

The 302nd Rifle Division began service as a specialized Red Army mountain rifle division, which was later converted to serve for the balance of the war as a standard rifle division. The division played a leading role in 51st Army's breakthrough south of Stalingrad in the opening stages of Operation Uranus, and then in the exploitation following this success. The division continued to turn in a creditable record of service in the southern sectors of the Soviet-German front for the duration, and was especially recognized for its role in the liberation of the city of Ternopol, for which it received that city's name as an honorific.

1st Formation

The division originally began forming on July 18, 1941 at Krasnodar in the North Caucasus Military District as a mountain rifle division with a specialized order of battle featuring rifle regiments made up of over-sized companies (no battalion structure), with supporting arms, capable of independent operations in difficult terrain and backed by light and mobile mountain artillery.[1] Its order of battle was as follows:

  • 823rd Mountain Rifle Regiment
  • 825th Mountain Rifle Regiment
  • 827th Mountain Rifle Regiment
  • 831st Mountain Rifle Regiment
  • 865th Mountain Artillery Regiment[2]

Note that as a mountain rifle division it had one more rifle regiment than a standard rifle division. The 302nd was the only mountain rifle division formed from reservists in the early months of the war, and spent until November forming up, an unusually long time in this period of crisis, probably due to lack of specialized training and/or equipment. Its reconnaissance unit included some BT-5 and T-26 light tanks which implies, at least, that it was being equipped with what was available rather than what was authorized.

In November it was assigned to 51st Army, and saw its first action at the very end of the year. On Dec. 26, elements of the division made opposed amphibious landings from improvised landing craft at Kamysh Burun and at Eltigen south of the town of Kerch on the eastern tip of the Crimea. In spite of heavy German fire, a foothold of 2,175 troops was established at the former port, although the latter attempt was repulsed. A second wave of Soviet landings took place farther west on Dec. 29, and the city of Feodosiya was liberated by units of 44th Army. Following this, the German corps commander ordered his 46th Infantry Division to retreat from the Kerch peninsula without orders from above. As a result, the 302nd was able to liberate Kerch on Dec. 31.[3]

On Jan. 15, 1942, Gen. von Manstein launched a counter-offensive to try to retake Feyodosiya. Over the next five days, 44th Army was defeated and forced to retreat to the Parpach Narrows. Despite the 302nd managing to repulse an attack on the road and rail hub of Vladislavovka on the 19th, 51st Army was forced to fall back as well. The German attack subsided as the shorter line was reached, allowing them to free up reserves.[4] During the lull on this front over the following months, the division went into reserve and was reorganized as a standard rifle division on Mar. 31, 1942.[5]

2nd Formation

As a result of its conversion to a standard rifle division, its order of battle was revised as follows:

  • 823rd Rifle Regiment from 823rd Mountain Rifle Regiment
  • 825th Rifle Regiment from 825th Mountain Rifle Regiment
  • 827th Rifle Regiment from 827th Mountain Rifle Regiment
  • 865th Artillery Regiment from 865th Mountain Artillery Regiment
  • 231st Antitank Battalion (renumbered as 232nd on Nov. 19, 1943)
  • 634th Signal Battalion
  • 601st Sapper Battalion
  • 248th Reconnaissance Company[6]

During this conversion the division was reassigned to 44th Army.

Battle of Kerch

Shortly after this conversion process was complete, on May 8 Manstein's Eleventh Army began its attack into the Kerch peninsula. The 302nd escaped relatively intact, evacuating to the North Caucasus, still in what remained of 44th Army in North Caucasus Front. In July the division was sent north, and joined the 51st Army in Stalingrad Front.[7]

Battle of Stalingrad

When Stalingrad Front launched the southern offensive of Operation Uranus on Nov. 20, 1942, the 302nd was one of the assault divisions that broke open the defending Romanian 6th Corps and supporting German elements, alongside the 126th Rifle Division. The two divisions were supported by the 254th Tank Brigade when the attack launched at 0845 hours, facing strong resistance from several Romanian strong points. Shortly after the initial assault the 4th Mechanized Corps (Soviet Union) sent its 55th and 158th Tank Regiments to reinforce the rifle divisions and accelerate the advance. The two tank regiments advanced through the 302nd, blasting through the Romanian defenses with ease, and advancing up to 10km by 1300 hours.[8] Further advances allowed the 13th Mechanized Corps to break into the clear and complete the encirclement of German 6th Army. In December, while continuing the push towards Rostov-na-Donu and the Donbass, the division, along with the rest of 51st Army, were transferred to South Front, remaining there until July, 1943.[9]

Donbass Offensive

In July the 302nd was moved into STAVKA reserves, then into South Front reserves. The division was substantially rebuilt during these months. Following a transfer to 2nd Guards Army in September it briefly participated in the Donbass Strategic Offensive, and then in the Lower Dniepr Offensive, remaining in this Front (after Oct. 20 named 4th Ukrainian Front) until the end of the year.[10]

Advance

At the end of 1943 the division was once more in STAVKA reserves, now moving north to an assignment with 47th Army of 1st Ukrainian Front. It would remain in this Front until just before the end of the war. By the beginning of March the 302nd was assigned to the 106th Rifle Corps of 60th Army. During the final stage of the Battle of the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket, on Apr. 15, 1944, the men and women of the division distinguished themselves in the liberation of Ternopol, for which they received the name of that city as an honorific.[11]

In July the division was moved to 28th Rifle Corps, still in 60th Army where it remained for the duration. In the final weeks this Army was moved to 4th Ukrainian Front, fighting its way through Czechoslovakia. The 302nd Rifle Division finished the war near Prague, as a separate division in 60th Army. In addition to its honorific, it had been awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Kutuzov. (Russian: 302-я стрелковая Тернопольская Краснознамённая ордена Кутузова дивизия.)[12]

Heroes of the Soviet Union

Three men of the 302nd Rifle Division earned the Gold Star Hero of the Soviet Union, all posthumously:

  • Private A.P. Zhivov of the 827th Rifle Regiment, who blocked the embrasure of a German bunker with his body during the liberation of Ternopol. Awarded Dec. 23, 1944.
  • Private V.V. Kurbatov of the 825th Rifle Regiment, for valorous conduct during a river-crossing operation, even after being wounded, on Jan. 14, 1945. Awarded June 29, 1945.
  • Colonel N.P. Kucherenko, divisional commander, for his valorous command before his death in action, Mar. 30, 1945. Awarded Apr. 6, 1945.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Charles C. Sharp, "Red Death", Soviet Mountain, Naval, NKVD, and Allied Divisions and Brigades 1941 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. VII, 1995, pp 3-4
  2. ↑ Sharp, "Red Death", p 17
  3. ↑ Robert Forczyk, Where The Iron Crosses Grow, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2014, pp 100-04, 107-10
  4. ↑ Forczyk, pp 116-19
  5. ↑ Sharp, "Red Death", p 17
  6. ↑ Sharp, "Red Swarm", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From 1942 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. X, 1996, p 113
  7. ↑ Sharp, "Red Swarm", p 113
  8. ↑ David M. Glantz, Endgame at Stalingrad, Vol. 1, University of Kansas Press, Lawrence, KS, 2014, pp 259-60
  9. ↑ Sharp, "Red Swarm", p 113
  10. ↑ Sharp, "Red Swarm", p 113
  11. ↑ Russian Wikipedia
  12. ↑ Sharp, "Red Swarm", p 113
  13. ↑ Russian Wikipedia
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