Military unit
The
342nd Rifle Division
began forming in September 1941, as a standard
Red Army
rifle division, in the
Saratov oblast
. It arrived at the front southwest of Moscow in December, in time to take part in the winter counteroffensive. During most of 1942 and into 1943 the division served in primarily defensive roles in
61st Army
along the northern face of the German-held salient around
Oryol
. Following the Soviet victory at Kursk the 342nd took part in the operation that eliminated that salient, and then in the further offensives that liberated Bryansk and pushed on towards Smolensk and the Dniepr River. During these tactical-level actions the division distinguished itself sufficiently to be re-designated as the
121st Guards Rifle Division
, one of the last Guards divisions to be formed before the postwar period. In November 1944, a new 342nd was formed in the Far East, and saw action against Japanese forces in northern Manchuria, assaulting across the
Sungach river
during the Soviet invasion of that region. Well after the war this formation was re-designated and became the
33rd Motor Rifle Division
.
1st Formation
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The division formed for the first time on September 9, 1941, in the Saratov area of
Volga Military District
.
[1]
Its basic order of battle was as follows:
- 1146th Rifle Regiment
- 1148th Rifle Regiment
- 1150th Rifle Regiment
- 912th Artillery Regiment
[2]
Lt. Col. Aleksandr Ippolitovich Popov took command of the division on the day it was formed; on November 28 he was promoted to colonel, and he remained in command until November 9, 1942.
[3]
Battle of Moscow
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After two months of forming up and training, in November the 342nd was assigned to the new 61st Army, which was also forming up in the
Reserve of the Supreme High Command
before being assigned to
Southwestern Front
. Colonel Popov was replaced in command by Col. Grigorii Ivanovich Kanachadze, who would lead the division through the winter battles and well into 1943. As the Soviet forces advanced westward in December the 324th, which had moved to
Bryansk Front
, was on the right flank of its Army, linking with
10th Army
of
Western Front
. By 1200 hrs. on December 26 the division was engaged in fighting remnants of the German
112th Infantry Division
along the line Belyi Kolodez - Chermoshny, arriving at a line south of
Arsenyevo
by the end of the day with the remaining divisions of 61st Army echeloned to its rear. In late January 1942, the 342nd found itself holding against German counterattacks in the fighting around
Belyov
, holding the line Veino - Dolbino - Fatyanovo south of that town on January 20. Over the next 10 days 61st Army concentrated its efforts against the enemy's
Bolkhov
group, and on the last day of the month the division remained in a fire battle along the same line, but the momentum of the winter counteroffensive was spent.
[4]
Operations in 1942 - 1943
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During the winter advance the division reached positions roughly along the
Oka River
, and it would remain fighting along the line of this river until the summer of 1943, mostly with 61st Army, which was assigned either on the southern flank of Western Front or the northern flank of Bryansk Front throughout this period.
[5]
Following the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, Bryansk Front joined in the general winter offensive along the southern half of the front, in its case against positions held by elements of German
Second Panzer Army
. On February 12, 61st Army launched a dawn attack with
12th Guards
, 342nd and
356th Rifle Divisions
, backed by the 68th Tank Brigade, against the defenses of the
112th Infantry Division
north of
Bolkhov
, but within hours the assault faltered in the face of withering German fire. The Army's commander, Lt. Gen.
Pavel Belov
, ascribed the setback to insufficient ammunition and blowing snow which hindered the fire of the tanks. A further effort was made on this sector beginning on February 22, with the main attack being made by Western Front's
16th Army
, supported by 61st and
3rd Armies
. The intention was to collapse the German-held salient around Oryol in concert with attacks from the south by
13th
and
48th Armies
. Once again, the 12th Guards and 68th Tanks were sent in against 112th Infantry, and were repelled with serious losses for the guardsmen. Acknowledging defeat on this sector, Bryansk Front commander Col. Gen.
M.A. Reiter
ordered the 342nd, plus the 356th and 12th Guards, to be transferred to 3rd Army, where they were to reinforce that Army's bridgehead on the west bank of the Oka. This reinforcement helped to contain the numerous German counterattacks against this bridgehead between February 27 and March 1, but continued pressure finally forced 3rd Army to abandon the bridgehead by March 12, and the division reverted to 61st Army.
[6]
[7]
On May 11, Col. Logvin Danilovich Chervony took command of the division from Colonel Kanachadze; the former would be promoted to Major General on September 1 and would later be named a
Hero of the Soviet Union
. Following the German defeat at Kursk, the 342nd was finally able to advance into the Oryol salient, and on July 20 was awarded one of the first honorifics for the liberation of an occupied place, in this case,
Mtsensk
.
[8]
During August it took part in the Soviet summer offensive that liberated
Bryansk
and drove to the Dniepr River between
Bobruisk
and
Mogilev
. Although these attacks never resulted in an actual breakthrough and were accompanied with disproportionate Soviet casualties, the division was noted for its successes in tactical-level operations in the late summer, and on September 23 was re-designated as the
121st Guards Rifle Division
in the
80th Rifle Corps
of the 3rd Army in the Bryansk Front.
[9]
2nd Formation
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On November 22, 1944, the 342nd was formed again, this time in the
2nd Red Banner Army
of the
Far Eastern Front
. Its basic order of battle remained the same as the 1st formation.
[10]
It first came under the command of Col. Georgii Lukyanovich Sirikh, but this officer was succeeded by Maj. Gen. Anatolii Olegovich Muratov on July 29, 1945. The division fought as part of
87th Rifle Corps
during the
Soviet invasion of Manchuria
,
[11]
and was slated to participate in the
proposed Soviet invasion of Hokkaido
before it was cancelled.
[12]
: 156
Its history can be found under its successor formation, the
33rd Motor Rifle Division
.
References
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]
Citations
[
edit
]
- ^
Walter S. Dunn, Jr.,
Stalin's Keys to Victory
, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2006, p. 79
- ^
Charles C. Sharp,
"Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From June to December 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IX
, Nafziger, 1996, p. 84
- ^
"Biography of Major-General Aleksandr Ippolitovich Popov - (Александр Ипполитович Попов) (1904 ? 1979), Soviet Union"
.
generals.dk
. Retrieved
2021-02-27
.
- ^
Soviet General Staff,
The Battle of Moscow
, ed. & trans. R.W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2015, Kindle ed., part IV, ch. 4; part V, ch. 8
- ^
Sharp,
"Red Tide"
, p. 84
- ^
David M. Glantz,
After Stalingrad
, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2009, pp. 246-47, 291, 295, 300
- ^
Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943
, p. 85
- ^
"Освобождение городов"
.
www.soldat.ru
. Retrieved
2021-02-27
.
- ^
Sharp,
"Red Tide"
, p. 84
- ^
Sharp,
"Red Swarm", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From 1942 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. X
, Nafziger, 1996, pp. 126-27
- ^
"Боевой состав войск Дальнего Востока на 9 августа 1945 г."
www.teatrskazka.com
. Retrieved
2021-02-27
.
- ^
Giangreco, D.M. (2016).
"The Hokkaido Myth"
(PDF)
.
Journal of Strategy and Politics
(2): 148?164
. Retrieved
2021-02-01
.
Bibliography
[
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]
- Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1964).
Командование корпусного и дивизионного звена советских вооруженных сил периода Великой Отечественной войны 1941 ? 1945 гг
[
Commanders of Corps and Divisions in the Great Patriotic War, 1941?1945
] (in Russian). Moscow: Frunze Military Academy.
pp. 270-71
External links
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