79 Infantry Regiment. Story

79th Guards Rifle Zaporozhye Order of Lenin Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Bohdan Khmelnitsky Division

In accordance with the Decree of the State Defense Committee No. 935ss of November 22, 1941 and the order of the commander of the Siberian Military District No. 0093 of December 9, 1941, in the city of Tomsk, from December 15, 1941 to April 1, 1942, the formation of 284 -th Rifle Division (SD) of the II formation (from 12/15/1941 to 01/07/1942 - 443rd Rifle Division).

The 284th Rifle Division was formed in accordance with the approved states as part of the division's headquarters, the 1043rd, 1045th, 1047th rifle regiments, the 820th artillery regiment, a separate training battalion, the 86th separate machine-gun battalion, and the 112th separate mortar division, 353rd separate reconnaissance company, 122nd separate anti-aircraft artillery battery, 589th separate engineer battalion, 784th separate communications battalion, 387th separate chemical protection company, 424th separate supply auto company, 430th separate field bakery, 338th separate medical battalion, 895th separate divisional vetlazaret, separate rifle platoon of the special department of the NKVD, divisional field workshop, 614th field cash desk of the State Bank and 1691st field postal station. The brigade commander S.A. was appointed the first commander of the division. Ostroumov, on February 27, 1942, he was replaced by lieutenant colonel (from October 1942 - colonel) N.F. Batyuk.

After a three-month training, which ended with an inspection by the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR and the headquarters of the Siberian Military District, the 284th Rifle Division, which received the status of a combat-ready military formation, loaded its units at the Tomsk station from April 1 to April 7, 1942, after which, having made a march by rail transport, by April 16, gathered together in the area of the Yelets station in the Oryol region, where it was placed at the disposal of the command of the Bryansk Front.

Until April 23, 1942, the 284th Rifle Division was in the reserve of the Bryansk Front, after which, by order of the command, it became part of the 13th Army, which took up defense in the 2nd echelon of the front near the city of Yelets.

On May 1, the division was reassigned to the 48th Army of the Bryansk Front, in which, from May 1 to May 5, 1942, it took up defense in direct contact with German troops, fighting local battles. By June 22, the division was withdrawn from the 48th Army and urgently transferred to the area of the Kastornaya station, where, being directly subordinate to the Bryansk Front, it received the combat mission of stubborn defense, together with two more rifle divisions, to stop the 13th and 40th divisions that had broken through at the junction. th armies of the Bryansk Front, the German grouping of troops.

On the morning of July 1, the German command, having concentrated the 9th, 11th and 24th tank, three infantry and one motorized infantry divisions on a 45-kilometer front against three rifle divisions of the Red Army, with the support of artillery and aviation, continued to conduct an active offensive in direction of Voronezh.

Units of the 9th Panzer and Motorized Infantry Divisions were advancing directly on the positions of the 284th Rifle Division, supported by massive air raids. Despite the penetration of German tanks into the battle formations of the 284th Rifle Division, the Siberians remained in their battlefields, cutting off the infantry from armored vehicles, which were thrown with bottles of combustible mixture, destroyed by artillery and anti-tank rifles, and were blown up by anti-tank minefields created along their path. Only the 5th rifle company of the 1045th rifle regiment destroyed 21 tanks and up to 400 enemy soldiers and officers.

In general, in front of the defense front of the 284th Infantry Division, by the end of July 1, the enemy had lost 72 tanks and over 800 personnel.

During July 2, after six attacks under the cover of a raid of forty aircraft, the enemy failed to break through the defenses of the Siberians and, leaving up to 80 tanks and two infantry battalions on the battlefield, withdrew to their original position. The regimental commanders of the 284th Infantry Division effectively used the companies of anti-tank rifles in their reserve, and the commander used the sapper battalion, which transferred anti-tank mines on vehicles in order to install them on the paths of advance of enemy tanks that had broken through into the depths of the defense. Information about the actions and location of the enemy was skillfully obtained by reconnaissance groups of regiments and divisions. A huge role in the fight against tanks was played by the created regimental anti-tank artillery units. Only one artillery crew of Sergeant Z. Kasimov knocked out 7 enemy tanks.

However, the forces were not equal, and by July 4, the Siberians who stood to the death found themselves in a dense enemy ring, but continued to fight, using up to 50 captured enemy tanks dug into the ground to repel German attacks. Having completed the combat mission set by the command of the Bryansk Front, having destroyed 162 tanks, over 3000 soldiers and officers, shot down 15 aircraft, the 284th Rifle Division, in agreement with the front headquarters on the night of July 5, with a swift blow, connecting with parts of the 8th Cavalry Corps, escaped from the ring and, having made a 40-kilometer march, by the end of July 6, it reached the area of st. Terbuny of the Voronezh region.

After reaching the location of their troops, the command of the division, reporting on the state of affairs and maintaining combat readiness, received an order from the army headquarters to occupy a new concentration area, located seventy kilometers northwest of Voronezh. On the night of July 11, the 284th Rifle Division replaced the tank unit in the indicated area, which occupied the defenses on a twelve-kilometer front.

From July 18, the division waged two-week offensive battles in the area of Perekopovka, Ozerki, during which it destroyed 124 fascist tanks, 12 vehicles and up to 2 infantry battalions of German officers and soldiers.

On August 2, 1942, the division was withdrawn to the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and sent to the city of Krasnoufimsk, Ural Military District, to resupply and conduct combat training and coordinate the replenished units in order to improve field skills in anticipation of future battles.

In accordance with the order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and the order of the commander of the Ural Military District, on September 6, 1942, the division was transferred by rail from Krasnoufimsk, Sverdlovsk Region, to the concentration area of Art. Lapshinskaya, where it is part of the 10th reserve army.

With the receipt on September 17, 1942 of the order of the NPO of the USSR and the directive of the General Staff of the Red Army No. 42/64, the division, having become part of the active army, is urgently transferred to the Srednyaya Akhtuba region in a combined march and enters the South-Eastern Front with a deployment site in the forests in the region Dawn, Krasnaya Sloboda, Burkovsky farm, where they concentrated by the end of September 19.

In accordance with order No. 125 of the commander of the South-Eastern Front, the 284th SD, having received the task of attacking, crossed the river on the night of September 20-21, 1942. Volga and took up defense in the area of the Red October plant and to the south. Since September 22, the division, having beaten off 14 counterattacks, waged offensive battles and by September 28 reached the Krutoy ravine and the northern slope of the Dolgiy ravine, destroying up to 3550 enemy soldiers and officers during this period, knocking out 13 tanks and many other military equipment of the enemy, capturing prisoners and military trophies.

Subsequently, from September 28, by order of the commander of the 62nd Army, units of the division went over to a tough defense at the lines of the Banny ravine, the Dolgiy ravine, having a leading edge on the eastern slopes of Mamaev Kurgan. Until January 10, 1943, the 284th division stubbornly defended the occupied lines, moving into frequent attacks, improving its positions, destroying enemy manpower and equipment.

In fierce combat skirmishes, fighters and commanders mastered the ability to conduct street battles. Assault groups were formed to destroy the enemy in buildings, sniper movement was widely deployed. For three months of street fighting, snipers of the division destroyed 3166 enemy soldiers and officers. To the outstanding sniper V.G. Zaitsev, who accounted for 242 fascists killed, owns the words that became the motto of the Stalingrad soldiers: "There is no land for us beyond the Volga."

From January 10, 1943, the division went on the offensive, by the end of the next day it completely captured Mamayev Kurgan, while destroying up to 1000 enemy soldiers and officers, as well as a lot of various military equipment and weapons.

After a two-week preparation, the 284th Rifle Division, united with units of the 51st Rifle Division of the 21st Army, launched a decisive offensive on January 26, 1943, and by the end of January 28, cleared 15 streets of Stalingrad from the enemy.

During the day of fighting on January 29, the division liberated up to 40 quarters of Stalingrad, while capturing up to 400 enemy officers and soldiers. Subsequently, parts of the division, waging street battles, by the end of January 31, captured the central part of the city, went to the Square of the Fallen Fighters and to the station, connecting with units of the 64th Army.

With the receipt of a new order on February 2, the division, concentrating in the Zavodskoy district of the city, went on the offensive and pushed the enemy back from the Barrikady plant, while destroying up to 500 enemy soldiers and officers.

In the battles for Stalingrad, units of the 284th Infantry Division destroyed: 25274 soldiers and officers, 199 heavy machine guns, 90 mortars, 100 vehicles, 80 wagons, 36 guns, 26 tanks, 9 aircraft and many other equipment; 1352 enemy officers and soldiers were taken prisoner; captured many trophies (military equipment and weapons).

On February 6, 1943, the 284th SD was withdrawn from the active army and, as part of the 62nd Army, went to the rear to rest and replenish.

For successful combat operations on the front of the struggle against the German invaders, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 9, 1943, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and on March 1, 1943 for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the struggle against the German invaders and the valor and courage The 284th Rifle Division was transformed into the 79th Guards Rifle Division of the Red Banner, and the 1043rd, 1045th, 1047th Rifle, 820th Artillery Regiments - into the 216th, 220th, 227th Guards rifle and 172nd Guards Artillery Regiments.

The remarkable commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov vividly spoke about the role of the 284th Rifle Division in the Battle of Stalingrad: fighting, without a single minute of rest or just a calm front. This is one of those steel divisions that has crushed the enemy force, providing an opportunity for our troops to prepare a counteroffensive.

On March 20, the 79th Guards Red Banner Rifle Division, having become part of the army, was transferred by April 7, 1943 by rail to the area of Kupyansk, where it switched to all-round defense in the Mostovaya, Ivanovka, Smirno-Kalugino, Mirnaya Dolina zone with the task of not missing the enemy's breakthrough from the direction of Chuguev.

During the fighting, as a result of organizational measures carried out by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, on April 16, 1943, the 62nd Army was transformed into the 8th Guards Army, which included the 28th Guards Rifle Corps formed on April 24, having in its composed of the 79th Guards Rifle Division.

Solemn events dedicated to the presentation by the commander of the 8th Guards Army, Lieutenant General V.I. Chuikov of the 79th Guards Rifle Division of the Guards banner, passed on May 2, 1943. At the general formation, each soldier of the division took the Guards oath of allegiance to the Motherland, military duty, and the Guards banner.

In early June, due to the changed situation, the 79th Guards Rifle Division redeployed by June 17 to the area of the Dvurechnaya station, where it performed a combat mission to prevent the enemy from breaking through to the Oskol River from Vasilievka, Redkogub.

On July 11, the 79th Guards Rifle Division was transferred to the reserve of the commander of the 8th Guards Army with a location in the area with. Karalov in readiness to participate in the Izyum-Barvenkovskaya operation.

Having received an order to enter the battle, the 79th Guards Rifle Division on July 18 begins crossing the Seversky Donets River in the area of the village. Pishib. Despite heavy losses (200 men and 50 horses in one massive raid by enemy aircraft), the division went to the initial area for the offensive late at night and went on the attack on the morning of July 19.

Suffering heavy losses under enemy fire inflicted from its strongholds, and under the blows of German aircraft, which in groups of 6-9 aircraft, replacing each other, patrolled over the advancing units, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, having lost 500 people killed and wounded, with two rifle regiments wedged into the enemy defenses to a depth of 2 km and, having captured a bridgehead, entrenched themselves at an intermediate line.

From the morning of July 20, the 79th Guards Rifle Division continued to fight, repelling tank attacks with enemy infantry. The division's losses were 336 killed and 756 wounded.

The next day, the 79th Guards Rifle Division repulsed 8 fierce counterattacks, destroying up to 700 German soldiers and officers, burned and knocked out 15 tanks. The division's losses on 21 July were 656 killed and 750 wounded.

On the same day, the commander of the battery of the 172nd Guards Artillery Regiment of the 79th Guards Rifle Division, Hero of the Soviet Union, Senior Lieutenant I.Z. Shuklin, who received this high rank for the battle with fascist tanks near the village of Perekopovka in the Kursk region on July 26, 1942, when his battery, having destroyed 14 enemy tanks, forced the rest to turn back.

On the afternoon of July 27, 1943, unable to withstand the inhuman load and bitterness of loss, the commander of the 79th Guards Rifle Division, Major General N.F., died of a sudden heart failure. Batyuk. The next day, July 28, Colonel L.I. became the division commander. Vagin.

Fierce oncoming battles of the 79th Guards Rifle Division with German units in the area with. Naked Valley continued until 29 July. On the night of July 30, having transferred its defense zone to the 39th Guards Rifle Division, the 79th Guards Rifle Division occupied the initial area in order to prepare for the transition to a new offensive.

On the morning of August 3, 1943, in accordance with the order of the command of the 28th Guards Rifle Corps, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, reinforced by the 224th Tank Regiment, went on the offensive against the defending enemy, during which, after hand-to-hand combat, the resistance of the German troops was broken, and under the blows of the 216th and 220th guards rifle regiments of the division, they began to retreat in the direction of the city of Slavyansk.

In the following days, repelling enemy counterattacks, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, again transferring its line of defense to the 39th Guards Rifle Division, on August 7 entered the second echelon of the corps.

From August 19 to August 27, the 79th Guards Rifle Division continued to conduct offensive operations, after which, by the end of August 28, by order of the command, it switched to a tough defense.

After a short preparation, as a result of the offensive successfully carried out on September 6, the division, having captured the southern and southeastern outskirts of the city of Slavyansk, began to pursue the retreating enemy. During the period of fighting from September 8 to 15, units of the division captured twenty settlements and the city of Barvenkovo, destroyed 792 enemy soldiers and officers, dozens of pieces of military equipment and artillery weapons. The division's losses were 206 killed and 743 wounded.

On September 15, 1943, the division, in accordance with the combat order of the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army, ceased hostilities and, as part of the 28th Guards Rifle Corps, transferred to the reserve of the commander of the Southwestern Front. On September 28, the division was withdrawn to the reserve of the 8th Guards Army.

On the night of October 7, 1943, units of the division took over the defense sector of the 112th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 39th Guards. sd with the task - with the support of the 212th tank, 188th mortar, 184th anti-tank fighter, 215th cannon and artillery regiments, division of the 113th brigade of high power, etc. in cooperation with units of the 39th Guards Rifle Red Banner divisions to break through the enemy defenses and advance in the direction of Natalevka, Kryukov, Peredatochnaya, Zaporozhye. The strength of the division was 5114 people, of which 1750 were infantry fighters.

The assault on the Zaporozhye bridgehead began at 0750 on October 10, 1943. Parts of the division, having gone on the offensive against the defending enemy after a 40-minute artillery preparation, initially had little success, despite significant losses, however, subsequently the advance slowed down, and the division to By the end of the day, it consolidated on the achieved lines, starting preparations for the offensive the next day. During October 11 and 12, 1943, the division, while conducting offensive operations, did not move forward, nevertheless, shattered the enemy's defenses, inflicting damage on him in people and equipment. The losses of the division during the two days of the offensive in killed and wounded amounted to 1332 people.

After an unsuccessful daytime attack, the division carried out a night offensive, which began at 2310 hours on October 12, after a ten-minute massive powerful artillery raid on reconnoitered targets. By 3 o'clock on October 13, 1943, having broken the resistance of the enemy, the division began its pursuit and by 8 o'clock reached the line: the western outskirts of Granitny, 300 m east of Kryukov, height 108.5. The enemy carried out violent counterattacks. In turn, the division, having pulled up firepower and ammunition, at 22 o'clock went on the attack and began pursuing the retreating enemy. By 11:30 on October 14, 1943, having captured the central part of the city of Zaporozhye, the 79th Guards Rifle Division reached the left bank of the river by 14:00. The Dnieper is in readiness to cross it.

By order of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army of October 14, 1943, the 79th Guards Red Banner Rifle Division, for successful offensive operations, for capturing the large regional and industrial center of Ukraine - the city of Zaporozhye, the most important transport hub of railways and waterways and one of the decisive strongholds of the Germans in the lower reaches of the river. Dnipro, was awarded the title of "Zaporozhye".

Having completed the defeat and destruction of the Zaporozhye enemy grouping, on October 17, the division, having transferred the defense sector of the left bank of the Dnieper to the 88th Guards Rifle Division, received a new combat mission: to be ready for an offensive in order to develop the success of the operating units on the right bank of the Dnieper.

At dawn on October 25, 1943, units of the division began crossing and by 15 o'clock concentrated in the indicated area on the right bank of the Dnieper. On the night of October 28, units of the division took up their starting position for the offensive. The German command, trying to stop the advance of the Soviet troops, carried out offensive operations of infantry and tanks at dawn, which were repulsed with heavy losses for them.

By order of the headquarters of the 28th Guards Rifle Corps on November 8, 1943, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, having surrendered its defense area to the 25th Guards Rifle Division, took a new starting position for the offensive. After a series of offensive battles, exactly a month later the division returned to its former defense area, having taken it from the 25th Guards. sd. From December 30, 1943 to January 5, 1944, the division, having changed its area of location several times, went over to a tough defense on the orders of the command.

Later, until February 1, 1944, units of the division, repelling repeated attacks by units of the 579th Infantry Regiment of the 306th Infantry Division and the 542nd Infantry Regiment of the 387th Infantry Division of the German troops, were preparing for offensive operations. On the morning of February 2, units of the division, having knocked down the enemy’s stubborn resistance with an attack on the move, began his pursuit in the general direction on the village. Novo-Pokrovskoe.

From February 8 to February 11, the 79th Guards Rifle Division was withdrawn from the battle and reassigned to the 46th Army, however, after the specified time, it returned to the 8th Guards Army, where, by order of the headquarters of the 28th Guards Rifle Corps, it moved to defense at the line indicated to her.

Subsequently, on February 22, having handed over its defense sector to units of the 259th Infantry Division of the 3rd Guards Army, the division marched, concentrating in the Vodyanoye, Moist, Pologi area. Subsequently, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, having carried out a night march along the mud, concentrated in the area of the city of Shirokoye by March 2, where it began preparations for the offensive and forcing the river. Ingulets.

At 12 o'clock on March 3, after a 30-minute artillery preparation, the 227th and 220th Guards Rifle Regiments of the division attacked the enemy and fought for the rest of the day to expand the bridgehead on the right bank of the river. Ingulets. Over the following days, pursuing the retreating enemy, the division liberated the settlements every day in battle, which the Germans tried to destroy during the retreat.

By 10 o'clock on March 16, the 79th Guards Rifle Division captured the village. Konstantinovka, in the area of \u200b\u200bwhich the crossing of the river began. Ingulets, continuing to sweep away the German barriers left on its way. By March 18, units of the division reached the left bank of the river. The Southern Bug, which they began to cross the very next day.

After focusing on the right bank of the river. Southern Bug, on the morning of March 20, units of the division during the day repulsed 8 enemy counterattacks numbering 400 - 500 people with 8 - 12 tanks and self-propelled guns. During the battle on March 21, Major V.M. Zaika, commander of the 216th Guards Rifle Regiment, who was the first to cross the river. Southern Bug.

The 79th Guards Rifle Division, which distinguished itself in battles between the rivers Ingulets - Southern Bug, was awarded the Order of Suvorov, II degree, on March 19, 1944.

By the end of March 25, 1944, all units and formations of the 8th Guards Army crossed the Southern Bug River in the area of Novaya Odessa north of Nikolaev and launched an offensive towards Odessa.

During the Odessa operation, pursuing the retreating enemy as part of the army, on March 31, 1944, units of the 79th Guards Rifle Division reached the Tiligul Estuary and crossed it. Continuing the offensive, on April 9, 1944, the division approached the western outskirts of Odessa and, during the offensive operation, took part in the liberation of the city, acting in the first echelon of the army.

Subsequently, continuing the offensive as part of the 28th Guards Rifle Corps of the 8th Guards Army, on April 13, 1944, the 79th Guards Rifle Division entered the area of the city of Ovidiopol and took up defense along the northern coast of the Dniester estuary.

For participation in the liberation of the city of Odessa, the 79th Guards Rifle Zaporozhye Red Banner Order of Suvorov II degree division on April 20, 1944 was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky II degree.

After many days of fighting, the division, as part of its corps and army, was withdrawn to the reserve of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on June 5, 1944, and from June 8 it was excluded from the active army. The rest did not last long, since already on June 15, 1944, the division was again introduced into the army and transferred to the 1st Belorussian Front in the area west of the city of Kovel, Volyn Region.

In the Lublin-Brest offensive operation that began on July 18, units of the division successfully crossed the river. The Western Bug, entered the territory of Poland and, in cooperation with other formations of the army, on July 24, 1944, liberated the city of Lublin. The Siberian guardsmen skillfully and decisively acted when forcing a large water barrier - the river. Vistula near Mangushev. Having captured the bridgehead, they waged defensive battles on it for six months, successfully repelling all the attacks of the enemy troops. For the courage shown during the crossing of the Vistula, ten soldiers of the division were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Since January 14, 1945, the 79th Guards Rifle Division from the Magnushevsky bridgehead participated in the Vistula-Oder strategic operation and in the Warsaw-Poznan offensive operation in the direction of Lodz-Schwerin.

At 10 am on January 30, 1945, the advance detachment of the 2nd Guards Rifle Battalion of the 220th Guards Rifle Regiment was the first to cross the German border.

A few days later, on February 3, 1945, under the cover of an anti-aircraft artillery division that arrived in the morning, the 79th Guards Rifle Division crossed the Oder River and fought fierce battles to expand the bridgehead on its left bank south of the city of Kustrin (Kostszyn, Poland).

So, during the fighting, the 6th rifle company of the 220th regiment of the 79th guards rifle division was among the first to start a battle for height 81.5 on the left bank of the Oder. The company was commanded by the son of the Altai hunter of the guard, senior lieutenant A.S. Saveliev. Skillfully distributing his forces, he attacked the enemy at night, captured three bunkers and put almost a battalion of the Nazis into a stampede. By morning, when the enemy came to his senses and launched a counterattack, Savelyev let the Nazis into the hollow and rained down machine gun fire on them from the captured bunkers. Grenades flew into the rushing Nazis. Three times the enemy launched counterattacks and each time, leaving dozens of dead and wounded on the battlefield, rolled back. The hollow along which the enemy rushed to the bunkers was littered with the corpses of his soldiers. Savelyev was wounded in the leg and shoulder, but he continued to direct the battle. He left for the medical battalion only after the battalion headquarters moved to these positions, and then the command post of the regiment commander.

On the same day A.S. Saveliev was presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded him this high rank.

Meanwhile, units of the 79th Guards Rifle Division as part of the 28th Guards Rifle Corps continued to expand the captured bridgeheads and liquidate the encircled enemy garrisons. In connection with the problem of transporting ammunition, the artillerymen of the division used captured artillery systems with a caliber of 105 to 150 mm. Tens of thousands of captured shells, captured in battle, fell on the heads of the German troops.

Since 70 km remained to Berlin, by decision of the Military Council of the Army in early March, all units and formations of the 79th Guards Rifle Division began preparations for combat operations in urban conditions.

With the beginning of the Berlin operation, the 79th Guards Rifle Division at 5 o'clock in the morning Moscow time (3 o'clock Berlin time) on April 16, from its starting positions south of the village of Seelow, launched an offensive in the direction of the Seelow Heights and by 12 o'clock in the afternoon captured its section of the main German defense line and approached the second lane, which it was not possible to capture on the move. The darkness did not allow to develop the offensive.

During the next day, having launched an offensive after a 30-minute preparation at 10:30 Moscow time in the direction of Dolgelin, Litzen, Marksdorf, the division completed the combat mission by the end of the second day of the offensive, capturing the Seelow Heights section. Promotion deep into the German defense took place with incredible difficulty. And only the decisive actions of the Soviet soldiers brought success in battle. Thus, units of the 227th Guards Rifle Regiment of the division managed to overcome a very strong knot of enemy resistance thanks to the initiative of the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel A.I. Semikov. At the crossroads of the railway and the Dolgelin-Frankfurt highway, five dug-in German tanks were in the path of the regiment's advance. Neither heavy guns nor volleys of Katyushas could cope with them. The armor of these tanks was covered with piles of road cobblestone. Semikov sent experienced sappers with faustpatrons and explosives to their rear. After several explosions, the tanks ceased fire and their crews fled. The regiment completed its combat mission. The brave commander of the regiment, inspiring the fighters and commanders with his personal feat, was seriously wounded and was unable to participate in the final assault on Berlin. For his exploits A.I. Semikov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After breaking through the enemy’s fourth line of defense and reaching the Berlin ring road on April 21, 1945, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, as part of the corps and army, turned towards the southern outskirts of Berlin and on the move, almost without loss and with little effort and means, crossed over R. Spree.

On the morning of April 23, the division took a direct part in the attack on the German capital with the task of destroying the enemy in the indicated sector of the suburbs of Berlin and further moving towards the Teltow Canal, which they managed to reach on the next day of the battle.

The final assault on Berlin began on 25 April. The 79th Guards Rifle Division, reorganized into assault groups and detachments, advanced on the city center from the south. These units included tanks, guns of all calibers, up to high power, sapper and mortar units. Step by step, the guards took possession of all the new quarters of the fascist capital.

In preparation for the assault on the imperial office on April 26, 1945, the bannerman of the 220th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 79th Guards Rifle Division of the Guard, Sergeant N. Masalov, saved a German girl, carrying her out of the shelling conducted by the Nazis on our troops. The feat of a Siberian from Kemerovo inspired the sculptor E. Vuchetich to create a monument to the liberator soldier in Treptow Park in Berlin.

During the battle, the regiments of the division received a new task - together with the 39th Guards Rifle Division, to take the Berlin airfield into a tight ring. The task was completed. Since the evening of April 25, not a single German aircraft has taken off from the airfield. In the following days, parts of the division continued to advance towards the center of Berlin, participated in the assault on the Tiergarten. Offensive battles continued until the end of May 1, 1945. On this day, the 79th Guards Rifle Division fought in the center of the Berlin Zoological Garden, moving north to join the tank army of S.I. Bogdanov.

At 0-00 hours 40 minutes on May 2, on the wave of the radio station of the 79th Guards Rifle Division, an appeal of the 56th German tank corps was heard in plain text in Russian about a ceasefire and the expulsion of trucemen with a white flag, about which the division commander reported to the army commander.

At 6 o'clock on May 2, the commander of the 56th Panzer Corps, General of Artillery Weidling, accompanied by two generals of his headquarters, crossed the front line and surrendered.

After some time, the 79th Guards Rifle Zaporozhye Order of Lenin, the Red Banner Order of Suvorov, II degree and Bogdan Khmelnitsky, II degree, accepted the surrender of the 56th tank corps of the Nazis on the Potsdam bridge.

For the exemplary performance of command assignments in the Berlin operation and the courage of the personnel, the 79th Guards Rifle Zaporozhye Red Banner Order of Suvorov II degree and Bogdan Khmelnitsky II degree division was awarded the Order of Lenin on May 28, 1945.

Parts of the division were awarded orders, received honorary titles.

During the fighting, 19 soldiers of the division were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 4 soldiers became full holders of the Order of Glory, 11 thousand were awarded orders and medals.

During the Great Patriotic War, the 284th Rifle Division was commanded by:

Ostroumov Sergey Alexandrovich(12/15/1941 - 02/26/1942), brigade commander;
Batyuk Nikolai Filippovich(02/27/1942 - 03/01/1943), colonel.

After its transformation into the 79th Red Banner Guards Rifle Division:

Batyuk Nikolai Filippovich(03/01/1943 - 07/27/1943), major general, died on July 28, 1943 from a sudden rupture of the heart, was buried in the village. Bannoe, Donetsk region;
Vagin Leonid Ivanovich(07/28/1943 - 02/03/1945), colonel, from 11/17/1943 major general;
Semchenkov Ivan Vasilievich(02/04/1945 - 03/19/1945), colonel;
Gerasimenko Stepan Ivanovich(03/20/1945 - 04/26/1945), colonel;
Stankevsky Dmitry Ivanovich(04/27/1945 - 05/09/1945), major general.

On June 9, 1945, the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet military administration in Germany, established by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on June 8, 1945, issued Order No. 1, in accordance with which the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOVG) began to carry out the tasks of the Soviet government. When the GSOVG was created, the 8th Guards Order of Lenin Army was included in it, among others.

In the period from October 1945 to January 1946, the 79th Guards Rifle Division was in the process of being reorganized into the 20th Guards Mechanized Division, in which it was stationed in the city of Jena, still subordinate to the 28th Guards Rifle Division Lublin Red Banner Order of Suvorov Corps of the 8th Guards Army.

After the disbandment in June 1956 of the administration of the 28th Guards Rifle Corps, the 20th Guards Mechanized Division was subordinated directly to the army commander. On May 17, 1957, the division was reorganized into the 27th Guards Tank Division.

The former serial number of the military formation during the war - the 79th - division was returned on January 11, 1965.

By the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 12/13/1972, for success in combat training and the performance of combat training tasks, the 79th Guards Tank Zaporozhye Order of Lenin, the Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky, was awarded the jubilee Badge of Honor in honor of the 50th anniversary of the USSR and a letter of thanks Soviet government.

In 1974, in connection with the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Ukraine, the division was awarded a jubilee commemorative medal.

The division was stationed on the territory of the GDR until March 1, 1992, after which it was withdrawn to the city of Volgograd, where it was disbanded.

Golikov V.I. Director of the Institute of Military Education. National Research Tomsk StateUniversity, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences

79th Guards Rifle Zaporozhye Order of Lenin Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Bohdan Khmelnitsky Division was reorganized from March 1, 1943.

Combat strength of the division:

216th Guards Rifle Lublin Red Banner Regiment,

220th Guards Rifle Berlin Red Banner Regiment,

227th Guards Rifle Lodz Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Regiment,

172nd Guards Artillery Berlin Red Banner Regiment,

83rd separate guards anti-tank battalion,

80th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Company,

88th Separate Guards Engineer Battalion,

110th Separate Guards Communications Battalion from 11/23/1944 110th Separate Guards Communications Company,

84th separate medical and sanitary battalion,

81st separate guards company of chemical protection,

82nd separate motor transport supply company,

85th field bakery,

76th divisional veterinary infirmary,

1691st Field Post Station,

1116th field cash desk of the State Bank.

Brief combat path of the division:

Suffering heavy losses under enemy fire from its strongholds, and under the blows of German aircraft, which in groups of 6-9 aircraft, replacing each other, loitered over the advancing units, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, having lost 500 people killed and wounded, with two rifle regiments wedged into the enemy defenses to a depth of 2 km and, having captured a bridgehead, entrenched themselves at an intermediate line.

From the morning of July 20, the 79th Guards Rifle Division continued to fight, repelling tank attacks with enemy infantry. The division's losses were 336 killed and 756 wounded.

From August 19 to August 27, the 79th Guards Rifle Division continued to conduct offensive operations, after which, by the end of August 28, by order of the command, it switched to a tough defense.

On the night of October 7, 1943, units of the division took over the defense sector of the 112th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 39th Guards. sd with the task - with the support of the 212th tank, 188th mortar, 184th anti-tank destroyer, 215th cannon and artillery regiments, division of the 113th brigade of high power, etc. in cooperation with units of the 39th Guards Rifle Red Banner divisions to break through the enemy defenses and advance in the direction of Natalevka, Kryukov, Peredatochnaya, Zaporozhye. The strength of the division was 5114 people, of which 1750 were infantry fighters.

On March 19, 1944, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, which distinguished itself in battles in the interfluve of the Ingulets-Southern Bug, was awarded the Order of Suvorov, II degree.

By the end of March 25, 1944, all units and formations of the 8th Guards Army crossed the Southern Bug River in the area of Novaya Odessa north of Nikolaev and launched an offensive towards Odessa.

From January 14, 1945, the 79th Guards Rifle Division from the Magnushevsky bridgehead participated in the Vistula-Oder strategic operation and in the Warsaw-Poznan offensive operation in the direction of Lodz-Schwerin.

At 10 am on January 30, 1945, the advance detachment of the 2nd Guards Rifle Battalion of the 220th Guards Rifle Regiment was the first to cross the German border.

On the same day A.S. Saveliev was presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded him this high rank.

During the battle, a new task was assigned to the regiments of the division - together with the 39th Guards Rifle Division, to take the Berlin airfield into a tight ring. The task was completed. Since the evening of April 25, not a single German aircraft has taken off from the airfield. In the following days, parts of the division continued to advance towards the center of Berlin, participated in the assault on the Tiergarten. Offensive battles continued until the end of May 1, 1945. On this day, the 79th Guards Rifle Division fought in the center of the Berlin Zoological Garden, moving north to join the tank army of S.I. Bogdanov.

At 6 o'clock on May 2, the commander of the 56th Panzer Corps, General of Artillery Weidling, accompanied by two generals of his headquarters, crossed the front line and surrendered.

Parts of the division were awarded orders, received honorary titles.

During the fighting, 19 soldiers of the division were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 4 soldiers became full holders of the Order of Glory, 11 thousand were awarded orders and medals.

79th Guards Tank Breakthrough Regiment
the history of the creation of heavy tank regiments

In February 1944, the breakthrough regiments in the Red Army, equipped with KV tanks, were transferred to new states. At the same time, the formation of new units equipped with IS vehicles began, which became known as heavy tank regiments. At the same time, even during the formation, they were given the name "Guards". According to the state in the new regiments, there were 375 personnel, four tank companies of the IS (21 tanks), a company of submachine gunners, a company of technical support, an anti-aircraft battery, a sapper, economic platoon and a regimental medical center. The formation was carried out in the Tesnitsky tank camp near Tula. A feature of the crew of a heavy IS tank was the presence of two officers in it - a tank commander and a senior driver and two sergeants - a gunner and a loader (he is also a junior driver). Such a composition of the crews speaks of the importance of the task that was assigned to the new vehicles and the guards regiments armed with them.
Separate Guards Heavy Tank Regiment
State No. 010/460 (February 1944)
From the beginning of 1944, separate guards heavy tank regiments (OGv. TTP) were used to directly support infantry during the breakthrough of positional defense, and from December 1944, separate guards heavy tank brigades (OGv. TTBr). For them, the IS-85 and IS-122 tanks were intended. According to the state, the regiment consisted of four tank companies (each with 5 vehicles), a company of submachine gunners, a technical support company, a control platoon, a sapper and economic platoon, and a regimental medical center (PMP).

Each regiment was to have 90 officers, 121 NCOs and 163 enlisted men. In total - 374 personnel and 21 IS tanks, including the commander's tank, 3 British armored personnel carriers Universal and 1 BA-64.

Organization

Regiment management (1 tank)
regimental headquarters
political department
technical department
commissary department
operational department
Control Platoon
Sapper Platoon
Household Platoon
Regimental Medical Post (PMP)
1st tank company (5 tanks)
platoon - 2 tanks
platoon - 2 tanks
2nd tank company (5 tanks)
platoon - 2 tanks
platoon - 2 tanks
3rd tank company (5 tanks)
platoon - 2 tanks
platoon - 2 tanks
4th tank company (5 tanks)
platoon - 2 tanks
platoon - 2 tanks
A company of submachine gunners (94 people)
Technical support company

Personnel
- officers 90
- sergeants 121
- privates 163
374
armored vehicles
- tanks IS-1 or IS-2 21
- BTR Universal 3
- BA-64 1
small arms
- Carabiners 110
- Machine guns (submachine guns) 161
- DP light machine guns
- Machine guns 16
heavy weaponry
- 82 mm mortars
- 76.2 mm guns
Transport
- Cars
- Trucks
- Tractor
- Motorcycles 3
Radio stations 2
Personnel, materiel and weapons:

Personnel - 90 officers, 121 sergeants, 163 privates. Total - 374 people.
Tanks and armored vehicles: - 21 IS-1 or IS-2 tanks, 3 Universal armored personnel carriers, 1 BA-64.
Transport:
Cars -
Trucks -
Tractor -
Motorcycles - 3
Armament:
Carbines - 110
Machine guns (submachine guns) - 161
DP light machine guns -
Machine guns - 16
Guns and mortars:
82 mm mortars -
76.2 mm guns -