126th Rifle Division
| 126th Rifle Division (August 14, 1939 – December 13, 1941) 126th Rifle Division (September 1, 1941 – 1946) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939–1946 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army (1939-46) |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 Operation Barbarossa Baltic operation Battle of Smolensk (1941) Battle of Moscow Battle of Stalingrad Operation Uranus Mius-Front Donbas strategic offensive (August 1943) Melitopol offensive Crimean offensive Baltic offensive Šiauliai offensive East Prussian offensive Battle of Königsberg |
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner (2) Order of Suvorov (all 2nd Formation) |
| Battle honours | Gorlovka (2nd Formation) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Komdiv Nikolai Aleksandrovich Sokolov Maj. Gen. Mikhail Andreevich Kuznetsov Col. Efim Vasilevich Bedin Col. Vladimir Evseevich Sorokin Col. Dmitrii Semyonovich Kuropatenko Maj. Gen. Fyodor Nazarovich Parkhomenko Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Ignatevich Kazartsev Col. Aleksandr Ignatevich Kazakov Col. Ivan Ivanovich Vasilenko Col. Fyodor Andreevich Safronov |
The 126th Rifle Division was first formed as an infantry division of the Red Army on August 14, 1939, in the Moscow Military District, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of the following month. In June 1940 it made up part of the force that occupied Latvia. It remained in the occupied Baltic states, being assigned to 11th Army in Lithuania in early 1941. At the start of the German invasion it was in the vicinity of Kaunas and was struck on the opening day, suffering heavy losses, then forced to retreat to the east, soon being reassigned to Northwestern Front's 27th Army. Shortly after it was moved to 22nd Army of Western Front, and fought under those commands near Velikiye Luki and Toropets, escaping from encirclement in the process. After retreating past Andreapol the front stabilized and during September the 126th was substantially rebuilt, but lost much of its strength when it was again encircled in the early part of Operation Typhoon. After escaping it was reassigned to 16th Army, but in November it was decided to use its remaining assets to reinforce other units of the Army and on December 13 it was disbanded.
A new division named after Marshal K. E. Voroshilov began forming on September 1, 1941, in the Far Eastern Military District and in January 1942 it was redesignated as the new 126th. It remained in the Far East until May when it was moved west, eventually arriving south of Stalingrad as the German drive on the city was well underway. In early August it was assigned to 64th Army in Southeastern Front, battling against the 4th Panzer Army and gradually being pushed to the outskirts of the city while taking very heavy casualties. During September and October it fought positional battles in the Beketovka bridgehead south of the city while rebuilding its strength, now as part of Stalingrad Front, but in preparation for Operation Uranus it was shifted well to the south, joining 51st Army, which was facing the forces that were about to become Romanian 4th Army. The division successfully smashed through the Romanian positions on the first day of the offensive then advanced to the southwest, helping to form the outer encirclement front but soon coming under attack from 4th Panzer as it attempted to relieve the Stalingrad pocket.