371st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

30th Army continued its pursuit of the Third Panzer Group on December 16, and was transferred to Kalinin Front at noon.[5] Beginning on January 8, 1942, 30th Army took part in the Sychyovka-Vyasma Offensive Operation, which was planned "to encircle, and then capture or destroy the enemy's entire Mozhaisk - Gzhatsk - Vyasma grouping", that is, what later became known as the Rzhev salient. On January 21 the Front commander, Lt. Gen. I. S. Konev, ordered 30th Army to move from the Front's left flank to its right; this brought it to a position facing south at the north end of the salient, near Rzhev itself, where it would remain for most of the ongoing fighting. By the end of January the successful part of the Soviet counteroffensive had mostly come to an end, in part because most of the rifle regiments had been reduced to 80 - 120 men each.[6] On January 31, General Chernyshev handed his command to Col. Nikolai Viktorovich Yagodkin, who in turn was succeeded on February 19 by Col. Nikolai Nikolaevich Oleshev.[7]

According to STAVKA High Command Directive No. 170182 to the commander of Kalinin Front, dated March 22:

"2. Withdraw from the Kalinin Front into the Reserve of the Supreme High Command... (b)in the period from 20 April to 30 April of this year the [following] rifle divisions from the 30th Army: 371st Rifle Division - to Kalinin, 375th Rifle Division - to Likhoslavl for refitting, resupplying and collective combat training."[8]

As of May 1 the division was back under command of 30th Army.[9] Beginning on July 30 the rejuvenated division took part in the First Rzhev–Sychyovka Offensive Operation, eventually advancing to the southeast of Rzhev in very difficult fighting while the neighboring 29th and 31st Armies made significant gains on the east flank of the salient. In August the 371st was transferred to 31st Army in Western Front.[10][11] 31st Army resumed the offensive at 0545 hours on August 24, but now progress became much more difficult, and on September 5 General Konev, now commanding Western Front, recommended a halt to rest, refit and organize a new attack to envelop and capture Rzhev, but instead the assault was renewed four days later. On September 16 the Army temporarily suspended its attacks, but resumed on September 21-23 with its three right-flank divisions, including the 371st. By the end of the month the 31st had gone over to the defensive. From August 4 to September 15 it had suffered 43,321 killed, wounded and missing-in-action.[12]

In part due to these massive casualties, 31st Army played a limited role in the Second Rzhev–Sychyovka Offensive Operation (Operation Mars). On the first day, three divisions on its left flank attacked out of its bridgehead over the Osuga River and were stopped cold with up to 50 percent casualties. The 371st escaped this carnage, and 31st Army played no further active role in the offensive.[13]

On February 14, 1943, Colonel Oleshev was promoted to the rank of major general. On March 2, as Army Group Center put its evacuation of the Rzhev salient, Operation Büffel, into effect, 31st Army began its role in the difficult and costly pursuit until the end of the month.[14] On May 13 General Oleshev was moved up to command of the 36th Rifle Corps, being replaced by Col. Usman Minibaevich Sakaev. At about the same time the division was moved back to the reserves of Western Front for rest and rebuilding, where it would remain until August.[15] On June 22 Colonel Sakaev was in turn replaced by Col. Vasilii Lavrentevich Alekseenko.[7]

Following this fighting the division was moved back to the reserves of Western Front for further rest and rebuilding. Given the lack of success in the Orsha direction the Front commander, Gen. V. D. Sokolovski, chose to make his next efforts towards Vitebsk, which was partly encircled and threatened to the north and west by 1st Baltic Front. 33rd Army began this offensive on December 23 and made relatively good progress in the first days, reaching towards the Vitebsk - Orsha highway. During a brief pause for regrouping the 371st was released from reserve to join 36th Rifle Corps on January 2, 1944, and was committed at the junction of 199th and 274th Rifle Divisions to spearhead the advance on Sosnovka. The assault had begun in a blizzard the previous day, and over the next five days the shock group penetrated about a kilometer, forcing 3rd Panzer Army to commit its 131st Infantry Division from reserve. Despite this the 199th and 371st liberated Gribuny, reaching to within rifle shot distance of the highway, while the 274th captured a small section of the highway before being halted by counterattacks.[21]

After regrouping 33rd Army renewed its offensive on January 8. 36th Corps formed the shock group, and was ordered to attack the Feldherrnhalle Panzergrenadier Division and the 131st Infantry on a 6 km front between Gribuny and Maklaki at the western tip of the salient, between 12 and 16 km south-southeast of Vitebsk. The 371st was in the first echelon, which was backed by the 2nd and 23rd Guards Tank Brigades. After all the previous fighting the divisions and brigades of Western Front were at about 40 percent strength. Despite this, 36th Corps made significant initial progress; while the 199th failed to capture its first objective, the 371st, 274th and 95th Divisions surged forward through the defenses of Feldherrnhalle. In two days of heavy fighting the 371st crushed a small salient held by the 2nd Battalion of its Fusilier Regiment, crossed the Vitebsk - Orsha highway, and took the eastern outskirts of the village of Miakovo, 2 km deep in the German defenses. To its left, its corps-mates made even greater gains, and by the end of January 10 Col. Gen. V. N. Gordov, commander of 33rd Army, was prepared to exploit the breakthrough if a bridgehead could be forced over the Luchesa River. However, by this time the German forces were beginning to react to the near-crisis. Elements of the 131st Infantry were shifted south to hit the division in its right flank. This served to deny its complete capture of Miakovo and the crossing of the Luchesa on this sector. To the south, the 299th Infantry Division arrived from 2nd Army to bolster Feldherrnhalle, and by late on January 14 the offensive ground to a halt; the divisions of 36th Corps had been reduced to between 2,500 - 3,500 men each.[22]

Yet another attack was ordered for February 3. Sokolovski had been directed to drive directly on Vitebsk, rather than enveloping the city; for this to succeed the Luchesa would have to be forced, a task which fell to the 81st and 36th Rifle Corps. The 371st was in second echelon of its Corps, which was to attack on a 5 km sector from south of Gribuny southward to Sheliai. Despite a shortage of artillery ammunition, the lead divisions of the Corps, supported by a brigade of 2nd Guards Tank Corps, tore a gaping hole in the defenses of the 131st Infantry, advanced 1 - 2 km, captured two village strongpoints and approached the river north and south of Perevoz. However, a German grouping continued to hold a small bridgehead on the east bank, which was soon reinforced and threatened the flank of the advance. On the next day, General Gordov ordered the second echelon divisions, including the 371st, into the struggle for the river line, which seesawed back and forth for three days, with progress measured only in hundreds of metres before the effort faltered on February 7. A further 5 days of combat beginning on the 8th proved utterly futile. The 371st was able to compress, but failed to eliminate, 131st Infantry's bridgehead at and north of Karpovichi.[23]

On February 22, Colonel Alekseenko was promoted to the rank of major general. At about the same time his division was regrouped into 65th Rifle Corps, still in 33rd Army. A new offensive began on February 28, once again seeking to force the Luchesa. The objective for the 371st and 199th Divisions was to take the German bridgehead at Noviki, cross the river and capture Sosnovka. Just as the offensive was beginning, 3rd Panzer Army pulled back its lines north of Vitebsk to free up reserves. The 371st was able to capture the bridgehead, and the 199th helped to gain a foothold of its own on the west bank, but the enemy reserves brought the overall offensive to a halt by March 5. On March 7 General Alekseenko left command of the division to Col. Fyodor Fyodorovich Shishov. By April 1 it had returned to 36th Rifle Corps.[24]

Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive.

Later that month the 371st was assigned to 5th Army in the newly-created 3rd Belorussian Front, and it remained in that Army for the duration of the war. In May it was returned to 65th Rifle Corps,[25] and it was under these commands at the start of the Soviet summer offensive. On May 4 General Alekseenko returned to command of the division. The immediate objective of 5th Army was to encircle the forces of 3rd Panzer Army in Vitebsk from the south. The main attack on June 22 was preceded by a two-hour-and-twenty-minute artillery and air bombardment against the German 256th and 299th Infantry Divisions; when the attack went in the division was in the first echelon and formed one of the focal points, along with the 277th Rifle Division. This lead element had the 2nd Guards Tank Brigade, plus the 395th Guards Heavy (ISU-152s) and the 343rd Guards (ISU-122s) Self-Propelled Artillery Regiments[26] in support. Altogether the 65th and 72nd Rifle Corps hammered 18 km of the German line on the Chernitsa River. 65th Corps faced two regiments of the 299th Division, and by the afternoon the 371st, flanked by the 97th Rifle Division, had gained 2.5 km, driving through the center of the German VI Army Corps' position and reaching the second zone of defense. By day's end they had advanced as much as 4 km and established bridgeheads across the Sukhodrovka River, which was bridged overnight.[27] The advance continued the next day, assisted by heavy artillery and air attacks. By 1300 hours, despite the arrival of German reinforcements, elements of 5th Army had crossed the rail line to Orsha. On the 24th the 371st and the 97th Divisions continued their attack and broke through the third German position, advancing a further 10 km. VI Corps was completely broken this day, with part of its remnants falling back to Bogushevsk, although that town was also cleared by noon the next day, during which 5th Army advanced another 20 km. Overnight on June 25/26 the Vitebsk salient was finally encircled, and the first Soviet troops crossed the Dvina and entered the city. By this time the 65th Corps was advancing well to the west in the direction of Cherekhya,[28] but the division was recognized for its role in the long and bloody fighting as follows:

VITEBSK... 371st Rifle Division (Maj. Gen. Alekseenko, Vasilii Lavrentevich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Vitebsk, by the order of the Supreme High Command of June 26, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns.

The 1233rd Rifle Regiment (Maj. Barinov, Timofei Alekseevich) was awarded the same honorific by the same decree.[29]

By the morning of June 30 the advanced detachment of 65th Corps was across the Berezina River north of Borisov and was pushing west without opposition. At this point the first phase of the offensive on this part of the front was suspended as the slower elements needed time to catch up.[30] On July 1 General Alekseenko again left his command, being replaced four days later by Col. Samuil Ilich Tsukarev.

Minsk Offensive

During July 1 the 65th and 72nd Corps advanced roughly 10km - 14km. Minsk was largely liberated on July 3 as the 371st advanced with its Corps on the Molodechno axis. By July 6 the 5th Army had reached and forced the Viliya River from the march and ran up against the proposed German "East Wall" along the west bank of the Oshmyanka River. With few troops to defend it the position was soon overcome by the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps, in close coordination with 65th Rifle Corps, in the Soly area along the Smorgon - Vilnius railway and overnight the pursuit continued in the direction of the latter place. On July 8 the 65th, 72nd and 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps were all engaged in street fighting for the city. The German garrison was completely isolated on July 10 and broken into two groups by the 65th and 3rd Guards Corps. In a desperate effort to rescue the garrison 600 men of the 2nd Parachute Division were dropped west of Vilnius but most of these were quickly defeated and rounded up.[31]

On July 25 the 371st was recognized for its part in the liberation of Vilnius with the award of the Order of the Red Banner.[32] Weeks later, on August 12, the division was further recognized for its part in forcing a crossing of the Neman with the award of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd Degree.[33] The 1231st Rifle Regiment also received the name of that river as a battle honor. On August 21 Colonel Tsukarev was transferred to command of the 97th Rifle Division and General Alekseenko returned again to command on August 24.

• 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. p. 281
• Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1967a). Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть I. 1920 - 1944 гг [Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part I. 1920–1944] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow.
• Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1967b). Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть II. 1945 - 1966 гг [Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part II. 1945–1966] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow.