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The 119th Rifle Division was originally raised in 1939 as a standard Red Army rifle division, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. The first two formations of the division distinguished themselves on the battlefield, and were raised to the status of Guards Rifle divisions: the 17th Guards following the Battle of Moscow, and the 54th Guards following the Battle of Stalingrad. The division was formed for a third time in early 1943 and served for the duration of the war, in the north-central sectors of the front. == 1st Formation == The division was organized at Krasnoyarsk in the Siberian Military District in 1939,〔Jack Radey and Charles Sharp, ''The Defense of Moscow 1941 - The Northern Flank'', Pen & Sword Books Ltd., Barnsley, UK, 2012, p 17〕 as part of the pre-war expansion of the Red Army. It comprised: * 365th Rifle Regiment * 421st Rifle Regiment * 634th Rifle Regiment * 349th Light Artillery Regiment * 510th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (until Sept. 21, 1941) * 216th Anti-tank Battalion * 224th Sapper Battalion * 143rd Reconnaissance Company * 137th Medical-Sanitary Battalion〔Charles C. Sharp, ''"Red Swarm", Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. X'', Nafziger, 1996, p 44〕〔Russian Wikipedia〕 Mjr. Gen. Aleksandr Dmitrievich Berezin commanded the division during its entire 1st Formation. The division remained in Siberia, forming and training, until after the onset of the German invasion, when it was rushed to the front, being assigned to 24th Army and then 31st Army in Reserve Front in August, 1941. Unlike the newer divisions being formed at that time, the 119th had the pre-war organization and as of Sept. 20 was actually overstrength, with 1,142 officers, 14,804 NCOs and men, 13 tankettes, 4 armored cars, 166 heavy machine guns, 408 light machine guns, 54 45mm antitank guns, 85 artillery pieces, 109 mortars and 4 antiaircraft guns.〔Radey and Sharp, p 17〕 With the launch of the German Operation Typhoon, the division was involved in heavy fighting west of Rzhev in the first week of October. On Oct. 6 the 365th Rifle Regiment was transferred to the 18th Rifle Division, which had escaped from encirclement with significant casualties. In exchange the 119th received the 920th Rifle Regiment from the 247th Rifle Division, a unit made up from a cadre of NKVD troops. At about this time the division was transferred to 29th Army, and after the battle for Kalinin, back to 31st Army.〔Radey and Sharp, p 17〕 The men and women of the division fought well during the rest of the Battle of Moscow, and in the following counteroffensive. On Mar. 17, 1942, now in 22nd Army of Kalinin Front, the 119th Rifle Division was reformed as the 17th Guards Rifle Division.〔Charles C. Sharp, ''"Red Guards", Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IV'', Nafziger, 1995, p 49〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「119th Rifle Division」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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