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The 309th Rifle Division was formed for the first time as a standard Red Army rifle division shortly after the German invasion. It fought its first battles at the Yelnya Salient, participating in that early Soviet success before being swept up in Operation Typhoon, encircled and destroyed. At the very end of 1941 the division was reformed. It served on mostly inactive sectors during 1942, but in 1943 it played an important role in containing the offensive of 4th Panzer Army at Kursk. It followed this in September with one of the first successful assault crossings of the Dniepr River, for which many men of the 309th were named as Heroes of the Soviet Union. The division continued in combat through Ukraine, Poland and Silesia before ending the war near Breslau. == 1st Formation == The division began forming on July 10, 1941 at Kursk in the Oryol Military District. Its order of battle was as follows: * 955th Rifle Regiment * 957th Rifle Regiment * 959th Rifle Regiment * 842nd Artillery Regiment * 558th Sapper Battalion * 738th Signal Battalion * 362nd Reconnaissance Company〔Charles C. Sharp, ''"Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From June to December, 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IX'', 1996, p 70, and Russian Wikipedia〕 Less than a month after forming, the 309th was assigned to Reserve Front, moving to 24th Army of that Front on Aug. 5, just as that Army was itself forming up. Its first divisional headquarters was established at Gordunovka. By the end of August the fresh division had arrived at the front and took part in the third counteroffensive against the Yelnya Salient, beginning on Aug. 30. The division was assigned to the central Shock Group, intended to hold the German forces in the salient while it was pinched off by the northern and southern Groups. Attacking alongside the 19th Rifle Division, the 309th made almost no headway on the first three days. At the end of Sept. 1 it was shifted, as previously planned, to reinforce the 107th Motorized Division of the northern Group. It was still regrouping in its new positions on Sept. 3 when Army Group Center ordered its forces to withdraw from the salient, which was carried out over the next four days. General G.K. Zhukov gave the 309th little credit for this success, stating that "The... 309th... operated poorly and without initiative". It was not chosen to become one of the first four Guards rifle divisions. As of Sept. 12 the rifle regiments of the division averaged only 657 men each, indicating excessive casualties.〔David M. Glantz, ''Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 2'', Helion and Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2012, pp 322-57〕 At the beginning of Operation Typhoon the 309th was still holding positions on the right flank of 24th Army, and by Oct. 7 was deeply encircled north of Spas-Demensk.〔David Stahel, ''Operation Typhoon'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2013, map on p 79〕 The divisional headquarters had disintegrated by that date and was disbanded, although it appears some elements fought on separately for another week or so.〔Sharp, ''"Red Tide"'', p 71〕 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「309th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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