The Insterburg Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Baltic Fleet Coastal Forces was awarded the St. George Battle Banner and the Diplomas of the President of the Russian Federation to it. Deputy Commander of the Baltic Fleet Vice-Admiral Viktor Kravchuk, representatives of the administration of Gusev, Kaliningrad Region, took part in the ceremony. "\u003e

15:06 / 23.12.11

The 79th Guards Insterburg Brigade of the Baltic Fleet Coastal Forces was awarded the Battle Banner

In the town of Gusev, Kaliningrad Region, the 79th Guards Insterburg Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Baltic Fleet Coastal Forces held a solemn ceremony of presenting the St.George Battle Banner and the Diploma of the President of the Russian Federation to him.

At the ceremony, Deputy Commander of the Baltic Fleet Vice Admiral Viktor Kravchuk announced the order of the Minister of Defense Russian Federation, read out the Diploma of the President of the Russian Federation on the presentation of a part of the new Battle Banner and congratulated the personnel on this significant event. At the rally in honor of the presentation of the Battle Banner, the commander of the guards unit, Colonel Vladimir Chibisov, veterans of the guards unit, representatives of the administration of the city of Gusev, Kaliningrad Region, spoke.

The ceremony ended with the passage of units with a solemn march under State flag Of the Russian Federation and the new Battle Banner. According to the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, by the end of 2011, five more units of the Baltic Fleet will be awarded with new battle banners.

Reference. In September 1939, a motorcycle was founded near Novosibirsk. rifle division (which later became a brigade). Already at the very beginning of the war, in 1941, she was transferred to Vyazma, and from there to the front. During the Second World War, the division passed the combat path as part of the 49th and 11th combined arms armies from the walls of Moscow to Konigsberg. Its units took part in the battle for Moscow and the Battle of Kursk, the Belorussian operation and the defeat of Nazi troops in East Prussia. The unit ended its combat path in the Great Patriotic War with the capture of the city of Pillau (now Baltiysk).

Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense.

The 79th Guards Rifle Division was converted from.

Extract from the historical form of the 79th Guards Division

Fund 79 guards division... Inventory. 1. Business. 1.

Historical form.

Sheet 3.

September 17, 1942 on the basis of the order of the NKO of the USSR and the directive General Staff Red Army No. 42/64 - the division is urgently transferred by a combined march to the Srednyaya Akhtuba region and enters the Southeast Front, concentrating in the forests in the Zarya region, Krasnaya Sloboda, Khutor Burkovsky.

By order of 3x No. 125 of the commander of the South-Eastern Front, the division received an order to attack. On the night of September 20-21, 1942, the division began to cross the river. Volga, concentrating in the Krasny Oktyabr plant and further south. On the night of September 22, 1942, all units and small divisions of the division crossed the Volga River. During the crossing of the Volga River, units of the division were subjected to fierce bombing from the air and enemy artillery and mortar fire. From 22nd to 28th September 1942, the division fought offensive battles, breaking the fierce enemy resistance.

Extract from the combat log.

Foundation 79th Guards Rifle Division. Inventory. 1. Business. 7.

Combat log for the period from 16.91942-31.10.1943

Sheet 2 turnover.

22.9.42 On the concentration of units of the division - the latter launched an offensive in accordance with the order of the division commander - 1045 joint venture and 1047 joint venture attack along the Volga river, turn the front to the west and capture the line: railway station opposite Gogol street, on the left having a railway bridge across the Tsaritsa river.

The crossing of the Volga River and the occupation of the initial lines by divisional regiments were subjected to intensive shelling of enemy artillery and mortars, with heavy bombardment of aviation from the air.

So 1045 cn on the move, occupying the starting lines, entered into battle with the enemy.

As a result of fierce battles throughout the day, units of the division occupied: 1045 joint ventures in Krutoy, 1047 joint ventures. Northern spur of Dolgiy island.

In this battle, more than 600 soldiers and officers of the pr-ka were destroyed, 8 tanks were destroyed, two machine guns were captured.

1045 joint ventures suffered significant losses due to the strong influence of enemy aircraft and artillery, as a result of which the command staff (in particular battalion commanders) were incapacitated in the regiment. Thus, the regiment commander, Major Gumerov, lost contact and control of the units.

Despite this, the divisions of the regiment continued to carry out the task set by the command, did not let the pr-ka through their battle formations, and repelled all the fierce attacks of the enemy.

Extracts from the archive were made personally by Oksana Korneva. If you wish to copy, be sure to read and execute.

79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Orders of Suvorov II degree and Bogdan Khmelnitsky II degree division traces its history back to the 284th rifle division.
The division began its formation on December 15, 1941 in the city of Tomsk as the 443rd rifle division, in the process of formation in January 1942 it was renamed into the 284th rifle division. from the conscripts of Tomsk and districts that now belong to the Tomsk region, as well as the Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions. The division included soldiers returning from hospitals who already had combat experience, and young officers - graduates of the Belotserkovsky military infantry and Tomsk artillery schools located in Tomsk.
A medical battalion was formed from the girls from Tomsk. The first commander of the division was brigade commander Sergei Aleksandrovich Ostroumov, and brigade commissar KT Zubkov was appointed military commissar.
Combat composition:
1043, 1045 and 1047 rifle regiment,
820th artillery regiment,
334 separate anti-tank battalion,
353 reconnaissance company,
589 sapper battalion,
754 separate communications battalion (185 separate communications company),
338th medical and sanitary battalion,
387th separate company of chemical protection,
724 motor transport company,
430 field bakery,
895 divisional veterinary infirmary,
1691 field post station,
614 field cash desk of the State Bank.
The division fighters underwent serious training: field tactical exercises, marches, live firing, studied the experience of battles near Moscow. The formation and training of personnel was completed by mid-March 1942, and on March 16, echelons with units of the division went to the front. The collective of workers of the Tomsk Electromechanical Plant, escorting the division to the front, handed the division commander a banner and gave the order: "To bring to Berlin."
In early April 1942, units of the division disembarked from echelons 15-20 kilometers southwest of the city of Yelets, Lipetsk region, where they completely received the missing weapons and equipment and continued their combat training.
From April 16 to May 18, 1942, the division held defense at the line: mark 215.3 - western slopes of an unnamed height - western outskirts of the village of Melevoe - height 242.8 - western slopes of height 236 (these landmarks are in the border strip between modern Verkhovsky and Pokrovsky districts of the Oryol region.
At the end of May 1942, the division was transferred to the area of \u200b\u200bthe working village of Kastornoye in the east of the Kursk region and became part of the 40th Army of the Bryansk Front. In the area of \u200b\u200bthe Kastornoye station, units of the 284th rifle division began to build anti-tank defenses. On the eastern bank of the Olym River, with the help of the local population, trenches, communication trenches and shelters for equipment in full profile were torn off. Wood-land pillboxes were also built. In the zone of only 1043 rifle regiment, 23 bunkers were built. Anti-tank guns were placed on the front line of the defense. In a week, a solid anti-tank defense was created.
At the end of June 1942, the Germans, having broken through the front of the Red Army troops, launched an offensive eastward, towards the city of Voronezh. On July 1, 1942, the 284th Infantry Division took the first battle with the advanced German units near the village of Yegoryevka, six kilometers west of Kastorny. The main blow fell on the junction of 1043 and 1045 rifle regiments. Having broken through the defenses, the enemy deepened 3-4 kilometers, but having lost 72 tanks and 800 soldiers and officers on the battlefield, they retreated to their original positions. On the morning of July 3, 1942, more than 35 German aircraft flew into Kastornoye. An hour later, the village was destroyed and engulfed in flames. Enemy planes also bombed the battle formations of the regiments. After such treatment, the enemy infantry again went into the attack, which was repulsed. It even came to a bayonet fight. Tank attacks did not stop. For 5 days, the division resisted the pressure of enemy tank and mechanized units, supported by aviation. Communication with the 40th Army was lost, the division was surrounded, the ammunition and food ran out, the losses were great. On the night of July 6-7, 1942, leaving a combat barrier in their positions, the regiments of the division, by order of the command, broke through the encirclement and went northward to the location of the 8th cavalry corps. The division, although it suffered losses, remained in a combat-ready state. This was one of the rare cases in the early years of the war when a division left the encirclement undefeated, retaining its heavy weapons. In the battles of Kastornaya, the enemy lost more than 8 thousand soldiers and officers, more than 160 tanks and 16 aircraft.
After a short rest, the division, as part of the troops of the Bryansk Front, entered the battle at the Perekopovka - Ozerki line, 80 kilometers from Voronezh, and again its soldiers showed examples of heroism and military training. On July 14, 1942, the commander of the battery of the 820th artillery regiment, Senior Lieutenant I. 3. Shuklin - a graduate of the Tomsk Artillery School - was ordered to cover the regrouping of the division's formations. The enemy threw 30 tanks at the position of the battery, in which by this time one serviceable anti-tank gun and 9 people, including the battery commander, remained. More than 2 hours lasted unequal fight... Artillerymen destroyed 12 tanks with cannon fire, replacing their comrades, knocked out 2 more tanks with grenades, more than 100 German soldiers and 4 vehicles remained on the battlefield. For this battle I.Z. Shuklin was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union (by the meter).
On August 2, 1942, the 284th rifle division was withdrawn to the reserve in the city of Krasnoufimsk, Sverdlovsk region for rest and replenishment, it included 2,500 career sailors of the Pacific Fleet, graduates of military schools of the Ural Military District and personnel of the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Perm regions called up from the reserve ...
On September 17, 1942, on the basis of the order of the NKO of the USSR and the directive of the General Staff of the Red Army No. 42/64, the division was urgently transferred by a combined march to the Middle Akhtuba region of the Stalingrad region and entered into the 62 (since April 1943 - 8th Guards) army of the South-Eastern Front , concentrating in the forests in the Zarya region, Krasnaya Sloboda, Burkovsky farm.
By order No. 125 of the commander of the South-Eastern Front, the division received an order to attack. On the night of September 20-21, 1942, the division began to cross the Volga River, concentrating in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Krasny Oktyabr plant and further south on the left bank of the Volga. On the night of September 22, 1942, all units and divisions of the division crossed the Volga River. During the crossing of the Volga River, units of the division were subjected to fierce bombardment from the air and artillery and mortar shelling of the enemy.
From 22 to 28 September 1942, the division fought offensive battles, breaking the fierce enemy resistance. On September 22, 1942, the 1045th joint venture and the 1047th joint venture were advancing along the banks of the Volga River, with the task of turning the front to the west and capturing the border: the railway station opposite Gogol Street (Stalingrad), on the left having a railway bridge across the Tsaritsa River. 1045 rifle regiment on the move, occupying the initial lines, entered into battle with the enemy. As a result of fierce battles throughout the day, units of the division occupied the lines: 1045 cn - Krutoy ravine, 1047 cn - northern spur of Dolgy ravine. In this battle, more than 600 enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed, 8 tanks were knocked out, two machine guns were captured. The 1045th rifle regiment suffered significant losses due to the strong influence of enemy aircraft and artillery, as a result of which the command staff (in particular, battalion commanders) were incapacitated in the regiment. Thus, the commander of the regiment, Major Gumerov, lost contact and control of the units. Despite this, the divisions of the regiment continued to carry out the task assigned by the command, did not let the enemy pass through their battle formations, and repelled all the fierce attacks of the enemy.
On November 11, 1942, the enemy launched the third and final assault on the city. At dawn, the positions of the 284th rifle division began to be attacked by enemy aircraft, then by artillery, after which the infantry went into the attack. Especially persistently the fascists attacked the area of \u200b\u200bthe Barrikady and Krasny Oktyabr factories. In the southern part of the Barricades plant, a subdivision of German machine gunners in a 500-meter strip even reached the bank of the Volga, but the next day, soldiers of the 1045th rifle regiment with the help of a rifle company from the 95th rifle division knocked out the enemy from the captured area.
On November 19, 1942, after a powerful artillery preparation, the troops of the Southwestern, and the next day, the Stalingrad fronts began a counteroffensive with the aim of encircling and defeating the 6th German army. The offensive developed successfully, and on November 23 the troops united in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Kalach, thus encircling the German troops in the Stalingrad area.
Taking advantage of the fact that the German command weakened the pressure on Stalingrad, having transferred part of the troops to the west of the city, the 62 armies went on the offensive and formations. The 284th Infantry Division directed its main blow to the complete mastery of the Mamayev Kurgan. With heavy battles, the soldiers of the division marched forward. Sometimes the advance in a day was only 100-150 meters. The enemy fought desperately. Sometimes one and the same trench changed hands several times. The battles for the Mamayev Kurgan continued for a long time, and only in mid-January 1943 did divisional units completely clear it of the enemy.
On January 26, 1943, soldiers of the 284th rifle division united on the western slopes of the kurgan with units of the 51st Guards rifle division, advancing from the west. On February 2, 1943, the encircled northern group of fascist troops surrendered, and the Battle of Stalingrad ended. Fierce and bloody battles continued for 137 days and nights. The Siberian warriors did the impossible - they stopped the enemy. Here, at Stalingrad, they took their main battle, proved the truth of the words of the famous sniper of the division of the junior lieutenant from the 1047 rifle regiment V.G. Zaitseva: "There is no land for us beyond the Volga!" By the end Stalingrad battle killed soldiers and officers of the enemy on his combat account was 242. To fight our snipers, the Germans even called from Berlin their best sniper. But it was also destroyed by V.G. Zaitsev. In February 1943, V.G. Zaitsev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By their feat, by their lives, the Siberian warriors deserved the assessment given by Marshal V.I. Chuikov: "The Siberians were the soul of the battle for Mamayev Kurgan, for Stalingrad." By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of February 9, 1943, the 284th rifle division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
For military services on March 1, 1943, the 284th Red Banner Infantry Division was transformed into the 79th Guards Red Banner Infantry Division.
The new numbering of divisions was assigned on 5.4.43 years:
216th Guards Rifle Regiment (1043 Rifle Regiment);
220 Guards Rifle Regiment (1045 Rifle Regiment);
227th Guards Rifle Regiment (1047 Rifle Regiment);
172th Guards Artillery Regiment (820th Artillery Regiment);
83rd separate anti-tank destroyer battalion;
80 guards reconnaissance company;
88th Guards Sapper Battalion;
185 separate communications company (until 5.4.43),
110 guards separate communications company (from 5.4.43 to 23.11.44);
110th Guards Separate Signal Battalion (from 23.11.44);
588 (84) medical and sanitary battalion;
81 separate guards chemical protection company;
732 (82) motor transport company;
663 (85) field bakery;
681 (76) divisional veterinary hospital;
1691 field post station;
1116 field cash desk of the State Bank.
The 62nd army in full strength was withdrawn to the rear for reorganization and replenishment. Army formations received new weapons and equipment. Participants in the Battle of Stalingrad passed on their combat experience to the new replenishment.
On April 16, 1943, the 62nd Army was transformed into the 8th Guards Army. At this time, the army, by order of the Headquarters, was part of Southwestern Front and took the defense line along the left bank of the Seversky Donets River near the town of Izium, Kharkiv Oblast.
In the period from 17 to 27 July 1943, the troops of the Southwestern Front carried out the Izyum-Barvenkovo \u200b\u200boperation. Its purpose was to pin down, and under favorable conditions, defeat the enemy's grouping in Donbass and prevent the transfer of its forces to the Kursk Bulge area.
After a powerful artillery and air preparation, the troops of the 8th Guards Army crossed the Seversky Donets, captured bridgeheads on its right bank and wedged into the enemy's defenses to a depth of 5 kilometers. On the second day, to complete the breakthrough, the tank and mechanized corps began to enter the battle in parts. However, by this time, the German command had pulled up its reserves - three tank divisions. Attempts to complete the breakthrough of the enemy's tactical defense were unsuccessful. The 8th Guards Army, having captured two bridgeheads in the first days, by July 27, 1943, during stubborn battles, was able to unite them into a common one - along the front 25 kilometers and to a depth of 2-5 kilometers. Despite the fact that the enemy's defenses were not completely broken through, the front armies pinned down the enemy's reserves by their actions, thereby providing assistance to the troops of the Voronezh Front in conducting a defensive operation near Kursk. The 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Division crossed the Seversky Donets in the Golaya Dolina region and the village of Bogorodichnoye, Slavyansky District, Donetsk Region, overcoming fierce enemy resistance. The fighters of the division were opposed by the SS Panzer Division "Death's Head" and penal battalions. In these battles on July 21, 1943, near the village of Dolina, Slavyansky district, Donetsk region, the commander of the battery of the 172th Guards Artillery Regiment of the 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Division, Hero of the Soviet Union Guards, Senior Lieutenant I.Z. Shuklin, who received this high rank for a 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. His battery was surrounded. Until the last shell, the artillerymen beat the enemy with direct fire, then they grappled hand-to-hand. On July 28, 1943, the division lost its commander - the heart of Major General N.F. Batyuka. On the coast of the Seversky Donets, near Slavyanogorsk (now the city of Svyatogorsk, Donetsk region of Ukraine), the hero-artilleryman I.Z. Shuklin and his division commander. Colonel L. I. Vagin took over the division and commanded it until the end of the war.
The battles on the Seversky Donets, especially in the Golaya Dolina, acquired a protracted and bloody character. Eight times the village of Golaya Dolina (now the village of Dolina, Slavyansky district, Donetsk region) passed from hand to hand.
On August 10, 1943, the 8th Guards Army began to be withdrawn to the second echelon of the front for replenishment and resupply.
In Donbass offensive operation On August 22, 1943, troops of the 8th Guards Army broke through the enemy's defenses from a bridgehead on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River near Dolgenkoy and Mazanovka south of the city of Izium, which they recaptured from the enemy a month ago, but 1 mechanized corps was not yet ready to enter the breakthrough, only advancing to starting positions. In the meantime, the Germans turned to counterattacks and the breakthrough was eliminated. The 8th Guards Army again went on the offensive to clear the way for the tanks - but the second time it failed. Nevertheless, a bloody meat grinder 30 km north of Sloviansk, on the way from Donets to Barvenkovo, nevertheless forced the Germans to weaken their defenses near Kharkov - in order to delay the loss of the entire Donbass. On August 23, 1943, Kharkov was liberated.
The offensive launched on September 3, 1943 by the 6th and 8th Guards Armies, due to the strong fire saturation of the enemy's defenses and the use of tanks in the defense, was not successful. However, Hitler's decision on the withdrawal of troops from Donbass came into force and the Soviet troops switched to a parallel pursuit by the forces of all the armies of the Southwestern Front. The Germans retreated in an orderly manner, stubbornly defending intermediate lines. The enemy, under pressure from the advancing fronts, was forced to retreat to the west, hoping to stop the advance of the Red Army troops on the eastern rampart, which was built on the left bank of the Dnieper River. When retreating, the enemy turned the abandoned territory into a desert zone, destroying roads, bridges, all buildings, and local residents drove away with him. On September 22, 1943, the advancing troops approached Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye and Melitopol, completely liberating Donbass and most of the northern coast Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov.
The 8th Guards Army changed the formations of the 3rd Guards and 12th armies on the outer contour of the enemy defense of the city of Zaporozhye along the line Volnaya - Krinichnoe - Yantsevo station - the eastern outskirts of Druzhelyovka - Novostepnyanskoe. The headquarters of the formations began to develop plans for a further offensive.
At dawn on October 1, 1943, a powerful artillery preparation began in a breakthrough sector 25 kilometers wide, under the cover of which the infantry rose to attack, but strong enemy fire from the depths of its defense several times forced the attackers to stop and dig in, and sometimes retreat almost to starting positions. The first days of the onset did not bring success.
The offensive of the troops of the 8th Guards Army was suspended for the purpose of additional reconnaissance of the enemy's fire system. The offensive resumed on October 10, 1943. Fierce battles for the city did not stop for four days, and only on October 14, 1943, the guardsmen of the 79th Guards Rifle Division, along with other formations of the 8th Guards Army of the Southwestern Front, liberated the city of Zaporozhye. For the courage shown in the battles for the liberation of the city, the 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Division was awarded the honorary title of Zaporozhye.
On October 20, 1943, the Southwestern Front was transformed into the 3rd Ukrainian Front.
On October 22, 1943, formations of the 8th Guards Army, by order of the command of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, concentrated south of Dnepropetrovsk, crossed the Dnieper River, and on October 25, the 79th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Guards Rifle 8th Guards Army, together with the 152nd Rifle Division of the 46th Army, liberated the city of Dnepropetrovsk from the German invaders.
The front command set a task for the 8th Guards Army: to attack the regional center of the Dnepropetrovsk region - the city of Apostolovo. On November 15, 1943, the offensive of the army to the left of the Dnepropetrovsk-Apostolovo railway began. The first days of the offensive were very difficult. The Germans threw tanks into counterattacks, and our infantry had only anti-tank rifles and horse-drawn field artillery to fight them. For six days of the offensive, the army's forces advanced only 10 kilometers into the depth of the ramified enemy defenses. The settlements of the Solonyansky district of the Dnepropetrovsk region, Natalyino, Nezabudino, Categorinovka and others, were liberated.
Some turning point was outlined by November 20, 1943. Tanks of the 23rd Panzer Corps began to approach the troops of the 8th Guards Army, but there were too few of them. By this time, the corps had only 17 tanks and 8 self-propelled artillery mounts. The companies in the rifle regiments also thinned out. They numbered 20-30 people. The tension and the weather worsened. At the end of the year in southern Ukraine there are always heavy rains, often with sleet. The dirt roads along which the troops were moving were so messed up that sometimes the tanks sat on the bottom and could not get under way without help.
On November 27, 1943, the offensive continued with the support of a tank corps, and during that day the troops advanced 10-12 kilometers, liberating the villages of Propashnoe, Aleksandropol, Petrakovka. On December 10, 1943, the army's formations captured the large settlements of Chumaki, Tomkovka, Lebedinskoe in the Nikopol district of the Dnepropetrovsk region, but could not advance further. The enemy fought desperately, holding the manganese mines.
Despite very bad weather and complete muddy roads, on January 10, 1944, the offensive resumed, but developed slowly.
During the Nikopol-Kryvyi Rih offensive operation (January 30 - February 29, 1944), the 79th Guards Rifle Zaporozhye Red Banner Division as part of the 28th Guards rifle corps In early February, the 8th Guards Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front liberated the village of Sholokhovo, Nikopol region, thus creating a threat to encircle the Nikopol group of fascist troops. The German command began to withdraw its troops from the area, which allowed soviet troops liberate the city of Marganets on February 5, and the city of Nikopol on February 8, 1944. Developing an offensive to the south-west of Apostolovo, formations of the 8th Guards Army by February 29, 1944 reached the left bank of the Ingulets River near the villages of Novokurskaya and Shesternya. On March 3, 1944, army troops crossed the Ingulets River and seized a bridgehead on its right bank. From this bridgehead, the 8th Guards Army, having broken through the enemy's defenses on March 6, developed an offensive towards the city of Nikolaev. The 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Division, which distinguished itself in battles between the Ingulets - Southern Bug rivers, was awarded the Order of Suvorov II degree on 19.03.1944. Fighting off fierce enemy counterattacks, the 79th Guards Rifle Division and the entire 8th Guards Army on March 25, 1944, crossed the Southern Bug River near the city of New Odessa north of Nikolaev and launched an offensive towards Odessa.
Pursuing the retreating enemy, the troops of the 8th Guards Army reached the Tiligul estuary on March 31, 1944 and crossed it. Continuing the offensive, the army's formations on April 9, 1944 approached the western outskirts and the next day took the city of Odessa by a decisive assault. Leaving on April 13, 1944 in the Ovidiopol region, the army's troops took up defensive positions along the northern coast of the Dniester estuary. For participation in the liberation of the city of Odessa 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Orders of Suvorov II degree division on 04/20/1944 was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky II degree.
On June 5, 1944, the 8th Guards Army was withdrawn to the reserve of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, and then the 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Orders of Suvorov II degree and Bogdan Khmelnitsky II degree, a division consisting of the 28th Guards Rifle Corps of the 8th Guards Army was transferred to the 1st Belorussian Front in the area west of the city Kovel of the Volyn region.
In the Lublin-Brest offensive operation that began on July 18, 1944, units of the division successfully crossed the Western Bug River, entered the territory of Poland and, in cooperation with other army formations, liberated the city of Lublin on July 24, 1944. The Siberian guards acted skillfully and decisively when crossing a large water barrier - the Vistula River in the Magnushev area. Having captured the bridgehead, they fought defensive battles on it for six months, successfully repelling all attacks by 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.
On January 14, 1945, the 79th Guards Rifle Division from the Magnuszewski bridgehead took part in the offensive in the Warsaw-Poznań offensive in the direction of Lodz-Schwerin.
January 30, 1945 at 10 am the advance detachment of the 2nd Guards infantry battalion The 220th Guards Rifle Regiment was the first to cross the German border, and on February 2, 1945, continuing the offensive, units of the division crossed the Oder River on the move and fought fiercely to expand the bridgehead on its left bank south of Kustrin (Kostshin, Poland).
Since April 16, 1945, the division's soldiers fought bravely and bravely in the Berlin offensive. The division broke through the deep echeloned enemy defenses within one day. The pursuit of the retreating enemy proceeded quickly and in an organized manner. Having broken the fierce enemy resistance on the Seelow Heights and other defensive lines, its units on April 23, 1945, came close to Berlin and until May 2, 1945 they participated in the assault on the German capital.
Street fighting was fierce. Capturing the Temnelgorf airfield, Tiergarten park, participating in the assault on the government quarters of the German capital, the divisional soldiers made their worthy contribution to the defeat of the Berlin grouping.
On May 9, 1945, 79th Guards Rifle Order of Lenin Red Banner Orders of Suvorov II degree and Bohdan Khmelnitsky II degree, the division accepted the surrender of 56 tank corps of the Nazis on the Potsdam Bridge. For exemplary performance of command assignments in Berlin operation, courage of personnel 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Orders of Suvorov II degree and Bogdan Khmelnitsky II degree division on 05/28/1945 was awarded the Order of Lenin.
Parts of the division were awarded orders, received honorary titles:
216th Guards Red Banner Lublin Rifle Regiment;
172th Guards Artillery Berlin Red Banner Regiment;

During the hostilities, 19 soldiers of the division were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 4 soldiers became full cavaliers Orders of Glory, 11 thousand were awarded orders and medals.
The division was commanded by:
Ostroumov Sergey Alexandrovich (12/15/1941 - 02/26/1942), brigade commander;
Batyuk Nikolay Filippovich (02/27/1942 - 03/01/1943), lieutenant colonel;
After being converted to the 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Division:
Batyuk Nikolai Filippovich (03/01/1943 - 07/28/1943), major general, died on 07/28/1943 from illness, was buried in the village. Bathhouse of Donetsk region.
Vagin Leonid Ivanovich (07/29/1943 - 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, according to which the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOVG) began to perform its tasks. When the GSOVG was created, it included, among others, the 8th Guards Army of the Order of Lenin. Self-propelled tank regiments were added to the remaining rifle divisions in the GSOVG.
On March 24, 1954, the GSOVG was renamed the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.
In March 1957, a new state was approved tank divisions Soviet Army and the staff of motorized rifle divisions, which were to replace mechanized and rifle divisions.
79th Guards Tank Zaporozhye Order of Lenin Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division (military unit 58950) of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Order of Lenin Army was stationed in the city of Jena, East Germany.
Composition:
17th Guards Tank Oryol Order of Lenin Red Banner Order of Suvorov Regiment (Saalfeld)
45th Guards Tank Gusyatinsky Order of Lenin Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and B. Khmelnitsky Regiment (Weimar)
211st Tank Kalitskovichsky Red Banner Orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov and B. Khmelnitsky Regiment (Jena)
247th Guards Motorized Rifle Lodz Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Regiment (Weimar)
The 172nd Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Berlin Red Banner Regiment (military unit 35072) was stationed in the city of Rudolstadt, East Germany.
1075 anti-aircraft missile order of B. Khmelnitsky regiment (Weimar)
10 separate reconnaissance battalion (Rudolstadt)
110th Separate Signal Battalion (Jena)
88th Separate Engineer Battalion (Jena)
1079 separate battalion of logistics
66 separate repair and restoration battalion
83 separate medical battalion
364th battalion of chemical protection

By the decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 12/13/1972, the division was awarded the Jubilee Badge of Honor in honor of the 50th anniversary of the USSR and a letter of gratitude from the Soviet Government for successes in combat training and the performance of combat training tasks.
In 1974, in connection with the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Ukraine, the division was awarded an anniversary commemorative medal.

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

In total, over the entire period of the division's existence, 18,600 officers and soldiers who were awarded military orders and medals served in its ranks, including:
ORDERS: Lenin - 52 people; Red Banner - 427 people;
Alexander Nevsky - 173 people; Patriotic War 1,
2nd degree - 1557 people; Red Star - 2682 people;
Glory - 1921 people.
MEDALS: For courage - 5973 people; For military services - 3072 people;
For the defense of Stalingrad - 53 people; For the capture of Berlin -
405 people.
Memory.
In 1975 in high school No. 44 of the city of Volgograd, the Corner of Battle Glory of the 79th Guards Rifle Order of Lenin of the Red Banner Orders of Suvorov II degree and Bogdan Khmelnitsky II degree of the division was created. In the year of the 40th anniversary of the Victory over fascism, the Corner took 1st place in the USSR and was registered as the only full-scale museum of the division.

On October 29, 1977, the Military Historical Museum of the 79th Guards Rifle Order of Lenin of the Red Banner Orders of Suvorov II degree and Bogdan Khmelnitsky II degree of the division was founded in secondary school No. 816 of the Western District of Moscow.

79th Guards Rifle Zaporozhye Order of Lenin Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Bogdan 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 in the period from December 15, 1941 to April 1, 1942, 284 1st rifle division (sd) of the 2nd formation (from 12/15/1941 to 01/07/1942 - 443rd rifle division).

The 284th Rifle Division was formed according to the approved states as part of the management of the division, the 1043rd, 1045th, 1047th rifle regiments, the 820th artillery regiment, a separate training battalion, the 86th separate machine gun battalion, the 112th separate mortar battalion, 353rd separate reconnaissance company, 122nd separate anti-aircraft artillery battery, 589th separate sapper battalion, 784th separate communications battalion, 387th a separate company chemical protection, 424th separate autotransport, 430th separate field bakery, 338th separate medical battalion, 895th separate divisional vetzaret, separate rifle platoon of the special department of the NKVD, divisional marching workshop, 614th field cash desk of the State Bank and 1691st field post station. The first commander of the division was the brigade commander S.A. Ostroumov, on February 27, 1942 he was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel (from October 1942 - Colonel) N.F. Batyuk.

After three months of training, which ended with an inspection check of the USSR People's Commissariat of Defense and the headquarters of the Siberian Military District, the 284th Infantry Division, which received the status of a combat-ready military formation, carried out from April 1 to April 7, 1942, loading its units at the Tomsk station, after which, making a march by transport, by April 16, gathered together in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Yelets station of the Oryol region, where it entered the command of the Bryansk front.

Until April 23, 1942, the 284th Infantry 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 defenses in the 2nd echelon of the front near the town of Yelets.

On May 1, the division was reassigned to the 48th Army of the Bryansk Front, as part of which, from May 1 to May 5, 1942, it took up defensive positions in direct contact with German troops, waging local battles. By June 22, the division was withdrawn from the 48th Army and was urgently transferred to the area of \u200b\u200bthe Kastornaya station, where, being directly subordinate to the Bryansk Front, received combat mission stubborn defense, together with two more rifle divisions, to stop the German grouping of troops that broke through at the junction of the 13th and 40th armies of the Bryansk Front.

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

Units of the 9th tank and motorized infantry divisions, supported by massive air raids, attacked directly on the positions of the 284th Infantry Division. Despite the penetration of German tanks into the combat formations of the 284th Rifle Division, the Siberians remained in their combat positions, cutting off the infantry from armored vehicles, which were thrown with bottles with a combustible mixture, destroyed by artillery fire and anti-tank rifles, and were undermined by anti-tank minefields created on the way of their advance. Only the 5th rifle company of the 1045th rifle regiment destroyed 21 tanks and up to 400 enemy soldiers and officers.

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

During July 2, after six attacks under the cover of a raid of forty aircraft, the enemy failed to break through the Siberian defenses and, leaving up to 80 tanks and two infantry battalions on the battlefield, withdrew to its starting position. The regimental commanders of the 284th Infantry Division effectively used the companies of anti-tank rifles in their reserves, and the commander used the sapper battalion, which threw anti-tank mines on vehicles in order to install them on the paths of advancing enemy tanks that had broken through into the depths of the defense. Reconnaissance groups of regiments and divisions skillfully obtained information about the actions and location of the enemy. A huge role in the fight against tanks was played by the regimental anti-tank artillery units being created. 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 had fought to 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. After completing the combat mission set by the command of the Bryansk Front, destroying 162 tanks, over 3000 soldiers and officers, shooting down 15 aircraft, the 284th Infantry Division, in agreement with the front headquarters on the night of July 5, with a swift strike, joining forces with the 8th Cavalry Corps, escaped from the ring and, having completed a 40-kilometer march, by the end of July 6 reached the area of \u200b\u200bthe station. Terbuny of the Voronezh region.

After reaching the location of its troops, the division command, reporting on the state of affairs and maintaining combat effectiveness, received an order from the army headquarters to occupy a new concentration area, located seventy kilometers north-west of Voronezh. On the night of July 11, the 284th Infantry Division replaced the tank unit in the indicated area, which was defended on the 12-kilometer front.

Since July 18, the division has been conducting two-week offensive battles in the Perekopovka and Ozerki area, 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 in the Ural Military District to replenish and conduct combat training and coordinate the replenished units in order to improve field training 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 area of \u200b\u200bconcentration of st. Lapshinskaya, where it is part of the 10th Reserve Army.

With the receipt of the order of the NKO of the USSR and the directive of the General Staff of the Red Army No. 42/64 on September 17, 1942, the division, entering the active army, was urgently transferred to the Srednaya Akhtuba region in a combined march and enters the Southeastern Front with a location in the forests in the region Zarya, Krasnaya Sloboda, Burkovsky farm, where she concentrated by the end of September 19.

In accordance with order No. 125 of the commander of the South-Eastern Front, the 284th rifle division, having received the task of an offensive, on the night of September 20-21, 1942 crossed the river. Volga and took up defensive positions in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Krasny Oktyabr plant and further south. From September 22, the division, repelling 14 counterattacks, fought offensive battles and by September 28 reached the Steep ravine and the northern slope of the Dolgiy ravine, destroying up to 3,550 enemy soldiers and officers during this period, knocking out 13 tanks and many other military equipment enemy, capturing prisoners and war trophies.

Subsequently, from September 28, by order of the commander of the 62nd Army, units of the division went over to a tough defense on the lines of Banny ravine, Dolgiy ravine, having a leading edge on the eastern slopes of Mamayev Kurgan. Until January 10, 1943, the 284th division stubbornly defended the occupied lines, passing into frequent attacks, improving its positions, destroying the enemy's 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, and the sniper movement was widely deployed. In three months of street fighting, the division's snipers killed 3,166 enemy soldiers and officers. The outstanding sniper V.G. Zaitsev, on whose account there were 242 killed fascists, belong the words that became the motto of the soldiers of Stalingrad: "There is no land for us beyond the Volga."

On January 10, 1943, the division went on the offensive, by the end of the next day it had 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 two weeks of training, 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 taking prisoners up to 400 officers and soldiers of the enemy. Subsequently, units of the division, conducting 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, joining up with units of the 64th Army.

After receiving 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 Barricades plant, exterminating 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 motor vehicles, 80 carts, 36 guns, 26 tanks, 9 aircraft and many other equipment; taken prisoner 1352 officers and soldiers of the enemy; captured a lot of trophies (military equipment and weapons).

On February 6, 1943, the 284th Rifle Division was withdrawn from the active army and, as part of the 62nd Army, departed to the rear for rest and replenishment.

For successful fighting on the front of the fight against the German invaders by 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 military missions by the command on the front of the fight against the German invaders and the valor and courage shown at the same time, the 284th The rifle division was transformed into the 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Division, and the 1043rd, 1045th, 1047th Rifle Regiments, 820th Artillery Regiments - into the 216th, 220th, 227th Guards Rifle and 172- 1st Guards Artillery Regiment.

The remarkable commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov spoke brightly about the role of the 284th Infantry Division in the Battle of Stalingrad: “... In the most difficult days, the 284th Infantry Division was a support for the defenders of the city, behind it was one hundred and thirty Stalingrad days and nights of continuous, everyday battles, without a single minute of rest or just a front-line calm. This is one of those steel divisions that grind the enemy force, providing an opportunity for our troops to prepare a counteroffensive. "

From March 20, the 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Division, having become part of the active army, was transferred by April 7, 1943 by rail to the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Kupyansk, where it switched to an all-round defense in the Mostovaya, Ivanovka, Smirno-Kalugino, Mirnaya Dolina strip with the task not to miss the enemy breakthrough from the direction of Chuguev.

During the fighting, as a result of organizational measures carried out by the Headquarters of the Supreme Command, on April 16, 1943, the 62nd Army was transformed into the 8th Guards Army, the number of military formations of which included the 28th Guards Rifle Corps formed on April 24, with composition 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, the 79th Guards Rifle Division of the Guards Banner, passed on May 2, 1943. At the general formation, each soldier of the division gave 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 was redeployed by June 17 to the area of \u200b\u200bthe Dvurechnaya station, where it performed a combat mission to prevent the enemy from breaking through to the Oskol River from Vasilyevka, Redkogub.

On July 11, the 79th Guards Rifle Division was withdrawn to the reserve of the commander of the 8th Guards Army, located in the area with. Karalov is ready to take part in the Izyum-Barvenkovo \u200b\u200boperation.

With the receipt of the order to enter the battle, the 79th Guards Rifle Division on July 18 begins to cross the Seversky Donets River in the area of \u200b\u200bthe village. Knocked down. Despite heavy losses (200 people and 50 horses in one massive raid of enemy aircraft), the division late at night went to the starting area for the offensive and in the morning of July 19 went over to the attack.

Suffering heavy losses under enemy fire from his strongholds, and under the attacks of German aviation, which in groups of 6 - 9 planes, replacing each other, patrolled the advancing units, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, having lost 500 people killed and wounded, with two rifle regiments wedged into the enemy's defenses to a depth of 2 km and, having seized a bridgehead, entrenched itself at an intermediate line.

From the morning of July 20, the 79th Guards Rifle Division continued to fight, repelling the attacks of tanks 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, and burned and knocked out 15 tanks. The division's losses on July 21 amounted to 656 people killed and 750 wounded.

On the same day, the battery commander 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 a 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.

In the afternoon of July 27, 1943, unable to withstand the inhuman load and bitterness of losses, the commander of the 79th Guards Rifle Division, Major General N.F. Batyuk. The next day, July 28, Colonel L.I. Vagin.

Fierce oncoming battles of the 79th Guards Rifle Division with German units in the area with. The Naked Valley continued until July 29. On the night of July 30, having transferred its line of defense to the 39th Guards Rifle Division, the 79th Guards Rifle Division occupied the starting 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, launched an 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 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, entered the second echelon of the corps on August 7.

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 a successful offensive on September 6, the division, having captured the southern and southeastern outskirts of the city of Slavyansk, set about pursuing the retreating enemy. During the period of battles from 8 to 15 September, units of the division took possession of twenty settlements and the town of Barvenkovo, destroyed 792 enemy soldiers and officers, dozens of units of military equipment and artillery weapons. The losses of the division amounted to 206 people 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 a mission - with the support of the 212th tank, 188th mortar, 184th anti-tank fighter regiments, 215th cannon-artillery regiments, a 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's defenses and advance in the direction of Natalyevka, Kryukov, Transmission, Zaporozhye. The numerical strength of the division was 5114 people, of which 1750 were infantry soldiers.

The assault on the Zaporizhzhya bridgehead began at 7:50 am on October 10, 1943. Part of the division, having gone over to 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 At the end of the day, it was entrenched on the achieved lines, starting to prepare for the offensive the next day. During October 11 and 12, 1943, the division, conducting offensive operations, did not have advancement, nevertheless, it undermined the enemy's defenses, inflicting damage on him in men and equipment. The division's losses in the two days of the offensive in killed and wounded amounted to 1,332 people.

After an unsuccessful day's attack, the division launched a night offensive, which began at 11:10 pm 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 enemy's resistance, the division began pursuing him and by 8 o'clock reached the line: the western outskirts of Granitny, 300 m east of Kryukov, height 108.5. The enemy launched fierce counterattacks. In turn, the division, pulling up fire weapons and ammunition, at 22 o'clock went on the attack and began to pursue the retreating enemy. By 11:30 on October 14, 1943, having captured the central part of Zaporozhye, the 79th Guards Rifle Division reached the left bank of the river by 14:00. Dnieper is ready to force it.

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

Having completed the rout and destruction of the enemy's Zaporozhye 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 active 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 at dawn offensive actions of infantry and tanks, 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 up a new starting position for the offensive. After a series of offensive battles, exactly one month later, the division returned to its former defense area, taking it from the 25th Guards. sd. From December 30, 1943 to January 5, 1944, the division, having changed its location several times, went over to a tough defense by order 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 German troops, were preparing for offensive operations. On the morning of February 2, units of the division, attacking on the move knocking down stubborn enemy resistance, began pursuing him in the general direction on the village. Novo-Pokrovskoe.

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

Subsequently, having surrendered its defense sector on February 22 to units of the 259th Infantry Division of the 3rd Guards Army, the division made a march, concentrating in the Vodyanoe, Vlazhnoe, Pologi area. Subsequently, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, having carried out a night march through the muddy roads, by March 2 concentrated in the area of \u200b\u200bShirokoe, 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 during the rest of the day fought to expand the bridgehead on the right bank of the river. Ingulets. Over the next days, in pursuit of the retreating enemy, the division daily with battle liberated settlements, 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 forcing of the river began. Ingulets, continuing to sweep away the German barriers on his way. By March 18, units of the division reached the left bank of the river. Southern Bug, which they began to cross the very next day.

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

The 79th Guards Rifle Division, which distinguished itself in battles in the Ingulets-Southern Bug interfluve, 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 \u200b\u200bthe city of Novaya Odessa north of Nikolaev and launched an offensive towards Odessa.

In the course of the Odessa operation, pursuing the retreating enemy as part of the army, units of the 79th Guards Rifle Division on March 31, 1944, reached the Tiligul estuary and crossed it. Continuing the offensive, the division on April 9, 1944 approached the western outskirts of Odessa and during the offensive 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, the 79th Guards Rifle Division on April 13, 1944 reached the area of \u200b\u200bOvidiopol and took up defensive positions along the northern coast of the Dniester estuary.

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

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

In the Lublin-Brest offensive operation, which began on July 18, units of the division successfully crossed the river. 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 guards acted skillfully and decisively when crossing a large water barrier - r. Vistula in the Mangushev area. Having captured the bridgehead, they fought defensive battles on it for six months, successfully repelling all attacks by 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.

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

At 10 o'clock in the morning on January 30, 1945, the vanguard 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 had arrived in the morning, the 79th Guards Rifle Division crossed the Oder River and fought fiercely to expand the bridgehead on its left bank south of the city of Kustrin (Kostrina, Poland).

So, during the fighting, the 6th rifle company of the 220th regiment of the 79th guards rifle division was among the first to engage in a battle for the height of 81.5 on the left bank of the Oder. The company was commanded by the son of an Altai hunter of the guard, senior lieutenant A.S. Saveliev. Skillfully deploying his forces, he attacked the enemy at night, captured three bunkers and turned 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 machine gun fire on them from the captured bunkers. Grenades flew at the rushing Nazis. Three times the enemy made counterattacks and each time, leaving dozens of killed and wounded on the battlefield, he rolled back. The hollow, along which the enemy was rushing to the bunkers, was strewn with the corpses of his soldiers. Savelyev was wounded in the leg and shoulder, but he continued to lead 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. Savelyev was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded him this high title.

Meanwhile, units of the 79th Guards Rifle Division as part of the 28th Guards Rifle Corps continued to expand the captured bridgeheads and eliminate the encircled enemy garrisons. In connection with the problem of supplying 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 in urban conditions.

With the beginning of the Berlin operation, the 79th Guards Rifle Division at 5 a.m. Moscow time (3 a.m. Berlin time) on April 16 from its starting positions south of the village of Seelow began an offensive in the direction of the Seelow Heights and by 12 noon captured its section of the main German defense line and approached the second lane, which could not be captured on the move. Darkness prevented the advance from developing.

Over the next day, having launched an offensive after a 30-minute preparation at 10:30 am Moscow time in the direction of Dolgelin, Litzen, Marksdorf, by the end of the second day of the offensive, the division completed its combat mission, capturing the Seelow Heights. The advance into the depths of the German defense took place with incredible difficulty. And only decisive actions by Soviet soldiers brought success in battle. So, the 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. Semikova. At the crossroads of the railway and the Dolgelin - Frankfurt highway, five buried German tanks were on the way of the regiment's advance. Neither heavy guns nor Katyusha volleys could cope with them. The armor of these tanks was covered with piles of road cobblestones. Semikov sent experienced sappers with faust cartridges and explosives to their rear. After several explosions, the tanks ceased fire and their crews fled. The regiment completed its combat mission. Brave regiment commander, personal feat inspiring soldiers and commanders, he was seriously wounded and failed 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 entering the Berlin circuit highway on April 21, 1945, the 79th Guards Rifle Division, as part of the corps and the army, turned towards the southern outskirts of Berlin and on the move, with almost no losses and low expenditure of forces and resources, crossed R. Spree.

From the morning of April 23, the division took a direct part in the offensive on the German capital with the task of destroying the enemy in the indicated sector of the Berlin suburb and further moving in the direction of the Teltow Canal, which was reached the next day of the battle.

The final assault on Berlin began on 25 April. The 79th Guards Rifle Division, reorganizing 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 storming of the imperial chancellery on April 26, 1945, the bannerman of the 220th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 79th Guards Rifle Division of the Guard, Sergeant N. Masalov, rescued a German girl by taking her out from under the shelling of the Nazis against our troops. The feat of the Siberian Kemerovo resident inspired the sculptor E. Vuchetich to create a monument to the liberator soldier in Berlin's Treptow Park.

During the battle, a new task was received for 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 plane has taken off from the airfield into the air. In the following days, units of the division continued to advance towards the center of Berlin, participated in the assault on the Tiergarten. The 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 tank army S.I. Bogdanov.

At 0-00 o'clock 40 minutes on May 2, on the wave of the radio station of the 79th Guards Rifle Division, the 56th German Tank Corps addressed in plain text in Russian about a ceasefire and the expulsion of parliamentarians with a white flag, about which the division commander reported to the army commander.

At 6:00 on May 2, the commander of the 56th Panzer Corps, General of Artillery Weidling, accompanied by two generals of his staff, crossed the front line and surrendered.

After some time, the 79th Guards Rifle Zaporozhye Order of Lenin Red Banner Orders of Suvorov II degree and Bohdan Khmelnitsky II degree, the division accepted the surrender of the 56th Panzer Corps of the Nazis on the Potsdam Bridge.

On May 28, 1945, the 79th Guards Rifle Zaporozhye Red Banner Orders of Suvorov II degree and Bohdan Khmelnitsky II degree awarded the Order of Lenin for the exemplary performance of the command assignments in the Berlin operation and the courage of the personnel.

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

During the hostilities, 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 Infantry Division was commanded by:

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

After transforming it into the 79th Guards Rifle Red Banner Division:

• Batyuk Nikolay Filippovich (03/01/1943 - 07/27/1943), Major General, died on July 28, 1943 from a sudden heart failure, was buried in the village. Bathhouse of 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, according to which the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOVG) began to fulfill the tasks of the Soviet government. When the GSOVG was created, the 8th Guards Army of the Order of Lenin was included in it, among others.

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

After the 28th Guards Rifle Corps was disbanded in June 1956, 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 previous serial number of the military formation during the war - 79th - division was returned on January 11, 1965.

By the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 12/13/1972, the 79th Guards Tank Zaporozhye Order of Lenin Order of Lenin 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 diploma for success in combat training and performance of combat training tasks Of the Soviet Government.

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

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

V.I. GolikovDirector of the Institute of Military Education. National Research Tomsk State University, Ph.D., Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences

& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The combat path of the 79th Guards Zaporozhye Order of Lenin, the Red Banner, the Orders of Suvorov and Bohdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Division
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On December 15, 1941, the second formation of the 284th Infantry Division began in Tomsk. It included the 1043rd, 1045th, 1047th rifle and 820th artillery regiments. The brigade commander S.A. Ostroumov was appointed the division commander, and the brigade commissar KT Zubkov was appointed the military commissar. In February 1942, Lieutenant Colonel N. F. Batyuk became the division commander.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The formation and training of personnel ended by mid-March 1942, and on March 16, echelons with divisional units went to the front. In early April, units of the division disembarked from echelons 15-20 km south-west of the city of Yelets, Oryol (now Lipetsk) region, where they completely received the missing weapons and equipment and continued their combat training.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp At the end of May, the division was transferred to the area of \u200b\u200bthe village of Kastornoye in the east of the Kursk region and became part of the 40th Army of the Bryansk Front. In the area of \u200b\u200bthe Kastornoye station, units of the 284th rifle division began to build anti-tank defenses. On the eastern bank of the Olym River, with the help of the local population, trenches, communication trenches and shelters for equipment in full profile were torn off. Wood-earth bunkers were also built. In the zone of only the 1043rd rifle regiment, 23 bunkers were built. Anti-tank guns were placed on the front line of the defense.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp At the end of June, the Germans, having broken through the front of the Red Army troops, began an offensive to the east, towards Voronezh. On July 1, 1942, the 284th Infantry Division took the first battle with the advanced German units in the area of \u200b\u200bthe village of Yegoryevka, 6 km west of Kastorny. Two battalions of enemy infantry attacked the positions of the 1043rd Infantry Regiment, but the enemy fell under a system of well-spent fire, and almost all of them were destroyed. The enemy threw another battalion into battle, but he suffered the same fate.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Above location. 1043rd and 1045th rifle regiments, a group of German bombers appeared, after which up to 80 enemy tanks and motorized infantry moved to the junction of the regiments in the village of Yegoryevka. A four-day battle began. On the very first day, the division's artillerymen destroyed more than 20 enemy tanks. Five more were blown up in minefields, but the enemy did not reckon with the losses.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp In one of the anti-tank nodes south of the Ozerki state farm, a large group of Nazi tanks was moving towards the platoon of junior lieutenant NS Uchanov. From a distance of 600 m, the guns opened fire with direct fire. Only after 9 tanks were knocked out, the Nazis retreated and increased the mortar fire. Junior lieutenant NS Uchanov also died from a machine-gun burst. Enemy machine gunners burst into Siberian trenches in places, but were destroyed in hand-to-hand combat.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The enemy, having broken through in some places, cut the supply routes of the division with ammunition and necessary equipment. All captured weapons were registered in the regiments. The scouts of the division, under cover of night, infiltrated the enemy's defenses and quietly captured the ammunition depot. The trophy car was loaded with ammunition and drove to their place, and the remains were destroyed.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On the morning of July 3, more than 35 German planes flew into Kastornoye. An hour later, the village was destroyed and engulfed in flames. Enemy planes bombed the battle formations of the regiments. After such treatment, the enemy infantry again went into the attack, which was repulsed. It came to a bayonet fight. Tank attacks did not stop either. The 284th Division was completely surrounded on 4 July. On the night of 4 to 5 July, the regiments of the division, by order of the command, broke through the encirclement, and went in the northern direction to the location of the 8th Cavalry Corps. The division, although it suffered losses, remained in a combat-ready state. In the battles near Kastorny, the medics of the division also worked selflessly. They saved lives of hundreds of soldiers, although they themselves suffered losses.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Under pressure superior forces enemy troops of the Red Army were forced to withdraw to the east, and on July 6, 1942, the enemy captured most of Voronezh, but he did not go further. The 284th Infantry Division took up defenses 60 km north-west of Voronezh in the vicinity of the villages of Perekopovka and Ozerki. The Siberian 237th Infantry Division also became the right neighbor. The Siberian warriors, strengthening their defenses, created a network of full-profile trenches, a system of wood-earth bunkers, the approaches to which were mined. On the most tank-hazardous areas, mobile groups of miners were created with a supply of anti-tank mines. The enemy often launched infantry attacks with tank and air support, but they were all repulsed with heavy losses for the enemy. At the end of July 1942, the 284th Rifle Division was withdrawn from combat and withdrawn to the rear for replenishment and rest.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp In mid-September, the division was transferred to Stalingrad, where it became part of the 62nd (future 8th Guards) army, in which it remained until the Victory. Having crossed the Volga under enemy fire, the Siberian regiments immediately entered the battle for the Mamayev Kurgan, captured by the enemy.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp It was the most intense period in the defense of Stalingrad. The enemy tried to throw the defenders into the Volga and capture the city. In two places, fascist machine gunners broke through to the river bank and thus cut the combat formations of the 62nd Army. The fighting took place in the streets of the city, in the ruins of factories and destroyed houses. In multi-storey dilapidated buildings, battles were fought even for each floor. The 284th Rifle Division, having begun the battles for the Mamayev Kurgan, in fierce battles captured the eastern slopes of this height and did not concede a single meter to the enemy. The defenders of the city had no tanks, the tanks simply could not pass through the streets littered with debris. All artillery fired from the left bank with the help of spotters. Our soldiers were armed with only personal weapons, grenades and light mortars. In units and subunits, sniper movement developed. The junior lieutenant from the 1047th rifle regiment of the division V.G. Zaitsev distinguished himself especially. By the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, the killed enemy soldiers and officers on his combat account were 242. To fight our snipers, the Germans even summoned their best sniper from Berlin. But it was also destroyed by V.G. Zaitsev. In February 1943, V.G. Zaitsev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp In the fierce daily battles, the ranks of Siberians melted away. It happened that the lightly wounded, after being bandaged in the medical battalion, returned to the trenches and again took up arms. The defenders of the city did not have anti-aircraft artillery, and the 16th Air Force had a small number of fighters. Taking advantage of this, German bombers bombed the positions of the 284th Infantry Division unhindered all day. Then Senior Sergeant Pleshkov came up with a simple device for firing at aircraft from an anti-tank rifle. On a vertically driven axle, he put on a heavy wheel and attached his gun to it. From this "anti-aircraft gun" Pleshkov shot down two enemy bombers. Following his example, the soldiers of the 1045th Infantry Regiment shot down seven German aircraft with anti-tank rifles.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On November 11, the enemy launched the third and final assault on the city. At dawn, the positions of the 284th Infantry Division began to attack enemy aircraft, then artillery, after which the infantry went into the attack. Particularly persistently, the fascists attacked the area of \u200b\u200bthe "Barrikady" and "Red October" factories. In the southern part of the Barricades plant, a subdivision of German machine gunners in a 500-meter strip even reached the bank of the Volga, but the next day, soldiers of the 1045th rifle regiment, with the help of a rifle company from the 95th division, drove the enemy out of the captured area.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On November 19, 1942, after a powerful artillery preparation, the troops of the Southwestern, and the next day, the Stalingrad fronts began a counteroffensive to encircle and defeat the 6th German army. The offensive developed successfully, and on November 23 the troops united in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Kalach, thus encircling the German troops in the Stalingrad area.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Taking advantage of the fact that the German command weakened the pressure on Stalingrad, having transferred part of the troops to the west of the city, the 62nd Army went on the offensive and formations. The 284th Rifle Division directed its main blow to capture the Mamayev Kurgan. With heavy fighting, the soldiers of the division marched forward. Sometimes the advance in a day was only 100-150 m. The enemy desperately resisted. Sometimes one and the same trench changed hands several times. The battles for Mamaev Kurgan continued for a long time, and only in mid-January 1943 did divisional units completely clear it of the enemy.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On January 26, the soldiers of the 284th Rifle Division united on the western slopes of the kurgan with units of the 51st Guards Rifle Division, advancing from the west. On February 2, 1943, the encircled northern group of fascist troops surrendered, and the Battle of Stalingrad ended.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On February 8, 1943, for the exemplary fulfillment of command assignments, for the courage and heroism of personnel shown in battles, the 284th rifle division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and on March 1, it was transformed into the 79th Guards rifle division. The numbers of its regiments also changed: the 1043rd Rifle became the 216th Guards Rifle, the 1054th - the 220th Guards Rifle, the 1047th - the 227th Guards Rifle, and the 820th Artillery - the 172th Guards Artillery.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The 62nd Army in full force was withdrawn to the rear for reorganization and replenishment. Army formations received new weapons and equipment.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On April 16, 1943, the 62nd Army was transformed into the 8th Guards Army. At this time, the army, by order of the Headquarters, was part of the South-Western Front and occupied the defense line along the left bank of the Seversky Donets River near the town of Izium, Kharkiv Region. In the period from 17 to 27 July, the troops of the Southwestern Front conducted the Izyum-Barvenkovo \u200b\u200boperation. Its purpose was to pin down, and under favorable conditions, defeat the enemy's grouping in the Donbass and prevent the transfer of its forces to the Kursk Bulge area. After powerful artillery and air preparation, the 8th Guards Army crossed the Severskiy Donets, captured bridgeheads on its right bank and wedged into the enemy's defenses to a depth of 5 km. On the second day, to complete the breakthrough, the tank and mechanized corps began to enter the battle in parts. However, by this time, the German command had pulled up its reserves - three tank divisions. Attempts to complete the breakthrough of the enemy's tactical defense were unsuccessful. The 8th Guards Army, having captured two bridgeheads in the first days, by July 27, during stubborn battles, was able to unite them into a common one - along the front 25 km and to a depth of 2-5 km. Despite the fact that the enemy's defenses were not completely broken through, the front armies pinned down the enemy's reserves by their actions, thereby providing assistance to the troops of the Voronezh Front in conducting a defensive operation near Kursk.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp In these battles on July 21, near the village of Dolina, Slavyansky district of Donetsk region, the battery commander of the 172th Guards Artillery Regiment of the 79th Guards Division, Hero of the Soviet Union, Senior Lieutenant I. Z. Shuklin, who received this high rank for the battle with Nazi tanks near the village of Perekopovka, died in the Kursk region on July 26, 1942, when his battery, having destroyed 14 enemy tanks, forced the rest to turn back.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp In the Donbass offensive operation, the troops of the 8th Guards Army on August 22 broke through the enemy's defenses from a bridgehead on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River south of the town of Izium, which they recaptured from the enemy a month ago. Immediately, the front's mobile forces entered this breakthrough - the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, which had up to 200 tanks and full staff. At the same time, the troops of the 12th Army were introduced into the breakthrough, developing an offensive towards the city of Zaporozhye. In the outbreak of the Donbass offensive operation, all the armies of the South-West and Southern fronts... The general front of the offensive was about 500 km. The 8th Guards Army was advancing in the second echelon of the Southwestern Front.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The enemy, under pressure from the advancing fronts, was forced to retreat to the west, hoping to stop the advance of the Red Army troops on the eastern rampart, which was built on the left bank of the Dnieper River. On September 22, the advancing troops approached Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye and Melitopol, completely liberating Donbass and most of the northern coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. The Donbass operation is over.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The 8th Guards Army changed the formations of the 3rd Guards and 12th armies on the outer contour of the enemy defense of Zaporozhye along the Volnaya gully - Krinichnoe - Yantsevo station - the eastern outskirts of Druzhelyovka - Novostepnyanskoe. The headquarters of the formations began to develop plans for a further offensive. On October 1, 1943, a powerful artillery preparation began in a 25 km wide breakthrough sector, under the cover of which the infantry rose to attack, but heavy enemy fire from the depths of its defense several times forced the attackers to stop and chop, and sometimes retreat almost to the initial position. The first days of the onset did not bring success.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The offensive of the 8th Guards Army was suspended in order to reconnoitre the enemy's fire system. The offensive resumed on October 10, 1943. Fierce battles for the city did not stop for four days, and only on October 14 Zaporozhye was liberated. For the courage shown in the battles for the liberation of the city, the 79th Guards Rifle Division was awarded the honorary title of Zaporozhye.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On October 22, the 8th Guards Army's formations, by order of the front, concentrated south of Dnepropetrovsk, crossed the Dnieper River, and on October 25, the 79th Guards Rifle Division of the army, together with the 152nd Rifle Division of the 46th Army, liberated the city of Dnepropetrovsk from the invaders.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The front command set a task for the 8th Army: to attack the regional center of the Dnipropetrovsk region - the city of Apostolovo. On November 15, 1943, the offensive of the army to the left of the Dnepropetrovsk-Apostolovo railway began. The first days of the offensive were very difficult. The Germans threw tanks into counterattacks, and our infantry had only anti-tank rifles and horse-drawn field artillery to fight them. For six days of the offensive, the army's troops advanced only 10 km into the depth of the ramified enemy defenses. The settlements of Natalino, Nezabudino, Categorinovka and others were liberated.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Some turning point was outlined by November 20. The tanks of the 23rd Panzer Corps began to approach the troops of the 8th Guards Army, but there were too few of them. By this time, the corps had only 17 tanks and 8 self-propelled artillery mounts. The companies in the rifle regiments also thinned out. They numbered 20-30 people. The tension and the weather worsened. At the end of the year, it always rains in southern Ukraine, often with wet snow. The dirt roads along which the troops were moving were so messed up that sometimes the tanks sat down on the bottom and could not get under way without help.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On November 27, the offensive continued with the support of a tank corps, and the troops advanced 10-12 km that day, liberating the villages of Propashnoe, Aleksandropol, Petrakovka. On December 10, the army's formations captured the large settlements of Chumaki, Tomkovka, Lebedinsky in the Nikopol region, but could not advance further. The enemy fought desperately, holding the manganese mines. Despite bad weather and complete muddy roads, on January 10, 1944, the offensive resumed, but it developed slowly. In early February, army units liberated the village of Sholokhove, Nikopol district, creating a threat to encircle the Nikopol group of fascist troops. The German command began to withdraw its troops from the area, which allowed Soviet troops to liberate the city of Marganets on February 5, and the city of Nikopol on February 8. On February 5, troops of the 46th Army liberated Apostolovo, an important railway junction.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Developing an offensive to the south-west of Apostolovo, the 8th Guards Army's formations reached the left bank of the Ingulets River in the vicinity of the villages of Novokurskaya and Shesternya on February 29. On March 3, army troops crossed Ingulets and seized a bridgehead on its right bank. From this bridgehead, the 8th Guards Army, having broken through the enemy's defenses on March 6, developed an offensive towards the city of Nikolaev. Fighting off fierce enemy counterattacks, the 79th Guards Division and the entire 8th Guards Army,
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp March 25 crossed the Southern Bug River in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of New Odessa north of Nikolaev, and launched an offensive towards Odessa. The 79th Guards Rifle Division, which distinguished itself in battles between the Ingulets-Southern Bug rivers, was awarded the Order of Suvorov. Pursuing the retreating enemy, the troops of the 8th Guards Army reached the Tiligul estuary on March 31 and crossed it. Continuing the offensive, the army's formations approached the western outskirts on April 9 and the next day captured the city of Odessa by a decisive assault. For participation in the liberation of the city, the 79th Guards Rifle Division was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Leaving on April 13 in the Ovidiopol region, the army's troops took up defensive positions along the northern coast of the Dniester estuary.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp On June 5, 1944, the 8th Guards Army was withdrawn to the reserve of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, and then transferred to the 1st Belorussian Front in the area west of the town of Kovel, Volyn region. In the Lublin-Brest offensive operation that began on July 18, the division's units successfully crossed the Western Bug River, entered the territory of Poland and, in cooperation with other armies, liberated the city of Lublin on July 24, 1944. The Siberian guards acted skillfully and decisively when crossing a large water barrier - the Vistula River in the Magnushev area. Having captured the bridgehead, they fought defensive battles on it for six months, successfully repelling all attacks by 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. In mid-January 1945, the 79th Guards Rifle Division took part in the offensive from the Magnushevsky bridgehead in the Warsaw-Poznan offensive operation, at the end of which it crossed the Oder River and seized a bridgehead on its left bank south of Kustrin (Kostshin).
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Warriors of the division fought bravely and bravely in the Berlin offensive. Having broken the fierce enemy resistance on the Seelow Heights and other defensive lines, on April 23, its units came close to Berlin and until May 2 participated in the assault on the German capital.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp For the exemplary performance of the command assignments in the Berlin operation, the courage of the personnel of the 79th Guards Rifle Division was awarded the Order of Lenin. Nineteen soldiers of the division, including four Siberians, became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Molochaev I.P.The combat path of the Siberian divisions in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. - Novosibirsk: Publishing house of the SB RAS NITs OIGGM, 2000.

& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp 79th Guards Zaporozhye Order of Lenin Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Rifle Division & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp There is a Soviet soldier-liberator in the Treptow Park in Berlin, clutching a child to his chest and chopping a hated swastika with a sword with a mighty hand. This bronze soldier is a symbol of our entire army, of the entire Soviet people. And the little girl on the soldier's hand? Saved world? Young, renewed Germany? Europe liberated from fascism? May be. But there is a specific soldier and a specific girl rescued by this soldier in the last hours before the Victory. This feat is described in dozens of books, and it served the sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich as artistic image Victory. This soldier is Nikolai Ivanovich Masalov, a Siberian, the flag officer of the 220th regiment of the 79th Guards Rifle Division, who went to the front from Tomsk.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The 284th Rifle Division completed its formation in the winter of 1942 and departed for the Bryansk Front. The division was headed by Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Filippovich Batyuk. In July 1942 the division was baptized by fire near Kastornaya in the Voronezh direction. Covering the retreating Soviet units, for about five days, with incredible efforts, she held back the onslaught of Hitler's hordes, which had a significant superiority in forces and means. More than 8000 enemy soldiers and officers, over 160 tanks were destroyed in front of the heroes' positions. 284 did not back down a step. The enemy surrounded the division, but it escaped from the ring, honorably fulfilling the order of the command.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbspAll July, the division fought fierce battles in the Perekopovka-Ozerki area. Here Ilya Shuklin, a graduate of the Tomsk Artillery School, performed an immortal feat: in one battle he destroyed 14 enemy tanks.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbspIn mid-September, the 284th arrived in Stalingrad in the midst of the battle. The commander of the 62nd Army, V.I. Chuikov, sent the Siberians to the most important sectors of the battle. Mamaev Kurgan, "the tractor plant," Barricades "remember the immortal courage of the Tomsk residents." There is no land beyond the Volga for us! " - said famous sniper divisions Vasily Zaitsev, and these words became the motto of all Stalingrad residents. In the fire and smoke of Stalingrad, the 284th became the 79th Guards Division.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbspZaporozhye ... Odessa ... Lodz ... Lublin ... Berlin ... Battles, heavy and bloody. Three years - a solid battle. The 79th will have to accept the surrender of the last hotbed of resistance in Berlin, make the last shot in the former capital of the Reich, capture Tempelhof airport and dozens of streets. It was then that Nikolai Masalov carried out from under the bridge, under fire, a half-dead German girl.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbspThe division ended the war four times with the Order of the Guards. On the battle banners of its units there are fourteen orders. Nineteen of her soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The division was led into battle at different stages of the war by commanders: N.F.Batyuk and D.I. Vagin, military commissar K.T.Zubkov, chief of staff V.S.Korpe and A.K.Sadovsky.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbspIn the Museum of Military Glory, created at School No. 34 in Tomsk, a rich material has been collected about combat path division, the exploits of its soldiers.