34th Guards Rifle Division

The 34th Guards Rifle Division was a rifle division of the Red Army during World War II.

34th Guards Rifle Division
Active	29 August 1942 – May 1946
Country	Soviet Union
Allegiance	Red Army / Soviet Army
Branch	Infantry
Engagements	World War II Battle of Stalingrad Donbas Strategic Offensive Battle of the Dnieper Nikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive Siege of Budapest Operation Spring Awakening
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner  Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class
Battle honours	Yenakiyevo

History

The 34th Guards Rifle Division was originally formed on 29 August 1942 from the 7th Airborne Corps in the Moscow Military District. It was assigned to the 28th Army,^[1][2] part of the Southern Front. In April 1943, it was transferred to the 5th Shock Army, which later became part of the 4th Ukrainian Front. After participation in retaking Yenkiyevo, it was awarded the battle honour.^[3] In January 1944, it became part of the 31st Guards Rifle Corps of the 46th Army. In November 1944 it was finally transferred to the 4th Guards Army, which it was part of for the rest of the war.^{[citation needed]} During Operation Konrad I, the 34th Guards were pushed back by battlegroups from the 6th Panzer Division and 8th Panzer Division.^[4]

The division was disbanded in May 1946 with the 31st Guards Rifle Corps in the Central Group of Forces.^[5]

Composition

On 6 August 1942:^[6]

• 103rd Guards Rifle Regiment
• 105th Guards Rifle Regiment
• 107th Guards Rifle Regiment
• 84th Guards Artillery Regiment

Commanders

The following officers commanded the division during World War II:^[7]

• Major General Iosif Gubarevich (8 June 1942 – 7 February 1943)
• Colonel Ivan Dryakhlov (10–20 February 1943)
• Colonel Filipp Braylyan (21 February–6 April 1943)
• Lieutenant Colonel Alexey Belmozhin (7 April–12 June 1943)
• Colonel Filipp Braylyan (13 June–8 November 1943; promoted to major general 15 September)
• Major General Grigory Panchenko (9 November–4 December 1943)
• Colonel Kuzma Parfyonov (5 December 1943 – 5 January 1944)
• Major General Filipp Braylyan (6 January – 28 May 1944)
• Colonel Iosif Maksimovich (29 May – 13 October 1944; promoted to major general 13 September)
• Colonel Gerasim Kuks (14 October 1944 – after 9 May 1945)

References

1. Tarrant, V. E. (1992-11-01). Stalingrad. Pen and Sword. p. 235. ISBN 9780850523423.
2. "Russian Forces, Stalingrad Area" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.
3. "Сталин И.В. Приказ Верховного Главнокомандующего 8 сентября 1943 года [№ 9]". grachev62.narod.ru. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
4. Magazine, Command (2003-01-01). Hitler's Army: The Evolution and Structure of German Forces. Da Capo Press. p. 355. ISBN 0306812606.
5. Feskov et al 2013, p. 415
6. "Russian Guard Rifle Divisions 1941-1945" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23.
7. Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1964, p. 312.

Sources

• Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.
• Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1964). Командование корпусного и дивизионного звена советских вооруженных сил периода Великой Отечественной войны 1941 – 1945 гг [Commanders of Corps and Divisions in the Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945] (in Russian). Moscow: Frunze Military Academy.