Global Information191st Rifle Division information
| 191st Rifle Division (April 5, 1941 - July 1945) | |
|---|---|
 Monument to soldiers of the 191st Rifle Division on the bank of the Voronka River in the village of Kernovo. Photo by Boris Yeremeev, 1967. | |
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Leningrad strategic defensive Siege of Leningrad Tikhvin offensive Battle of Lyuban Sinyavino offensive (1942) Operation Iskra Leningrad–Novgorod offensive Battle of Narva (1944) Baltic offensive Tartu offensive Riga offensive (1944) Vistula–Oder offensive East Prussian offensive East Pomeranian offensive Battle of Berlin |
| Decorations |  Order of the Red Banner |
| Battle honours | Novgorod |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. Dmitrii Akimovich Lukyanov Maj. Gen. Timofei Vasilevich Lebedev Col. Nikolai Petrovich Korkin Lt. Col. Nikolai Ivanovich Artemenko Col. Pavel Andreevich Potapov Maj. Gen. Ivan Nikolaevich Burakovskii Maj. Gen. Grigorii Osipovich Lyaskin |
The 191st Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed as part of the prewar buildup of forces, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. It began forming just months before the German invasion at Leningrad. At the outbreak of the war it was still not complete and was briefly held in reserve before being sent south to take up positions as part of the Luga Operational Group. After defending along the Kingisepp axis it was forced to withdraw in late August as part of 8th Army, and helped to establish the Oranienbaum Bridgehead. In October it was ferried into Leningrad itself, but was soon airlifted to 4th Army, which was defending against a German drive on Tikhvin. Although the town fell in November, within a week a counterstroke was begun against the vastly overextended German force, which was forced to evacuate on December 8. As it pursued to the Volkhov River the 191st was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, one of the first divisions so honored during the war. During the Lyuban Offensive it penetrated deep into the German lines as part of 2nd Shock Army, but was cut off, and only fragments of the division emerged from the encirclement in early June, 1942. In September it was committed from reserve in an effort to sustain the Second Sinyavino Offensive, but this failed and the division was again encircled and forced to break out at considerable cost. During Operation Iskra in January, 1943 the 191st played a secondary role in reestablishing land communications with Leningrad, partially raising the siege. The division was relatively inactive as part of 59th Army along the Volkhov during the remainder of the year, but in January, 1944 it took part in the offensive that finally drove Army Group North away from Leningrad and received a battle honor for its role in the liberation of Novgorod. As the offensive continued the division advanced as far as Narva, where it was held up for several months. In late July, it staged an assault crossing of the river and helped take the city, for which one of its regiments also gained a battle honor. Following this victory the 191st advanced into Estonia, gradually moving toward the Latvian capital of Riga. Once this city was taken the division was moved south, and by the start of the Vistula–Oder offensive in January, 1945 it was part of 50th Army in 2nd Belorussian Front, but it was soon reassigned to 49th Army, where it remained for the duration. During the East Pomeranian operation it advanced on Gdańsk, and two of its regiments would later receive decorations for their roles in the campaign. During the final campaign into central Germany the 191st crossed the Oder River before pushing northwest into Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; several of its subunits would receive decorations as a result of this fighting in the final days. The division had a fine record of service that encompassed most of the struggle for Leningrad, but it would be disbanded in July.