300th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
military unit
The 300th Rifle Division began service as a standard Red Army rifle division shortly after the German invasion, and fought in the southwestern part of the Soviet-German front for nearly two years following. It was able to escape the encirclement east of Kiev in September, 1941, and then fought to defend, and later to try to liberate, the city of Kharkov during 1941-42. After falling back under the weight of the German 1942 summer offensive, the division began distinguish itself during Operation Uranus in late 1942, when it helped defeat the German attempt to relieve Sixth Army and later in the pursuit of the defeated Axis forces and the second liberation of Rostov-na-Donu. In recognition of these successes it was raised to Guards status as the 87th Guards Rifle Division. A second 300th Rifle Division was raised a few months later and fought briefly but very successfully against the Japanese in Manchuria in August 1945. The second formation became the 3rd Tank Division in the Far East postwar and was redesignated as the 46th Tank Division in 1957 before disbanding in 1959.
1st Formation
The division began forming on July 10, 1941 at Krasnograd in the Kharkov Military District. Its order of battle was as follows:
1049th Rifle Regiment
1051st Rifle Regiment
1053rd Rifle Regiment
822nd Artillery Regiment
336th Antitank Battalion (from December, 1941)
416th Antiaircraft Battery (later 581st Antiaircraft Battalion)
355th Reconnaissance Company
591st Sapper Battalion
756th Signal Battalion (later 282nd Signal Company)
340th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
389th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
726th Motor Transport Company
386th Field Bakery
643rd Divisional Veterinary Hospital
972nd Field Postal Station
856th Field Office of the State Bank
Col. Pavel Ionovich Kuznetzov was appointed to command of the division on the day it began assembling.
Just a month after forming, the 300th was assigned to 38th Army of Southwestern Front, just as that Army was itself forming up.
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