79th Guards Rifle Division
military unit
The 79th Guards Rifle Division (Russian: 79-я гвардейская стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of the Red Army during World War II.
It was created on 1 March 1943 from the remnants of the 284th Rifle Division, in recognition of that division's stalwart defense against the German Sixth Army in the Battle of Stalingrad, in particular the Mamayev Kurgan hill and parts of the city's center. The 79th Guards continued a record of distinguished service through the rest of the Great Patriotic War, and continued to serve postwar, in several roles, until being finally disbanded in 1992.
It became the 20th Guards Mechanized Division in 1945, 27th Guards Tank Division in 1957, and the 79th Guards Tank Division in 1965. It served with the 8th Guards Army from 1943 until it was disbanded.
World War II
Formation
The 79th Guards was one of several Guards rifle divisions created on 1 March 1943 in the aftermath of the fighting for Stalingrad. It was formed from the remnants of the 284th Rifle Division, in recognition of that division's stalwart defense against the German 6th Army in the Battle of Stalingrad, in particular the Mamayev Kurgan hill and parts of the city's center; it inherited the Order of the Red Banner that the 284th received for these actions on 8 February. When formed, its major units included the:
216th Guards Rifle Regiment from 1043rd Rifle Regiment
220th Guards Rifle Regiment from 1045th Rifle Regiment
227th Guards Rifle Regiment from 1047th Rifle Regiment
172nd Guards Artillery Regiment from 820th Artillery Regiment.
The 284th Rifle Division's commander, Nikolay Batyuk, continued in command, being promoted to the rank of Major General on the day of the division's redesignation as well. The 62nd Army was renamed as the 8th Guards Army on 16 April, and the 79th Guards remained in the latter, in 28th Guards Rifle Corps, for the duration of the war.
Advance across Ukraine
Transferred to the Southwestern Front with the army, the division crossed the Seversky Donets on 18 June near the village of Prishib, capturing a bridgehead, which it fought to retain and expand for the next several weeks.
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