110th Guards Rifle Division

The 110th Guards Rifle Division was a Soviet Guards infantry division formed in 1943 during the Red Army’s large-scale reorganization of rifle formations. It was created from the 5th Guards Rifle Brigade and the 7th Guards Rifle Brigade, both of which had developed from earlier airborne formations and had already gained Guards status through combat service. The division was officially organized in August 1943 and entered active service on 7 September as part of the 37th Army in the Steppe Front. Its first major operation was the advance across eastern Ukraine toward the Dnieper River. In late September 1943, the division helped reinforce and expand Soviet bridgeheads southeast of Kremenchug. The crossing was conducted under difficult conditions, with shortages of boats, pontoons, fuel, ammunition, and artillery support. Elements of the division crossed into the bridgehead near Myshuryn Rih and fought for settlements and heights including Deriivka, Kutsevolovka, and Height 177.0. German counterattacks included tanks and mechanized infantry, requiring the division to fight in cooperation with other Guards formations and the 43rd Tank Regiment. Nearly thirty members of the division were eventually recognized as Heroes of the Soviet Union for their actions during the Dnieper fighting. The division received important honors during the winter of 1943–44, including a divisional honorific, the Order of the Red Banner, and the Order of Suvorov. In February 1944 it transferred to the 49th Rifle Corps of the 53rd Army. It remained under the 53rd Army for the rest of the war and spent most of that period with the 49th Rifle Corps. During the spring of 1944, the 110th Guards advanced with the 2nd Ukrainian Front toward the Dniester and the Moldavian border. The front subsequently paused along the river. When the Soviet summer offensive began in August, the division advanced through Romania and Hungary. After the fall of Budapest in February 1945, it participated in the campaigns that overran Slovakia and continued westward. The division ended the European war in the area of Prague and was subsequently transferred with its army to the Soviet Far East. In August 1945, the formation took part in the Soviet offensive against Japanese forces in Manchuria. Its role involved movement and operations with the 18th Guards Rifle Corps, although it experienced relatively limited combat compared with its service in Europe. After the war, the division was relocated with the corps to western Siberia. It was later converted back into a Guards rifle brigade at Irkutsk, bringing its existence as a division to an end. The formation is therefore best understood not as a commercial brand but as a historical military organization whose identity derived from its Guards status, wartime honors, lineage, and service record.

The 110th Guards Rifle Division was formed in the summer of 1943 from the 5th Guards Rifle Brigade and the 7th Guards Rifle Brigade. This reflected a broader Red Army policy of converting surviving rifle brigades into divisions, which was intended to use manpower and supporting weapons more efficiently. Both parent brigades had earlier airborne connections. The 5th Guards Rifle Brigade had originated as the second formation of the 1st Airborne Brigade and had fought in the Caucasus region before being withdrawn for rebuilding. The 7th Guards Rifle Brigade had been formed from the third formation of the 3rd Airborne Brigade and had fought in the North Caucasus and Taman Peninsula campaigns. The two brigades were combined on 3 August 1943 while associated with the 37th Army in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. Because both constituent brigades were already Guards formations, the new division did not receive a separate Guards banner presentation. Its initial structure included the 307th, 310th, and 313th Guards Rifle Regiments, the 247th Guards Cannon Artillery Regiment, the 636th Guards Divisional Artillery Brigade, the 823rd Guards Mortar Regiment, and a range of antitank, reconnaissance, engineer, signals, medical, chemical-defense, transport, supply, veterinary, postal, and financial units. The division possessed an unusually powerful artillery establishment, approaching that of a small rifle corps. Colonel Mikhail Ivanovich Ogorodov was appointed its commander. The division joined the active army on 7 September 1943 as part of the 37th Army of the Steppe Front. The army advanced through eastern Ukraine during the Red Army’s drive toward the Dnieper. The 110th Guards was initially in the second echelon of the 57th Rifle Corps, but it was committed to the fighting around the Dnieper bridgeheads at the end of September. Its units crossed after other Guards divisions had established footholds near Myshuryn Rih and nearby areas. The operation was hampered by shortages of crossing equipment and by German resistance from infantry, tanks, and mechanized formations. The division’s regiments fought for access to Deriivka, Kutsevolovka, Myshuryn Rih, and surrounding heights. Soviet commanders were forced to commit portions of the division piecemeal as equipment became available. The 43rd Tank Regiment later crossed and supported the division, helping it repel German counterattacks and seize additional high ground. Fighting continued through early October, including actions around Height 177.0. The Dnieper campaign became the division’s most prominent early combat episode, and almost thirty of its personnel received the title Hero of the Soviet Union for their conduct during the operation. During December 1943 and January 1944, the division received a series of honors recognizing its combat performance. These included a divisional honorific, the Order of the Red Banner, and the Order of Suvorov. In February it was reassigned to the 49th Rifle Corps of the 53rd Army. This command relationship remained broadly stable for the rest of the war. With the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the division moved toward the Dniester and reached the Moldavian border in early April 1944, where the advance temporarily stalled. The August 1944 offensive reopened the front. The 53rd Army advanced through Romania and Hungary and reached the Slovak border by the end of the year. Following the Soviet capture of Budapest in February 1945, the 110th Guards took part in the advance into Slovakia during March and April. Its subordinate regiments received additional decorations during this period. The division completed its European wartime service near Prague at the end of the campaign against Germany. After Germany’s defeat, the division and its army were transferred to the Soviet Far East. It became part of the 18th Guards Rifle Corps and participated in the Soviet offensive against Japanese forces in Manchuria in August 1945. The division won another battle honor during this campaign, although it encountered less intense fighting than it had in Europe. After the Japanese surrender, the formation moved with its corps to western Siberia. It was subsequently converted into a Guards rifle brigade at Irkutsk, ending its life as the 110th Guards Rifle Division.

• 1945

  Campaign in Slovakia and near Prague

  [1]110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The division participated in the offensive through Slovakia and completed its European operations near Prague.

• 1945

  Manchurian strategic offensive

  [1]110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  After transferring to the Soviet Far East, the division took part in the August 1945 offensive against Japanese forces in Manchuria.

• 1944

  Transfer to the 53rd Army

  [1]110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  In February 1944, the division joined the 49th Rifle Corps of the 53rd Army, a command relationship it retained for the remainder of the Second World War.

• 1943

  Formation of the division

  [1]110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The 5th Guards Rifle Brigade and 7th Guards Rifle Brigade were combined on 3 August 1943 to form the 110th Guards Rifle Division.

• 1943

  Entry into active service

  [1]110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The division entered the active army on 7 September 1943 with the 37th Army of the Steppe Front.

• 1943

  Dnieper bridgehead operations

  [1]110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The division crossed the Dnieper southeast of Kremenchug and fought to expand Soviet bridgeheads near Myshuryn Rih, Deriivka, and Kutsevolovka.

• 1943

  Receipt of wartime decorations

  [1]110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The division received a divisional honorific, the Order of the Red Banner, and the Order of Suvorov during December 1943 and January 1944.

• 1942

  Parent brigade lineages established

  [1]110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The predecessor formations that later became the division’s two parent brigades were created from Soviet airborne brigades during 1942.

• Conversion into a Guards rifle brigade

  [1]110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  Following postwar relocation to western Siberia, the division was converted back into a Guards rifle brigade at Irkutsk.

Elite Soviet Guards infantry formation specializing in large-scale combined-arms operations, river-crossing assaults, offensive warfare, and sustained front-line service.

• 1945Slovak and Prague operations

  Slovakia and Czechoslovakia

  The division participated in the spring 1945 offensive that overran Slovak positions and advanced toward Prague.

  Outcome. It completed its European wartime service near Prague and several subordinate regiments received decorations.

  Source
• 1945Soviet invasion of Manchuria

  Manchuria

  Transferred to the Far East after Germany’s defeat, the division operated with the 18th Guards Rifle Corps during the Soviet offensive against Japanese forces.

  Outcome. The division received a further battle honor, although its combat was comparatively limited before Japan’s surrender.

  Source
• 1944Advance into Romania and Hungary

  Romania and Hungary

  As part of the 53rd Army and 2nd Ukrainian Front, the division advanced during the Soviet offensive that carried the front through Romania and into Hungary.

  Outcome. The formation reached the Slovak border by the end of 1944 and later continued the advance after Budapest fell.

  Source
• 1943Battle of the Dnieper

  Eastern Ukraine

  The division reinforced Soviet forces establishing bridgeheads across the Dnieper southeast of Kremenchug. Its regiments fought against German infantry, tanks, and mechanized formations around Myshuryn Rih, Deriivka, Kutsevolovka, and nearby heights.

  Outcome. The Soviet bridgehead was retained and expanded, and numerous division personnel were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

  Source

• 1945

  Postwar conversion to brigade structureStrategy

  Background

  After the Second World War, the division was relocated with its corps to western Siberia as the Soviet military reorganized its forces.

  Action taken

  The formation was converted back into a Guards rifle brigade at Irkutsk.

  Aftermath

  The 110th Guards Rifle Division ceased to exist as a division.

  Source

• 1943

  Conversion of Guards brigades into a divisionStrategy

  Background

  The Red Army was reorganizing rifle formations because experience suggested that divisions could employ manpower and supporting weapons more efficiently than many remaining independent brigades.

  Action taken

  The 5th and 7th Guards Rifle Brigades were combined to create the 110th Guards Rifle Division.

  Aftermath

  The new division entered active service in September 1943 and remained in combat through the end of the European war and the Manchurian campaign.

  Source

1. 1110th Guards Rifle Divisionen.wikipedia.org