315th Rifle Division
The 315th Rifle Division was a Soviet Red Army formation that fought from the Stalingrad campaign through the liberation of southern Ukraine and Crimea before continuing in successor formations during the postwar period.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 315th Rifle Division was a Soviet military formation rather than a commercial brand. It was formed for the first time on 12 February 1942 at Barnaul in the Siberian Military District, during the Red Army’s wartime expansion. Its principal wartime regiments were the 362nd, 724th, and 1328th Rifle Regiments, supported by the 1012th Artillery Regiment. By May 1942, the division had assembled more than 12,000 officers and soldiers in the Altai region and was assigned to the reserve forces preparing for deployment to the western front. The division entered the Second World War during the 1942 fighting around Stalingrad. Initially associated with the 1st Guards Army and later other formations of the Stalingrad Front, it was committed to attacks north of the city near Kotluban. These operations attempted to break through the German corridor connecting the Don and Volga Rivers and relieve pressure on the besieged Soviet defenders in Stalingrad. The attacks achieved limited territorial progress and caused severe casualties. One of the division’s regiments, the 724th, penetrated toward Orlovka and later helped hold positions near Spartanovka, while the remainder of the division was transferred to other commands and subsequently withdrawn for rebuilding. After reconstruction, the division returned to the Stalingrad theater in late 1942 as part of the 5th Shock Army. It participated in operations designed to prevent German forces from relieving the encircled 6th Army. In December, its troops crossed the Don near Nizhne-Chirskaya, established a bridgehead, and helped eliminate the German bridgehead east of the river. The division subsequently advanced westward during the Soviet offensives that followed the failure of the German relief attempt and the encirclement of the 6th Army. In 1943, the 315th moved with the 5th Shock Army to the Southern Front and fought along the Mius River. A July offensive created a substantial Soviet bridgehead, but a German counterattack known as Operation Roland overran much of the division’s position. The formation suffered major losses, including approximately 3,000 personnel taken prisoner according to the cited historical account. Despite this setback, the division continued in the southern Ukraine campaign and took part in the liberation of Melitopol. For that action, it received the honorary designation “Melitopol” in October 1943. The division fought in the 1944 Crimean campaign, including operations at Perekop and Sivash and the liberation of the Crimea in April and May. It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 24 April 1944. After the Crimea was cleared, the formation was placed under the Separate Coastal Army and spent the remainder of the war primarily on garrison duty in Crimea. Its wartime title became the 315th Rifle, Melitopol, Order of the Red Banner Division. The formation survived in successive organizational forms after 1945. By 1947 it had been reduced to the 7th Separate Rifle Brigade; the brigade was expanded back into a division in December 1951. It became the 52nd Rifle Division in 1955, was redesignated the 52nd Motor Rifle Division in 1957, and moved from Crimea to Nizhneudinsk in the Transbaikal Military District in 1969. In 1987 it became the 978th Territorial Training Center, and in 1990 the 5208th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base. The storage base was disbanded in 1994, ending the institutional succession associated with the wartime division.
History
The 315th Rifle Division began forming on 12 February 1942 at Barnaul in the Siberian Military District. It completed its initial organization in the Altai region by May, with a strength of more than 12,000 personnel. Its order of battle included the 362nd, 724th, and 1328th Rifle Regiments and the 1012th Artillery Regiment. After a period with the reserve forces, the division was moved toward the Stalingrad theater in August 1942. Its first major combat experience came in the northern approaches to Stalingrad. The division was used in attacks near Kotluban against the German corridor reaching the Volga north of the city. These assaults produced little strategic progress and inflicted heavy losses. The 724th Rifle Regiment temporarily operated with forces defending the Orlovka and Spartanovka areas, while the rest of the formation fought under separate command arrangements north of the corridor. By September, the division had been reduced to a fraction of its original strength and was withdrawn for reorganization. The remnants of the 724th were eventually absorbed into other rifle brigades. The rebuilt division returned to the Stalingrad Front late in 1942. It was assigned to the newly formed 5th Shock Army and took part in operations against the German forces attempting to break through to the encircled 6th Army. In December, it cleared woodland positions east of Verkhne-Chirsky, crossed the Don, and established a bridgehead on the western bank. These actions contributed to the defeat of the relief threat from the west. The division also participated in the Tormosin offensive at the end of December and then advanced toward the Donbas in early 1943. In January 1943, the formation transferred with 5th Shock Army to the Southern Front. It reached the Mius defensive line in February and spent several months in difficult positional fighting. A renewed Soviet assault beginning on 17 July forced a crossing of the Mius and created a deep bridgehead. The German counterstroke, Operation Roland, began on 30 July. The 315th was insufficiently prepared for the attack and much of the division was encircled; the formation lost large numbers of personnel, including about 3,000 prisoners. The division nevertheless remained active in the Soviet advance through southern Ukraine. It served within the 54th Rifle Corps and participated in the liberation of Melitopol. On 23 October 1943, it received the honorary name “Melitopol” in recognition of its role. In early 1944 it moved under the 2nd Guards Army and took part in the Perekop and Sivash operations and the broader Crimean offensive. The division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 24 April 1944. After the liberation of Crimea, the 315th was transferred to the Separate Coastal Army and used mainly for garrison duties. It remained in Crimea through the end of the war, with Kerch identified as its postwar garrison area. The division then passed through a long series of reorganizations. It became the 7th Separate Rifle Brigade by 1947, was re-formed as a division in 1951, and became the 52nd Rifle Division in 1955. In 1957 it was redesignated the 52nd Motor Rifle Division. The formation moved to Nizhneudinsk in the Transbaikal Military District in April 1969, although one regiment remained in Crimea and became the basis for another motor-rifle division. In December 1987, the unit was converted into the 978th Territorial Training Center. On 1 July 1990, it became the 5208th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base. That base was disbanded in 1994, marking the end of the division’s postwar institutional line.
- 1994
Disbandment of the successor base
[1]The 5208th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base was disbanded, ending the documented institutional succession.
- 1990
Conversion into a storage base
[1]On 1 July, the organization became the 5208th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base.
- 1987
Conversion into a training center
[1]The formation was redesignated the 978th Territorial Training Center on 1 December.
- 1969
Transfer to Nizhneudinsk
[1]The division moved to the Transbaikal Military District, where it formed part of the nucleus of the new 29th Army.
- 1957
Motor-rifle redesignation
[1]The successor formation became the 52nd Motor Rifle Division.
- 1951
Re-formation as a division
[1]The 7th Separate Rifle Brigade was expanded back into the 315th Division in December.
- 1944
Order of the Red Banner
[1]The division received the Order of the Red Banner on 24 April for its role in the Perekop, Sivash, and Crimean operations.
- 1943
Mius River fighting and Operation Roland
[1]The division fought along the Mius line and suffered major losses when German forces counterattacked its bridgehead during Operation Roland.
- 1943
Honorific designation Melitopol
[1]On 23 October, the division received the honorary name Melitopol for its participation in the liberation of the city.
- 1942
Formation at Barnaul
[1]The 315th Rifle Division began forming on 12 February in the Siberian Military District and completed its initial organization in the Altai region by May.
Products and positioning
A wartime Soviet rifle formation organized for frontline infantry operations, later converted through several postwar restructuring stages into motor-rifle, training, and equipment-storage organizations.
Rifle regiment · 1942
362nd Rifle Regiment
One of the principal infantry regiments assigned to the division at its formation in 1942.
Rifle regiment · 1942
724th Rifle Regiment
A founding rifle regiment that fought in the northern Stalingrad sector, including the approaches to Orlovka and Spartanovka.
Rifle regiment · 1942
1328th Rifle Regiment
One of the division’s original infantry regiments.
Artillery regiment · 1942
1012th Artillery Regiment
The division’s original artillery component, providing indirect-fire support to its rifle regiments.
Marketing campaigns
- 1944Crimean campaign
Crimea · Soviet Union
The division took part in the Perekop, Sivash, and broader Crimean operations during April and May.
Outcome. The Crimea was liberated from German and Romanian forces, and the division received the Order of the Red Banner.
- 1943Donbas and Mius operations
Southern Ukraine · Soviet Union
The division advanced with the Southern Front, fought along the Mius River, and participated in the July Soviet offensive and subsequent battles against German counterattacks.
Outcome. The division suffered severe losses during Operation Roland but continued the Soviet advance toward Melitopol.
- 1943Liberation of Melitopol
Melitopol · Soviet Union
The 315th participated in the Soviet operation that captured Melitopol in southern Ukraine.
Outcome. The formation received the honorary designation Melitopol on 23 October.
- 1942Stalingrad campaign
Soviet Union
The division fought north of Stalingrad in attacks intended to sever the German corridor to the Volga and relieve the city. It later returned with 5th Shock Army and helped block German relief efforts.
Outcome. The initial attacks were costly and largely unsuccessful, but the later Don operations contributed to the defeat of the relief attempt.
Brand decisions
1990
Conversion into the 5208th Weapons and Equipment Storage BaseStrategyBackground
The Soviet military further reduced the active organizational role of the successor formation.
Action taken
The training center became the 5208th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base.
Aftermath
The storage base was disbanded in 1994.
1987
Conversion into a territorial training centerStrategyBackground
Late Soviet force restructuring changed the role of the motor-rifle formation.
Action taken
The unit became the 978th Territorial Training Center.
Aftermath
It was converted into an equipment-storage base in 1990.
1955
Redesignation as the 52nd Rifle DivisionStrategyBackground
The postwar Soviet military reorganized and renumbered the successor formation.
Action taken
The division was redesignated the 52nd Rifle Division.
Aftermath
It became the 52nd Motor Rifle Division in 1957.
1947
Reduction to a separate rifle brigadeStrategyBackground
Postwar force restructuring reduced the wartime division after it had been used primarily for garrison duties in Crimea.
Action taken
The formation became the 7th Separate Rifle Brigade.
Aftermath
The brigade was expanded back into a division in December 1951.
Sources1 sources
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