49th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 49th Rifle Division was a Soviet infantry division formed three times between 1931 and 1957, serving in the Winter War, the Second World War, and the postwar Soviet Army.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The 49th Rifle Division was a Soviet infantry formation with three distinct formations. It was first established in September 1931 at Kostroma as a territorial division. During the late 1930s it was reorganized into a regular formation and transferred to the Leningrad Military District. The first formation fought in the Soviet-Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940, including operations around the Taipale sector and the Mannerheim Line. For its performance in that campaign, it received the Order of the Red Banner. After the Winter War it participated in the Soviet occupation of Estonia and subsequently moved to Belarus, where it was assigned to the 4th Army near Brest. The first formation was poorly prepared for the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Many experienced veterans had been demobilized during the preceding period, while training time was reduced by the priority given to border fortification work. When Operation Barbarossa began on 22 June 1941, the division was positioned near the Vysoko border station. German forces forced it back, and the formation was surrounded and dispersed in the Białowieża Forest by the end of June. Scattered resistance continued into early July, after which the division was effectively destroyed. It was formally disbanded on 19 September 1941. The division was recreated in December 1941 from the Ivanovo Communist Division of the People's Militia. This second formation became an important combat unit on the Eastern Front. After a period in the Moscow Defense Zone and the reserve system, it entered the fighting at Stalingrad as part of the 66th Army. It participated in the Soviet encirclement and destruction of the German forces at Stalingrad, including Operation Uranus and Operation Koltso. Following the Stalingrad campaign it was withdrawn for rebuilding before returning to operations in the Orel and Smolensk regions during Operations Kutuzov and Suvorov. Its capture of Roslavl in September 1943 earned it the honorific name Roslavl. In 1944 the division fought in Operation Bagration in Belarus, advancing toward Minsk and Grodno. It later served with the 33rd Army and took part in the Vistula–Oder Offensive, reaching the Oder River near Frankfurt an der Oder. It received another Order of the Red Banner for this campaign and was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class, for its role in the Berlin Offensive. The division ended the war near Dessau on the Elbe. Although an order for its disbandment was issued in May 1945, the second formation remained in existence until June 1946. A third formation appeared in 1955 when the 295th Rifle Division at Stavropol was renamed the 49th Rifle Division. It moved to Baku in 1956 and became part of the Transcaucasian Military District. This formation carried forward the honors associated with the 295th Division and was formally reorganized as the 49th Motor Rifle Division in 1957. The subject therefore represents a succession of Soviet military formations rather than a continuous unit with an uninterrupted organizational history.
History
The 49th Rifle Division originated in September 1931, when it was created at Kostroma as a territorial formation. In April 1938 it was transferred to Staraya Russa in the Leningrad Military District for recruiting duties. Elements of its organization were used in the formation of the 123rd and 142nd Rifle Divisions in September 1939, but the 49th itself continued to exist and briefly joined the Novgorod Group of Forces. On 14 September 1939 the division was assigned to the 7th Army in preparation for the Winter War against Finland. Its units moved by rail toward the Finnish frontier and were then deployed on the Karelian Isthmus, where the division operated under the 50th Rifle Corps. It crossed the border on 30 November and fought toward the Taipaleenjoki River. The division helped establish a bridgehead at Cape Koukkuniemi, but repeated attacks against Finnish defensive positions produced limited gains and substantial casualties. During the Battle of Taipale in February 1940, its troops captured Finnish positions at Terenttilä, resisted counterattacks, and briefly penetrated the Mannerheim Line before being forced back. The division received the Order of the Red Banner on 7 April 1940 for its wartime service. After the Winter War, the division moved to the Baltic states and participated in the Soviet occupation of Estonia in June 1940. It relocated to Belarus in July and August and was placed near Brest under the 4th Army's 28th Rifle Corps. The unit's readiness was weakened by the demobilization of many experienced Winter War soldiers. In the spring of 1941, fortification construction received priority over field training. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa on 22 June, the division was based near the Vysoko border station. German attacks by the XLIII Army Corps drove it from its positions. By 28 June it had been surrounded and fragmented in the Białowieża Forest; isolated groups continued fighting until approximately 3 July. The first formation was formally disbanded on 19 September 1941. The second formation was created in December 1941 by renaming the Ivanovo Communist Division of the People's Militia. It spent the first part of 1942 in the Moscow Defense Zone before moving to the 8th Reserve Army, later redesignated the 66th Army. During the Soviet counteroffensive at Stalingrad, the division fought around the Barrikady Factory and participated in Operation Uranus. It also took part in Operation Koltso in January 1943, the final Soviet offensive against the encircled German 6th Army. After Stalingrad it was withdrawn for reconstitution and then assigned successively to formations preparing for further offensives. In July 1943 the division fought in Operation Kutuzov, the Soviet offensive around Orel. From August it participated in Operation Suvorov, advancing through the Smolensk campaign and helping capture Roslavl. The honorific Roslavl was added on 25 September 1943. In April 1944 the division transferred to the 49th Army. During Operation Bagration it advanced through Belarus toward Minsk and Grodno. It was held in reserve near Zhdanovichi on 27 June as part of the 2nd Belorussian Front's reserve structure, and accounts of the campaign credit it with an advance of roughly 700 kilometers before its withdrawal in September. In October 1944 the division joined the 33rd Army's 62nd Rifle Corps. It participated in the January 1945 Vistula–Oder Offensive and reached the Oder near Frankfurt an der Oder. For its conduct during that operation it received a further Order of the Red Banner on 19 February. During the Berlin Offensive it advanced into central Germany and was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class, on 5 April. The division ended the European war near the Elbe at Dessau. It was assigned to the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany after the war. An order to disband was issued on 29 May 1945, but the actual disbandment took place in June 1946. The number and designation returned in 1955 when the 295th Rifle Division at Stavropol was renamed the 49th Rifle Division. The reformed unit moved to Baku in the summer of 1956 and served in the Transcaucasian Military District. It carried the honors inherited from the 295th Rifle Division and was reorganized as the 49th Motor Rifle Division in 1957. Thus, the 49th Rifle Division designation covered three formations separated by major reorganizations and, in the first two cases, by dissolution.
- 1957
Converted to a motor rifle division
[1]The third formation became the 49th Motor Rifle Division during the Soviet Army's postwar reorganization.
- 1955
Third formation created
[1]The 295th Rifle Division at Stavropol was renamed the 49th Rifle Division.
- 1946
Second formation disbanded
[1]The wartime second formation was finally disbanded in June after serving with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.
- 1945
Vistula–Oder and Berlin offensives
[1]The division advanced to the Oder and later fought in the Berlin Offensive, finishing the war near Dessau on the Elbe.
- 1944
Operation Bagration
[1]The division fought in the Soviet offensive in Belarus, advancing toward Minsk and Grodno.
- 1943
Roslavl honorific granted
[1]After participating in the capture of Roslavl during Operation Suvorov, the division received the honorific Roslavl on 25 September.
- 1942
Stalingrad campaign
[1]The second formation entered combat at Stalingrad with the 66th Army and participated in Operations Uranus and Koltso.
- 1941
First formation destroyed and disbanded
[1]The division was surrounded and broken up during the opening days of Operation Barbarossa and formally disbanded in September.
- 1941
Second formation established
[1]The Ivanovo Communist Division of the People's Militia was renamed the 49th Rifle Division in December.
- 1940
Order of the Red Banner awarded
[1]The first formation received the Order of the Red Banner for its actions in the Winter War.
Products and positioning
A Soviet Army rifle division organized for combined-arms infantry operations, with subordinate rifle, artillery, reconnaissance, engineering, communications, medical, and supply units.
Territorial and regular rifle division · 1931
First formation
Created in 1931 as a territorial formation, the first 49th Rifle Division became a regular division before the Winter War. Its wartime organization included three rifle regiments, artillery regiments, antitank and antiaircraft units, reconnaissance, engineers, communications, medical, transport, and supply elements. It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner after the Winter War and destroyed during Operation Barbarossa in 1941.
World War II rifle division · 1941
Second formation
Formed in December 1941 from the Ivanovo Communist Division of the People's Militia, the second formation served from Stalingrad through the final Soviet offensives in Germany. Its combat record included Operations Uranus, Koltso, Kutuzov, Suvorov, Bagration, the Vistula–Oder Offensive, and the Berlin Offensive. It received the Roslavl honorific, an additional Order of the Red Banner, and the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class.
Postwar rifle division · 1955
Third formation
The third formation was created in 1955 by renaming the 295th Rifle Division. Initially based at Stavropol, it moved to Baku in 1956 under the Transcaucasian Military District. It inherited the 295th Division's honors and was converted into the 49th Motor Rifle Division in 1957.
Marketing campaigns
- 1945Vistula–Oder Offensive
Poland and eastern Germany
The division advanced westward with the 33rd Army and reached the Oder near Frankfurt an der Oder.
Outcome. It received another Order of the Red Banner for its actions in the offensive.
- 1945Berlin Offensive
Germany
The division continued westward during the final Soviet offensive in Europe and fought toward the Elbe.
Outcome. It received the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class, and ended the war near Dessau.
- 1944Operation Bagration
Belarus
The division attacked with the 49th Army and advanced toward Minsk and Grodno during the Soviet destruction of German Army Group Centre.
Outcome. The division reportedly advanced about 700 kilometers before leaving the front in September.
- 1943Operations Kutuzov and Suvorov
Orel and Smolensk regions
The division participated in the Soviet offensives following the Battle of Kursk and advanced through the Smolensk campaign.
Outcome. Its capture of Roslavl led to the award of the Roslavl honorific.
- 1942Stalingrad campaign
Stalingrad
The second formation fought at the Barrikady Factory as part of the 66th Army and participated in the Soviet encirclement operation.
Outcome. It took part in Operation Uranus and the January 1943 Operation Koltso before being withdrawn for rebuilding.
- 1941Operation Barbarossa
Belarus and the Białowieża Forest
The first formation defended in the Brest-area sector when Germany attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941.
Outcome. German advances surrounded and dispersed the division; the formation was effectively destroyed during the first ten days of the invasion.
- 1940Soviet occupation of Estonia
Estonia
After the Winter War, the division moved to the Baltic region and participated in the Soviet invasion and occupation of Estonia.
Outcome. The division subsequently relocated to Belarus.
- 1939Winter War
Karelian Isthmus · Finland
The division crossed into Finland with the 7th Army, fought around Taipaleenjoki and Terenttilä, and took part in attempts to break Finnish defenses on the Karelian Isthmus.
Outcome. The division suffered heavy losses but participated in the eventual Soviet breakthrough and received the Order of the Red Banner.
Brand decisions
1957
Conversion to a motor rifle divisionGeneration changeBackground
The Soviet Army's 1950s reorganization emphasized greater mobility and mechanization for ground formations.
Action taken
The third formation was redesignated the 49th Motor Rifle Division.
Aftermath
The rifle-division designation ceased to describe the active formation after the 1957 conversion.
1955
Recreation from the 295th Rifle DivisionOtherBackground
The postwar Soviet Army was reorganizing and renumbering formations as its force structure changed.
Action taken
The 295th Rifle Division at Stavropol was renamed the 49th Rifle Division.
Aftermath
The formation moved to Baku in 1956 and was converted to a motor rifle division in 1957.
1941
Formal disbandment of the first formationOtherBackground
The first formation had been fragmented and surrounded during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa.
Action taken
The Soviet command formally disbanded the formation on 19 September.
Aftermath
A new 49th Rifle Division was created from the Ivanovo Communist Division of the People's Militia later that year.
1941
Creation of the second formationOtherBackground
The Soviet Union required additional rifle formations after the severe losses of the first year of the German-Soviet war.
Action taken
The Ivanovo Communist Division of the People's Militia was renamed the 49th Rifle Division in December.
Aftermath
The second formation served continuously from the 1942 Stalingrad campaign through the end of the European war.
1938
Transfer to the Leningrad Military DistrictStrategyBackground
The division's role changed from its earlier territorial organization as the Soviet military prepared for more demanding regional defense requirements.
Action taken
It was transferred to Staraya Russa for recruiting duties and later became involved in the organization of forces for the Winter War.
Aftermath
The division entered the Winter War as a regular Soviet rifle formation.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/49th-rifle-division-soviet-union · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled