56th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 56th Rifle Division was a Soviet infantry formation established in three separate formations and later converted through several motor-rifle and training-unit designations.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 56th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army and, subsequently, the Soviet Army. The designation was used for three separate formations rather than representing one continuously existing unit. Its institutional history reflects the repeated reorganization, renumbering, and regeneration of Soviet ground forces from the Russian Civil War through the Second World War and the postwar period. The first formation was established on 21 November 1919 from an earlier rifle division associated with the Seventh Red Army. By the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, it served in the 4th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Army. Its principal combat elements included the 37th, 184th, and 213th Rifle Regiments, supported by the 113th Artillery Regiment and the 247th Howitzer Artillery Regiment. Commanded at the start of the war by Major General Semyon Sakhnov, this formation fought during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa. It was effectively destroyed while serving with the 4th Rifle Corps by July 1941 and was formally disbanded on 19 September 1941. The second formation was created on 26 September 1941 from the 7th Leningrad People's Militia Division. It inherited the same principal regimental numbers as the earlier wartime formation and became part of the 42nd Army during the Siege of Leningrad. The division fought in the Leningrad area and later participated in operations connected with the advance toward Riga. By the final months of the Second World War it was subordinated to the 122nd Rifle Corps and served with the 42nd Army of the Leningrad Front's Kurland Group. In recognition of its wartime service, it received the honorific Pushkin and the Order of the Red Banner. After the war, the second formation was moved in September to the Western Siberian Military District at Omsk. In 1946 it was reduced to the 20th Separate Rifle Brigade and placed within the 18th Guards Rifle Corps. The unit was subsequently reorganized as the 67th Mechanised Division in October 1953 and as the 67th Motor Rifle Division in 1957. On 24 May 1962 it became a motor-rifle training division, and on 11 January 1965 it was redesignated the 56th Motor Rifle Training Division, restoring the wartime number. In 1967 it received the additional honorific Leningrad. In 1987, as part of a wider Soviet Army conversion of training divisions, it became the 465th District Training Centre. That organization was disbanded in August 1993, with its barracks transferred to the 242nd Training Centre; some personnel were used to establish the 180th Motor Rifle Brigade. The third formation followed a separate postwar lineage. On 4 March 1955, the 342nd Rifle Division was renamed the 56th Rifle Division. It was converted into the 56th Motor Rifle Division at Khomutovo in Sakhalin Oblast on 17 April 1957. On 17 November 1964, that formation was renumbered as the 33rd Motor Rifle Division. Consequently, the 56th Rifle Division designation refers to multiple Soviet formations with distinct lineages and different postwar outcomes.
History
The 56th Rifle Division was a Soviet infantry formation whose number was assigned to three different formations over time. The first formation originated during the Russian Civil War period, being established on 21 November 1919 from a preceding rifle division that had served with the Seventh Red Army. Its early institutional history is part of the Red Army's expansion and restructuring during the civil war and its aftermath. In June 1941, the first wartime formation belonged to the 4th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Army. Its order of battle included the 37th, 184th, and 213th Rifle Regiments, together with the 113th Artillery Regiment and the 247th Howitzer Artillery Regiment. Major General Semyon Sakhnov was its commander at the beginning of the German invasion. During the initial battles of Operation Barbarossa, the formation suffered catastrophic losses while operating with the 4th Rifle Corps. It was considered destroyed by July 1941 and was formally disbanded on 19 September. A second formation was organized on 26 September 1941 from the 7th Leningrad People's Militia Division. Although it was a new formation, it used the same principal regimental numbers associated with the earlier 56th Division. It served with the 42nd Army in the Leningrad sector during the siege of the city and later took part in fighting around Leningrad and Riga. In April 1945 it was assigned to the 122nd Rifle Corps of the 42nd Army. In May it remained with the 42nd Army in the Kurland Group of the Leningrad Front. The division was awarded the honorific Pushkin and the Order of the Red Banner for its wartime service. The postwar career of the second formation was marked by successive reductions and changes in role. In September 1945 it moved with the 122nd Rifle Corps to the Western Siberian Military District at Omsk. In 1946 it was reduced to the 20th Separate Rifle Brigade and became part of the 18th Guards Rifle Corps of the Siberian Military District. In October 1953 it was reorganized as the 67th Mechanised Division. Four years later it became the 67th Motor Rifle Division, while its parent corps was reorganized as an army corps and later disbanded. The division then came under direct district control. On 24 May 1962, the formation was converted into a motor-rifle training division. On 11 January 1965 it became the 56th Motor Rifle Training Division, reusing the number associated with its wartime identity. On 27 March 1967 it received the honorific Leningrad, commemorating its service during the Second World War. In 1987 it was converted into the 465th District Training Centre, reflecting the Soviet Army's broader policy of transforming training divisions into centralized training establishments. The centre was disbanded in August 1993. Its barracks were taken over by the 242nd Training Centre, while a small portion of its personnel contributed to the formation of the 180th Motor Rifle Brigade. A third and separate formation acquired the number in the postwar period. The 342nd Rifle Division was renamed the 56th Rifle Division on 4 March 1955. It was converted into the 56th Motor Rifle Division at Khomutovo in Sakhalin Oblast on 17 April 1957. This formation was renumbered the 33rd Motor Rifle Division on 17 November 1964. The three lineages therefore should not be treated as one uninterrupted division: the designation was reused as Soviet military structures were rebuilt, converted, and renumbered.
- 1993
Training centre disbanded
[1]The 465th District Training Centre was disbanded in August; its facilities were transferred to the 242nd Training Centre.
- 1987
Converted into a district training centre
[1]The formation became the 465th District Training Centre during the Soviet Army's conversion of training divisions.
- 1967
Leningrad honorific added
[1]The training division received the Leningrad honorific on 27 March in recognition of its Second World War service.
- 1965
56th Motor Rifle Training Division designation restored
[1]The training formation was renumbered as the 56th Motor Rifle Training Division on 11 January.
- 1964
Third formation renumbered
[1]The third formation was renumbered as the 33rd Motor Rifle Division on 17 November.
- 1962
Converted to a training division
[1]The postwar second formation became a motor-rifle training division on 24 May.
- 1957
Motor-rifle conversions
[1]The second formation became the 67th Motor Rifle Division, while the third formation became the 56th Motor Rifle Division at Khomutovo in Sakhalin Oblast.
- 1955
Third formation takes the 56th designation
[1]The 342nd Rifle Division was renamed the 56th Rifle Division on 4 March.
- 1953
Reorganized as the 67th Mechanised Division
[1]The postwar lineage was reorganized as the 67th Mechanised Division in October.
- 1946
Reduced to a separate rifle brigade
[1]After relocation to Omsk, the second formation was reduced to the 20th Separate Rifle Brigade within the Siberian Military District.
Products and positioning
A Soviet military formation designation associated with infantry, motor-rifle, and military training roles rather than a commercial brand.
Brand decisions
1987
Conversion to the 465th District Training CentreStrategyBackground
The Soviet Army converted its training divisions into training centres as part of a broader organizational reform.
Action taken
The 56th Motor Rifle Training Division was reorganized as the 465th District Training Centre.
Aftermath
The centre continued only until its disbandment in August 1993.
1941
Dissolution of the first formationOtherBackground
The first formation was effectively destroyed during the opening battles of the German invasion while serving with the 4th Rifle Corps.
Action taken
The Soviet command formally disbanded the formation on 19 September 1941.
Aftermath
A separate second formation was created from the 7th Leningrad People's Militia Division on 26 September 1941.
1941
Creation of the second formationOtherBackground
The Soviet Union needed to regenerate combat formations during the Siege of Leningrad and reorganized the 7th Leningrad People's Militia Division.
Action taken
The militia division was redesignated as the second 56th Rifle Division on 26 September.
Aftermath
The new formation served with the 42nd Army and fought around Leningrad and Riga.
Sources1 sources
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