186th Rifle Division (1939 formation)

Not to be confused with the 186th Rifle Division (1941 formation), the 186th Rifle (1st Polyarnaya) Division.

186th Rifle Division (August 19, 1939 - June 1946)
Active	1939–1946
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Operation Barbarossa Battle of Smolensk (1941) Battles of Rzhev Operation Mars Operation Kutuzov Battle of Smolensk (1943) Operation Bagration Lublin–Brest offensive Vistula–Oder offensive East Pomeranian offensive Battle of Berlin
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner  Order of Suvorov  Order of Kutuzov
Battle honours	Brest
Commanders
Notable commanders	Maj. Gen. Nikolai Ivanovich Biryukov Maj. Gen. Aleksei Ivanovich Zygin Lt. Col. Mikhail Ivanovich Nikitin Maj. Gen. Viktor Kazimirovich Urbanovich Maj. Gen. Grigorii Vasilevich Revunenkov Col. Semyon Savvich Velichko

The original 186th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed just before the start of the Second World War, in the Ural Military District, based on the pre-September 13, 1939 shtat (table of organization and equipment). At the outbreak of war with Germany in June 1941 it was already moving west, and was soon assigned to the 22nd Army, which became part of Western Front on July 1. After the disastrous frontier battles this Front was attempting to defend along the lines of the Dvina and Dniepr Rivers, with the 22nd on the far right (north) flank. The division was initially quite successful in holding prepared positions near Polotsk, but was outflanked by German crossings elsewhere along the Dvina and forced to retreat. It became encircled west of Nevel, but was able to escape when Velikiye Luki was retaken on July 21. It held positions east of this city into late August when it was struck by a surprise panzer assault and largely overrun, which soon led to Velikiye Luki changing hands again. As the damaged division retreated in late September a former militia division in the far north was assigned the same number, and this anomaly persisted into late June 1943, when the later division was redesignated. The 186th, now in Kalinin Front, took part in the winter counteroffensive which drove a huge salient into the German lines around Toropets, and created the Rzhev salient. By February 1942 the offensive had bogged down, and the following months saw attacks and counterattacks on the west side of the salient, during which the division was fortunate to escape encirclement.

Formation

The division began forming on August 19, 1939, at Ufa in the Ural Military District. It was based on the 4th Separate Bashkir Rifle Regiment. As of June 22, 1941, it had the following order of battle:

• 238th Rifle Regiment (until June 1, 1942)
• 234th Rifle Regiment (from April 10, 1942)
• 238th Rifle Regiment (from June 1, 1942)
• 290th Rifle Regiment
• 298th Rifle Regiment (later 879th, 653rd)
• 327th Artillery Regiment
• 227th Antitank Battalion (later 327th)
• 508th Antiaircraft Battery (later 264th Antiaircraft Battalion, until March 9, 1943)
• 465th Machine Gun Battalion (from October 1, 1942, until March 9, 1943)
• 107th Reconnaissance Company
• 255th Sapper Battalion
• 244th Signal Battalion (later 574th Signal Company)
• 167th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
• 133rd Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company (later 111th)
• 38th Motor Transport Company (later 164th)
• 296th Motorized Field Bakery (later 42nd, 35th)
• 92nd Divisional Veterinary Hospital
• 406th Field Postal Station (later 1483rd)
• 138th Field Office of the State Bank

Col. Nikolai Ivanovich Biryukov took command on the day the division began forming. He had previously led the 219th Rifle Regiment and had served in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. He would be promoted to the rank of Kombrig on November 4, and this would be modernized to that of major general on June 4, 1940.

At the start of the German invasion on June 22, 1941, the 186th was under command of the 62nd Rifle Corps of 22nd Army in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. It had been moving west by rail from the Urals for over a week and was now located near Idritsa, not far from the former USSR/Latvia border. It became part of the Active Army on June 29.

Battle of Smolensk

On July 1 Marshal S. K. Timoshenko took command of Western Front, and the 22nd Army was one of four reserve armies assigned to it on the same date. It was under command of Lt. Gen. F. A. Yershakov. Timoshenko's immediate aim was to defend the "Smolensk Gates" along the lines of the Dvina and Dniepr Rivers, and the 22nd was initially assigned a sector from Idritsa to Polotsk. 62nd Corps also contained the 174th and 179th Rifle Divisions. Due to the chaos produced by the German advance, only 37 of Timoshenko's 66 divisions managed to reach their assigned defensive positions before the advancing forces reached the two rivers. The 3rd Panzer Group was leading this advance on the Polotsk axis.

62nd Corps was specifically assigned to defend the Polotsk Fortified Region. Army Group Center resumed its advance on July 2. The LVII Motorized Corps led the way in the Polotsk direction, and was to advance north of Smolensk after passing the Dvina, but unexpectedly encountered 22nd Army's prepared defenses along the river. On July 4 the 19th Panzer Division managed to seize a bridgehead from 51st Rifle Corps at Disna, but 62nd Corps stymied the 18th Motorized Division opposite Polotsk. By late on July 5 the 3rd Panzer Group was in a bind, unable to advance anywhere. 62nd Corps had been moved to Ulla, 56 km west of Vitebsk, where it was now blocking the XXXIX Motorized Corps. Timoshenko now planned a counterstroke at Lyepyel, relying on new mechanized forces from Moscow, but 62nd Corps was ordered to maintain its defensive stance.

Despite this partly-successful counterstroke, 3rd Panzer Group penetrated the defenses of 22nd Army south of Polotsk on July 9 and captured Vitebsk by the end of the day. After a regrouping, the 20th Panzer Division, backed by the 20th Motorized Division, struck again at Ulla on July 10. With massive air support the panzer division rolled across the Dvina through 22nd Army and drove 55km northeast to Haradok. Timoshenko was left with no option but to begin to fight a rear-guard action. At the same time he ordered the 186th, along with other forces, to counterattack to seal the breach.

In his report to the STAVKA at 2000 hours on July 11, Timoshenko stated, in part:

186th RD - 238th Regiment is attacking toward Lovsha Station, with its forward units fighting in the vicinity of Lovsha Station and its remaining units concentrated in the Prudok and Bobrovshchina region (14 kilometres east of Trudy).

3rd Panzer Group was soon on the move and by nightfall on July 13 its spearhead, the 7th Panzer Division, was probing toward Nevel and Velizh with the intention of linking up with 2nd Panzer Group east of Smolensk. Timoshenko had issued orders late on July 12 for General Yershakov to carry out a counterattack the following morning with the 186th and 214th Rifle Divisions and supporting artillery from the Haradok area south toward Vitebsk. This plan was stillborn when LVII Motorized Corps, backed by the L and XXIII Army Corps drove the Army from its remaining defenses along the Dvina northwest of Polotsk, cut it into two parts, enveloped its flanks and threatened both parts with encirclement. With only six divisions to defend a front 274 km wide Yershakov was soon in full retreat as the panzers drove northward toward Nevel.

Breakout from Encirclement

Nevel was taken by LVII Motorized on the morning of July 16 which left four of 22nd Army's divisions (50th, 174th, 186th and 214th) cut off and isolated between that town and Vitebsk. As the German commanders debated the size of the encircled forces and exactly how best to deal with them while also carrying out their other objectives, the four divisions did their best to escape in the general direction of Velikiye Luki, aided by the difficult terrain in the region. On July 18 the 19th Panzers captured the city but overnight elements of 22nd Army attacked and overran the thin screen being held around Nevel by 14th Motorized Division, allowing encircled 62nd Corps to escape to the east. This pressure also forced 19th Panzer to abandon the city on July 21 and Yershakov triumphantly signalled the commander of 62nd Corps:

We have captured Velikiye Luki. 29th Rifle Corps (179th and 214th Rifle Divisions) are attacking toward Nevel to destroy the enemy and support your withdrawal... An automobile [truck] column (50 vehicles) with ammunition, fuel, and food is being sent to you in the Zui region [35km south of Velikiye Luki]... assemble your corps after the automobile column arrives from Toropets...

This overlooked victory was the first large city liberated by the Red Army for any length of time. The 186th managed to reach friendly lines on July 21 and two days later was defending the Shchukino–Poreche–Lake Serutskoe line with the 174th Division, while also assisting 19th Army's 134th Rifle Division in escaping from encirclement. Yershakov now attempted to create a new defense line along the Lovat River although his 51st Rifle Corps had been reduced to remnants.

By July 27 Yershakov had reorganized his defenses along the Lovat with the mission of "holding on to Velikiye Luki at all cost." Maj. Gen. I. P. Karmanov, commander of 62nd Corps, was to support 29th Corps in this, in part by preventing a German penetration or envelopment of General Biryukov's left flank. However, due to other priorities, the German 9th Army did not make any further moves over the coming weeks. When the advance was renewed on August 3 the 186th was reported as holding its positions. In an operational summary by Western Front issued at 2000 hours on August 21, 22nd Army was reported as counterattacking, with 62nd Corps' 186th and 174th Divisions advancing from a position 35–38 km southwest of Velikiye Luki and gaining up to 3 km against strong resistance. The next day the same source stated that the 186th had been attacked at 0600 by the 110th Infantry Division, which captured Bardino, Sopki, and Dreki, "and enemy sub-machine gunners penetrated into Slonovo, but measures are being taken to liquidate the enemy penetration." This presaged a larger drive on August 23 by panzer forces that had "disappeared" from Soviet view four days earlier.

Second Battle for Velikiye Luki

Western Front's summary at 2000 hours said that, after the 186th's sector had been penetrated the previous day, a larger German force, including tanks, had:

... "rushed" toward the north and northwest, seizing Velikopol'e Station and Ushitsy State Farm [15km east and southeast of Velikiye Luki, respectively] on the morning of 23 August and reaching Kun'ia and Ushitsy Stations [25-27km east of Velikiye Luki] with the advanced elements of two motorized columns (150 vehicles each) by 1200 hours on 23 August.

Yershakov was scrambling to respond while being forced to move his headquarters. The next day, the summary identified the 19th and 20th Panzer Divisions as well as a panzer brigade and 206th Infantry Division, and that a captured order indicated that their objective was to encircle 22nd Army. The situation on 62nd Corps left flank (essentially the 186th) was said to be "unclear"; Yershakov had sent most of the 98th Rifle Division to support the 186th, but both had been effectively smashed by the attack and the 174th Division was forced to flee to the northeast. These German moves were in response to Hitler's decision on August 21 to move 3rd Panzer Group northeast to assist Army Group North's stalled advance on Leningrad. Later on August 23 the two panzer divisions made a headlong assault of Velikiye Luki from the east, while the 110th, 102nd, and 256th Infantry Divisions attempted to liquidate the remnants of 62nd Corps while also pushing into the rear of 29th Army and the objective of Toropets. Timoshenko, unaware of the full scope of the disaster, ordered Yershakov:

... to hold on to your front. The commander of 62nd RC and the commander of 186th RD are personally responsible for closing the penetration. Employ all your forces and your attached aircraft to destroy the penetrating enemy on 23 and 24 August.

29th Army scrambled to protect its flank. On August 24 the 110th and part of the 102nd Infantry Divisions encircled and destroyed most of the 186th and 174th southeast of Kunia Station. Late in the day the rear elements of the 186th were reported as reaching Toropets in disorder. Overnight, up to 20,000 men of the main body of 22nd Army (29th and 51st Corps) managed to escape the pocket around Velikiye Luki, while another 25,000 fought on until death or capture. The city was retaken on August 25.

Fall of Toropets

On August 26 the deputy chief of staff of Western Front, Lt. Gen. G. K. Malandin, was sent to 22nd Army's headquarters at Podsosone, 15 km southeast of Toropets to assess the situation. Near midnight he reported to his superior, Lt. Gen. V. D. Sokolovskii, that the 186th was at 30-40 percent strength but "needs to have order restored." It was assigned a sector in the former forward line, along with a unit called Latkin's Detachment. In the absence of Yershakov, who was cut off from his headquarters, Malandin did his best to organize a defense of Toropets. The 186th was again facing the 102nd Infantry, which was now assigned to XXXX Motorized Corps. On August 27 this Corps resumed its advance eastward.

Malandin's report implicitly admitted that it was most unlikely that 22nd and 29th Armies would be able to defend either Staraya Toropa or Toropets. Nevertheless, at 2300 hours on August 28 the division was assigned the task, along with the Latkin Detachment, to seize and defend the Tarasy and Fedotkovo sector, 38 km west-southwest of Toropets. Due to the advance of XXXX Corps these orders were hopelessly out-of-date and the city was taken in the morning of August 29. Meanwhile, the LVII Corps advanced easily and split the defenses of 22nd Army, and both German corps continued their advance on Andreapol and Zapadnaya Dvina on August 30. On the same day, Timoshenko sent a message to Stalin addressing the situation in the 22nd Army's sector. He stated that the 186th was fighting in the western and northeastern outskirts of Toropets, but he also stated that General Biryukov was being turned over to a military tribunal for wilfully abandoning his positions. In the event this was not carried out. By the end of the month the 186th consisted of roughly 2,000 personnel, with three 76mm cannon, two 45mm antitank guns, and two 122mm howitzers left from its entire artillery park.

On September 1, Timoshenko again attempted to go over to the counteroffensive, aiming at Dukhovshchina with his main forces, but 22nd and 29th Armies were in no position to take part. Two days later, the 186th was reported as "fighting with enemy forces which have penetrated into the Suvorovo and Ivanova Gora region" some 18 km south of Andreapol. A further report the next day stated:

126th and 186th RDs - repelled fierce enemy counterattacks at Ivanova Gora, with the town changing hands three times, but 186th Division recaptured the Ivanova Gora and Suvorovo region at 1200 hours on 4 September.

An operational summary from Western Front at 2000 on September 5 indicated that the counteroffensive was effectively finished; the two divisions, along with a unit called Antosenko's Detachment, were said to have attacked for a second time from woods 2 km east of Suvorovo to Hill 236.2 to Frolovo to the Yaldy line (17–22 km south of Andreapol) with "unknown results". General Biryukov was wounded and hospitalized on September 12, being replaced by Col. Anton Petrovich Pilipenko. Biryukov returned to lead the 214th Rifle and 80th Guards Rifle Divisions, and later the 20th Guards Rifle Corps, before the end of the war. He would be made a Hero of the Soviet Union on April 28, 1945 for his leadership in the siege of Budapest, and was also promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. He died in Moscow on June 30, 1980.

In the far north, Karelian Front had formed a militia (opolchenie) division called 1st Polar (Polyarnaya) on September 5 to serve in the defense of Murmansk. On September 28 it was decided to regularize the division by giving it the number '186th'. No explanation has been publicly shared as to why the division was given the number of a division that had not been disbanded. Not only did the two divisions share the same number, most of their subunits did as well, which explains the several redesignations of the original division's regiments as seen above. This anomalous situation continued until June 26, 1943, when the second 186th was redesignated as the 205th Rifle Division.

Transfer to Kalinin Front

By the beginning of October the 62nd Corps had been disbanded, and the 186th was under direct command of 22nd Army, as it fell back toward the Valdai Hills. The Army's four remaining divisions continued to arrive along the line Ostashkov–Selizharovo–Kamenitsa–Plekhanovo during October 9. On October 19 it came under command of the new Kalinin Front, led by Col. Gen. I. S. Konev. Later in the month the weather deteriorated, slowing the pursuit of the defeated 22nd. On October 24, elements of 9th Army were pushing it north, advancing in small groups toward Lukovnikovo against the remnants of the 186th, 179th, and 250th Rifle Divisions. The next day, Colonel Pilipenko was transferred to the staff of 22nd Army, and he was replaced by Maj. Gen. Aleksei Ivanovich Zygin. This officer had previously led the 174th Rifle Division.

Moscow Counteroffensive

Moscow counteroffensive. Note advance of 22nd Army on the far left.

At the start of 1942 the 22nd Army consisted of the 178th, 179th, 186th, and 357th Rifle Divisions, plus one regiment of the 220th Rifle Division and the 129th Tank Brigade. Despite these scant and understrength forces, it went over to the offensive on January 15, now under command of Maj. Gen. V. I. Vostrukhov, and drove 120 km to the south and southeast, deeply enveloping the German grouping at Olenino, which consisted of seven divisions. Air transport was required to keep them in supply, while part of 22nd Army advanced on Bely. In cooperation with forces of 39th Army the German Bely grouping was compressed along the Bely–Dukhovshchina road, where it set up a firm defense. On January 16 the 4th Shock Army retook Andreapol, and five days later cleared Toropets, creating a huge salient to the west of 9th Army.

Battles for Rzhev

The second phase of the Rzhev-Vyazma operation began at the start of February, when German forces launched counterstrokes in all the main directions of the Soviet operations. The Soviet armies were significantly weakened from casualties and were mostly operating on very tenuous supply lines. All efforts to liberate Vyazma had failed. On February 5, most of Kalinin Front's 29th Army was cut off from 39th Army and encircled. After several attempts to rejoin with 39th, by mid-month it was decided to regroup to join hands with 22nd Army. By the end of February only 5,200 personnel had managed to escape. Meanwhile, the 22nd was attempting to finally seize Bely as a preliminary to eliminating the German Olenino grouping, but this was unsuccessful. At the same time, General Zygin left the 186th, being replaced by Maj. Mikhail Ivanovich Nikitin. Within days, Zygin would take command of the 158th Rifle Division, and would subsequently lead four different armies, including the 39th during Operation Mars, before being killed in action on September 27, 1943. Nikitin would be promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on May 19.

On March 20 the STAVKA again demanded that Kalinin Front finish off the Olenino grouping with the 22nd, 39th, and 30th Armies. This made no progress due to the general exhaustion of the troops. For example, 22nd Army had, in terms of numbers, since the start of the counteroffensive in January had lost its entire complement twice over. Replacements were largely untrained and ammunition was in short supply. In addition, the spring rasputitsa was about to begin. A further offensive plan issued on May 24 called for the same objective to be attained, but this was largely preempted by the German Operation Seydlitz beginning on July 2. On July 6 the right flank of the Army had been encircled, but this did not include the 186th. The remainder of the Army, in cooperation with 41st Army, attempted to reopen the corridor to the encircled units. The following day, German forces reached Bely from Sychyovka and trapped most of 39th Army. Seydlitz officially finished on July 13, but individuals and groups continued to emerge from encirclement even into August, aided by attacks from outside the several pockets. 22nd Army suffered 9,343 casualties, including 3,905 missing.

Operation Mars

Lt. Colonel Nikitin left his command on August 30, and the following day was replaced by Maj. Gen. Viktor Kazimirovich Urbanovich. This NKVD officer had previously led the 257th and 252nd Rifle Divisions. In October the 186th was transferred to 39th Army, still in Kalinin Front.

The Second Rzhev-Sychyovka Offensive (Operation Mars) got underway on November 25. 39th Army was spread across an exceedingly long front along the north end of the salient. General Zygin's immediate task was to cross the Molodoi Tud River before driving south toward Olenino. The 186th was arrayed along the river's upper reaches west and somewhat south of the village of Molodoi Tud itself, but was expected to remain on the defense. The one-hour artillery bombardment began at 0900 hours against the long front held by the 206th Infantry Division, which had adopted a hedgehog defense. The attack came to a standstill by noon due to heavy German fire.

One of two successes in the morning's fighting occurred between the village and the small tributary Dubenka River. With the support of the 290th Rifle Regiment, the 100th Rifle Brigade forced the Molodoi Tud River at dawn. The brigade overcame sparse defenses at the boundary of the 253rd and 206th Infantry Divisions, and then penetrated 5km through the forests north of the Dubenka almost to the Molodoi Tud–Olenino road. Scattered positions held by units of both divisions managed to contain the brigade, knowing that if the road was cut the German defenses along the Molodoi Tud River would become untenable. In the event, by 1800 reinforcements arrived in the form of the Großdeutschland Motorized Division, which shut down any further Soviet advance.

Early on November 26 Zygin learned that the 100th Brigade was under heavy attack and in danger of losing its gains. German tanks and infantry struck the brigade's south flank north of the Dubenka and pressed on toward the Molodoi Tud, threatening it with encirclement. To the east, another mobile force raced north to strike its north flank. Despite being reinforced by a single rifle battalion of the 290th Regiment shortly before nightfall it was clear any new attacks the next morning could not be held. Nevertheless, Zygin ordered it to fight on in place. In the event, the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Grenadier Regiment of Großdeutschland caught the brigade in a pincer move that routed it and sent the survivors reeling back across the Molodoi Tud, whereupon the German forces reoccupied their original defense line. This marked the effective end of the 186th's involvement in the operation.

At the start of March 1943 the 186th was still part of the much-reduced 39th Army, and it took part in the initial phases of Operation Büffel as German 9th Army evacuated the Rzhev salient. During the month it was removed to the Moscow Military District in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for a much-needed rebuilding. During April it was reassigned to the 25th Rifle Corps in Bryansk Front. At the beginning of July the Corps was still under direct Front command.

Operation Kutuzov

By the start of the Soviet summer offensive the 25th Corps (186th and 362nd Rifle Divisions) was still in the Front reserve in the area of Chern–Pashutino–Speshnevo, but was intended to act as the follow-on force for 3rd Army. The Army was under command of Lt. Gen. A. V. Gorbatov. On the first day of the offensive it was to break through the German defense to a depth of 10-12km and on the third day reach the line of the Oka River, cutting the Mtsensk–Oryol paved road and railroad.

The operation began on July 12, but during the first five days the 25th Corps remained in second echelon. During this time the Front's left wing forces had penetrated the German lines to a depth of 17-22km on a breakthrough front of 36km.

References

Bibliography

• Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1967a). Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть I. 1920 - 1944 гг [Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part I. 1920–1944] (in Russian). Moscow.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1967b). Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть II. 1945 – 1966 гг [Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part II. 1945–1966] (in Russian). Moscow.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.
• Grylev, A. N. (1970). Перечень № 5. Стрелковых, горнострелковых, мотострелковых и моторизованных дивизии, входивших в состав Действующей армии в годы Великой Отечественной войны 1941-1945 гг [List (Perechen) No. 5: Rifle, Mountain Rifle, Motor Rifle and Motorized divisions, part of the active army during the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat. p. 90
• Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1964). Командование корпусного и дивизионного звена советских вооруженных сил периода Великой Отечественной войны 1941–1945 гг [Commanders of Corps and Divisions in the Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945] (in Russian). Moscow: Frunze Military Academy. p. 195

External links

• Nikolai Ivanovich Biryukov
• Anton Petrovich Pilipenko
• Aleksei Ivanovich Zygin
• Viktor Kazimirovich Urbanovich
• Grigorii Vasilevich Revunenkov
• HSU Nikolai Ivanovich Biryukov