175th Rifle Division

175th Rifle Division (July 23, 1940 - December 27, 1941) 175th Rifle Division (December 1941 - September 4, 1942) 175th Rifle Division (October 15, 1942 - June 1, 1946)
The banner of the 175th (3rd Formation) at the Allied parade in Berlin, May 8, 1946
Active	1940–1946
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Engagements	Battle of Kiev (1941) Second Battle of Kharkov Operation Wilhelm Case Blue Sevsk-Trubchevsk offensive Oryol offensive Battle of Kursk Operation Kutuzov Gomel-Rechitsa offensive Parichi-Bobruisk offensive Operation Bagration Lublin–Brest offensive Vistula–Oder offensive East Pomeranian offensive Battle of Berlin
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner (3rd Formation)  Order of Kutuzov (3rd Formation)
Battle honours	Ural Kovel (both 3rd Formation)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Col. Semyon Mikhailovich Glovatskii Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Demyanovich Kuleshov Maj. Gen. Andrei Sidorovich Golovko Col. Nikolai Nikolaevich Drozdov Maj. Gen. Vladimir Aleksandrovich Borisov Maj. Gen. Zakhari Petrovich Vydrigan Maj. Gen. Andrei Nikitich Gervasiev

The 175th Rifle Division was originally formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in the North Caucasus Military District in July 1940, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. It was still in that District at the time of the German invasion, and it was soon moved to the Kiev Fortified Region as part of Southwestern Front. It would remain defending the Ukrainian capital into September, eventually as part of 37th Army, when it was deeply encircled and destroyed.

A new 175th was designated in March 1942, based on a 400-series division that had begun forming the previous December in the Siberian Military District. It was soon moved to the Ural Military District, and after a rushed period of training it joined the reformed 28th Army in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, before that Army was assigned to Southwestern Front. In May it formed part of the Front's northern shock group for the offensive intended to liberate Kharkiv. While initially hampered by the failure to take the German strongpoint at Ternovaya it gradually developed momentum in cooperation with 169th Rifle Division and ended up farther into the German positions than any other formation in the northern group, reaching to just north of Lyptsi, before being struck by an armored counterattack on May 20 and being driven back to near its starting line, at considerable cost. In June it was nearly encircled during Operation Wilhelm, but managed to escape, again with serious losses. When the main German summer offensive began later that month the remnants of the 175th were driven back to the Don River, where a relative handful of personnel and equipment were able to cross after fighting out of encirclement. The division was officially written off on September 4.

The final 175th began as the Ural Rifle Division of the NKVD in October in the Ural Military District. It retained the name "Ural" as an honorific. Early in the new year it, and five similar divisions, were transferred to the Red Army and formed as the new 70th Army. The Army was soon assigned to Central Front, where it joined the advance toward Oryol in late February and March 1943, but proved ineffective due to low standards of training and leadership. Over the following months, as these issues were taken in hand, the 175th helped to prepare for the expected German summer offensive against the Kursk salient. When this began the division was in the Army's second echelon and saw some defensive combat on the western fringe of 9th Army's attack on July 8, where it helped fight off a force of up to 200 panzers. A week later it again began advancing against the Oryol salient, reaching the German defenses at its base by late August, at which time it was transferred to 48th Army, still in Central Front. During September it advanced through northeastern Ukraine, across the Dniepr and into eastern Belarus, where it fought into January 1944, mostly near Gomel, Rechytsa and Shatsilki. At this point it was removed to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for rebuilding and reassignment, but returned about a month later, now as part of 47th Army's 125th Rifle Corps on the long left flank of 1st Belorussian Front. It would remain under these commands for the duration of the war. In a preliminary operation on early July the 175th took part in eliminating a German salient around Kovel, and received its name as a battle honor. During the main Lublin–Brest offensive later that month it advanced through western Belarus and into eastern Poland, eventually running up against the German-held fortifications at Praga. After these were finally taken in mid-September the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. During the winter offensive into Poland in January 1945 the 175th, with its Army, outflanked Warsaw from the northeast, and two of its regiments were given battle honors for helping to take the city. Following this, it advanced into East Prussia and East Pomerania where its subunits received several decorations. In the final offensive on Berlin the 47th Army attacked out of the bridgehead over the Oder at Küstrin and as the operation developed swung north of the city, eventually linking up with units of 1st Ukrainian Front on April 25 in the Potsdam area. During the first five days of May, during and after the surrender of Berlin, the 175th, with its Corps, faced and defeated the largest effort to break out to the west. Following the war 47th Army was assigned to the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, but it was disbanded in early 1946 and its units returned to the USSR. The 175th had been itself disbanded by June 1.