320th Division

320th Division. The 320th Rifle Division was a standard infantry formation of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. First established in the summer of 1941, it fought extensively on the southern sectors of the Eastern Front. The division participated in critical operations including the Barvenkovo–Lozovaya Offensive, the Battle of the Caucasus, and the final offensives into Central Europe.

History

The division was formed in August 1941 in the Kharkov Military District, drawing personnel primarily from the Ukrainian SSR. It was quickly committed to combat in late 1941 as part of the Southern Front, engaging Wehrmacht forces during the Battle of the Sea of Azov. Throughout 1942, it endured the punishing German summer offensives, Case Blue and Operation Edelweiss, fighting in retreat through the Donbas and into the North Caucasus. Following the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, the division took part in the relentless westward advance, seeing action during the Donbas Strategic Offensive and the liberation of Crimea via the Crimean Offensive. Its final campaigns were fought across Romania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, ending the war in Central Europe.

Organization

As a standard Red Army rifle division, its core structure revolved around three rifle regiments, initially designated the 481st, 483rd, and 485th Rifle Regiments. These were supported by the 591st Artillery Regiment and various smaller specialist battalions, including a reconnaissance company, a sapper battalion, and a signals battalion. The division was typically equipped with standard Soviet weaponry such as the Mosin–Nagant rifle, PPSh-41 submachine gun, and Maxim and SG-43 Goryunov machine guns. Its artillery complement included divisional guns like the ZiS-3 and howitzers such as the M-30. Over the course of the war, the division was subordinated to various armies, including the 12th Army, 37th Army, and the 51st Army, within larger fronts like the Southern Front, North Caucasus Front, and 4th Ukrainian Front.

Commanders

The division had several commanding officers during its existence. Its first commander was Colonel Ivan Shvygin, who led the formation during its initial battles in 1941. He was succeeded by Colonel Mikhail Zaporozhchenko, who commanded during the grueling defensive battles in the Caucasus in 1942. From late 1942 onward, command often fell to Colonel, later Major General, Pyotr Zubov, who led the division through its most successful offensive periods, including the Crimean and Romanian campaigns. Other notable officers included the chiefs of staff and commissars who implemented directives from the Stavka and maintained political reliability as per the guidance of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy.

Operations

The division's first major operation was the January 1942 Barvenkovo–Lozovaya Offensive, a costly Soviet attempt to regain initiative in the Donbas. In the summer of 1942, it conducted a fighting withdrawal during the German advance toward the Caucasus Mountains, participating in defensive battles along the Don River and near Krasnodar. Its role in the 1943 Donbas Offensive involved breaking through fortified lines along the Mius River. In 1944, it was instrumental in the Crimean Offensive, assaulting German positions at the Perekop Isthmus and later helping to secure Sevastopol. Its final combat actions included the Budapest Offensive and the Prague Offensive, culminating in the liberation of Czechoslovakia.

Legacy

Following the victory over Nazi Germany, the 320th Rifle Division was disbanded in the summer of 1945 as part of the general postwar demobilization of the Red Army. While not among the most decorated formations, it was recognized for its service with the honorific "Yevpatoriya" for its role in the liberation of that Crimean city. The division's combat path is representative of the experiences of many Soviet infantry divisions: formed under dire circumstances, tested in brutal retreats, and ultimately victorious in the large-scale offensives that crushed the Wehrmacht. Its history is studied within the broader context of the Eastern Front and the evolution of Soviet operational art during World War II.

Category:Infantry divisions of the Soviet Union in World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1941 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945