Active 1922-1947; 1955-1956 Branch Soviet Army | Country Soviet Union Type Infantry | |
Engagements World War II
Soviet invasion of Poland
Baltic Operation
Leningrad Strategic Defensive
Toropets–Kholm Offensive
Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive
Tartu Offensive
Riga Offensive (1944)
East Pomeranian Offensive
Battle of Berlin Decorations Order of the Red Banner
Order of Suvorov 2nd class | ||
The 33rd Rifle Division was a rifle division of the Red Army and Soviet Army, formed twice. The division was formed in 1922 at Samara and moved to Belarus in the next year. It fought in the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939 and in the Occupation of Lithuania in June 1940. After Operation Barbarossa, the division fought in the Baltic Operation and Leningrad Strategic Defensive. In January 1942, it fought in the Toropets–Kholm Offensive. The division participated in the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive, the Pskov-Ostrov Offensive, the Tartu Offensive and the Riga Offensive. In 1945, the division fought in the East Pomeranian Offensive and the Battle of Berlin. The division remained in Germany postwar with the Soviet occupation forces and disbanded in 1947. In 1955, it was reformed from the 215th Rifle Division in the Far East and inherited that division's honorifics, but was disbanded in 1956.
Contents
First formation
Avanzini and Crofoot write that the division was formed in June 1922 from a cadre from a rifle brigade at Samara in the Volga Military District as a territorial rifle division, and received the designation 'Samar'. Vasily Margelov served with the division's 99th Rifle Regiment as a machine gun platoon commander during 1931 and 1932. With 16th Rifle Corps of 11th Army on June 22, 1941. Fought vicinity Stalingrad and Berlin. During the Battle of Berlin, it helped capture the Reichstag. With 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front May 1945.
During November and December 1946, the division was disbanded in Germany, still with the 3rd Shock Army.
Second formation
The division was reformed briefly in the Far East by redesignation of 215th Rifle Division in 1955. It inherited the 215th's honorifics "Smolensk Red Banner Order of Suvorov". There it served with 5th Red Banner Army with headquarters located at Krasny Kut. The division was disbanded on 25 July 1956.