337th division. Paths-Roads (337th Infantry Division). Airborne Regiment in Ulyanovsk
From the article you will learn a detailed history of the 337th Airborne Regiment of the 104th Airborne Forces. This flag is for all the Wild Division paratroopers!
Characteristics
- 337 PDP
- 337 Guards RAP
- Ganja
Flag of the Airborne Forces 337 Guards Parachute Regiment
Absolutely all formations of the Airborne Forces are distinguished not only by the highest combat training and self-confidence, but also by the continuity of traditions. Numerous reforms in the Armed Forces changed the deployment of airborne formations, affiliation with a particular division and the names of regiments and brigades. Today we will talk about the history of the 337th airborne division as part of the 104th Airborne Division in Ulyanovsk and Kirovabad.
Regiment as part of the "Wild Division"
The 104th Airborne Division, otherwise known as the Wild Division, was formed in 1944. Units of the formation, including the 337th airborne division of the 104th airborne division, were stationed in the Transcaucasian Military District. The Azerbaijani cities of Shamkhor and Ganja (formerly Kirovabad) became home to guards paratroopers for many years.
The specific features of the terrain in this region of Azerbaijan contributed to the fact that the 337th Airborne Regiment, as well as other units of the division, were trained in conditions of maximum autonomy and adaptability to combat in regions with mountain-desert landscapes. At the same time, the unofficial nickname “wild” was assigned to the division, as well as the scorpion as a symbol and emblem of the paratrooper unit.
It is curious that the famous politician Sergei Mironov served in the 337th airborne division of the 104th airborne division in Kirovabad. By the way, those interested can find his extensive memoirs about his years of service in the 3rd company (early 70s).
337 Airborne Regiment in Ulyanovsk
The collapse of the Soviet Union became a serious test for the Armed Forces. In those years, plans arose in someone’s head for a widespread reduction in the Airborne Forces. Fortunately, most of the airborne forces remained in service.
However, in 1993, 337 PDPs were redeployed from independent Azerbaijan to Russia. Ulyanovsk became the regiment's new base. Units of the regiment as part of the division's combined formations took part in peacekeeping missions in Abkhazia and Yugoslavia, and also took part in hostilities in the Chechen Republic. We have already written about these events in detail in one of our previous materials.
In 1998, the next stage of reform of the Airborne Forces took place. The 104th Airborne Division is disbanded and on its basis the 31st Guards Separate Airborne Brigade is created. As for the 337th RPD, the 91st Guards Separate Airborne Battalion and the 116th OPDB are being created in its place. The unit's banner, awards and historical records of the 337th Airborne Regiment were transferred to the 91st ODDB, which is considered the successor to this formation of airborne troops.
Several years ago, the 31st brigade received the name air assault. And at the moment, 91 Guards. OPDB continues combat training as part of this formation. For some time, the brigade's personnel were replenished only by contract soldiers, but now conscripts are again being called up to the 31st Guards. ODSBr.
When Nikolai Ivanovich Demenyev came from the NP, he greeted me as if we had parted just the day before, without a hint of emotion. They talked about military affairs, that is, about service for a short time, and switched to other things. The division commander asked where I had been during these almost three months and what interesting things I knew. He was especially interested in the service “with Vasilyan,” his old friend.
I learned about the period of formation and the first battles of the 337th from the combat log. The beginning of the formation of the 337th Infantry Division was determined by an order to the troops of the Transcaucasian Front dated July 29, 1942, based on Resolution of the State Defense Committee No. 2114 dated July 28, 1942.
At the beginning, until August 20, the division was formed in the city of Mozdok. In particular, a division administration, headquarters units and subunits were formed in Mozdok, including: the 449th separate communications company, the 398th separate reconnaissance company. As well as special units: 616th engineer battalion (battalion commander - Captain Alexey Fedorovich Kolonichenko), 47th separate anti-tank division (commander - Senior Lieutenant Job), 899th artillery regiment (commander - Major Fedor Ivanovich Grechukhin), separate machine gun battalion (commander - Captain Borisenko V.I.), 421 separate medical battalion, 1129 rifle regiment (commander - Major Lakhtarenko Maxim Nikolaevich, Cossack cavalryman).
The 1131st rifle regiment was formed in the city of Malgobek (commander - Major Nikolai Ivanovich Ustinov, former chief of staff of the Cossack regiment). The 1127th Infantry Regiment was formed in the village of Terskaya (commander - Major Pershev).
The 337th Rifle Division included, in addition to the command and control of the 228th Infantry Division and headquarters units, almost the entire existing staff of the artillery regiment and anti-tank division, and some of the medical battalion personnel. This is because artillerymen were not needed in those units that were fighting. But the personnel of the rifle regiments were completely absorbed into one of the divisions at the front. There was a huge shortage of infantrymen, because infantry losses exceeded the losses of artillery units several times.
Due to the approach of the enemy, by August 22, the 337th Infantry Division moved to the city of Karabujakhet in the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. I remember nothing about this period except an anecdote told in all seriousness by Nikolai Ivanovich.
We were sitting near the headquarters one day and saw a Dagestani man riding a donkey down the street. - Where are you going? - we ask.
I'm taking my wife to the hospital! - answers.
Where is the wife?
Don't you see? It's coming from behind.
The 337th arrived at the front on the morning of September 09, 1942. Having completed a long march, it concentrated in the area of the village of Voznesenskaya, coming under the control of the 9th Army. At 18 o'clock on the same day, it reached the area of heights 390.9 and 478.9, as well as the village of Sovetsky, with the task of advancing northwest of the city of Malgobek. From this area, together with the 9th Infantry Brigade, on September 10, the 337th began the destruction of the Malgobek enemy group and was successful, throwing the Germans back 2-3 kilometers and inflicting heavy losses on them.
However, due to strong enemy counterattacks, the division was pushed back to its original positions and here went on the defensive, replacing units of the 176th and 417th Infantry Divisions, through which it began to advance on the tenth.
When occupying the defense, the regiments of the 337th had to repel several enemy attacks per day.
Fierce fighting continued afterwards.
Short combat history of the division. Getting to know the division
I didn’t like the outline of the division’s front line. On the right flank, it passed at the foot of the ridge along the cornfield and nothing was visible from there, that is, there was no visibility and no possibility of shelling. The leading edge here had to be taken back to the northern slopes of height 390.9, that is, raised up the slope. As for the leading edge at an altitude of 409.1, there was obvious nonsense. Our forward trenches ran along a steep slope, the crest of which was occupied by the Germans. The enemy was sitting on a height and not only clearly saw what was happening with us, but also fired grenades along this slope, which inevitably fell into our trenches. And almost any stone that rolled down the slope, one way or another, harmed us.
At night, our soldiers made visors. These canopies saved our soldiers, but, firstly, they were not continuous due to the lack of timber, and, secondly, it was impossible for everyone to sit under the canopies all the time! It was necessary to conduct observation. I had to shoot. As a result, we suffered daily unnecessary losses, which, given the large shortage of personnel, was very sensitive for us. So fight!
Years of combat: 1942 [Notes of the division chief of staff] Rogov Konstantin Ivanovich
Help 337 Lubny Guards Rifle Division 2 formation
337 Lubny Guards Rifle Division 2 formations
The beginning of the formation of the 337th Infantry Division was determined by an order to the troops of the Transcaucasian Front dated July 29, 1942, based on Resolution of the State Defense Committee No. 2114 dated July 28, 1942.
Until August 20, the division was formed in Mozdok. The 1131st rifle regiment was formed in the city of Malgobek. The 1127th Infantry Regiment was formed in the village of Terskaya.
The 337th Infantry Division included, in addition to the command and control of the 228th Infantry Division (2 formations) and headquarters units, almost the entire available staff of the artillery regiment and anti-tank division, and part of the medical battalion personnel. This is because artillerymen were not needed in those units that were fighting. But the personnel of the rifle regiments were completely absorbed into one of the divisions at the front. There was a huge shortage of infantrymen, because infantry losses exceeded the losses of artillery units several times.
The division was commanded by:
Kochenov Grigory Matveevich (08/13/1942 - 09/05/1942), colonel.
Dementyev Nikolai Ivanovich (09/06/1942 - 02/01/1943), colonel, major general from 01/27/1943, retired due to injury.
Sklyarov Sergey Fedorovich (02/04/1943 - 03/07/1943), colonel.
Lyaskin Grigory Osipovich (03/08/1943 - 02/12/1944), colonel, major general from 04/28/1943, retired due to injury.
Gorobets Taras Pavlovich (02/13/1944 - 05/09/1945), colonel.
Chief of Staff of the Division, Major Konstantin Ivanovich Rogov (Colonel) from 10/26/1942 to 02/25/1944, retired due to illness.
1127th Infantry Regiment. Commander - Major Pershev. 1129th Infantry Regiment, Commander - Major Lakhtarenko Maxim Nikolaevich.
1131st Infantry Regiment. Commander - Major Ustinov Nikolai Ivanovich. 899 artillery regiment, Commander - Major Fedor Ivanovich Grechukhin 47 separate anti-tank fighter division, Commander - Senior Lieutenant Job. 318 anti-aircraft artillery battery (until 2.4.43), 398 reconnaissance company, 616 sapper battalion, Commander - Captain Kolonichenko Alexey Fedorovich 787 separate communications battalion (449 separate communications company), 421 medical battalion, 414 separate chemical defense company, 164 motor transport company, 190 field bakery, 759 divisional veterinary hospital, 2187 field postal station, 653 (1068) field cash desk of the State Bank. Combat period 24.8.42 - 2.4.43, 9.7.43 - 9.5.45.
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After unloading from the echelons, the 337th SD became part of the 6A SWF, which was preparing for an offensive in the Barvenkovo direction south of Kharkov. By January 12, 1942, units of the division (1127th, 1129th, 1131st Rifle Regiments, 899th Artillery Regiments) occupied a defensive line along the western bank of the Seversky Donets River.
Early in the morning of January 18, 1942, the division as part of the 6th Army went on the offensive. At dawn, its units were subjected to air raids, followed by counterattacks by enemy tanks. The division's repeated attempts to break through the enemy defenses at the Morozovka, Olkhovatka line were unsuccessful. However, success came in the 411sd sector, where they managed to break through the enemy’s defenses. Taking advantage of the success of its neighbor, the division captured Zhukovka with an energetic blow, and on January 20 liberated Gusarovka, Volobuevka and Shurovka. In four days the division advanced to a depth of 10 km. Its units began fighting for the Balakleya bridgehead. Until the end of January '42. The 253rd and 337th Rifle Division, with the support of the 7th and 13th Tank Brigades, stormed the strong enemy resistance center Balakleya, but were unable to capture it.
Until May '42 held the river bank North Donets south of Balakleya. 12 May 42 6A went on the offensive against Kharkov from the Barvenkovo ledge. By the beginning of May '42. The division consisted of 7151 people, 30 guns, 85 mortars, 4 anti-tank guns. The 337th Rifle Division continued to hold its previous line of defense. Despite our successful offensive on May 17, the enemy struck and, having broken through the defenses of the 9A Southern Front in the area of Barvenkovo and Slavyansk, began to develop an offensive with motorized formations to the rear of the SWF strike group.
The countermeasures taken by the command of the Southwestern Front turned out to be insufficient. The enemy also crossed the North. The Donets west of Balakleya in the 337th division section and connected with the 14th and 16th divisions that had approached from the south. On the evening of May 22, the Germans closed their pincer encirclement south of Balakleya. 6 and 57A and OG Bobkin were surrounded. The 337th Rifle Division was also surrounded. Our troops made fierce attempts to break out of the encirclement both from outside and from inside the cauldron. However, only 22 thousand people managed to break out of the encirclement. By May 26, the remnants of the encircled group were trapped in a small area to the west and west of Lozovenka. On May 30, the encirclement was finished.
Division commander, Major General Vasiliev I.V. died on May 25, 1942, surrounded in the area of the village. Protopopovka.
