75th Rifle Division

75th Rifle Division (September 1923 – December 27, 1941) 75th Rifle Division (January 8, 1942 - June 25, 1957)
Active	1923–1957
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army (1939-46)  Soviet Army (1946–1955)
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Engagements	Winter War Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev (1941) Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran
Commanders
Notable commanders	Col. Vasilii Ivanovich Repin Kombrig Zinovii Pavlovich Tishchenko Kombrig Aleksandr Mikhailovich Stepanov Maj. Gen. Semyon Ivanovich Nedvigin Col. Vasilii Leontevich Abramov Col. Timofei Ivanovich Volkovich Col. Nikolai Denisovich Ryzhov

The 75th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in September 1923, in the Ukrainian Military District, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) for rifle divisions of that period. It remained in Ukraine until May 1939, latterly in the Kharkov Military District, before being moved to Leningrad Military District, which became Northwestern Front. During the Winter War with Finland it reinforced 8th Army north of Lake Ladoga in its final weeks. It remained in the Leningrad region until June 1940 when it was moved southwest to the Western Special Military District in Belarus, and at the start of the German invasion on June 22, 1941, it was south of Brest as part of 4th Army.

1st Formation

The 75th was first formed at Poltava in the Ukrainian Military District in September 1923, largely based on a cadre from the 25th Rifle Division, plus other units from various districts. It was under the 25th's command until October 1926 when its own command cadre was separated and the division was moved to Lubny in pursuance of Order No. 348/86. This was completed the next month, at which time its order of battle was as follows:

• 223rd Rifle Regiment (formed at Cherkasy, now stationed at Pyriatyn)
• 224th Rifle Regiment (formed at Poltava, now stationed at Khorol, then Pryluky from 1931)
• 225th Rifle Regiment (formed at Poltava with some cadre from 28th Mountain Rifle Division, now stationed at Lubny)
• 75th Artillery Regiment (now stationed at Myrhorod)
• Signal Company (Signal Battalion in 1932, disbanded April 1938)
• Sapper Company (Sapper Battalion in 1932, disbanded in 1938)
• Cavalry Battalion

In December 1932 the division came under command of Col. Vasilii Ivanovich Repin, who had previously led the 70th Rifle Division before taking command of the Transcaucasus Military Preparatory School. He left the division to further his military education and rose to the rank of lieutenant general on June 4, 1940.

Several changes were made to the 75th's order of battle over the following years. In 1932 a tankette company was formed, which was enlarged to a tank battalion in April 1936. Two years later it was reformed as a tank company. All these were based at Lubny. In December 1934 a reconnaissance battalion was formed from a tank company and a cavalry squadron. This was reorganized in May 1936 but then disbanded in April 1938. An antiaircraft machine gun company was formed in January 1935 and also stationed at Lubny. In April 1938 the 235th Howitzer Artillery Regiment was formed at Lubny, based on a cadre from the division's own 75th Artillery Regiment. Kombrig Zinovii Pavlovich Tishchenko led the division through most of this period until he was arrested on February 19, 1938, during the Great Purge. He would die in prison in 1941 but be rehabilitated on February 8, 1956. Col. Semyon Ivanovich Nedvigin led the division as deputy commander beginning in December, and would remain in this position when Kombrig Aleksandr Mikhailovich Stepanov took full command on April 19, 1939. A month later the 75th left 14th Rifle Corps and began moving north to Ostrov in the Leningrad Military District. At this time it had about 6,500 personnel on strength, but this grew to 8,750 by the end of August.

In September 1939, for security and intelligence reasons, all the rifle divisions had their regiments' numbers "scrambled", and the 75th emerged with the following order of battle:

• 28th Rifle Regiment
• 34th Rifle Regiment
• 115th Rifle Regiment
• 68th Artillery Regiment
• 235th Howitzer Artillery Regiment
• 82nd Antitank Battalion
• 282nd Antiaircraft Battalion
• 54th Reconnaissance Company
• 97th Sapper Battalion
• 75th Signal Battalion
• 110th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
• 31st Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Platoon
• 69th Motor Transport Battalion
• 49th Field Bakery
• 96th Divisional Artillery Workshop
• 300th Field Postal Station
• 106th Field Office of the State Bank

During this month the division was assigned to 1st Rifle Corps in 8th Army and took up positions along the border with Estonia, not far to the west. In November it began moving east under these commands to Shlisselburg, before moving by truck into Karelia, where the 8th Army was assigned to a sector north of Lake Ladoga.

Winter War

The Soviet invasion of Finland began on November 30. 8th Army was initially under command of Komdiv I. N. Khabarov, who issued orders to 1st Corps on December 4 to advance toward Ilomantsi and Korpiselka. Initial operations, which did not involve the 75th, went so poorly that Khabarov was replaced on December 13 by Komandarm 2nd Rank G. M. Shtern. This did little to stem the counterattacks facing 1st Corps. The 139th Rifle Division was defeated at the Battle of Tolvajärvi on December 12. The 75th had been advancing in the area of ​​Lake Yaglyajärvi but during December 20-21 was partially encircled and forced to retreat to the Aitoyoki River line, losing a good deal of its heavy equipment in the process. Following this the front lines stabilized.

On January 7, 1940, the Leningrad Military District was renamed as Northwestern Front as the Red Army regrouped its war effort. 8th Army's 168th Rifle Division had been encircled near Kitelä in what became known as the Great Motti, and Shtern's new objective was to relieve both it and the 18th Rifle Division. The latter task was given to his 56th Rifle Corps, while the 75th was to secure the left flank of 1st Corps while also capturing the area of Hepolampi, Polvijärvi, and Onkamolampi. The division attacked through January 21-28 but gained only about 2km. In February Stepanov moved to deputy command of 1st Corps and Colonel Nedvigin took full command of the 75th; he would be promoted to Kombrig on March 2, and this would be modernized to major general on June 4.

References

External links

• Vasilii Ivanovich Repin
• Zinovii Pavlovich Tishchenko
• Aleksandr Mikhailovich Stepanov
• Semyon Ivanovich Nedvigin
• Vasilii Leontevich Abramov
• Timofei Ivanovich Volkovich