| 44th Rifle Division 44th Mountain-Rifle Division |
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Soldiers and officers of the 44th Kievan Rifle Division, an elite unit of the Ukrainian SSR[1] |
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| Active | 1918 - 1945 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Rifle |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Winter War, World War II |
| Decorations | Order of Red Banner (1928) |
| Battle honours | Shchors Kievskaya (1920) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Alexei Vinogradov |
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The 44th Kievskaya of the Red Banner Rifle Division of Nikolay Shchors, or 44th Kievskaya for short, was an elite military formation of the Soviet Union.
Although it was an elite formation, the division was destroyed during the Winter War, after being ordered to help 163rd infantry division to break a Finnish siege on Raate road. On 30 November 1939 it was part of Special Rifle Corps, 9th Army, together with 54th Rifle Division.[2]
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The unit is also famous for being the one of the first military formations out which was formed the short-lived Soviet Ukrainian Army (1918–1919). It was formed by the order no.6 of the Communist Party (Bolshevik) of Ukraine on September 22, 1918 as the 1st Insurgent Division along with the 2nd Insurgent Division. The 1st Insurgent Division was formed out of insurgent squads of Tarashcha and Novgorod-Sieversky uyezds. The chief of division (nachdiv) was appointed N.Krapivyansky and the chief of staff S.Petrikovsky (Petrenko).
By the end of September the Division grew to 6700 bayonets, 450 sabers, 14 [artillery] guns, and from 10 to 18 machine guns "Maxim", 5 to 6 Colt, 20 to 30 Lewis. Because of that selected regiments were reorganized into brigades. However, the name for the units were nominal as the brigade's headquarters were never formed and functions of kombrigs were performed by the regimental commanders (colonel).
Around that time by the divisional headquarter was formed a company of security out some 700 soldiers. That new unit was planned to be transformed into the 5th Regiment and used as a reserve. Also the 4th Insurgent Regiment was recommissioned as the 6th Insurgent Regiment (commander T.Chernyak) and along with the 1st Regiment of Red Cossacks was soon transferred to the 2nd Insurgent Division. In their place were created the 3rd Insurgent Regiment, later called Novgorod-Sieversky (T.Chernyak) and 4th Insurgent Nezhyn Regiment (P.Nesmeyan) transformed out the security company.
During the preparations for an assault on Kharkiv most of the division, however, refused to obey orders except for the Red Cossacks and the 4th Insurgent Nezhyn Regiment. For that the divisional commander N.Krapivyansky was dismissed and tried by court. The new chief of division was appointed I.Lokatosh and political commissar - I.Panafidin. The name of division also changed to the Special Insurgent Division (order of Military Council of Kursk direction group of forces of November 21, 1918) as well as its formation consisting now only out of two brigades:
It participated during Soviet invasion of Poland in autumn 1939, later during Winter war the division was sent to the front as reinforcement for the Soviet 163rd Rifle Division which had attempted to advance into central Finland and which had become surrounded after capturing the town of Suomussalmi and was suffering heavy casualties.[3] The 163rd Division, which was running short of food, was almost completedly annihilated in combat with the Finnish 9th Infantry Division before the 44th Rifle Division could reach its position. With no ski troops, the 44th Rifle Division was completely road bound in the deep snow. The Finns, mounted on skis, and carrying superior arms (submachineguns), were able to break the route of march of the 44th Division on the road leading to Suomussalmi. By breaking the division into pieces along the road, after Finnish radio intelligence had confirmed that the whole division had entered the Raate road,[4] the Finns were able to annihilate the entire unit. According to Robert Edwards, the division's commander, A. Vinogradev, managed to escape, but later, on the orders of Stalin's emissary, Lev Mekhlis, he was shot for incompetence following a sham trial. Of the 44th Division's 17,000 troops, 1000 were captured and 700 escaped. The rest died.[3]
Other records suggest that komdiv Aleksei Vinogradov was sentenced in January 1940 to the Highest Degree of Punishment (VMN) by the Military Tribunal of the 9th Army.[5] Along with his chief of staff Onufri Volkov[6] on January 11 he was publicly executed in front of formation.
Recreated after its destruction and part of 13th Rifle Corps, 12th Army, Kiev Special Military District in June 1941.[7]
'Captured Soviet Generals' says that the division commander, MAjor General S.A. Tkachenko, was captured by the Germans. The division was immediately caught up in conflict and suffered heavy losses. By 21 July 1941 the division was already short of shtat (establishment or Table of Organization and Equipment) by over 4,000 soldiers, 199 cargo trucks, and over 3,000 rifles and carbines. Divisional morale fell despite some small victories. Ultimately the division was wiped out in combat near the village of Podvyskoe in the Kirovograd and Uman region.[8]
The division was recreated at Leningrad in October 1941. Fought in northern Russia and Kurland. With 67th Army of the Leningrad Front in May 1945. Briefly active after the war from 1955 at Buzuluk in Orenburg Oblast, being redesignated the 44th Motor Rifle Division in 1957 and then the 270th Motor Rifle Division in 1965.
On July 8, 1939: