168th Separate Anti-aircraft Artillery Division

As part of the army from June 22, 1941 to December 15, 1941 as the 168th separate anti-aircraft artillery division, from December 15, 1941 to March 23, 1942 as the 486th separate anti-aircraft artillery division, from March 23, 1942 to May 9, 1945 years again as the 168th separate anti-aircraft artillery division.

On June 22, 1941, it was part of the 10th Infantry Division , stationed 20-25 kilometers from Kretinga in the former landowner estate ^[1]

With the beginning of the German offensive in the Baltic, he retreats to Estonia and then along the coast of the Gulf of Finland to Leningrad . In August-September 1941, he took up positions in Peterhof , retreating in the direction of Oranienbaum , from where, together with the division, the remainder of the division were transferred to Leningrad . The division was disbanded (officially from December 15, 1941), on its basis the 486th separate anti-aircraft artillery division and the 334th separate anti-aircraft battery of the 10th rifle division were formed

In November 1941, transferred to the Volkhov Front , took up positions in the Malovishersky district , where it is located until July 1942. March 23, 1942 the division was returned to the previous, 168th number.

In July 1942, relocated to the Kirishi area. At the end of 1943, it was again relocated to the approaches to Novgorod , in January-February 1944 it carried out air defense of the troops of the 59th Army during the Leningrad-Novgorod operation . In the spring of 1944, relocated in the area of Narva . In July 1944 he was sent to the Karelian Isthmus , where he takes part in the Vyborg operation . Upon completion, it is deployed in the Vyborg area until the end of the war.

Submission

As part of the army from June 22, 1941 to September 23, 1941 and from October 3, 1941 to June 7, 1942. It was armed with anti-aircraft 85-mm guns

On June 22, 1941 it is deployed in Gomel , from the first days of the war it reflects the attacks of enemy aircraft. In August 1941, he was taken to the rear, to Oryol . On October 1, the division had 12 85 mm guns, a machine gun mount (four machine gun) on the ZIS-5 and a machine gun company ^[2]

With the beginning of the operation, the Typhoon apparently doesn’t have time to evacuate from Oryol, it is surrounded, in the first half of October 1941 only 170 people were lost (most likely captives) (based on the list of irretrievable losses of the 50th Army for period from October 3, 1941). The rest of the division moved towards Tula , while retaining guns and taking up positions on the highway from Mtsensk to Tula, on the southern outskirts of the city.

On October 29, 1941, on the highway in the Novo-Basovo area, the division did not miss the enemy tank column moving towards Tula, and according to I. B. Moshchansky , played a major role in the fact that enemy tanks on the move did not capture Tula . But the division also suffered losses, 4 guns were destroyed.

During the defense of Tula, he occupied positions on the southern outskirts of Tula and repelled enemy tank attacks by fire, being in operational submission to the 1005th Infantry Regiment . On November 7, 1941, there were 8 76 mm guns (as in the text of the document) of guns ^[2] in November relocated to Venev ^[3] , where it also, taking up positions on the approaches to the city, repelled enemy attacks. So, on November 24, 1941, the 1st battery, after 12-16 shots, destroyed the two-gun battery at Hawka, then transferred fire to the tanks and the convoy of vehicles with enemy infantry, destroying two tanks, knocking out five tanks and 10 vehicles, forcing the enemy to dismount and lay fire. At the same time, the 2nd battery of the division fired at a convoy of infantry vehicles advancing along the highway from Berezov to Venev. For this day alone, the division’s soldiers shot down 2 planes, knocked out and destroyed 9 tanks, up to 15 vehicles with infantry, a battery and destroyed more than 600 enemy soldiers and officers.

After the Tula operation, he was recovering in Tula during December 1941 - February 1942, in February he was delayed by departure for 15 days due to lack of transport. Since March 1942, continues to operate in the interests of the 50th Army , deployed in the Mosalsky District ( Vasilievsky )

By Decree No. GOKO-1887ss of June 6, 1942, it was directed to form the 1275th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment ^[4]

Division commander: Senior Lieutenant Trepov

Submission

• Directories on Soldier.ru
• List No. 31 of artillery units and divisions (separate divisions, battalions, batteries, companies and units), with the terms of their entry into the army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945