53rd Infantry Brigade

It was formed in October 1941 in the Saratov region . At the end of November 1941, it unloaded in Kolomna , on December 5, 1941 it was relocated to Zaraysk , on December 12, 1941 it was loaded into echelons in Zaraysk and sent to the front through Yaroslavl ( December 21, 1941).

In the army from December 18, 1941 to March 9, 1944.

In the last days of December 1941, it concentrated along the boundary of the Volkhov River . Before the start of the Lyuban operation, the brigade was in reserve at the Gryady station in readiness to build on the Smoky - Vysokoye section and did not participate in the battle on January 7, 1942.

It was only entered into battle on January 15, 1942 from the second echelon, crossed the Volkhov and entered the battles for the village of Yamno. After taking a fortified knot in the village of Yamno in fierce battles, on January 24, 1942, the brigade proceeded to Lyubtsy, on the southern flank of the neck of the breakthrough of the 2nd shock army, but then was redirected to cover the right, northern flank of the breakthrough, to provide the army's shock group in the form of 13 Cavalry Corps , which was advancing to Lyuban . The brigade advanced along with the corps, securing positions on its right flank, took part in the liberation of the villages of Tigodsky Zavod and Chervino, but then was stopped at the villages of Krapivno, Ruchei and Chervinskaya Luka. By early March 1942 it moved closer to Krasnaya Gorka, approached the village 3.5 kilometers southwest of it, cutting the Kingisepp - Chudovo railway.

He fights there until the start of the operation to withdraw from the encirclement of the 2nd shock army in May 1942. As of June 1, 1942, the brigade consisted of 338 officers, 282 sergeants and foremen and 1,011 privates; during late May - early June 1942, he departed with rearguard battles to Myasniy Bor . During June 19–25 , 1942 approximately 150 people broke out of the encirclement ring. During the summer of 1942, the brigade is being restored in the area of ​​Malaya Vishera.

By September 1942, the brigade became part of the 4th Guards Rifle Corps , from September 8, 1942, together with the 122nd Tank Brigade, it was advancing to the north, trying to expand the neck of the breakthrough, but was unsuccessful. Like all parts of the 2nd shock army it is surrounded, from September 27, 1942, numbering 1,227 people it leaves the encirclement, by October 1, 1942 it came out, numbering 1108 people, while retaining all 16 guns (remained during the attack on eastern bank of the Black River). Allocated to the Olomna area for recovery. ^[one]

Before the operation, Iskra numbered 4,305 people ^[2] . At the first stage of the operation, she did not take part, was put into battle at Sinyavino at the end of January 1943, after which she was sent to the front reserve, and then transferred to the 4th Army and was under Kirishi until October 1943.

In the course of the Novgorod-Luga operation , from January 16, 1944, the brigade attacked the Georgian bridgehead and then, fighting the enemy’s rearguards, attacked Chudovo , which was liberated on January 28, 1944 and the brigade received the honorary name “Chudovskaya”. Then the brigade went into battle until Oredezh and on February 12, 1944, already as part of the 67th army took part in the liberation of Luga .

On March 9, 1944, the brigade was disbanded.

• Rakovsky, Vasily Stepanovich (10.30.1941 - 01.17.1942), Major General
• Gavrilov, Mikhail Filippovich (01/16/1942 - 03/21/1942), Major General
• Larichev, Andrey Nikolaevich (05/01/1942 - 05.24.1942)
• Mankovsky, Ivan Semenovich (05/26/1942 - 06/29/1942), lieutenant colonel, captured on 06/29/1942, released in May 1945
• Kuzmenko, Philip Semenovich (from 03.07.1942)
• Sable, Ivan Dorofeevich (07/05/1942 - 09/23/1942), suspended
• Gorokhov, Alexander Alexandrovich (09/20/1942 - 01/07/1943)
• Savchenko, Gerasim Mikhailovich (10/17/1942 - 04/03/1943)
• Elshinov, Mikhail Sergeevich (05/04/1943 - 05/25/1944)

• Gavrilov B. I. "Death Valley." The tragedy and feat of the 2nd shock army. - M .: Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1999. ISBN 5-8055-0057-4

• The combat structure of the Soviet Army 1941-1945
• List No. 7 of the directorates of brigades of all branches of the armed forces that were part of the army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.