173rd Infantry Division (formations of 1939)

The division was formed in September-November 1939 in the city of Balashov in the Volga Military District (hereinafter PrivO) from the personnel of the 53rd division.

At the end of December 1939, the division was reorganized into a motorized division.

In January 1940, the motorized division was reorganized into a wartime motorized rifle division.

The motorized rifle division took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 as part of the North-Western Front .

April 23-30, 1940 the division was moved in the railway echelons from the city of Leningrad to the Odessa Military District .

In May, the 173rd motorized rifle division was reorganized into a rifle division .

The division took part in the military campaign of the Red Army in Romania - to Bessarabia in June-July 1940 as part of the Southern Front .

In July 1940, the management of the division became the basis for the management of the 16th Panzer Division of the 2nd Mechanized Corps . The personnel and equipment of the division were used in the formation of the 6th Motorized Regiment, as well as the units and divisions of the 11th Panzer and 16th Panzer Divisions of the 2nd Mechanized Corps.

Division commanders:

• Kalinin, Nikolai Konstantinovich, (Wrid), Colonel. ^[one]
• Martsinkevich, Vladimir Nikolaevich , Colonel (until 07.40). ^[one]

173rd SD for September-December 1939:

• Division Management in Balashov. ^[one]
• Division special units in Balashov. ^[one]
• 490th Infantry Regiment , Serdobsk. ^[one]
• 567th Infantry Regiment, in the town of Rtishchevo. ^[one]
• 488th howitzer artillery regiment, Serdobsk. ^[one]

173rd MD for December 1939: ^[1]

• 378th Motorized Regiment.
• 490th Motorized Regiment.
• 352nd light artillery regiment.
• 47th tank regiment.

173rd motorway, as of January 1940: ^[1]

• 378th Motor Rifle Regiment.
• 490th Motor Rifle Regiment.
• 567th Motor Rifle Regiment.
• 352nd light artillery regiment.
• 449th separate tank battalion .

173rd SD from May 1940 to July 1940: ^[2]

• control. ^[2]
• 378th Infantry Regiment. ^[3]
• 490th Infantry Regiment. ^[2] , ^[3]
• 567th Infantry Regiment. ^[2] , ^[3]
• 366th howitzer artillery regiment. ^[2]
• 352nd artillery regiment.
• 18th anti-aircraft division. ^[2]
• health battalion. ^[2]

1939

The division began to form on September 1 and was formed in September - November in the city of Balashov in the Volga Military District. ^{[2] [1]}

There is other information - the division was formed in Saratov or in Engels in the Volga Military District consisting of: 378th joint venture, 490th joint venture, 567th joint venture, 352nd reconnaissance regiment. ^[3]

For the formation of the division were allocated personnel, equipment and property management 53rd SD, 307th joint venture, 36th and 64th AP. ^[2]

There is other information - The 378th joint venture of the 53rd SD was allocated for the formation of the division. ^[3]

The division was formed in the following settlements: Management, divisional special units in Balashov, 490th joint venture in Saratov, 488th hap at st. Robbery , 567th joint venture in Petrovsk and Atkarsk . The initial number of personnel is 6,000. ^[one]

Since September 17, the number of personnel has been reduced to 3,000. ^[one]

The 490th joint venture and 488th joint venture were transferred to Serdobsk , and the 567th joint venture to Rtishchevo . ^[one]

Division composition:

• Management in the city of Balashov.
• Division special units in Balashov.
• 490th joint venture of Serdobsk.
• 567th joint venture in the city of Rtishchevo.
• 488th gap in the city of Serdobsk.

The division was transferred to the reserve of the High Command of the Red Army. ^[3]

Around December 20, the division was reorganized into a motorized division. The number of personnel has become 9000 people. ^{[2] [1]} The 60th light tank brigade was turned to form the 47th tank regiment. ^[four]

The division was armed with revolvers and pistols , including Nagant system revolvers and TT pistols ; Mosin rifles ; Simonov automatic rifles of the 1936 model ; Maxim easel machine guns ; ( machine guns designed by Degtyarev ); GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM trucks; GAZ-A and GAZ-M-1 cars; guns ; T-26 tanks .

1940

In January, the motorized division was reorganized into a wartime motorized rifle division .

The 173rd FFM arrived in the Northwest Front. ^[3]

On February 28, the FFM attacked in the area of ​​Revonsaari - Makslahti - Kolkkala . ^[3]

On March 1, the FFM left for the front-line reserve. ^[3]

On March 5, the FFM was included in the 28th Rifle Corps. ^[3]

On March 10-11, the ISF participated in battles near Vilaniyomi. ^[3]

On April 1, the FFM left the area of ​​the new Soviet-Finnish border. ^[3]

On April 23-30, Moscow time, in the railway echelons, departed from the city of Leningrad to the Odessa Military District. ^[3]

On April 26, the IDF arrived in OdVO and was accommodated in a field camp in the city of Pervomaisk (see Pervomaisk (Nikolaev region) . ^[2]

In May, the 173rd infantry division was reorganized into a rifle division . From PriVO, the 366th light artillery regiment arrived in the division to reorganize into the 366th howitzer artillery regiment. The number of personnel is 12,000. ^{[2] [1]}

On June 10, the commander of the OdVO troops received a telegram from the People’s Commissar of Defense on putting the district’s formations on alert. Among them was the 173rd SD. ^[five]

June 28

At 11.00, the operation began to return the territory of Bessarabia.

According to the directive of the Military Council of the Southern Front, the 35th cc of the 9th army had the following task: to reach the river with advanced mobile units of the 15th infantry division , the 21st infantry regiment and one infantry regiment of the 95th regiment in vehicles. Rod and firmly hold the line at the new state border: the 15th MD on the section of Ungheni , Kastuleni , the rifle regiment of the 95th SD Nemzeni, Radyukany and 21st LTBR s. Leovo , s. Gypsy , the rest of the corps to occupy - 173rd SD from the 4th Ltbr Chisinau ; The main forces of the 95th SD are the Karpineni district. Division Headquarters-95 - Carpineni . Headquarters Corps-35 - Chisinau. The border on the left is Tiraspol , Selemet , Gypsy . ^[five]

By order of the Military Council of the 9th Army, clarifying the directive of the front, the 173rd SD from the district of Dubossary was sent across the river. Dniester at Grigoriopol . ^[five]

By 20.30, the main forces of the 173rd SD were completed at Grigoriopol. The 15th md and the 4th ltbr from 20.00 started the crossing south of Tashlyk, and their advanced units entered Chisinau at 22.00. ^[five]

At 23.00, the front directive on June 29 stated: the 9th Army - go to the line of Pyrlitsa, Gancheshty, Desginzhe. The main forces of the troops are: the 15th MD in the Pyrlitsa area, the 95th SD - Ganeshty, the 21st LTBR - Desginzhe and the 173rd SD - Chisinau. All these compounds are combined in the 35th sk. ^[five]

On the night of June 28-29, the formations and units of the 35th sk were:

• part of the corps administration in Chisinau, another part remained on the eastern bank of the Dniester;
• 15th motorway in Chisinau;
• Mobile unit of the 95th SD — reconnaissance battalion, tank battalion, motor artillery, infantry and sappers in motor vehicles in Chisinau;
• part of the 173rd SD in Chisinau, another part remained in the area of Korzhevo , Balabanesti ;
• part of the 4th ltbr in Chisinau, the other part remained on the eastern bank of the Dniester;
• The 95th SD in the district reached the district of Budeshty, Kolonitsa, Sagaidak.

June 29

By the end of the day, the 173rd SD and the 4th LTBR were completely concentrated in Chisinau. ^[five]

3 July

At 14.00, the Soviet-Romanian border was closed, which implied that the troops of the Southern Front fulfilled the task assigned to them. The commanders began to study new locations and planned combat and political training. ^[five]

At 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. on Chisinau Cathedral Square (Victory Square in Soviet times), a parade of Soviet troops took place, in which parts of the 35th Rifle Corps took part: the 173rd Rifle Division and the 4th Light Tank Brigade. The parade was commanded by the commander of the 9th Army, Lieutenant General V.I. Boldin, and received by the commander of the Southern Front, Army General G.K. Zhukov. ^[five]

On July 9, by order of a higher command, all the troops of the front were advanced to places of permanent deployment. The management of the Southern Front has been disbanded. ^{[5] [6]}

On July 10, the management of the 9th Army was disbanded. ^[6]

On July 10, in the OdVO, the formation of the 2nd mechanized corps began . The division was allocated for the formation of this corps. The 567th Infantry Regiment of the division was the basis of the 6th Motorized Regiment. A motorcycle regiment was formed in Tiraspol. The 490th Infantry Regiment was the basis of the 11th howitzer artillery regiment of the 11th Panzer Division. The 366th howitzer artillery regiment was the basis of the 11th motorized rifle regiment of the 11th tank division. The 18th anti-aircraft division was the basis of the 11th ozad. The medical battalion of the division was the basis of the 11th medical battalion of the 11th tank division. The 11th Panzer Division was formed in Chisinau. Division management was the basis for the management of the 16th Panzer Division. The 16th Panzer Division was formed in summer camps in Kotovsk. ^{[2] [3]}

• Bessarabian province .

• Zhukov G.K. Memoirs and reflections. In three volumes. The tenth edition, supplemented by the manuscript of the author. Publishing house "News". Moscow, 1990. S. 274-277.
• Meltiukhov, Mikhail Ivanovich . The liberation campaign of Stalin. M., Yauza, Eksmo, 2006. ISBN 5-699-17275-0 (see lib.rus.ec/b/300044/read)
• RGVA. F. 37977. Op. 1. D. 684. L. 219,232; D. 687. L. 125. Southern Front, 9th Army.

• Website Mechanized Corps of the Red Army. 2nd mechanized corps.
• http://samsv.narod.ru/Div/Sd/sd173/default.html The site of the club "Memory". 173rd Infantry Division
• Website Mechanized Corps of the Red Army. 173rd Infantry Division, from 12.1939 - 173rd Motorized Division, 173th Motor Rifle Division, from 04.1940 - 173rd Infantry Division.
• Website Mechanized Corps of the Red Army. Until 1941, 1938-1941. Armored troops in 1938-1941. 60th light tank brigade.