17th Breakthrough Artillery Division

17th Artillery of the Kiev-Zhytomyr Order of Lenin The red banner of the Order of Suvorov breakthrough division was formed in the Moscow region in March 1943 as the 17th artillery division . In April 1943, it also included the 92nd heavy howitzer and 108th howitzer high-power artillery brigades and the division was named the 17th artillery breakthrough division of the RVGK .

First entered battle on March 19, 1943 east of the city of Mga as part of the 8th Army of the Volkhov Front . June 13 was included in the 7th artillery breakthrough corps , which operated until the end of the war.

In the Oryol offensive operation of 1943, the division paved the way for infantry and tanks of the 64th Army of the Bryansk Front with powerful fire.

Then, as part of the corps, it was given to the Voronezh Front and, in cooperation with other artillery formations, carried out the artillery offensive tasks in the bands of the 27th and 52nd armies during their military operations to liberate the Left-Bank Ukraine of the Union.

In August 1943, she carried out fire attacks on the enemy during the liberation of the front of the city of Akhtyrka , and in September - during the liberation of Zenkov . In intense battles on the outskirts of Akhtyrka, the soldiers of the division showed great courage and high military skill.

An example is the actions of the deputy commander of the political division of the senior lieutenant G.M. Golovin and the commander of the fire platoon of the second lieutenant A.N. Gaidash. When counterattacking German tanks and armored personnel carriers accompanying them went to the firing positions of the 92nd heavy howitzer artillery brigade, Golovin and Gaidash quickly organized an enemy counterattack reflection. With direct fire they personally shot down 4 tanks each, and during the 5-hour battle, the artillerymen of the division destroyed 19 tanks (including 6 “tigers”), an assault gun , an armored personnel carrier, and an infantry company . For their valor and courage, G. M. Golovin and A. N. Gaidash ^[1] were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

In the Kiev offensive operation, acting as part of the Voronezh ( 1st October, Ukrainian ) front, the personnel of the division showed high skill in conducting an artillery attack.

For exemplary performance of combat missions during the liberation of the city of Kiev, the division was awarded the honorary name "Kiev" (November 6, 1943) ^[2] .

For exemplary performance of combat missions during the liberation of Zhytomyr, the division was awarded the honorary name " Zhytomyr " (November 13, 1943).

For the courage shown in the operation and military skill, she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (January 4, 1944).

Further, her soldiers successfully smashed the Nazis in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky and Proskurovsky-Chernivtsi offensive operations.

The heavy battles were fought by the division in mid-March 1944 in the Proskurov direction. In an effort to take possession of the Proskurov - Volochisk road, the enemy threw large groups of tanks and motorized infantry into battle. On March 20, the Germans repeatedly attacked the firing positions of the 1432th light artillery regiment ( commander of the regiment , Major I. Trussorub), which was part of the division.

When repelling enemy attacks, the calculation of the gun of sergeant T. S. Melnikov, a participant in three wars, a knight of three St. George's Crosses, heroically fought. When the enemy tanks reached the firing positions of the battery, Melnikov ordered the calculation to fire from machine guns and carbines at enemy machine gunners, and he himself destroyed the German tank and assault gun from the cannon. In this battle, the brave warrior died. Posthumously he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War II degree ^[3] . The name of Sergeant Melnikov was forever listed on the 1432th light artillery regiment, and the cannon from which he destroyed 12 enemy tanks during the fighting became known as Melnikov’s gun.

In the Lviv-Sandomierz offensive operation of 1944, the division as part of the 60th army participated in the defeat of the German forces in the Brody area and the liberation of Lviv (July 27, 1944).

For the exemplary fulfillment of command assignments when breaking through the enemy’s defense in the Lviv direction, she was awarded the Order of Suvorov, II degree (August 9, 1944).

At the end of the operation, the division entered the territory of Poland and supported the troops of the 5th Guards and 60th Armies with fire while mastering the important knot of resistance of the enemy - the city of Debica (August 23, 1944).

By December 10, 1944, the division focused on the Sandomierz bridgehead, where it was preparing for a breakthrough of the enemy defenses. In the 1945 Sandomierz-Silesian offensive operation, the formation of the division with powerful fire strikes suppressed the enemy’s defenses in the direction of the offensive of the 59th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front.

On January 19, 1945, the division participated in the liberation of Krakow , then fought for the Dombrowski coal basin .

For exemplary fulfillment of the command tasks during the liberation of the Dombrowski coal basin , the valor and courage shown by the personnel, the division was awarded the Order of Lenin (April 5, 1945).

In the Upper Silesian offensive operation, it successfully carried out fire missions during the encirclement and destruction of the enemy group in the region of Oppeln and when the troops captured the bridgehead on the left bank of the river. Neisse .

At the final stage of the war, she participated in the Berlin offensive operation , during which she successfully supported the 13th Army’s formations in the battles to capture Wittenberg (April 27, 1945) and to liquidate the enemy’s encircled group southwest of Berlin . She completed her military career in the Prague offensive operation .

Formed as part of the management, the 22nd mortar, 37th light, 50th howitzer and 39th cannon artillery brigades. The division also included a separate corrective squadron consisting of 5 IL-2 two-seater aircraft and one U-2 aircraft.

• 06/13/1943 included in the 7th artillery breakthrough corps . It supported the formation of fire 8 A , 61 A , 27 A , 52 A , 60 A , 5 Guards A. , 59 A and 13 A. As part of the troops of Volkhov, Bryansk, Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian fronts.

• Volkenstein, Sergey Sergeevich , Colonel , from April 21, 1943, Major General of Artillery (??. 01.1943 - ??. 05.1947)

For the courage and courage shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, 12,683 division soldiers were awarded orders and medals, and 6 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union .

• Bardanov, Alexander Ivanovich , battery commander of the 1251th cannon artillery regiment of the 39th cannon artillery brigade, senior lieutenant.
• Volkenstein, Sergey Sergeevich , division commander, major general.
• Gaidash, Alexander Nikitovich , commander of a fire platoon, junior lieutenant.
• Golovin, Grigory Maksimovich , deputy division commander for political affairs, senior lieutenant.
• Shumilikhin, Ivan Mikhailovich , commander of the 1430th light artillery regiment of the 37th light artillery brigade, lieutenant colonel.

Sergeant Melnikov Timofei Stepanovich was forever enlisted in the lists of the 1432th light artillery regiment, and the cannon from which he destroyed 12 enemy tanks during the fighting became known as Melnikov’s gun.

• 14th missile division
• 17th artillery division
• Breakthrough Artillery Division

• Kiev-Zhytomyr artillery breakthrough division // Soviet Military Encyclopedia / Pres. Ch. ed. Commission N.V. Ogarkov . - M .: Military Publishing , 1977. - T. 4. - S. 169-170. - 656 p. - 105,000 copies.
• Kiev-Zhytomyr artillery breakthrough division // Military Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M.: Military Publishing, 1984. - S. 330.
• Red Banner Kiev. Essays on the history of the Red Banner Kiev Military District (1919-1979). / Ed. 2nd, rev. and add. - Kiev: Publishing house of political literature of Ukraine, 1979. - S. 249—253. "The liberation of Kiev . "
• Mironov George . Breakthrough division commander. - M.: Moscow Worker , 1970. - (Athletes).
• Astafiev V.P. May it abide forever.

• List No. 6 of the cavalry, tank, airborne divisions and directorates of artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, mortar, aviation and fighter divisions that were part of the army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
• 17th hell breakthrough RVGK (inaccessible link)
• Kiev-Zhytomyr artillery breakthrough division
• Memory of the people :: Fighting history 17 adp RGK (neopr.) . pamyat-naroda.ru. Date of treatment June 26, 2019.