115th Kabardino-Balkar Cavalry Division

Formation

On November 25, 1941, on the basis of the Decree of the State Defense Committee No. 894 of November 13, 1941, the commander of the North Caucasian Military District issued an order to form a number of national cavalry units, including the 115th separate cavalry division, which was formed in the territory of the Kabardino-Balkar ASSR ^{[ 7]} .

The number of divisions was to make 3.5 thousand sabers, with a total of up to 4.5 thousand people. Its composition should be sent to military service not older than 40 years. Division combat units were formed by persons under the age of 35 years. It was assumed that all staff units would be staffed by 50% by recruits of the 1942 conscription and by 50% by already trained soldiers ^[8] .

Preparation of recruits was carried out on the basis of the experience of the first months of the war, without military weapons, which was received only on the eve of the hostilities near Rostov-on-Don. Later, this led to large losses among personnel ^[9] . The division was poorly staffed. In service were only rifles, grenades and a small number of machine guns and artillery barrels ^[10] .

On May 1, 1942, the division arrived in the city of Nalchik to participate in the May Day celebrations, after which it was sent to the front ^[11] .

Battle Path

After the failure of the Barbarossa plan , not having sufficient forces for an offensive on the entire eastern front, in the summer and autumn of 1942 the Wehrmacht concentrated its main forces to conduct an offensive operation on the southern sector of the front ( the Blau plan ) to destroy the grouping of Soviet troops west of the Don , capture of the strategically important Caucasian oil fields , as well as Stalingrad - the largest transport and industrial center in the south, and, thus, cut the largest transport artery of the USSR connecting the southern and central regions ropean part of the Union . This could have a negative impact on the further course of the war. Baku and the North Caucasus were the main sources of oil for the entire economy of the USSR. In addition, the Caucasus and Kuban were among the largest suppliers of food and various strategic raw materials (for example, tungsten - molybdenum ore) ^{[12] [13] [14]} .

To implement the plans for an offensive against the Caucasus, the Wehrmacht formed army groups A and B, which operated to the south and north of the Don, respectively. Their first task was the seizure of the North Caucasus, and the second - the seizure of Stalingrad and ensuring the exit of German troops in the Volga ^{[14] [15] [16]} .

From May 20 to August 27, 1942, the division was part of the 51st Army under the command of General Kolomiets T. K. , which was opposed by units of Army Group A: tank and motorized units of the 40th and 48th corps of the German army and division 6th Romanian Corps ^{[17] [18]} . According to the plan of defense of the Rostov-Caucasian direction of the North-Caucasian Front of June 2, 1942, the 115th Cavalry Division, together with the 110th Kalmyk Cavalry Division, was part of the Separate Cavalry Corps, formed on May 25, 1942, under the command of General Pogrebov ^{[10 ]} . The 115th Cavalry Division and the 255th Cavalry Regiment were to defend the south bank of the Don in the direction of Stalingrad - Salsk Steppe , prevent the enemy from breaking through to the North Caucasus, and, depending on the tactical situation, together with the 14th tank corps, put the enemy counterstrike ^[10] . For this, in mid-July 1942, a strike group was formed, which included the Separate Cavalry Corps as part of the 255th Separate Cavalry Regiment , 40th Tank Brigade and 19th Guards Mechanized Regiment dispersed in the populated areas of Popov, Zernovoy, Mechetinskaya . When the German troops attacked Stalingrad north of the Don, the shock group was instructed to advance and cover a sector of the front near Malaya Martynovka , Bolshaya Orlovka and Batlaevskaya ^[19] .

July 18, 1942, after nearly 300 km march, the division arrived in the area of ​​Tsimlyanskaya, where German troops tried to break through the defenses in the area of ​​the 302nd rifle division, and began preparations for the defense. On July 25, the division was assigned a new task - to take up defense on the Manych-Olginskaya bridgehead and to prevent the enemy from forcing the Don. Throughout the entire 120-kilometer night march to the site of a new deployment, the division was shelled from the air. By the evening of July 26, when the 115th arrived at the site and took up defense, in some units the losses reached up to 7% of the personnel ^[20] .

During July 26 - August 22, the 115th division led heavy fierce battles in this sector, which included hand-to-hand combat with the enemy ^{[21] [22]} . Thus, during the fighting on July 26, 27, and 28 in the villages of Batlaevskaya, Krepyanka and at the Lysy barrow, losses of the 297th cavalry regiment amounted to 40% of the personal and 70% of the commanders. The 104th Equestrian Division and squadrons of the 278th Cavalry Regiment lost 143 people killed and wounded ^[23] .

A fierce battle took place on July 29th. The 115th division, not having had time to take the initial positions, was forced to repel the offensive of the German troops that had gone to the rear of the division in the area of ​​Bolshaya Martynovka. Some parts of the 115th division were surrounded. There were fierce street battles. At dusk the Red Army managed to get out of the encirclement. In the battles for Martynovka, 38 German tanks, 7 vehicles were destroyed and two battalions of infantry were destroyed. The 115th loss was 100 people killed and 50 people wounded, 27 tanks from the 155th tank brigade were destroyed ^{[24] [25]} .

On August 11, the remaining units began to retreat along waterless and sparsely populated Salsk and Kalmyk steppes. During the retreat, an unsuccessful attempt was made to consolidate in the village of Repair ^[24] .

During these battles the division suffered significant losses. The divisions were opposed by superior forces of the Wehrmacht, supported " from the air " ^{[10] [26]} . On August 22, an order was received to defend the approaches to Stalingrad , namely to intercept all roads in the Tsagan-Nur area and the crossing over Lake Sarpa . The division defended this section for 2 months ^[27] .

Disbanding

By October 1942, the losses of the 115th cavalry division amounted to 3019 people, including 878 dead, 928 missing, 5 captured, 8 evacuated, 846 wounded. It was later clarified that 219 people were missing missing, turned out to be alive ^[28] . As a result, on October 19, 1942, the division, which had lost two thirds of the personnel, was disbanded ^[6] . Separate reconnaissance divisions formed from the remaining personnel and the anti-tank division became part of the 4th cavalry corps under the command of Lieutenant General Shapkin ^{[29] [30]} .

Structure and commanders

By the time of dispatch to the front, the personnel of the division amounted to 4508 people, including 79 senior commanders, 331 middle, 716 junior and 3382 privates ^[31] .

• Division Commander - Col. Skorokhod Anton Filippovich
• Military Commissar - Senior Battle Commissioner Igolkin Fedor Semenovich
• The head of the political department - battalion commissar Selyaev Makhti Tauievich
• Chief of Staff - Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Sergeyevich Ehohin
• Commissar of Staff - senior political officer Kartoev Dzhabrail Dabievich
• Head of Operations Division - Major Vasilyev Vasily Makarovich
• 278 (Nalchik) cavalry regiment:
  • The commander of the regiment - Major Abodiev Yaponts Arskievich
  • Commissar - senior political officer Kashirigov Habala Kurgovich
  • Chief of Staff - Captain Zabrodsky Adam Viktorovich
• 297 (Baksan) cavalry regiment:
  • The regiment commander - Major Kiselev Pavel Petrovich
  • Commissar - battalion commissar Sharitov Khaziset Hrdakukovich
  • Chief of Staff - Senior Lieutenant Khatukayev Abubekir Tolmatovich
• 316 (Urvansky) cavalry regiment:
  • The commander of the regiment - Major Zakharov, Ivan Andreevich
  • Commissar - senior political officer Galashev Kasym Gutsayevich (Galachiev)
  • Chief of Staff - Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Sergeyevich Ehohin
• 395 division veterinary infirmary
• 115 chemical protection squadron
• 104 artillery park
• 104 horse-artillery division
• 86 separate communication half-frame
• 87 food transport
• 85 medical squadron

National composition (as of 06/25/1942)

In the village of Bolshaya Martynovka, a memorial complex was set up for the defenders in the center of the settlement and a memorial sign, and an alley was named after the political officer of Ozov Khozhmudar Pashevich ^{[32] [33]} .

Not far from the village of Novoselovka, a monument was erected on the hill Lysy ^[33] .

In Nalchik , the square is named after the 115th division and a monument is erected ^[34] . One of the peaks of the Rocky Range in the Chegemsky District of the CBD , with a height of 3,357 m, was named: “Bolshaya Martynovka Peak” ^[35] .

• The novel "Broken Horseshoe" (1973) by writer Alim Keshokov , who served in the division.

• Kambulat of Nauruz Kerefs. Hardened in fire: on the military affairs of the soldiers of the 115th Kabardino-Balkarian cavalry division. - Elbrus, 1995. - 210 p. - ISBN 978-5-7680-0960-1 .
• Aubekir Talkhatovs Khatukayev. Combat path 115 cavalry division. - Kabardino-Balkaria kn. publishing house, 1965. - 142 p.
• B. B. Boromangnaev. The contribution of the repressed peoples of the USSR to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945: monograph. - Djangar, 2010. - 586 p.
• Headless A., Bull. N., Krinko E. Highlanders of the North Caucasus in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Problems of history, historiography and source study. - Tsentrpoligraf, 2012. - 570 p. - ISBN 978-5-227-03570-7 .
• Khatukaev A. T. Fighting way 115 cavalry division. - Kabardino-Balkaria kn. publishing house, 1965. - 106 p.

• Hatukaev A. T. Glory fanned: the combat path of the 115th Kabardino-Balkarian cavalry division. - Elbrus, 1985. - 240 p.