11th Panzer Division (USSR)

The 11th Panzer Division was formed in July 1940 in Chisinau ( Odessa Military District ) on the basis of the 4th Light Tank Brigade . The compound included units of the 336th howitzer artillery regiment, the 490th rifle regiment and the 18th anti-aircraft division of the 173rd rifle division , the 389th tank battalion of the 176th rifle division . The 11th Panzer Division was stationed at the place of formation in Chisinau, and was part of the 2nd Mechanized Corps , under the command of Lieutenant General Yu. V. Novoselsky ^[2] .

Parts of the 2nd mechanized corps, including the 11th Panzer Division, constituted the Reserve of the High Command in Chisinau , Kotovsk and Tiraspol , respectively, they were not involved in covering the state border. On June 14, 1941, the 2-mechanized corps was subordinated to the 9th Army under the command of Colonel General Ya. T. Cherevichenko ^[3] .

On the night of June 21-22, 1941, the 11th Panzer Division received an order from the commander of the 2nd Mechanized Corps, Yu.V. Novoselsky, to bring the unit into full combat readiness, to withdraw from the place of permanent deployment and subsequent camouflage. According to this order, the 11th Panzer Division advanced to the northeastern outskirts of Chisinau.

Defensive Operation in Moldova

On June 22, the commander of the 9th Army issued combat order No. 01, according to which the 2nd mechanized corps was to concentrate in the forests north and northwest of Chisinau, in readiness for a counterattack on Balti , covering Gancheshti .

On June 24, the 11th Panzer Division, which began the march a day later than the rest of the 2nd Mechanized Corps, arrived at the place of concentration.

On June 26, units of the 11th Panzer Division attacked the enemy in the Istreshta area. As a result of the clash, the 11th Panzer Division lost 8 tanks and 7 people killed.

On June 27, the 11th Panzer Division, as part of the 2nd Mechanized Corps, march to the Korneshty area. During the day, enemy aircraft twice attacked the command post of the division, as well as its convoys during movement ^[4] .

• 21st Tank Regiment (military unit 7816), commander - Colonel Meredikh Georgy Vladimirovich.
• 22nd Tank Regiment (military unit 7904).
• 11th Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 7751).
• 11th howitzer artillery regiment (military unit 7732), commander - Major Onushkov Konstantin Dmitrievich.
• 11th Health Battalion (military unit 8004).
• 11th reconnaissance battalion (military unit 7898).
• 11th separate anti-aircraft artillery division (military unit 7901).
• 11th separate battalion of communications (military unit 7775).
• 11th Motor Battalion (military unit 7857).
• 11th repair and restoration battalion (military unit 7959).
• 11th regulation company (military unit 7846).
• 11th field bakery (military unit 8123).
• 272nd field postal station.
• 319th box office of the State Bank ^[3] .

• The commander is Major General of Tank Forces Volokh Pyotr Vasilyevich , Colonel Kuzmin Grigory Ignatovich.
• Deputy Political Officer - Regimental Commissar Bakhtin Ivan Zakharovich.
• The chief of staff is Colonel Levsky Mikhail Ilyich ^[3] .

1. ↑ Memory of the people :: Military way of the military unit :: 11th tank division (11 TD) (unopened) . pamyat-naroda.ru. Date of treatment June 14, 2019.
2. ↑ 11th Panzer Division (Neopr.) . rkkawwii.ru. Date of treatment June 14, 2019.
3. ↑ ^{1 2 3 4} E. Drig. Mechanized corps of the Red Army in battle. The history of the armored forces of the Red Army in 1940-1941. - M .: AST , 2005 .-- 736 p. - (Unknown wars). - 5,000 copies. - ISBN 5-170-24760-5 .
4. ↑ Battle log of the headquarters of the 11th Panzer Division. 11 TD, Major Zelenin. Archive: TsAMO, Fund: 3068, Listing: 1, File: 5, Sheet of the beginning of the document in the file: 1. 12/14/1941