Division History
The 10th Rifle Division 'Stalingrad' of the Order of Lenin of the Internal Troops of the NKVD of the USSR (Russian: 10-я стрелковая Сталинградская ордена Ленина дивизия внутренних войск НКВД СССР) was a Soviet rifle division formed on 1 February 1942 prior to the Battle of Stalingrad. The 10th Rifle Division participated in heavy front-line actions which would significantly reduce its strength by the battle's end. It was under the jurisdiction of the Internal Troops of the NKVD but took strategic orders from the 62nd Army command. Later it converted into a regular Red Army division and was renamed the 181st "Order of Lenin" "Stalingrad" Rifle Division.
In early 1942, the Oblast Committee (Obkom) of the Party and the City Committee of Defense were instructed that Stalingrad would form a division. Later, this division had the grievous task of being one of the first to enter the unequal battle against the German forces breaking through to Stalingrad. The terms of formation and composition of the division were determined by a special resolution from the GKO. Units of the 10th NKVD, commanded by Colonel Alexander A. Sarayev, arrived in Stalingrad in January 1942. Major Vasiliy Ivanovich Zaytsev was appointed Chief of Staff of the Division. The core of the division were soldiers and commanders of the Border Troops from Ural and Siberian regions including Sverdlovsk, Irkutsk, and Novosibirsk, but the nuclei of the 269th and 270th regiments were citizens of Stalingrad, Party workers, and members of the Komsomol organizations of the city. Roughly three thousand Stalingrad locals served in the division.
Previous to the Battle of Stalingrad the division performed the tasks of policing in Stalingrad, and in the surrounding Oblast, in Voronezh, in the rears of the Southwestern Front, the Voronezh Front, and Stalingrad Front; enforcing martial law; and the task of preventing enemy recon and saboteur groups from operating in these rear areas.
The division, alongside the people's militias, received the first blow of the Germans penetrating towards the Volga in the summer of 1942.[4] Worker's militias were not just employed here in reconnaissance, but were deployed to catch enemy parachutists, spies, and saboteurs.
In appreciation of the division's defense of the city, the commander of the 62nd Army Vasiliy Chuykov said: "The fighters of Colonel Sarayev's 10th Stalingrad Division VV must have been the first defenders of Stalingrad, and they overcame the difficult challenge with flying colours, courageously and selflessly fighting against superior enemy forces until the arrival of the 62nd Army."
The division, stretched over 80 kilometres (50 mi), led many fierce battles against the Germans. In the early stages of the battle for the city, the divisional HQ was billeted in the Tsarina gulley, not far from the "Lighthouse" restaurant.
The 10th Division, with a battalion of industrial workers, successfully defended the F. Dzerzhinsky Tractor Factory and later counter-attacked to regain several kilometres, despite shortages in technology and manpower.
The bulk of the division's forces defended the west and south-west of the city, holding these areas against the sudden breakout of the enemy into the city. In addition to this, there was a consolidated battalion in the north. On 16 August, the 282nd Rifle Regiment of the 12th NKVD VV Rifle Division arrived from Saratov and was attached to the 10th. This regiment was immediately sent to the north to reinforcement the composite battalion. On the left bank of the Volga, the division was supported by several reserve regiments from High Command.
The 272nd Rifle Regiment, under command of G. P. Savchuk, and a group of student volunteers occupied a Military-Political Academy in the path of an impending enemy breakthrough. During five days of fierce fighting, the regiment denied elements of the 295th Infantry, 71st Infantry and 24th Panzer Divisions (all belonging to the LI Armeekorps). These enemy forces suffered heavy losses and the Germans' plan to capture the center of the city and the major crossing of the Volga was thwarted.
For exemplary service in the combat operations in the defense of the Volga shores, the Soviet High Command awarded the 10th NKVD VV Division with the Order of Lenin on 2 December 1942.
Divisional losses were heavy. By order of the commander of the Stalingrad Front, the division was demobilized in early October 1942 and moved to the village of Zaplavnoye. The division consisted of little more than 200 men of initial 7568.
In mid-October 1942, the division headquarters was ordered to redeploy to the city of Chelyabinsk to reorganize.
The core of the newly organized unit was approximately 2,700 men and officers who were veterans of the battle of Stalingrad. The battle of Stalingrad ended on 2 February 1943, and on 5 February the division was renamed the 181st Rifle Division and transferred to regular Red Army command. Subsequently, the fighting experience and techniques of the men of "Stalingradskaya" were further developed in the battle of Kursk in the crossing of the Vistula river. The division saw the close of the war while in Breslau.
In early 1942, the Oblast Committee (Obkom) of the Party and the City Committee of Defense were instructed that Stalingrad would form a division. Later, this division had the grievous task of being one of the first to enter the unequal battle against the German forces breaking through to Stalingrad. The terms of formation and composition of the division were determined by a special resolution from the GKO. Units of the 10th NKVD, commanded by Colonel Alexander A. Sarayev, arrived in Stalingrad in January 1942. Major Vasiliy Ivanovich Zaytsev was appointed Chief of Staff of the Division. The core of the division were soldiers and commanders of the Border Troops from Ural and Siberian regions including Sverdlovsk, Irkutsk, and Novosibirsk, but the nuclei of the 269th and 270th regiments were citizens of Stalingrad, Party workers, and members of the Komsomol organizations of the city. Roughly three thousand Stalingrad locals served in the division.
Previous to the Battle of Stalingrad the division performed the tasks of policing in Stalingrad, and in the surrounding Oblast, in Voronezh, in the rears of the Southwestern Front, the Voronezh Front, and Stalingrad Front; enforcing martial law; and the task of preventing enemy recon and saboteur groups from operating in these rear areas.
The division, alongside the people's militias, received the first blow of the Germans penetrating towards the Volga in the summer of 1942.[4] Worker's militias were not just employed here in reconnaissance, but were deployed to catch enemy parachutists, spies, and saboteurs.
In appreciation of the division's defense of the city, the commander of the 62nd Army Vasiliy Chuykov said: "The fighters of Colonel Sarayev's 10th Stalingrad Division VV must have been the first defenders of Stalingrad, and they overcame the difficult challenge with flying colours, courageously and selflessly fighting against superior enemy forces until the arrival of the 62nd Army."
The division, stretched over 80 kilometres (50 mi), led many fierce battles against the Germans. In the early stages of the battle for the city, the divisional HQ was billeted in the Tsarina gulley, not far from the "Lighthouse" restaurant.
The 10th Division, with a battalion of industrial workers, successfully defended the F. Dzerzhinsky Tractor Factory and later counter-attacked to regain several kilometres, despite shortages in technology and manpower.
The bulk of the division's forces defended the west and south-west of the city, holding these areas against the sudden breakout of the enemy into the city. In addition to this, there was a consolidated battalion in the north. On 16 August, the 282nd Rifle Regiment of the 12th NKVD VV Rifle Division arrived from Saratov and was attached to the 10th. This regiment was immediately sent to the north to reinforcement the composite battalion. On the left bank of the Volga, the division was supported by several reserve regiments from High Command.
The 272nd Rifle Regiment, under command of G. P. Savchuk, and a group of student volunteers occupied a Military-Political Academy in the path of an impending enemy breakthrough. During five days of fierce fighting, the regiment denied elements of the 295th Infantry, 71st Infantry and 24th Panzer Divisions (all belonging to the LI Armeekorps). These enemy forces suffered heavy losses and the Germans' plan to capture the center of the city and the major crossing of the Volga was thwarted.
For exemplary service in the combat operations in the defense of the Volga shores, the Soviet High Command awarded the 10th NKVD VV Division with the Order of Lenin on 2 December 1942.
Divisional losses were heavy. By order of the commander of the Stalingrad Front, the division was demobilized in early October 1942 and moved to the village of Zaplavnoye. The division consisted of little more than 200 men of initial 7568.
In mid-October 1942, the division headquarters was ordered to redeploy to the city of Chelyabinsk to reorganize.
The core of the newly organized unit was approximately 2,700 men and officers who were veterans of the battle of Stalingrad. The battle of Stalingrad ended on 2 February 1943, and on 5 February the division was renamed the 181st Rifle Division and transferred to regular Red Army command. Subsequently, the fighting experience and techniques of the men of "Stalingradskaya" were further developed in the battle of Kursk in the crossing of the Vistula river. The division saw the close of the war while in Breslau.
Featured Missions
| Campaign | Mission |
|---|---|
| Battle of Stalingrad | Encircling the Grain Elevator |
| Battle of Stalingrad | Southern Assault |
| Battle of Stalingrad | Seizing the Railyard |