187th Rifle Division

The 187th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed just after the start of the Second World War, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. It began forming on that same date, in the Kharkov Military District, and while it was officially part of the Active Army when the invasion of Poland began four days later it was not nearly complete enough to take part. At the start of the German invasion it was in reserve in the 45th Rifle Corps, but soon began moving to the front, again joining the Active Army on July 2, 1941. It was initially assigned to 21st Army in Western Front, then moved to 13th Army in the same Front, before returning to the 21st. Part of the division was encircled and destroyed in the hard-fought battle for Mogilev. Late in August the 187th was transferred, with its Army, to Bryansk Front, just days before the 2nd Panzer Group began driving south to encircle Southwestern Front east of Kyiv. The division was directly in the path of this drive, and despite being withdrawn across the Desna River on September 5, it was pocketed by September 16 and largely destroyed within days, although not officially disbanded until November 1.

A new 187th appeared in April 1942 in the Far Eastern Front when a named rifle division was redesignated. Through most of its existence it was in 1st Red Banner Army, but just prior to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945 it was reassigned to 5th Army. As part of 1st Far Eastern Front this Army quickly pierced the Japanese frontier defenses and the division, with its 17th Rifle Corps, was quickly shifted to 25th Army in the same Front. This was followed by an advance on Mudanjiang, which fell on August 16, two days before the Japanese capitulation. The 187th's performance was rewarded with the Order of Suvorov, but it was disbanded in September.