225th Rifle Division
| 225th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Siege of Leningrad Battle of Lyuban Operation Polar Star Leningrad-Novgorod offensive Novgorod–Luga offensive Pskov-Ostrov offensive Baltic offensive Riga offensive (1944) Vistula–Oder offensive Lower Silesian offensive Upper Silesian offensive Prague offensive |
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner Order of Kutuzov |
| Battle honours | Novgorod |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. Konstantin Uvenalevich Andreev Col. Pyotr Ivanovich Olkhovskii Col. Mikhail Aleksandrovich Pesochin |
The 225th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed in December 1941 from the remnants of the pre-war 3rd Tank Division and based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of July 29, 1941. The 3rd Tank's single rifle regiment was joined by two reserve rifle regiments, and its howitzer regiment was converted to a standard artillery regiment. As part of 52nd Army in Volkhov Front it took part in largely local fighting in the Novgorod area, seeing combat in several abortive attempts to retake the city until it finally played a main role in its liberation in January 1944 and received its name as a battle honor.
Following this victory, the 225th advanced toward Pskov, now as part of 54th Army. When the summer offensive began, it helped breach the German defenses of the Panther Line in the Pskov area and then advanced through Latvia, eventually reaching Riga. When 3rd Baltic Front was disbanded, the division was reassigned to the 21st Army, which was soon moved to 1st Ukrainian Front. From late January 1945 into late March it saw extensive action in Silesia and in the process was awarded the Order of Kutuzov. It was not directly involved in the Berlin campaign, but joined its Front for the final advance into Czechoslovakia. As with many other distinguished rifle divisions, it was disbanded in June 1945.