Brief report on the formation and staffing of cavalry formations for 1942-43. and carried out organizational measures for the cavalry during this period. Secret. Ex.1
I. Personnel cavalry in the initial period of the Patriotic War - 1941.
By the beginning of World War II, the cavalry of the Red Army consisted of four cavalry corps.
In the western districts:
2nd Cavalry Corps - Corps Commander Major General Belov. Composition - 5th and 9th cavalry divisions. Until 22.1.41, the corps was stationed in the Odessa Military District in the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Comrat region;
5th Cavalry Corps - Corps Commander Major General Kamkov. Composition - 3 and 14 cavalry divisions. Until 22.1.41 the corps was stationed in the area of Slavuta, Zholkev;
6th Cavalry Corps - Corps Commander Major General Nikitin. Composition - 6 and 35 cavalry divisions. The corps was stationed until 22.1.41 in Western Belarus - Lrmzha, Volkovysk, Graevo. The 6th Cavalry Corps died in the first days of the Patriotic War with the German invaders in June-July 1941.
4th Cavalry Corps - Corps Commander Lieutenant General Shapkin. Composition - 18, 20 and 21 cavalry divisions. He was a member of the troops of the Central Asian Military District. The corps headquarters was stationed in Tashkent.
Separate cavalry divisions - 8, 17, 24 and 32.
Divisions, corps in November 1941 left for the front and became part of: 20 Cavalry Division in the troops of the Kalinin Front; 21 cavalry division - in the Bryansk Front; 18 mountain cavalry division - in January 1942, introduced into the 11 cavalry corps.
Cavalry corps in the first period of the war fought defensive and rearguard battles, holding back the onslaught of the enemy, covering the systematic withdrawal of rifle units and ensuring the mobilization of Red Army units by their actions.
In the period of November-December 1941, in the defeat of the Nazi troops near Moscow, the 2nd Cavalry Corps of Major General Belov performed a great task, which on November 26, 1941 was transformed into the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps for the defeat of the shock group of the 2nd tank army of Guderian. (7)
When the Germans retreated from Moscow, a successful pursuit operation was carried out by the corps of Major General Dovator, for which he was transformed on December 25, 1941 into the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps.
II. Formation of cavalry divisions during the war.
The enemy, rapidly advancing with mechanized moving units, forced the units of the Red Army to withdraw. The situation required in a short time (1-1.5 months) to create cavalry mobile units for operations behind enemy lines.
The organization of light cavalry divisions was aimed at destroying the rear and headquarters of the enemy, seizing his communications, disrupting the planned supply and supply of the enemy front.
| No. of divisions | When (directive) were formed | Where were formed | Division commander |
| 1 | 24.7.41 | ZakVO, Leninakan | colonel Alekseev |
| 2 | 8.8.41 | SAVO, Katta-Kurgan | |
| 4 | 12.7.41 | ORVO, Bryansk | Colonel Shishkin |
| 7 | 19.4.42 | DVF, Stone Fisherman | colonel Nesterov |
| 10 | 4.1.42 | North Caucasus Military District, Krasnodar | Colonel Skorokhod |
| 11 | 11.8.41 | PriVO, Chkalov | Colonel Surzhikov |
| 12 | 4.1.42 | North Caucasian Military District, Umanskaya station | Colonel Kalyuzhny |
| 13 | 21.1.42 | North Caucasian Military District, st.Tbilisskaya | Colonel Giplyaev |
| 15 | 21.1.42 | STVO, Novo-Annenskaya district | Colonel Gorshkov |
| 23 | 8.7.41 | ZakVO, Kirovobad | Colonel Selivanov |
| 25 | 8.7.41 | LVO, New Peterhof | brigade commander Gusev |
| 26 | 8.7.41 | OdVO, Verkhnedneprovsk | Colonel Noskov |
| 27 | 8.7.41 | MVO, Rostov-Yaroslavsky | Major General Timofeev |
| 28 | 8.7.41 | OdVO, Pavlograd | Colonel Sakovich |
| 29 | 8.7.41 | ORVO, Kastornaya | Colonel Seryshev |
| 30 | 8.7.41 | OdVO, Upper Tokmak | Colonel Pichugin |
| 31 | 8.7.41 | Orvo, Budyonny | Colonel Pivnev |
| 34 | 8.7.41 | HVO, Zmiev | Colonel Grechko |
| 35 | 20.7.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Persian camp | Colonel Sklyarov |
| 37 | 8.7.41 | HVO, Okhtyrka | Colonel Roitenberg |
| 38 | 20.7.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Persian camp | Major General Kirichenko |
| 39 | 20.7.41 | SAVO, Tashkent | Colonel Krutovskikh |
| 40 | 20.7.41 | SKVO, Kushchevka | colonel Kurdyumov (8) |
| 41 | 20.7.41 | MVO, Kovrov | brigade commander Davydov |
| 42 | 20.7.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Krasnodar | Colonel Glagolev |
| 43 | 20.7.41 | North Caucasian Military District, Umanskaya station | brigade commander Kuzmin |
| 44 | 5.7.41 | North Caucasian Military District, Katta-Kurgan | Colonel Kuklin |
| 45 | 5.7.41 | MVO, Kovrov | Major General Dreyer |
| 46 | 5.7.41 | PriVO, Totsk Camp | Colonel Sokolov |
| 47 | 5.7.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Tikhoretskaya - Caucasian | Major General Sidelnikov |
| 48 | 5.7.41 | HVO, Ereskin | Major General Overkin |
| 49 | 5.7.41 | Siberian Military District, Omsk | colonel Dedeoglu |
| 50 | 5.7.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Armavir | Major General Pliev |
| 51 | 5.7.41 | ZabVO, Dauria | Colonel Pronin |
| 52 | 5.7.41 | North Caucasian Military District, Novocherkassk | Colonel Yakunin |
| 53 | 5.7.41 | North Caucasian Military District, Voroshilovsk | Major General Melnik |
| 54 | 6.8.41 | ORVO, Liski | Colonel Esaulov |
| 55 | 7.7.41 | MVO, Kovrov | Major General Kalmykov |
| 56 | 20.7.41 | North Caucasian Military District, Voroshilovsk | Colonel Ilyin |
| 57 | 11.8.41 | SAVO, Fergana | Colonel Murov |
| 60 | 11.7.41 | North Caucasian Military District, Kachalinskaya | Major General Parkhomenko |
| 61 | 11.8.41 | SAVO, Stalinobad | Colonel Kadalin |
| 62 | 11.7.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Tikhoretskaya | Colonel Kutz |
| 63 | 11.7.41 | SAVO, Stalinobad | brigade commander Beloshnichenko |
| 64 | 11.8.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Caucasian | Colonel Smirnov |
| 66 | 11.8.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Armavir | Colonel Grigorovich |
| 68 | 11.8.41 | North Caucasian Military District, st. Persiyanovka | Colonel Kirichenko |
| 70 | 11.8.41 | North Caucasian Military District, Voroshilovsk | Colonel Yurchik |
| 72 | 11.8.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Krasnodar | Major General Book |
| 73 | 11.8.41 | Siberian Military District, Biysk | Colonel Sherekin |
| 74 | 11.8.41 | UrVO, Alka Camp | Colonel Anokhin |
| 75 | 11.8.41 | Siberian Military District, Novosibirsk | Colonel Koninsky |
| 76 | 11.8.41 | UrVO, Blagoveshchensk plant | Major General Sharaburko |
| 77 | 11.8.41 | Siberian Military District, Omsk | Colonel Tutarinov |
| 78 | 11.8.41 | UrVO, Troitsk | Colonel Gusev |
| 79 | 11.8.41 | SAVO, Tashkent | Major General Geniatulin |
| 80 | 11.8.41 | UrVO, Kamyshlov | Colonel Slanov (9) |
| 81 | 11.8.41 | SAVO, Dzhambul | Major General Gustishev |
| 82 | 11.8.41 | SAVO, Samarkand | Lieutenant General Selivanov |
| 87 | 11.8.42 | Siberian Military District, Barnaul | Colonel Trantin |
| 91 | 11.8.41 | PriVO, Saraktash | Colonel Pleshakov |
| 94 | 11.8.41 | UrVO, Shonya camp | Colonel Ivanov |
| 116 | 24.11.41 | North Caucasian Military District, Salsk | Colonel Strepukhov |
| National | |||
| 96 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Ust-Kamenogorsk | Colonel Baumstein |
| 97 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Mary | Major General Kuliev |
| 98 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Chardzhou | Lieutenant Colonel Ivanchenko |
| 99 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Tashkent | lieutenant colonel Pavlov |
| 100 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Samarkand | lieutenant colonel Gladkov |
| 101 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Bukhara | Major Volkov |
| 102 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Namangan city | Major General Kurzimov |
| 103 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Andijan | Colonel Lavrentiev |
| 104 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Stalinobad | Colonel Sheipak |
| 105 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Dzhambul | Colonel Kalashnikov |
| 106 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Akmolinsk | Major Pankov |
| 107 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Frunze | Colonel Shcherbakov |
| 108 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Tokmak-Frunzensky | Colonel Askalepov |
| 109 | 13.11.41 | SAVO, Osh | Colonel Stetsenko |
| 110 | 13.11.41 | STVO, Small Derbets | Colonel Panin |
| 111 | 13.11.41 | STVO, Bashanty | Colonel Belousov |
| 112 | 13.11.41 | YuzhUrVO, Dema | Colonel Shaimuratov |
| 113 | 13.11.41 | YuzhUrVO, Blagoveshchensky plant | Colonel Karuna |
| 114 | 13.11.41 | North Caucasus Military District, Grozny | colonel Mamsurov |
| 115 | 13.11.41 | North Caucasian Military District, Nalchik | Colonel Glagolev |
Conclusion: The combat experience of the operations of the 2nd and 5th regular cavalry corps in the South-Western and Southern directions fully confirmed the feasibility of large cavalry formations, which are the main mobile operational means in the hands of the front commanders.
From the first days of the Patriotic War, the cavalry corps, with their daring maneuvers, played a decisive role and ensured a systematic withdrawal of units of the South-Western and Southern directions. (ten)
III. The first period of the formation of cavalry corps.
To strengthen the offensive power of the Red Army in 1942, by decision of the State Defense Committee in the first half of 1942 (January-May), fifteen cavalry corps were formed.
| Name of buildings | Compound | Where did the formation take place? | Who shaped | When was formed |
| 1 cavalry corps | 35th, 56th, 68th cavalry divisions | southern front | Major General Parkhomenko | January - March 42 |
| 2nd Cavalry Corps | 62, 64, 70 cavalry divisions | southern front | Major General Usenko | January - March 42 |
| 3rd Cavalry Corps | 30th, 38th, 66th cavalry divisions | southern front | Major General Korsun | January - March 42 |
| 4th Cavalry Corps | 61st, 63rd, 81st, 39th Cavalry Divisions | SAVO | lieutenant general. Shapkin | January - March 42 |
| 5th Cavalry Corps | 34th, 60th, 79th cavalry divisions | Southwestern Front | Major General Grechko | January 42 |
| 6th Cavalry Corps | 26th, 28th, 49th cavalry divisions | Southwestern Front | Major General Bychkovsky | January 42 |
| 9th Cavalry Corps | 4th, 44th, 17th cavalry divisions | Western Front | Colonel Borisov | January 42 |
| 10 Cavalry Corps | 41st, 57th, 75th Cavalry Divisions | Western Front | Major General Kryukov | January 42 |
| 11th Cavalry Corps | 18th, 24th, 4th, 82nd cavalry divisions | Kalinin Front | Major General Timofeev | January - March 42 |
| 12th Cavalry Corps | 54th Cavalry Division | Kalinin Front | Colonel Sokolov | January - February 42 |
| 13th Cavalry Corps | 25th, 27th, 77th, 80th, 87th cavalry divisions | Volkhov Front | Major General Gusev N.I. | January - March 42 |
| 14th Cavalry Corps | 76th, 78th, 94th cavalry divisions | Arkhangelsk MD | lieutenant general. Kirichenko | January - March 42 |
| 15th Cavalry Corps | 1, 23 cavalry divisions | ZakVO | Major General Melnik | was formed. January 42 |
| 16th Cavalry Corps | 11th, 73rd, 74th Cavalry Divisions | MVO, Moscow | Major General Managarov | January - March 42 |
| 18th Cavalry Corps | 7th, 8th cavalry divisions | Far Eastern Front | Major General Ilyin | April 42 (11) |
To complete the fifteen cavalry corps, it took:
By the end of the formation deadlines set by the State Defense Committee, the staffing of the cavalry corps was not brought to full strength, since there were not enough reserves (trained cavalrymen), and difficulties in armament made it impossible to complete the mass of the formed cavalry corps in such a short time.
The staffing of certain types of weapons was brought up to only 10-15%, the average staffing of the hulls was 65-70%.
In order to strengthen the combat capability of the cavalry, staffing it with the best quality of manpower and cavalry, by resolutions of the State Defense Committee No. 0043 and No. 0054, a partial reorganization of cavalry formations was carried out in the period March-April 1942.
The 1st, 3rd, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th and 16th cavalry corps were disbanded and turned to replenish the remaining cavalry corps. After carrying out organizational measures to reduce the cavalry in March-April 1942, the total number of cavalry was:
The released personnel, cavalry and weapons from the (12) organizational measures carried out are directed to the resupplying of the remaining cavalry corps.
The staffing of the cavalry corps with personnel, horses, as well as materiel for the month of June 1942 was:
| Name | 1gv.kk | 2gv.kk | 3gv.kk | 4gv.kk | 5gv.kk | 4kk | 7kk | 8kk | 15kk | 18cc |
| Of people | 24720 | 21453 | 22326 | 12195 | 10061 | 9822 | 16107 | 10582 | ||
| horses | 16008 | 13766 | 18153 | 10774 | 12070 | 9973 | 12356 | 5574 | ||
| Rifles | 14538 | 15899 | 13467 | 5805 | 6978 | 5576 | 5569 | 10969 | ||
| Machine guns Art. | 86 | 44 | 145 | 55 | 55 | 91 | 111 | 58 | ||
| Mortars | 410 | 204 | 328 | 159 | - | 180 | 281 | 226 | ||
| Manual bullets. | 561 | 539 | 379 | 234 | 271 | 204 | 367 | 367 | ||
| Field tool. | 83 | 70 | 70 | 24 | 40 | 32 | 60 | 66 | ||
| PTO guns | 49 | 76 | 56 | 26 | 32 | 8 | 36 | 36 | ||
| PTR | 482 | 217 | 385 | 316 | 92 | 38 | 187 | 217 | ||
| PPD and PPSh | 3192 | 1651 | 2125 | 2067 | 792 | 566 | 1187 | 1320 |
IV. Replenishment of cavalry corps in 1942.
Replenishment to complete the formed cavalry corps in 1942 came mainly from the resources of the fronts and districts at their location.
Replenishment for the replenishment of the cavalry corps operating on the fronts was received:
a) from reserve cavalry regiments, and with the reorganization of reserve cavalry regiments into reserve cavalry brigades, from the latter. In total for the period from July 1, 1941 to June 1, 1942 came from spare parts: people - 294331; horses - 88943;
b) from the disbandment of the national cavalry formations in the cavalry unit transferred: people - 56254; horses - 51107. (13)
V. Reduction of cavalry in August 1942.
In order to further strengthen the combat capability of the cavalry and equip it with the best quality of manpower and cavalry, by order of the People's Commissariat of Defense No. 00144 of 15.7.42. a secondary reduction of the cavalry was carried out - the following were disbanded:
a) management and corps of 2, 5 and 6 cavalry corps - 26, 28, 30 (?), 33, 49, 60, 62 and 70 cavalry divisions. 11, 13, 17 (probably 16kk?) cavalry corps - 18, 24, 46, 25, 80, 87, 17, 73 cavalry divisions;
b) five national cavalry divisions - 27, 99, 104, 105, 107 - of the Central Asian Military District;
c) reserve cavalry regiments - 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 3, 1, 16, 21;
d) fifty-nine condepos and 15 repair commissions;
e) Tashkent and Chkalov cavalry schools.
After the organizational events on 20.6.42. the remaining 1st, 2nd, 3rd guards cavalry corps, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 11th, 17th, 18th cavalry corps, 23rd, 25th, 39th cavalry divisions were mostly completed to wartime states.
VI. Reorganization of the cavalry in the period of 1942.
During the reorganization of the cavalry (1942), the following were introduced in the cavalry divisions: a horse-artillery battalion and a half-squadron of communications; in saber squadrons, an anti-tank rifle platoon and a platoon of 50mm mortars, a separate engineer squadron, an air defense battery and a medical squadron were added.
In September 1942, a reconnaissance battalion and food transport were formed in the divisions. The cavalry corps had a separate mortar battalion, an anti-tank fighter battalion, and a separate anti-aircraft machine-gun squadron.
The situation demanded the fastest entry into battle of the formed cavalry corps, the time for their full-time reorganization was presented on average 15-20 days. During this time, it was necessary to do a lot of work on staffing, cavalry and weapons, and, in addition, conduct classes, finish learning what they did not have time to pass, teach new methods of warfare, using the experience of the war. All this created difficulties during the formation period, and the limited time created a rush, and a number of issues were not finalized.
VII. Difficulties in the period of formation.
The formation took place in the conditions of a fierce struggle against German fascism. Difficulties in providing food forage, a large shortage of officers and sergeants, shortcomings in armament.
Only three guards corps (1, 2 and 3) were well-equipped during this period. The linear cavalry corps were not fully equipped and were especially poorly armed.
There were not enough officers and sergeants, although they were withdrawn (cavalry officers) from other branches of the military, but naturally, the best composition of cavalry officers was detained in other branches of the military.
The limit for the cavalry of the Red Army in terms of personnel and cavalry in 1942 was not set. The regular need for cavalry was determined by the presence of cavalry corps and divisions, based on their regular strength.
The general limit for cavalry was set by the directive of the State Defense Committee No. 3221ss at 213076 people in 1943 after a partial reorganization and reduction of cavalry formations. (fifteen)
VIII. Organizational arrangements for staffing in the winter.
a) ten cavalry corps (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 guards cavalry corps; 4, 15 and 18 cavalry corps) consisting of twenty-six cavalry divisions (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 guards and 1, 7, 8, 20, 23, 30, 32, 61, 3 and 81 cd);
b) seven separate cavalry divisions (24, 3, 51, 58, 59, 97 and 110 cd);
c) three separate cavalry regiments (245, 246 and 247 rp);
d) five reserve cavalry regiments (6, 9, 15, 87 and 147 ZKP);
e) one reserve cavalry artillery regiment regiment (41zkap);
f) one KKKUKS named after S.M. Budyonny;
g) two cavalry schools (Tambovskoe and Novocherkassk);
h) seven cavalry courses for the training of junior lieutenants.
Numerical composition: total cavalry in the state of people - 238958, horses - 226816.
In order to increase the firepower of the cavalry corps and divisions, a petition was filed before the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR for the introduction of reinforcement units into the cavalry, as a result of which orders of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command No.
a) in the cavalry corps - an anti-tank regiment on a mechanized traction (5 batteries of 76mm ZIS-3 guns - 20 guns); anti-aircraft machine gun squadron (12 DShK machine guns); the mortar regiment of the corps was reorganized into a mortar division (18 - 120mm mortars), 82mm mortars from the mortar regiment were withdrawn and transferred to reinforce the mortar batteries of the cavalry regiments; in addition, a commandant squadron, a field bakery and a corps exchange office were introduced into the corps;
b) in the cavalry division - an artillery and mortar regiment consisting of 2 batteries of 76mm ZIS-3 guns and 3 batteries of 120mm mortars;
Tank regiment (39 tanks, of which T-34 - 23 and T-70 - 16);
Separate air defense division (27 DShK machine guns and 6 - 37mm or 25mm anti-aircraft guns on a mechanized draft);
Saddlery and saddlery workshop for parts maintenance.
Guards cavalry divisions were transferred to 3 regiments, and all divisions (guards and numbers) to a single state. (sixteen)
As a result of the measures taken, a single staff organization of the cavalry was achieved. The combat power of the cavalry corps and divisions has greatly increased.
According to the directive of the General Staff of the Red Army No. 36669 dated February 19, 1943, the administration of the 19th cavalry corps with corps units was formed, and the 8th cd of the 18th cavalry corps (Far Eastern Front) and 51 separate cavalry divisions (Transbaikal Front) were introduced into this corps.
In view of the withdrawal of the 7th and 8th cavalry divisions from the Far Eastern Fleet, by order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command No. 0016, on the basis of 246 and 247 separate cavalry regiments, the 67th and 84th cavalry divisions were formed, which became part of the 18th cavalry corps, as well as by directive No. f2/3/2018 dated February 18, 1943 - the 59th cavalry division (Transbaikalian Font), instead of the 51kd withdrawn from the Transbaikal Front.
According to the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command No. 46044 dated February 3, 1943, the 58th Cavalry Division was formed on the basis of the 15th reserve cavalry regiment.
As a result of the long stubborn battles of the 4th and 5th Guards Cavalry Corps as part of the troops of the North Caucasian and Transcaucasian fronts, as well as the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps in the Stalingrad operation, the corps suffered heavy losses.
To restore the corps, measures were taken to recruit Cossack volunteers and horsemen from local reserves, as a result of which the corps received:
a) from the Stavropol Territory to the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps - 5000 people, 3058 horses;
b) from the Krasnodar Territory to the 4th Guards Cavalry Corps - people - 9842, horses - 5500;
c) from the Stalingrad and Rostov regions to the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps - 7344 people, 1046 horses.
In total, the corps received: people - 22186, horses - 9604.
IX. Organizational measures for the staffing of cavalry corps in the spring of 1943.
To replenish the guards cavalry corps to full strength and increase their combat power - by order of the State Defense Committee No. 3251ss of April 25, 1943, measures were taken to disband the 4th and 19th cavalry corps, 7th, 51st, 58th, 61st and 81st cavalry divisions and corps units , whose personnel, horse composition, as well as weapons and military equipment were used to replenish the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th guards cavalry corps. (17)
On the basis of the same resolution and the order of NPO No. 022 dated 1.5.43. additional means of reinforcement were introduced into the cavalry corps: tank brigades, self-propelled artillery regiments, MZA regiments, guards mortar regiments and separate motor transport battalions.
The anti-aircraft machine-gun squadrons of the cavalry corps were disbanded, the personnel, materiel and transport of which were turned to the formation of MZA regiments under the cavalry corps.
According to the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of April 27, 1943 No. 46127, 46129, 46130, 46131, 46132 - 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 guards corps at the end of April this year. were withdrawn to the reserve of the SVGK as part of the troops of the Steppe Front. After the fighting, the listed corps had very poor staffing and material security.
The 1st and 4th Guards Cavalry Corps were in the reserve of the fronts - the first in the South-Western, the fourth - in the South.
During the period of being in the reserve, according to the plans approved by the Marshal of the Soviet Union, comrade Budyonny, the guards cavalry corps received a large number of personnel, horse personnel, weapons and military equipment for staffing, due to receipts through the central departments of the People's Commissariat of Defense at the request of the headquarters of the commander of the Red Cavalry Army and through internal reorganization and transfer of personnel, horse composition of the disbanded units and formations of the cavalry.
In the same period, the corps received reinforcement parts allocated by the decision of the State Defense Committee No. 321 dated 25.4.43:
| Case name | Tank regiments | Regiments of self-propelled artillery | Guards mortar regiments | Air defense regiments | Motor transport battalions |
| - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| TOTAL: | 10 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 (18) |
X. Organizational measures for the staffing of cavalry corps in the summer of 1943.
In order to bring the regular number of cavalry in accordance with the limit established by GKO Resolution No. 3621ss (213,076 people) and NPO Order No. 0098 dated 21.6.43, the following was carried out:
a) the disbandment of 24 separate cavalry divisions, 2 reserve cavalry brigade, five front-line courses for the training of junior lieutenants (Bryansk, Western, South-Western, Southern and Transcaucasian fronts) and cavalry courses for the training of junior lieutenants for the guards cavalry units;
b) tank brigades, self-propelled artillery regiments, MZA regiments, Guards mortar regiments (RS) and motor transport battalions were excluded from the 15th and 18th cavalry corps.
In order to strengthen the cavalry units of the Red Army with crossing facilities, improve the management of special units and their regular organization, according to the directive of the General Staff of the Red Army No. org / 3 / 138057 of 14.8.43. - introduced into the corps: crossing parks numbering 33 people in each sapper squadron of the cavalry division.
The staff of the artillery commander of the corps has been strengthened - a technical unit has been created at the head of the head of the division's ABT service. Mounted reconnaissance platoons and pipe platoons were introduced into the cavalry regiments.
According to the same directive, the tank brigades of the cavalry corps were replaced by tank regiments according to the state No. 010/455 (260 people), which are included in the corps on special instructions, and the self-propelled artillery regiments of the corps were transferred from the state No. 08/191 to the state No. 010/455 (260 people ).
According to the directive of the General Staff of the Spacecraft No. org / 2/1322 dated 23.7.43. disbandment of the Directorate of the 18th cavalry corps and 67th cavalry division.
Reorganization of spare parts of the cavalry in order to create better conditions for the preparation of marching reinforcements to the front. Spare parts of the cavalry consisted of six separate reserve cavalry regiments and one separate reserve horse-artillery regiment deployed on the territory of the Moscow Military District, South UrVO, Siberian Military District, PriVO, Don and Transcaucasian Fronts.
The regular organization of reserve regiments of cavalry was excessively overloaded with ordinary variable composition of a platoon, squadron and battery, which did not provide high-quality combat training for marching (19) reinforcements and there was no opportunity to train specialists - submachine gunners, mortarmen, anti-tank crews. In this regard, the reserve cavalry regiments, according to the directive of the General Staff of the KA No. org / 3/2029 of March 10, 1943, were reorganized into reserve cavalry brigades according to the state No. 06/340: 1 reserve cavalry brigade (87zkp) - MVO; 2 reserve cavalry brigade (9zkp) - YuzhUrVO; 3 reserve cavalry brigade (6zkp) - SibVO; 4 reserve cavalry brigade (147zkp) - SAVO; 5 reserve cavalry brigade (15zkp) - North Caucasus Military District; 6 reserve cavalry brigade (1zkp) - PriVO. According to the state No. 06/341 - 7 reserve horse-artillery brigade (41zkap) - PriVO.
For the period from February 1 to August 1, 1943, reserve brigades sent marching reinforcements to the guards cavalry corps operating at the front:
1. Saber squadrons and batteries - 158.
2. People - 30693.
3. Horses - 14735.
To increase the front of the trained composition of marching reinforcements, according to the directive of the General Staff of the KA No. org / 3 / 135973 of July 1, 1943, the 15th separate reserve cavalry regiment was formed with the deployment of Tuymaz (YuzhUrVO). on the basis of the disbanded 2nd reserve cavalry brigade.
XI. For cavalry universities.
To create better conditions for the retraining of officers, the states of the Red Banner Higher Cavalry Officer School were redesigned, approved by the directive of the General Staff of the KA No. org / 7 / 137960 of 6.8.43, on the basis of which the school was reorganized and transferred to these states.
The available front-line cavalry courses did not provide high-quality training for junior lieutenants. In this regard, by order of NCO No. 0098 dated 21.6.43, all front-line cavalry courses and courses for the training of junior lieutenants for the guards cavalry units were disbanded.
Instead of the disbanded courses, according to the directive of the General Staff of the Spacecraft No. org / 7 / 136070s, the 2nd Tambov Cavalry School was formed with the deployment of Tambov. (20)
In order to create better conditions for the training of cavalry officers, new states (No. 017/444) were developed, approved by the directive of the General Staff of the KA No. org / 7/136170 dated 6.7.43, on the basis of which the reorganization was carried out, and the cavalry schools were transferred to a new state.
XII. Difficulties during the period of reorganization of the cavalry corps in 1943.
During the period of the ongoing reorganization of the cavalry corps, significant difficulties arose in matters of reorganization and staffing:
1. A big shortage in personnel, especially the lack of trained specialists for the newly introduced reinforcement units (artillerymen, tankers, etc.).
2. Delay in the transfer of people, horses and materiel by rail.
3. A great lack of horse resources, which had to be purchased abroad.
4. Untimely receipt of weapons, materiel of tanks and vehicles for ongoing organizational events. The delay in the receipt of these material resources by part of the corps was reflected in the training of personnel and the cohesion of newly formed units.
5. Large interruptions in grain feed for horse stock were allowed.
XIII. Grade and breed of the horse composition entering the staffing of the cavalry corps in the period 1942-1943.
Basically, about 200,000 horses were taken from the national economy.
Horse breeds:
North Caucasian Military District - Don, Kabardian, Karachay, Kalmyk;
HVO - local Ukrainian;
MVO and OrVO - mestizos improved by the trotter of the Oryol breed;
YuzhUrVO - Orenburg;
SAVO - Akhal-Teke, Lokay, Karabair and their mestizos;
SibVO - Siberian horse, Kuznetsk, Oirat;
UrVO - Vyatka, Bashkir.
Horse composition coming from the People's Commissariat of State Farms of the Union, improved on the basis of an English thoroughbred horse. (21)
From VKZ (military horse breeding factories) - half-breed and improved.
In addition, imported horses were purchased for the cavalry units of the Red Army: about 45,000 - in the Mongolian People's Republic (very small, but hardy); up to 20,000 - in China (also of the Mongolian type); 5000 - in the Tuva People's Republic (height 132-138cm).
XIV. Autumn-winter period of 1943 (September-December 1943).
In the autumn-winter period of 1943, all guards cavalry corps and divisions were kept on a single staff, which facilitated the possibility of planning and distributing available resources.
In the autumn-winter combat operations, all the guards cavalry corps were used on the fronts to the maximum tension, as a result of which they suffered heavy losses in personnel, horse composition and materiel.
In the period September - December 1943, there were seven guards corps (1, 2, 3.4, 5, 6 and 7 guards cavalry corps), 15 cavalry corps and three separate cavalry divisions (38, 59 and 84).
| Case name | of people | horses | tanks | guns of all calibers | mortars | rifles |
| by state: | 20977 | 17135 | 156 | 120 | 188 | 11080 |
| by the list: | ||||||
| 1 Guards Cavalry Corps | 18473 | 12161 | - | 61 | 138 | 8156 |
| 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps | 15226 | 12036 | - | 86 | 154 | 10444 |
| 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps | 16825 | 12420 | 66 | 92 | 149 | 8692 |
| 4th Guards Cavalry Corps | 18391 | 14162 | 13 | 114 | 183 | 9503 |
| 5th Guards Cavalry Corps | 19810 | 14689 | 56 | 121 | 158 | 8529 |
| 6th Guards Cavalry Corps | 21936 | 15300 | 7 | 122 | 182 | 10331 |
| 7th Guards Cavalry Corps | 14354 | 13295 | - | 103 | 127 | 8098 (22) |
Replenishment for the completion of the cavalry corps was received:
a) personnel and cavalry, mainly from reserve cavalry brigades, at the expense of trained and put together marching squadrons and batteries;
b) specialists (radio operators, signalmen, drivers) of the corps were replenished according to the orders of the GUF KA (the main directorate for the formations of the Red Army);
c) from the resources of the fronts, at the expense of cavalrymen recovering from hospitals after being wounded and disbanding non-regular cavalry units;
d) due to the partial disbandment of individual cavalry divisions (24kd, 2nd reserve cavalry brigade and front-line junior lieutenant courses of the Western, Southwestern and Transcaucasian fronts).
In the period September - December 1943, the staffing of the cavalry corps took place exclusively at the expense of reserve cavalry brigades, which during the period of their organization from April 1943 gave 27,236 people and 20,719 horses to replenish the cavalry corps. Replenishment to the cavalry corps is sent by separate marching squadrons (commands) in echelons. The transfer of personnel and cavalry from reserve cavalry brigades to active cavalry corps takes an average of 15-25 days. The distance from the reserve cavalry brigades to the active cavalry corps is on average 1500-4500 km (Kovrov, Alma-Ata). From the Trans-Baikal Front - 7000 km, the Far Eastern Front - 9000 km.
The withdrawal of cavalry corps to the reserve of the front or the army created unfavorable conditions for their replenishment and bringing them to combat readiness in the shortest possible time. Using the examples of staffing the 2nd and 7th Guards Cavalry Corps, which are in the reserve of the armies of the Belorussian Front in November-December 1943, we can conclude that the cavalry corps, being in the front or army reserve, very often receive various combat missions associated with transitions or rush into battle without completing the staffing.
The weapons and military equipment sent by the Center to the army (front) for the cavalry corps do not always reach their destination, since the commanders of the armies consider the cavalry corps to be temporarily subordinate to them, and the property intended for the cavalry corps is transferred to the rifle divisions. (23)
All this creates difficulties in replenishing and manning the cavalry corps that are in the front or army reserve.
XV. The degree of training of an applicant for replenishment in the cavalry corps of personnel and horseback.
Replenishment for the cavalry corps comes with different terms of training. those who previously served in the army from one to two years - up to 30%, from four months to one year - up to 20%, who did not serve in the army - up to 45%. The degree of training of the incoming reinforcements is insufficient, in view of the fact that the staffing of reserve cavalry brigades occurs mainly due to untrained personnel, who cannot acquire sufficient cavalry skills over a 2-month training period.
The horse stock entering the cavalry from the national economy, as well as imported horses, are not prepared for service in the ranks.
1. The existing staff structure of cavalry units and formations requires organizational changes.
It is necessary to reorganize the artillery of the guards cavalry corps and divisions in the direction of increasing its firepower, especially anti-aircraft defense and anti-aircraft weapons.
To increase the numerical strength of line subunits, since with the existing 12-line platoon composition, in combat practice one feels heavy equipment and a lack of manpower to consolidate the success achieved.
To improve the organization of subdivisions and communication units of the guards cavalry for uninterrupted control of the battle.
2. Practice has shown that it is advisable to transfer to the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command for restoration at least two corps within the rear borders of the fronts, in areas that ensure an uninterrupted supply of grain fodder and have good supply routes to supply stations.
It is not expedient to withdraw corps for restoration to the reserve of fronts (armies), since in these cases it becomes more difficult to resupply through the central directorates of the NPO and the readiness time is delayed.
3. To create better conditions for manning with a variable composition and reduce the depth of supply to the replenishment corps, it is necessary to bring the 3rd and 4th reserve cavalry brigades closer to the front by redeployment. (24)
4. In order to create a reserve of horses and staff the guards cavalry corps operating at the front, it is necessary to immediately decide from what sources we will take horses, since the horse resources available in the reserve cavalry brigades have been exhausted.
Chief of Staff of the Guards Major General Martyanov
Head of the 3rd Department, Major General S. Timokhin (both signatures)
Commander of the 2nd Separate Guards (later - the Order of the Red Star) Communications Division:
MOROZOV Alexander Maksimovich, Soviet front-line officer.
Born in 1919 in the city of Irbit, Sverdlovsk Region. Russian. Party membership: since 1938 - a member of the Komsomol, as of April 1943 - non-partisan, as of September 1943 - a candidate member of the CPSU (b), and as of August 1944 - a member of the CPSU (b). He was married: wife - A.Sh. Erofeev (the initials of the name and patronymic are not deciphered in the document).
Education:
- general - secondary: graduated from a ten-year school;
- military - on January 31, 1939 he graduated from the Kiev military (later - the Red Banner) school of communications named after M.I. Kalinin.
He entered the military service voluntarily in 1936 through the Bryansk GVK at that time in the Orel, and now the modern Bryansk region, becoming a cadet of the Kyiv Military School of Communications (since 1937 - a military school) named after M.I. Kalinin.
In 1936-1939. - cadet of the military educational institution of the signal troops. By order of the NPO of the USSR No. 0014 dated January 31, 1939, he was promoted to lieutenant with the direction, presumably, to the troops of the Central Asian Military District. Source - RGVA: f. 8489, op. 1, d. 112, l. 51.
He took the military oath on February 23, 1939.
By order of the SAVO troops No. 0749 dated December 2, 1940, he was appointed chief of communications (he was also assistant chief of staff) of the 67th mountain cavalry three times Red Banner Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the Turkmen SSR regiment (Fergana military garrison) of the 21st mountain cavalry division.
In this capacity (including with a stay in the military rank of "lieutenant") and as of March 22, 1941. Source - RGVA: f. 8489, op. 1, d. 112, l. 51.
In 1940 and the first half of 1941, as a leading soldier and Komsomol activist, he was repeatedly voiced from the pages of the daily Red Army newspaper SAVO Frunzevets.
By order of the SAVO troops No. 0098 of June 17, 1941, "he was relieved of his post and sent for retraining to the troops of the Red Army Air Force - to the Krasnodar United Aviation School." Source - RGVA: f. 32492, op. 2, d. 164, l. 109.
Direct participant of the Great Patriotic War since 1941.
On June 22 and October 10, 1942, being part of the troops of the 50th Army of the Western Front, he received two light shell shocks.
Being part of the troops of the 50th Army of the Western Front, he received two light shell shocks - on June 22 and October 10, 1942.
Since December 1942 - the commander of the 2nd separate guards (later - the Order of the Red Star) communications battalion of the 2nd Guards Cavalry (later - the Pomeranian Red Banner Order of Suvorov) corps, while as of April 1943 - guard captain by military rank, and as of September 1943 and August 1944 - already a major of the guard.
At the very beginning of April (but no later than the 5th day) 1943, the head of communications of the 2nd Guards. kk guard lieutenant colonel F.A. Anisimov presented for awarding the medal "For Courage": "Vol. Morozov A.M., being in the 2nd GKK [correctly - 2nd Guards. kk] since December m-tsa [month] 1942 in the position of k-ra [commander] of the communications division, he showed himself to be a hard-working, resourceful commander.
During the entire operation, Comrade Morozov personally organized the restoration of permanent lines directly behind the advancing units, which made it possible with small means to have contact with all units.
comrade Morozov repeatedly personally supervised the laying of the battle line, organized communications at the remote command post [command post] of the corps [commander]. Being all the time on the front lines, he skillfully organized work with the rear to provide personnel with everything necessary.
comrade Morozov is worthy of being awarded the medal "For Courage". Source - TsAMO: f. 33, op. 682526, d. 141, l. 188.
This idea was implemented in the lines of the order for the troops of the Central Front (II f) No. 31 / n dated April 19, 1943, he was awarded his very first state award in a row - the medal "For Courage". Source - TsAMO: f. 33, op. 682526, d. 141, ll. 98 and 101.
In the second half of September (but no later than the 24th), 1943, the head of communications of the 2nd Guards. kk guard colonel F.A. Anisimov presented for awarding the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree: “vol. Morozov, working as a Krom [commander] of the communications division at the 2nd Guards. kk from March 1943 [correctly - from December 1942], showed himself to be a hard-working, strong-willed, knowledgeable commander.
During the work in the 2nd Guards. KK managed to organize the provision of the corps with communications, despite a number of difficulties.
For skillful leadership in operations, he was previously awarded the medal "For Courage".
In recent operations, being isolated from the main forces, with complete isolation from the reserve of communications, Comrade Morozov was able to provide command and control of small assets, thanks to knowledge of the entire operational situation.
The personnel of the communications division, led by Comrade Morozov, show examples of work, devotion to the Motherland, for which more than half were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union.
For steadfastness and devotion, for the skillful leadership of the division, for ensuring the command of the corps with uninterrupted communications, Comrade Morozov is worthy of being awarded the government [correctly - state] award - the Order of the Patriotic War of the II degree [correctly - the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree]." Source - TsAMO: f. 33, op. 686044, house 478, l. 176.
This idea was implemented in the lines of the order for the troops of the Bryansk Front (III f) No. 100 / n dated September 30, 1943: on behalf of the Motherland, he was awarded his second combat award - the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree. Source - TsAMO: f. 33, op. 686044, d. 478, ll. 73 and 77.
On August 14, 1944, the head of communications of the 2nd Guards. kk guard colonel F.A. Anisimov presented for the award of the Order of Alexander Nevsky: “Vol. Morozov for the period of offensive military operations of the corps to master the [Polish] years. Lukov, Sedlec [now - Siedlce], Minsk-Mazowiecki [now - Minsk-Mazowiecki] skillfully led the personnel of the communications division to provide the corps with communications. He managed to organize the work of his subordinates in such a way that at all stages of the battle there was timely and stable communication with higher headquarters, neighbors and subordinates [units].
Repeatedly personally went forward and organized communications at subsequent command posts [command posts] of the corps headquarters. He also supervised the establishment of communication with subordinate units.
In a combat situation, he behaves boldly, energetically, and proactively.
He showed himself to be a well-versed officer.
Worthy of being awarded the government [correctly - state] award - the Order of Alexander Nevsky [correctly - the Order of Alexander Nevsky]." Source - TsAMO: f. 33, op. 690155, d. 1358, l. 93.
This idea was implemented in the lines of the order for the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front (II f) No. 235 / n dated September 8, 1944: on behalf of the Motherland, he was awarded his third combat award - the Order of Alexander Nevsky. Source - TsAMO: f. 33, op. 690155, d. 1358, ll. 77 and 78.
Further fate is unknown.
Connection history:
Formed in July 1941 in the North Caucasus Military District near Armavir. The division included the 4th, 37th (colonel Lasovsky), 43rd (lieutenant colonel Smirnov), 47th cavalry regiments. The core of the division was the Cossacks of the Kuban villages of Prochnookopskaya, Labinskaya, Kurgannaya, Sovetskaya, Voznesenskaya, Otradnaya. Senior officers were sent from regular cavalry units, from academies and schools. The bulk of junior officers, almost all political workers, as well as the entire sergeant and enlisted personnel came from the reserve. The division was staffed mainly from the Cossacks of the Krasnodar Territory and the North. Ossetia.
On July 13, 1941, the newly formed cavalry division received an order from the commander of the North Caucasian Military District: to load and follow into the army. There was no time for training and coordination of the division, the Motherland was going through difficult days. At Rostov, the trains crossed the Don and rushed further north - past the coal and metallurgical giants of the Donbass. We passed Kharkov, Kursk, Orel. The echelons were heading to the capital of the Motherland - to Moscow.
Having unloaded at the Staraya Toropaya station, between Rzhev and Velikie Luki, the division received an order from the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Direction, Marshal of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko, to advance to the area of \u200b\u200bLake Shchuchye, where on July 15 large forces of motorized formations from the 3TGr broke through.
By evening, the last echelon arrived and unloaded, the entire division concentrated in the forest. Preparations for the march began. Scouts were sent to establish contact with the enemy and to communicate with their troops. Staff officers checked the readiness of regiments and squadrons for battle. In the early morning of the 19th, the order to march was received. The 37th Cavalry Regiment was assigned to the vanguard. The cavalry went on a campaign through dense forests, among peat bogs, past Lake Verezhuni. The division's path lay to the crossing over the Mezha River near the village of Zhaboyedovo. By the end of the next day, the division reached the northern bank of the Mezha River and stopped for a big halt in the forest. According to the headquarters of the 29th Army, at the turn of Kanat, Ordynka there should have been advanced units of Soviet rifle formations. However, the patrols sent forward did not find their troops anywhere.
The division commander decided to organize a deep reconnaissance and set up an enemy grouping in battle on the southern coast of the Mezha. Soon the division approached the Mezha River near the village of Ordynka, where the scouts found a ford. The vanguard regiment crossed the river from the move and continued to march, soon the cavalry came into combat contact with enemy units. Tank units from the 19th division of the enemy operated here. Having discovered the actions of our cavalry, the Germans launched a counterattack and forced the cavalry, who suffered heavy losses, to retreat into the sowing. direction. After leaving the battle, the division gathered, moved along the northern shore of the Mezha in the direction of Lake Yemlen and stood here for the day.
July 27 - August 8, 41 the division, together with the 53rd division, operated in the Zhaboyedovo region and carried out reconnaissance of the enemy's intentions in a vast forest area at the junction of the 29th and 30th armies of the Western Front. The German and Soviet units were separated by the Mezha River. On the sowing The cavalrymen were located on the shore, and the Germans were on the south in the settlements. On August 8, both divisions were united under the command of Major General Dovator into the KavGroup.
After resting in the area of Lake Emlen, both divisions of the Dovator group moved on a raid behind enemy lines in the Dukhovshchinsky direction. Operations behind enemy lines were supposed to be light. Artillery was left at the location of the division. Having entered the raid, having passed secretly through an almost impenetrable swamp and dense forest, on August 16, both divisions crossed the Mezha River and concentrated in the Ponizovye and Ustye regions. There were strong enemy garrisons here.
On August 23, together with 53kd, using thick fog, the division breaks through the enemy barrier in the Ponizovye area and went behind enemy lines. The remnants of the German 490pp scattered through the surrounding forests. From August 23 to September 1, both divisions operated in the enemy rear from Dukhovshchina. Cavalrymen destroyed enemy headquarters, lines of communication, bridges, sowed panic behind enemy lines. By September 1, both divisions again concentrated in the Yuganovsky forests and, having made a breakthrough, reached the connection with the main forces of the Western Front.
During the raid, 150 vehicles, 4 armored vehicles and 2 tanks were destroyed and large trophies were captured. A partisan detachment was led behind enemy lines.
By dawn on September 19, 1941, the cavalry, having received a new combat order, made a forty-kilometer transition and advanced into the line of Borki, Zharkovsky. The patrols were sent forward with the task of establishing an enemy grouping on the southern bank of the Mezha River. Until October 2, the Dovatov cavalry group continued to provide a junction of the 29th and 30th armies of the front in the Kotovo region, to carry out reconnaissance of enemy actions.
At dawn on October 2, enemy artillery opened heavy fire on the location of the forward detachment of the cavalry group. Half an hour later, the enemy, with a strength of up to an infantry regiment, went on the attack. For six hours, the cavalry beat off continuous attacks of enemy infantry. As soon as information was received about the beginning of the enemy offensive, the main forces of the 50th Cavalry Division marched to the Mezha River.
Early in the morning of October 4, enemy artillery resumed shelling cavalry positions. In the interfluve Zap. Dvina and Mezhi acted 110pd of the enemy, which launched an offensive along the sowing. banks of the Mezha River in the north. Large enemy forces also launched an offensive against Bely and occupied this city on October 4. The 53rd Cavalry Division was sent there. The 50th was left alone and relied only on its own strength.
After three days of fighting in the valley of the Mezha River, the 50th Cavalry Division withdrew to the Olenina-Bely highway and for another four days repelled enemy attempts to bypass the right flank of the army. On October 9, the approaching rifle units replaced the division, and the cavalry set out in the direction of Vyazovakh, where the 53rd cavalry division was already moving from Bely. An order was received from the commander of the Western Front to withdraw the cavalry group to the reserve for replenishment.
Having united, both divisions headed for the Osuga station, located on the Rzhev-Vyazma railway, but the enemy managed to forestall the cavalry. The German motorized units, having captured Zhirkovsky Hill, Novo-Dugino and Sychevka, developed an offensive on Rzhev. The cavalry withdrew to the Medvedovsky forest. The dispatched patrols brought disappointing news: motorized columns of the enemy were moving north along the highway along the railway track, and his pursuing units were pressing on the rearguards from the west.
On the night of October 11, the cavalry group approached the big road. The 3rd German Panzer Group captured Rzhev and Zubtsov; columns of tanks and motorized infantry moved along the roads further to the East - to Pogorely Gorodishche, Shakhovskaya, Volokolamsk. Our troops retreated to Moscow with heavy defensive battles.
The cavalry group advanced on a forced march to the area of the Knyazhy Gory station, but the enemy again forestalled it. The horsemen were forced to move on without stopping. Making their way along the back roads, the 50th and 53rd cavalry divisions carried out surprise raids on enemy barriers occupying the road junctions, and continued to march to connect with their troops.
On October 12, in the Volokolamsk region, cavalrymen of the Dovator group broke into the location of Lieutenant General Rokossovsky K.K.
On October 13, the division as part of a cavalry group concentrated in the forests east of Volokolamsk. Lieutenant General K.K. Rokossovsky ordered the group commander, General Dovator, to take up defensive positions on the right flank of the 16th Army, in the strip from the Volga reservoir to Yaropolets. At this line, the cavalrymen repulsed several attempts of the enemy to cross to the eastern bank of the Lama River from the move.
The cavalry group of General Dovator concentrated in the Novo-Petrovskoye area, covering from the south the left flank of the 316th Infantry Division of General Panfilov, who was defending on the Volokolamsk Highway. Being a few kilometers behind the lines of their troops, the cavalry put their units in order after three months of almost continuous battles and campaigns.
On November 5, 1941, the division received an order as part of the Dovator cavalry group to take up defensive positions on the northern bank of the Lama River and prevent the enemy from breaking through from the south to the Volokolamsk highway. Fulfilling the order, the division saddled the highway overlooking the Volokolamsk highway from the direction of Ruza.
At dawn on November 16, 1941, the "general" offensive of the Nazi troops on Moscow began. The main blow on the northern wing of the enemy was delivered by the 4th and 3rd tank groups. In the area where this blow was delivered, the 316th Infantry Division of General Panfilov, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of General Katukov and parts of the cavalry group of General Dovator were defending.
In the band 316sd (from November 18 it became the 8th Guards Rifle Division) and the Dovator cavalrymen, units of the XXXXVIMK 3TGr of the enemy advanced (2, 11, 5, 10 TD, MD SS "P"). Following a flurry of artillery fire, an enemy offensive began in the zone of the 50th Cavalry Division, where the 43rd and 37th Cavalry Regiments were defending in Morozov and Ivantsovo. Up to 30 tanks attacked forward squadrons. Following the tanks, the infantry came out of the forest.
Attack followed attack. Enemy chains ran up and under fire again rolled back. The enemy retreated and again rushed forward, towards the houses of Morozov and Ivantsov, burning brightly in the ensuing darkness, where the squadrons that had withdrawn from the shore of the Lama continued to defend themselves. By evening, the cavalrymen shot all the ammunition. The enemy attacks did not stop.
In the evening, the enemy still managed to break into the flaming pile of ruins, which in the morning was called the village of Ivantsovo. The commander of the 37th Cavalry Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Lasovsky, took his soldiers five hundred meters to the north. The right-flank 43rd Cavalry Regiment held the ruins of Morozov for another half an hour, but, bypassed on both flanks, was under the threat of encirclement. The regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, ordered the squadrons to retreat behind a deep ravine that stretched northeast of the village. The regiment again took up defense at the edge of the forest. The enemy managed to capture the entire front line of defense of the 50th Cavalry Division.
Having pulled up the reserves, the 5th Panzer Division of the enemy continued persistent attacks against the cavalrymen of General Pliev, who were defending between the Volokolamsk highway and the Lama River. At the end of the day, the enemy infantry bypassed Morozovo and Ivantsovo and, accompanied by seven tanks, rushed to Matrenino, where the division headquarters was located. Communication with the headquarters was interrupted. The 37th and 43rd cavalry regiments were surrounded.
Lieutenant Colonels Lasovsky and Smirnov left their positions, which had become unnecessary, and concentrated squadrons in the forest east of Ivantsovo. It was decided to go to Chismena, to look for the headquarters of the division. There were rears, horsemen. I had to go on foot, hungry, in summer uniforms. Through the Volokolamsk highway they broke through with a fight. We stopped for the night in the village. Before dawn, the regiments reached the command post of the 50th Cavalry Division.
It was the fourth day of continuous fierce battle for Moscow. The battle reached its peak on 19 November. On this day, the horsemen repulsed up to twenty enemy attacks. At 3 p.m. on November 20, a combat order was received from the commander of the 16th Army, General Rokossovsky: the cavalry group to retreat behind the Volokolamsk highway, covering the right flank of the 8th Guards (former 316th) Rifle Division.
Dovator ordered that the rear detachments be left to cover the withdrawal, and the main forces of the divisions should be immediately withdrawn to new lines. Under the cover of the rear detachments, the cavalry group withdrew behind the Volokolamsk highway, on November 22 it was withdrawn from the battle formations of rifle formations and concentrated in the Nudol area.
On November 22, the division became part of the newly formed 3rd Cavalry Corps. At dawn on November 23, 1941, the division commander received an order from the corps commander Dovator to move in a forced march to the Solnechnogorsk area. At 9 o'clock in the morning, the division was already moving in regimental columns through Nudol to the crossing over the Istra reservoir, located near the village of Pyatnitsa.
On November 24, 1941, the 3rd Cavalry Corps counterattacked the enemy. The 50th Cavalry Division dealt the main blow. The right-flank 37th Cavalry Regiment, advancing two kilometers, was held up by enemy infantry fire. The 47th Cavalry Regiment, advancing on the left flank of the division, also made little progress.
Then General Pliev brought into battle a reserve regiment with both tank battalions. Dismounted squadrons broke into Selishchevo. The enemy threw an infantry battalion into the counterattack, but was crushed by cavalrymen, who for the first time went on the attack along with the new Ural T-34 tanks.
Squadrons of the 43rd Cavalry Regiment bypassed Martynovo from the north, where the enemy continued to offer stubborn resistance, and broke into the location of the Nazis. After a fierce street battle, the second battalion of the 240th German infantry regiment was defeated.
The cavalry strike was a complete surprise to the enemy. The fascist German command began hastily pulling up reserves from Solnechnogorsk. Junkers appeared in the sky. The enemy brought into battle the main forces of the 23rd and 106th infantry divisions and about 50 tanks. Two enemy battalions with eight tanks attacked the left flank of the division and began to enter the rear of the cavalry. General Pliev led the last squadron remaining in his reserve and, with the support of tanks, led him to counterattack. The enemy was pushed back. The cavalry began to go on the defensive at the reached line.
A sudden blow by cavalry thwarted the offensive of a large enemy grouping from Solnechnogorsk towards Moscow. The Nazis were driven back, suffered significant losses and lost a whole day, which were used by the Soviet command. The head battalions of the 7th Guards Rifle Division began to unload at the Povarovo station in order to take up defense on the Leningrad Highway.
For another two days the cavalrymen held their positions. The enemy, having brought into battle the 2nd Panzer Division and large aviation forces, made one attack after another, but all in vain. On November 26, the enemy managed to advance somewhat along the Leningrad Highway and wedged between the 53rd Cavalry Division and the battalions of the 7th Guards Rifle Division. Enemy tanks and motorized infantry captured Esipovo and Peshki.
The corps commander transferred the 50th Cavalry Division with both tank battalions to the right flank. With the blow of horsemen, tankers and guards shooters, the enemy grouping that had broken through was thrown back. Three days of precious time were given to the Soviet command as a result of a bold blow and a staunch defense of the cavalrymen and foot soldiers. During this time, the front-line reserves took up defense, covered the Leningrad highway and again blocked the path to Moscow for the Nazi troops.
Dovator group raid
cavalry raid behind enemy lines
The autumn of 1941 was approaching. The enemy was preparing a new attack on Moscow. Under these conditions, it was decided to arrange a cavalry raid on its rear, similar to what General Mamontov carried out on the red rear during the Civil War.
A proposal to repeat such a raid against the Germans was made by Lieutenant General of the Red Army, who in 1919, in the rank of podsaul, himself participated in the mammoth raid. The proposal was accepted, but Shapkin himself at that moment should be entering Iran at the head of the 4th cavalry corps, and it was considered inexpedient to transport the corps to the western front. Instead, a separate cavalry group was created from the 50th and 53rd cavalry divisions, recruited from the Kuban Cossacks. The group was headed by Colonel Lev Mikhailovich Dovator, recently awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the fact that on July 16, having discovered the enemy’s motorized mechanized squad, he gathered scattered units and with them hit the enemy and knocked him out of the village of Krasnoe.
On August 10, the Military Council of the Western Front assigned Dovator the task of reaching the rear of the enemy in the Demidov-Dukhovshchina area; to paralyze enemy communications by destroying transport, warehouses, headquarters and means of communication, as well as to find out the attitude of the population towards the Red Army in the territory occupied by the enemy.
On August 11 and 12, the group was preparing to carry out the assigned task, and on the 14th, after a 50-kilometer march through a wooded and swampy area, they concentrated in the area of Lower Karakovo - Budnitsa - Shveikino. Intelligence established the presence of the enemy in Filino - Boyarshchino - Rozhino - Kotovo.
Along the southern bank of the Mezha River, northwest of Dukhovshchina, the enemy did not have a continuous front. The 129th Infantry Division, which was defending on the Dukhovshchinsky Bolshak, occupied settlements on roads controlled by mobile groups of motorized infantry with tanks.
The third battalion of the 430th regiment of the 129th infantry division occupied the resistance center in the mouth. The village was adapted for defense. At a height of 194.9 and in the village of Podvyazye, there was a node of resistance of the second battalion. In the forest were located the firing positions of the third division of the 129th artillery regiment, which was supported by the 430th infantry regiment. 
The divisions conducted reconnaissance for two days. Small reconnaissance groups and patrols reported that it was impossible to pass in the place of the planned breakthrough between Podvyazye and Ustye, since the junction of these two strongholds was allegedly heavily mined and well shot through. But the information of the scouts turned out to be unreliable, since they did not come close to the strongholds.
Dovator summoned the commanders of divisions and regiments. He led them to the edge of the forest near the strongholds and spent the whole day observing the enemy's defenses. Reconnaissance managed to establish that the junction between the Podvyazye and the Mouth is not covered by anyone and is not guarded. Here, an oral combat order was given to go behind enemy lines.
The 37th Cavalry Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Lasovsky was assigned to the vanguard to carry out the breakthrough.
The vanguard quickly crossed the river, but the bottom was very broken. The crossing was delayed. Horses stumbled on the bottom loosened by hundreds of hooves, many of them lost their balance, fell and swam. The riders jumped into the water; and holding on to the stirrups and horse tails, they swam side by side. The Germans did not find the cavalry crossing, and the group came close to the enemy defenses.
The 50th cavalry division under the command of brigade commander Kondrat Semenovich Melnik operated in the first echelon, and the 53rd cavalry division of Colonel Issa Alexandrovich Pliev operated in the second echelon. The 37th Cavalry Regiment was still in the forefront. Soon the cavalry came into combat contact with enemy units.
The appearance of the Red Army cavalry, which had penetrated 100 km behind enemy lines, caused panic among the Germans. The Cossacks intercepted communications, disrupted communications, seized radio stations, burned enemy warehouses, chopped down Nazi soldiers and officers. The Nazi command issued a special order to exterminate the Cossack detachment. The next day this order fell into the hands of our cavalrymen. Paving the way through swamps and dense forests, the Cossacks appeared where the Nazis least expected them.
On August 23, 1941, the Dovator group breaks through the enemy defenses with a swift blow and rushes into a large forest on the Dukhovshchinsky Bolshak.
On August 27, the cavalry group approached the Velizh-Dukhovshchina highway, which was one of the most important communications of the 9th German army. In all directions, patrols scattered like a fan, looking for objects for raids. And several squadrons were sent to the highway and neighboring roads to defeat enemy convoys.
In one of the battles, the Cossacks defeated another enemy battalion, destroyed 3 guns, captured 4 mortars, 9 heavy machine guns, a radio station, burned cars and warehouses with uniforms and food. Then the Cossacks raided a fascist convoy and destroyed 138 enemy soldiers and officers, smashed 58 trucks, three cars, and three fuel tanks.
Dovator tried to report the situation to the headquarters of the 29th army, but the cavalry group went so far from its troops that its radio stations could not contact the army headquarters. Ammunition and food were running out. Dovator decided to withdraw, but before leaving to raid the enemy headquarters. He knew that General Strauss had left Ribszew with his headquarters, and only the topographical department, which happened to be delayed, and a fleet of trucks remained there. On the night of August 29, having previously carried out reconnaissance, the cavalry raided Ribshevo and defeated the enemy security battalion. A huge warehouse of topographic maps and several dozen trucks were burned. After that, the cavalry group concentrated in the forest. The enemy surrounded the entire area with troops deployed from the front. His aircraft systematically bombed the forests in squares. Heavy bombs rumbled into the thicket, trees fell, forming blockages on the roads. The cavalry group started back. At dawn, the planes detected her movement, air attacks began. Along the roads, following the retreating cavalry, tanks and motorized infantry of the enemy moved, tightening the encirclement and pressing the cavalry to the huge swamp. The situation was becoming very serious. By September 1, the cavalry, having left the enemy through the swamp, made another forty-kilometer march and concentrated in the forest south of the village of Ustye. As soon as it got dark, the cavalrymen attacked the enemy without a shot, defeated the first battalion of the 430th enemy infantry regiment, broke through the enemy position, passed the battle formations of their rifle formations and, having completed the task, on September 2, the Dovator group went to their own in the Chichat area.
During the Dovator raid on the rear of the enemy, the cavalry group destroyed: up to 3000 German soldiers, 19 officers, 150 various vehicles, 4 armored vehicles, 2 tanks, 4 guns, 6 mortars, 3 heavy machine guns; captured: 65 light machine guns, 67 horses, many rifles and machine guns; two battalion headquarters and one regimental headquarters were destroyed.
In September - October 1941, after Dovator was awarded the military rank of Major General, his soldiers took part in heavy defensive battles on the distant approaches to Moscow - on the Mezha River, along the Lama River (from Yaropolets to the Moscow Sea), heroically repelling enemy attacks. In November 1941, the corps of Major General Dovator, together with the 8th Guards named after Major General I.V. Panfilov division, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of General M.E. Katukov and other troops of the 16th Army fought stubborn defensive battles in the Volokolamsk direction in the Kryukov area.
General Dovator, without rest and rest, was constantly in the active parts of the corps, supporting the morale of the horsemen who fought courageously on the outskirts of Moscow.
On November 20, the Separate Cavalry Group was transformed into the 3rd Cavalry Corps, which on November 26 was transformed into the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps.
On December 11, 1941, the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, Major General L.M. Dovator was transferred to the Kubinka area. For 150 km he walked along the rear of the Nazi troops, pursuing their retreating units, and on December 19 he reached the Ruza River. On this day, when examining enemy positions through binoculars before the battle, Major General Dovator was mortally wounded by a machine-gun burst.
Created by order of the People's Commissar of Defense on February 14, 1943 from the 55th Cavalry Division, which in turn was formed on the basis of the connection of the 73rd Separate Altai Cavalry and 55th Cavalry Divisions. The division included the 53rd, 55th and 57th Guards Cavalry, since May 1943 also the 147th Guards Artillery and Mortar and 60th Tank Regiments. The division was awarded the honorary title of Mozyr on January 14, 1944. The division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on July 24, 1944, the Order of Suvorov II degree on April 27, 1945. The division was part of the 7th Guards Cavalry Corps. For excellent military operations in the Berlin operation, the corps was awarded the Order of Lenin, and it is given the name "Brandenburg".
Formation and the beginning of the combat path of the 73rd Separate Altai Cavalry Division
By order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command in the Altai Territory in September 1941, the 73rd separate cavalry division was formed. Future fighters and division commanders arrived from many regions of the region and the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region. Many of them were participants in the civil war, there were also former soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Army and the Chapaev division. By September 10, the formation of the division was completed. Colonel Aleksey Fedorovich Shcherekin was appointed commander of the division.
On September 15, 1941, in a solemn atmosphere on the parade ground, the regiments of the division took the oath. The leaders of the party and Soviet organizations are handing the Red Banners to the regiments. The command of the division, its fighters assure fellow countrymen that they will carry these banners with honor through all the battles with the enemy. Weeks of intense combat training passed, and on the night of November 8-9, the division plunged into echelons and moved west. Already at the end of December, the division entered the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
At the beginning of the combat path, the division guarded the Shatura power plant, which supplied Moscow with electricity. During the protection of the power plant, the personnel of the division were intensely preparing for the upcoming battles.
On February 9, 1942, Colonel A.F. suddenly died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Shcherekin. Colonel Ivan Terentyevich Chalenko was appointed commander of the division. “He served in the First Cavalry from the very beginning of its history as an adjutant to the commander. A man of great courage, division commander of Budenov hardening, he often talked with soldiers and officers about upcoming battles at rest, taught them courage, the ability to beat the enemy following the example of the First Cavalry Army, ”recalled K. Vladimirsky, a former senior instructor of the political department of the 15th Cavalry Division . It was headed by I.T. Chalenko's division will accomplish most of its feats.
The division's baptism of fire on the Bryansk Front in the summer of 1942
Artillery of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps on the march. 1942At the end of July 1942, the command transferred the division to the Bryansk Front. On August 2, the regiments of the 73rd Cavalry Division concentrated in the Terbunov forest and, with darkness, began to receive defense sectors from units of the 55th Cavalry Division, which had suffered heavy losses, so that by the morning of August 3 they completely occupied the defensive line. The division received its baptism of fire on August 4. At 5 o'clock in the morning after the artillery attack, the Germans went on the attack at full height, knowing that there was no enemy in front of them. Our fighters showed restraint, let the Nazis in at a distance of 100 meters and opened heavy fire. In this battle, Makar Lavrentievich Krasnikov, Prokopy Ignatievich Grankin, Ivan Moiseevich Zenkov, Petr Moiseevich Malygin, Kuzma Alexandrovich Lapshin, Ivan Timofeevich Zuev and many others distinguished themselves. The enemy fled in panic. On August 10, 1942, the 55th and 73rd Cavalry Divisions were merged into one, called the 55th Cavalry Division of the 8th Cavalry Corps.
Until the end of August, the situation on the defensive line of the division was relatively calm. Among the personnel there were many hunters, excellent shooters. Particularly famous was Private Yevtey Dolgov, a former hunter and blacksmith. In a short period of time, more than 70 destroyed enemy soldiers accumulated on his combat account. In one day, Yevtey Dolgov destroyed 17 Nazis. Before dawn, he took up a pre-planned firing position not far from the front line of the enemy. In the morning, a group of enemy soldiers appeared at the edge of the forest. A German officer, waving his arms, was explaining something to the soldiers. Dolgov killed him with the first shot. Taking advantage of the confusion among the Germans, the sniper destroyed three more enemy soldiers. During the day, the Germans tried several times to pull out the corpse of an officer, but each time they fell under the well-aimed shots of Yevtey Dolgov. Without haste and without giving a miss, he destroyed the enemy soldiers one by one. During the day, E. Dolgov fired seventeen shots, and all the bullets hit the target.
Participation of the division in the Battle of Stalingrad and the formation of the 15th Guards Cavalry Division
On October 9, 1942, the 55th Cavalry Division, operating as part of the 8th Corps, received an order to make a long march and set out the next day. The cavalry corps was transferred to Stalingrad, where at that time an operation was being prepared to defeat the enemy.
On the morning of November 19, 1942, the appeal of the Military Council of the front was read to the personnel of the division, and at the same time, the thunder of thousands of guns announced the start of Operation Uranus. Having entered the breakthrough of the enemy's front, together with parts of the 8th cavalry corps, the division rapidly moved forward. By the evening of November 19, the cavalry reached the village of Ust-Medveditskaya, where the SS battalion sat down. Soon reinforcements approached the Germans - up to 2 infantry battalions and about 40 tanks. The fight was exceptionally stubborn. Cavalrymen had to fight for every house. By 3 pm, parts of the division, having destroyed up to two infantry battalions and about 20 enemy tanks, captured Ust-Medveditskaya. Up to 120 prisoners were captured, 2 ammunition depots, a food depot.
With heavy fighting, the division advanced to the southwest and, together with other units, liberated large railway stations and powerful enemy resistance centers - Oblivskaya, Chernyshevskaya, Morozovskaya, Tatsinskaya, Belaya Kalitva. In these battles, endurance, perseverance, firmness of will, combat skill and determination were especially clearly manifested - the qualities of Siberians-Altaians, with whom the enemy reckoned.
Donbas raid. February 1943
Commander of the 112th Cavalry Division, Major General M.M. Shaimuratov The counteroffensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad ended with the liquidation of a large and one of the most combat-ready Wehrmacht groups on the Eastern Front. Developing success after the defeat of the Nazi troops near Stalingrad, units of the Red Army moved westward with battles. Kharkov and Belgorod were liberated, Soviet tanks were rapidly moving towards the Dnieper. It seemed that a little more, and the southern wing of the German armies would burst at the seams. But, unfortunately, this did not happen ...
The German command, having regrouped its forces, prepared a counterattack, the operation was led by the German Field Marshal E. von Manstein, who, by analogy with Field Marshal Model Model, can be successfully called "Hitler's fireman."
In turn, the Soviet command also planned a decisive operation in order to reach the Dnieper before the spring thaw. On January 30, 1943, the 3rd Guards Army of the Southwestern Front went on the offensive, seized a bridgehead on the Seversky Donets River, from where it moved to Voroshilovgrad with battles.
Participated in this offensive and the 55th Cavalry Division, as part of the 8th Cavalry Corps fighting for Voroshilovgrad. After the capture of the city, following the order of the command, the division went on a raid on the rear of the enemy. “The raid took place in incredibly difficult conditions: the area is open, cut by ravines. There was a lot of snow that winter. There were severe frosts. Guns, cars, wagons had to be dragged by hand. Even riding horses sometimes had difficulty getting out of the snowdrifts. The actions of the cavalry behind enemy lines made a stunning impression on the Germans. The strikes of the 55th division caused them an atmosphere of uncertainty and anxiety. And this, in turn, affected the behavior of the enemy troops on the entire sector of the front.
However, the enemy came to his senses and, in turn, went on the offensive. The 8th Cavalry Corps by this time was fighting on the outskirts of the city of Debaltseve. The Germans pulled large forces of infantry and tanks here, broke through on the flanks and began to compress the encirclement around the corps. The cavalrymen desperately resisted, trying to break through to Debaltseve. But this task was not completed. In fact, already on February 18, there was a threat of a complete encirclement of the formations of the 8th cavalry corps. On February 23, 1943, the corps commander, General M.D. Borisov gave the order to leave the encirclement. With fighting, overcoming the resistance of the Germans, the cavalry began to go out to their own: “At 4 p.m. on February 23, the 55th cavalry division came out to the Zapadnaya beam, breaking through on its own. On the night of February 24, the united units of the 55th and 112th Cavalry Divisions along the Zapadnaya beam reached Malo-Nikolaevka and by the end of February 25 they reached the location of the 14th Rifle Corps in the Orekhovo area. The 21st Cavalry Division fought its way to Uspenka. By the end of February 24, the 8th Cavalry Corps left the raid. During a breakthrough in hand-to-hand combat, the commander of the 112th division, Major General M.M. Shaymuratov.
On February 14, 1943, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the 8th Cavalry Corps was given the title "Guards", and it received the name of the 7th Guards Corps, and the 55th Altai Cavalry Division - the title of the 15th Guards Cavalry Division.
Why Mozyr-Brandenburg?
Soviet cavalry on the attack. 1943 Parts of the division, withdrawn from the raid behind enemy lines, almost without rest, began to move west in continuous battles.
In March 1943, the divisions took up defensive positions. During this period, the command of the division sent a special delegation to Altai, which was supposed to tell the working people of the region about the military affairs of their fellow countrymen. Members of the delegation of the Guard Major Goreglyad, Guards Captain Lavrenov and others spoke at rallies and meetings with Altai workers.
From mid-September, units of the 7th Guards Corps fought in the direction of the Dnieper. By this time, the 15th Guards Cavalry Division, equipped with new military equipment and having received reinforcements, was a powerful cavalry formation. The division now included artillery units, a tank regiment. After crossing the Dnieper and several days of fierce fighting, the division heads north.
The front command entrusts the cavalrymen with a responsible task: to deliver a surprise attack on the city of Mozyr with a deep detour maneuver. Parts advanced in the most difficult conditions of swampy terrain. On January 14, the division of 1944, together with other units of the Red Army, captured the city of Mozyr. For excellent military operations, she is given the honorary name "Mozyrskaya". In early April, the division fought in emergency conditions west of the Ubor River in the area of the famous Pinsk swamps. In early April, the division received an order to make a forced march to the Kovel area.
By this time, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front in the Kovel region surrounded the German group. The enemy command hastily brought up tanks and infantry units from other sectors of the front to save the encircled. The cavalrymen had to get ahead of the enemy, disrupt the impending attack on the flanks of the Soviet troops. On April 11, intense battles began with superior enemy forces. The Germans threw tanks at the lines defended by the guards, subjected their positions to massive air raids, but they could not break the cavalrymen. This situation continued until mid-May. Then the cavalry corps transferred to the reserve of the 1st Belorussian Front. June and the first half of July were used by the guards for combat training. On July 20, 1944, the regiments of the division crossed the Western Bug and crossed the state border of the Soviet Union. The enemy retreated to the area of the city of Kholm. July 24 Lublin was cleared of the enemy. The cavalrymen immediately broke into the territory of the Majdanek death camp. The division received the gratitude of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief for excellent military operations.
Before the capture of Lublin on July 25, 1944, near the town of Piastki, in the area of \u200b\u200boperation of one of the regiments of the 15th Guards Division, several tanks were captured. In one of the "tiger" tanks was Lieutenant General Moser, who is the commandant of the Lublin Voivodeship. He was taken prisoner by our countrymen - Altai cavalrymen.
On August 8, 1944, parts of the division on the eastern bank of the Vistula were replaced by Polish troops. The cavalrymen were given a new combat mission - to prevent the enemy from breaking through in the direction of Demblin - Pulawa. On August 16, 1944, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for excellent actions during the liberation of the cities of Kholm and Lublin.
The 15th Guards Cavalry Division, together with the troops stationed at the Pulawy bridgehead, were preparing to liberate the Brandenburg province of Germany. This continued until January 14, 1945.
