- 383rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 383rd Rifle Division 'Shakhterskaya'
caption=Commemorative plaque honouring the 383rd Division inDonetsk ,Ukraine , on the building of its firstheadquarters .
dates= September1941 -
country=Ukrainian SSR
allegiance=Soviet Union
branch=Soviet Army
type=Infantry
nickname='Shakhterskaya'
battles=World War II Battle of the Caucasus
Battle of the CrimeaBattle of Berlin
battle_honours=Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov , second class
commander1=
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commander2=
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notable_commanders=Major General Konstantin ProvalovThe 383rd 'Miners' Rifle Division ( _ru. 383-я 'шахтёрская' стрелковая дивизия) was a formation of theRed Army , created during the Second World War. The division was officially created onAugust 18 1941 . It was given the name Shakhterskaya (which in Russian literally means 'miners'), as it was originally comprised completely of miners from theDonets Basin ,Ukrainian SSR (nowUkraine ).cite web |url=http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/kalashnik_mh/01.html |title= Выстоять!
accessdate=2008-01-02 |work=Новороссийск, Chapter 1 ] During the course of the war, its losses were continually replaced, and thus it began to consist not only of miners fromDonbass .History
Formation
The formation of the division began in August, at mine #6 in
Stalino (nowDonetsk ). The division included six specialanti-tank detachments, created by the city committee ofKomsomol in Stalino. Specifically for this division, the production of mines,grenade s and other anti-tank weapons in the city, was drastically increased.Colonel Konstantin Provalov, graduate of the Frunze Military Academy andHero of the Soviet Union , was appointed commander of the division. He was later promoted toMajor General .War service
The formation and training of the division ended in September 1941, when it was put into battle. On
September 30 1941 , the 383rd division was incorporated into the 18th Army of the Southern Front. The division then took up defensive positions on the "Krasnoarmiisk -Selydove " line. FromOctober 15 untilOctober 22 , the division participated in the defense of Stalino. By that time, they had destroyed 30 tanks, four mortar batteries, twoartillery batteries and had killed more than 5,000 German soldiers. ByOctober 23 , theGerman army had finally taken Stalino, and the 383rd killed another 1,500 German soldiers, during its retreat.Following this defeat, the division was transferred to the
Transcaucasian Front , to stop the Germans from penetrating to theoil fields ofAzerbaijan . There, the division successfully held defensive positions, refusing to give up ground. In the beginning of 1943 the division fought nearNovorossisk . OnNovember 7 1943 the division crossed theKerch strait and landed its troops nearKerch , as part of theKerch-Eltigen Operation . On 1 January 1944, the Division was part of theSeparate Coastal Army 's 16th Rifle Corps, along with the 89th, 227th, and 339th Rifle Divisions. [ [http://www.tashv.nm.ru/BoevojSostavSA/1944/19440101.html Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, January 1, 1944] ] In April 1944 the division liberatedFeodosiya , and later helped liberateSevastopol and by the end of May 1944 the Transcaucasian Front had completely freedCrimea from German occupation.In January 1945, the 383rd Division was assigned to the 33rd Army of the
1st Belorussian Front where it served for the rest of the war, advancing throughPoland and intoGermany . FromApril 16 toMay 2 , the division participated in theBattle of Berlin .ee also
*
List of Soviet Union divisions 1917-1945
*Ukrainian Army References
;Specific
;General
* [http://www.myrehovot.info/veteran/2007/05/blog-post_11.html И в Радости и в Горе…]
* [http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/kalashnik_mh/01.html ВОЕННАЯ ЛИТЕРАТУРА — Мемуары — Калашник М. X. Испытание огнем.]
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