179th Rifle Division


The 179th Vitebsk Red Banner Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II.

World War II

Formation

Established at Vilnius on 17 August 1940 as part of the 29th Lithuanian Territorial Rifle Corps on the basis of the 1st Infantry Division of the Lithuanian Army:
Lithuanian Army units from
which the Soviet unit was formed		Soviet units
1st Division's HQ,
Lithuanian Army's Staff		HQ
1st Division's HQ,
Lithuanian Army's Staff,
9th Infantry Regiment,
2nd Cavalry Regiment		215th Rifle Regiment
1st, 8th Infantry Regiments,
1st Cavalry Regiment		234th Rifle Regiment
2nd, 3rd Infantry Regiments,
3rd Cavalry Regiment		259th Rifle Regiment

Battles

With 29th Rifle Corps of 11th Army on June 22, 1941. Fought at Kalinin, Gomel, and Vitebsk; with 4th Shock Army of the Kurland Group May 1945.

After World War II

It was reduced to the 27th Rifle Brigade in 1948 at Uralsk. It became a division again in October 1953.
In 1955, the division became the 4th Rifle Division at Buzuluk in the South Ural Military District.

Books