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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox military unit
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = 377th Rifle Division (August, 1941 – 1945)
| unit_name = 377th Rifle Division (August 1941 – 1945)
| image = File:Soviet_Major_General_Nikolai_Prokopevich_Kovalchuk.jpg
| image = File:Soviet_Major_General_Nikolai_Prokopevich_Kovalchuk.jpg
| caption = Prewar photo of Maj. Gen. N. P. Kovalchuk
| caption = Prewar photo of Maj. Gen. N. P. Kovalchuk
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| march =
| march =
| mascot =
| mascot =
| battles = [[Battle of Leningrad]]<br>[[Lyuban Offensive Operation]]<br>[[Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive]]<br>[[Battle of Narva (1944)|Battle of Narva]]<br>[[Pskov-Ostrov Offensive]]<br>[[Baltic Offensive]]<br>[[Riga Offensive (1944)|Riga Offensive]]<br>[[Courland Pocket]]
| battles = [[Battle of Leningrad]]<br />[[Lyuban Offensive Operation]]<br />[[Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive]]<br />[[Battle of Narva (1944)|Battle of Narva]]<br />[[Pskov-Ostrov Offensive]]<br />[[Baltic Offensive]]<br />[[Riga Offensive (1944)|Riga Offensive]]<br />[[Courland Pocket]]
| anniversaries =
| anniversaries =
| decorations = {{OrderRedBanner}}
| decorations = {{OrderRedBanner}}
| battle_honours = Valga
| battle_honours = Valga
| notable_commanders = Col. Kantemir Aleksandrovich Tsalikov<br>Maj. Gen. Nikolai Prokopevich Kovalchuk<br>Col. Semyon Sergeevich Safronov<br>Col. Timofei Dmitrievich Dudorov<br>Col. Andrei Markovich Kartavenko
| notable_commanders = Col. [[Kantemir Tsalikov]]<br />Maj. Gen. Nikolai Prokopevich Kovalchuk<br />Col. Semyon Sergeevich Safronov<br />Col. Timofei Dmitrievich Dudorov<br />Col. Andrei Markovich Kartavenko
| image_size =
| image_size =
| current_commander =
| current_commander =
}}
}}
The '''377th Rifle Division''' was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the [[Red Army]], and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August, 1941 in the Urals Military District. It followed a very similar combat path to that of the [[374th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|374th]] and [[376th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|376th Rifle Divisions]]. It joined the fighting front in December with the 4th Army, and then briefly came under command of 2nd Shock Army, but soon moved to the [[59th Army (Soviet Union)|59th Army]] along the Volkhov River, and continued to serve in this Army's battles near Leningrad until early 1944. The division took very heavy casualties and was partly or fully encircled at several times along with the units of [[2nd Shock Army]] during the Lyuban Offensive. After rebuilding the division held the Army's bridgehead over the Volkhov during 1943, and finally advanced during the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive in January, 1944, taking part in the assault that liberated [[Veliky Novgorod|Novgorod]]. During the spring the division saw heavy fighting in the battles for [[Narva]] before moving south for the summer offensive into the Baltic states. In September it won a battle honor in the liberation of [[Valga, Estonia|Valga]], and in October also received the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Riga. The division ended the war in Latvia, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and was disbanded later in 1945.
The '''377th Rifle Division''' was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the [[Red Army]], and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August 1941 in the Urals Military District. It followed a very similar combat path to that of the [[374th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|374th]] and [[376th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|376th Rifle Divisions]]. It joined the fighting front in December with the 4th Army, and then briefly came under command of 2nd Shock Army, but soon moved to the [[59th Army (Soviet Union)|59th Army]] along the Volkhov River, and continued to serve in this Army's battles near Leningrad until early 1944. The division took very heavy casualties during the Lyuban Offensive in several attempts to relieve the beleaguered 2nd Shock Army. After rebuilding the division held the Army's bridgehead over the Volkhov during 1943, and finally advanced during the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive in January 1944, taking part in the assault that liberated [[Veliky Novgorod|Novgorod]]. During the spring the division saw heavy fighting in the battles for [[Narva]] before moving south for the summer offensive into the Baltic states. In September it won a battle honor in the liberation of [[Valga, Estonia|Valga]], and in October also received the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Riga. The division ended the war in Latvia, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and was disbanded later in 1945.


==Formation==
==Formation==
The 377th began forming in August, 1941 in the Urals Military District<ref>Walter S. Dunn, Jr., ''Stalin's Keys to Victory'', Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2006, p. 79</ref> at [[Chebarkul]] in the [[Chelyabinsk Oblast]], based on the first wartime ''shtat'' ([[table of organization and equipment]]) for rifle divisions. Its order of battle was as follows:
The 377th began forming in August 1941 in the Urals Military District<ref>Walter S. Dunn, Jr., ''Stalin's Keys to Victory'', Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2006, p. 79</ref> at [[Chebarkul]] in the [[Chelyabinsk Oblast]], based on the first wartime ''shtat'' ([[table of organization and equipment]]) for rifle divisions. Its order of battle was as follows:
* 1247th Rifle Regiment
* 1247th Rifle Regiment
* 1249th Rifle Regiment
* 1249th Rifle Regiment
* 1251st Rifle Regiment
* 1251st Rifle Regiment
* 933rd Artillery Regiment<ref>Charles C. Sharp, ''"Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From June to December 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IX'', Nafziger, 1996, p. 101</ref>
* 933rd Artillery Regiment<ref>Charles C. Sharp, ''"Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From June to December 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IX'', Nafziger, 1996, p. 101</ref>
* 381st Antiaircraft Battery (later 657th Antiaircraft Battalion) (until April 25, 1943)
* 381st Antiaircraft Battery (later 657th Antiaircraft Battalion) (until 25 April 1943)
* 384th Antitank Battalion (from January 20, 1942)
* 384th Antitank Battalion (from 20 January 1942)
* 423rd Mortar Battalion (until October 25, 1942)
* 423rd Mortar Battalion (until 25 October 1942)
* 432nd Reconnaissance Company
* 432nd Reconnaissance Company
* 440th Sapper Battalion
* 440th Sapper Battalion
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* 1444th Field Postal Station
* 1444th Field Postal Station
* 743rd Field Office of the State Bank
* 743rd Field Office of the State Bank
Col. Kantemir Aleksandrovich Tsalikov was assigned to command of the division on September 15, and he would remain in command until September 7, 1942. In November the division was assigned to the [[39th Army (Soviet Union)|39th Army]], but was reassigned to the [[4th Army (Soviet Union)|4th Army]] in the [[Volkhov Front]] by December 17. It was moved to [[2nd Shock Army]] for a few weeks in January, 1942, but by January 21 it was finally assigned to the [[59th Army (Soviet Union)|59th Army]], where it would remain until February, 1944.<ref>Sharp, ''"Red Tide"'', p. 101</ref>
Col. [[Kantemir Tsalikov]] was assigned to command of the division on 15 September, and he would remain in command until 7 September 1942. In November the division was assigned to the [[39th Army (Soviet Union)|39th Army]], but was reassigned to the [[4th Army (Soviet Union)|4th Army]] in the [[Volkhov Front]] by 17 December. It was moved to [[2nd Shock Army]] for a few weeks in January 1942, but by 21 January it was finally assigned to the [[59th Army (Soviet Union)|59th Army]], where it would remain until February 1944.<ref>Sharp, ''"Red Tide"'', p. 101</ref>


==Lyuban Offensive Operation==
==Lyuban Offensive Operation==
Volkhov Front, including 59th Army, began the offensive on [[Lyuban (town), Leningrad Oblast|Lyuban]], which was intended to break the German siege of Leningrad, on the morning of January 6, but the Soviet forces were far from fully prepared and by the end of the day this initial assault expired in the face of heavy resistance. On January 10 the ''STAVKA'' called a three day halt in the attacks. During this period Stalin sent his special emissary and "fixer" [[Lev Mekhlis|L. Z. Mekhlis]] to the Front to supervise the attack preparations. While personally he was universally loathed and feared, Mekhlis' interventions were in some respects positive:{{quotation|"For example, when he learned that the attacking armies were without artillery and that the available guns lacked vital parts, including optical instruments and communications equipment, Mekhlis informed Stalin. Soon, General [[Nikolay Voronov|N. Voronov]], the chief of the Red Army's Artillery was sent to [[Malaya Vishera]] with several railway cars containing the missing equipment."<ref>Note that the 377th received its 384th Antitank Battalion on January 20.</ref>}} Volkhov Front and the [[54th Army (Soviet Union)|54th Army]] of [[Leningrad Front]] resumed the offensive early on January 13 preceded by much improved artillery preparation. On January 17, 2nd Shock resumed its attack, supported by more than 1,500 aircraft sorties, and finally penetrated the Germans' first defensive positions on the west bank of the Volkhov, advanced 5 - 10 km and created conditions that Front commander Army Gen. [[Kirill Meretskov|K. A. Meretskov]] considered favorable for developing success. Early on the 22nd, he proposed to the ''STAVKA'', in part: "The Front reserve will consist of the 46th Tank Brigade and the 377th Rifle Division in the Glady region and the [[87th Cavalry Division (Soviet Union)|87th Cavalry Division]] in the Bolshaia Vishera region."<ref>David M. Glantz, ''The Battle for Leningrad, 1941-1944'', University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2002, pp. 158, 160-64</ref>
Volkhov Front, including 59th Army, began the offensive on [[Lyuban (town), Leningrad Oblast|Lyuban]], which was intended to break the German siege of Leningrad, on the morning of 6 January, but the Soviet forces were far from fully prepared and by the end of the day this initial assault expired in the face of heavy resistance. On 10 January the ''STAVKA'' called a three day halt in the attacks. During this period Stalin sent his special emissary and "fixer" [[Lev Mekhlis|L. Z. Mekhlis]] to the Front to supervise the attack preparations. While personally he was universally loathed and feared, Mekhlis' interventions were in some respects positive:{{quotation|"For example, when he learned that the attacking armies were without artillery and that the available guns lacked vital parts, including optical instruments and communications equipment, Mekhlis informed Stalin. Soon, General [[Nikolay Voronov|N. Voronov]], the chief of the Red Army's Artillery was sent to [[Malaya Vishera]] with several railway cars containing the missing equipment."<ref>Note that the 377th received its 384th Antitank Battalion on January 20.</ref>}} Volkhov Front and the [[54th Army (Soviet Union)|54th Army]] of [[Leningrad Front]] resumed the offensive early on 13 January preceded by much more powerful artillery preparation. On 17 January, 2nd Shock resumed its attack, supported by more than 1,500 aircraft sorties, and finally penetrated the Germans' first defensive positions on the west bank of the Volkhov, advanced 5 – 10&nbsp;km and created conditions that Front commander Army Gen. [[Kirill Meretskov|K. A. Meretskov]] considered favorable for developing success. Early on the 22nd, he proposed to the ''STAVKA'', in part: "The Front reserve will consist of the 46th Tank Brigade and the 377th Rifle Division in the Glady region and the [[87th Cavalry Division (Soviet Union)|87th Cavalry Division]] in the Bolshaia Vishera region."<ref>David M. Glantz, ''The Battle for Leningrad, 1941-1944'', University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2002, pp. 158, 160-64</ref>

In late March the German 18th Army was able to pinch off communications to 2nd Shock Army and elements of 59th Army in the pocket south of Lyuban. On 30 March and again on 8 April Volkhov Front's attacks opened small gaps of 2&nbsp;km to 6&nbsp;km in width through the German cordon, but these were considered inadequate. A new offensive by the 59th was planned, but the spring rainy period set in, bringing everything but foot traffic to a halt. On 23 April Volkhov Front was disbanded and the Army entered the Volkhov Group of Forces of Leningrad Front, but Volkhov Front was reestablished in June. Leningrad Front planned a new operation beginning on 6 May to liquidate the northern pincer of the German semi-encirclement; the 377th was to have attacked from the east but the plan was scrapped in the face of German reinforcements. This led to the decision to finally withdraw 2nd Shock from the pocket. The breakout began on 17 May with 59th Army attacking from the east to assist, but it could not fulfill its mission because its divisions were woefully understrength.<ref>Glantz, ''Battle for Leningrad'', pp. 177, 180-82, 192, 196, 198-99</ref>

Colonel Tsalikov left command of the division on 9 September. He was replaced a week later by Col. Nikolai Prokofevich Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk was briefly replaced by Col. Leonid Gavrilovich Sergeev on 2 January 1943, but returned to command on 2 February, and was promoted to the rank of major general on 18 May.

==Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive==
On 28 August General Kovalchuk, who was already serving as chief of staff of 59th Army, handed his command to Col. Semyon Sergeevich Safronov. In preparation for this upcoming offensive, in November the 377th came under its first corps command, the [[112th Rifle Corps]],<ref>[http://www.soldat.ru/files/f/boevojsostavsa1943.pdf Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943], p. 300</ref> where it would remain until April 1944. When the drive on [[Veliky Novgorod|Novgorod]] began on 14 January 1944, this Corps was in the second echelon of 59th Army. Over the next four days the Army made a slow but inexorable advance north and south of the city, threatening to envelop the German forces defending it. On the 18th, Lt. Gen. [[Ivan Korovnikov|I. T. Korovnikov]] committed the 112th Corps to protect the Army's right flank and cooperate with 54th Army in the encirclement and destruction of two German corps in the Lyuban - [[Chudovo, Chudovsky District, Novgorod Oblast|Chudovo]] region. On the morning of 20 January elements of the [[7th Rifle Corps|7th]] and [[14th Rifle Corps]] liberated Novgorod.<ref>Glantz, ''Battle for Leningrad'', pp. 345-49.</ref>

The next objective for 59th Army, and Volkhov Front as a whole, was the town of [[Luga, Leningrad Oblast|Luga]]. Korovnikov resumed his offensive on 21 January and provided significant engineer support to cross the roadless and heavily forested swampland spanning the entire region east of Luga. [[6th Rifle Corps]] attacked westward through [[Batetsky (rural locality)|Batetsky]] to Luga, supported on the right by 112th Corps. However the advance faltered badly on 24 January after only minimal gains. 6th Corps was tired and badly understrength, and Meretskov criticized Korovnikov for the slow advance, noting that both Corps "... failed to maneuver properly, made little use of their ski battalions, paid scant attention to adequate reconnaissance, and, when they encountered German strongpoints, frequently resorted to frontal attacks." Following a regrouping within the Front, when the advance on Luga resumed on 27 January the 59th Army contained only the 6th and 112th Corps and 29th Tank Brigade. In three days of heavy fighting the 112th fought its way across the [[Luga River]], reaching to within 18&nbsp;km of Oredezh by 30 January. 18th Army finally abandoned Luga on 12 February just as forces of [[67th Army (Soviet Union)|67th Army]] prepared to envelop the town and the forward detachment of the 377th was approaching from the southeast.<ref>Glantz, ''Battle for Leningrad'', pp. 359-63, 382-83</ref>

===Battle of Narva===
By 1 March the 377th, still in 112th Corps with the [[2nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|2nd Rifle Division]], was reassigned to [[8th Army (Soviet Union)|8th Army]] in Leningrad Front.<ref>[http://www.soldat.ru/files/f/boevojsostavsa1944.pdf Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944], p. 66</ref> During March the Army was primarily involved in holding the line along the [[Narva River]] south to [[Lake Peipus|Lake Chud]], but in April, the 59th Army was replaced by the 8th in the Krivasoo bridgehead west of Narva. Prior to this transition the 377th was transferred to the withdrawing 59th, and as of 1 May was the only division in the Army. A month later it was still a separate rifle division in 59th Army, but at the beginning of July it was back in 8th Army, in the [[124th Rifle Corps]].<ref>[http://www.soldat.ru/files/f/boevojsostavsa1944.pdf Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944], pp. 126, 157, 186</ref>


==Baltic Offensive==
==Baltic Offensive==
At the beginning of August the 377th was in [[1st Shock Army]], now in the [[3rd Baltic Front]], moving south towards [[Pskov]] near the shores of [[Lake Peipus|Lake Pskov]].<ref>Multi-Man Publishing, Inc., ''Baltic Gap'', Millersville, MD, 2009, p. 19</ref> Over the next six weeks the division fought its way into Latvia and Estonia, moving to the [[111th Rifle Corps]] of [[67th Army (Soviet Union)|67th Army]], and on September 19 it was recognized as follows: {{quotation|"VALGA... 377th Rifle Division (Col. Dudorov, Timofei Dmitrievich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Valga, by the order of the Supreme High Command of September 19, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 12 artillery salvoes from 124 guns.<ref>http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-1.html. Retrieved April 25, 2019.</ref>}}
At the beginning of August the 377th was in [[1st Shock Army]], now in the [[3rd Baltic Front]], moving south towards [[Pskov]] near the shores of [[Lake Peipus|Lake Pskov]].<ref>Multi-Man Publishing, Inc., ''Baltic Gap'', Millersville, MD, 2009, p. 19</ref> On 20 August Colonel Safronov handed his command over to Col. Timofei Dmitrievich Dudorov. Over the next six weeks the division fought its way into Latvia and Estonia, moving to the [[111th Rifle Corps]] of 67th Army, and on 19 September it was recognized as follows: {{quotation|"VALGA... 377th Rifle Division (Col. Dudorov, Timofei Dmitrievich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Valga, by the order of the Supreme High Command of September 19, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 12 artillery salvoes from 124 guns.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-1.html |title=Освобождение городов |website=www.soldat.ru |access-date=April 25, 2019}}</ref>}}


By early October the 377th was near the Gulf of Riga in the area of [[Salacgrīva]].<ref>Multi-Man Publishing, ''Baltic Gap'', p. 36</ref> The division played a major role in the liberation of Riga, and was recognized with the award of the [[Order of the Red Banner]] on October 31.{{Sfn|Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union|1967a|p=542}}
On 1 October Colonel Dudorov was succeeded briefly by Col. Ivan Trofimovich Teslya, but two weeks later Teslya was replaced by Col. Andrei Markovich Kartavenko, who would lead the division for the duration of the war. In the first week of October the 377th was near the Gulf of Riga in the area of [[Salacgrīva]].<ref>Multi-Man Publishing, ''Baltic Gap'', p. 36</ref> The division played a major role in the liberation of Riga, and received the award of the [[Order of the Red Banner]] on 31 October.{{Sfn|Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union|1967a|p=542}} Previous to this, on 17 October the division was recognized for its part in the liberation of [[Jūrmala|Rīgas Jūrmala]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-5.html |title=Освобождение городов |website=www.soldat.ru |access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref>


==Battle of Courland==
==Battle of Courland==
After the battle for Riga the 3rd Baltic Front was disbanded and by the end of the month the 377th was transferred with its 112th Corps to the 1st Shock Army in [[2nd Baltic Front]]. It remained in that Army until April 1945, mostly in 112th Corps, but that month the Corps was transferred back to 67th Army,<ref>Sharp, ''"Red Tide"'', p. 101</ref> which was now part of the [[Courland Group of Forces]] of Leningrad.The division ended the war near the Baltic Sea, still watching over the German forces trapped in the [[Courland Pocket]].
After the battle for Riga the 3rd Baltic Front was disbanded and by the end of the month the 377th was transferred with its 112th Corps to the 1st Shock Army in [[2nd Baltic Front]]. It remained in that Army until April 1945, mostly in 112th Corps, but that month the Corps was transferred back to 67th Army,<ref>Sharp, ''"Red Tide"'', p. 101</ref> which was now part of the [[Courland Group of Forces]] of Leningrad Front.<ref>[http://www.soldat.ru/files/f/boevojsostavsa1945.pdf Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945], p. 150</ref> The division ended the war near the Baltic Sea, still watching over the German forces trapped in the [[Courland Pocket]].


== Postwar ==
== Postwar ==
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===Citations===
===Citations===
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Reflist|2}}

===Bibliography===
===Bibliography===
*{{Cite book|url=https://cloud.mail.ru/public/1336025b4bbd/%D0%A7%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C%201%20(1920-1944).pdf|title=Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть I. 1920 - 1944 гг.|last=Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union|first=|publisher=|year=1967a|isbn=|location=Moscow|pages=|language=Russian|trans-title=Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part I. 1920–1944|ref=harv|authors=}}
*{{Cite book|url=https://cloud.mail.ru/public/1336025b4bbd/%D0%A7%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C%201%20(1920-1944).pdf|title=Сборник приказов РВСР, РВС СССР, НКО и Указов Президиума Верховного Совета СССР о награждении орденами СССР частей, соединениий и учреждений ВС СССР. Часть I. 1920 - 1944 гг.|last=Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union|year=1967a|location=Moscow|language=ru|trans-title=Collection of orders of the RVSR, RVS USSR and NKO on awarding orders to units, formations and establishments of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Part I. 1920–1944|access-date=25 April 2019|archive-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327003401/https://cloud.mail.ru/public/1336025b4bbd/%25D0%25A7%25D0%25B0%25D1%2581%25D1%2582%25D1%258C%25201%2520(1920-1944).pdf|url-status=dead}}
*{{Cite book|url=http://www.soldat.ru/doc/perechen/|title=Перечень № 5. Стрелковых, горнострелковых, мотострелковых и моторизованных дивизии, входивших в состав Действующей армии в годы Великой Отечественной войны 1941-1945 гг.|last=Grylev|first=A. N.|date=|year=1970|website=|publisher=Voenizdat|location=Moscow|language=Russian|trans-title=List (Perechen) No. 5: Rifle, Mountain Rifle, Motor Rifle and Motorized divisions, part of the active army during the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945|ref=harv}} p. 156
*{{Cite book|url=http://www.soldat.ru/doc/perechen/|title=Перечень № 5. Стрелковых, горнострелковых, мотострелковых и моторизованных дивизии, входивших в состав Действующей армии в годы Великой Отечественной войны 1941-1945 гг.|last=Grylev|first=A. N.|year=1970|publisher=Voenizdat|location=Moscow|language=ru|trans-title=List (Perechen) No. 5: Rifle, Mountain Rifle, Motor Rifle and Motorized divisions, part of the active army during the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945}} p.&nbsp;156
*{{Cite book|title=Командование корпусного и дивизионного звена советских вооруженных сил периода Великой Отечественной войны 1941 – 1945 гг.|last=Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union|first=|publisher=Frunze Military Academy|year=1964|isbn=|location=Moscow|pages=|language=Russian|trans-title=Commanders of Corps and Divisions in the Great Patriotic War, 1941{{endash}}1945|ref=harv|authors=}} p. 284
*{{Cite book|title=Командование корпусного и дивизионного звена советских вооруженных сил периода Великой Отечественной войны 1941 – 1945 гг.|last=Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union|publisher=Frunze Military Academy|year=1964|location=Moscow|language=ru|trans-title=Commanders of Corps and Divisions in the Great Patriotic War, 1941{{endash}}1945}} p. 284


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.generals.dk/general/Tsalikov/Kantemir_Aleksandrovich/Soviet_Union.html Kantemir Aleksandrovich Tsalikov]
*[http://www.generals.dk/general/Kovalchuk/Nikolai_Prokopevich/Soviet_Union.html Nikolai Prokopevich Kovalchuk]
*[http://www.generals.dk/general/Kovalchuk/Nikolai_Prokopevich/Soviet_Union.html Nikolai Prokopevich Kovalchuk]
*[http://www.generals.dk/general/Dudorov/Timofei_Dmitrievich/Soviet_Union.html Timofei Dmitrievich Dudorov]
*[http://www.generals.dk/general/Dudorov/Timofei_Dmitrievich/Soviet_Union.html Timofei Dmitrievich Dudorov]
*[http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=4581 HSU Sergei Mikhailovich Cherepanov]


{{Soviet Union divisions before 1945}}
{{Soviet Union divisions before 1945}}

Latest revision as of 12:25, 27 November 2022

377th Rifle Division (August 1941 – 1945)
Prewar photo of Maj. Gen. N. P. Kovalchuk
Active1941 - 1945
Land Soviet Union
Branch Red Army
TypDivision
RoleInfantry
EngagementsBattle of Leningrad
Lyuban Offensive Operation
Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive
Battle of Narva
Pskov-Ostrov Offensive
Baltic Offensive
Riga Offensive
Courland Pocket
DecorationsOrder of the Red Banner Order of the Red Banner
Battle honoursValga
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Col. Kantemir Tsalikov
Maj. Gen. Nikolai Prokopevich Kovalchuk
Col. Semyon Sergeevich Safronov
Col. Timofei Dmitrievich Dudorov
Col. Andrei Markovich Kartavenko

The 377th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August 1941 in the Urals Military District. It followed a very similar combat path to that of the 374th and 376th Rifle Divisions. It joined the fighting front in December with the 4th Army, and then briefly came under command of 2nd Shock Army, but soon moved to the 59th Army along the Volkhov River, and continued to serve in this Army's battles near Leningrad until early 1944. The division took very heavy casualties during the Lyuban Offensive in several attempts to relieve the beleaguered 2nd Shock Army. After rebuilding the division held the Army's bridgehead over the Volkhov during 1943, and finally advanced during the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive in January 1944, taking part in the assault that liberated Novgorod. During the spring the division saw heavy fighting in the battles for Narva before moving south for the summer offensive into the Baltic states. In September it won a battle honor in the liberation of Valga, and in October also received the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Riga. The division ended the war in Latvia, helping to contain and reduce the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket, and was disbanded later in 1945.

Formation

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The 377th began forming in August 1941 in the Urals Military District[1] at Chebarkul in the Chelyabinsk Oblast, based on the first wartime shtat (table of organization and equipment) for rifle divisions. Its order of battle was as follows:

  • 1247th Rifle Regiment
  • 1249th Rifle Regiment
  • 1251st Rifle Regiment
  • 933rd Artillery Regiment[2]
  • 381st Antiaircraft Battery (later 657th Antiaircraft Battalion) (until 25 April 1943)
  • 384th Antitank Battalion (from 20 January 1942)
  • 423rd Mortar Battalion (until 25 October 1942)
  • 432nd Reconnaissance Company
  • 440th Sapper Battalion
  • 768th (later 821st) Signal Battalion (later 821st Signal Company)
  • 455th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
  • 448th Chemical Protection (Anti-gas) Company
  • 485th Motor Transport Company
  • 224th Field Bakery
  • 793rd Divisional Veterinary Hospital
  • 1444th Field Postal Station
  • 743rd Field Office of the State Bank

Col. Kantemir Tsalikov was assigned to command of the division on 15 September, and he would remain in command until 7 September 1942. In November the division was assigned to the 39th Army, but was reassigned to the 4th Army in the Volkhov Front by 17 December. It was moved to 2nd Shock Army for a few weeks in January 1942, but by 21 January it was finally assigned to the 59th Army, where it would remain until February 1944.[3]

Lyuban Offensive Operation

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Volkhov Front, including 59th Army, began the offensive on Lyuban, which was intended to break the German siege of Leningrad, on the morning of 6 January, but the Soviet forces were far from fully prepared and by the end of the day this initial assault expired in the face of heavy resistance. On 10 January the STAVKA called a three day halt in the attacks. During this period Stalin sent his special emissary and "fixer" L. Z. Mekhlis to the Front to supervise the attack preparations. While personally he was universally loathed and feared, Mekhlis' interventions were in some respects positive:

"For example, when he learned that the attacking armies were without artillery and that the available guns lacked vital parts, including optical instruments and communications equipment, Mekhlis informed Stalin. Soon, General N. Voronov, the chief of the Red Army's Artillery was sent to Malaya Vishera with several railway cars containing the missing equipment."[4]

Volkhov Front and the 54th Army of Leningrad Front resumed the offensive early on 13 January preceded by much more powerful artillery preparation. On 17 January, 2nd Shock resumed its attack, supported by more than 1,500 aircraft sorties, and finally penetrated the Germans' first defensive positions on the west bank of the Volkhov, advanced 5 – 10 km and created conditions that Front commander Army Gen. K. A. Meretskov considered favorable for developing success. Early on the 22nd, he proposed to the STAVKA, in part: "The Front reserve will consist of the 46th Tank Brigade and the 377th Rifle Division in the Glady region and the 87th Cavalry Division in the Bolshaia Vishera region."[5]

In late March the German 18th Army was able to pinch off communications to 2nd Shock Army and elements of 59th Army in the pocket south of Lyuban. On 30 March and again on 8 April Volkhov Front's attacks opened small gaps of 2 km to 6 km in width through the German cordon, but these were considered inadequate. A new offensive by the 59th was planned, but the spring rainy period set in, bringing everything but foot traffic to a halt. On 23 April Volkhov Front was disbanded and the Army entered the Volkhov Group of Forces of Leningrad Front, but Volkhov Front was reestablished in June. Leningrad Front planned a new operation beginning on 6 May to liquidate the northern pincer of the German semi-encirclement; the 377th was to have attacked from the east but the plan was scrapped in the face of German reinforcements. This led to the decision to finally withdraw 2nd Shock from the pocket. The breakout began on 17 May with 59th Army attacking from the east to assist, but it could not fulfill its mission because its divisions were woefully understrength.[6]

Colonel Tsalikov left command of the division on 9 September. He was replaced a week later by Col. Nikolai Prokofevich Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk was briefly replaced by Col. Leonid Gavrilovich Sergeev on 2 January 1943, but returned to command on 2 February, and was promoted to the rank of major general on 18 May.

Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive

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On 28 August General Kovalchuk, who was already serving as chief of staff of 59th Army, handed his command to Col. Semyon Sergeevich Safronov. In preparation for this upcoming offensive, in November the 377th came under its first corps command, the 112th Rifle Corps,[7] where it would remain until April 1944. When the drive on Novgorod began on 14 January 1944, this Corps was in the second echelon of 59th Army. Over the next four days the Army made a slow but inexorable advance north and south of the city, threatening to envelop the German forces defending it. On the 18th, Lt. Gen. I. T. Korovnikov committed the 112th Corps to protect the Army's right flank and cooperate with 54th Army in the encirclement and destruction of two German corps in the Lyuban - Chudovo region. On the morning of 20 January elements of the 7th and 14th Rifle Corps liberated Novgorod.[8]

The next objective for 59th Army, and Volkhov Front as a whole, was the town of Luga. Korovnikov resumed his offensive on 21 January and provided significant engineer support to cross the roadless and heavily forested swampland spanning the entire region east of Luga. 6th Rifle Corps attacked westward through Batetsky to Luga, supported on the right by 112th Corps. However the advance faltered badly on 24 January after only minimal gains. 6th Corps was tired and badly understrength, and Meretskov criticized Korovnikov for the slow advance, noting that both Corps "... failed to maneuver properly, made little use of their ski battalions, paid scant attention to adequate reconnaissance, and, when they encountered German strongpoints, frequently resorted to frontal attacks." Following a regrouping within the Front, when the advance on Luga resumed on 27 January the 59th Army contained only the 6th and 112th Corps and 29th Tank Brigade. In three days of heavy fighting the 112th fought its way across the Luga River, reaching to within 18 km of Oredezh by 30 January. 18th Army finally abandoned Luga on 12 February just as forces of 67th Army prepared to envelop the town and the forward detachment of the 377th was approaching from the southeast.[9]

Battle of Narva

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By 1 March the 377th, still in 112th Corps with the 2nd Rifle Division, was reassigned to 8th Army in Leningrad Front.[10] During March the Army was primarily involved in holding the line along the Narva River south to Lake Chud, but in April, the 59th Army was replaced by the 8th in the Krivasoo bridgehead west of Narva. Prior to this transition the 377th was transferred to the withdrawing 59th, and as of 1 May was the only division in the Army. A month later it was still a separate rifle division in 59th Army, but at the beginning of July it was back in 8th Army, in the 124th Rifle Corps.[11]

Baltic Offensive

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At the beginning of August the 377th was in 1st Shock Army, now in the 3rd Baltic Front, moving south towards Pskov near the shores of Lake Pskov.[12] On 20 August Colonel Safronov handed his command over to Col. Timofei Dmitrievich Dudorov. Over the next six weeks the division fought its way into Latvia and Estonia, moving to the 111th Rifle Corps of 67th Army, and on 19 September it was recognized as follows:

"VALGA... 377th Rifle Division (Col. Dudorov, Timofei Dmitrievich)... The troops who participated in the liberation of Valga, by the order of the Supreme High Command of September 19, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 12 artillery salvoes from 124 guns.[13]

On 1 October Colonel Dudorov was succeeded briefly by Col. Ivan Trofimovich Teslya, but two weeks later Teslya was replaced by Col. Andrei Markovich Kartavenko, who would lead the division for the duration of the war. In the first week of October the 377th was near the Gulf of Riga in the area of Salacgrīva.[14] The division played a major role in the liberation of Riga, and received the award of the Order of the Red Banner on 31 October.[15] Previous to this, on 17 October the division was recognized for its part in the liberation of Rīgas Jūrmala.[16]

Battle of Courland

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After the battle for Riga the 3rd Baltic Front was disbanded and by the end of the month the 377th was transferred with its 112th Corps to the 1st Shock Army in 2nd Baltic Front. It remained in that Army until April 1945, mostly in 112th Corps, but that month the Corps was transferred back to 67th Army,[17] which was now part of the Courland Group of Forces of Leningrad Front.[18] The division ended the war near the Baltic Sea, still watching over the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket.

Postwar

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The division ended the war with the full title: 377th Rifle, Valga, Order of the Red Banner Division (Russian: 377-я стрелковая Валгинская Краснознамённая дивизия). It was disbanded later in 1945.

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Walter S. Dunn, Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2006, p. 79
  2. ^ Charles C. Sharp, "Red Tide", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From June to December 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. IX, Nafziger, 1996, p. 101
  3. ^ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 101
  4. ^ Note that the 377th received its 384th Antitank Battalion on January 20.
  5. ^ David M. Glantz, The Battle for Leningrad, 1941-1944, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2002, pp. 158, 160-64
  6. ^ Glantz, Battle for Leningrad, pp. 177, 180-82, 192, 196, 198-99
  7. ^ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 300
  8. ^ Glantz, Battle for Leningrad, pp. 345-49.
  9. ^ Glantz, Battle for Leningrad, pp. 359-63, 382-83
  10. ^ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, p. 66
  11. ^ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1944, pp. 126, 157, 186
  12. ^ Multi-Man Publishing, Inc., Baltic Gap, Millersville, MD, 2009, p. 19
  13. ^ "Освобождение городов". www.soldat.ru. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  14. ^ Multi-Man Publishing, Baltic Gap, p. 36
  15. ^ Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union 1967a, p. 542.
  16. ^ "Освобождение городов". www.soldat.ru. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  17. ^ Sharp, "Red Tide", p. 101
  18. ^ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1945, p. 150

Bibliography

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