58th Guards Rifle Division

The 58th Guards Rifle Division (Russian: 58-я гвардейская стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of the Red Army during World War II.

Formation to Kharkov

The division was formed on 31 December 1942 by the redesignation of the 1st Rifle Division (formed 1942) into an elite Guards unit in recognition of its courage in the initial stages of Operation Little Saturn. Continuing the attack, the 58th Guards captured Millerovo alongside the 38th Guards Rifle Division on 17 January 1943. During February, it reached the Seversky Donets near Voroshilovgrad, contributing to the capture of the latter. During the second half of February and early March, initially with the 1st Guards and later with the 6th Armies of the Southwestern Front, the division repulsed a German counteroffensive south of Kharkov.

Advance to the Elbe

2nd Lt. William Robertson and Lt. Alexander Silvashko, Red Army, shown in front of sign East Meets West symbolizing the historic meeting of the Soviet and American Armies, near Torgau, Germany, an arranged photo op on "Elbe Day".

Elements of the division made contact with the American 69th Infantry Division at Torgau on the Elbe River on 25 April 1945, splitting the Third Reich into two separate parts, an event that became known as Elbe Day. The first contact was made between patrols near Strehla, when U.S. First Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue crossed the River Elbe in a boat with three men of an intelligence and reconnaissance platoon. On the east bank, they met forward elements of the 175th Guards Rifle Regiment of the division, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gardiev.

Prague Offensive

The units of the division rapidly advanced during the Prague Offensive, participating in the capture of Dresden on 8 May and on the next day reaching the vicinity of Beřkovice, 35 kilometers (22 mi) northwest of Prague. For distinguishing itself in the advance on Prague, the division received the name of the city as an honorific on 11 June. For their actions during the war, roughly 11,000 soldiers of the division were decorated, and 28 received the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

Postwar

The division was disbanded in June 1946, along with the rest of the 33rd Guards Rifle Corps, still with the Central Group of Forces.

References

Bibliography

• Antonyuk; Andreyev (1946). "Перечень расформированных частей и соединений центральной группы войск на которых нет учетных документов по безвозвратным потерям" [List of disbanded units and formations of the Central group of forces for which there are no records for irretrievable losses] (in Russian). Archived from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• MacDonald, Charles B. (1973). The Last Offensive. United States Army in World War II: European Theater of Operations. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Chief of Military History. OCLC 963582. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Ogarkov, Nikolai, ed. (1977). "Красноградско-Пражская стрелковая дивизия" [Krasnograd–Prague Rifle Division]. Советская военная энциклопедия [Soviet Military Encyclopedia] (in Russian). Vol. 4. Moscow: Voenizdat. pp. 427–428. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Sergeyev, Igor, ed. (1999). "Красноградско-Пражская стрелковая дивизия" [Krasnograd–Prague Rifle Division]. Военная энциклопедия в 8 томах [Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes] (in Russian). Vol. 4. Moscow: Voenizdat. pp. 261–262. ISBN 5-203-01876-6. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

Further reading

• Olshansky, Aleksandr (1981). Единой семьей: 58-я гвардейская стрелковая дивизия в боях за родину [One Family: The 58th Guards Rifle Division in the battle for the Motherland] (in Russian). Nukus: Karakalpakstan. OCLC 21240412.