369th Rifle Division

rdf:langString 369th Rifle Division

rdf:langString 369th Rifle Division (1 August 1941 – July 1945)

rdf:langString Karachev

rdf:langString Maj. Gen. I. S. Lazarenko, Hero of the Soviet Union

rdf:langString Col. Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Fedotov

rdf:langString Col. Gavrill Ivanovich Fisenko

rdf:langString Col. Ivan Andreevich Golubev

rdf:langString Col. Mikhail Zurabovich Kazishvili

rdf:langString Col. Pyotr Semyonovich Galaiko

rdf:langString Lt. Col. Aleksei Pavlovich Golovko

rdf:langString Lt. Col. Emelyan Ivanovich Vasilenko

rdf:langString Maj. Gen. Ivan Sidorovich Lazarenko 10px

rdf:langString Maj. Gen. Ivan Vasilevich Khazov

rdf:langString Infantry

rdf:langString Division

rdf:langString The 369th Rifle Division began forming on 1 August 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, in the Chelyabinsk Oblast. After forming, it was assigned to the 39th Army which soon became part of Kalinin Front, and it participated in the near-encirclement of the German 9th Army around Rzhev in the winter counteroffensive of 1941-42. In late January 1942, it was transferred to the 29th Army of the same Front, which was very soon after encircled by German forces near Sychevka, and while it was written off by German intelligence in February, enough of the division escaped that it was not officially disbanded. By August it returned to battle, now in 30th Army of Western Front, still fighting near Rzhev. After the salient was finally evacuated in the spring of 1943 the division was moved to Bryansk Front, first in 11th Army and then in 50th Army, under which it served for most of the war. In the summer counteroffensive the 369th was awarded the battle honor "Karachev" for its part in the liberation of that city. At the start of Operation Bagration the division was in 2nd Belorussian Front and its commander, Maj. Gen. I. S. Lazarenko, was killed a few days later; despite this loss it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its successful crossing of the Dniepr River and the liberation of Mogilev. The division continued to advance through Belarus and into Poland and eastern Germany over the following months, but despite a fine record of service was disbanded soon after the German surrender.