100th Guards Rifle Division
| 15th Guards Airborne Division (1943-1944)
100th Guards Rifle Division (1944-1946) |
|
|---|---|
| Active | 1943–1955 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Airborne infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations |
 Order of the Red Banner
|
| Battle honours | Svir |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Vasilii Andreevich Leshchinin Ivan Alekseevich Makarenko |
100th Guards Rifle Division (1944-1946)
The 100th Guards Rifle Division was an elite Red Army airborne infantry division during World War II. The division fought in the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive and the Vienna Offensive. Postwar, it was designated as an airborne division and disbanded in 1955.
From the beginning of the war, the Soviet Army strongly emphasized the development of airborne forces and their use behind enemy lines. Paradrops were often conducted in multi-regimental strengths, the most notable of these being the Vyaz'ma paradrop in 1942 and the Dnieper-Bukrinsk paradrop in 1943.
The 15th Guards Airborne Division (Russian: 15-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная дивизия) was created in June 1943 and initially deployed in the cities of Ramenskoye and Zvenigorod. It incorporated three airborne brigades (9th, 10th and 12th Airborne Brigades) and was commanded by Major General Vasilii Andreevich Leshchinin.
On 19 January 1944, the division was renamed the 100th Guards Rifle Division and its component brigades renamed the 298th, 301st and 304th Guards Rifle Regiments. In addition to this core strength, the division had two artillery regiments and various complementary contingents, including communications. By mid-1944, its strength reached 12,000 men. This number was unusually high for a formation of this type, as Red Army divisions usually had strengths of about 6,000 to 7,000.
In June 1944, the division was sent to the Karelian Front to take place in an operation aimed at clearing Karelia of Finnish forces. The attack started on June 21, 1944, with the 100th Guards Rifle Division performing a force-crossing of the Svir River. After three days of violent attacks, Finnish defenses were overrun and the Leningrad Oblast completely liberated.
The offensive resumed shortly afterwards, and had to pass through the former Mannerheim Line, reinforced between 1941 and 1944. Taking heavy casualties, the division advanced north and arrived to the shore of Vidlitsa river on July 1, 1944. A day later, the river was crossed in force and the division resumed its offensive. However, it was stopped three days later by another river coupled with extensive defensive fortification. After yet another assault crossing and heavy fight, the offensive stopped on July 14, 1944, and the division assumed a defensive stance until mid-August. The operation lasted in total for 40 days, with the division advancing more than 200 kilometers starting from its initial positions around Leningrad. The Svir River, crossed in force by the division, would later give its name to the unit.
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