120th Rifle Division
| 120th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active |
I Formation: 1940–1941 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations |
 Order of the Red Banner (3rd formation) |
| Battle honours | Gatchina (3rd formation) |
I Formation: 1940–1941
II Formation: 1942–1943
The 120th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed three times. Its first formation became the 6th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in the Yelnya Offensive. Its second formation became the 69th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in the Battle of Stalingrad. The division was reformed a third time in late April 1943. It was disbanded "in place" with the Central Group of Forces in the summer of 1945.
The 120th Rifle Division was formed in July 1940 in the Orel Region from the 35th Reserve Rifle Brigade under the command of Major General Konstantin Petrov, part of the 33rd Rifle Corps. The 120th Rifle Division was composed of the following units:
On 28 June 1941, it was transferred to Bryansk. On 10 July it was concentrated in the Novoselki area west of Bryansk to establish a defensive line, including antitank ditches. The division became part of 24th Army on 15 July and was moved to the area 20 kilometers southeast of Yelnya. It went into combat on 30 July. Between August and September it fought in the Yelnya Offensive. The division helped capture Yelnya on 6 September. On 16 September, it was withdrawn from the front and sent to Stavka reserve in the Bologovsky District. On 26 September, the division became the 6th Guards Rifle Division for its actions at Yelnya.
The division was reformed in Kazan from the 405th Rifle Division on 10 March 1942. 80% of the soldiers of the division were Kazakhs. The division was commanded by Colonel Nikolai Ryakin. The division included the following units:
In May the 120th was assigned to 8th Reserve Army in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. In June 1942 the division was moved by river to Saratov, where it received reinforcements. On 24 August, 8th Reserve was re-designated as 66th Army and was rushed to Stalingrad. The division was thrown into a series of costly counterattacks north of the city from 4 September. On 27 September Colonel Kirill Dzhakhua took command. By 20 October, at the outset of Don Front's Fourth Kotluban counteroffensive, the division was noted as being severely under strength, with roughly a battalion's worth of fighting men remaining.
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