293rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

293rd Rifle Division (July 18, 1941 – January 21, 1943) 293rd Rifle Division (July 15, 1943 – 1946)
Major General Pavel Lagutin, ca. 1943–44, commander of the 1st formation of the 293rd Rifle Division
Active	1941–1946
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev (1941) Second Battle of Kharkov Operation Blue Battle of Stalingrad Operation Ring Soviet invasion of Manchuria
Commanders
Notable commanders	Maj. Gen. Pavel Lagutin

The 293rd Rifle Division began service as a standard Red Army rifle division shortly after the German invasion. It served in the defense of Kiev, and managed to escape encirclement, spending the winter along the front near Kursk. In the early summer of 1942 the division fought along the Don River against the German offensive, and after rebuilding in the Battle of Stalingrad, where it played a leading role in the encirclement and destruction of German Sixth Army, for which it was raised to Guards status as the 66th Guards Rifle Division as the battle was still ongoing. A second 293rd was raised a few months later and fought briefly against the Japanese in Manchuria in August 1945.

The division began forming on July 18, 1941 at Sumy, based on various reserve formations from Sumy Oblast, Chernivtsi Oblast and Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. Major General Pavel Lagutin would command the division throughout its 1st formation. Its main order of battle was as follows:

The 293rd was almost immediately assigned to Southwestern Front to complete its formation. On August 18, it was assigned to 40th Army of that front, defending the northeast shoulder of the Kiev salient; as a result it escaped being encircled in the German offensive in September. In the second week of that month it was defending the towns of Krepali and Vorozhba from elements of the German 2nd Panzer Group, but was soon retreating by way of Sumy to the vicinity of Kursk, where it would spend a relatively uneventful winter, becoming involved on the periphery of the fighting near Kharkov in the spring.