29th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

The 29th Polotskaya Order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Division was a division of the Soviet Ground Forces.

On 28.09.1920 the division was formed at Omsk as the 4th Rifle Division (Приказ по войскам Сибири № 284). It became the 1st Siberian Rifle Division on 26.10.1920 (Приказ по войскам Сибири № 406), and then the 29-ю сд on 15.11.1920 (Приказ Помглавкома по Сибири № 450). Officially redesignated as a mechanised division on 4 July 1940. With 6th Mechanised Corps, 10th Army, Western Front on 22 June 1941. Poirer and Connor appear to say it was wiped out near Minsk in July 1941. It was formally disbanded on 19 September 1941.

It was then recreated from the 7th Moscow People's Militia Division in July 1941, and again wiped out at Vyazma in October 1941.

On December 5, 1941 recreation of the 29th Rifle Division began in Akmolinsk, Kazakhstan, and its organization was completed on January 16, 1942. It was reformed on the basis of the very short lived 459th Rifle Division. The division was made up of 106th, 128th, 299th Rifle and 77th Artillery Regiments. Other units included the 125th Anti-Tank, 78th Saper, 124th Signal, and 29th Medical Battalions, and the 104th Reconnaissance Company. The division was held in reserve until June 1942, when its men were deemed to have received sufficient training.

In July 1943 29th Rifle Division was ordered to move to Stalingrad and join the 64th Army. In August 1942 units of the division first met with the Germans. During Battle of Stalingrad they killed 5,242 and took 13,447 captive.

On February 2, 1943 the Battle of Stalingrad was finally over. Due to the heroism of the soldiers, the 29th Rifle Division (2nd formation) was redesignated the 72nd Guard Rifle Division by Directorate of the General Staff order №104 on March 1, 1943.

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