325th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

325th Rifle Division (Sept. 8, 1941 – April 18, 1943) 325th Rifle Division (May 7, 1944 – 1945)
Postwar photo of Mjr. Gen. N. B. Ibianskii (1st Formation)
Active	1941–1945
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Battle of Moscow Battles of Rzhev Operation Little Saturn Baltic Offensive Vistula-Oder Offensive East Prussian Offensive
Battle honours	Dvinsk (2nd formation)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Mjr. Gen. N. B. Ibianskii

The 325th Rifle Division was formed in September, 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, made up of older reservists and young men with no prewar training. As with many other divisions in the 320-330 series it was flung into the fighting west of Moscow to defend the capital and then to take part in the winter counteroffensive. After a year on a quiet sector the division rejoined the fighting in the late winter of 1943, eventually distinguishing itself sufficiently to be redesignated as the 90th Guards Rifle Division. After disappearing from the Soviet order of battle for more than a year a new division was formed in the spring of 1944, which gave very creditable service for the duration, completing its combat path in East Prussia.

The division first formed on Sept. 8, 1941 at Morshansk in the Oryol Military District. Its basic order of battle was as follows:

The division formed in the eastern part of the Oryol District. It was still short of all sorts of basic equipment when it was assigned to 10th (Reserve) Army in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command in October. Short or not, it went into battle with 10th Army in early December on the southern flank of Western Front. In February, 1942, the division was transferred to 50th Army, still in Western Front, just to the north. It remained on this relatively quiet sector until February, 1943. It was then transferred to south to 21st Army, which was moving north to make up part of the new Central Front, after having helped to crush the German 6th Army in Operation Koltso. The intention of the STAVKA was that 21st Army would take part in an offensive to destroy the German forces in the salient around Oryol, liberate Bryansk, and advance into the rear of Army Group Center. In the event this operation failed to reach these ambitious objectives, but the 325th scored some successful tactical actions in its course, so when the 21st Army became the 6th Guards Army in April, the 325th was redesignated as the 90th Guards Rifle Division on Apr. 18.