3rd Tank Division (Soviet Union)

300th Rifle Division (10 July 1941 – 16 Apr. 1943) 300th Rifle Division (9 Aug. 1943 – 1945)
Mjr. Gen. S.P. Merkulov, postwar
Active	1941–1945
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Operation Barbarossa Operation Blue Operation Uranus Soviet invasion of Manchuria
Commanders
Notable commanders	Col. S. P. Merkulov Col. I. M. Afonin

The 300th Rifle Division began service as a standard Red Army rifle division shortly after the German invasion, and fought in the southwestern part of the Soviet-German front for nearly two years following. The division did not distinguish itself until Operation Uranus in late 1942, when it helped defeat the German attempt to relieve Sixth Army and later in the pursuit of the defeated Axis forces and the recapture of Rostov-na-Donu. In recognition of these successes it was raised to Guards status as the 87th Guards Rifle Division. A second 300th was raised a few months later and fought briefly but very successfully against the Japanese in Manchuria in August 1945. The second formation became the 3rd Tank Division in the Far East postwar and was redesignated 46th Tank Division in 1957 before disbanding in 1959.

The division began forming on July 10, 1941 at Krasnograd in the Kharkov Military District. Its order of battle was as follows:

Just a month after forming, the 300th was assigned to 38th Army of Southwestern Front, just as that Army was itself forming up. It first began to reach the front on Aug. 12 and remained in that Army and that Front until May, 1942. It held its positions on the east bank of the Northern Donets River during the Soviet offensive phase of the Second Battle of Kharkov, forming the link to the 28th Army to its north. In early June the division was transferred to that army. Prior to the start of Operation Blue, German Sixth Army launched a preliminary attack, Operation Wilhelm, against the 28th Army bridgehead over the Donets at and south of Volchansk, from June 10 - 15. The 300th was caught up in this and was largely encircled in spite of beginning to retreat almost immediately; on the 13th Marshal Semyon Timoshenko reported it was "seriously battered".