422nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

422nd Rifle Division (December 25, 1941 – January 14, 1942) 422nd Rifle Division (March 4, 1942 – March 1, 1943)
Active	1941–1943
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Battle of Stalingrad Operation Uranus Operation Ring
Commanders
Notable commanders	Maj. Gen. Ivan Konstantinovich Morozov

The 422nd Rifle Division was formed for the first time as a standard Red Army rifle division late in 1941, after the Soviet winter counteroffensive had begun, but was soon re-designated. A second formation began in March, 1942, again in the far east of Siberia, until July, after which it was moved west to join the reserves of Stalingrad Front in August. It was the highest-numbered rifle division to see active service in the front lines during the Great Patriotic War. Over the course of the next six months, the division distinguished itself in both defensive and offensive fighting and earned its re-designation as the 81st Guards Rifle Division on the first day of March, 1943. The 422nd was never reformed.

The early history of the 422nd Rifle Division is a convoluted tale. A new rifle division began forming on December 1, 1941, in the Far Eastern Front. It was originally designated as the 397th Rifle Division, but was only partly formed when it was re-designated as the 422nd on December 25. Most 400-series rifle divisions ended up being re-designated prior to reaching the front, and in this case the division was re-re-designated while still forming up on January 14, 1942, now as the 2nd formation of the 397th Rifle Division.

The second 422nd Rifle Division began forming on March 4, 1942, at Bikin in the Far Eastern Front, primarily from reservists in the Maritime and Ussuri regions of the Far East, near Vladivostok. It was assigned to 35th Army as it continued to form up until July. The division's primary order of battle was as follows:

The new division began moving west by rail in July, assigned to the reserves of Stalingrad Front by August 1. By August 15 it arrived on the Don River at Tundutovo, assigned to 57th Army south of Stalingrad. As a fresh division it was badly needed in the face of the offensive drive from the south by XXXXVIII Panzer Corps of 4th Panzer Army. On August 21, that army tried to renew its offensive by driving a wedge between the 57th and the adjoining 64th Army. 15th Guards Rifle Division, holding the 57th Army flank, was reinforced by the 422nd, and between them fought the 24th Panzer Division to a standstill short of Tundutovo Station; the Red Army General Staff report claimed 60 enemy tanks destroyed by units of the 57th Army that day. On August 23-24, 4th Panzer Army again regrouped, lunging northwards early on the 25th along the boundary of the 422nd and the 244th Rifle Divisions and advancing 8 kilometres to the Chervlennaia River. Once there, however, concentrated artillery and mortar fire of the two divisions, joined by 15th Guards, separated the German tanks from their infantry, while heavy antitank fire and counterattacks by 6th Tank Brigade destroyed or damaged many panzers. The remainder had no choice but to fall back to their jumping-off positions by the end of August 26.

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