89th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

89th Rifle Division-Tamanskaya Division
Members of the division marching under the Brandenburg Gate after the fall of Berlin in May 1945.
Active	December 1941-1945
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Infantry
Type	Rifle Division
Role	Tactical attack and defense combat operations
Nickname(s)	Taman
Engagements	Battle of the Caucasus Battle of the Crimea (1944) Battle of the Baltic (1944) Vistula-Oder Offensive Battle of Berlin
Decorations	Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class, Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Red Star
Battle honours	Taman
Commanders
Notable commanders	Nver Safaryan

The 89th Infantry Rifle Division (Russian: 89-я стрелковая дивизия; Armenian: 89-րդ Հայկական հրաձգային դիվիզիա) was a distinguished division in the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War. The division was primarily remembered for its second formation, composed primarily of ethnic Armenians and fought in numerous battles during the war.

The division was established at Kursk prior to June 1941. On 22 June 1941 it was part of 33rd Rifle Corps in the interior Orel Military District. Fighting as part of the 19th Army, it was wiped out at Vyazma in October 1941.

The division was re-formed in December 1941 in the capital of the Armenian SSR, Yerevan, following the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was a redesignation of the 474th Rifle Division, which was formed on 14 December 1941 and renumbered the 89th Rifle Division on 26 December 1941. Over the course of the war period, the division had a number of commanders, including Colonel Simeon G. Zakyan (who was killed in action in April 1942 during military operations in the Kerch peninsula), Lieutenant-Colonel Andranik Sargsyan, Colonel Artashes Vasilyan, and finally Colonel Nver G. Safaryan, who took over command in February 1943 and would eventually attain the rank of Major General. It published its own weekly Armenian-language newspaper called the Red Soldier (Կարմիր Զինվոր).

In August 1942, the 89th Division was dispatched toward the North Caucasus Front, where it took up defensive positions to block the German drive toward Grozny. From November to December 1942, the unit took part in several fierce battles in the area around the cities of Elekhotvo, Malgobek, and Voznesenskaya and helped bring the German penetration into the Caucasus to a halt. As the Soviet armies shifted to the offensive during the winter of 1942-43, the 89th Division began its gradual advance toward the Crimea. On January 21, 1943, along with other Soviet forces from the Transcaucasian Front, it participated in the capture of Malgobek, Khamedan and a number of other settlements previously held by the Germans. The unit's advance picked up pace in the following month, averaging about 30-40 kilometers a day as it approached the Sea of Azov.