270th Rifle Division

The 270th Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division formed twice during World War II, in 1941 and 1942. After World War II it became a motor rifle division and became part of the Russian Ground Forces after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

History

It was first established at Melitopol, in the Odessa Military District, in July 1941. It consisted of the 973, 975, 977 Rifle, and 810 Artillery Regiments. By August 1941 it was with the 12th Army, Southwest Front. Elements of the division fought with the Southwestern Front at the Second Battle of Kharkov in May 1942. That same month, the division was wiped out at Izyum. Recreated at Voronezh in the Ural Military District, Oct 1942. The division fought at Stalingrad (Nov. 1942), after which it was assigned to the 69th Army, and fought with it during the Third Battle of Kharkov in February 1943, and later at the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, where 69th Army, as part of Voronezh Front, took the main thrust of the southern German attack. Fought at Demidov, Sep. 1943. Took part in Operation Bagration in June 1944. The division was serving with 4th Shock Army of the Kurland Group (Leningrad Front) in May 1945. Honorifics were "Demidov, Polotsk," Order of the Red Banner. At some point after 1945 the division was reduced to the 41st Rifle Brigade. From around 1945 to the end of the 1960s the division was based at Buzuluk in Orenburg Oblast.

In 1953 41st Rifle Brigade was expanded into the 270th Rifle Division. In 1954 the Division participated in the Totskoye range nuclear weapons exercises. In 1955 (sometime between January and May) the 270th Rifle Division was renamed the 44th Rifle Division. In 1957 the 44th Rifle Division became the 44th Motor Rifle Division. Per 1965 44-th motor-shooting division has been renamed into 270-th motor-shooting division. The Numbering of the regiments changed also. At the end of the 1960s the 270th Motor Rifle Division was relocated from the South Ural mountains to the Far East Military District, joining the 15th Army at Khabarovsk in 1969. During 19.08.67-03.03.70 was кадрированной 270 мсд (»»-61304).

On August, 19th, 1967 the division was reformed in the Far East Military District, without a formal designation or barracks location, and was linked for administration purposes to the 129th Motor Rifle Division. The Code name of the division was 61304. On March 3 1970, the 270th Motor Rifle Division was formally re-formed, based in the city of Khabarovsk. The division was a part of 15th Army (Combined Arms) of the Far East Military District.

Motor Rifle Regiment (Khabarovsk)

In August 1967, a regiment (likely to have been the 882nd Motor Rifle Regiment) of the 60th Tank Division of the Moscow Military District deployed at Gorki (nowadays – Nizhni Novgorod), was transferred to the Far East Military District as part of a motor-rifle division. [ [http://www.contract.mil.ru/56/226/1731/index.shtml Дальневосточный Военный Округ ] ] In October, 1967 the regiment arrived at Князе-Волконское and joined the 129th Motor Rifle Training Division of the FEMD. At the end of 1970 the Red Small river Красная Речка and as part of the 270 MRD переподчинена 45-му to the army case (45th Army Corps?) has been relocated in a settlement.

From November 1 1972 the regiment became part of the 15th Army (Combined Arms). Since October 1974 of shelfs has been entered into structure of forces of immediate reaction. In December, 1994 of shelfs доукомплектован up to staff(state) of a wartime. 8 – on January, 9th, 1995 the staff has decreased in the Chechen Republic for actions in structure of federal armies. On September 1 1997 the regiment was transferred from 270th Motor Rifle Division to the 81st Guards Motor-Rifle Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Division. On June 6 1999 the regiment was resubordinated from the 81st Guards Motor Rifle Division back directly under command of HQ Far East Military District.

tatus today

Today the division is based at Krasnaya Rechka, near Khabarovsk and is part of the 35th Army. It comprises the 509th Tank Regiment, and the 102nd, 478th, and 882nd Motor Rifle Regiments, as well as the 470th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment.

ources and References

*270 RD: http://www.theeasternfront.co.uk/Battles/battles2ndbattleofkharkov.htm
*270 RD: http://samsv.narod.ru/Div/Sd/sd270/default.html
*Robert Poirier and Albert Conner, Red Army Order of Battle in the Great Patriotic War, Navato, Calif., Presidio Press, c1985, pp. 365-366.