page_title: 409th Rifle Division
section_title: Into the Balkans
hierarchical_section_title: 409th Rifle Division / Into the Balkans
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Командиры 409-й стрелковой дивизии А.А.Василян, М.И.Добровольский, Е.П.Гречаный и Г.С.Сорокин. Юбилейная марка Республики Армения.
context_page_description: The 409th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served in that role for the duration of the Great Patriotic War. It was officially considered an Armenian National division, and initially almost all its personnel were of that nationality. After forming it remained in service along the border with Turkey until nearly the end of 1942, when it was redeployed to the 44th Army in Transcaucasus Front, assisting in driving the German 17th Army into the Kuban peninsula. Following this the division was moved to the 46th Army in Southwestern Front and took part in the summer offensive through the Donbass and eastern Ukraine. In October it was moved again, now to the 57th Army in 2nd Ukrainian Front; it would remain in that Front for the duration of the war, moving to the 7th Guards Army in December. After crossing the Dniepr the 409th won a battle honor in January, 1944, then spent the spring and summer in the battles around Jassy and Kishenev in Moldova. After the defeat of Romania the division advanced into Hungary as part of the 27th Guards Rifle Corps.
context_section_description: As of October 28 the 409th was back in the 7th Guards Army as a separate rifle division. It would remain in this Army for the duration of the war. During the first attack against the German/Hungarian Budapest group of forces the Army reached the line from Kőtelek to Újszász to Albertirsa. The second attack began on November 11 and the 409th was supported by the 27th Guards Tank Brigade in its push on Újszász and Jászberény. This stepped off at 0850 hours after a 20 minute artillery barrage and by the end of the next day the 27th Guards Tank and the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps reached the latter town but were unable to take it from the march. On November 14 the division, in cooperation with the 227th and 303rd Rifle Divisions, was able to penetrate into its southern suburbs. The advance continued until November 26, gaining 60–80 km in bitter fighting through marshy, difficult terrain. In preparation of the offensive on Budapest itself the division's artillery was assigned to add its weight to the preparatory bombardment ahead of the 25th Guards Rifle Corps. The offensive began at 1045 hours on December 5 following the artillery preparation which successfully suppressed the German firing points and by the end of December 9 the 7th Guards had reached a line from Nandor to Borsosberenke to the left bank of the Danube in the Verőce area.
  Before the end of the Siege of Budapest the 7th Guards Army was advancing towards Slovakia. The 409th was now back in the 25th Guards Rifle Corps. On the night of January 6, 1945, the 677th Rifle Regiment was taking part in the battle for the village of Bela, 36 km southeast of the town of Nové Zámky. In the course of the fighting a platoon commander of the 2nd Battalion, Jr. Lt. Alexei Fedorovich Lebedev, attempted to knock out a German machine-gun bunker with grenades. When this failed he blocked the embrasure with his body, allowing his men to carry on the attack. In recognition of his sacrifice, Lebedev was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union on April 28.
caption: 1995 Armenian postage stamp of the combat path and commanders of the 409th. Credit user Mchpv.
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