page_title: 9th Guards Rifle Division
section_title: Battle of Velikiye Luki
hierarchical_section_title: 9th Guards Rifle Division / Battle of Velikiye Luki
context_page_description: The 9th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in November, 1941, based on the 1st formation of the 78th Rifle Division and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was first assigned to the 16th Army just before the start of the winter counteroffensive west of Moscow before being very briefly reassigned to the 33rd Army and then to the 43rd Army during the fighting around Rzhev. In May, 1942 it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its services, one of the first rifle divisions to be so recognized. After partially rebuilding it was railed south to Southwestern Front to help meet the German summer offensive. It gave very creditable service in the 38th Army as an infantry division facing armored divisions but suffered significant losses before it was returned to the Moscow Military District in September. In November it was assigned to Kalinin Front and played an important role in the liberation of Velikiye Luki during the winter, primarily in helping to block several attempts to relieve the besieged city.
context_section_description: Gehlen had been correct about the transfer. By October 1 the division was still rebuilding in the Moscow Military District. On October 13 Kalinin Front received orders that several formations would be transferred to its command in the buildup to the forthcoming Operation Mars. Among these was the 5th Guards Rifle Corps to reinforce 43rd Army. The 9th Guards was directed to begin loading onto trains at Ryazan on October 13; and it had arrived in that Army by November 1. Just as it was arriving at Toropets General Beloborodov was given command of 5th Guards Corps and was replaced in command of the division by Maj. Gen. Ignatii Vasilevich Prostyakov. As plans for the winter offensive changed the 5th Guards Corps was soon sent to reinforce 3rd Shock Army, which launched an offensive to retake Velikiye Luki and Novosokolniki on November 25.
  The Corps was to take the leading role in the offensive. After forcing a crossing of the Lovat River and bypassing Velikiye Luki to the southwest, its objective was to cut the rail lines from Velikiye Luki to Nevel and Velikiye Luki to Novosokolniki, and to link up with other forces of 3rd Shock advancing from the northeast to encircle the city. The 357th Rifle Division was to then storm the city from the west while the 9th Guards continued the advance on Novosokolniki. 46th Guards Rifle Division, on the left flank, was to cover the other two divisions against counterattacks from the southwest. On the eve of the offensive, forward detachments of all three divisions crossed the Lovat, suppressed the German advanced positions along the west bank, and then advanced to their main line along the Nevel railway; this reconnaissance-in-force both revealed much of the enemy fire plan and put artillery observers in position to direct fire against it in the opening preparation. As reinforcement, the 9th Guards was assigned the 36th Tank Regiment and the Corps' artillery regiment, the 41st Guards, consisting of 122mm guns and 152mm howitzers. Altogether, with its own assets and the divisional and regimental artillery, the Corps had about 45 barrels per kilometre on the breakthrough front. The Lovat is not wide (25 to 60 metres) but has a fast current, steep banks, and few good approaches.
  The night of November 24 was foggy, which hindered German illumination flares as the Soviet forward detachments crossed the river and entered no-mans-land and the German advanced posts fell back to their main position. By 0800 hours on November 25 the Corps had seized a bridgehead of about 14 square kilometres, and the 18th Guards Regiment captured the villages of Pokorevo, Andreikino and Makarovo. However, the supporting tanks had fallen behind during the night approach. The fog lifted after 1000 hrs., allowing the 30-minute artillery preparation to begin. The infantry attack began at 1100 hrs., but developed slowly because the enemy fire system could not be fully suppressed. As the 357th Division attacked Peschanka it came under flanking fire from height 158.1, as did the 18th Guards advancing on Bogoroditskoye. The fighting for this village, dominated by a fortified schoolhouse, went on into the evening when three tanks finally arrived. This support and the direct fire of antitank guns helped clear the place by 2000 hours, after which the regiment advanced to the Velikiye Luki - Nevel railway. The 1st Battalion of the 22nd Guards Regiment seized height 158.1 and held it in the face of heavy German counterattacks. Meanwhile, the 508th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 46th Guards found a gap in the main German line, and over the next day exploited into the depth of their defense, with the 18th Guards Regiment ordered to support this advance early on November 26.
  On the same day the rest of the 9th Guards was pushing towards Ostryan station, 10km west of Velikiye Luki, to link up with the 381st Rifle Division advancing from the north to complete the outer ring of encirclement. The division's push faced several German counterattacks, including one by two companies of infantry supported by seven tanks which broke into the 
caption: German relief attempts. (Notice that the order of battle given on this 1952 map is not accurate.)
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