33rd Motor Rifle Division - World War Two Service

World War Two Service

In October - November 1941 in the city of Blagoveshchenk of the Amur region, on the basis of the 189th independent Rifle Regiment of the Blagoveshchensk UR, were formed the 1st and 2nd Independent Rifle Brigades of the 101st Fortified Region (2nd Red Banner Army of the Far Eastern Front. On 17 March 1942 the two brigades became the 258th and 259th Independent Rifle Brigades.

On 22 November 1944 the 342nd Rifle Division (2nd formation) of 2nd Red Banner Army of the Far-Eastern Front was formed in the environs of Blagoveshchenk (Amur region) on the basis of 258th independent Rifle Brigade and 259th independent Rifle Brigade.
The commemorative formation day of the division was set on 1 December 1944.
The following units were included in the division’s formation at the time:

• 357th Rifle Regiment;
• 377th Rifle Regiment;
• 389th Rifle Regiment;
• 39th Artillery Regiment;
• 480th Self-propelled Artillery Battalion;
• 171st Independent Anti-Tank Destroyer Artillery Battalion;
• 162nd Combat Engineer Battalion;
• 1036th Independent Signal Battalion ;
• 236th Medical and Sanitary Battalion;
• 58th Independent Reconnaissance Company;
• 571st Motor transport Company;
• 22nd Chemical Protection Company.

The 357th Rifle Regiment was formed from the 2nd and 3rd sub-machine gun battalions of the 258th independent Rifle Brigade in the village Novotroitskoe of the Blagoveshchensk region (Amur region) about 20–25 km from Blagoveshchenk, and its first regimental commander was Major I.T. Rudnik.

On 15 March 1945 according to the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the 357th Rifle Regiment was entrusted with its combat banner.

In the middle of May 1945 the 342nd Rifle Division was brought out into the dunes along the Amur where it began to create the second defence entrenchment line. The division built defensive installations for two more months, then force marched 60 kilometers, and began work on new entrenchments.

In July 1945 the 342nd Rifle Division was included in the composition of the 87th Rifle Corps of the Coastal Group of Forces (subsequently the 1st Far East Front). The division was relocated into the Ussuri Krai, and lived in camp tents near Lesozavodska.

At the start of military operations against Japan, the 87th Rifle Corps was in the reserve of the 1st Far-Eastern Front and was located in the region of the town of Lesozavodsk.