The 85th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in April 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 118th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Late during the conflict it became known as one of the "Latvian Guards" rifle divisions due to its role in the liberation of that state.
It was redesignated after the Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive of March during which the German 9th Army finally evacuated the Rzhev salient. While it formed in 31st Army the division was soon assigned to the 15th Guards Rifle Corps of 30th Army, which itself was redesignated as 10th Guards Army in May. The division would serve under these headquarters for the duration of the war. It re-entered the fighting in August during the offensive for the liberation of Smolensk and once this was accomplished it took part in the grinding offensives toward Orsha through the autumn and into the winter. Prior to the summer offensives of 1944 the entire Army was moved northward, becoming part of the 2nd Baltic Front. After breaking through the German defenses along the Velikaya River in July the 85th Guards entered Latvia and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its role in the liberation of Rēzekne. As the Baltic offensive continued the division made slow progress through swampy terrain that German commanders considered impassable, gradually drawing closer to the Latvian capital, and winning its name as an honorific on October 13. During the remainder of the war it was part of the Kurland Group of Forces, containing and wearing down the former Army Group North in the Courland pocket. Despite an admirable record the 85th Guards was gradually disbanded from mid-1945 to mid-1946.
Formation The 85th Guards was redesignated on April 10, 1943 in recognition of the 118th Rifle Division's successes in the First Rzhev–Sychyovka Offensive Operation as well as its role in the liberation of Rzhev on March 2. It officially received its Guards banner on May 10. At that time its order of battle became as follows: 249th Guards Rifle Regiment (from 398th Rifle Regiment) 251st Guards Rifle Regiment (from 463rd Rifle Regiment) 253rd Guards Rifle Regiment (from 527th Rifle Regiment)Charles C. Sharp, "Red Guards", Soviet Guards Rifle and Airborne Units 1941 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, vol. IV, Nafziger, 1995, p. 79 188th Guards Artillery Regiment (from 604th Artillery Regiment) 90th Guards Antitank Battalion 86th Guards Reconnaissance Company 95th Guards Sapper Battalion 113th Guards Signal Battalion 89th Guards Medical/Sanitation Battalion 84th Guards Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company 88th Guards Motor Transport Company 87th Guards Field Bakery 81st Guards Divisional Veterinary Hospital 134th (later 1710th) Field Postal Station 1049th Field Office of the State Bank It also briefly contained the 94th Guards Antiaircraft Battery from its redesignation until April 20. The division continued under the command of Col. Andrei Yakovlevich Vedenin, who had commanded the 2nd formation of the 118th through most of its existence. When it was redesignated it was under command of the 31st Army of Western Front, as was the 30th Guards Rifle Division. By the beginning of May both divisions were moved to 30th Army, also in Western Front, where they formed the 15th Guards Rifle Corps. Later that month the 30th Army was redesignated as the 10th Guards Army.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, pp. 84, 108, 133 During this period of reorganization the division was located in the area of Borodino and Golochevo, just west of Moscow.Sharp, "Red Guards", p. 79
Into Western Russia On August 1 Colonel Vedenin left the 85th Guards to take command of the 71st Rifle Corps; he would be promoted to the rank of major general on September 1. He moved to command of the 3rd Mountain Rifle Corps in 1944. After several postwar assignments he was promoted to lieutenant general in July 1953 and soon was made the Commandant of the Moscow Kremlin, a post he held until July 1967. Col. Basan Badminovich Gorodovikov took over from Vedenin on August 2; he had previously commanded the 251st Rifle Division and would be promoted to major general on October 16.
The 10th Guards Army, still in Western Front, did not see much action until the start of Operation Suvorov, the summer offensive towards Smolensk. This offensive would be conducted primarily against the German 4th Army. On August 6 the 5th, 33rd and 10th Guards armies began a reconnaissance-in-force. As a first echelon division the 85th Guards committed a battalion, reinforced with a few tanks and backed by artillery, to advance into the German security zone, which was 2-3km deep and held by platoon-sized outposts. German resistance proved stiff and gave up little ground; much of the German fire plan was uncovered but at the cost of any remaining tactical surprise. The main attack began the next morning at 0440 hours with an artillery preparation lasting just under two hours. 10th Guards and 33rd armies made the main effort between Yelnya and Spas-Demensk. 10th Guards was on the right, closer to Yelnya, with the 15th and 19th Guards Rifle Corps on a 10km-wide sector between Mazovo and Sluzna. The 5th Mechanized Corps was behind the Army, ready to exploit the expected breakthrough. The German defense rested on the positions that had been built at the base of the Rzhev salient, and were occupied by the XII Army Corps.Robert Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2019, Kindle ed. Operation Suvorov The infantry assault began at 0630 hours. The 19th Guards Corps encountered heavy resistance, particularly from German divisional artillery, and was soon stopped cold. 15th Guards Corps, on the other hand, went into the attack some time later and began slowly pushing back the 499th Regiment of the 268th Infantry Division; the 85th Guards was noted as having made progress near the village of Shemeni. By the early afternoon the Front commander, Col. Gen. V. D. Sokolovskii, was becoming concerned about the inability of most of his units to advance. He therefore committed part of his reserve 68th Army to reinforce 10th Guards Army. While this was a questionable decision on some levels, it did lead to a battalion of the 499th Regiment being overrun near Kamenka. Overall the German position on this first day remained tenable because the offensive was a series of localized attacks rather an all-out effort to overwhelm 4th Army. The operation resumed at 0730 hours on August 8 after a 30-minute artillery preparation, but 19th Guards Corps continued to be held up by what amounted to a battalion. Over the next three days the reinforced 10th Guards tried repeatedly to smash through the lines of XII Corps, particularly at Hill 233.3, as Army Group Center kept feeding in reinforcements from 9th Army to plug the weak spots. Finally, with the help of 33rd Army, the German position was overcome and their forces began towards the Yelnya - Spas-Demensk railway late on August 11. However, by now Western Front had expended almost all of its artillery ammunition.Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed.
By the end of the next day lead elements of 10th Guards Army were approaching Pavlinovo and some had already reached the rail line. XII Corps was on the verge of collapse, but the Front's mobile reserve had already been committed elsewhere. Spas-Demensk was evacuated overnight. Suvorov continued to go forward at a crawl due to deteriorating weather and supply shortages until it was suspended on August 21. In this first phase of the offensive the Army had suffered 30 percent casualties. Sokolovskii had been ordered to renew the drive by August 28 and it began at 0800 hours with a 90-minute artillery preparation across a 25km-wide front southeast of Yelnya on the sectors of 10th Guards, 33rd and 21st Armies. 10th Guards and 21st Army attacked towards Terenino station against Battle Group Vincenz which contested the advance for about eight hours before it was shattered and began falling back to the Ugra River. Overall, Western Front advanced 6-8km during the day. On the 29th the 10th Guards mopped up the German remnants that had not made it over the Ugra before boldly pushing up the rail line towards Yelnya. On August 30 the Army continued to make good progress, pushing back the 342nd Infantry Division with the 29th Guards Division and 119th Tank Regiment in the lead. By 1700 hours Soviet infantry and tanks were attacking into the town and within two hours Yelnya was liberated. From here it was only 75km to Smolensk.Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed. Note this source states in error at one point that Yelnya was cleared on August 20.
However, despite the German 4th Army being in dire straits, Sokolovskii's forces were again nearly out of fuel and ammunition; in addition nine of his rifle divisions were reduced to 3,000 men or less. On September 7 the STAVKA agreed to another suspension of the offensive. It recommenced at 0545 hours on September 15 with another 90-minute artillery attack against the positions of the IX Army Corps west of Yelnya; the Corps was assigned to hold a 40km-wide front with five decimated divisions. At 1030 hours the 10th Guards Army struck the left flank of 330th Infantry Division with a mass of infantry and tanks, pushing back two battalions. Through the day several small penetrations were made but at most only 3km were gained despite the right flank of IX Corps being mauled. The assault resumed the next day at 0630 hours. 15th Guards Corps attacked the northern flank of 342nd Infantry just north of the Yelnya - Smolensk rail line but failed to make any substantive gains. Nevertheless, at 1600 hours on September 16 the 4th Army commander, Col. Gen. G. Heinrici, ordered IX Corps to withdraw to the next defensive line. After detecting the withdrawal, Sokolovskii issued orders for 10th Guards and 68th armies and most of his armor to pursue the left wing of IX Corps and approach Smolensk from the south. The next day Heinrici ordered that the city be prepared for destruction. While the Soviet troops were inspired by the prospect of a major victory at hand they were also nearing exhaustion and again low on supplies; Sokolovskii was forced to call a pause for a few days. The advance resumed on September 22 and Smolensk was liberated three days later. 10th Guards Army played no role in this, having bypassed the city to the south, but was soon pulled out of the line to regroup. 4th Army reached the Panther Line on September 29 and ended its retreat on October 2.Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed.
Orsha Offensives