The 229th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the months just before the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. As part of 20th Army it was moved from the Moscow Military District to the front west of Orsha by July 2. Serving under the Western Front the 20th was soon pocketed in the Smolensk region but the 229th was able to escape at the cost of significant losses. It was partially rebuilt before the start of the final German offensive on Moscow, when it was completely encircled and destroyed.
A new 229th formed in the Siberian Military District in December 1941 based on the 452nd Rifle Division. After several months forming up there, and later in the Moscow Military District, it was assigned to 64th Army in June. In the fighting in the great bend of the Don River in August as part of 62nd Army it was pocketed west of the river and suffered catastrophic losses in its efforts to escape. Reduced to a weak cadre, it was moved to the Moscow area for an almost complete rebuilding before being deployed to Volkhov Front where it served through most of 1943. It took part in the offensive that drove Army Group North away from Leningrad in early 1944 although it was briefly encircled again as part of 8th Army. It served through the summer in the offensives through the Baltic states before being shifted to the 1st Ukrainian Front prior to the Vistula–Oder Offensive. The division was finally awarded a battle honor for forcing the Oder River near Breslau in April 1945, but overall it compiled a relatively undistinguished record and would be disbanded in the summer of that year.
1st Formation The division began forming on March 14, 1941, at Noginsk in the Moscow Military District. When completed it had the following order of battle: 783rd Rifle Regiment 804th Rifle Regiment 811th Rifle RegimentCharles C. Sharp, "Red Legions", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed Before June 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, vol. VIII, Nafziger, 1996, p. 99 677th Light Artillery Regiment 729th Howitzer Artillery Regiment 130th Antitank Battalion 418th Antiaircraft Battalion 272nd Reconnaissance Company 397th Sapper Battalion 610th Signal Battalion 380th Medical/Sanitation Battalion 339th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company 454th Field Bakery 672nd Field Postal Station 548th Field Office of the State Bank Maj. Gen. Mikhail Ivanovich Kozlov was appointed to command on the day the division began forming. He had previously served as chief of staff in the 8th Rifle Division and the 5th Rifle Corps. This officer would officially remain in command for the duration of the 1st formation. On March 22 Lt. Col. Vladimir Vladimirovich Gil was appointed as Kozlov's chief of staff. This officer would be captured near Smolensk on July 16 and shortly after created the anti-Bolshevik "Russian National People's Party". He collaborated with the Nazis until August 1943 when he led his Druzhina Brigade into the partisan forces of the USSR. He was seriously wounded while escaping a German encirclement on May 5, 1944, and died on May 14.
While the division had more time to form up than most of those that would be created after the German invasion, several reports state that it reached the front significantly short of personnel and equipment.David M. Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Helion & Co. Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2010, Kindle ed., chs. 4, 5 Battle of Smolensk On June 22 the 229th was assigned to the 69th Rifle Corps, as part of 20th Army, in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, and on July 1 it was still under this Corps and Army,Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, pp. 10, 18 officially joining the fighting front the following day to the west of Smolensk.Sharp, "Red Legions", p. 99 At this time the Army was under the command of Lt. Gen. P. A. Kurochkin and the Corps also contained the 153rd and 233rd Rifle Divisions. 20th Army was now part of the Group of Reserve Armies which had been assigned to Western Front and it had been ordered to prepare defenses along a sector on the approaches to Orsha. The Front was now under command of Marshal S. K. Timoshenko; he quickly assigned the 5th and 7th Mechanized Corps, with a total of over 1,500 tanks, to the support of the Army. It was more or less in place on July 2 when it was struck by elements of German 4th Army.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., ch. 2
At 0030 hours on July 5, as directed by Timoshenko, General Kurochkin ordered his Army to "prepare and conduct an attack against the flank and rear of the enemy grouping operating along the Polotsk axis." 7th Mechanized was to attack toward Beshankovichy and Lyepyel at 0600 hours and 69th Corps was to be prepared to follow. This counterblow effectively came to nothing apart heavy losses in tanks. By 2000 hours on July 13 the 229th was reported as defending along a line from Griada to Luchi to Bogushevskoe after helping to throw back German infantry from the latter place. Meanwhile Timoshenko was planning a massive counteroffensive scheduled to begin that same day in which 20th Army would destroy the German forces that had crossed the Dniepr near Astroŭna. Given the actual situation, no part of Timoshenko's plan was even remotely feasible. The next day the Marshal modified his directions to the Army; it was now to liquidate the penetrations in the Orsha and Shklow areas by the end of July 16 but this was no more realistic.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., chs. 2, 3
In heavy fighting on July 15 the 17th Panzer Division captured Orsha and, together with much of the rest of 2nd Panzer Group, drove the bulk of 20th and 19th Armies, including the 229th and up to 19 other divisions of various types, into an elongated pocket along and north of the Dniepr west of Smolensk. During the prolonged struggle for the pocket the 20th and 19th Armies frequently shifted their forces to counter the German's blows. Specifically 69th Corps defended the western and northwestern flanks from the BarysawSmolensk road northward to the Rudnya region. In a report made late on July 23 the 229th was said to be repelling attacks along a line 30km west-northwest of Smolensk. While the German forces were far too overstretched to quickly eliminate the pocket, Kurochkin reported on the state of his forces on July 27:The report further stated the Army's signal units had only 25-30 percent of their communications equipment and transport. At this time the 229th was concentrating in the Ryasino, Pechersk and Korokhotkino region, north of Smolensk.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., chs. 3, 4, 5 A more detailed report on the division from August 2 stated that the 783rd and 804th Rifle Regiments had a combined strength of 285 men armed with 13 LMGs, four HMGs, and one 45mm gun.Sharp, "Red Legions", p. 99
As of August 1 the division had left 69th Corps and was serving under direct Army command.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 31 The headquarters of Western Front was now proposing that 57th Tanks, 5th Mechanized Corps and the 229th attack toward Yartsevo in order to assist Group Rokossovsky in reestablishing supply lines to 16th and 20th Armies, despite the division being reduced to the size of a reinforced battalion. At this time the pocket was located northeast and east of Smolensk and had shrunken in size to 20km east to west and 28km north to south and contained fewer than 100,000 men who were running out of food, fuel and ammunition. Late on August 2 the 5th Mechanized, backed by the remnants of the 229th and 233rd Divisions, were ordered to cross to the south bank of the Dniepr beginning at dawn the next day and take up new defenses from the mouth of the Vop River to the mouth of the Ustrom. Group Rokossovsky had made some limited progress and the two pocketed Armies began their eastward withdrawal in earnest overnight on August 2/3, engaging company-size strongpoints manned by troops of the 20th Motorized Division. There was a roughly 10 km-wide gap between this division and 17th Panzer centered near Ratchino. The 229th was closest to Ratchino of 20th Army's forces and got over the Dniepr there on August 4, running a gauntlet through the corridor, often under artillery fire and air attacks, and fording the river in places where it was less than 60cm deep. As of August 5 the division's remaining forces were assembling in Terenino.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., chs. 5, 7
Dukhovshchina Offensives 20th Army came under command of Lt. Gen. M. F. Lukin on August 6. At 0120 hours the next morning he reported that the 229th, while resting and refitting, was also preparing to operate toward Chelnovaya.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., ch. 7 A further report on August 15 stated that the entire division consisted of 398 officers, 427 NCOs, and 2,143 men with 1,848 rifles, no submachine guns, 10 HMGs, 32 LMGs, one AAMG, no antitank guns, three 76mm cannon, six 122mm howitzers and no mortars of any calibre.Sharp, "Red Legions", p. 99 From August 9-15 the main forces of the Army were engaged in an offensive to tie down German forces on the west bank of the Dniepr but the division remained in reserve. On the night of August 17/18 it took over a sector near Golovino from the 153rd Division and was ordered to recross the Dniepr with roughly half its forces while retaining the other half on the east bank. It was successful in establishing a bridgehead and was ordered to prepare an attack toward Morevo State Farm by the end of August 18. Marshal Timoshenko was aiming to cut German communications between Dukhovshchina and Yelnya with 20th Army in support of 19th Army. Without the strength to do more the 229th was reported as "fortifying its positions" on August 18-19.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., ch. 9
The division was ordered back to the offensive beginning at 0900 hours on August 22 by striking toward Pashkovo and Babeeva in cooperation with three other divisions. This attack was directed against the 263rd Infantry Division and required a march to a new concentration area by the 229th and 153rd. The 229th attacked near Suborovka on August 23 and gained ground while also capturing 23 prisoners. However, on the same day German 9th Army renewed is general offensive and the minor gains made by Timoshenko would soon be erased. As soon as the next day the division was meeting increasing resistance and was soon forced over to the defense.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., ch. 10 This was approved by Western Front on August 25 although the offensive was directed to be renewed on the 30th.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 2, Helion & Co. Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2012, p. 133 Battles for Hill 249.9