The third 159th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in May-June 1943 in the Moscow Military District based on the 49th Ski Brigade. At this time it was part of the 68th Army in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, but this Army was assigned to Western Front in July, prior to the summer offensive toward Smolensk. Once that city was liberated in late September the 159th advanced to the west along the highway to Orsha, but found itself involved in a series of largely fruitless battles against German 4th Army's forces through the autumn. After 68th Army was disbanded the attentions of the Front were largely redirected toward Vitebsk during equally dismal and grinding combat through the winter. During this period it was assigned to 5th Army's 45th Rifle Corps and it would continue under these two commands into the postwar years. When Western Front was split during the spring of 1944 5th Army became part of 3rd Belorussian Front. Vitebsk was finally taken in the early days of the summer offensive, Operation Bagration, and the 159th, as well as one of its regiments, were awarded its name as a battle honor. As the offensive expanded the division raced, with its Front, into southern Lithuania and in the process distinguished itself in the battle for Vilnius, for which it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In late July it helped to force the German defenses along the Neman River and was soon decorated with the Order of Suvorov, while two of its regiments also received distinctions. After taking part in the failed October advance into East Prussia the 159th remained along the German border until January 1945 and the decisive Vistula-Oder offensive. It broke through the defenses that had held it at bay the previous autumn, then pushed through past Königsberg, which was besieged into April. During that month the division saw action in clearing Samland, then loaded on trains as part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, moving across the USSR to take part in the invasion of Manchuria. It received the Order of Kutuzov following this operation, and remained in the far east until July 1946, when it was disbanded along with the rest of 45th Corps.
Formation The 132nd Rifle Brigade had been formed between December 1941 and March 1942 in the Ural Military District before being sent to 30th Army in Kalinin Front in April. It remained under these commands into August when it was transferred with its Army to Western Front. The following month the Army began to reorganize the unit as the 49th Ski Brigade in preparation for the expected winter offensive (Operation Mars). As with the several other ski brigades formed in the Front’s armies at this time, the 49th was intended to act as a forward detachment in the event of mobile operations. Mars failed in this and most other respects and the 49th was not committed. In December all or most of the Army’s various ski units were consolidated under its command and by the end of the year it consisted of: 6 ski battalions, each: 6 ski companies 1 light machine gun company 1 artillery battalion 1 heavy machine gun company (9 HMGs) 1 antitank rifle company 1 sapper company 1 signal company This gave it nearly three times the strength of a typical ski brigade of the time. Since the front remained relatively quiet in this sector during the rest of the winter the 49th likely remained out of the line. By April 1943 it was under command of 31st Army,Charles C. Sharp, "Red Volunteers", Soviet Militia Units, Rifle and Ski Brigades 1941 - 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. XI, Nafziger, 1996, pp. 61, 94-95 still in Western Front.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 108
The new 159th began forming on May 18 with its headquarters at Stary Rukav, Rzhevsky District, Tver Oblast, in the Moscow Military District, as part of 68th Army. It was based on the 49th Brigade as well as the second formation of the 20th Rifle Brigade.Walter S. Dunn Jr., Stalin's Keys to Victory, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2007, p. 132 Its order of battle, similar to that of the previous formations, was as follows: 491st Rifle Regiment 558th Rifle Regiment 631st Rifle Regiment 597th Artillery Regiment 136th Antitank BattalionSharp, "Red Swarm", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed From 1942 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. X, Nafziger, 1996, p. 64 498th Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (from August 9, 1945) 243rd Reconnaissance Company 185th Sapper Battalion 460th Signal Battalion (later 150th Signal Company) 207th Medical/Sanitation Battalion 139th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company 206th Motor Transport Company 445th Field Bakery 910th Divisional Veterinary Hospital 1667th Field Postal Station 1623rd Field Office of the State Bank Col. Demyan Iosifovich Bogaychuk, who had been in command of the 20th Brigade, took command of the division when it began forming. Lt. Col. Emilyan Fyodorovich Syshchuk was made deputy commander and chief of staff; he had served in the latter role in the 49th Brigade. The combined strength of the two brigades was 7,721 personnel (of 32 various nationalities), including 835 officers. The 159th arrived at the active front on July 12 and it was assigned to the 62nd Rifle Corps, along with the 153rd and 154th Rifle Divisions.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 188
Battle of Smolensk
Operation Suvorov began on August 7 with a preliminary bombardment at 0440 hours and a ground assault at 0630. The commander of Western Front, Col. Gen. V. D. Sokolovskii, committed his 5th, 10th Guards, and 33rd Armies in the initial assault, while 68th Army was in second echelon. The attack quickly encountered heavy opposition and stalled. By early afternoon, Sokolovskii became concerned about the inability of most of his units to advance and decided to commit 68th Army's 81st Rifle Corps to reinforce the push by 10th Guards Army against XII Army Corps. This was a premature and foolish decision on a number of levels, crowding an already stalled front with even more troops and vehicles.Robert Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2019, Kindle ed.
On the morning of August 8, Sokolovskii resumed his offensive at 0730 hours, but now he had three armies tangled up on the main axis of advance. After a 30-minute artillery preparation the Soviets resumed their attacks across a 10km-wide front. 81st Corps was inserted between the two engaged corps of 10th Guards, putting further pressure on the 268th Infantry Division. Reinforcements from 2nd Panzer Division were coming up from Yelnya in support. By August 11 it became clear that XII Corps was running out of infantry and so late in the day the German forces began falling back toward the YelnyaSpas-Demensk railway. By now Western Front had expended nearly all its artillery ammunition and was not able to immediately exploit the withdrawal. Sokolovskii was authorized to temporarily suspend Suvorov on August 21.Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed. Yelnya Offensive Sokolovskii was given just one week to reorganize for the next push. In the new plan the 10th Guards, 21st, 33rd and 68th Armies would make the main effort, attacking XII Corps all along its front until it shattered, then push mobile groups through the gaps to seize Yelnya. It kicked off on August 28 with a 90-minute artillery preparation across a 25km-wide front, but did not initially include 68th Army. A gap soon appeared in the German front in 33rd Army's sector, and the 5th Mechanized Corps was committed. On the second day this Corps achieved a breakthrough and Yelnya was liberated on August 30. By this time the attacking rifle divisions were reduced to 3,000 men or fewer.Forczyk, Smolensk 1943: The Red Army's Relentless Advance, Kindle ed. Note this source states Yelnya was liberated on August 20. By the beginning of September the 159th had left 62nd Corps and was under direct Army command.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 218 Advance to Smolensk The offensive was again suspended on September 7, with one week allowed for logistical replenishment. When it resumed on September 15, German 4th Army was expected to hold a 164km front with fewer than 30,000 troops. Sokolovskii prepared to make his main effort with the same four armies against IX Army Corps' positions west of Yelnya; the Corps had five decimated divisions to defend a 40km-wide front. At 0545 hours a 90-minute artillery preparation began, followed by intense bombing attacks. When the ground attack began the main effort was directed south of the YelnyaSmolensk railway, near the town of Leonovo. After making gains the attacks resumed at 0630 on September 16. 68th Army continued probing attacks against 35th and 252nd Infantry Divisions, and although the IX Corps was not broken after two days, it was ordered to withdraw to the next line of defense overnight on September 16/17. Sokolovskii intended to pursue the left wing of the Corps and approach Smolensk from the south with the 68th, 10th Guards, and most of his armor.
By September 18, the 4th Army was falling back to the Hubertus-II-Stellung with Western Front in pursuit. On paper, this line offered the potential to mount a last-minute defense of Smolensk, but only very basic fieldworks actually existed. By now IX Corps was a broken and retreating formation. In the event, the converging Soviet armies had to pause for a few days outside the city before making the final push. On the morning of September 22 the 68th Army achieved a clear breakthrough south-east of Smolensk, in the sector held by remnants of 35th Infantry. By the next morning it was clear that the Hubertus-III-Stellung could not be held. The commander of 4th Army made preparations to evacuate the city. During the afternoon of September 24 the 72nd Rifle Corps pushed back the 337th Infantry Division. Sokolovskii knew that 4th Army was not likely to fight for Smolensk and he wanted the city secured before it was completely destroyed. At 1000 hours the next day that Corps advanced into the southern part of the city and linked up with units of 5th and 31st Army. 4th Army fell back to the Dora-Stellung overnight on September 26/27. The onus of pursuit along the MinskMoscow Highway fell on the 5th and 68th Armies as more battle-weary armies were pulled out of the line to regroup.
Orsha Offensives By October 3, 68th Army had reached a front extending from the southern bank of the Dniepr south of Vizhimaki south along the Myareya River to Lyady. The 192nd and 199th Rifle Divisions of 72nd Corps, plus the 159th and the 6th Guards Cavalry Division attacked the German positions at Filaty on the Myareya. The 18th Panzer Grenadier Division was overextended and hard-pressed, and when, late on October 8, the 159th and 88th Rifle Divisions assaulted across the river it was forced westward. Pursued by forward detachments of the Army's lead divisions the panzer grenadiers took up new positions on October 11 along the Rossasenka River. The 68th prepared to resume its assaults on October 12, but due to transfers to 31st Army it was now reduced to just three divisions (192nd, 199th, 159th).Glantz, Battle for Belorussia, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2016, pp. 66-67 Second Orsha Offensive