The 151st Rifle Division was originally formed as an infantry division of the Red Army on September 9, 1939, in the Kharkov Military District, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 1939. At the outbreak of the war, it was still in this district, attempting to build up to wartime strength as part of the 67th Rifle Corps. It was immediately ordered to move west and concentrate with its Corps in the Gomel region and by July 2 it was assigned to 21st Army in Western Front, although it was briefly detached to 13th Army. On July 23 it joined Central Front with the 21st Army, after which it became encircled near Gomel and forced to break out at a heavy cost in casualties and equipment. The remnants were moved east to join Bryansk Front, but by mid-September it was clear that local resources were not available to rebuild it, and the division was disbanded to provide replacements for other units in the Front.
A new 151st was formed just over a month later in Azerbaijan as part of the Transcaucasian Military District, based on a reserve rifle regiment. After spending the first seven months of 1942 forming up and then guarding the Turkish border as part of 45th Army, it was ordered north as German forces pressed east in their summer offensive. By mid-August it was in the 9th Army of the Transcaucasus Front, defending along the Terek River against elements of the 1st Panzer Army. In September it was transferred to 37th Army in the same Front and was holding along the same line in late October when 1st Panzer launched its last desperate effort to reach Ordzhonikidze. One regiment was effectively overrun, and the 151st had to be withdrawn into Front reserves for rebuilding. It returned to the front lines in early December, being assigned to 44th Army in North Caucasus Front during January 1943 as it took part in the pursuit of 1st Panzer toward Rostov-on-Don; in early February the division was transferred with its Army to Southern Front. After Rostov was recaptured that month, the division advanced to the Mius River line where it remained into August. After an initial attempt to break this line failed in July, a renewed offensive in August finally succeeded, and the front began an advance toward the lower Dnieper and Crimea, during which the 151st was transferred to the 2nd Guards Army. After a series of moves to the northwest, including a period in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, it ended up in 38th Army of 1st Ukrainian Front and took part in the March 1944 offensive to the west, during which it won a battle honor. During the Lvov-Sandomierz offensive in July–August it was part of 1st Guards Army, which played a secondary role, after which it was moved, with this Army, back to 4th Ukrainian (formerly Southern) Front. This Front was tasked with breaking through the Carpathian Mountains toward Hungary, and the 151st was serving with 18th Army when it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its part in taking Uzhhorod. As it advanced south into Hungary, it was transferred to the 7th Guards Army of 2nd Ukrainian Front. It was under these commands as it advanced on Budapest and helped to establish the siege of the city, but during the German efforts to relieve the garrison it was moved again, now to 4th Guards Army in 3rd Ukrainian Front; it would remain in this Front for the duration. When Budapest was taken on February 13, 1945, the 151st was awarded its name as a second battle honor. Prior to the last German offensive in Hungary in March, it was transferred to 26th Army and, once this was defeated, joined the general advance into Austria, where it ended the war. It would be disbanded in July.
1st Formation The 151st began forming on September 9, 1939, at Kirovograd in the Kharkov Military District, based on a cadre from the 41st Rifle Division. On October 12 it joined the 7th Rifle Corps in the just-formed Odessa Military District. In May 1940 it returned to command of the Kharkov District. As of April 5, 1941, in common with the other divisions of the District, it was at staffing level No. 4/120, with an official strength of 5,864 personnel. In May large drafts of newly mobilized men began arriving to bring the division closer to full strength, but at the outbreak of the war it had only increased to about 9,000. It was located at Lubny, assigned to 67th Rifle Corps, which was a separate corps of the Supreme Command Reserve and also contained the 102nd and 132nd Rifle Divisions.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 11 At this time its order of battle was as follows: 553rd Rifle Regiment 581st Rifle Regiment 626th Rifle Regiment 353rd Artillery RegimentCharles C. Sharp, "Red Legions", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed Before June 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. VIII, Nafziger, 1996, p. 75 464th Howitzer Artillery Regiment 262nd Antitank Battalion 366th Antiaircraft Battalion 145th Reconnaissance Battalion 197th Sapper Battalion 218th Signal Battalion 228th Medical/Sanitation Battalion 32nd Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Platoon 10th Motor Transport Battalion 140th Field Bakery 251st Field Postal Station 336th Field Office of the State Bank Kombrig Vasilii Ivanovich Neretin had been appointed to command on September 15, 1939, and would lead the division throughout its first formation. His rank would be modernized to major general on June 5, 1940. In October 1940 Col. Sergei Fyodorovich Skliarov became deputy commander; this officer had previously led the 139th Rifle Division. From December 9, the division's political section would be led by Commissar Arsenii Ivanovich Karamyshev, and in the same month Col. Georgii Gregorovich Voronin took the position of chief of staff. At 1800 hours on June 22, this headquarters staff received orders from the 67th Corps commander, Kombrig F. F. Zhmachenko, to begin loading for transport to the front. On July 1 it was concentrating with the rest of its Corps north of Gomel,Sharp, "Red Legions", p. 75 coming under command of 21st Army in the Group of Reserve Armies.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 18 It became officially active the next day as part of Western Front.
Battles in Belarus By July 7 the 151st and 132nd Divisions had taken up a line from Rechytsa to Gomel to Dobrush to Loyew. At this time 21st Army was under command of Lt. Gen. V. F. Gerasimenko and Western Front, as well as Western Direction, was in the hands of Marshal S. K. Timoshenko. At some time after July 10 the 151st was reassigned to 13th Army, which was penetrated to a depth of 20 km on July 12 by 2nd Panzer Group. On July 14 Timoshenko, after sending a long and accurate assessment of the state of his command to the STAVKA, also issued orders for extensive counterattacks which were beyond the capability of his largely depleted forces. 13th Army was to:Before this could be carried out, the 151st returned to 67th Corps in 21st Army, which was now led by Col. Gen. F. I. Kuznetsov. At 0241 hours on July 13, this officer had ordered his Army to launch an attack to retake Babruysk and Parychy while also destroying the spearhead of 2nd Panzer. 67th Corps (now with 102nd, 151st and 187th Rifle Divisions) was to cover the Army's left wing on a line from Novy Bykhaw to Zimnitsa against attack from the north, then attack toward Shapchitsy, Komarichi, and Bykhaw to "cut the enemy tanks off from their infantry."David M. Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2010, Kindle ed., ch. 3
When the attack went in the Corps was reinforced with 300 tanks of the newly arrived 25th Mechanized Corps, but despite this its attacks south of Bykhaw were largely futile. 66th Rifle Corps, after crossing the Dniepr, made considerably more progress toward Babruysk against the XII Army Corps of German 2nd Army, striking as deep as 80 km. 21st Army's counterattacks were threatening enough that Army Group Center was compelled to commit its XXXXIII Army Corps from reserve, diverting it from the fighting around Smolensk.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., ch. 3
At 2000 hours on July 16 Timoshenko reported on the general situation facing Western Front. He stated that 21st Army was continuing to attack toward Babruysk against small groups of withdrawing German tanks. The 151st and 102nd had forced a crossing of the Dniepr and reached the railroad from Rahachow to Bykhaw Station, but otherwise the position of 67th Corps was unknown. A concentration of German infantry was reported in the Falevichy area with infantry columns moving along the road from Babruysk to Rahachow. A further report at 2000 hours on July 18 stated that the Corps was protecting the Army's right (north) flank, and as of 0800 hours on July 21 the Corps was stated as defending its previous positions west of Propoisk, but that a regiment of German infantry had attacked at the boundary of the 151st and 187th and captured the northeast outskirts of Obidovichy before being halted by the 50th Tank Division. At 1730 hours on July 22 Kuznetsov was again ordered to defeat the German Babruysk-Bykhaw grouping, which by now had been significantly reinforced. 67th Corps was to continue to defend the line from Prudok to Dobryi Dub to Dubrovskii before regrouping to attack northward and help destroy the Bykhaw grouping, another unrealistic objective.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., ch. 6. This source misnumbers the 151st as the 15th Rifle Division in the July 18 report.
On July 23 a new Central Front was formed out of 3rd, 13th, and 21st Armies plus 25th Mechanized. The Front was under command of General Kuznetsov and 21st Army was now led by Lt. Gen. M. G. Yefremov. 67th Corps now consisted of the 102nd, 151st, and 155th Rifle Divisions.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., ch. 4 To this point the division had fared fairly well in regard to equipment losses. Colonel Voronin reported on this date that it still had almost 100 percent of its artillery, with 12 120mm mortars, 18 76mm regimental guns, 16 76mm cannon, 32 122mm howitzers, and eight 152mm howitzers, therefore short only four of the latter. The fighting that day was summarized at 2000 hours, with the 151st reported as defending 29–36 km southwest of Propoisk while also retaking the southwest outskirts of Lazarovichy and Koromka in cooperation with the 102nd. At this time the division was facing the 1st Cavalry Division. By now all three army corps of 2nd Army had arrived in the BabruyskRahachowPropoisk area and the forces of 21st Army west of the Dniepr were threatened with complete destruction.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., ch. 6
Defense of Gomel Through this entire period the 21st Army had its headquarters at Gomel. By the end of the first week of August the 2nd Panzer Group was placed to push southward across the Sozh River as part of a combined operation with 2nd Army into the Gomel and Rahachow regions. This was in response to Hitler's Directive No. 34 of July 30; anticipating this, Stalin had made command changes on August 7, sending Kuznetsov to the Crimea, putting Yefremov in command of Central Front, and making his former chief of staff, Lt. Gen. V. M. Gordov, the new commander of 21st Army. The German thrust began just after dawn on August 8 when the 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions of XXIV Motorized Corps crossed the Sozh between Roslavl and Krychaw, accompanied by VII Army Corps on its left flank and 10th Motorized Division in the rear. This attack easily broke the thin defense on the right wing and center of 13th Army, leading to several days of heavy fighting in which the 13th was largely destroyed.Glantz, Barbarossa Derailed, Vol. 1, Kindle ed., ch. 8