The 113th Rifle Division was first formed as an infantry division of the Red Army on September 8, 1939, in the Oryol Military District, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of that month. After playing a very minor role in the Soviet invasion of Poland under 4th Army it was stationed near Minsk for several months as it went through a series of partial demobilizations and remobilizations. It was finally mobilized for movement to the Finnish border in mid-December and went into combat as part of 7th Army in February 1940. Its initial attacks against a section of the Mannerheim Line were costly failures, but once the line was broken on another sector it was able to advance toward Viipuri, and in the last days of the war it cleared territory in the Vyborg Bay area. Later in 1940 it was moved to western Belarus (former Polish territory) and was deployed as part of 10th Army toward the frontier on the southern flank of the Białystok salient just before the German invasion. In this very vulnerable position, without time to develop its defenses, it was quickly overrun and destroyed, and finally written off on September 19.
The 5th Moscow People's Militia Division began forming on July 2, and by July 9 was marching to a training ground to the southwest of Moscow. On July 16 it was assigned to 33rd Army of Reserve Front, despite being under strength and largely unequipped. As its training and equipment status improved it was redesignated as the new 113th on September 26, just prior to the start of the final German offensive against Moscow. It was in the process of transferring to 43rd Army of the same Front when the attack began, and was soon pocketed. It emerged from this minus its commander, who was captured, and took up positions covering Borovsk, which fell later during the German advance. Returning to 33rd Army it took part in the Soviet counteroffensive in January 1942, liberating Borovsk and Vereya before advancing toward Vyazma. This narrow thrust was soon encircled and the division fought for several months cut off from the main front until its remnants escaped in small groups in April, losing another commander in the process. After rebuilding it took part in the summer offensive against the Rzhev salient east of Vyazma, with little success. It left 33rd Army in February 1943, initially to be sent north for an offensive to break the siege of Leningrad, but then redirected south in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command to join 57th Army of Southwestern Front. Under this command it took part in Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev in early August. After retaking Kharkiv as part of Steppe Front it advanced through eastern Ukraine to the Dniepr River, helping to gain one of several lodgements in the Kremenchuk area. It was briefly in 7th Guards Army as the now-2nd Ukrainian Front attempted to expand its holdings on the west bank, but soon returned to 57th Army. Through the winter it took part in fighting in the Dniepr bend before pushing west as part of 3rd Ukrainian Front toward the Southern Buh River where seven of its men became Heroes of the Soviet Union in a crossing operation in late March 1944. In April the 113th reached the Dniestr River and made a crossing but over the following weeks was stymied in its efforts to break out of its bridgehead. In the renewed offensive in August it succeeded in breaking through the Axis defense of the lower Dniestr and received a battle honor. Following this success the division advanced through southern Romania and northern Bulgaria to the border of Yugoslavia and took part in the battle for Belgrade in October, for which it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In November 57th Army regrouped to make another crossing of the Danube, first into Croatia and then Hungary as 3rd Ukrainian Front strove to complete the encirclement of Budapest. During January 1945 the 113th helped to defeat the final German effort to relieve the city, and the subsequent last-ditch panzer offensive near Lake Balaton in March, before advancing with its Army into Austria. It was disbanded in July.
1st Formation The original 113th was formed at Rylsk in the Oryol Military District on September 8, 1939, on the basis of the 164th Rifle Regiment of the 55th Rifle Division. Maj. Aleksandr Nikolaevich Nechaev, commander of the 164th, was appointed to command of the division and was soon promoted to the rank of colonel. The division was barely assembled when it was loaded on to trains and moved west to the vicinity of Minsk for possible deployment in the invasion of Poland, which began on September 17. After offloading, its personnel and equipment began a road march toward Baranavichy. The division was incorporated into the 10th Rifle Corps of 4th Army on October 5 and crossed the Polish border at two points. The Polish government surrendered the next day, and by October 8 the 113th had concentrated back at Baranavichy. It soon established permanent quarters at Pukhavichy, near Minsk.https://proza.ru/2020/08/25/780. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
Winter War Through October and November the 113th went through a confusing series of partial demobilizations and remobilizations which largely disrupted any coherence as a fighting unit. On November 30 the USSR invaded Finland, and on December 12 Nechaev was alerted to bring his division to full combat readiness and prepare for redeployment, although he was not informed of the destination. The first trains left from Pukhavichy on December 16 for Orsha, but the loading was not completed until December 30. The division crossed the frontier at Mainila on the Karelian Isthmus on January 5, 1940, assigned to 28th Rifle Corps, and then went into a period of intensive training under command of 7th Army. Upon arriving near the front line on January 30 elements of the 113th relieved the 768th Rifle Regiment of the 138th Rifle Division.
The division's objective was to break through the Karhula fortified area of the Mannerheim Line by taking Hill 38.2 from up to two companies of the Finnish 11th Infantry Regiment. The attack would be led by the 513th Rifle Regiment against the northeast and east slopes and the 725th Regiment against the west slopes; the 679th Regiment would move one battalion to a point 1.5km northwest of Siprola. These moves were made without any prior reconnaissance. Following a 40-minute artillery preparation the attack began at 1040 hours on February 5 and was met with intense machine gun, mortar, and artillery fire from the hill. Only minor penetrations were made in a full day of fighting, at the cost of considerable losses, and Nechaev ordered a withdrawal to the start line. As a result he was relieved of his command, being replaced by a Colonel Kuznetsov as acting commander. On July 15, 1941, Nechaev would take command of the 283rd Rifle Division and would serve with distinction through the war with Germany, being promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in September 1943 and commanding both the 28th and 106th Rifle Corps.
A further attack by the 679th and 513th Regiments on February 7 also failed. The next day a further effort followed a two-hour artillery preparation, focused on a hill called "Pear" and Hill 38.2, but although the advanced obstacles were reached and crossed, Finnish fire again forced the riflemen back to their start line with considerable casualties. On February 9 the 3rd Battalion of the 513th managed to take the hill called "Grusha", but was immediately counterattacked and nearly encircled. The headquarters of Northwestern Front ordered an offensive across the entire Karelian front for February 11, and the same day Col. Kristofor Nikolaevich Alaverdov was appointed to command of the division.https://proza.ru/2020/08/25/780. Retrieved June 13, 2026. This cavalry officer had most recently served as an instructor at the Frunze Military Academy. He would remain in command for the rest of the existence of the 1st formation, being promoted to the rank of Kombrig on March 21, which would be modernized to major general on June 4.
For this attack the division was reinforced with artillery and tanks of the 1st Tank Division, but again failed to take Hill 38.2, although minor gains were made elsewhere. The goal for the next day was to use these gains as a base to reach the crossroads 500m from the village of Yläkylä in order to bypass the strongpoint at Karakhul and take Hill 38.2 from a new direction. This was stopped at or just beyond the barbed wire, again at high cost. The 725th Regiment again made minor gains near the Yazyk Grove, but failed to support the 650th Rifle Regiment of the 138th Division on its right. Between February 9-12 the division lost 341 men killed, including 12 junior officers, plus 466 wounded (93 junior officers), while one 76mm gun, one 45mm antitank gun, and 20 heavy machine guns, were disabled. Advance to Vyborg Bay Late on February 13 the 123rd Rifle Division completed its breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line near Lähde, and while the 113th prepared on February 15 for a further attack on Hill 38.2 Mannerheim authorized the general Finnish retirement to the Intermediate Line at 1600 hours. During February 17 resistance in front of the division gradually melted away. By February 20 it was advancing on Viipuri behind the left flank of the 138th, encountering notable resistance near Porlampi and Hannukkalan-saari. The commander of the 513th Regiment, Maj. Timofei Stepanovich Ozerov, was killed in action in the battle for the railway station at Sommee. This place was protected by the remains of an old fortified line, part of the Intermediate Line, and the fighting continued until February 23 when the station was captured. The division remained along this line until February 27 when it was tasked with the taking of Nuora and the Lihaniemi Peninsula. This was largely successful until March 2 when a fort on the eastern end of Turkin-Sari Island was unexpectedly encountered. Machine gun fire from this position caused serious casualties among the riflemen crossing the ice of Vyborg Bay. This fighting continued until the morning of March 9, when Finnish troops began withdrawing in small groups across the bay. In the final days before the ceasefire on March 12 the division continued clearing the peninsula and several islands offshore.
Operation Barbarossa Following the Winter War the 113th returned to Belarus and was stationed at Slutsk. In May 1941, along with four other divisions of the Western Special Military District, it left the District reserves to move closer to the new frontier with Germany.Charles C. Sharp, "Red Legions", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed Before June 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. VIII, Nafziger, 1996, p. 57 As of June 22 it was stationed at the town of Siemiatycze and nearby villages under command of 10th Army's 5th Rifle Corps (with 13th and 86th Rifle Divisions).Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 8 Its order of battle was as follows: 513th Rifle Regiment 679th Rifle Regiment 725th Rifle Regiment 451st Artillery RegimentSharp, "Red Legions", p. 57 416th Howitzer Artillery Regiment 239th Antitank Battalion 49th Antiaircraft Battalion 149th Reconnaissance Battalion 204th Sapper Battalion 228th Signal Battalion 201st Medical/Sanitation Battalion 150th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Platoon 113th Motor Transport Battalion 139th Field Bakery 195th Divisional Repair Depot 350th Artillery Repair Park 83rd Field Postal Station 406th Field Office of the State Bank