109th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

The 109th Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division that served for six months in 1942 in the defense of the fortress of Sevastopol. After being destroyed there in July, a second division was formed near Leningrad in August, and it successfully held its positions for nearly a year and a half, in spite of shortages of food and supplies due to the German/Finnish siege. The 109th then participated in the offensive that drove the Germans away from the city in early 1944, helped drive the Finns out of the war, and then joined the offensive along the Baltic coast towards Germany.

1st Formation
The division was first created by the re-designation of the third formation of the 2nd Rifle Division in January, 1942 at Sevastopol. It consisted of:
 * 381st Rifle Regiment - re-designated from the 1330th Rifle Regiment
 * 456th Rifle Regiment - formed from a mixed NKVD Regiment
 * 602nd Rifle Regiment - re-designated from the 383rd Rifle Regiment
 * 404th Artillery Regiment - re-designated from the 51st Artillery Regiment
 * 93rd Medical/Sanitation Battalion.

It was part of the Separate Coastal Army, where it served for the duration of its existence. In the final defense of the fortress, the 109th fought as part of the "First Sector", and its divisional commander, Mjr. Gen. P.G. Novikov, also served as the Sector commander. The division was destroyed in early July, and was officially stricken from the Soviet order of battle on 30 July.

2nd Formation
The division was reformed on 6 Aug. 1942 at Pulkovo in Leningrad Front from the 21st NKVD Rifle Division, which had been involved in the defense of the city for the previous twelve months. Its order of battle became:
 * 381st Rifle Regiment - from the 6th NKVD Rifle Regiment
 * 456th Rifle Regiment - from the 8th NKVD Rifle Regiment
 * 602nd Rifle Regiment - from the 14th NKVD Rifle Regiment
 * 404th Artillery Regiment
 * 339th Antitank Battalion
 * 229th Sapper Battalion.

Just prior to its re-designation, between July 20–23, the division had taken part in an attack on the German-held fortified village of Staro-Panovo, southwest of the city, which succeeded in liberating the village and part of the adjoining Uritsk. Although the gains were small, it was the first time the German siege lines had been pushed back and held, boosting the morale of the defenders.

In the late autumn the division was relieved from front-line duty for nearly a month for rebuilding and replenishment, then was deployed again to the Pulkovo sector, now facing the Spanish Blue Division. The Spanish were withdrawn from this sector on Jan. 6, 1943, replaced by the German 23rd Infantry Division.

The division remained in 42nd Army until May, 1944, and in 109th Rifle Corps from Nov. 1943 for the duration. The corps and its divisions took part in the offensive that finally drove the German forces away from Leningrad in January, 1944.

In May, the 109th was transferred north to the 21st Army facing the Finnish forces in Karelia. The division, now under the command of Mjr. Gen. N.A. Trushkin, helped to penetrate the second Finnish defensive belt on 14 June, capturing several strongpoints; following this, it continued to advance on the right flank of its Army, reaching positions about 15 km east of Viipuri by 15 July.

With Finland out of the war, the 109th made its final transfer, to 8th Army in Estonia, near Narva, in August. Until the end of the war it assisted in clearing the Baltic coast as far as the Courland Peninsula. On several occasions the division served as a "follow-on" force in amphibious operations against German forces on the Baltic islands, but it never led an amphibious assault landing.

The division ended the war as the 109th Rifle Leningrad, Order of the Red Banner Division. (Russian: 109-я стрелковая Ленинградская Краснознамённая дивизия).