3rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

3rd Rifle Division
Active	1921–1946
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Infantry
Engagements	World War II Soviet invasion of Manchuria
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner
Battle honours	On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Presidium of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

The 3rd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Army. It was formed in 1921 in Crimea. The division relocated to Svobodny in the Far East during 1939 and moved to Blagoveshchensk soon after. The division fought in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and was disbanded in 1946.

History

The Soviet Army's 3rd Rifle Division was an infantry division active from 1921 to 1946 and from 1955 to 1956. It was formed 5 June 1921 in the Ukraine Military District. It appears that Order No. № 724/284 created the division from the 3rd and 46th Separate Rifle Brigades. At the beginning of World War II it was located in Blagoveshchensk and was not redeployed to fight the Germans. At the very end of World War II it was involved in the Sungari Army Group Operation with 2nd Red Banner Army. It forced the Amur and Ussuri rivers, and captured several cities in China from the Japanese Kwantung Army. Immediate post war the Division was in 1st Red Banner Army, Transbaikal-Amur Military District, 136th Rifle Corps, alongside 12 RD, 396th Rifle Division and 101st Fortified Region/MGAD. It was disbanded on 30 August 1946 after being transferred to the 26th Rifle Corps. The Division's full name just before being disbanded was 3rd Rifle Red Banner Division named for the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Crimean ASSR.

Sources

• Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.