304th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

304th Rifle Division (July 12, 1941 – January 21, 1943) 304th Rifle Division (August 1, 1943 – 1945)
Col. Gen. N. P. Pukhov, postwar
Active	1941–1945
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev Operation Blue Operation Uranus Operation Ring Taman Peninsula Offensive Zhitomir–Berdichev Offensive Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive Vistula–Oder Offensive Prague Offensive
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner (2nd Formation)
Battle honours	Zhitomir (2nd formation)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Maj. Gen. Nikolai Pavlovich Pukhov Col. Serafim Petrovich Merkulov Col. Mikhail Maksimovich Muzikin

The 304th Rifle Division had its roots in the 109th Mechanized Division, which served before the Great Patriotic War as a mixed armor and infantry formation. Soon after the German invasion it was reorganized as a standard rifle division and renumbered as the 304th. It served in the southwestern part of the Soviet-German front for more than a year and a half, fighting under difficult conditions, including the German summer offensive of 1942. The division did not distinguish itself until Operation Uranus in late 1942 and the subsequent Operation Ring, in which it helped defeat the encircled German Sixth Army. In recognition of these successes, even before the German surrender at Stalingrad, it was raised to Guards status as the 67th Guards Rifle Division. A second 304th was raised six months later, based on a pair of rifle brigades, facing the German 17th Army in the Kuban. After helping to liberate this region the division continued in combat through Ukraine and Poland, winning its own distinctions at Zhitomir and an Order of the Red Banner, before ending the war near Prague.

After losing most of its trucks and tanks in its first battles near Kiev, the 109th Mechanized Division of 5th Mechanized Corps began moving back to Zolotonosha, east of the Dniepr River, to reform as the 304th Rifle Division on July 12, 1941. Its order of battle was revised to the following:

The first commander of the new division was Col. Timofei Ilich Sidorenko, but he was replaced after about six weeks by Maj. Gen. Nikolai Pavlovich Pukhov.

After several weeks in Southwestern Front reserves, the 304th was assigned to the 38th Army in early August, just as that Army was itself forming up. The division remained in that Army until July, 1942. It was able to avoid encirclement near Kiev as it was located just east of the point where 1st Panzer Group broke through the Soviet front, and was able to retreat through Poltava. In late January, 1942, Maj. Gen. Pukhov was reassigned to command of 13th Army, and was replaced by Col. Ivan Vasilievich Khazov. The division also managed to stay clear of the debacle at Kharkov in May, 1942.