338th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

338th Rifle Division (September 9, 1941 – May 24, 1942) 338th Rifle Division (June 4, 1942 – 1946)
Maj. Gen. L. N. Lazanovich
Active	1941–1946
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Battle of Moscow Battles of Rzhev Battle of Smolensk (1943) Operation Bagration Baltic Offensive Riga Offensive (1944) Vistula-Oder Offensive Battle of Königsberg Samland Offensive Soviet invasion of Manchuria
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner 2nd Formation
Battle honours	Neman
Commanders
Notable commanders	Maj. Gen. Hmayak Babayan Maj. Gen. L. N. Lazanovich

The 338th Rifle Division was first formed in September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Penza. This formation took part in the early stages of the winter counteroffensive and made gains in the direction of Vyasma before being cut off behind German lines in February and largely destroyed by May. The division was formed again in June, once again in the Western Front, and proved itself a stolid and reliable unit in the often frustrating battles east and west of Smolensk and into the Baltic states over the next two and a half years. After taking part in the conquest of East Prussia in 1945, the 338th, along with the rest of its 39th Army, was railed all the way to the far east to join in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August.

The division started forming on September 9, 1941 at Penza in the Volga Military District. Its basic order of battle was as follows:

After about a month, the division was assigned to 26th Army in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. When this Army was moved north in November the 338th remained behind as a separate division in the RSHC. In mid-December the division was assessed as combat-ready and was assigned to 33rd Army in Western Front. It joined in an attack in January, 1942, straight west through the overstretched and depleted German 4th Army through Mozhaisk towards Vyasma. In February this penetration became a trap when a German counter-thrust cut off 33rd Army behind German lines. By April the Army was being slowly ground down in its positions in the woods east of Vyasma, dependent on small-scale air supply; the Army commander, Lt. Gen. M.G. Yefremov, took his own life to avoid capture when a breakout attempt failed. Over the following months small groups and individuals of the 338th filtered through the German lines to rejoin the Soviet front. On May 24 the division was officially disbanded, and its survivors were incorporated into the 113th Rifle Division of the rebuilding 33rd Army.