341st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

341st Rifle Division (September 1, 1941 – May 19, 1942) 341st Rifle Division (May 1, 1944 - 1955)
Active	1941–1955
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Second Battle of Kharkov Continuation War Lapland War
Commanders
Notable commanders	Col. A.I. Shchagin Maj. Gen. I.V. Terentev

The 341st Rifle Division was first formed in September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Stalingrad. It was a "sister" unit to the 335th Rifle Division, which was formed at about the same time and place and shared a very similar combat path in its first formation. It was assigned to the southern sector of the Soviet-German front during the winter counteroffensive, but was effectively destroyed during the German spring offensive that formed the Izium Pocket, and was soon disbanded. The division was formed again almost exactly two years later, this time in the Karelian Front, facing Finland, and saw only limited action in the Continuation War before being assigned to coastal defense duties during 1945. While the 341st had one of the shortest and least distinguished careers of any Soviet division in the Soviet-German War, it continued to serve well into the Cold War, eventually being re-designated and becoming a motorized rifle division.

The division first formed on September 1, 1941 in the North Caucasus Military District at Stalingrad. Its basic order of battle was as follows:

Colonel A.I. Shchagin was assigned to command of the division on the day it began forming, and he continued in command throughout the existence of this formation. The division's personnel contained a significant number of non-Russian nationality. In October, while still barely formed, the division was assigned to 57th Army, which was also just in the process of forming-up in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. In December the division and its Army moved to join Southwestern Front, taking part in the winter counter-offensive which led to the creation of the Izium salient south of Kharkov. By the end of January, 1942, the 341st had been transferred to 9th Army in Southern Front, on the southern flank of the salient. It was still holding this position on May 17, while Southwestern Front was attacking northwards from the salient towards Kharkov, when the 14th Panzer Division of 1st Panzer Army smashed through the division's flank, driving its remnants north and west into what became the Izium Pocket. While 9th Army continued to carry the 341st in its order of battle until June 1, in fact it had broken up within 48 hours of the German attack; while Col. Shchagin and many other personnel managed to escape, the division was effectively disbanded on May 19.

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