346th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

346th Rifle Division (August 20, 1941 – May 29, 1945)
Late-war photo of Maj. Gen. I. E. Davidovskii
Active	1941–1945
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Battle of Moscow Operation Uranus Operation Little Saturn Donbass Strategic Offensive (August 1943) Crimean Offensive Baltic Offensive Šiauliai Offensive Riga Offensive (1944) Vistula-Oder Offensive
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner
Battle honours	Debaltsevo
Commanders
Notable commanders	Maj. Gen. I. E. Davidovskii Maj. Gen. D. I. Stankevskii Maj. Gen. N. M. Mishchenko Maj. Gen. V. K. Gorbachev

The 346th Rifle Division began forming in late August, 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, in the Volga Military District. It was assigned to the 61st Army while both it and its Army continued to form up before moving to the front lines in December to take part in the winter counteroffensive south of Moscow. In September, 1942, it became part of the 5th Tank Army, and joined the offensive that encircled German Sixth Army at Stalingrad during Operation Uranus. During 1943 and early 1944 it continued to serve in the southern part of the front, taking part in the liberation of Crimea, before being transferred to the Baltic States region, serving in Latvia and Lithuania until February, 1945, when it was once again reassigned, this time to be part of the follow-on forces in the conquest of eastern Germany. The division ended the war with a distinguished service record, but was disbanded shortly after the German surrender.

The division officially formed on August 20, 1941, at Volsk in the Volga Military District. Its order of battle was as follows:

Komdiv I.E. Davidovskii was assigned to command of the division on the day it began forming, and he continued in command until June 6, 1942; his rank was "modernized" as Major General on May 13 of that year. As of November 1, the division was still unassigned in the Volga Military District, but by one month later it had been assigned to the new 61st Army in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. In that month it moved with its Army to Bryansk Front to take part in the winter counteroffensive south of Moscow. The 346th remained in 61st Army until September, 1942, serving under command of either Bryansk or Western Front in the area between Tula and Kursk. On June 7, the division came under the command of Col. M.A. Sushchenko; he would remain in command until late September.

In the same month, the 346th was transferred to the 5th Tank Army, which was being formed for the second time in the reserves of Bryansk Front. At this stage of the war, Soviet tank armies usually included one or more rifle divisions. On September 26, Col. A.I. Tolstov took command of the division. By November 1, 5th Tank Army was assigned to Southwestern Front and formed its main mobile force.