126th Rifle Division

The 126th Rifle Division was first formed as an infantry division of the Red Army on August 14, 1939, in the Moscow Military District, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of the following month. In June 1940 it made up part of the force that occupied Latvia. It remained in the occupied Baltic states, being assigned to 11th Army in Lithuania in early 1941. At the start of the German invasion it was in the vicinity of Kaunas and was struck on the opening day, suffering heavy losses, then forced to retreat to the east, soon being reassigned to Northwestern Front's 27th Army. Shortly after it was moved to 22nd Army of Western Front, and fought under those commands near Velikiye Luki and Toropets, escaping from encirclement in the process. After retreating past Andreapol the front stabilized and during September the 126th was substantially rebuilt, but lost much of its strength when it was again encircled in the early part of Operation Typhoon. After escaping it was reassigned to 16th Army, but in November it was decided to use its remaining assets to reinforce other units of the Army and on December 13 it was disbanded.

A new division named after Marshal K. E. Voroshilov began forming on September 1, 1941, in the Far Eastern Military District and in January 1942 it was redesignated as the new 126th. It remained in the Far East until May when it was moved west, eventually arriving south of Stalingrad as the German drive on the city was well underway. In early August it was assigned to 64th Army in Southeastern Front, battling against the 4th Panzer Army and gradually being pushed to the outskirts of the city while taking very heavy casualties. During September and October it fought positional battles in the Beketovka bridgehead south of the city while rebuilding its strength, now as part of Stalingrad Front, but in preparation for Operation Uranus it was shifted well to the south, joining 51st Army, which was facing the forces that were about to become Romanian 4th Army. The division successfully smashed through the Romanian positions on the first day of the offensive then advanced to the southwest, helping to form the outer encirclement front but soon coming under attack from 4th Panzer as it attempted to relieve the Stalingrad pocket. After the failure of Operation Winter Storm the division with its Army began a counteroffensive toward Rostov-on-Don as part of Southern Front.

The division was formed at Moscow in the Moscow Military District on August 14, 1939, based on a cadre from the elite 1st Moscow Rifle Division's 2nd Rifle Regiment.^[1] Komdiv Nikolai Aleksandrovich Sokolov, who had been serving as deputy commander of the 68th Mountain Rifle Division, was given command within days but was moved to the 11th Rifle Division on February 4, 1940. The division saw several more changes of command until January 27, 1941, when Maj. Gen. Mikhail Andreevich Kuznetsov took over. In mid-June, 1940, it was part of the force that occupied Latvia. At the time of the German invasion on June 22, 1941, the division was under direct command of 11th Army.^[2] Its order of battle was as follows:

• 366th Rifle Regiment
• 539th Rifle Regiment (later 690th)
• 550th Rifle Regiment
• 358th Light Artillery Regiment (until October 30, 1941)
• 501st Howitzer Artillery Regiment (until October 25, 1941)^[3]
• 426th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (from October 10, 1941)
• 265th Antitank Battalion
• 286th Antiaircraft Battalion (later 240th)
• 198th Reconnaissance Battalion
• 175th Sapper Battalion
• 233rd Signal Battalion
• 222nd Medical/Sanitation Battalion (later 212th)
• 130th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
• 101st Motor Transport Company (later 230th Battalion)
• 195th Field Bakery
• 873rd Field Postal Station
• 139th Field Office of the State Bank

At this time it was near the left flank of the Baltic Special Military District with its main forces in the Žiežmariai area, tying in to the 128th Rifle Division on its left flank and the 188th Rifle Division on its right.^[4]

The District commander, Col. Gen. F. I. Kuznetsov, had disregarded the instructions of the NKO and General Staff to avoid any action that might be taken as a provocation. On June 15, alarmed by intelligence reports of the German buildup, issued orders to increase force readiness along the frontier. Without directly mentioning the buildup he stated, "Today, as never before, we must be fully combat ready. Many commanders do not understand this. But all must firmly and clearly understand that at any moment we must be ready to fulfill any combat mission." After receiving further intelligence two days later Kuznetsov ordered his forces to full military readiness on June 18. While his actions were brave in going against orders from the top and militarily correct, it's unlikely that they made any real difference when the war began.^[5]

At the outset of the invasion the division had a mixed regiment, consisting of 3rd Battalion, 550th Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 366th Regiment, and 3rd Battalion, 539th Regiment, plus part of the divisional artillery deployed forward to the frontier. The remainder was preparing for a march to woods near Prienai for field exercises. Before this could begin the mixed regiment was struck by the VI Army Corps and largely destroyed, while the XXXIX Motorized Corps forced a gap between the 126th and 128th.^[6] Jr. Sgt. Sergei Matsapoura, a gun layer in the 358th Artillery, recalled:

We soon found ourselves firing at the Fascist infantry from maximum range. As soon as a salvo of shells had been fired, the command came: "Stop! Record the settings." That morning, at Lieutenant Komarov's battery, I first heard a phrase that would be repeated time and again: "Spare the ammunition!" The border was west of us, but by noon we were firing in a southerly direction. I remember that because the midday sun shone straight into the barrel of my cannon. The fact that our battery had swung first south, and then southeast, meant only one thing: the Fascists had penetrated deep into Soviet territory.^[7]

By the evening, 11th Army had been largely encircled or scattered. While most remaining formations retreated to the north the 126th was forced off to the east of Kaunas, and by July 10 it had been reassigned to 27th Army along the Daugava River, near Dzisna, with less than 2,000 men remaining under command.^[8] Within this Army it was subordinated to the 29th Rifle Corps.^[9]

Vitebsk fell on July 11, and 29th Corps was soon transferred to Lt. Gen. F. A. Ershakov's 22nd Army of Western Front which was attempting to hold what remained of the Daugava line from the Polotsk Fortified Region east toward Haradok. The 126th was reported as fighting along a line from Ignatovko to Kulikovo. The Front commander, Marshal S. K. Timoshenko, issued orders late on July 12 for Ershakov to carry out a counterattack the following morning with two divisions and supporting artillery from the Haradok area south toward Vitebsk. This plan was stillborn when the LVII Motorized Corps, backed by the L and XXIII Army Corps drove the Army from its defenses along the Dvina northwest of Polotsk, cut it into two parts, enveloped its flanks and threatened both parts with encirclement. With only six divisions to defend a front 274km wide Ershakov was soon in full retreat as the panzers drove northward toward Nevel.^[10]

Nevel was taken by LVII Motorized on the morning of July 16 which left 29th Corps and eight other divisions cut off and isolated between that town and Vitebsk. As the German commanders debated the size of the encircled forces and exactly how best to deal with them while also carrying out their other objectives, the divisions did their best to escape in the general direction of Velikiye Luki, aided by the difficult terrain in the region. On July 19 the 19th Panzer Division captured the city but overnight elements of 22nd Army attacked and overran the thin screen being held around Nevel by 14th Motorized Division, allowing the Army's encircled 62nd Rifle Corps to escape to the east. This pressure also forced 19th Panzer to abandon the city on July 21 and Ershakov triumphantly signalled the commander of 62nd Corps:

We have captured Velikiye Luki. 29th Rifle Corps (126th, 179th, and 214th Rifle Divisions) are attacking toward Nevel to destroy the enemy and support your withdrawal... An automobile [truck] column (50 vehicles) with ammunition, fuel, and food is being sent to you in the Zui region [35km south of Velikiye Luki]...

This overlooked victory was the first large city liberated by the Red Army. Ershakov now attempted to create a new defense line along the Lovat River although his 51st Rifle Corps had been reduced to remnants.^[11]

In the course of this fighting General Kuznetsov was organizing a counterattack near Velikiye Luki when he was severely wounded; he died of his wounds on August 6. At the time the division was entirely without organic artillery and was forced to attack without any preparation, suffering heavy casualties with no success.^[12] He was replaced on July 22 by Col. Efim Vasilevich Bedin, who had been in command of the 550th and then the 690th Rifle Regiments.

By August 21 German forces had regrouped to take back Velikiye Luki with the 19th and 20th Panzer and 256th and 102nd Infantry Divisions. Supply lines to 22nd Army were being disrupted the next day and at 1015 hours on August 24 Ershakov was forced to issue orders for his forces to break out in the direction of Toropets. In the plan for the breakout the 126th Rifle and 48th Tank Divisions were in the first echelon with the 179th and 214th in second, followed by what remained of 62nd Corps and the 170th Rifle Division as rearguard; the operation began at 2200 hours. The escaping force numbered from 15-20,000 men while another 25,000 of 22nd Army remained behind in small pockets south of Velikiye Luki and either fought to the death or surrendered over the following days.^[13]

In a report from Ershakov's headquarters at 0200 hours on August 26 the XXXX Motorized Corps was said to be "attempting to fan out northeastward in the general direction of Toropets and Ostashkov with small reconnaissance groups" while the 126th and 48th Tanks were attempting to take up a defense on a line 35km southwest of the former place. The deputy chief of staff of Western Front, Lt. Gen. G. K. Malandin, reported that as of the morning of August 28 that the 126th "has up to 3,100 men and appears better than the others, two 76mm guns and 17 machine guns", although he was apparently unaware of Kuznetsov's death. The gist of his overall message was that 22nd Army was unable to defend Toropets. Nevertheless, the remnants of 29th Corps were organized into a "Destroyer" Division to defend the Kudinovo and Shamarino sector, 35km west-southwest of the town. The 126th was specifically assigned the line Novaya Derevnya–Staraya Toropa–Semyonovskoe.^[14]

On the same date the remnants of the Army were taken over by Maj. Gen. V. A. Yushkevich, who reported at 1700 hours that the 126th, supported by the 390th Howitzer Artillery Regiment and 179th Antitank Battalion, was defending Hill 199.2, Lake Zalikovskoe, and Zareche, while the commander of 29th Corps, Maj. Gen. A. G. Samokhin, was responsible for the sector from the lake to Toropets. The overall defense amounted to a series of company- and battalion-sized strongpoints in an arc some 8-10km from the city. As an example of its fragility a "small enemy tank group" was reported as having penetrated at the boundary between the division and the assembling 186th Rifle Division. On August 29 the 20th Panzer Division pushed through and took Toropets. Meanwhile, the LVII Corps and XXXX Motorized advanced easily and split the defenses of 22nd Army, with both German corps continuing their advance on Andreapol and Zapadnaya Dvina on August 30. On the same day, Timoshenko sent a message to Stalin addressing the situation in the 22nd Army's sector. He stated that the 126th was fighting in the western and northeastern outskirts of Toropets, and the 48th Tanks, having lost all its vehicles, had been reorganized as a rifle division.^[15]

By August 31 the 126th and 186th had been formed into a composite group under command of Samokhin and had "passed through the Danskoe and Proskurino line [20km southwest to 20km south-southwest of Ardreapol] with its main forces at 1500 hours, while protecting its withdrawal with rearguard units along the Martisovo and Chernyshevo line." On September 1, Timoshenko again attempted to go over to the counteroffensive, aiming at Dukhovshchina with his main forces, but 22nd and 29th Armies were in no position to take part. Two days later, the 126th was reported as having been "assigned the mission to liquidate enemy forces penetrating in the Suvorovo region by combined operations with... 186th and 252nd RDs". A further report the next day stated:

126th and 186th RDs - repelled fierce enemy counterattacks at Ivanova Gora, with the town changing hands three times, but 186th Division recaptured the Ivanova Gora and Suvorovo region at 1200 hours on 4 September.

An operational summary from Western Front at 2000 on September 5 indicated that the counteroffensive was effectively finished; the two divisions, along with a unit called Antosenko's Detachment, were said to have attacked for a second time from woods 2km east of Suvorovo to Hill 236.2 to Frolovo to the Yaldy line (17–22km south of Andreapol) with "unknown results".^[16] Following its victory over 22nd Army, XXXX Corps disappeared from the front lines by the first week of September. Timoshenko was so concerned about this potential threat he had his chief of staff, Lt. Gen. V. D. Sokolovskii, prepare a report which was sent to the STAVKA in the afternoon of September 10 which stated, in part:

There are four main groupings of enemy opposing the front. The first enemy grouping, which is operating at the boundary between 27th and 22nd Armies, consists of up to three divisions, one of which is pressing 256th RD back toward Peno.

On the same day, 22nd Army was directed to create an Army reserve in the Peno region.^[17] During September 29th Corps was disbanded and the 126th came under direct Army command.^[18]

While the fighting shifted to other sectors during the rest of September the division had a chance to rebuild and by the start of October it was back to some 10,000 personnel.^[19] It was noted at this time that its personnel remained a mix of Uzbeks and Russians.^[20] 2nd Panzer Group began the new German offensive against Moscow on its sector on September 30 and this led to Western Front initiating a plan to reinforce its southern wing. The 126th was reassigned to 31st Army, and concentrated at its assigned entraining points by 2000 hours on October 4. By 0200 on October 5 no trains had arrived, in large part because the offensive had expanded to the north on October 2, and the lateral line behind the front was being systematically bombed. The division soon found itself surrounded with most of 22nd Army, but Colonel Bedin managed to link up with the Group under Lt. Gen. I. V. Boldin to lead a large number of his men out of the pocket into the forests north of Vyazma.^[21]

Near the end of the month the 690th Rifle Regiment was detached in order to reinforce the 316th Rifle Division near Volokolamsk, and as of October 29 the remainder of the division had fewer than 1,000 personnel on strength, plus two 120mm mortars, two 82mm mortars, four 76mm cannon, and a pair of 45mm antitank guns. On October 10 the 426th Howitzer Artillery Regiment had been added in another effort to rebuild, but this proved abortive, as the 358th Artillery Regiment left on October 30.^[22] On November 1 Bedin left and soon took command of the 7th Guards Rifle Division; he would be promoted to the rank of major general on November 27, 1942, be made a Hero of the Soviet Union in October 1943, and lead the 21st Rifle Corps from November 1943 until July 1944 when he was severely wounded. Col. Yakov Nikiforovich Vronskii took over the 126th, which was soon slated for disbandment.

The 501st Howitzer Artillery Regiment was detached on November 25 and the remaining manpower was used to reinforce various units in 16th Army. On December 13 the division was officially disbanded at Moscow.^[23]

The Voroshilov Rifle Division began forming on September 1, 1941, in the 25th Army of the Far Eastern Military District.^[24] It would remain there over the following months,^[25] until January 1942 when it was redesignated as the new 126th, under command of 39th Rifle Corps.^[26] It was under command of Col. Vladimir Evseevich Sorokin, and once redesignated it had an order of battle eventually very similar to that of the 1st formation:

• 366th Rifle Regiment
• 550th Rifle Regiment
• 690th Rifle Regiment
• 358th Artillery Regiment
• 265th Antitank Battalion
• 168th Antiaircraft Battery (later 165th, until April 30, 1943)
• 191st Mortar Battalion (until December 14, 1942)
• 198th Reconnaissance Company (later 198th Battalion)
• 376th Sapper Battalion (later 175th)
• 233rd Signal Battalion (later 327th Company)
• 212th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
• 266th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company
• 141st Motor Transport Company^[27]
• 280th Field Bakery
• 991st Divisional Veterinary Hospital
• 1728th Field Postal Station
• 139th Field Office of the State Bank (later 1120th)

After a lengthy period for forming up and training the division was loaded on the Trans-Siberian Railway for the west in May, eventually arriving in the 8th Reserve Army of the STAVKA Reserve by the end of June and no longer under Corps command. By now the German campaign toward Stalingrad was well underway, and the 4th Panzer Army was advancing on the city from the southwest through Abganerovo.^[28]

The division arrived in Stalingrad Front during July 11-14 on 18 trains and consolidated at Gumrak Station on July 26. 1st Reserve Army had been redesignated as 64th Army on July 10 and the 126th was assigned to it in the first days of August,^[29] about the time the Army came under command of Maj. Gen. M. S. Shumilov. Under the impact of the German threat, at 0530 hours on August 4 the STAVKA reorganized its defense, with Stalingrad Front being divided into Stalingrad and Southeastern Fronts, and the 126th being reassigned to 57th Army of the latter. The new Front would be led by Col. Gen. A. I. Yeryomenko, and its immediate mission was to stop further German movement toward Stalingrad from the south, as well as preventing an advance to the Volga. Four days later Stalin again adjusted his dispositions, and the division returned to Shumilov's command.^[30]

The 14th Panzer Division had resumed its advance on August 5 with a thrust of 30-40km from Aksai, reaching Abganerovo on the rail line from Stalingrad to Kotelnikovo. A Red Army General Staff report stated:

126th RD was fighting with an enemy force of up to a company of submachine gunners with 10 tanks, which had wedged into our defenses in the Abganerovo region (70 kilometres southwest of Stalingrad), on 5 August.

Yeryomenko built a second defense line along the Myshkova River, some 25-40km to the north, after which Shumilov withdrew the units of his Army that were still holding along the Don River, deploying them around Abganerovo, directly in the path of the next German advance. August 6 saw the XXXXVIII Panzer Corps consolidating its position around that place while sending mobile groups northward toward Tinguta. As pressure grew on the 126th and its neighbouring 38th Rifle Division, both of which had minimal artillery support, Shumilov received permission to counterattack the panzer spearheads on August 9. He then reinforced his forces with three rifle divisions and the 13th Tank Corps, creating a credible counterforce. The attack struck the mobile spearheads of 14th Panzer and 29th Motorized Divisions; the 126th with 14 T-34s of 254th Tank Brigade hit the latter along the railway at 74km Station from the west while it was also attacked from the north. These blows, including volleys from three Guards Mortar regiments at 74km Station, took the German division by surprise and forced it to withdraw 10km back to Abganerovo on August 10 with heavy losses. The 126th was reported as having "reached the northwestern outskirts of Abganerovo Station with its left wing by 1800 hours on 9 August." A report on August 10 stated that the division "was defending the line Hill 124.0–Svinnaia Balka–Hill 127.3–Kudomiasov Balka." The next day it was said to be

fighting fiercely with the enemy along the Kapkinskii (25 kilometres west of Abganerovo)–Hill 124.0 line. The division liquidated the enemy group penetrating in the vicinity of Katrusheva Balka and Zdaniaia Myshkova Balka regions by 1900 hours on 11 August. The remnants of the enemy have been thrown back from the forward edge of our units' defenses...

By this time 4th Panzer Army was no longer combat effective. The Abganerovo front stabilized on August 12 and stated quiet until the night of August 17/18 when renewed pressure persuaded Shumilov to withdraw his southern wing from its positions south of the Myshkova. 4th Panzer would need reinforcements before renewing its drive on Stalingrad.^[31]

After a delay due to shortages of fuel and lubricants a strengthened XXXXVIII Corps, equipped with 180-200 tanks, set out at 0700 hours on August 20 to destroy 64th Army. Shumilov's force, with about 100 tanks, was deployed on a 120km-wide front. The sector from Tinguta west to Vasilevka on the Myshkova was held by the 38th, 126th, and 204th Rifle Divisions, backed by the 29th and 138th Rifle Divisions and 154th Rifle Brigade in second echelon, plus 13th Tanks. Following a strong artillery preparation the 94th and 371st Infantry Divisions, supported by a battlegroup of 29th Motorized, advanced 4–5km to the north, forcing the 204th and 126th to abandon their defenses at Abganerovo Station. As they fell back Shumilov reinforced them with the 29th and two brigades of 13th Tanks, allowing them to establish new defenses covering Yurkino Station. The German advance faltered late in the day due to heavy Soviet resistance.^[32]

Over the following ten days the German/Romanian forces ground forward at the junction between 64th and 57th Armies. By August 29 XXXXVIII Corps was again running out of steam but found a weak spot between Vasilevka and Abganerovo Station covered by the 126th. Even at this stage of the battle the division was missing some 80 percent of its authorized artillery. The panzers concentrated on a 15km-wide sector, with flank protection from Romanian 2nd Infantry Division, and struck at dawn with a 4-1 advantage in infantry and total superiority in artillery and armor. The division was overwhelmed and the Axis force advanced nearly 20km.^[33] In the confusion Colonel Sorokin was concussed and taken prisoner, and much of his command cadre was also lost. He spent most of his captivity at Hohenstein and Wülzburg, being liberated by US forces in April 1945. After a review of his case he was officially repressed in late 1948, but eventually rehabilitated 11 years later. He died in 1985 and was buried at his request in a mass grave with many of his soldiers near Volgograd. In a postwar letter Shumilov wrote to Sorokin:

... I consider myself guilty before the soldiers of the 126th Rifle Division. The division's soldiers fought heroically throughout the defense of Abganerovo. After the defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad, I did not recommend the division for promotion to Guards. I was sure the front would do it. But I didn't check. That's my guilt before the soldiers of the 126th Rifle Division...

Sorokin's deputy commander for logistics, Major Golova, took temporary command until the arrival of Col. Dmitrii Semyonovich Kuropatenko on September 3. The division had just 340 men remaining under arms. Kuropatenko had previously led the 404th and 157th Rifle Divisions.

The 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army began a renewed drive into the suburbs of Stalingrad on the same day. In the south the XXXXVIII Corps, including the 94th Infantry and Romanian 20th Infantry Division, was to attack eastward from Voroponovo Station and northeastward from Elkhi with the objective of reaching the Volga and seizing the city south of the Tsaritsa River. The initial assault by 14th Panzer and 29th Motorized west of Peschanka was repelled by 64th Army's right flank 29th, 204th, 157th and 126th. 14th Panzer attacked again at dawn on September 4 but was stalled short of Peschanka by the resistance of the 126th and 204th. These right flank divisions maintained their defense the following day although they were being worn down by the ongoing attacks; General Shumilov assembled a reserve in the Beketovka area which included the 10th Rifle Brigade.^[34]

The XXXXVIII Panzer Corps regrouped its forces on September 7 with the intention of redirecting its attack southeastward against 64th Army's right flank. Its assault resumed the next day, badly damaging the 244th Rifle Division and pressing the 126th and 204th and the reinforcing 138th Division and 133rd Tank Brigade back to new defenses southwest from the western outskirts of Peschanka. On September 9 the German forces drove southward west of Kuporosnoe, forcing the 138th, 204th and 157th Divisions to abandon Staro-Dubovka. The Soviet forces withdrew to the new defense line east and west of Gornaia Poliana, which was already manned by the 126th. During the day the remainder of 14th Panzer reinforced the assault of the 29th Motorized and while this was halted short of Kuporosnoe and the west bank of the Volga, the four rifle divisions were being rapidly eroded away.^[35]

Overnight on September 9/10 a battalion of the 29th Motorized reached the Volga south of Kuporosnoe but was thrown back in part by the 131st Rifle Division after it had been relieved at Gornaia Poliana. On September 12 the fighting for the Stalingrad suburbs reached its climax. 14th Panzer was now supported by the mixed German/Romanian IV Army Corps and probed the defenses of the 64th Army from the southwest outskirts of Kuporosnoe around to its boundary with 57th Army at Ivanovka. This position would become known as the Beketovka bridgehead.^[36]

In an NKVD report late that month the following case was reported:

Among those shot for spying, G. A. Pushkov, was a squad leader in 126th Rifle Division, who was taken prisoner by the Germans on 14 September on the outskirts... and... was recruited and received the mission of determining the locations of the large headquarters, the positions of multiple-rocket launcher sites, and the locations of the workers in the NKVD headquarters and Special Department in Stalingrad. Pushkov was detained today... and was shot after a preliminary investigation.^[37]

On October 17 Yeryomenko, now in command of Stalingrad Front, submitted a plan to the STAVKA for a further effort to break through to the encircled 62nd Army in the city, or at least to divert German forces from the battle there. The bridgehead faced the German 71st Infantry and 29th Motorized Divisions, plus part of the 371st Infantry Division, along a 9km-wide front from south of Kuporosnoe to roughly 5km west of Gornaya Polyana. According to the plan the Army's shock group was to penetrate the 371st and advance to the Tsaritsa River to link up with 13th Guards Rifle Division in the city center. While this was exceptionally ambitious, Yeryomenko more realistically expected to draw one infantry and one panzer division from the battle in the city.^[38]

The plan called for the shock group to be formed from the relatively fresh 93rd, 96th and 97th Rifle Brigades of 7th Rifle Corps and the 169th Rifle Division, all of which had been transferred to the Army, plus the 126th and 422nd Rifle Divisions, for a total of some 30,000 troops, backed by 80 tanks from four depleted brigades, 92 Guards mortars, and 243 guns. The force was deployed in two echelons, with the 93rd and 97th Brigades and 422nd Division, and two tank brigades in first, the 126th Division, 96th Brigade, and two tank brigades in second, and the 169th in general reserve to reinforce where and as needed. The first phase of the attack was to begin at dawn on October 23 and Yeryomenko estimated it would take 10 days to complete. In the event, due to difficulties in organization it did not kick off until 0900 hours on October 25; the 371st lost several hundred metres of ground in Kuporosnoe to the 422nd, plus as much as 2km west of the town, but soon stabilized the situation, although fighting continued until November 1.^[39]

In preparation for the upcoming Soviet counteroffensive on November 10 the 126th was transferred to 51st Army, still in Stalingrad Front. The Army was under command of Maj. Gen. N. I. Trufanov and also contained the 15th Guards, 91st, and 302nd Rifle Divisions, plus 4th Mechanized Corps, 4th Cavalry Corps, and several other units. The Front's main attack would be carried out by 64th, 57th, and 51st Armies on a 65km-wide front from Beketovka south to the lake region, which was mostly manned by Romanian forces of German IV Corps and Romanian VI Army Corps. The offensive punch was concentrated on three penetration sectors with a total width of 40km. One such sector of 12km between Lake Tsatsa and Lake Barmantsak would have the 126th and 302nd as the Army's main shock group. The Front's objective was to was to destroy Axis reserves and reach the area of Kalach after about 48 hours to link up with mobile elements of Southwestern Front to encircle 6th and 4th Panzer Armies in Stalingrad.^[40]

The orders for the 126th and 302nd were to:

Penetrate the enemy's tactical defenses at the junction between Romanian VI Army Corps' 18th and 1st Infantry Divisions and destroy the opposing enemy.
Commit the exploitation elements (4th Mechanized Corps and 4th Cavalry Corps) into the penetration at the end of the first day...
Subsequently, develop the offensive in cooperation with 57th Army to encircle the enemy west of the Volga and protect the shock group's left flank against enemy counterattack from the south and southwest.

15th Guards would conduct a secondary attack on the Army's right wing. The overall offensive would begin in phases, with Southwestern and Don Fronts attacking on November 19 and Stalingrad Front on November 20.^[41]

51st Army began its artillery preparation at 0730 hours under light fog, which limited observation and adjustment, and also prevented air support. Trufanov was joined at his observation post by N. S. Khrushchyov of the Front's Military Council, deputy Front commander Lt. Gen. M. M. Popov, and the commanders of the mobile Corps. In an effort to deceive the Romanian command as to the direction of the main attack the 15th Guards would step off at 0830 while the 126th and 302nd would do so 15 minutes later. The two divisions were supported by the 254th Tank Brigade when the attack began, facing strong resistance from several Romanian strong points manned by 1st Battalion, 93rd Regiment, and 1st and 2nd Battalions of 75th Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. At the last minute Trufanov ordered 4th Mechanized Corps to support the 302nd with its 55th Tank Regiment and the 126th with the 158th Tank Regiment, which was in direct violation of the regulations laid down for the use of tank and mechanized corps. With the tanks of 254th Brigade each division now had some 68 vehicles in direct support.^[42]

The most substantial resistance came at Hill 87.0, 7km west of the forward edge of the Romanian front line. This was held by 1st Infantry's 2nd Battalion, 85th Regiment, along with, reportedly, a pair of batteries of 88mm anitaircraft guns with German crews. This position was on the boundary between the 126th and 302nd so both sent elements into the attack along with their direct support tanks in an effort to strike frontally and to encircle the hill. The fog lifted at 1000 hours and the Axis troops held another hour until the 55th and 158th Regiments arrived. After a 20-minute engagement the defenders began withdrawing to the west in disorder. Seeing this, General Popov contacted Yeryomenko and gained permission to commit the mobile Corps into the penetration. The 126th, with its supporting tanks, advanced westward up to 12km by 1300, reaching the village of Bessilov. Due to traffic jams, mine clearing, and command inexperience, 4th Mechanized failed to cross its line of departure until this time, and would fall short of its first day objectives. Nevertheless, by nightfall the 1st, 2nd, and 18th Infantry Divisions had been decimated, with large numbers encircled and captured, and Romanian VI Corps was out of the battle, leaving 4th Mechanized and 4th Cavalry Corps a clear path into the Axis rear.^[43]

The Army resumed the offensive at daybreak on November 21. The 126th marched into the area around Plodovitoe, which had been taken by 4th Mechanized, and began building an outer encirclement front with the 302nd and 4th Cavalry, which stretched from the Aksai area eastward some 60km to Malye Derbety, 4km south of Lake Barmantsak. 4th Cavalry seized Abganerovo in the morning, capturing 5,000 Romanians in the process. 81st Cavalry Division now moved southwest toward Aksai, while 61st Cavalry Division rode into the rear of Romanian 4th Infantry Division at Malye Derbety, which was holding up the advance of the 91st Division. Both cavalry divisions were expecting the 126th to catch up and reinforce them the next day, as the part of 4th Panzer Army that had escaped encirclement could be expected to counterattack toward the pocket.^[44]

During November 22 the two cavalry divisions continued their successful advances, while the 302nd mopped up Romanian forces from the west shore of Lake Barmantsak, then engaged the 4th Infantry near Tundutovo. To the south the 91st took up positions to the south of Lake Sarpa, anticipating the encirclement of the Romanian division in cooperation with the 61st Cavalry. Meanwhile, the 126th rounded up stragglers southwest of Lake Sarpa before moving to the west into the Verkhne-Tsaritsynskii area, 40km southwest of Beketovka, where it relieved 4th Mechanized's 60th Mechanized Brigade. The next day the 4th Infantry and 5th Cavalry Divisions were defeated at Sadovoe by a converging attack from four separate units of 51st Army, while the 126th pushed ahead through Aksai to reinforce 81st Cavalry and strengthen the outer encirclement front.^[45] On the same day the encirclement 6th Army was completed when 4th Mechanized joined hands with Southwestern Front's 4th Tank Corps at Sovetsky.

Trufanov's forces continued pressing forward on November 24. The cavalry divisions advanced into the open spaces between Aksai and Sadovaia, which were 45km apart. The 126th continued southward to Abganerovo, sending advance detachments to Tebektenerovo, Kapkinskii Station, Shelestov, and the Solianoi burial mound, 17km southwest of Aksai, as the 302nd advanced on the left. By dusk the 4th Panzer Army's defenses were a shambles, with its few organized forces pulling back toward Kotelnikovo. However, early the next day the advance guard of an ad hoc unit called Battlegroup Pannwitz began arriving at that place. Totaling several thousand men, the battlegroup consisted of a volunteer Cossack cavalry brigade, rear service and replacement personnel of 4th Panzer, 18 tanks from repair workshops, and a motorized Romanian artillery battalion.^[46]

4th Cavalry Corps had received orders to take Kotelnikovo by November 27, with the 126th advancing along the railway from Zhutovo between the two cavalry divisions. This would entail a march of 90-95km by the three divisions in three days. Yeryomenko, unaware of the arrival of Group Pannwitz and the approach of 6th Panzer Division, believed that the seizing of Kotelnikovo would forestall any chance of the Axis forces creating a cohesive front. In fact, the town had already been chosen as the jumping-off point for the new Army Group Hoth's relief operation toward Stalingrad. During November 25 the 61st Cavalry encountered Group Pannwitz 45km east of the town, as well as the 8th Romanian Cavalry Division. The 126th, still concentrating at Zhutovo, was well out of supporting range. After a fight that continued into the next morning the 61st was forced westward to Umantsevo with heavy losses and in considerable disorder. Despite this setback Trufanov reorganized his forces overnight to resume the advance on Kotelnikovo. 81st Cavalry pushed southwest another 35km to the lower Aksai River, while Kuropatenko's regiments fanned out to the south, southwest, and west by the end of November 26. Further east the 302nd remained more concentrated, with one regiment at Abganerovo as a reserve.^[47]

The 81st Cavalry, accompanied by some 35 tanks of 85th Tank Brigade,:

... together with 4th Separate Antitank Battalion, penetrated into the western and northwestern outskirts of Kotel'nikovo and across the railroad in a surprise raid at first light on 27 November. The enemy was seized with panic but not for long. The slow tempo of the movement into the city gave the enemy an opportunity to assemble subunits and tanks of various types located in Kotel'nikovo and launch a counterattack during the second half of the day. This succeeded in enveloping the left flank of the cavalry units, striking them from the rear, and forcing them to retreat.

In fact, the 81st attempted to take the town just as the lead elements of 6th Panzer arrived from France and began unloading. Meanwhile, the 126th attempted to catch up with the cavalry, taking the towns of Krugliakov and Kovalevka on the Aksai from a Romanian regiment-sized force with 10 tanks, and also captured the railroad bridge northeast of the former place by 1000 hours. It then moved south toward Nebykov on the routes to Kotelnikovo. By the evening the 4th Cavalry Corps and its three supporting rifle divisions were spread over a front in excess of 100km and highly vulnerable to a fresh panzer division.^[48]

Trufanov ordered his forces to continue their advance, but at a more cautious pace. During the first days of December Lt. Gen. E. Raus, commander of 6th Panzer, remained puzzled as to why the Soviet command was allowing him to concentrate at Kotelnikovo. In fact, 51st Army was weaker than he understood, and the Red Air Force was required elsewhere. At dusk on November 30 the Army was preparing defensive positions, with the 126th digging in on a 20km front from Nebykovo to Hills 141 and 172, 25km southwest of Aksai. During the first 10 days of December Raus built Kotelnikovo into a fortified "bridgehead" for the upcoming offensive while 51st Army carried out reconnaissance and put its forces in order. In addition, on December 3-4, as 4th Cavalry Corps fought for the village of Pokhlebin, 6th Panzer committed a group of 45-50 tanks in a counterblow that cost most of the Army, including the division, losses in personnel and weapons.^[49]

As a result of this setback Colonel Kuropatenko was relieved of his command "for poor battle organization and loss of control", and replaced by Col. Veniamin Semyonovich Romanov. Kuropatenko would later lead the 315th, 71st Guards, and 9th Guards Rifle Divisions and would be promoted to major general on September 1, 1943. The 126th advanced some 10km on December 5, bring it up to supporting range of the 302nd, but farther east a 10km-wide gap remained between it and the 91st Division on its left. The situation remained largely unchanged over the next six days.^[50]

The attempt to relieve 6th Army would be led by Field Marshal E. von Manstein, with a strike force mostly consisting of LVII Panzer Corps (initially 6th and 23rd Panzer Divisions), which would push off from Kotelnikovo on December 12. 6th Panzer was lightly screened by 18th Romanian Infantry and hit the 81st Cavalry and 85th Tanks in wedge formation. The defenders were driven off to the north in disorder, with 10 of 14 tanks knocked out. Meanwhile, 23rd Panzer attacked in the Nebykov area. The village was taken at 1335 hours and some 3,000 men of the 302nd were reported as fleeing to the to the northeast; the divisional headquarters was captured and some 250 officers and men were captured. The right wing of the 126th was also struck and forced back to the east into new defenses from Darganov to Sharnutovskii. The rest of the division faced Romanian 5th and 8th Cavalry and Group Pannwitz. Overall it had been a black day for 51st Army.^[51]

6th Panzer continued its advance overnight, taking a bridgehead over the Aksai and reaching the hamlet of Verkhne-Kumskii by noon. Meanwhile, several Soviet forces converged on LVII Panzer, including the 126th, plus the reinforcing 4th and 13th Mechanized Corps and 87th Rifle Division. This led to sustained fighting in this area during December 13-18. On the first day the 13th Mechanized, in cooperation with the remnants of the 126th and 302nd, engaged in a duel with 23rd Panzer. In the afternoon a force of some 30 German tanks with motorized infantry in support attacked the 62nd Mechanized Brigade and its supporting 126th near Ternovyi Sovkhoz. The brigade's 2nd Battalion repulsed the effort, reportedly knocking out eight tanks and killing 250 infantry. 23rd Panzer was unable to find any weak spot and failed to advance through the day.^[52]

During December 14 Soviet forces continued to converge on Verkhne-Kumskii, engaging 6th Panzer. Meanwhile, 23rd Panzer formed a pair of battlegroups to attack 13th Mechanized and its supporting units. The right wing group, based on the 201st Panzer Regiment and 1st Battalion, 128th Panzer-Grenadier Regiment, struck the defenses of 62nd Mechanized and part of the 126th, forcing them out of the village of Samokhin and back to new defenses 1.5-2km to the north. The left wing group attacked the 302nd and the 17th Mechanized Brigade, forcing a crossing of the Aksai. By day's end the Soviet grouping was facing encirclement and Trufanov authorized a full withdrawal across the river, which took place overnight and into the next day. The climax of the battle for Verkhne-Kumskii took place on December 15 as 4th Mechanized retook the village and forced 6th Panzer back to the Aksai. 23rd Panzer pursued the 13th Mechanized, 126th and 302nd, forcing another bridgehead at Shestakov and bringing it to a line with 6th Panzer, which, in principle, would allow the two divisions to jointly attack north to the Myshkova, but the latter would first have to retake Verkhne-Kumskii.^[53]

General Raus intended to make a concentrated attack with over 100 tanks against 4th Mechanized on December 16, but General H. Hoth overruled this decision as too bold. 23rd Panzer had planned to cooperate with 6th Panzer, but its 201st Regiment was forced to defend its bridgehead at Krugliakov which was under attack from the 302nd, part of the 13th Mechanized, and the 20th Tank Destroyer Brigade. The bridgehead was held and another forced at Kovalevka, but the northward drive was stalled. The next day the combined Soviet force, now with part of the 126th, continued to hold the panzers on the entire sector from Krugliakov to Zhutov 2 to the southeast. By now the 17th Panzer Division was finally arriving from across the Don as Hoth gave orders for a renewed effort toward the Myshkova. This began at dawn on December 18 and made several gains but 6th Panzer was still shut out of Verkhne-Kumskii. By now the 2nd Guards Army was arriving along the Myshkova and had taken command of the 4th and 13th Mechanized. The battle had moved past the 126th, which was simply screened by the Romanian Group Popescu. As of December 22 the division was on a sector from 2km west of Aksai to Kurgan Nugra. The next day 6th Panzer was ordered to begin moving west to the rescue of Italian 8th Army, and Winter Storm was effectively at an end.^[54]

As of January 1, 1943, the 51st Army, with four rifle divisions (126th, 302nd, 91st, 87th), had been transferred to Southern Front,^[55] in preparation for a new offensive toward Rostov-on-Don. On December 31 the LVII Panzer Corps began to withdraw from the positions it had taken during Winter Storm. The 126th was along the Sal River, 70-80km northeast of Zimovniki, with its forward detachment 15km ahead. It and the 91st were facing a defensive screen of the 23rd Panzer. Trufanov's report late on January 5 stated in part:

126th RD, after completing a march, concentrated at Ostrovianskii, Bol'shevik, and Chapaev, at 0900 hours. At 1700 hours a battalion of enemy infantry with 20 tanks attacked two of 550th RR's companies at Andrianov, which suffered losses and withdrew 3 kilometres south of Andrianov and Chapaev... The enemy withdrew 3 kilometres south of Andrianov and Chapaev...

This would prove the harbinger of a complex battle between 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps (former 4th Mechanized), the supporting 126th and 91st, plus lead elements of 28th Army, and the 23rd Panzer plus at least one battalion of Germania Regiment of 5th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Wiking". Due to maintenance difficulties and severe winter weather 3rd Guards Mechanized rarely had more than 10 operational tanks by this time. Despite this, Yeryomenko and Trufanov planned a deep envelopment of the German force, which its commander had anticipated, based on air reconnaissance. As the Soviet forces moved southeast of Orlovskaya 23rd Panzer went over to the attack. After striking the 550th Regiment with Battlegroup Bachmann the 23rd's Battlegroup von Heydebreck forced the 366th Regiment back about 1,000m to stronger positions. Beginning at about 0700 hours on January 6 the two German forces got into a three-hour battle with 3rd Guards Mechanized and 6th Guards Tank Brigade which led to the recapture of Stavropol, but a battalion of the 550th was able to drive von Heydebreck out of Andrianov. At day's end the 126th was reported as defending as follows:

366th RR - one rifle battalion on Hill 109.5 to the barn; 550th RR - from the barn to Chapaev; 690th RR (minus one battalion) - in Zakavkaskaia with one company in Kamyshev and two companies with 366th RR on Hill 109.5. Division headquarters - Cherkesskaya [12km southeast of Andrianov].

This indicates that the 550th had abandoned Andrianov for better positions. Late on January 7 Colonel Romanov died, possibly by poison, and was replaced by Col. Konstantin Vasilevich Sychyov, who had been serving as deputy commander since November.^[56]

Despite heavy snow that began at 1800 hours the rifle forces of 3rd Guards Mechanized, with the 126th and 91st, began an overnight attack. At 2300 the 366th Regiment struck 23rd Panzer's armored halftrack battalion in Nizhnyi-Zundov and took the village Four hours later the panzer division's headquarters was informed that a column of Soviet infantry, mounted on 70 light horse carts, and a few motor vehicles (in fact the 550th Regiment) had bypassed the strongpoints guarding Kurmoiarskii and advanced another 10km to the west, taking Orlovskaya, which was on the Kuberle–Proletarskaya rail line. Although the 366th was forced out of Nizhnyi-Zundov by 0500, the 91st surrounded Veselyi and captured it, forcing 23rd Panzer to organize a counterattack on January 8.^[57]

23rd Panzer was now organized into two battle groups and a panzer detachment of 10-20 tanks. The Soviet mobile forces were still suffering severe fuel shortages, which greatly lessened their numerical advantage. The counterattack hit the 126th as it was trying to retake Nizhnyi-Zundov and Verkhne-Zundov at 1400 hours. The 550th was reported as having enveloped the latter place from the southwest by 0800 while also moving on Kurmoiarskii, while the 690th had reached Andianov from Kamyshev. By the end of the day the situation was set for 51st Army's left wing and 28th Army's right wing to make a concentrated attack toward Orlovskaya and Proletarskaya despite the fact that the 550th Regiment had been encircled and forced out of the former by Germania late in the day, losing more than 800 men killed or captured. In a report from Trufanov's headquarters late on January 10 the 366th Regiment was at Nizhnyi-Zundov while the 690th had taken Verkhne-Zundov, with one company at Andrianov facing Germania.^[58]

At the time of the German surrender the men and women of the division shared the full title of 126th Rifle, Gorlovka, twice Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Division. (Russian: 126-я стрелковая Горловская дважды Краснознамённая ордена Суворова дивизия.) According to STAVKA Order No. 11097 of May 29, part 2, it was assigned with its Corps and Army to the Northern Group of Forces.^[59]

On December 25 it began loading onto trains with the rest of 54th Corps for transfer back to the Crimea, where it came under the Taurida Military District and was based at Simferopol. During 1946 it was redesignated and reequipped as the 28th Mechanized Division, which in turn was redesignated as the 101st Motorized Rifle Division in 1957. On November 17, 1964, it became the 126th Motorized Rifle Division and retained that designation until December 1, 1989, when it was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet and became the 283rd Coastal Defense Division, although the number 126th was restored a month later.^[60] It was finally disbanded at the insistence of the government of Ukraine in 1996.

• 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.
• Grylev, A. N. (1970). Перечень № 5. Стрелковых, горнострелковых, мотострелковых и моторизованных дивизии, входивших в состав Действующей армии в годы Великой Отечественной войны 1941-1945 гг [List (Perechen) No. 5: Rifle, Mountain Rifle, Motor Rifle and Motorized divisions, part of the active army during the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat. p. 62
• Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (1964). Командование корпусного и дивизионного звена советских вооруженных сил периода Великой Отечественной войны 1941–1945 гг [Commanders of Corps and Divisions in the Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945] (in Russian). Moscow: Frunze Military Academy. pp. 160–61

• Mikhail Andreevich Kuznetsov
• Efim Vasilevich Bedin
• Yakov Nikolaevich Vronskii
• Dmitrii Semyonovich Kuropatenko
• Konstantin Vasilevich Sychyov
• Aleksandr Ignatevich Kazartsev