First formation The division was initially formed in September 1918 as the 2nd Penza Infantry Division. It was later renamed as the 5th Rifle Division (October 1918), Saratov (1920), Vitebsk (1921), and 'in the name of the Czechoslovak Proletariat' (1925). For successful operations during the
Russian Civil War it was awarded the Honourable Revolutionary Red Banner in 1929. In August 1939 it was deployed to the
Belorussian Special Military District. On September 17, 1939, the division was assigned to the
4th Rifle Corps,
Third Army of the
Belorussian Front. On October 2, 1939, the division was reassigned to the
10th Rifle Corps, Third Army of the Belorussian Front. In September–October 1939 it took part in the
Soviet invasion of Poland. From October 1939 it was deployed in Lithuania according to the
Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty. Since July 1940 it was stationed in the
Baltic Military District. During the
Second World War, the division was part of the
Eleventh Army (where it was part of
16th Rifle Corps at the outbreak of the war),
27th Army,
Soviet First Guards Army and
65th Army. As of October 1, 1941, the division was a part of the
31st Army of the
Soviet Reserve Front. The division participated in defensive fights on as part of the
Soviet Western Front, in Moscow and at the
Battle of Stalingrad, in fights for Donbass and clearing of Left-bank Ukraine, in the Gomel-Rechitsa, Belarus, Mlawo-Elbing,
East Pomerania and the
Berlin offensive operations. For its service in battle the division became the
44th Guards Rifle Division on October 5, 1942. It was later awarded the honourable name "Baranovichskaya" ("Барановичская"; on July 27, 1944), the
Order of Lenin and
Order of Suvorov, 2nd degree. Twelve thousand of its soldiers were awarded awards and medals and 22 were named
Heroes of the Soviet Union. It was stationed in Poland with the
105th Rifle Corps after the end of the war and disbanded in June 1946. Force Composition, October 1939 • 142nd Rifle Regiment • 190th Rifle Regiment • 336th Rifle Regiment • 27th Light Artillery Regiment • 174th Howitzer Regiment
Second formation The 5th Rifle Division was reformed on 13 October 1942 from the 109th Rifle Brigade. On 1 May 1945 it was part of
40th Rifle Corps (5th Rifle Division,
129th, and
169th Rifle Divisions), as part of
3rd Army (Soviet Union). Both the corps and its three divisions, including the 5th Rifle, were withdrawn to Belorussia, and 40th Rifle Corps headquarters and 5th Rifle Division were stationed at
Vitebsk. There they were disbanded in June 1946. ==See also==