A new 52nd Rifle Division formed on Mar. 1, 1942 at
Kolomna in the Moscow Military District. The division was completed in about three months. It arrived at the front in late July 1942, as part of
30th Army, in
Kalinin Front, just in time to participate in the
First Rzhev–Sychyovka Offensive Operation. The 52nd, along with the rest of 30th Army, was transferred to
Western Front in August. The division was quickly worn down in these battles of attrition very near the town of Rzhev but, along with the
2nd and
16th Guards Rifle Divisions, was able to liberate the key village of Polunino and advance 6 km to the outskirts of the town during the following months. After rebuilding, on the last day of 1942 the 52nd began moving south to
Southwestern Front. It took part in the
Soviet offensive towards Kharkov in early 1943, serving at various times in the
1st Guards Army, the
Popov Mobile Group, and the
3rd Tank Army. This effort did not go well for the division, as it was assaulted and partially overrun by German forces. By the end of the winter the 52nd was in
57th Army, the former 3rd Tank Army, where it remained with few exceptions until the end of 1944. From March to July the division was dug in along the line of the
Donets River. In August 1943, the division moved with 57th Army to
Steppe Front, coming under command of Col. A.Ia. Maksimov on Aug. 12. From the end of September to Oct. 26 it was in reserves, at
Merefa near
Kharkov, an indication of how much damage it had suffered in the pursuit of German forces after the
Battle of Kursk, during which time it assisted in the liberation of Kharkov and
Krasnograd. At the end of November it joined
64th Rifle Corps. The 52nd entered and helped expand the Soviet
Kremenchug-
Dnepropetrovsk bridgehead across the
Dnepr River before digging in along the
Ingulets River for the winter. before being halted in the
First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive. In August
a new offensive was launched, and the 52nd played a role in the destruction of the German and Romanian forces in this southern sector. After the capture of
Belgrade on Oct. 20, due to losses the division again went into reserves in the town of
Ruma, rebuilding to a strength of 6,000 men by the end of December. The division was awarded the
Order of the Red Banner in recognition of its "courage and valor" in the capture of Belgrade on 14 November. In January 1945, 52nd was transferred to
4th Guards Army, and later that same month to
46th Army, which was shifted to
2nd Ukrainian Front in March. In April the division was given part of the credit for the capture of
Vienna and got that city's name as an honorific. On 1 May 1945 the division was with
18th Guards Rifle Corps,
53rd Army, in
2nd Ukrainian Front, alongside
109th Guards Rifle Division and
317th Rifle Division. It ended the war with Germany fighting near
Prague. Along with its Army, the division was railed across Siberia to take part in the
Soviet invasion of Manchuria. On 9 August 1945 the 52nd Rifle Division was with
57th Rifle Corps, in the
53rd Army,
Transbaikal Front. It saw little combat with Japanese forces and ended the war in southern Manchuria. It carried the official title of 52nd Rifle, Shumlinskaya-Vienna, Twice Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Division. (Russian:
52-я стрелковая Шумлинская-Венская дважды Краснознамённая ордена Суворова дивизия) After the war, the division relocated with the
66th Rifle Corps to the
Odessa Military District at
Haivoron. It became the 43rd Rifle Brigade there and disbanded in December 1946. == Third Formation ==