16th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
The 16th Rifle Division was a formation in the Red Army
created during the Second World War. The division was formed twice, and was given the title 'Lithuania
n' during its second formation. It was originally established at Novgorod in October 1939. It was wiped out at Mga
in 1941. Reformed and given the title 'Lithuanian', the division participated in several battles against Nazi Germany
, including Kursk
, Belarus, and the Baltic. It was disbanded at the end of the war, although it was briefly revived in 1955 before being disbanded once more.
the 16th Rifle Division (I Formation) was part of North-Western Front
's 27th Army
, reporting directly to Army headquarters along with the 67th Rifle Division and 3rd Rifle Brigade. As noted above, it was destroyed at Mga
amid the first German drive on Leningrad.
, along with Estonia
and Latvia
, had only been occupied by the USSR in 1940 (and then again later in 1944 after the Germans were forced to withdraw), there was a concern among the Soviet planners that the Lithuanians might choose to collaborate with the Germans rather than fight against them. However, it was hoped that since the division was officially labelled "Lithuanian", that citizens of the newly formed Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic would be inspired to enlist.
The decision regarding the re-formation of the division was made by the State Defense Committee
on 18 December 1941. It was decided that it would be formed in the Moscow Military District
, in the city of Balakhna
, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
. Personnel were assembled from staff and remnants of the 184th Rifle Division
(29th Rifle Corps) and any Lithuanian speaking refugees that had fled Lithuania after the German invasion
. The officers of the division were by and large graduates from the Vilnius infantry academy , who had been evacuated after the invasion to Novokuznetsk
, Kemerovo Oblast
.
. This brought the division into the path of the Wehrmacht's "Operation Citadel"
, where it served with the 42nd Rifle Corps of the 48th Army, Soviet Central Front
. In the first days of the battle, the 16th Rifle Division withstood the attack of the German
383rd Infantry and 18th Panzer Division
s, that were accompanied by 120 planes. After suffering serious losses, the Soviet armies eventually emerged victorious. During this battle a private named Viktoras Jacenevičius, was wounded, taken prisoner and then tortured to death by the Germans. He was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
.
Following the victory at Kursk
, the division was assigned to the 1st Baltic Front
. On 1 June 1944, the division was directly subordinate to the Front, along with 47th Rifle Division. Along with the three Belarussian Front
s, they invaded Belarus
and much of Lithuania. On 2 August 1944, division had arrived at the suburbs of Šiauliai
, which was home to their commander, Vladas Karvelis. The division was stationed there for one month, to receive reinforcements from Lithuanian forced-volunteers
.
In mid-August the city of Šiauliai
was hit by a German counter-attack
. The Wehrmacht
divisions were armed with 900 armoured vehicles and artillery
pieces. For three days the 16th Division stood its ground, and in the end as the German attack ran out of steam the Division emerged victorious. On 31 October 1944 the Division was presented with the Order of the Red Banner
for successful operations in clearing Samogitia
.
On 31 January 1945, the Lithuanian division received orders to join the fight against the Germans in the Courland Pocket
. The German resistance was incredibly strong and elements of Army Group Courland
did not surrender to the Soviets until 8 May and 9 at the end of World War II in Europe
.
The 16th Rifle Division was disbanded after the end of the war, but briefly reactivated in 1955 in the Volga-Urals Military District
before being finally disbanded.
(36.3%), 3064 Russians (29%), 2973 Jews
(29%), and 492 of other nationalities (4.8%). Although other sources cite figures of 2378 Jews (23.2%) in the division, it is still the highest number of ethnic Jews amongst all divisions of the Red Army. Jews made 13% (136 persons) of all officers in the division and 34.2% of all soldiers in the infantry regiments. 12 soldiers of a division have been awarded the title, Hero of Soviet Union, of them, four were Jews: major
Volf Vilensky, sergeant
Kalman Shur, corporal
Grigorijus Ušpolis and private
Borisas Cindelis (posthumously).
Originally, commands and orders were given in the Lithuanian language
. However over third of all soldiers in the division did not speak Lithuanian. More problems arose when officers from other divisions were sent to train and transfer their fighting experience to the soldiers of the 16th. Most of them had never heard a word of Lithuanian in their lives, and were mainly Russophone
. For these reasons, the language of commands, orders and even conversation, became Russian and also yiddish.
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
created during the Second World War. The division was formed twice, and was given the title 'Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n' during its second formation. It was originally established at Novgorod in October 1939. It was wiped out at Mga
Mga
Mga is an urban locality in Kirovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: The name is almost certainly from the identically named river Mga on which it lies ; the suggestion that it comes from the initials of the owner of the land in the 19th century, Maria Grigorievna Apraksin Mga ...
in 1941. Reformed and given the title 'Lithuanian', the division participated in several battles against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, including Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
, Belarus, and the Baltic. It was disbanded at the end of the war, although it was briefly revived in 1955 before being disbanded once more.
The Original Division
The division was originally formed in 1918. At the beginning of Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
the 16th Rifle Division (I Formation) was part of North-Western Front
North-Western Front
The Northwestern Front was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-created on June 22, 1941, the first day of the Soviet-German War on the basis of the Baltic Special Military...
's 27th Army
27th Army (Soviet Union)
The 27th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, which fought in World War II. First formed in May 1941. Initial commander was H. E. Berzarin. Took part in battles in the Baltic. On 22 June 1941 it consisted of the 22nd and 24th Rifle Corps, 16th and 67th Rifle Divisions, 3rd Separate...
, reporting directly to Army headquarters along with the 67th Rifle Division and 3rd Rifle Brigade. As noted above, it was destroyed at Mga
Mga
Mga is an urban locality in Kirovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: The name is almost certainly from the identically named river Mga on which it lies ; the suggestion that it comes from the initials of the owner of the land in the 19th century, Maria Grigorievna Apraksin Mga ...
amid the first German drive on Leningrad.
Re-formation
When the 16th Division was reformed after its destruction, it was given the name 'Lithuanian' largely for political purposes. As LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, along with Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, had only been occupied by the USSR in 1940 (and then again later in 1944 after the Germans were forced to withdraw), there was a concern among the Soviet planners that the Lithuanians might choose to collaborate with the Germans rather than fight against them. However, it was hoped that since the division was officially labelled "Lithuanian", that citizens of the newly formed Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic would be inspired to enlist.
The decision regarding the re-formation of the division was made by the State Defense Committee
USSR State Defense Committee
The State Defense Committee was an extraordinary organ of state power in the USSR during the German-Soviet War which held complete state power in the country.-General scope:...
on 18 December 1941. It was decided that it would be formed in the Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
, in the city of Balakhna
Balakhna
Balakhna is a town and the administrative center of Balakhninsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, north of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: 33,500 .-Overview:...
, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: The oblast is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas...
. Personnel were assembled from staff and remnants of the 184th Rifle Division
184th Rifle Division
The 184th Red Banner Rifle Division was a Soviet Red Army division during World War II . It was with 29th Rifle Corps of Eleventh Army on June 22, 1941, as part of the Baltic Military District. Most of the soldiers rebelled and joined the cause of the Lithuanian Activist Front...
(29th Rifle Corps) and any Lithuanian speaking refugees that had fled Lithuania after the German invasion
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. The officers of the division were by and large graduates from the Vilnius infantry academy , who had been evacuated after the invasion to Novokuznetsk
Novokuznetsk
Novokuznetsk is a city in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia. It serves as the administrative center of Novokuznetsky District, but it is not administratively a part of it...
, Kemerovo Oblast
Kemerovo Oblast
Kemerovo Oblast , also known as Kuzbass after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian mountains...
.
Battles
Formation and training of the division came to an end by February 1943 and the division entered the war on 21 February 1943 at Alekseyevka, 50 km southeast of OryolOryol
Oryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
. This brought the division into the path of the Wehrmacht's "Operation Citadel"
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
, where it served with the 42nd Rifle Corps of the 48th Army, Soviet Central Front
Soviet Central Front
The Central Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War.The Central Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war...
. In the first days of the battle, the 16th Rifle Division withstood the attack of the German
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
383rd Infantry and 18th Panzer Division
18th Panzer Division (Germany)
The 18th Panzer Division was a German World War II armoured division that fought on the Eastern Front from 1941 until disbandment in 1943.- Commanding officers :*General der Panzertruppen Walther Nehring, 26 October 1940...
s, that were accompanied by 120 planes. After suffering serious losses, the Soviet armies eventually emerged victorious. During this battle a private named Viktoras Jacenevičius, was wounded, taken prisoner and then tortured to death by the Germans. He was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
.
Following the victory at Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
, the division was assigned to the 1st Baltic Front
1st Baltic Front
The First Baltic Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. The commanders of it were Army General Andrey Yeryomenko and succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It was formed by re-naming the Kalinin Front in October 12, 1943 and took part in several important military...
. On 1 June 1944, the division was directly subordinate to the Front, along with 47th Rifle Division. Along with the three Belarussian Front
Belarussian Front
Belarusian Front may refer to several Soviet fronts of the Second World War:* Belorussian Front formed during the Soviet invasion of Poland *1st Belorussian Front*2nd Belorussian Front*3rd Belorussian Front...
s, they invaded Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
and much of Lithuania. On 2 August 1944, division had arrived at the suburbs of Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
, which was home to their commander, Vladas Karvelis. The division was stationed there for one month, to receive reinforcements from Lithuanian forced-volunteers
Military volunteer
A military volunteer is a person who enlists in military service by free will, and is not a mercenary or a foreign legionaire. Volunteers often enlist to fight in the armed forces of a foreign country. Military volunteers are essential for the operation of volunteer militaries.Many armies,...
.
In mid-August the city of Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
was hit by a German counter-attack
Counter-Attack
Counter-Attack is a 1945 war film starring Paul Muni and Marguerite Chapman as two Russians trapped in a collapsed building with seven enemy German soldiers during World War II...
. The Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
divisions were armed with 900 armoured vehicles and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces. For three days the 16th Division stood its ground, and in the end as the German attack ran out of steam the Division emerged victorious. On 31 October 1944 the Division was presented with the Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
for successful operations in clearing Samogitia
Samogitia
Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...
.
On 31 January 1945, the Lithuanian division received orders to join the fight against the Germans in the Courland Pocket
Courland Pocket
The Courland Pocket referred to the Red Army's blockade or encirclement of Axis forces on the Courland peninsula during the closing months of World War II...
. The German resistance was incredibly strong and elements of Army Group Courland
Army Group Courland
Army Group Courland was a German Army Group on the Eastern Front which was created from remnants of the Army Group North, isolated in the Courland peninsula by the advancing Soviet Army forces during the 1944 Baltic Offensive of the Second World War. The army group remained isolated until the end...
did not surrender to the Soviets until 8 May and 9 at the end of World War II in Europe
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
.
The 16th Rifle Division was disbanded after the end of the war, but briefly reactivated in 1955 in the Volga-Urals Military District
Volga-Urals Military District
The Volga-Ural Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, formed on 1 September 2001 by the amalgamation of the Volga Military District and the Ural Military District. The headquarters of the Ural Military District, located at Yekaterinburg became the new headquarters...
before being finally disbanded.
Structure (World War II)
- 156th Rifle Regiment (commander — ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, V. Luinia) - 167th Rifle Regiment (commander — ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, Vladas Motieka) - 249th Rifle Regiment (commander — Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
F.Lysenko) - 224th Artillery Regiment (commander — MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, Povilas Simonaitis) - Signal Battalion
- Field Engineer Battalion (commander - MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, Petras CiunisPetras CiunisPetras Ciunis was a Lithuanian army officer, educator.- Biography :In 1918, Ciunis graduated from Voronezh Teachers' Seminary . In February 1919, he volunteered for the 1st infantry regiment of the Lithuanian Army...
) - Anti-tank Battalion
- Mortar Battalion
Ethnic composition
As of 1 January 1943, of the 10,250 soldiers and officers of the division, 7,000 of them were ethnic Lithuanians and/or inhabitants of the Lithuanian SSR. The total ethnic make-up of the division was: 3720 LithuaniansLithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
(36.3%), 3064 Russians (29%), 2973 Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
(29%), and 492 of other nationalities (4.8%). Although other sources cite figures of 2378 Jews (23.2%) in the division, it is still the highest number of ethnic Jews amongst all divisions of the Red Army. Jews made 13% (136 persons) of all officers in the division and 34.2% of all soldiers in the infantry regiments. 12 soldiers of a division have been awarded the title, Hero of Soviet Union, of them, four were Jews: major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Volf Vilensky, sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Kalman Shur, corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Grigorijus Ušpolis and private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
Borisas Cindelis (posthumously).
Originally, commands and orders were given in the Lithuanian language
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
. However over third of all soldiers in the division did not speak Lithuanian. More problems arose when officers from other divisions were sent to train and transfer their fighting experience to the soldiers of the 16th. Most of them had never heard a word of Lithuanian in their lives, and were mainly Russophone
Russophone
A Russophone is literally a speaker of the Russian language either natively or by preference. At the same time the term is used in a more specialized meaning to describe the category of people whose cultural background is associated with Russian language regardless of ethnic and territorial...
. For these reasons, the language of commands, orders and even conversation, became Russian and also yiddish.