| 121st Guards Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1943–1946 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} Red Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | Battle of Smolensk (1943) Gomel-Rechitsa Offensive Kamenets-Podolsky pocket Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive Vistula-Oder Offensive Silesian Offensives Battle of Berlin Prague Offensive |
| Decorations |  Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov |
| Battle honours | Gomel |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Logvin Davidovich Chervony |
The 121st Guards Rifle Division was formed on September 23, 1943, based on the first formation of the 342nd Rifle Division, in the 80th Rifle Corps of 3rd Army. During 1943 it shared a similar combat path to that of the 120th Guards Rifle Division, which was formed in the same Army about a week later. On November 26 it was given credit for its role in the liberation of Gomel and won that city's name as an honorific. It was soon reassigned to 13th Army and would serve under that command for the rest of the war. In 1944 the division helped form the bridgehead over the Vistula at Sandomir, and in January, 1945, joined in the breakout from this bridgehead and the subsequent advance through Poland and into Germany, earning its final honor for the capture of Wittenberg. The 121st Guards ended the war in western Czechoslovakia with a very impressive combat record.