| 248th Rifle Division (June 27, 1941 – December 27, 1941) 248th Rifle Division (December 1941 – June 30, 1942) 248th Rifle Division (September 6, 1942 – October 1946) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1946 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov Battle of Stalingrad Operation Uranus Battle of Rostov (1943) Donbas strategic offensive (July 1943) Donbas strategic offensive (August 1943) Battle of the Dniepr Odessa offensive First Jassy–Kishinev offensive Second Jassy–Kishinev offensive Vistula-Oder offensive Battle of Berlin |
| Decorations |  Order of the Red Banner (3rd Formation) |
| Battle honours | Odessa (3rd Formation) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Karol Karlovich Sverchevskii Kombrig Aleksandr Nikolaevich Krivenko Col. Iosif Ivanovich Matusevich Col. Leonid Nikolaevich Alekseev Col. Ivan Danilovich Kovalev Maj. Gen. Nikolai Zakharovich Galai |
The 248th Rifle Division was formed in the Moscow Military District as a reserve infantry division of the Red Army just days after the German invasion of the USSR. It was based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of April 5, 1941 with modifications due to the emergency. It was formed at Vyazma and would remain in the vicinity of this city during its entire 1st formation. When the final German offensive on Moscow began it was ordered to move south by rail, abandoning its positions along the upper reaches of the Dniepr River, but was soon ordered back when the offensive became more widespread. It was mostly encircled during Operation Typhoon and destroyed.
A new 248th Rifle Division was redesignated on April 11, 1942 from a 400-series division that began forming in December in the North Caucasus Military District. It had already been assigned to 28th Army, but was soon reassigned to 6th Army in Southwestern Front. As part of this Army it was located in the Izium-Barvinkove salient at the start of the Second Battle of Kharkiv. As a reserve division it saw little combat until after the German counteroffensive which encircled the salient. The 248th struggled to escape the trap but its losses were so great that it was again disbanded.
The third 248th Rifle Division also formed near Astrakhan, and also soon became part of 28th Army. In the wake of Operation Uranus it advanced westward, taking part in the liberation of Elista at the turn of the year. During January 1943 it pursued the forces of 1st Panzer Army withdrawing from the Caucasus region, and was badly damaged in fighting near Zernograd. After recovering from this it assisted in the final liberation of Rostov-on-Don, and then pursued German forces to the Mius River line. It remained on this line during the spring lull in operations. In August, as part of Southern Front (soon 4th Ukrainian Front) it helped liberate the Donbas before advancing through the rest of southern Ukraine. In April 1944, now under command of 5th Shock Army in 3rd Ukrainian Front, it won a battle honor for the liberation of Odesa. Following an abortive offensive along the Dniestr River in May the 248th served as the Army reserve in the offensive that knocked Romania out of the war in August. After this, the entire 5th Shock was transferred north to join 1st Belorussian Front for operations into Poland and Germany; the division was assigned to 9th Rifle Corps. For its successes in the Vistula-Oder Offensive, particularly its advance through Pomerania, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. After the capture of Berlin the division's subunits were rewarded with a number of honors and decorations, and as a particular distinction a composite regiment made up of its most decorated soldiers was selected to participate in the Berlin Victory Parade. The 248th served in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany until the division was disbanded in October 1946.