| 19th Guards Rifle Division (March 17, 1942 – September, 1955) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1955 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} Red Army Soviet Army (from 1946) |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations |  Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov |
| Battle honours | Rudnya Khingan |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. Semyon Ivanovich Bulanov Maj. Gen. David Markovich Barinov Maj. Gen. Ivan Prokofevich Repin Maj. Gen. Boris Semyonovich Maslov Maj. Gen. Pavel Nikolaievich Bibikov |
The 19th Guards Rifle Division was formed from the first formation of the 366th Rifle Division on March 17, 1942. At this time it was in the 52nd Army of Volkhov Front, taking part in the Lyuban Offensive Operation, which was planned to encircle and defeat the enemy forces laying siege to Leningrad. However, just at that time the German 18th Army was in the process of cutting off the Soviet Lyuban grouping in a pocket, and over the following months the division was nearly destroyed. Enough survivors emerged from the swamps in June and July to rebuild the unit, and it fought in the Second Sinyavino Offensive before it was shifted south into Kalinin Front to take part in the battle and siege of Velikiye Luki in December. In the summer of 1943 the 19th Guards fought in the battles for Smolensk, and won its first battle honor, "Rudnya". in September. During the offensive in the summer of 1944 it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its successes in the fighting around Vitebsk. It was further honored in February, 1945, with the Order of Lenin for its role in the victories in East Prussia. In the summer the division was moved by rail with its 39th Army to the Far East and saw action in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August, winning its second battle honor, "Khingan", for its services. The division continued to see service well into the postwar era.