23rd Guards Rifle Division
The 23rd Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in March, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 88th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was one of just two Guards divisions to be formed in the far north, the 10th Guards being the other. It continued to serve in Karelian Front, where it was formed, until October when it was railed south to join the 1st Shock Army of Northwestern Front; it would remain in that Army until nearly the end of 1944. Over the next several months it took part in the dismal fighting around the Demyansk salient until it was evacuated by the German II Army Corps in March, 1943. During the rest of the year the division continued battling through the forests and swamps south of Lake Ilmen, occasionally under command of the 14th Guards Rifle Corps, until the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive began in late January, 1944. The 23rd Guards took part in the liberation of Staraya Russa in mid-February and went on to win a battle honor about a week later at Dno. 1st Shock Army (now in 2nd Baltic Front) closed up to the German Panther Line south of Lake Peipus during the spring and then helped break through it at the start of the Baltic Campaign in July. For its part in the liberation of Ostrov the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner before gradually advancing through Latvia towards Riga, which it helped to liberate in October. By now it was in the 12th Guards Rifle Corps which was transferred in late November to the 3rd Shock Army in 1st Belorussian Front. The 23rd Guards would remain under these commands for the duration of the war, advancing across Poland and eastern Germany into Berlin in 1945 and winning a second honorific after the fighting ended. Despite a fine record of service it was disbanded in 1947.
Q251395
Red Army
ORG
Q4032628
88th Rifle Division
MEDIA
Q4028151
10th Guards
MEDIA
Q1729228
Karelian Front
MEDIA
Q163613
1st Shock Army
MEDIA
Q257026
Northwestern Front
PER
Q820168
II Army Corps
ORG
Q203462
Lake Ilmen
LOC
None
14th Guards Rifle Corps
UNK
Q196479
Staraya Russa
LOC
Q135370
Dno
LOC
Q209587
2nd Baltic Front
Concept
Q668087
Panther Line
Concept
Q19253
Lake Peipus
LOC
Q176773
Ostrov
LOC
Q337463
Order of the Red Banner
ORG
Q1773
Riga
LOC
Q23020506
12th Guards Rifle Corps
MEDIA
Q2424428
3rd Shock Army
MEDIA
Q2088142
1st Belorussian Front
MEDIA
Q48941935
23rd Guards Rifle Division
UNK
1942-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1942
DATE
1944-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1944
DATE
1943-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1943
DATE
1944-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1944
DATE
1945-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1945
DATE
1947-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1947
DATE
+23^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
23
NUMBER
+1^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1
NUMBER
+88^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
88
NUMBER
+10^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
10
NUMBER
+1^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1
NUMBER
+14^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
14
NUMBER
+23^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
23
NUMBER
+1^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1
NUMBER
+2^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
2
NUMBER
+12^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
12
NUMBER
+3^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
3
NUMBER
+1^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1
NUMBER
+23^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
23
NUMBER
dissolved, abolished or demolished date
dissolved, abolished or demolished date