392nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

392nd Rifle Division (August 19, 1941 – 1946)
Active	1941 - 1946
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Battle of the Caucasus
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lt. Col. Mikhail Vasilevich Evstigneev

The 392nd Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served during the Great Patriotic War in that role. It was first formed on August 19 in the Transcaucasus Military District as a Georgian National division. It saw its first action in August, 1942, in the 37th Army and in the course of the final push by the 1st Panzer Army in October it was overrun and nearly destroyed, although it was never actually disbanded. In December what remained was moved to the 45th Army on the border with Turkey where it stayed for the duration of the war.

Formation

The 392nd began forming on August 19, 1941 at Gori in the Transcaucasus Military District, Its order of battle, based on the first wartime shtat (table of organization and equipment) for rifle divisions, was as follows:

• 790th Rifle Regiment
• 802nd Rifle Regiment
• 805th Rifle Regiment
• 955th Artillery Regiment
• 90th Antitank Battalion
• 180th Antiaircraft Battery (later 677th Antiaircraft Battalion)
• 674th Mortar Battalion
• 451st Reconnaissance Company
• 670th Sapper Battalion
• 840th Signal Battalion
• 474th Medical/Sanitation Battalion
• 467th Chemical Protection (Anti-gas) Company
• 504th Motor Transport Company
• 239th Field Bakery
• 814th Divisional Veterinary Hospital
• 1447th Field Postal Station
• 718th Field Office of the State Bank

Lt. Col. Mikhail Vasilevich Evstigneev was assigned to command of the division on the day it formed, and he would remain in command until March 3, 1942. It spent almost a year in the rear before seeing combat.

References

Bibliography

• p. 159
• pp. 289-90