The 83rd Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in April 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 97th Rifle Division. It served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Throughout its combat path, it was considered a "sister" to the 84th Guards Rifle Division.
It was redesignated after the relatively minor battles along the front held by the 16th Army north of the Oryol salient during most of 1942 and into early 1943. Under a STAVKA directive of April 16, that Army was officially redesignated as the 11th Guards Army on May 1, 1943. The division was immediately assigned to the 8th Guards Rifle Corps, and it would serve under these commands for the duration of the war.
It re-entered the fighting in July, during the offensive for the liberation of the Oryol region. By early autumn, the entire Army was moved northward, becoming part of the 2nd Baltic Front before moving to the 1st Baltic Front. The 83rd Guards saw combat in the slow and bloody battles east and north of Vitebsk through the winter, during which it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and, shortly after, a divisional honorific. Early during the summer offensive against Army Group Center, now as part of the 3rd Belorussian Front, the division further distinguished itself in crossing the Berezina River and liberating the city of Borisov, later receiving the Order of Suvorov. It then joined in the advance through Lithuania and into East Prussia, taking part in the siege and capture of Königsberg before moving with its Army to the Zemland Group of Forces and spending the last weeks of the war mopping up German resistance in the Baltic ports. Despite a notable record, the 83rd Guards was gradually disbanded from mid-1945 to mid-1946.
Formation The 83rd Guards was redesignated on April 10, 1943, in recognition of the 97th Rifle Division's steadfast qualities in positional fighting north of the Oryol salient through most of 1942 and early 1943, including the forcing of the Zhizdra River line in early April. It officially received its Guards banner on May 3. At that time, its order of battle became as follows: 248th Guards Rifle Regiment (from 69th Rifle Regiment) 250th Guards Rifle Regiment (from 136th Rifle Regiment) 252nd Guards Rifle Regiment (from 233rd Rifle Regiment)Charles C. Sharp, "Red Guards", Soviet Guards Rifle and Airborne Units 1941 to 1945, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, vol. IV, Nafziger, 1995, p. 78 187th Guards Artillery Regiment (from 41st Artillery Regiment) 89th Guards Antitank Battalion (later 89th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion) 84th Guards Reconnaissance Company 94th Guards Sapper Battalion 114th Guards Signal Battalion 90th Guards Medical/Sanitation Battalion 87th Guards Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Company (from May 5, 1943, renumbered 68th) 85th Guards Motor Transport Company 81st Guards Field Bakery 86th Guards Divisional Veterinary Hospital 1664th Field Postal Station 1097th Field Office of the State Bank The division continued under the command of Maj. Gen. Yakov Stepanovich Vorobyov, who had commanded the 97th since June 8, 1942. As of the beginning of June, it was in the 8th Guards Rifle Corps of Lt. Gen. I. K. Bagramyan's 11th Guards Army, on the southern flank of the Western Front along with the 4th Tank Army. The Corps also contained the 11th and 26th Guards Rifle Divisions.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1943, p. 159
Operation Kutuzov The German Operation Zitadelle officially ended on July 12, the same day that forces of the Western and Bryansk Fronts struck the positions of the 2nd Panzer Army on the north flank of the Oryol salient. The 8th Guards Corps was deployed with the 11th and 83rd Guards in first echelon, supported by the 43rd Guards Tank Brigade, the 2nd Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, and a self-propelled artillery regiment, while the 26th Guards was in second echelon. The Corps' attack was to be supported by the 3rd Artillery Division, an artillery regiment, a Guards Mortar Regiment, and a heavy-caliber artillery brigade. The Corps would make its main attack along the Army's right flank in the direction of Belyi Verkh and Obukhovo.Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Kursk, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2016, Kindle ed., Book Two, part one, ch. 2
Following a massive preparatory bombardment, the 11th Guards Army achieved a deep penetration at the boundary between the German 211th and 293rd Infantry Divisions. General Bagramyan committed his mobile forces in the afternoon and advanced about 10–12 km. Army Group Center hurriedly brought up the 5th Panzer Division to mount a counterattack in the evening, which was unsuccessful.Roman Töppel, Kursk 1943: The Greatest Battle of the Second World War, Helion & Co., Ltd., Warwick, UK, 2018, Kindle ed., ch. 2, sect. Operation Kutuzov On the morning of July 13, the 8th Guards Corps renewed its attack. The 11th Guards Division, along with the 43rd Guards Tanks, battled in the direction of Staritsa, while the 83rd Guards and the 2nd Guards Heavy Tanks advanced toward Ulyanovo, outflanking it from the west and east. The German forces, making use of prepared positions, directed powerful interlocking fire and launched repeated counterattacks with tanks and infantry, which slowed the Soviet advance. A surprise thrust by the 11th Guards from the southeast cleared Staritsa by 1300 hours; this, in turn, weakened the defenses of Ulyanovo, and one rifle regiment of the 83rd Guards, with tank support, broke into it through its western outskirts. While the German garrison made every effort to throw this regiment out, the rest of the division, backed by most of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, launched a powerful attack from the northeast. With the village outflanked from two sides, it was taken by 1430 hours, its garrison almost completely destroyed.Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Kursk, Kindle ed., Book Two, part one, ch. 2
Battles for Yagodnaya With the victories at Staritsa and Ulyanovo, General Bagramyan committed the 5th Tank Corps into the breach with the mission of attacking in the direction of Krapivna. The Corps' 70th Tank Brigade, reinforced with a battalion of the 83rd Guards, energetically pursued the German remnants falling back in disorder, forced the Vytebet River, broke into Yagodnaya, and, in the course of an advance of over 30 km in half a day of fighting, inflicted heavy losses. Bagramyan became uneasy at having this force so far in advance (up to 15 km) of the remainder of 5th Tanks and ordered it to fall back from Yagodnaya to the Krapivna area; it would later take two days of stubborn fighting with newly arrived German reserves to retake Yagodnaya. Meanwhile, the remainder of the division, with the rest of 8th Guards Corps, developed the offensive to the south, reaching a line from Senichkin to Krakhmalnyi Zavod.Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Kursk, Kindle ed., Book Two, part one, ch. 2
On July 14, the 83rd and 26th Guards Divisions, in conjunction with units of the 5th and 1st Tank Corps, launched a powerful attack and completely destroyed the 350th Security Battalion, routed the remaining German covering units, captured Afonasova, Melekhova, Shvanova, and Sopovo, and seized crossings over the Vytebet east of Melekhova. Overnight, the 2nd Panzer Army concentrated elements of the 18th and 20th Panzer Divisions in the Yagodnaya area. The commander of 8th Guards Corps, Lt. Gen. P. F. Malyshev, knowing the extent of German fortifications, declined to directly attack Yagodnaya and chose to force the Vytebet in the Shvanova area. The 83rd Guards and the main forces of the 5th Tanks concentrated in the Shvanova - Sopovo area in order to outflank Yagodnaya from the south, while the 26th Guards, with tank support, would do the same from the north. The attack began on the morning of July 15, and, following massed artillery fire, the division forced the Vytebet in a headlong attack with the tanks close behind. Despite stubborn resistance and counterattacks aimed at guarding the road to Bolkhov, the Yagodnaya garrison was threatened with complete encirclement, and, after abandoning its wounded, heavy weapons, and other equipment, began falling back hurriedly to the southeast.Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Kursk, Kindle ed., Book Two, part one, ch. 2
The 1st Tank Corps crossed the Vytebet behind the 83rd Guards and the 5th Tanks and, as called for by the operational plan, turned sharply to the south. Together with the 250th Guards Rifle Regiment, they moved in the direction of Uzkoe. This maneuver was unexpected by the defenders, and the combined force reached the Studenka - Gnezdilovo - Selikhovo area on July 16, seriously threatening the left flank of the German Bolkhov group of forces. Meanwhile, the remainder of the 8th Guards Corps reached a line from Zhuevka to Mashok but was facing increasing resistance from German reserves, soon including the 9th Panzer and parts of the 4th Panzer and 10th Motorized Divisions. The Corps was also reinforced with the 108th Rifle Division which, in cooperation with the 5th Tanks, cut the Bolkhov - Khotynets road by July 19.Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Kursk, Kindle ed., Book Two, part one, ch. 2
Battles for Bolkhov On July 20, the German forces went over to the counterattack, soon clearing the road but failing to encircle and eliminate the 108th Division. These attacks continued until late on July 22 and forced Soviet withdrawals on several sectors, but were halted by the 8th and 36th Guards Rifle Corps and the 25th Tank Corps. These forces renewed their offensive the next day and by the end of July 25 had reached a jumping-off point for a decisive attack to eliminate the German Bolkhov grouping in cooperation with the 61st Army of the Bryansk Front. The 8th Guards Corps had finished a regrouping along a line from Stolbchee to Kozyulkina to Krivchee.Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Kursk, Kindle ed., Book Two, part one, ch. 3
By July 26, after several delays, the 4th Tank Army had reached the front. The 11th Guards Army was to break through the German defense with the 8th and 36th Guards Corps and create a breach for the 4th Tank Army, then follow in the direction of Borilovo. The assault began that day following a powerful one-hour artillery preparation, but encountered a stubborn and well-organized defense and failed to break through. The Soviet command was forced to commit the 4th Tank Army to complete the breach while still facing a strong antitank defense which claimed many vehicles and limited the penetration to just 3 km in depth. However, the defenders were also shaken, and overnight received orders to abandon Bolkhov while continuing to hold the road to Khotynets. Intense fighting continued into July 27, and two days later, the 11th Guards Army completed its breakthrough, while the 61st Army finished clearing Bolkhov. By July 30, the 8th Guards Corps, in close coordination with units of the 4th Tank Army, was pursuing the remnants of the Bolkhov grouping and had reached a line from Proletarskii to Bolshaya Chern to outside Krivchevskii.Soviet General Staff, The Battle of Kursk, Kindle ed., Book Two, part one, ch. 3
Battles for Khotynets