61st Cavalry Division (Soviet Union)
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| 61st Cavalry Division (September 1941 – 20 May 1943) | |
|---|---|
 Col. A.V. Stavenkov after promotion to Major General. | |
| Active | 1941–1943 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch |  Red Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Cavalry |
| Engagements | Battle of Stalingrad Operation Uranus Operation Winter Storm |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. N. G. Gadalin Col. A. V. Stavenkov |
The 61st Cavalry Division was a cavalry division of the Red Army that served in the first years of the Great Patriotic War. It was formed in September – October, 1941, and saw its first actions to the south of Stalingrad during the German siege of that city in the autumn of 1942. When the Soviet counteroffensive, Operation Uranus, began in November the 61st formed a significant part of the mobile forces of its 51st Army. After the positions of Romanian 4th Army were broken through the division took part in the exploitation to the southwest, but became overextended and vulnerable to the mobile German reinforcements arriving to attempt a breakthrough to their Sixth Army. The 61st suffered such severe losses that it had to be withdrawn to the reserves in December, and was later disbanded.
The 61st Cavalry Division began forming in September, 1941 in the Central Asia Military District. It was mostly recruited from men of several Central Asian nationalities. It received its first commanding officer, Colonel Nikolai Gadalin, on September 25.
When formed, by the middle of the next month, its basic order of battle was as follows:
- 213th Cavalry Regiment
- 219th Cavalry Regiment
- 222nd Cavalry Regiment
- 13th Horse Artillery Battalion[1]
In November the division was assigned to 4th Cavalry Corps, and it would remain in that Corps as long as they both existed. The 3rd formation of this Corps had been serving in the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran; following this its divisions were transferred to the occupation force while the headquarters and corps assets returned to Central Asia Military District. It was then assigned three new divisions: the 61st, 63rd and 81st Cavalry.[2][3] In May, 1942, the division came under the command of Colonel Vasily Baumshtein, then, in June, was handed over to Colonel Anatolii Stavenkov, who would remain in command until the end of February, 1943.
The division crossed the Caspian Sea by ship to Astrakhan. At Olya the ships were unloaded by barges. 4th Cavalry Corps, which by now consisted of only the 61st and 81st Divisions, was assigned to 51st Army in Southwestern Front, south of Stalingrad, in October, 1942. In orders issued by Gen. G.K. Zhukov on October 15 to the front commander, Gen. A.I. Yeryomenko, the latter was to:
"Concentrate 61st Cavalry Division in the Solodnikov region and 81st Cavalry Division in the Chernyi Yar region to protect the crossings over the Volga River."[4]
This attempt to relieve 62nd Army, along with several others in October and early November, had no success.
