| Unit Name: | 179th Rifle Division |
| Dates: |
|
| Branch: | Red Army |
| Type: | Infantry |
| Size: | Division |
| Battles: | Eastern Front (1941-1945) |
| Decorations: | Order of the Red Banner |
| Battle Honours: | Vitebsk |
The 179th Vitebsk Red Banner Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II.
Established at Vilnius on 17 August 1940 as part of the 29th Lithuanian Territorial Rifle Corps on the basis of the 1st Infantry Division of the Lithuanian Army:
| Lithuanian Army units from which the Soviet unit was formed | Soviet units | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Division's HQ, Lithuanian Army's Staff | HQ | |
| 1st Division's HQ,Lithuanian Army's Staff, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Cavalry Regiment | 215th Rifle Regiment | |
| 1st, 8th Infantry Regiments, 1st Cavalry Regiment | 234th Rifle Regiment | |
| 2nd, 3rd Infantry Regiments, 3rd Cavalry Regiment | 259th Rifle Regiment |
With 29th Rifle Corps of 11th Army on June 22, 1941. Fought at Kalinin, Gomel, and Vitebsk; with 4th Shock Army of the Kurland Group (Leningrad Front) May 1945.
It was reduced to the 27th Rifle Brigade in 1948 at Uralsk. It became a division again in October 1953.[1]
In 1955, the division became the 4th Rifle Division at Buzuluk in the South Ural Military District.[2]