351st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

351st Rifle Division
Active	1941–1945
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Barvenkovo–Lozovaya Offensive Operation Second Battle of Kharkov Battle of the Caucasus Kuban Bridgehead Battle of Kiev (1943) Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive Vistula-Oder Offensive Prague Offensive
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner 2nd Formation  Order of Suvorov 2nd Formation  Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd Formation
Battle honours	Shepetovka
Commanders
Notable commanders	Col. Nikolai Ustinovich Gursky Maj. Gen. Yemelyan Vasilevich Kozik Maj. Gen. Ilya Fyodorovich Dudarev

The 351st Rifle Division first formed in September 1941, as a standard Red Army rifle division, at Stalingrad. It was assigned to the newly formed 57th Army in the same area shortly after forming, and remained in that Army for the duration of its existence. It helped to carve out the bridgehead north of Rostov known as the Izium Salient, but was encircled and destroyed during the Second Battle of Kharkov. A second 351st began forming in July 1942 in the North Caucasus, and went into combat in October, liberating the town of Alagir in January 1943. During the rest of that year and on into 1944 the division participated in the liberation of Ukraine under several Corps and Army headquarters and under command of a bewildering series of divisional commanders until Maj. Gen. I. F. Dudarev took command in April 1944, and held the post for just over a year. During its second formation the division compiled an enviable record of service and was recognized with several unit decorations and honors, but was disbanded shortly after the end of hostilities in Europe.