Artillery Breakthrough Division

a large unit of the Supreme Command of the Soviet Armed Forces.

The first artillery breakthrough divisions were created during the course of the Great Patriotic War in the autumn of 1942; during the winter of 1942–43 they were used in the counteroffensive near Stalingrad. They constituted a powerful means of fire and were designed for the quantitative and qualitative reinforcement of troop (field) artillery during a breakthrough of a strong, deeply echeloned enemy defense that is distributed in depth. Artillery breakthrough divisions initially included eight regiments. Later the organization of these divisions changed. During the spring of 1943 they consisted of six brigades (light howitzer, infantry mortar, cannon, heavy howitzer, and large capacity howitzer—a total of 356 guns and infantry mortars). During the summer of 1944 the divisions were organized into seven brigades each. They included light howitzer, heavy howitzer, large capacity howitzer, infantry mortar, heavy infantry mortar, and guards infantry mortar brigades. One unit of the artillery breakthrough division was included in the artillery breakthrough corps, and the other units were separate. By the end of the war (1945) there were 32 artillery breakthrough divisions. With their creation there were increased possibilities for the strategic maneuvering of large masses of artillery, and its direction was facilitated.