ORDER

OF THE SUPREME COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

To Army General Sokolovsky

The troops of the Western Front, continuing their successful offensive, forced the River Dnieper and after stubborn fighting today, 25 September, took by storm the large regional centre, the city of Smolensk — the most important strategic defensive strongpoint of the Germans in the western direction.

On this same day, the troops of the Western Front, after two days of fierce fighting, broke the enemy's resistance and captured the operationally important communications junction and powerful German defensive strongpoint in the Mogilev direction — the town of Roslavl.

In the fighting for the liberation of the cities of Smolensk and Roslavl, the troops of Lieutenant-General Gluzdovsky, Lieutenant-General Krylov, Lieutenant-General Polenov, Colonel-General Gordov, Lieutenant-General Sukhomlin, Lieutenant-General Zhuravlev, Lieutenant-General Popov, Lieutenant-General Grishin, the airmen of Lieutenant-General of Aviation Gromov and Marshal of Aviation Golovanov distinguished themselves.

Those who especially distinguished themselves were:

The 331st Red Banner Rifle Division of [Major-General] Berestov, the 215th Rifle Division of Major-General Iovlev, the 133rd Rifle Division of Colonel Kazishvili, the 222nd Rifle Division of Major-General Gryzlov, the 312th Rifle Division of Colonel Moiseyevsky, the 199th Rifle Division of Colonel Kononenko, the 56th Guards Rifle Division of Colonel Kolobutin, the 42nd Rifle Division of Major-General Multan, the 153rd Rifle Division of Colonel Krasnov, the 32nd Cavalry Division of Colonel Kalyuzhny, the 4th Guards [Heavy] Gun Artillery Division of Major-General of Artillery Kozhukhov, the 2nd Assault Aviation Corps of Major-General of Aviation Stepichev, the 3rd Guards Bomber Aviation Division of Colonel Andreyev, the 303rd Fighter Aviation Division of Major-General of Aviation Zakharov, the 309th Fighter Aviation Division of Lieutenant-Colonel Vuss, the 367th Independent Machine-Gun-Artillery Battalion of Major Savenko, the 392nd Krasnoyarsk Corps Artillery Regiment of Colonel Sergeyev, the 644th Gun Artillery Regiment of Colonel Krivoshapov, the 873rd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment of Colonel Bildin, the 549th Mortar Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Sotskov, the 317th Guards Mortar Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Kopnin, the 201st Independent Guards Mortar Battalion of Major Bagaveyev, the 35th Independent Guards Mortar Battalion of Major Bogorodsky, the 49th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division of Colonel Kaminsky, the 341st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Khilko, the 1478th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Semyonov, the 42nd Guards Tank Brigade of Colonel Kotov, the 153rd Tank Brigade of Colonel Krutiy, the 4th Guards Tank Brigade of Colonel Savchenko, the 1st Assault Komsomol Engineer [Sapper] Brigade of Colonel Petrov, the 1st Guards Anti-Tank Artillery Brigade of Colonel Basov, the 247th Rifle Division of Major-General Mukhin, the 139th Rifle Division of Colonel Kirillov, the 326th Rifle Division of Colonel Gusev, the 49th Rifle Division of Major-General Chizhov, the 277th Rifle Division of Major-General Gladyshev, the 344th Rifle Division of Colonel Strakhov, the 231st Assault Aviation Division of Colonel Chizhikov, the 564th Gun Artillery Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Gusev, the 447th Red Banner Gun Artillery Regiment of [Colonel] Chvykov, the 542nd Mortar Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Radchenko, the 992nd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Pupkov, the 345th [Army] Engineer Battalion of Major Gusev, the 303rd [Army] Engineer Battalion of Captain Petukhov, the 306th [Army] Engineer Battalion of Major Sinitsyn, the 1268th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment of Major Sazonov, the 54th Guards Mortar Regiment of Major Lavrinovich, the 2nd Independent Guards Mortar Battalion of Major Yeremin, the 36th Long-Range Aviation Division of Major-General of Aviation Dryanin, the 2nd Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment of Colonel Balashov, the 3rd Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Glazkov, the 14th Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Zenkov, the 455th Long-Range Aviation Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Chebetyayev, the 13th Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Dmitriyev, the 17th Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Matrosov, the 19th Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Shaposhnikov.

To commemorate the victory won, the formations and units that distinguished themselves in the fighting for the liberation of the cities of Smolensk and Roslavl shall be awarded the designations "Smolensk" and "Roslavl."

Henceforth these formations and units shall be named:

331st Red Banner Smolensk Rifle Division,

215th Smolensk Rifle Division,

133rd Smolensk Rifle Division,

222nd Smolensk Rifle Division,

312th Smolensk Rifle Division,

199th Smolensk Rifle Division,

56th Guards Smolensk Rifle Division,

42nd Smolensk Rifle Division,

153rd Smolensk Rifle Division,

32nd Smolensk Cavalry Division,

4th Guards Smolensk [Heavy] Gun Artillery Division,

2nd Smolensk Assault Aviation Corps,

3rd Guards Smolensk Bomber Aviation Division,

303rd Smolensk Fighter Aviation Division,

309th Smolensk Fighter Aviation Division,

367th Smolensk Independent Machine-Gun-Artillery Battalion,

392nd Krasnoyarsk-Smolensk Corps Artillery Regiment,

644th Smolensk Gun Artillery Regiment,

873rd Smolensk Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment,

549th Smolensk Mortar Regiment,

317th Guards Smolensk Mortar Regiment,

201st Guards Smolensk Independent Mortar Battalion,

35th Guards Smolensk Independent Mortar Battalion,

49th Smolensk Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division,

341st Smolensk Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment,

1478th Smolensk Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment,

42nd Guards Smolensk Tank Brigade,

153rd Smolensk Tank Brigade,

4th Guards Smolensk Tank Brigade,

1st Smolensk Assault Komsomol Engineer Brigade,

1st Guards Smolensk Anti-Tank Artillery Brigade,

36th Smolensk Long-Range Aviation Division,

2nd Guards Smolensk Long-Range Aviation Regiment,

3rd Guards Smolensk Long-Range Aviation Regiment,

14th Guards Smolensk Long-Range Aviation Regiment,

455th Smolensk Long-Range Aviation Regiment,

247th Roslavl Rifle Division,

139th Roslavl Rifle Division,

326th Roslavl Rifle Division,

49th Roslavl Rifle Division,

277th Roslavl Rifle Division,

344th Roslavl Rifle Division,

231st Roslavl Assault Aviation Division,

564th Roslavl Gun Artillery Regiment,

447th Red Banner Roslavl Gun Artillery Regiment,

542nd Roslavl Mortar Regiment,

992nd Roslavl Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment,

345th Roslavl [Army] Engineer Battalion,

303rd Roslavl [Army] Engineer Battalion,

306th Roslavl [Army] Engineer Battalion,

1268th Roslavl Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment,

54th Guards Roslavl Mortar Regiment,

2nd Guards Roslavl Independent Mortar Battalion,

13th Guards Roslavl Long-Range Aviation Regiment,

17th Guards Roslavl Long-Range Aviation Regiment,

19th Guards Roslavl Long-Range Aviation Regiment.

Today, 25 September, at 21:00 hours, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, in the name of the Motherland salutes our valiant troops who liberated the cities of Smolensk and Roslavl, with twenty artillery salvoes from two hundred and twenty-four guns.

For excellent combat operations I declare my gratitude to all the troops under your command who took part in the fighting for Smolensk and Roslavl.

Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the struggle for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!

Death to the German invaders!

Supreme Commander-in-Chief

Marshal of the Soviet Union I. STALIN

25 September 1943 [No. 25]

NOTE

1. So in the order. At that time the position of commander of the 4th Guards Tank Brigade was held by Colonel Brazhnnikov A.P.