three batteries of four guns each, plus an antitank rifle platoon with seven ATRs. Siege of Breslau In January 1945, the 359th was reassigned with 76th Rifle Corps from 3rd Guards Army to 6th Army. The division would remain in this Army for the duration, once again coming under the command of Lt. Gen. V. A. Gluzdovsky. During the Lower Silesian Offensive Operation, 6th Army was given responsibility for the siege and capture of Breslau, beginning on 13 February. On 5 April the 359th was recognized for its role in forcing a crossing of the Oder River northwest of the city with the award of the Order of the Red Banner. During the course of the siege, Private Vasily Ivanovich Nechval, a light machine-gunner of the 1198th Rifle Regiment, was noted for his valor in one of the crossing operations in the early stages of the siege, and on 27 June was recognized with the award of the Gold Star of a Hero of the Soviet Union (Medal No. 8154). Postwar By the end of the war the division had earned the full title 359th Rifle, Yartsevo, Order of the Red Banner Division: (Russian: 322-я стрелковая Ярцевской Краснознамённая дивизия). On 4 June, in further recognition of its successful service in the final reduction of Breslau the division was awarded the Order of Lenin, a rare distinction for an ordinary rifle division. It was disbanded shortly afterwards in accordance with the 29 May order that created the Central Group of Forces, and its troops used to reinforce the latter. References Citations Bibliography p. 277 External links Vladimir Romanovich Vashkevich 359 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner