2nd Training Motor Rifle Division "Alp Arslan"
The 2nd Training Motorized Rifle Division named after Alp Arslan is a division of the Turkmen Ground Forces. Its headquarters is at Tejen in the Ahal Region. It traces its history to the 357th Rifle Division formed in August 1941 in Sarapul in the then Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a standard Red Army rifle division. It notably served on the front lines of the 1st Baltic Front during the Second World War. Particularly, it helped lead the 3rd Shock Army in the battle and siege of Velikiye Luki. By late October 1945, the division had been transferred to the Turkmen SSR, where it was re-designated four times as Soviet Army unit. It remained in Turkmenistan even after the events of 1991 and serves as one of four units in its armed forces.
| 357th Rifle Division (August 1941 – March 4, 1955) 209th District Training Centre 2nd Training Motor Rifle Division (2000s-onwards) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1955 2000s-present |
| Country | Soviet Union (1941-1991) Turkmenistan (since 2000s) |
| Branch | Red Army (1941-1946) Soviet Army (1946-1991) Turkmen Ground Forces (since 2000s) |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Garrison/HQ | Tejen, Ahal Region |
| Engagements | Battles of Rzhev Operation Seydlitz Battle of Velikiye Luki Battle of Nevel (1943) Operation Bagration Riga Offensive (1944) Courland Pocket |
| Decorations | Order of Suvorov |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Colonel Dmitry Kirshev Lieutenant Colonel Batyr Mollayev |
In the summer and autumn of 1944 the 357th took part in the Riga Offensive into the Baltic states, and won the Order of Suvorov for its part in the liberation of that city.