Researching Red Army/Navy Units

[patricko]

Could anyone please let me know where the 296th Guards Order of Kutuzov 3rd class Rifle Regiment in the 98th Guards Red Banner Svirsk Rifle Division was during March 1945.

I have a bravery medal awarded for actions on March 16 near height 207. It appears to be somewhere near Budapest based on the brief divisional history I have been able to acquire.

Thanks in advance,

Simon

P.S. This regiment appears to have originally been an airborne unit which was converted into a rifle regiment.

According to Ch. Sharp (Sov. Ord. of Bat., Vol. IV) the 98th Guards RD was "assigned in 1/45 to the 9th Guards Army", "and fought at Budapest against the 6th SS Panzer Army and at the end of the war, advanced past Vienna north wars into western Czechoslovakia".

According to Ziemke (Stalingrad to Berlin, 1985, pp. 452ss. Map 40 p. 451), (ps: there seems to be sometimes some inconsistencies in the dates February/March !)

(p. 452) Around the 12 March Tolbukhin "asked for the strategic reserve, Ninth Guards Army, which had recently been moved into the Kecskemet area ..."

"On the afternoon of 16 March the soviet offensive began ... against IV SS Panzer Corps ans the south flank of Hungarian 3rd Army on the front between Velencze Lake and Bicske"

(p.453) On the 18 March "Tolbukhin's Ninth and Fourth Guards Armies broke through IV SS-PanzerCorps between Mor and Velencze Lake"

(p.454) " for the next phase of the offensive () The Ninth Guards and Sixth Guards Armies were to strike toward Köszeg ()"

(idem) "On the 27 March () Ninth Guards () crossed the Raab River () west of Köszeg"

Patrick

Maps. From general operation to close-up on the 9th Guards Army starting position on 16 March.