13th Division of the People’s Militia of Rostokinskiy District of Moscow was Formed in This Building in 1941


The 13th Moscow Rifle Division of the Rostokinskiy District People’s Militia was formed from July 3 to July 6, 1941. The division commander was Colonel P.E. Morozov, head of the department at the M.V. Frunze Military Academy, the military commissar was P.G. Tarasov. The Rostokinskiy division began to be formed from volunteers of the Rostokinskiy district (now these are the districts of Rostokino, Alekseevsky, Ostankinsky, Marfino and Meshchansky), employees of the Kalibr plant, workers of the tram depot named after Bauman, the “Spring” plant, the mekhkombinat, the Goznak printing house, the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, teachers and students of schools № 270 and № 284, students and teachers of VGIK. The centers of the division’s formation were the building of the district committee of the CPSU (b) (11 Sretenka Street), school № 270 (now it is the building of school № 1539 on Malomoskovskaya Street), the Moscow Financial Institute. By the evening of July 3 , more than 1,000, and on July 4 – over 10,000 people joined the division. Cadre officers from active units and institutions were appointed as commanders. On July 7, the Rostokinskiy division was ordered to relocate to the front line near the villages of Snegiri and Kozino for the construction of the Mozhaisk line of defense. Along the way , volunteers joined the division from the Sickle and Hammer factory and the Moscow region districts. Starting in July, the Rostokinskiy division was part of the 2nd echelon of the 32nd Army. On July 17, an order was received to move to the area of the defense line of Volokolamsk – Ostashevo along the bank of the Ruza River for its equipment. From October 1, units of the division held off the enemy near Vyazma for 13 days, during which 95% of the fighters were lost. On December 27, the 13th Moscow Rifle Division of the Rostokinskiy District People’s Militia was disbanded as having died at the front. A memorial plaque has been erected in memory of the formation of the 13th Division of the People’s Militia of the Rostokinskiy district of Moscow.

Address: Moscow, Sretenka str., 11