The division saw its first major combat in the Barvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive in January 1942 which carved out the Izium salient, but it suffered significant losses which were never adequately replaced.

Due to its low strength it was removed from the salient and served as a reserve formation until the beginning of the German summer offensive.

While a cadre was able to escape and retreat south toward the Caucasus the division was too badly damaged to be rebuilt and it was disbanded.

Despite its undistinguished career the 255th continued to serve in the Far East until April 1955, when it was redesignated as the 2nd formation of the 35th Rifle Division.

[5] In mid-October the STAVKA, hard-pressed on the approaches to Moscow and with few available reserves, ordered the Southwestern and Southern Fronts to establish a new defense line along the Oskol, Northern Donets, and Mius rivers between October 17-30.

Stalin and Marshal B. M. Shaposhnikov gave their general approval but made it clear that reinforcements could not be expected.

The counteroffensive turned out to be a surprise success which drove 1st Panzer Army out of the city in the last days of the month and set the stage for an expanded push westward.

[7] Timoshenko soon approached Stalin with his plan for a broad offensive by the Bryansk, Southwestern and Southern Fronts, to take place in January-February 1942 and consisting of two major operations.

Kostenko, would prepare to attack with his 6th and 38th Armies in the Chuhuiv–Balakliia–Izium area and seize Kharkiv and Krasnohrad, thereby covering the Southern Front's operations from the northwest.

[9] Over the next four days the 6th and 57th Armies pushed some 32km to the west, but at Balakliia and Sloviansk two German infantry divisions held on in a desperate effort to stop the Soviet breakthrough from widening.

[14] As a result of being removed from 57th Army the 255th was able to avoid the disaster that enveloped the Soviet forces in the salient in late May.

Malinovskii, commander of Southern Front, noted in passing that in mid-April the 255th, which had been detached to the Voroshilovgrad area, had not fully recovered from the winter battles and numbered only 5,434 personnel.

Apparently enough of the division, including the command cadre, escaped this catastrophe that as of August 1 it was still listed as part of the reorganizing 9th Army in North Caucasian Front.

[21] Its order of battle was very similar to that of the 1st formation: Col. Fyodor Aristarovich Makulkin was appointed to command on the same date and would remain in this position until March 4, 1944.

[23] The 476th SU Battalion, equipped with SU-76s, was added in 1945, in common with many other rifle divisions in the Far East, in order to provide mobile firepower over the difficult terrain in the region.

As of the beginning of January 1948 it was in the 137th Rifle Corps of the Far Eastern Military District, and it was still serving under those commands three years later.