Originally formed during the prewar buildup of the Red Army, the 140th might be regarded as the unluckiest division in the Army, as it, uniquely, had to be completely, or almost completely, re-formed three times between 1941 and 1943, being destroyed in the Uman pocket during Operation Barbarossa, the Vyasma pocket during Operation Typhoon, and on the Caucasian steppes in the face of the German summer offensive of 1942.

In spite of this, the fourth formation of the 140th went on to have a very distinguished record in combat, a testament to the resiliency of the Red Army in World War II.

Since 32nd Army was in the second echelon of the forces defending Moscow it was not in the immediate front lines, but was nevertheless pocketed during Operation Typhoon just west of Vyasma by October 7.

Retreating across the open steppes with the First Panzer Army in pursuit, the 140th was caught up in the encirclement south of Millerovo and effectively destroyed by the third week of July.

From there they were conducting long-range anti-tank fire against the flank of a battlegroup from 2nd Panzer Division advancing on the key objective of Olkhovatka.

The battlegroup commander, Col. Arnold Burmeister, diverted some of his armor, including Tigers, towards this threat, and drove the Soviet forces from the village, destroying a supporting company of T-34s in the process.

One battalion of the division was overrun and the German forces occupied part of the town before running into a "wall of fire" from dug-in tanks and anti-tank guns.

The troops who forced the Desna River, and those who participated in the liberation of Novgorod-Seversky, by order of the Supreme High Command on September 16, 1943, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 12 artillery salvoes from 124 guns.

Lt. Gen. Pavel Batov, commander of 65th Army, planned an advance from this bridgehead by 19th Corps in the direction of Gomel, once it was reinforced by the 140th and the 37th Guards Rifle Divisions.

By late on the next day the bridgehead had been expanded to a depth of 4 km in heavy fighting, but Batov's commitment of 19th Corps' final division, the 162nd, was not sufficient to counter the reserves brought in by German 2nd Army, and the advance stalled before the key town of Zherebnaia, guarding the southwestern approach to Gomel.

The Corps' mission was to penetrate the enemy defenses between Gancharov Podel and Budishche 5 km deep, allowing the Army's mobile groups to exploit a breakthrough.

After briefly contesting the western outskirts of Rechitsa, 19th Corps was ordered to bypass and continue marching north towards Parichi, some 80 km on.

Early on November 20 the 37th Guards, flanked by the 140th and 162nd, reached the Berezina River near Gorval, and the guardsmen took a small bridgehead on the east bank; on the same day Rechitsa fell to units of 48th Army.

[25] The 65th Army continued its advance on November 22, while fresh attacks by other elements of Belorussian Front turned the German position at Gomel into a "great, sagging, tactically useless bulge", and Hitler finally authorized its evacuation on the 24th.

Batov's intention now was to advance westward towards Kalinkovichi, but the arrival of 5th Panzer Division stabilized the German front, and the offensive was halted within days.

By the turn of the year it was back in the front line, and on January 3, 1944, liberated the town of Novograd-Volynskiy, for which it received its first Order of the Red Banner.

The 38th Army was moved back into the short-lived Lvov Military District by 1946, and the 101st Rifle Corps headquarters was established at Kolomyia.