In the first half of June 1941 the division was relocated by rail across the Soviet Union to the city of Vitebsk, Belorussia, as part of the 62nd Rifle Corps of the 22nd Army.

The division took up defensive positions around Vitebsk on 26 June, on a broad front running from Gnezdilovichi through Kholm, the sovkhoz of Khodtsy, Moshkany, and Burdeli to the station of Krynki.

[1] On these lines, the forward detachments entered battle on 5 July against strong German motorized forces attempting to break through to Vitebsk.

The German troops, with strong motorized infantry forces and tanks, developing the offensive, tried to break through to Vitebsk along the Beshenkovichi–Vitebsk highway, and reached the defensive lines of the 153rd on 7 July.

Due to the emerging threat of encirclement, the division carried out a partial regrouping on 8 July, shifting its defense to the line of Gnezdilovichi, Kholm, Khodtsy, Moshkany, and Shchemilovka.

The 153rd ended up on the line of the eastern bank of the Luchessa in the area of the road junction of Popovka, Karpovichi, and the station of Krynki on 11 July as a result of the German capture of Vitebsk.

Here the units of the division, during the next tow days, conducted prolonged defensive battles with German tanks and infantry seeking to capture the Smolensk–Vitebsk and Moscow–Minsk highway junctions.

[3] The division, reaching the area of Mirskoye and Tishino on 24 July, was again subjected to German attack and spent the entire day in defensive battles.

On the night of 26 to 27 July, the units of division under the cover of rear guards withdrew and took up defense in the area of Ryazanovo, Zaborye, and the sovkhoz of Zhukovo.

On this line the division for two days, 27 and 28 July, fought with strong German infantry and tank forces, attacking from the north and southwest.

On the night of 28–29 July the units of the division carried out an organized withdrawal and under the cover of rear guard detachments began to retreat towards Radchino.

From 1 to 3 August the division crossed the Dnieper under fire with its equipment and rear units in the area of Zaborye and reached the eastern bank of the river.

From the morning of 25 August the division, following an artillery preparation, overcame the German opposition to storm the hill and after two hours of hand-to-hand combat fully controlled it.