It held positions east of this city into late August when it was struck by a surprise panzer assault and largely overrun, which soon led to Velikiye Luki changing hands again.

It was along this line at the start of the 1944 summer offensive and soon began advancing against the routed forces of Army Group Center, taking part in the capture of Babruysk and winning the Order of the Red Banner before continuing to drive westward.

Timoshenko's immediate aim was to defend the "Smolensk Gates" along the lines of the Dvina and Dniepr Rivers, and the 22nd was initially assigned a sector from Idritsa to Polotsk.

The LVII Motorized Corps led the way in the Polotsk direction, and was to advance north of Smolensk after passing the Dvina, but unexpectedly encountered 22nd Army's prepared defenses along the river.

Timoshenko had issued orders late on July 12 for General Yershakov to carry out a counterattack the following morning with the 186th and 214th Rifle Divisions and supporting artillery from the Haradok area south toward Vitebsk.

As the German commanders debated the size of the encircled forces and exactly how best to deal with them while also carrying out their other objectives, the four divisions did their best to escape in the general direction of Velikiye Luki, aided by the difficult terrain in the region.

On July 18 the 19th Panzers captured the city but overnight elements of 22nd Army attacked and overran the thin screen being held around Nevel by 14th Motorized Division, allowing encircled 62nd Corps to escape to the east.

29th Rifle Corps (179th and 214th Rifle Divisions) are attacking toward Nevel to destroy the enemy and support your withdrawal... An automobile [truck] column (50 vehicles) with ammunition, fuel, and food is being sent to you in the Zui region [35km south of Velikiye Luki]... assemble your corps after the automobile column arrives from Toropets...This overlooked victory was the first large city liberated by the Red Army for any length of time.

Western Front's summary at 2000 hours said that, after the 186th's sector had been penetrated the previous day, a larger German force, including tanks, had:... "rushed" toward the north and northwest, seizing Velikopol'e Station and Ushitsy State Farm [15km east and southeast of Velikiye Luki, respectively] on the morning of 23 August and reaching Kun'ia and Ushitsy Stations [25-27km east of Velikiye Luki] with the advanced elements of two motorized columns (150 vehicles each) by 1200 hours on 23 August.Yershakov was scrambling to respond while being forced to move his headquarters.

[11] On August 26 the deputy chief of staff of Western Front, Lt. Gen. G. K. Malandin, was sent to 22nd Army's headquarters at Podsosone, 15 km southeast of Toropets to assess the situation.

A further report the next day stated:126th and 186th RDs - repelled fierce enemy counterattacks at Ivanova Gora, with the town changing hands three times, but 186th Division recaptured the Ivanova Gora and Suvorovo region at 1200 hours on 4 September.An operational summary from Western Front at 2000 on September 5 indicated that the counteroffensive was effectively finished; the two divisions, along with a unit called Antosenko's Detachment, were said to have attacked for a second time from woods 2 km east of Suvorovo to Hill 236.2 to Frolovo to the Yaldy line (17–22 km south of Andreapol) with "unknown results".

[22] Despite these scant and understrength forces, it went over to the offensive on January 15, now under command of Maj. Gen. V. I. Vostrukhov, and drove 120 km to the south and southeast, deeply enveloping the German grouping at Olenino, which consisted of seven divisions.

Scattered positions held by units of both divisions managed to contain the brigade, knowing that if the road was cut the German defenses along the Molodoi Tud River would become untenable.

In the event, the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Grenadier Regiment of Großdeutschland caught the brigade in a pincer move that routed it and sent the survivors reeling back across the Molodoi Tud, whereupon the German forces reoccupied their original defense line.

By the start of the Soviet summer offensive the 25th Corps (186th and 362nd Rifle Divisions) was still in the Front reserve in the area of Chern–Pashutino–Speshnevo, but was intended to act as the follow-on force for 3rd Army.

1st Guards Tanks entered the initial breach but was attacked by a large number of panzers west of Aleksandrovka and, after taking losses, fell back on its infantry.

25th Corps, turning southward in the wake of the armor, encountered stubborn resistance east of Protasovo and became involved in heavy fighting, now 8–10 km into the German lines.

Elements of the Corps, having quickly moved to the west bank at dawn under cover of heavy artillery fire and airstrikes, began to attack toward Kamenka, but immediately ran into massed German firepower.

This level of activity raised the suspicions of the commander of the 362nd, who intensified his reconnaissance; at 0200 hours his scouts reported that the German forces were withdrawing, and immediately moved to pursue.

The 186th, having crushed the resistance of the German rearguards, began to advance quickly to the southwest and by the end of August 1 had reached a line from Polozovskye Dvory to Nikolskii.

By day's end the lead elements of the two Corps also reached and crossed the Drut near Bolshaya Konoplitsa, 13 km north of Rahachow, tearing an 18 km-wide and 20 km-deep hole in the German defenses.

By the time the fighting subsided two days later Gorbatov's and Boldin's Armies had taken Rahachow, established a large bridgehead on the west bank of the Dniepr, and broken the German defensive line along the Drut, despite their strenuous efforts to eliminate it.

On the same day, northwest of the city, 9th Tanks crossed the rear of XXXV Corps, reached Startsy, and caught up with the columns of retreating trucks, which were largely destroyed or abandoned.

[57] At 0815 hours the following morning, as 48th Army was driving German remnants into Babruysk, a counterattack at Titovka by the 383rd and part of 20th Panzer failed to reopen the road, at the cost of heavy casualties.

Armored units of 3rd Army were working to complete the encirclement to the east, while the main body found a gap between the 57th and 707th Infantry Divisions and arrived at Lyubanichi on the Berezina.

The troops who participated in the liberation of Brest, by the order of the Supreme High Command of 28 July 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns.

During the period of September 5–8 he organized the transport of infantry, regimental guns, and supplies on rafts over the river, near the village of Łacha (north of Serock) despite being lightly wounded.

By March 5 elements of 2nd Belorussian Front had reached the Baltic Sea north and northwest of Köslin, cutting off the German forces in the Danzig area from Germany; however 65th Army had only managed to advance 8–10 km during this period.

The forcing of the East Oder River began at dawn on April 18, using boats, pontoons and improvised means of crossing, with cover from artillery fire and smokescreens.

[76] 46th Corps continued to expand its bridgehead at 1000 hours on April 22, following a massive artillery strike, and by the end of the day had reached a line from Hohen Zaden to the eastern outskirts of Kolbitzow.