It served as part of 29th Army in the heavy fighting around Smolensk in July and August, then later in the counteroffensive operations around Kalinin, where it helped to clear the first Soviet territory to be permanently liberated.

In February of 1944 the division was recognized for its role in the liberation of Nikopol, receiving that place name as an honorific, and then was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner after helping to free Odesa.

In May it was trapped by German counterattacks in a deep bend on the east bank of the Dniestr River north of Grigoriopol while serving with 5th Shock Army and suffered heavy losses in breaking out to friendly territory.

After recovering from this debacle the 243rd advanced into Romania and Hungary, mostly under either 53rd or 7th Guards Armies, and during early 1945 fought through Czechoslovakia; two of its regiments were decorated for their roles in the liberation of Brno just weeks before the German surrender.

In the event, at 1000 that day the 243rd was still unloading from trains at Skvortsovo Station, 18km west of Toropets, prior to occupying a line from Dubrovka to Zasenovo, 30-40km southwest of that town.

In his late-day report on August 3, Timoshenko stated that the 243rd had crossed southward over the Western Dvina River with two regiments and reached the Baevo, Voskresenskoe and Poiarkovo line, 55km south of Toropets against elements of the 14th Motorized Division.

In the event, due to the chaotic situation, Timoshenko was forced to conduct the operation in piecemeal fashion and was unable to establish close cooperation with Zhukov.

[10] In Timoshenko's estimation, if Maslennikov's forces could defeat and collapse German 9th Army's relatively weak left wing along and south of the Western Dvina this might spell success for the counteroffensive as a whole.

The following day Maslennikov began reporting German reinforcements arriving behind the left flank of 9th Army; apparently gained by air reconnaissance these were likely forces of LVII Motorized Corps regrouping toward Velikiye Luki.

On August 23 the Army attempted to continue its attacks but by the end of the day unsettling news from the Velikiye Luki area was forcing Timoshenko to alter his plans significantly.

On the following evening Western Front stated flatly that 22nd Army was "under attack by a large enemy force," while the 243rd and 246th persisted it its crawling advance on Ilyino, with the former capturing the northeastern outskirts of Malyi Borok and enveloping Hill 209.6 from the south.

In a general assault by Western Front on September 4-5, the 243rd was able to make some westward gains, including the village of Shatry plus Hills 235.4, 203.7 and 205.8, and drove back two German infantry regiments in cooperation with the 252nd Division.

He would later command the 174th Rifle Division and was promoted to the rank of major general in May 1942 while serving as chief of staff of 39th Army but was killed in action in July while attempting to escape from encirclement near Rzhev.

If necessary, the 29th Army's 243rd Rifle Division would also be committed to the counterattack.In case of the counterattacks' failures it was planned to fall back to the prepared rear army-level line of defense and continue the battle there.

Focused on cobbling together a force that could prevent the fall of Moscow, at 0200 hours on October 10 the STAVKA ordered seven rifle divisions pulled out of Western Front's right wing, including the 243rd and 246th from 29th Army.

Maslennikov was now to cross the Volga with five divisions, including the 243rd, some 15km south-southwest of Kalinin and from there link up with 30th Army, which was supposed to be attacking toward the city from the southeast, thus cutting off XXXXI Corps.

He then disregarded his orders from Konev and directed the 243rd and three other divisions, including the 246th, to move north on the west bank of the river to cut the road between Kalinin and Marino.

By 0800 hours on October 19 the XXXXI Corps declared the situation "critical" and that Lehr, coming under pressure from 183rd Rifle Division, would have to pull back from Marino.

By October 20 Maslennikov's army was entering the battle northwest of Kalinin, along the Torzhok road, and the 243rd, along with the Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, formed the southern prong encircling Lehr.

Instead the fighting went on along the Torzhok road and the combined Soviet force claimed over 500 German officers and men killed, wounded or captured, along with tens of motor vehicles, 20 tanks and 200 motorcycles.

[33] On January 8 the commander of the Front, General Vatutin, had reported to the STAVKA on his plans to further develop the winter counteroffensive, noting that Army Group B was completing the withdrawal of its defeated forces behind the Northern Donets along the Morozovskii and Shakhty axes.

[34] By the beginning of February the 3rd Guards Army held a bridgehead over the Northern Donets River south of Voroshilovgrad from which it broke out in a drive to liberate that city.

By the end of February 14 the division had reached the Davydovka State Farm (Sovkhoz) as the surviving defenders of the outlying defenses fell back into and past the city.

On April 25 the 243rd was in second echelon of a corps assault on the German strongpoint at Leontevo, which was helping to confine Soviet forces in their bridgehead over the Dniestr south of Tiraspol.

This effort, led by the 203rd and 333rd Rifle Divisions, continued until the 28th and was brought to a halt by intense German artillery, mortar and machine gun fire; in consequence the 243rd was not committed.

The front's orders called for an ambitious operation in mid-May to eliminate a German bridgehead on the east bank of the Dniestr, then to cross the river and help encircle the enemy forces facing 8th Guards Army farther south.

The troops who participated in the liberation of Cluj and Szeged, by the order of the Supreme High Command of 11 October 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 20 artillery salvoes from 224 guns.

[60] On April 7 Colonel Parfentev was assigned to study at the Voroshilov Academy and was replaced the next day by Col. Mikhail Alekseevich Bushin, who would remain in this position for the remainder of the division's existence.

[63] In common with most of the rifle divisions sent to the far east it received a battalion of 12 SU-76 self-propelled guns to provide mobile firepower through the mountainous and nearly roadless terrain they were expected to encounter.

The advance was unhindered and on September 1 the 53rd Army occupied Kailu, Chaoyang, Fuxin and Gushanbeitseifu while forward detachments reached the Chinchou area on the Gulf of Liaotung.