Postwar, the division briefly remained in Germany before being withdrawn to Stalingrad, where it became a separate rifle brigade.

The 266th was first formed between 26 June and 2 July 1941 at Kaluga in the Moscow Military District as the 26th NKVD Mountain Division.

It attempted to hold the southern flank of the front and counterattack against Heinz Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group and the German 2nd Army south of Smolensk.

In late August, the 2nd Panzer Group advanced south across the Desna River, breaking through the 21st Army.

At this time the division was part of the army's 66th Rifle Corps and suffered heavy losses.

After it was redesignated, the division was moved a short distance west to the Volga River area near Stalingrad.

It remained there, forming and training under the Stalingrad Military District, until April 1942, when it was assigned to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK).

The division included 10,373 men, including cadres from the Barnaul and Saratov Infantry Schools, men from other Volga Military District units, convalescent wounded, and 780 non-commissioned officers and veterans transferred from the Far Eastern Front.

[6] In late October, the division transferred with the 26th Guards Rifle Corps to the 1st Belorussian Front, where it fought for the rest of the war.

In January 1945, during the Vistula–Oder Offensive, the division loaded 30 men into each of its 18 US 2.5 ton trucks, added enough “collected vehicle” to motorize most of the 1006th Rifle Regiment heavy weapons, and used this improvised motor rifle force to support tank units pursuing retreating German troops across Poland.

By this time most of the division artillery had been motorized with half-tracks, including both Lend-Lease US M3A1s and captured German vehicles.

[8] During the fighting in the Oderbruch and the Battle of the Seelow Heights in mid-April, the division was hit by friendly fire from its own artillery as it reached the tree line.

[14] On 19 February 1965, it was renumbered as the 266th Motor Rifle Division, restoring its original World War II designation.