The 3rd Mechanised Corps was first formed in July 1940;[1] on 22 June 1941, was stationed at Vilnius in the Baltic Military District under MG Alexey Kurkin.
[7][8] The Germans concentrated on immobilising the Soviet tanks by firing at their tracks and then by tackling them with artillery, anti-aircraft guns, or by blowing them up with explosive charges of the sticky bomb type.
It stalled the Division's advance for a full day while being attacked by a variety of antitank weapons, until it finally ran out of ammunition.
The grenades were pushed through two holes made by the gun whilst the turret had started moving again, the other five or six shots having not apparently penetrated completely.
On 9 August 1945 the division began operations as part of 35th Army,[13] advancing 12 kilometers, having forced the Songacha River in northern Heilongjiang.
The division fought on the Ussuri River at Khotunsky (Хотунского), Mishansky (Мишаньского), Border (Пограничного), and Duninsky (Дунинского) fortified districts, capturing the cities of Mishan, Jilin, Jantszy, and Harbin.