It served in the southwestern part of the Soviet-German front for more than a year and a half, fighting under difficult conditions, including the German summer offensive of 1942.

After helping to liberate this region the division continued in combat through Ukraine and Poland, winning its own distinctions at Zhitomir and an Order of the Red Banner, before ending the war near Prague.

[2] Its order of battle was revised to the following: The first commander of the new division was Col. Timofei Ilich Sidorenko, but he was replaced after about six weeks by Maj. Gen. Nikolai Pavlovich Pukhov.

It was able to avoid encirclement near Kiev as it was located just east of the point where 1st Panzer Group broke through the Soviet front, and was able to retreat through Poltava.

[5] In early June the 304th was facing the difficult task of helping to defend the sector from the Northern Donets River east of Chuguev southwards 60 km to the west of Izium; the division itself was holding the area near Balakleia.

Maj. Gen. Kirill Moskalenko, the Army's commander, sent urgent messages to the STAVKA requesting permission to withdraw well east of the Aidar River to prevent his forces being entirely cut off.

While the 304th suffered significant casualties in this retreat, and German intelligence counted it as one of the divisions that had been "bagged", Moskalenko's order saved enough to allow it to be rebuilt.

In August, as the defense of Stalingrad was being planned, the division was assigned to hold part of its Army's 140 km-wide sector from the mouth of the Khoper River as far as Melo-Kletsky.

Batov's plan for the offensive in November, the 304th formed half of the Army's shock group, alongside the 27th Guards Rifle Division, on a 6 km-wide sector on the south bank of the Don between Kletskaia and Melo-Kletskii.

However, a single battalion of the 807th Rifle Regiment, commanded by Major Chebotaev, managed to capture Marker 202.2 on the high ground just 2 km west of the village's center.

A mobile group was formed, made up of about 45 T-34 and KV tanks from 91st Brigade, with submachine gunners riding on their decks, accompanied by motorized infantry and artillery.

Anisimov on the morning of November 20 and was ready to advance in the early afternoon, following the rifle forces that were developing the 807th Regiment's penetration.

Batov began a slow pursuit with his 24th, 304th and 252nd Rifle Divisions; the 304th advanced from Rodionov to Kubantseva Balka, with the support of 91st Tank Brigade.

"This shock group was led by two battalions of the 812th Rifle Regiment, which made a night crossing of the ice-covered river under protective fire from 91st Tank Brigade.

It was a risky move because the ice was not as firm as Batov would have liked, but with the help of the 14th Engineer Brigade the rest of the 304th made it across safely, and the sappers soon erected a bridge.

Within 24 hours Vertiachii was taken, as the German forces continued to withdraw to the defensive line designated by 6th Army command several days earlier.

A reconnaissance group of 27th Guards had found a small gap in the German lines the day before, and the two divisions were tasked to exploit it.

On December 6, in an effort to restore its main battle line, German VIII Army Corps launched several counterattacks against the hill, which 24th Division had turned into a virtual fortress, as well as the Golaia ravine, defended by the 27th Guards and 304th.

The 304th and 173rd Rifle Divisions, on the right wing of 65th Army, had a long-range artillery group of three army-level regiments, firing in their direct support.

The two Soviet divisions advanced 2 km, shattered all four enemy battalions, and opened a 2 km-wide breach of the German line by day's end.

These attacks finished off the 44th Infantry and did severe damage to the 76th, and also created a 6 km-wide gap in 6th Army's western front, bringing divisional artillery within range of Gumrak airfield.

58th Army was acting as a reserve backing the Terek River line, blocking the German advance on Baku and the Caspian oil fields.

On November 22, the brigade consisted of: The lack of artillery and other heavy weapons was typical of the units formed in the region during the crisis of July to September.

In November, during the last gasps of the German offensive, the 256th became part of 9th Rifle Corps back in 44th Army, and remained there while the enemy retreat began.

In January, 1943, that Corps moved to 9th Army in North Caucasus Front, and the brigade served the next six months facing the German positions on the Taman Peninsula until it was disbanded.

On the 25th, in concert with the 316th Rifle Division and following a powerful artillery and air attack, it stormed the city of Temryuk, which was taken two days later after heavy street fighting.

[29] On March 29, 1944, Col. Ivan Mikhailovich Boldanov took command from Colonel Muzikin, but was in turn replaced by Col. Aleksandr Stepanovich Galtzev on June 3.