In the winter of 1942 it participated in an offensive to try to break the siege of Leningrad which ended with it and most of the rest of the attacking force being cut off and gradually annihilated during the spring.

[1] Its order of battle was as follows: Col. Dmitrii Ivanovich Barabanshchikov was appointed to command of the division the day it started forming, and he would remain in this position until nearly the end of this formation's existence.

[4] On November 12 the division was ordered into an attack, along with the 180th, in support of 52nd Army's attempt to cut off the German forces that were withdrawing from Tikhvin.

[6] While significant gains were made, the operation depended on maintaining two narrow supply corridors, which forces of German 18th Army succeeded in cutting between March 18 – 20.

The 305th Rifle was now trapped in the half-frozen swamps south of Lyuban, and while it made valiant efforts to restore the situation over the coming months,[7] by June 1 it was reporting to 2nd Shock Army that its strength was down to 860 officers, 753 NCOs and 3,208 men.

[11] As elements of the German III Panzer Corps pushed through towards Melikhovo on July 8, General Vatutin ordered the division forward at around 1100 hrs.

The 1002nd Regiment, with the 2nd battalion of the 830th Artillery, deployed on unfortified ground to back up the rest of the 92nd Guards, while the 1000th took up positions to the east which were not in direct contact with the enemy.

On August 3, Voronezh and Steppe Fronts launched the Belgorod-Bogodukhov Offensive Operation, and on August 5 the division distinguished itself in the final liberation of Belgorod,[13] being the first Red Army unit to break into its western outskirts, while the 89th Guards Rifle Division was simultaneously breaking into the east; between them they mopped up the German remnants within 24 hours.

The troops that participated in the liberation of Belgorod, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of August 5, 1943 and a proclamation of gratitude in Moscow, are given a salute of 12 artillery salvoes of 120 guns.

"[15] In 1963, then-Major General Vasilev was awarded the title "Honorary citizen of Belgorod" by the city's Council of People's Deputies.