It was formed on 13 July 1941 based on the 52nd Rifle Corps from the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Stavka).
The army was built around a solid core of NKVD border guard servicemen.
During the battle, 30th Army troops attacked Dukhovshchina from the region south-west of Bely.
Between September and October the army fought in defensive operations around the region southwest of Bely on the Rzhev axis.
On 1 March 1942 the army consisted of the 174th, 178th, 243rd, 348th, 359th, 363rd, 371st, 375th, and 379th Rifle Divisions, and the 75, 76, 139, 145, 146, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, and 222nd Separate Ski Brigades.