Following the Vistula-Oder Offensive, the 359th gathered high honors during the fighting around Breslau in 1945, but along with many other distinguished Soviet formations it was disbanded with the coming of peace.

The unit began moving west in November and was first assigned to 28th Army which was forming up in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command.

[5] At the end of September General Vashkevich was appointed as chief of staff of 20th Army, while officially remaining in command of the division.

In an effort to salvage something from the ruins, Army General G. K. Zhukov issued revised orders to attempt to encircle and destroy at least part of the German forces.

On 13 August 1943, Colonel Guryashin handed his command to Col. Pyotr Pavlovich Kosolapov, who would remain in this post for the duration of the war.

The troops that broke through the enemy's defense along the road to Smolensk and participated in the battles for Dukhovshchina and Yartsevo, by the order of the Supreme High Command of September 19, 1943, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 12 artillery salvoes from 124 guns.

These could not be held, and a further retreat took place on the 11th, when the German forces took up yet another defensive line, from Shcheki on the Verkhita River, southward across the highway at Redki, to the Dniepr at Novaia.

[8] The second Orsha offensive began with an 85-minute artillery preparation, which was largely ineffective due to a timely withdrawal by the defenders to their second trench line.

Over the next ten days Western Front carried out a major regrouping which, among other things, moved part of the Army south of the highway.

The frontal assault smashed the defenses of the 197th Infantry, again at huge cost in casualties, and penetrated as much as 4 km deep, but the commitment of armor from 2nd Guards Tank Corps the following day produced gains of less than a kilometre.

The 359th was brought up with other units from the second echelon on the 24th, but ran into heavy German artillery fire, to which they had no effective reply due to low ammunition stocks.

[9] By the time the fourth Orsha offensive began on 14 November, the rifle divisions of Western Front were down to an average strength of 4,500 men.

On 5 April the 359th was recognized for its role in forcing a crossing of the Oder River northwest of the city with the award of the Order of the Red Banner.