The 36th Cavalry Division was formed prior to 1939 and was assigned to the Belorussian Military District at the onset of Operation Barbarossa.
[1] Assigned to the 11th Army's 3rd Cavalry Corps for the invasion of Poland.
On 22 June the division was ordered to form part of an Operations Group with the 6th Mechanized Corps to counterattack against the German forces.
It was attacked on 23 June by the Luftwaffe causing severe casualties among the troops and horses.
The division was effectively destroyed within 48 hours of the invasion and was officially disbanded on 6 July 1941.