The division, the first Red Army rifle division created after the war in Europe, was formed from the second formation of the 94th Separate Rifle Brigade (94-я отдельная стрелковая бригада), which had been formed in early 1943 for garrison duty at the port city of Sukhumi in Georgia.
The brigade was responsible for the defense of the Black Sea coast in the vicinity of Sukhumi from Primorskoye to the mouth of the Rion River, with elements based at Sukhumi, Novy Afon, Ochamchire, and Beslakhuba.
In 1943, the brigade sent five march companies to provide replacements for units engaged in combat.
[3] By September of that year, the brigade was almost at full strength, though only 32% of its personnel had combat experience in the war.
[4] Melkadze was transferred to serve as deputy commander of the neighbouring 392nd Rifle Division in February 1944,[5] and was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Shchadin, the former chief of staff of a tank brigade, who was promoted to colonel on 3 February 1945.