It was formed in February 1943 from the headquarters of the 57th Army and fought in the Battle of Demyansk (1943) and the Staraya-Russa Offensive (1943), part of Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda.
After spending several months in reserve, the army fought in the Battle of Smolensk (1943) between August and October.
In mid-February, it concentrated south of Zaluchye to attack northwest towards Luga in event of a Soviet breakthrough by the 1st Shock Army during the Battle of Demyansk, part of Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda, an attempt to lift the Siege of Leningrad.
[2] The German troops in the Demyansk Salient then withdrew back to the Lovat River.
The army conducted the Staraya Russa Offensive in the area between the Lovat and Redya Rivers.