After breaking through the German defenses along the Velikaya River in July the 85th Guards entered Latvia and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its role in the liberation of Rēzekne.

As the Baltic offensive continued the division made slow progress through swampy terrain that German commanders considered impassable, gradually drawing closer to the Latvian capital, and winning its name as an honorific on October 13.

The 85th Guards was redesignated on April 10, 1943 in recognition of the 118th Rifle Division's successes in the First Rzhev–Sychyovka Offensive Operation as well as its role in the liberation of Rzhev on March 2.

[3] On August 1 Colonel Vedenin left the 85th Guards to take command of the 71st Rifle Corps; he would be promoted to the rank of major general on September 1.

Col. Basan Badminovich Gorodovikov took over from Vedenin on August 2; he had previously commanded the 251st Rifle Division and would be promoted to major general on October 16.

As a first echelon division the 85th Guards committed a battalion, reinforced with a few tanks and backed by artillery, to advance into the German security zone, which was 2-3km deep and held by platoon-sized outposts.

The German defense rested on the positions that had been built at the base of the Rzhev salient, and were occupied by the XII Army Corps.

Overall the German position on this first day remained tenable because the offensive was a series of localized attacks rather an all-out effort to overwhelm 4th Army.

The operation resumed at 0730 hours on August 8 after a 30-minute artillery preparation, but 19th Guards Corps continued to be held up by what amounted to a battalion.

Finally, with the help of 33rd Army, the German position was overcome and their forces began towards the Yelnya - Spas-Demensk railway late on August 11.

Sokolovskii had been ordered to renew the drive by August 28 and it began at 0800 hours with a 90-minute artillery preparation across a 25km-wide front southeast of Yelnya on the sectors of 10th Guards, 33rd and 21st Armies.

10th Guards and 21st Army attacked towards Terenino station against Battle Group Vincenz which contested the advance for about eight hours before it was shattered and began falling back to the Ugra River.

[6] However, despite the German 4th Army being in dire straits, Sokolovskii's forces were again nearly out of fuel and ammunition; in addition nine of his rifle divisions were reduced to 3,000 men or less.

15th Guards Corps attacked the northern flank of 342nd Infantry just north of the Yelnya - Smolensk rail line but failed to make any substantive gains.

After detecting the withdrawal, Sokolovskii issued orders for 10th Guards and 68th armies and most of his armor to pursue the left wing of IX Corps and approach Smolensk from the south.

While the Soviet troops were inspired by the prospect of a major victory at hand they were also nearing exhaustion and again low on supplies; Sokolovskii was forced to call a pause for a few days.

[7] On the same date the lead elements of 10th Guards Army reached positions from Lyady southward along the Mereya River to the town of Baevo.

When the attack began as scheduled the 30th Guards was heavily reinforced by artillery and spent four days assaulting the strong German defenses at Lyady before overcoming them on the night of October 8.

This maneuver, along with the advances of 31st and 68th Armies to the north, forced the two panzergrenadier divisions to begin a fighting withdrawal to the west.

The attack began with an artillery preparation that lasted 85 minutes, but 10th Guards stalled almost immediately with severe losses and no appreciable gains.

The assault was renewed the next day after a short artillery fire raid, with the 30th Guards being committed from second echelon, but with no better results against the German forces defending the villages of Lapyrevshchina and Arvianitsa, several kilometres northwest of Baevo.

While this extensive regrouping produced a powerful shock group astride the highway and to its north and south, it also committed many units to attack on unfamiliar sectors which increased confusion in Soviet ranks.

Over the following days the 10th Guards Army managed to clear the German defenders from the bogs south of the Verkhita River but was finally halted at nightfall on October 26 well short of the rail station at Osintori; Sokolovskii now ordered a suspension of the offensive.

The division seized Novoe Selo, but sometimes the enemy's resistance was as stubborn as it had ever been... A battalion under the command of Major Dzhunusov, whose personnel consisted of replacement recruits from the Central Asian republics, particularly distinguished itself.

All the battalion's personnel displayed high offensive spirit, persistence, and massive heroism... On 18 November the division was ordered to turn its sector over to 207th Rifle Division.This proved to be the limit of the initial Soviet advance.

However, its deployment was delayed by the need to replenish its forces, while Army Group North surprised the Soviet command by beginning a phased withdrawal from the salient on December 29, which was completed six days later.

By several weeks later the division had advanced well west of that town and had crossed the border into Latvia in the vicinity of Kārsava.

[15] The 85th Guards played a leading role in the liberation of Rēzekne on July 27 and on August 9 was recognized with the award of the Order of the Red Banner.

In a display of the degree of flexibility and craftiness in Soviet tactics by this stage of the war, individual rifle companies of the division, with tank support, made a reconnaissance-in-force that breached the first German defenses an hour before the offensive artillery barrage started; the first shells were planned to land on the second line and suppress German artillery until the tank–rifle forces could reach them.

The troops who participated in the liberation of Riga, by the order of the Supreme High Command of October 13, 1944, and a commendation in Moscow, are given a salute of 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns.