| 12th Guards Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1946 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} Red Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations |  Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov |
| Battle honours | Pinsk |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Mikhail Aleksandrovich Siyazov Maj. Gen. Konstantin Maksimovich Erastov Col. Porfiry Martinovich Gudz Col. Dmitry Kuzmich Malkov |
The 12th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in January, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 258th Rifle Division and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was in 50th Army when it was redesignated but was soon assigned to the 49th Army, then to the 10th Army and finally to the 16th Army near the end of that month. In June it was assigned to the 9th Guards Rifle Corps of 61st Army where it remained almost continually for the duration of the war, serving under several Front commands but always on the central sector of the front. During the summer offensive in 1943 it fought through western Russia and into Belarus during the winter campaigns there. Along with the rest of 61st Army it took part in the second stage of Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944, advancing into the Pripyat marshes region, winning a battle honor and shortly thereafter the Order of the Red Banner. After a short time in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command it was moved to the 3rd Baltic and later the 1st Baltic Front driving into Latvia and Lithuania, being decorated with the Order of Suvorov for its part in the occupation of Riga. In December it was returned to the 1st Belorussian Front and took part in the offensives that propelled the Red Army into Poland and eastern Germany. After the fall of Berlin the division advanced to the Elbe River where it linked up with the US 84th Infantry Division. Following the German surrender it was disbanded in July, 1946.