| 222nd Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} Red Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Operation Barbarossa Battle of Smolensk (1941) Operation Typhoon Battle of Moscow Battles of Rzhev Operation Büffel Battle of Smolensk (1943) Orsha offensives (1943) Operation Bagration Mogilev offensive Minsk offensive Vistula–Oder offensive Battle of Berlin |
| Decorations |  Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov |
| Battle honours | Smolensk Brandenburg |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. Fyodor Aleksandrovich Bobrov  Col. Nikolai Lavrentievich Soldatov Col. Georgii Borisovich Peters Maj. Gen. Fyodor Ivanovich Gryzlov Col. Alexei Nikolaevich Yurin Col. Grigorii Petrovich Savchuk |
The 222nd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the months just before the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of September 13, 1939. It was formed at Starodub and was considered a "sister" to the 217th Rifle Division. It first saw action in July 1941 as part of 28th Army in the fighting between Smolensk and Roslavl and the division took heavy casualties when it was partly encircled and forced to abandon the latter city in early August. It was again encircled during Operation Typhoon but managed to escape complete destruction and soon came under command of 33rd Army, where it remained for almost the entire length of the war.
During the counteroffensive west of Moscow the division gained ground but was eventually encircled with the rest of its Army and forced to break out again, with substantial losses. It recovered over the following months before joining the summer offensive of 1943, retaking much of the territory it had lost two years earlier, and being awarded a battle honor for the liberation of Smolensk and Roslavl. Over the fall and winter the 222nd took part in the grinding offensives toward Orsha and Vitebsk. During the spring of 1944 it was moved to 2nd Belorussian Front and fought as part of 49th Army in the first stage of Operation Bagration before moving back to 33rd Army, and won the Order of the Red Banner while its commander became a Hero of the Soviet Union. After advancing nearly to the border with East Prussia it was moved with its Army to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command and transferred to 1st Belorussian Front. It broke out from the Puławy bridgehead in the first stage of the Vistula-Oder Offensive and advanced across Poland, gaining additional distinctions in the process. In the final offensive into Germany it drove south of Berlin toward the Elbe River and after the German surrender three of its regiments were decorated for their part in the destruction of German forces en route. The 222nd fought from the first to the last but was soon disbanded.