| 22nd Guards Rifle Division (March 17, 1942 – November 16, 1942) 22nd Guards Rifle Division (April 19, 1943 - 1946) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1946 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} Red Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | Battles of Rzhev Battle of Smolensk (1943) Orsha Offensives (1943) Battle of Nevel (1943) Pskov-Ostrov Offensive Baltic Offensive Riga Offensive (1944) Courland Pocket |
| Battle honours | Riga |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Karp Vasilyevich Sviridov Col. Nikolai Olimpievich Ruz Col. Grigorii Ivanovich Panishev Col. Vasilii Ivanovich Morozov |
The 22nd Guards Rifle Division was unique in being the only Guards rifle division formed twice during the Great Patriotic War. It was first formed from the 363rd Rifle Division in March 1942. Soon after forming it provided a command cadre for the second formation of the 53rd Army in Kalinin Front. Later, in the fall of that year, the division provided most of its personnel and equipment to form the new 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps, and was then disbanded. In April 1943, a new 22nd Guards was formed from the second formation of the 150th Rifle Division in the Moscow Military District, and went on to serve for the duration in 10th Guards Army. This formation first saw service in Operation Suvorov, the summer offensive of Western Front that liberated Smolensk in late September, and then fought through the autumn and winter in grinding battles towards the city of Orsha. During the summer offensive of 1944 it helped break the Panther Line in western Russia and then advanced into Latvia, winning a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Riga, before ending the war in Lithuania, helping to contain the German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket. It was disbanded shortly after the war.