| 385th Rifle Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941 - 1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} Red Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | Battle of Moscow Battle of Smolensk (1943) Novyi Bykhov - Propoisk Offensive Operation Bagration Minsk Offensive Osovets Offensive Vistula-Oder Offensive East Pomeranian Offensive Danzig Offensive Operation Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation |
| Decorations |  Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov |
| Battle honours | Krichev |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. Ilya Mikhailovich Savin Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Fedorovich Naumov Maj. Gen. Mitrofan Fedorovich Suprunov |
The 385th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August 1941, in the Central Asian Military District. It was first assigned to Southwestern Front but on its arrival it was seen to be far from combat-ready and so was moved north to the Moscow area for further training. It served in the later stages of the counteroffensive west of the capital in Western Front and remained in that Front until early 1944. It was on a relatively quiet sector through most of 1942 and early 1943 before joining the summer offensive towards Smolensk. It then spent the autumn and winter in the costly and difficult struggles on the approaches to the upper Dniepr River and in eastern Belarus, during which it won a battle honor. From this point on it shared a very similar combat path with the 380th Rifle Division. The division took part in Operation Bagration and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its successes. Following this it helped to eliminate the German forces trapped east of Minsk, for which it received a second unit decoration, before joining the advance into Poland. During the Vistula-Oder Offensive the 385th was part of 2nd Belorussian Front's 49th Army, and ended the war advancing north of Berlin towards the Baltic coast. Despite its distinguished record it was selected as one of the many divisions to be disbanded during the summer of 1945.