227th Rifle Division

The 227th 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 arrived at the front in July and was assigned to 26th Army along the Dniepr, but was fortunate to escape that Army's encirclement in September. During the next several months, the division fought as part of 40th Army in the Kursk region, operating toward Prokhorovka and Oboyan during the winter counteroffensive. It made noteworthy gains during the May 1942 offensive north of Kharkiv but these went for naught when the southern wing of the offensive collapsed. When the main German summer offensive began in late June, the division's 21st Army was directly in the path of the German 6th Army and the depleted 227th was soon destroyed on the open steppes.

A new 227th was formed in August 1943 in North Caucasian Front on the basis of two rifle brigades in 9th Army. In early October, it earned a battle honor for its part in the liberation of Temryuk. It landed in the Crimea in November as part of 56th Army (soon redesignated as Separate Coastal Army) and after the main offensive began in April 1944 it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and all three of its rifle regiments would win battle honors for the liberation of Sevastopol in May. In August, it rejoined the active front as part of 7th Guards Army in 2nd Ukrainian Front. After taking part in the campaign that drove Romania out of the Axis, it advanced into Hungary, eventually taking part in the operations that encircled and reduced Budapest. Following this the 227th advanced with 53rd Army into Czechoslovakia and after the German surrender it was moved with the rest of this Army to the far east where it was intended to take part in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, although in the event it saw little, if any, actual combat. It remained in the far east until July 1946 when it was disbanded.