212th Rifle Division
military unit
The 212th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army after a motorized division of that same number was badly damaged and then redesignated about five weeks after the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
After redesignation the division was nearly trapped in the Kiev encirclement but managed to escape. It then moved to Bryansk Front and served under several army commands during the winter and spring of 1942 until it was caught up in the German summer offensive. It was encircled with most of 40th Army and took heavy losses before its remnants managed to cross to the east bank of the Don River. What remained of the division was moved to the Volga Military District for rebuilding, after which it was assigned to 66th Army north of Stalingrad. It was again badly depleted in the October battle south of Kotluban and was soon after disbanded.
A new 212th Rifle Division was formed in June 1943 based on two rifle brigades in 50th Army of Western Front. It was soon involved in a flanking role in the operation to liberate the Oryol salient after which it joined the advance south of Smolensk, winning a battle honor, and later in fighting in support of the efforts of Western Front to seize Orsha as part of 10th Army. After nearly two months in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command it was redeployed to 61st Army, south of the Pripyat Marshes; it remained in this Army for the duration of the war. In the later stages of the destruction of Army Group Center it advanced through the western Pripyat, earning the Order of the Red Banner in the process while all four of its regiments soon won the same decoration for helping to retake the city and fortress of Brest.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “212th Rifle Division” is military unit. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through 212th, Rifle and Division, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “military unit” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 25, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q97315556. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1942 and 1943.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “212th Rifle Division”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 212th Rifle Division primary sources, 212th Rifle Division archive and 212th research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “212th Rifle Division”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “212th Rifle Division” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.