284th Rifle Division

284th Rifle Division
Active	1941–1945
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Type	Division
Role	Infantry
Engagements	Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev (1941) Operation Blue Battle of Stalingrad Operation Ring Soviet invasion of Manchuria
Decorations	Order of the Red Banner (2nd Formation)
Battle honours	Khingan (3rd Formation)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Col. Gennady Petrovich Pankov Col. Nikolai Filippovich Batyuk Col. Vasily Stepanovich Elikhov Col. Aslan Usupovich Badzhelidze

The 284th Rifle Division began service as a standard Red Army rifle division shortly after the German invasion. Moved to the front soon after, it helped defend the Soviet lines west of the Ukrainian capital for more than a month, but was then destroyed in the encirclement of Kiev. A new division was formed in early 1942. It served in the early fighting against the German summer offensive of 1942 until its losses forced it to be withdrawn for rebuilding. In September it was redeployed, and played a leading role in defending the northern part of the central city and Mamayev Kurgan hill in the Battle of Stalingrad, and later in the reduction of the trapped German 6th Army during Operation Ring, for which it was raised to Guards status as the 79th Guards Rifle Division shortly after the battle ended. A third 284th was raised a few months later. It served on the quiet fronts of the Far East for most of the rest of the war before fighting briefly against the Japanese in Manchuria in August, 1945. The unit continued to serve well into the postwar period under other designations.