The 115th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army in September 1939, in the Moscow Military District, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of that month. It first saw service in the occupation of Lithuania in June 1940, then was moved to the Leningrad Military District where it took up positions along the post-Winter War border with Finland. The Finnish Army began to advance into the Karelian Isthmus in August 1941 and the division was forced to retreat back to the 1939 border, losing much of its strength in the process. It was then incorporated into the Leningrad defenses as part of the Neva Operational Group. As the German 18th Army threatened to capture Tikhvin in December the 115th was moved across Lake Ladoga to reinforce 54th Army, which forced the attackers back to the Volkhov River by the end of the month. During the spring of 1942 the division took part in several battles in an effort to break the siege of the city, particularly those directed toward Lyuban, eventually as part of Volkhov Front, but these were unsuccessful, and it went over to the defense for the balance of the year and into 1943. In September it was briefly part of 11th Guards Army in Bryansk Front, but this was in the process in transitioning to 2nd Baltic Front and in November it became part of 3rd Shock Army. After seeing action near Nevel the division was moved to the northeast where it earned a battle honor for its role in finally liberating the town of Kholm. It was now assigned to 22nd Army of the same Front and during the summer and fall advanced through Latvia, earning the Order of the Red Banner for the capture of Rēzekne in late July. In August the division returned to 3rd Shock, and in September was transferred to 2nd Guards Army, before finally being assigned to 43rd Army in November, where it would remain for most of the rest of the war. This Army was tied up in front of Memel at the time, but just after the start of the January 1945 offensive into East Prussia the 115th was involved in the capture of Tilsit, and two of its regiments won decorations. At this time it was part of 3rd Belorussian Front. From Tilsit the division advanced along the south shore of the Kurisches Haff, north of Königsberg, until it was facing the remaining German forces in the Samland Peninsula. 43rd Army formed part of the Zemland Group of Forces from February 24, but the 115th was transferred back to 2nd Guards Army in March, and fought under this command during the final offensive into Samland in April. Following this it returned to 43rd Army, now under 2nd Belorussian Front, and served briefly postwar as part of the Northern Group of Forces until it was disbanded during the summer and fall.
Formation The division was officially formed on September 7, 1939, based on a cadre from the 2nd Rifle Regiment of the 1st Rifle Division. In June 1940 it took part in the Soviet occupation of Lithuania. Maj. Gen. Vasilii Fomich Konkov was appointed to command on August 5; he had previously led the 84th Rifle Division. Following this first assignment it was moved to the Leningrad Military District, soon redesignated as Northern Front, where it would be assigned to 19th Rifle Corps of Lt. Gen. P. S. Pshennikov's 23rd Army along the new border with Finland, north of Vyborg. The Corps also contained the 142nd Rifle Division. As of June 22, 1941, the 115th's order of battle was as follows: 576th Rifle Regiment 638th Rifle Regiment 708th Rifle Regiment (until September 11, 1941) 292nd Rifle Regiment (from May 15, 1942) 313th Artillery RegimentCharles C. Sharp, "Red Legions", Soviet Rifle Divisions Formed Before June 1941, Soviet Order of Battle World War II, Vol. VIII, Nafziger, 1996, p. 58 241st Antitank Battalion 168th Reconnaissance Company 219th Sapper Battalion 277th Signal Battalion (later 308th Signal Company) 233rd Medical/Sanitation Battalion 269th Chemical Defense (Anti-gas) Platoon 247th Motor Transport Company (later 244th Battalion) 319th Field Bakery (later 224th Motorized Field Bakery) 149th Divisional Veterinary Hospital 456th Field Postal Station 269th Field Office of the State Bank At this time the division had 12,421 personnel on strength, equipped in part with 80 76mm guns of all types, 150 mortars of all calibres, 54 45mm antitank guns, and eight light tanks. It was tasked with guarding a 47km-wide sector of the border.
Continuation War On May 25 the commander of Leningrad District, Lt. Gen. M. M. Popov, and his staff had drawn up a defense plan which created five "covering regions", each manned by a single army and defending a probable axis of attack. The 23rd was the most powerful, responsible for Region #3, the main route on the Karelian Isthmus from Vyborg (Viipuri) to the northern approaches to Leningrad. In addition to 19th Corps he also had 50th Rifle Corps, two fortified regions, and the 10th Mechanized Corps.David M. Glantz, The Battle for Leningrad 1941 - 1944, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2002, pp. 18-20 Battle of Porlampi
Finland declared war on the USSR on June 25, but Field Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim held his fire on the Karelian Isthmus while operations took place elsewhere to regain the territories lost after the Winter War. By August 1 the 168th Rifle Division had also come under 19th Corps command.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 30 Both were deployed in and near Vyborg. Ten days later Mannerheim launched two corps to clear the northwest shores of Lake Ladoga and retake Sortavala. With this accomplished, on August 10 a larger offensive began, with the objective of freeing the main part of the Isthmus, advancing southwest on a slanting course to cut communications between Vyborg and Leningrad.John R. Elting, Battles for Scandinavia, Time-Life Books, Inc., Chicago, IL, 1981, p. 128
The advance was led by the VI Army Corps, with II Army Corps in reserve. These faced 19th Corps and 50th Corps (43rd and 123rd Rifle Divisions) plus the 22nd Fortified Region of roughly divisional strength along the coast of the Gulf of Finland. 10th Mechanized had largely been moved south of Leningrad but the 198th Motorized Division remained as a reserve. As Soviet troops were drawn to the south the divisions near the frontier pulled back to more defensible, fortified positions during the last weeks of July, particularly along the Vuoksijoki River. The Finnish 18th Infantry Division penetrated the northern sector of the 115th's line, avoiding the roads and moving through the forests to seize several crossroads, including that at Ilmee on August 4, which forced the division to fall back further. It took up a new line along the Helisevänjoki River where a series of hills added to its defensive strength. The 18th Division reached the Helisevänjoki and cut the VyborgSortavala railroad on August 8.https://codenames.info/operation/jatkosota/. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
On August 14 Finnish troops reached the Vuoksijoki near Antrea and began clearing its left bank. Pshennikov now began moving units from the southwest side of Vyborg to counterattack on August 16, but this failed and by August 21 the north bank was evacuated. Other Finnish units made an unopposed crossing of the Vuoksi west of Vuosalmi on August 17, establishing a full bridgehead three days later. The STAVKA understood the dire straits faced by 23rd Army and on August 21 ordered the three rifle divisions around Vyborg (115th, 43rd and 123rd) to destroy their border fortifications and begin to retreat. A sketchy defense line from Vyborg, along the Vuoksi, and then to Lake Ladoga was the immediate goal, by once the Finnish command spotted the withdrawal an immediate pursuit was ordered. The 43rd managed to take up its new positions but could not stop two Finnish divisions from clearing the right bank of the Vuoksi. The 123rd was still holding the southwestern side of Vyborg but was largely disorganized, along with the 115th, due to its rapid retreat from the Vuoksijoki.
By August 23 the Finnish 8th Infantry Division, well to the south, had cleared the west shore of the Vyborg Bay and advance from the east to a position 8km from the city. The next morning the 115th and 123rd counterattacked in an effort to regain the initiative, and managed to retake as much as 5km in places with the help of heavy artillery fire but failed the break the Finnish front line. Finnish reserves in regimental strength drove the two divisions back to their start line the next day. On August 25 the main rail line from Vyborg to Leningrad was cut by the 12th Infantry Division and two days later the main road as well. The STAVKA now ordered 23rd Army to abandon Vyborg and pull back to the old Mannerheim Line. This would require the reopening of the necessary roads, and in the evening of August 28 one such was cleared at Ylä-Somme, permitting the passage of several truck convoys under Finnish artillery fire. This caused enough damage that the route was soon only open to foot traffic. Additional unsuccessful efforts were made to reopen the rail line. The two sides drew up in the vicinity of Porlampi as the Finns revived their motti tactics of the Winter War. During August 31 the three divisions abandoned their remaining vehicles and heavy weapons and attempted to escape in small groups through the forests, but the 43rd was effectively destroyed. The 115th and 123rd had greater success; a total of some 12,000 men escaped, leaving behind 7,000 dead and 9,000 prisoners, along with 306 guns, 55 tanks, 673 trucks, nearly 300 tractors, and 4,500 horses. The advance elements of the 123rd managed to check the Finnish advance in a few places near Summa before continuing to retreat toward Leningrad. Elsewhere, Finnish forces reached the old Soviet border from before the Winter War, and the cautious Mannerheim ordered a halt. Leningrad continued to be defended by six rifle divisions, most at half strength, and an assortment of smaller units. By September 7 the entire old border line had become the de facto new border,
Siege of Leningrad The remaining men of the 115th concentrated at Nevskaya Dubrovka. On September 11 the 708th Rifle Regiment, which had been operating with the 168th Division, was officially detached (it would later join the reformed 43rd Division), while the 576th and 638th Regiments were partly replenished with the 4th and 5th Battalions of the Leningrad Opolchenie. Leningrad Front, under the advice of Army Gen. G. K. Zhukov, had formed the Neva Operational Group on September 2, based on the 115th and 46th Rifle Divisions and the 4th Armored Car Regiment, and positioned it facing to the east on the west bank of the Neva River. General Konkov's men had moved into place on September 8, forcing back the 122nd Infantry Division's crossing attempt, just as the 20th Motorized Division was occupying Shlisselburg on the south shore of Lake Ladoga, cutting the last land communications from the city to the rest of the USSR.Glantz, The Battle for Leningrad 1941 - 1944, pp. 66-67, 72, 83