The first 98th Rifle Division was formed in the Ural Military District in January, 1939, based on the shtat (table of organization and equipment) that would become official the following September. It began moving west from the Urals just prior to the German invasion, assigned to the 22nd Army of the High Command reserve, and completed its arrival in the Polotsk area on June 20. Within a week it was fighting to hold along the Daugava River in Belarus, but failed to drive off a crossing effort east of Dzisna, which created a bridgehead for the 3rd Panzer Group. Despite repeated counterattacks the German forces were able to break out on July 11, and the 98th soon found itself encircled along with most of the rest of its Army. In the third week of July what remained of the division broke out near Nevel and was sent to the Army reserves where it was partially rebuilt. In the third week of August a renewed German offensive toward Toropets smashed through the division and encircled or scattered its survivors again, with only several hundred escaping. With no resources available to rebuild it again the 98th was disbanded on September 26.
A rifle division originally called the Spasskaya was formed in October 1941 in the 1st Red Banner Army of Far Eastern Front, largely for border defense duties. On January 30, 1942, it was officially redesignated as the 2nd formation of the 98th, but remained in the far east on the same duties until July when it was sent east toward Stalingrad. Assigned to Stalingrad Front's 62nd Army it took up positions along the east bank of the Don River in mid-August as a full strength unit and immediately joined in battles to prevent German 6th Army from establishing a bridgehead but after putting up a creditable fight for over a week was overrun and devastated by the panzer breakout on August 23. Its remnants fell back to the city but in September these were pulled back to 1st Reserve Army for a complete rebuilding. This took place in Tambov Oblast, and in November 1st Reserve was redesignated as 2nd Guards Army. After the encirclement of 6th Army the 2nd Guards was moved to block the German relief attempt by Army Group Don. Once this effort collapsed in December the 98th joined its Army in forcing the withdrawal of Army Group Don along both banks of its namesake river in an attempt to reach Rostov-on-Don to cut off Army Group A in the Caucasus. This offensive through January 1943 made gradual progress across the frozen steppe in the face of numerous counterstrikes.
1st Formation The division began forming in January 1939 at Ufa in the Ural Military District, based on the 253rd Rifle Regiment of the 85th Rifle Division. In November the division came under command of Col. Ivan Mikhailovich Antyufeev, and he remained in this position for a year, during which time his headquarters moved to Izhevsk. In December 1940 he was demoted to deputy command of the 95th Rifle Division, and Maj. Gen. Akim Markovich Markov took over the 98th. This officer had briefly served as deputy chief of staff of the Ural District for organizational and mobilization issues, and when the 51st Rifle Corps was formed in March 1941 he was given command, with the 98th as one of its divisions. Maj. Gen. Mikhail Filippovich Gavrilov, who had previously led the 83rd Mountain Rifle and the 182nd Rifle Divisions before becoming chief of the Novosibirsk Military Infantry School, took over the division. By the beginning of June the 51st Corps had the 98th, 112th, and 153rd Rifle Divisions under command. The first two had the 6,000-man establishment, while the latter was on the 3,000-man establishment; Markov noted that all three had "incurred significant personnel expenditures on internal and garrison service, which reduced their overall combat readiness." In order to complete to wartime strength the 98th and 112th received 6,000 reservists each, while the 153rd got 8,000, but many did not arrive until the Corps was already in battle.https://proza.ru/2019/03/18/1409. In Russian. Retrieved September 26, 2026. The Corps was assigned to 22nd Army, which in early July would come under Western Front.Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, pp. 10, 23
On June 22 the 98th's order of battle was as follows: 4th Rifle Regiment 166th Rifle Regiment 308th Rifle Regiment 153rd 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. 51 155th Howitzer Artillery Regiment 157th Antitank Battalion 285th Antiaircraft Battalion 76th Reconnaissance Battalion 84th Sapper Battalion 108th Signal Battalion 50th Medical/Sanitation Battalion 60th Motor Transport Company 785th Field Postal Station (later 480th) 229th Field Office of the State Bank As the division unloaded at Dretun the Army commander, Lt. Gen. F. A. Yershakov, ordered his troops to take up planned positions on a defensive line along the right bank of the Daugava River from Krāslava to Drissa to Polotsk to Vitebsk, with the intention of preventing German forces from crossing the river. 51st Corps occupied the western end of this line.https://proza.ru/2019/03/18/1409. In Russian. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
Battle of Smolensk On June 26 commandos of the Brandenburgers captured the two bridges over the Daugava at Daugavpils, permitting a crossing by the LVI Motorized Corps' 8th Panzer Division. This bridgehead was quickly expanded in order to attack the 112th at Krāslava, but that division put up firm resistance. 4th Panzer Group now sought alternative crossing points, including at Drissa and Ustye. General Gavrilov noticed the German concentration and moved his advanced forces back to the right bank before ordering the bridges blown but his sappers rushed the job and some men were cut off on the left bank. The German crossing attempts were stopped.https://proza.ru/2020/09/14/1669. In Russian. Retrieved September 27, 2026. Battle for the Daugava Overnight on July 2/3 the advance detachment of LVII Motorized Corps' 19th Panzer Division began an advance along the SharkawshchynaDzisna road toward the Daugava, also searching for a crossing point. Dzisna fell in the morning but initial efforts to cross failed, largely due to effective artillery fire. During July 3/4 the panzer troops pushed east of Dzisna and put an assault group over to the right bank in inflatable boats. In the morning, with air support in place, a second wave began crossing. This area was defended by the 166th Rifle Regiment, which managed to hold against the first attack, but by 0830 hours three companies were in the bridgehead, which launched an attack that captured the village of Lunacharskoye. The inexperienced men of the 166th left their trenches and retreated. This failure was unexpected and placed both Markov and Yershakov in a dilemma, as neither 51st Corps nor 22nd Army had any reserves available. Yershakov's chief of staff, Maj. Gen. G. F. Zakharov, was forced to report to the headquarters of the new commander of Western Front, Marshal S. K. Timoshenko, as follows: "The enemy launched an infantry offensive east of Disna with up to a divisional strength, and by 12:00, he had managed to cross the river with a force of about two battalions. The results are still unknown, as communications have been disrupted." Zakharov requested a tank regiment and two squadrons of fighter planes, but no tanks were available.https://proza.ru/2020/09/14/1669. In Russian. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
German infantry continued to cross to the bridgehead, which soon expanded to a depth of 2-3km, including several commanding heights. At 1800 hours Gavrilov counterattacked with the forces he had on hand, backed by air attacks. 19th Panzer reported this was repelled with heavy Soviet losses. The German command now planned to cross another infantry regiment while also building a pontoon bridge. Any breakout from the bridgehead would threaten the supply lines of the 112th as well as the entire Corps along the PolotskDrissa highway and railroad. However, prisoner information now made clear to the commander of 19th Panzer, Lt. Gen. O. von Knobelsdorff, that he was facing a full division and not simply bits and pieces of defeated and retreating units. He therefore ordered his division over to the defense in order to consolidate and build up strength. Bridge building was suspended as the 98th's artillery fire remained effective.https://proza.ru/2020/09/14/1669. In Russian. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
Consternation over the German bridgehead caused the deputy commander of Western Front, Lt. Gen. A. I. Yeryomenko, to visit the 51st Corps sector on July 5. The commander of the 166th Regiment, Maj. K. A. Zainullin, was executed in front of his men. General Markov was heavily reprimanded for his failure to take effective countermeasures. Yeryomenko also intervened to halt the retreat of the 126th Rifle Division (11th Army, Northwestern Front) and put its remaining 2,400 men into line to the left of the 98th. Another counterattack by the 166th, now supported by elements of the 4th Rifle Regiment, was organized. This also failed and the 98th was forced to fall back on its left flank to a prepared line near Borkovichy station, currently held by the 110th Howitzer Artillery Regiment, which had lost all its guns in the retreat from Lithuania.https://proza.ru/2020/09/14/1669. In Russian. Retrieved September 27, 2026. This source states that Gavrilov was removed from his command, sent to a tribunal, and replaced by his deputy, Col. Mikhail Semyonovich Yevsyukov. According to Commanders of Corps and Divisions (see Bibliography) Gavrilov remained in command until September 12. According to generals.dk (see External links) he was made deputy commander of 51st Corps on July 6.
On the same morning the German command began reinforcing the bridgehead with elements of 14th Motorized Division and a regiment of 18th Motorized Division that had been fighting near Polotsk. The day saw back and forth fighting for Borkovichy, which ended in German hands. Early on July 6, following an artillery preparation, the 98th and 126th, backed by reinforced regiments of the 112th and 174th Rifle Divisions, resumed their attacks on the bridgehead, but these made little progress. By evening von Knobelsdorff had reported that the counterattacks and air attacks had made it impossible to take the village of Bokachi. He further reported that an attack directly toward Polotsk would have to face "a deep zone of field fortifications and pillboxes," the remnants of the Stalin Line. By evening German sappers had begun to place a second pontoon bridge.https://proza.ru/2020/09/14/1669. In Russian. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
During July 7 both sides were attacking simultaneously to expand or eliminate the bridgehead. 19th Panzer was engaging the left flank of the and the regiment of the 174th within the Polotsk fortifications, while the 14th and 18th Motorized struck to the west and northwest against the remainder of the 98th. Meanwhile, the four rifle divisions made a vigorous and coordinated attack; the 4th and 166th Regiments and the 385th Rifle Regiment of the 112th, now joined by the soldiers of the 110th Guards Aviation Regiment, pushed back against the German forces advancing from Borkovichy station. The commander of the 126th was mortally wounded in this fighting. The headquarters of LVII Motorized reported:The 19th Panzer finally went on the offensive toward Polotsk at 1000 hours, encountering the first line of fortifications at 1330. Meanwhile, 14th Motorized broke through to the railway from Borkovichy to Skorod stations by 1230. It then pushed to the northwest toward the village of Volyntsy and the Drissa River, threatening the 98th with encirclement. By the day's end the division was pushed back to the DrissaMatulovo line.https://proza.ru/2020/09/14/1669. In Russian. Retrieved September 28, 2026.