While the 32nd Rifle Division was serving in the 25th Army of the
Far East Military District, the Germans invaded the
Soviet Union in Europe on June 22, 1941. The
German Army Group Center in September paused near
Smolensk because
Hitler had ordered the capture of
Kiev to secure the southern flank. This allowed the Soviets some time to prepare the defenses west of Moscow, but by the beginning of October the offensive toward the capital began again and was called
Operation Typhoon by the Germans. The 32nd Rifle Division was ordered west and was rapidly transported by train to the
Mozhaisk Defense Line, then manned by
Dmitri Danilovich Lelyushenko's
5th Army. By October 10, the forward elements had arrived and dug in on the old
Borodino battlefield, where the Russians had bled white Napoleon's Army in 1812. The best the division could hope for was to delay the German advance long enough to form a new line of defense further east. The Germans attacked with two veteran divisions, the
10th Panzer Division and the
2nd SS Division Das Reich on the 32nd's line of defense. On October 13 the fighting began in the
Yelnya area (defended by the 17th Regiment).
The battle continued for five more days until the exhausted Russians fell back further to the east and Mozhaisk fell on the 18th. The 32nd Rifle Division had traded its blood for time and had inflicted heavy losses on the Germans. It stayed on the front lines through November and took part in the
Battle of Moscow. The 32nd Division part in the battle of Moscow did not escape the notice of the Soviet high command and it was given the title
29th Guards Rifle Division on 24 May 1942 and the 17th Rifle Regiment received the
Order of the Red Banner. ==Second Formation==