The 6th Guards Airborne Division was formed on 8 December 1942 from the 6th Airborne Corps in Noginsk. The division first fought with the 1st Shock Army on 14 March 1943 during Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda. After that, the division was placed in Stavka Strategic Reserve. As part of the 5th Guards Army, the division fought in the Battle of Kursk. After the Battle of the Dnieper, the division captured Kremenchuk and Znamianka, for which it was awarded honorifics. On 8 January 1944, the division helped capture Kirovohrad. In the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky Offensive, the division stopped German attempts to relieve the Korsun Pocket. During the Uman–Botoșani Offensive, it operated with the 4th Guards Army. For its performance during the offensive, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.