The 388th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served twice during World War II in that role. The division followed a very similar combat path to that of the 386th Rifle Division in both of its formations. It was first formed on August 19, in the Transcaucasus Military District. From December 7 to 13, it was shipped from the Black Sea ports to Sevastopol, which was under siege by the German 11th Army. The division arrived about a week before the second Axis assault on the fortress began and played an important role in the defense but suffered heavy casualties in the process. The battered unit remained in the fortress through the winter and spring until the final offensive, Operation Störfang, began on June 2, 1942. It continued the struggle, in much diminished strength, through to the final Axis victory and was finally stricken from the Red Army order of battle on August 5. In the buildup to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, a new 388th was formed in the Far Eastern Front in late 1944. The new division earned several distinctions as it fought its way into central Manchuria, including a battle honor, and continued to serve into the postwar era. 1st Formation The 388th began forming on August 19, 1941 at Kutaisi in the Transcaucasus Military District. Its order of battle, based on the first wartime shtat (table of organization and equipment) for rifle divisions, was as follows: 773rd Rifle Regiment 778th Rifle Regiment 782nd Rifle Regiment 953rd Artillery Regiment 104th Antitank Battalion 181st Antiaircraft Battery (later 677th Antiaircraft Battalion) 675th Mortar Battalion 452nd Reconnaissance Company 671st Sapper Battalion 841st Signal Battalion 475th Medical/Sanitation Battalion 468th Chemical Protection (Anti-gas) Company 505th Motor Transport Company 240th Field Bakery 815th Divisional Veterinary Hospital 1448th Field Postal Station 719th Field Office of the State Bank Col. Aleksandr Dmitrievich Ovseenko was assigned to command of the division on the day it formed, and he would remain in command until March 6, 1942. It continued forming under the military district headquarters into September and late that month was transferred to Transcaucasus Front. As of December 1 it was under command of the 46th Army. Beginning on December 7 it was shipped from several of the Transcaucasus Black Sea ports into Sevastopol to join the Soviet forces besieged there. Siege of Sevastopol On the night