The 6th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army. Formed twice, it participated in several battles, most notably the Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the Estonian War of Independence. The division's first formation was awarded the Order of the Red Banner twice and the Order of Suvorov 2nd class for its valor in combat. In November 1945, the division was disbanded. It was briefly reformed in 1955 but disbanded again in 1957. First formation The division was first formed on 23 May 1918, in the city of Gdov. It was made up of volunteers from Petrograd, soldiers of Pavel Dybenko's volunteer detachment, Red Guards from the regular Army, and workers from the city of Narva in the city of Gdov. Its official designation upon activation was the Gatchina Infantry Division. From May to November 1918, the division was deployed in the vicinity of Ivangorod. On 31 May 1918, it became the 3rd Petrograd Infantry Division. On 11 September 1918, it became the 6th Rifle Division. Until November 1918, the division defended the approaches to Petrograd on the Narva and Revel directions. From November 1918 to January 1919, the division took part in the campaign of the Red Army in the Baltic States and Belarus. On 28 November 1918, the division occupied the city of Narva and further advanced to the Jägala river, which it reached in December 1918. Since January 1919, she retreated, fighting against the formations of the White movement and the Estonians, including in January 1919 at Koporye. In May 1919, the first assault by White Army units commanded by Nikolay Yudenich were defeated by the division. The division then became part of the Consolidated Baltic Division. On 5 August, the division retreated from the Yamburg area in order to concentrate on the defense of Petrograd. In autumn 1919, the rifle division defeated the Estonian 1st Division's Krasnaya Gorka Offensive. In October 1919, the division went on the offensive and captured Krasnoye Selo. In November 1919 the division attacked Narva with the Red Army, starting the Estonian War of Independence. This was part of the Soviet westward offensive, a campaign to conquer the Baltic states and Belarus. The unit was redesignated twice during this campaign. The 6th Rifle Division then saw action in the campaign to conquer the city of Narva. This was a homecoming of sorts for the division, as many