On 22 June 1941, when Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began, the division and its corps advanced towards Volkovysk and Belostok. Reaching the area of Mir-Gorodishche and Gorodeya, the division received orders to occupy a defensive line along the 1939 state border in the area of Negoreloe, Stolbtsy, Gorodeya, and Nesvizh, where it took control of disparate retreating units. For four days the division fought in fierce defensive battles with advancing German units on this line, covering the direction of Minsk. Subsequently, the division was forced to retreat to Minsk and beyond the Berezina River, where it consolidated. From 28 June, division units fought in an encirclement west of Minsk in the Naliboki forest for several days. Conducting a fighting retreat over the Dnieper towards Mogilev, the units of the division tied down large German forces, being twice encircled. Near Krichev and Propoysk on the Sozh River the division spent all fuel and ammunition in intense fighting, after which Obukhov decided to destroy the remaining equipment and vehicles and head east. He did not reach Soviet lines until September, with a group of up to 1,000 troops in the area of Bryansk in the 50th Army sector.
