Col. Fyodor Vasilievich Maltsev was appointed to command on the day the division began forming. On June 22 the 227th was assigned to the 45th Rifle Corps, unattached to any Army, in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, but by July 1 it had been left behind in the Kharkov Military DistrictCombat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, pp. 11, 19 as the Corps went forward to the front; even after four months it was not completely formed or equipped.Sharp, "Red Legions", p. 98 On the same date Colonel Maltsev was succeeded in command by Col. Efrem Fyodoseevich Makarchuk. By July 10 the division had been placed "at the disposal of the Southwestern Direction",Combat Composition of the Soviet Army, 1941, p. 24 which consisted of the Southwestern and Southern Fronts. It soon settled in the former Front as part of 26th Army along the Dniepr River in the CherkasyKaniv area.Sharp, "Red Legions", p. 98
