76th Rifle Division | |
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Active | 5 September 1922 – 1942 1943–1945 |
Country | Soviet Union |
Branch | Red Army |
Type | Rifle Division |
Role | Tactical attack and defense combat operations |
Size | ca. 5–7,000 men 50–100 guns and mortars |
Engagements | First Battle of Kharkov Battle of Stalingrad Operation Uranus |
Decorations | Order of the Red Banner (1st and 2nd formations) Order of Suvorov (2nd formation) |
Battle honours | K. Y. Voroshilov (1st formation) Yelnya (2nd formation) Warsaw (2nd formation) |
The 76th Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division, formed twice.
The division was formed in 1922 and was known also as the 76th Armenian Mountain Division. It was a Soviet infantry fighting unit of the Red Army that fought on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. The 76th was made up primarily of Armenians from the newly established Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia, but also included among its ranks several different nationalities. The division became the 51st Guards Rifle Division on 23 November 1942 for its actions in Operation Uranus.
The division was reformed in 1943 from a rifle brigade. The division's second formation was disbanded in the summer of 1945.