76th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)

76th Rifle Division
Active5 September 1922 – 1942
1943–1945
Country Soviet Union
Branch Red Army
TypeRifle Division
RoleTactical attack and defense combat operations
Sizeca. 5–7,000 men
50–100 guns and mortars
EngagementsFirst Battle of Kharkov
Battle of Stalingrad
Operation Uranus
DecorationsOrder of the Red Banner Order of the Red Banner (1st and 2nd formations)
Order of Suvorov 2nd Class Order of Suvorov (2nd formation)
Battle honoursK. 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.