76th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
The Soviet 76th "K. E. Voroshilov" Division known also as the 76th Armenian Mountain Division, 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 recruits from several different nationalities. The division was officially created on September 5, 1922 at the near end of the Russia
n military conquests of the southern Caucasus
republics, which had Sovietized
the democratic republics of Armenia
, Azerbaijan and Georgia
two years earlier.
sized unit and led by several non-Armenian commanders including Major Generals S. V. Chernikov, E. F. Pryakhin, K. E. Goryunov, N. E. Kaladzen, N. T. Tavarkeeladzen (the latter two ethnic Georgians
), Colonel
G. G. Voronin, and subordinate commanders A. P. Melik-Shahnazaryan, H. T. Atoyan (the last two being Armenians). It published several military newspapers and newsletters, including The Red Soldier and The Red Fighting Man in the Armenian language and the Voroshilovets (in ) in Russian named after Soviet Central Committee
member and later Marshal of the Soviet Union
, Kliment Voroshilov
.
In 1935, the division was officially named after Voroshilov and two years later was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner
. In 1938, the division was brought up to full size and stationed in the Armenian SSR. Attempts by the Soviet High Command to change the number, alter the division's military traditions, and even the decorations it had been bestowed upon were met with protestations by the commanders who successfully argued in favor of retaining them.
invaded the Soviet Union and drove spearheads into the large landmass of Russia and Ukraine
on three fronts. The southernmost sought to invade the Caucasus in hopes of capturing vital petroleum fields and reserves in Baku
, Azerbaijan. By autumn, the German Wehrmacht
had pushed far into the regions and was nearing the outlet of the northern Caucasus. Bordering Armenia and Azerbaijan was the country of Iran
, led by Reza Shah
Pahlavi. The western Allied Powers, including the United States and Great Britain, expressed fear that if German forces were successful in capturing Baku, Iran, which was harboring pro-Axis
sympathies would thereafter join them. A decision was made and agreed to by the Allies to invade the country
and thus, prevent Iran from becoming another Axis ally. The 76th Division, as part of the 47th Army of the Transcaucasian Front
was one of the units ordered to invade Iran and did so in August, crossing the Araks River
and entering through the border town of Julfa
, Nakhichevan
and finally establishing control in the northern Iranian city of Tabriz
.
. It took part in major fighting in Poltava
, Kharkiv
and Vovchansk
during the First Battle of Kharkov
. In February 1942, the division advanced westward and was reassigned and integrated into the 21st Red Army. In May 1942, the Voroshilov division took part in the attack and recapturing of the Ukrainian city of Belgorod
.
With the capture of several other cities, it moved up north and crossed the Donets river, confronting the entrenched German Army Group South. Despite suffering heavy casualties, the division was able to cross the riverbank, and in effect retake the towns of Grasovka, Nekhotevka, Shameeno and Arkhangelskoye. In June 1942, it took part with the 21st Army
to halt two splintering counter-offensives in Surkovo, Yam and Pesyanoye. In July 1942, the division was sent to Stalingrad. After taking part in fighting there until October, it was ordered to sever Army Group South's supply lines in Russia, near the Don River
. It decimated the German force holding and protecting Kletskaya, a key industrial city with numerous metal works factories. For its successful action, the division was promoted to Guards
(Советская Гвардия) status on November 23, 1942 and became known as the 51st Guards Rifle Division.
The division's final titles were 76th Kirovograd Bratislava Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Infantry Division.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
fighting unit of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
that fought on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
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 recruits from several different nationalities. The division was officially created on September 5, 1922 at the near end of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n military conquests of the southern Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
republics, which had Sovietized
Soviet republic (system of government)
A Soviet Republic is a system of government in which the whole state power belongs to the Soviets . Although the term is usually associated with communist states, it was not initially intended to represent only one political force, but merely a form of democracy and representation.In the classic...
the democratic republics of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Azerbaijan and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
two years earlier.
Establishment
The 76th was initially formed as a brigadeBrigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
sized unit and led by several non-Armenian commanders including Major Generals S. V. Chernikov, E. F. Pryakhin, K. E. Goryunov, N. E. Kaladzen, N. T. Tavarkeeladzen (the latter two ethnic Georgians
Georgians
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
), Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
G. G. Voronin, and subordinate commanders A. P. Melik-Shahnazaryan, H. T. Atoyan (the last two being Armenians). It published several military newspapers and newsletters, including The Red Soldier and The Red Fighting Man in the Armenian language and the Voroshilovets (in ) in Russian named after Soviet Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
member and later Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
, Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov , popularly known as Klim Voroshilov was a Soviet military officer, politician, and statesman...
.
In 1935, the division was officially named after Voroshilov and two years later was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
. In 1938, the division was brought up to full size and stationed in the Armenian SSR. Attempts by the Soviet High Command to change the number, alter the division's military traditions, and even the decorations it had been bestowed upon were met with protestations by the commanders who successfully argued in favor of retaining them.
Iran
In the summer of 1941, Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded the Soviet Union and drove spearheads into the large landmass of Russia and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
on three fronts. The southernmost sought to invade the Caucasus in hopes of capturing vital petroleum fields and reserves in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, Azerbaijan. By autumn, the German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
had pushed far into the regions and was nearing the outlet of the northern Caucasus. Bordering Armenia and Azerbaijan was the country of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, led by Reza Shah
Reza Shah
Rezā Shāh, also known as Rezā Shāh Pahlavi and Rezā Shāh Kabir , , was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925, until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on September 16, 1941.In 1925, Reza Shah overthrew Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Shah of the Qajar...
Pahlavi. The western Allied Powers, including the United States and Great Britain, expressed fear that if German forces were successful in capturing Baku, Iran, which was harboring pro-Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
sympathies would thereafter join them. A decision was made and agreed to by the Allies to invade the country
Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran was the Allied invasion of the Imperial State of Iran during World War II, by British, Commonwealth, and Soviet armed forces. The invasion from August 25 to September 17, 1941, was codenamed Operation Countenance...
and thus, prevent Iran from becoming another Axis ally. The 76th Division, as part of the 47th Army of the Transcaucasian Front
Transcaucasian Front
Transcaucasian Front or Transcaucasus Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated...
was one of the units ordered to invade Iran and did so in August, crossing the Araks River
Araks River
The Aras , is a river located in and along the countries of Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Its total length is...
and entering through the border town of Julfa
Julfa, Azerbaijan (town)
Julfa , formerly Jugha and also rendered as Djulfa, Dzhul’fa, Jolfa, Dzhulfa, Džulfa, Jolfā, Jolfā-ye Nakhjavān , is the administrative capital of the Julfa Rayon administrative region of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in Azerbaijan.Julfa is separated by the Araks River from its namesake, the...
, Nakhichevan
Nakhichevan
The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. The region covers 5,363 km² and borders Armenia to the east and north, Iran to the south and west, and Turkey to the northwest...
and finally establishing control in the northern Iranian city of Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
.
Ukraine, Stalingrad, Don: 1942
Iran largely relented to British and Soviet forces, freeing the division to be sent back northwards to Ukraine in September as part of the 38th Army38th Army (Soviet Union)
The 38th Red Banner Army of was a field army of the Soviet Union that existed between 1941 and 1991.The army headquarters was formed in July 1941 by redesignation of the staff of 8th Mechanised Corps.On 1 May 1945, the army was part of 4th Ukrainian Front...
. It took part in major fighting in Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
, Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
and Vovchansk
Vovchansk
Vovchansk is a city in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast . Population : 20,695....
during the First Battle of Kharkov
First Battle of Kharkov
The 1st Battle of Kharkov so named by Wilhelm Keitel was the 1941 tactical Wehrmacht battle for the city of Kharkiv during the final phase of Operation Barbarossa by the German 6th Army of the Army Group South on 20 October 1941...
. In February 1942, the division advanced westward and was reassigned and integrated into the 21st Red Army. In May 1942, the Voroshilov division took part in the attack and recapturing of the Ukrainian city of Belgorod
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi is a city situated on the right bank of the Dniester Liman in the Odessa Oblast of southwestern Ukraine, in the historical region of Bessarabia...
.
With the capture of several other cities, it moved up north and crossed the Donets river, confronting the entrenched German Army Group South. Despite suffering heavy casualties, the division was able to cross the riverbank, and in effect retake the towns of Grasovka, Nekhotevka, Shameeno and Arkhangelskoye. In June 1942, it took part with the 21st Army
21st Army (Soviet Union)
-June to September 1941:21st Army was a part of the Second Operational Echelon of the RKKA. It was formed from the forces of the Volga Military District in May 1941 and was initially based on 63rd Rifle Corps and 66th Rifle Corps. The army was under the command of Lieutenant-General Vasilii...
to halt two splintering counter-offensives in Surkovo, Yam and Pesyanoye. In July 1942, the division was sent to Stalingrad. After taking part in fighting there until October, it was ordered to sever Army Group South's supply lines in Russia, near the Don River
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
. It decimated the German force holding and protecting Kletskaya, a key industrial city with numerous metal works factories. For its successful action, the division was promoted to Guards
Russian Guards
Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
(Советская Гвардия) status on November 23, 1942 and became known as the 51st Guards Rifle Division.
The division's final titles were 76th Kirovograd Bratislava Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Infantry Division.