TITLE: The inverse Torsion Mordell-Weil problem
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: Let $G$ be a finite abelian group.
Is there a field $K$, and an elliptic curve $E$ over $K$ such that $E(K)_{tor} \cong G$?

REPLY [7 votes]: Even better, there exists an elliptic curve $E$ over a number field $K$, such that for any group of the form $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}\times \mathbb{Z}/mn\mathbb{Z}$, there is a finite extension $K'/K$ such that $$E(K')_{\text{tors}}\simeq\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}\times \mathbb{Z}/mn\mathbb{Z}.$$
Indeed, take any $(E,K)$ such that the natural Galois representation on the total Tate module of $E$, $$\rho: \text{Gal}(\bar K/K)\to GL_2(\hat{\mathbb{Z}})$$ is surjective (such curves exist by e.g. this paper of Zywina).  Now choose a subgroup $$\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}\times \mathbb{Z}/mn\mathbb{Z}\subset E(\bar K)_{\text{tors}}$$ and let $K'$ be the field fixed by its stabilizer under $\rho$.  By the surjectivity of $\rho$, the desired subgroup is all that is fixed, and we're done.