Soviet Airborne Forces

Soviet Airborne Forces
Vozdushno-desantnye voyska SSSR Воздушно-десантные войска СССР
Shoulder patch of the Soviet Airborne Forces, 1969-1991
Active	4 September 1941 - 14 February 1992
Country	Soviet Union (1941–1991)  CIS (1991–1992)
Branch	Soviet Armed Forces
Type	Airborne forces
Role	Light infantry Airborne infantry Airmobile infantry Peacekeeping
Size	January 1990 - 53,874 August 1991 - 77,036
Nickname(s)	Uncle Vasya's Troops
Motto(s)	Никто, кроме нас! (Nobody, but us!)
Engagements	Battle of Lake Khasan Battles of Khalkhin Gol World War II First Nagorno-Karabakh War Soviet–Afghan War
Commanders
Notable commanders	Gen. Vasily Margelov
Insignia
Flag of the Airborne Forces

The Soviet Airborne Forces or VDV (from Vozdushno-desantnye voyska SSSR, Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска СССР, ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) was a separate troops branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. First formed before the Second World War, the force undertook two significant airborne operations and a number of smaller jumps during the war and for many years after 1945 was the largest airborne force in the world.^[1] The force was split after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with the core becoming the Russian Airborne Forces, losing divisions to Belarus and Ukraine.

Troops of the Soviet Airborne Forces traditionally wore a sky blue beret and blue-striped telnyashka and they were named desant (Russian: Десант) from the French Descente.^[2]

The Soviet Airborne Forces were noted for their relatively large number of vehicles, specifically designed for airborne transport, as such, they traditionally had a larger complement of heavy weaponry than most contemporary airborne forces.^[3]

Interwar and World War II[]

The first airborne forces parachute jump is dated to 2 August 1930, taking place in the Moscow Military District. Airborne landing detachments were established after the initial 1930 experimental jump, but creation of larger units had to wait until 1932–33. On 11 December 1932, a Revolutionary Military Council order established an airborne brigade from the existing detachment in the Leningrad Military District.^[4] To implement the order, a directive of the Commissariat of Military and Naval Affairs transformed the Leningrad Military District's 3rd Motorised Airborne Landing Detachment into the  [ru] commanded by M.V. Boytsov. In addition, the 13th and 47th Airborne Brigades plus three airborne regiments (the 1st, 2nd, and 5th, all in the Far East) were created in 1936.^[5] In March and April 1941, five Airborne Corps (divisions) were established on the basis of the existing , , , 212th, and Airborne Brigades.^[6] The number of Airborne Corps rose from five to ten in late 1941, but then all the airborne corps were converted into "Guards" Rifle Divisions in the northern hemisphere summer of 1942.^[7]

The Soviet airborne forces were mostly used as 'foot' infantry during the war. Only a few small airborne drops were carried out in the first desperate days of Operation Barbarossa, in the vicinity of Kiev, Odessa, and the Kerch peninsula.^[8] The two significant airborne operations of the war were the Vyazma operation of February–March 1942, involving 4th Airborne Corps, and the Dnepr/Kiev operation of September 1943, involving a temporary corps formation consisting of 1st, 3rd, and 5th Airborne Brigades.^[9] Glantz wrote:^[10]

"After the extensive airborne activity during the winter campaign of 1941–42, [the] airborne forces underwent another major reorganization the following summer. Responding to events in southern Russia, where German troops had opened a major offensive that would culminate in the Stalingrad battles, the ten airborne corps, as part of the Stavka strategic reserves, deployed southward. Furthermore, the Stavka converted all ten airborne corps into guards rifle divisions to bolster Soviet forces in the south. Nine of these divisions participated in the battles around Stalingrad, and one took part in the defense of the northern Caucasus region."

The Stavka still foresaw the necessity of conducting actual airborne operations later during the war. To have such a force, the Stavka created eight new airborne corps (1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th) in the fall of 1942. Beginning in December 1942, these corps became ten guards airborne divisions (numbered 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th (formed from 9th Airborne Corps (2nd formation)), 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, two formed from the 1st Airborne Corps and the three existing separate maneuver airborne brigades). The new guards airborne divisions trained in airborne techniques, and all personnel jumped three to ten times during training, though many were from jump towers.^[11]

After the defeat of German forces at Kursk, the bulk of the airborne divisions joined in the pursuit of German forces to the Dnepr River. Even as ten guards airborne divisions fought at the front, new airborne brigades formed in the rear areas. In April and May 1943, twenty brigades formed and trained for future airborne operations. Most of these brigades had become six new guards airborne divisions (11th through 16th) by September 1943.^[12] The Stavka however, earmarked three of these airborne brigades for use in an airborne operation to cross the Dnepr River, which was unsuccessful.^[13]

David Glantz wrote in 1984:^[14]

In August [1944], the Stavka formed the 37th, 38th, and 39th Guards Airborne Corps. By October, the newly formed corps had combined into a separate airborne army under Maj. Gen. I. I. Zatevakhin. However, because of the growing need for well-trained ground units, the new army did not endure long as an airborne unit. In December,the Stavka reorganized the separate airborne army into the 9th Guards Army of Col. Gen. V. V. Glagolev, and all divisions were renumbered as guards rifle divisions. As testimony to the elite nature of airborne-trained units, the Stavka held the 9th Guards Army out of defensive actions, using it only for exploitation during offensives.

From 1944 the airborne divisions were reconstituted as Guards Rifle Divisions.^[13]

• 37th Guards Svirsk Airborne Corps (19 January – 9 August 1944, and from 30 December 1944, 37th Guards Rifle Corps):
  Lieutenant General Pavel Mironov (19 January 1944 – May 1946)
  • 98th Guards Svirsk Rifle Division
  • 99th Guards Rifle Division^[15]
  • 103rd Guards Rifle Division
• 38th Guards Airborne Corps:
  • Major General, from November 5, Lieutenant General Alexander Kapitokhin (August 9, 1944 – March 25, 1945)
  • Lieutenant General Alexander Utvenko (26 March 1945 – July 1946)
  • 104th Guards Rifle Division
  • 105th Guards Rifle Division
  • 106th Guards Rifle Division
• 39th Guards Airborne Corps:
  • Lieutenant General Mikhail Tikhonov (August 1944 – June 1945).
  • 100th Guards Rifle Division
  • 107th Guards Rifle Division
  • 114th Guards Rifle Division (from 14th Guards Airborne Division (2nd formation))

During the invasion of Manchuria and the South Sakhalin Operation, airborne units were used to seize airfields and city centers in advance of the land forces, and to ferry fuel to those units that had outrun their supply lines.^{[citation needed]}

Postwar[]

The HQ 9th Guards Army was redesignated Headquarters Airborne Forces in June 1946 after the war ended.^[16] The units of the army were removed from the order of battle of the Air Forces of the USSR and assigned directly to the Ministry of the Armed Forces of the USSR.

In 1946 the force consisted of five corps (the 8th and 15th had been added) and ten divisions:^[17]

• 8th Guards Airborne Corps (103rd and 114th Divisions). The 114th Guards Airborne Division was established in 1946 on the basis of the similarly numbered Rifle Division in Borovukha (just east of Slutsk) in the Belarussian SSR. The division was disbanded in 1956, with two of its regiments (the 350th and 357th) joining the 103rd Guards Airborne Division.^[18]
• 15th Guards Airborne Corps (the 76th and 104th Divisions at Pskov),
• 37th Guards Airborne Corps (the 98th and 99th in Primorsky Krai)
• 38th Guards Airborne Corps (105th and 106th at Tula),
• 39th Guards Airborne Corps at Belaya Tserkov in Ukraine (the 100th and 107th Guards Airborne Divisions (Chernigov, disbanded in 1959))

In the summer of 1948, five more Guards Airborne Divisions were created. The 7th (Lithuania, 8th Airborne Corps), the 11th (activated 1 October 1948 in Ryazan, Moscow Oblast, from the 347th Guards Air Landing Regiment, 38th Airborne Corps),^[19] the 13th Guards (at Galenki, Primorskiy Kray, with the 37th Airborne Corps), the 21st Guards (Estonia, Valga, with the 15th Airborne Corps), and the 31st Guards (Carpathians, 39th Airborne Corps). At the end of 1955 and the beginning of 1956 the 11th Guards, 21st, 100th and 114th Guards Airborne Divisions were disbanded as well as all the airborne corps headquarters.^[17] The number of divisions, thus, decreased to 11. In April 1955 the transport aircraft were separated from the VDV and the Air Force Military Transport Aviation was created. In 1959 the 31st and 107th Guards Airborne Divisions were disbanded, but in October 1960 the 44th Training Airborne Division was formed. In 1964 the Soviet Airborne Forces were directly subordinated to the Ministry of Defence.

The creation of the post-war Soviet Airborne Forces owe much to the efforts of one man, Army General Vasily Margelov, so much so that the abbreviation of VDV in the Airborne Forces is sometimes waggishly interpreted as Войска дяди Васи or "Uncle Vasya's Forces".

Airborne units of two divisions (7th and 31st Guards) were used during Soviet operations in Hungary during 1956, and the 7th Guards division was used again during the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia. The first experimental air assault brigade – the 1st Airborne Brigade – was apparently activated in 1967/1968 from parts of the 51st Guards Parachute Landing Regiment (PDP) (Tula), after the Soviets had been impressed by the American experiences in Vietnam.^[20][21] In 1973 the 13th and 99th Airborne Divisions were reorganised as air assault brigades, and thus the number of divisions dropped to eight.^[17] There were also independent regiments and battalions. However, even by the 1980s only two divisions were capable of being deployed for combat operations in the first wave against NATO using Air Force Military Transport Aviation and Aeroflot aircraft.^[22]

Airborne Forces Commander-in-Chief Vasily Margelov had the idea to introduce the Telnyashka blue-and-white striped shirt as a sign of elite status of the airborne troops. In 1970, the telnyashka became an official part of the uniform.^[23]

In accordance with a directive of the General Staff, from August 3, 1979, to December 1, 1979, the 105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division was disbanded.^[24] From the division remained in the city of Fergana the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment (much stronger than the usual regimental size) with the separate 115th military-transport aviation squadron. The rest of the personnel of the division were reassigned to fill out other incomplete airborne units and formations and to the newly formed air assault brigades. Based on the division's 351st Guards Parachute Regiment, the 56th Guards Separate Air Assault Brigade was formed in Azadbash, (Chirchiq district) Tashkent Oblast, Uzbek SSR. Meanwhile, the 111th Guards Parachute Regiment became the 35th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade.

However, there was also a mistaken Western belief, either intentional Soviet deception or stemming from confusion in the West, that an Airborne Division, reported as the 6th, was being maintained at Belogorsk in the Far East in the 1980s.^[25] This maskirovka division was then 'disbanded' later in the 1980s, causing comment within Western professional journals that another division was likely to be reformed so that the Far East had an airborne presence.^[26] The division was not listed in V.I. Feskov et al.'s The Soviet Army during the period of the Cold War, (2004) and the division at Belogorsk, the 98th Guards Airborne Svirskaya Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Division moved to Bolgrad in the Ukraine in late 1969.^[27]

The 103rd Guards Airborne Division, 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment and the 56th Air Assault Brigade fought in the Soviet–Afghan War.

Airborne Troops[]

The Airborne Troops (Воздушно-десантные войска (ВДВ), literal translation: Air-Landing Troops) of the Soviet Union and their present-day Russian Federation successor are a separate combat service directly subordinated to the General Staff. Their combat doctrine establishes their role as a highly mobile operational reserve of the armed forces, the last remaining Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Резерв главного командования (РГК)).

In 1989 a Soviet Air-Landing Division (Воздушно-десантная дивизия (вдд)) was organized into a division HQ, three Parachute Landing Regiments (sing. Парашютно-десантный полк (пдп)) and various combat and service support units. V. I. Shaykin's historic study of the Airborne Forces lists the following force structure in 1989 (Military Detachment number (в/ч) given in brackets):^[28]

Directorate of the Commander of the Airborne Troops (Управление командующего ВДВ)(25953), Moscow, RSFSR

• units and establishments directly subordinated to the Directorate:
  • 879th Signals Nod (879-й узел связи)
  • 196th Signals Regiment of the Airborne Troops (196-й полк связи ВДВ)(54164), Medvezhie Ozera, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR
  • 899th Separate Spetsnaz Company (899-я отдельная рота специального назначения)(54766)
  • 387th Separate Parachute-Landing Regiment (387-й отдельный парашютно-десантный полк) (Fergana, Uzbek SSR);
  • 58th Separate Military Transport Aviation Squadron (58-я отдельная военно-транспортная авиационная эскадрилья)(03417), Ryazan, Dyagilevo Airfield
  • 78th Separate Military Transport Aviation Squadron (78-я отдельная военно-транспортная авиационная эскадрилья), Klin Airfield
  • Ryazan Higher Air-Landing, twice awarded the Order of the Red Banner, named after the Lenin Comsomol Command School (Рязанское высшее воздушно-десантное командное дважды Краснознаменное училище имени Ленинского Комсомола), Ryazan, RSFSR
  • 332nd NCO School of the Airborne Troops (332-я школа прапорщиков ВДВ), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
  • 2356th Central Automobile Storage of the Airborne Troops (2356-й центральный автомобильный склад ВДВ), Kubinka, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR
  • 3104th Central Base for Armament and Equipment Reserve of the Airborne Troops (3104-я центральная база резерва вооружения и техники ВДВ), Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR
  • 5730th Central Base for Armored Vehicles of the Airborne Troops (5730-я центральная база бронетанкового имущества ВДВ), Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR
  • 3370th Central Storage for Air-Landing Equipment of the Airborne Troops (3370-й центральный склад воздушно-десантной техники и имущества), Kolomna, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR
  • 1029th Central Military Hospital of the Airborne Troops (1029-й центральный военный госпиталь ВДВ)(52203), Tula, RSFSR
  • 984th Center for Sanitary-Epidemiological Oversight of the Airborne Troops (984-й центр государственного санитарно-эпидемиологического надзора ВДВ)(48837), Ivanovo, RSFSR
  • 176th Central Sanitary-Epidemiological Detachment (176-й центральный санитарно-эпидемиологический отряд)
  • Military Sanatorium "Gudautskiy" (Военный санаторий «Гудаутский»)
  • Military Sanatorium "Airborne Trooper" (Военный санаторий «Десантник»)
  • 47th Singing and Dancing Ensemble of the Airborne Troops (47-й ансамбль песни и пляски ВДВ)
  • 242nd Training Centre of the Airborne Troops (242-й учебный центр Воздушно-десантных войск), created from the 44th Training Airborne Division. However, the divisional banner was retained.^[29][30] The division was established in Ostrov in September 1960 as the 44th Training Airborne Division. In September 1961 it was transferred to the Lithuanian SSR.^[31]
    • Center HQ (управление центра)(20192), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 300th Separate Training Signals Battalion (300-й отдельный учебный батальон связи)(63295), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 226th Training Parachute-Landing Regiment (226-й учебный парашютно-десантный полк)(11929), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 285th Training Parachute-Landing Regiment (285-й учебный парашютно-десантный полк)(74995), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 301st Training Parachute-Landing Regiment (301-й учебный парашютно-десантный полк)(42227), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 743rd Separate Training Parachute-Landing Battalion (743-й отдельный учебный парашютно-десантный батальон), Karmėlava, Lithuanian SSR
    • 1120th Training Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (1120-й учебный самоходно-артиллерийский полк)(61222), Prienai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 367th Separate Training Air Defence Missile and Artillery Battalion (367-й отдельный учебный зенитный ракетно-артиллерийский дивизион)(33817), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 113th Separate Training Combat Engineer Battalion (113-й отдельный учебный инженерно-саперный батальон)(63291), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 340th Separate Training Military Transport Aviation Squadron (340-я отдельная учебная военно-транспортная авиационная эскадрилья), Pociūnai Airfield (near Prienai), Lithuanian SSR
    • 148th Separate Training Battalion for Heavy Air Landing Vehicles Familiarization (148-й отдельный учебный батальон тяжелой воздушно-десантной техники)(74163), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 45th Separate Training Repair and Overhaul Battalion (45-й отдельный учебный ремонтно-восстановительный батальон)(59356), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 184th Separate Training Medical Battalion (184-й отдельный учебный медицинский батальон) (42235), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 373rd Separate Training Automobile Battalion (373-й отдельный учебный автомобильный батальон), Gaižiūnai, Lithuanian SSR
    • 214th Training Range (214-й полигон)
    • 2945th Unified Storage (2945-й объединенный склад)
    • 51518th Field Branch of Gosbank (51518-е полевое учреждение госбанка)
• 7th Guards Cherkasskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Kutuzov Air-Landing Division (7-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Краснознамённая ордена Кутузова дивизия)
  • Division Command and Staff (штаб дивизии), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 743rd Separate Signals Battalion (743-й отдельный батальон связи)(02050), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 97th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (97-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(10999), Alytus, Lithuanian SSR
  • 108th Guards, Kuban Cossack, awarded the Order of the Red Star Parachute-Landing Regiment (108-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный Кубанский казачий ордена Красной Звезды полк)(02291), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 119th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (119-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(10075), Marijampolė, Lithuanian SSR
  • 1141st Guards Artillery Regiment (1141-й гвардейский артиллерийский полк)(02207), Kalvarija, Lithuanian SSR
  • 744th Separate Air Defence Missile and Artillery Battalion (744-й отдельный зенитный ракетно-артиллерийский дивизион)(33817), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 72nd Separate Reconnaissance Company (72-я отдельная разведывательная рота)(86788), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 143rd Separate Combat Engineer Battalion (143-й отдельный инженерно-саперный батальон) Kazlų Rūda, Lithuanian SSR
  • 185th Separate Military Transport Aviation Squadron (185-я отдельная военно-транспортная авиационная эскадрилья), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 1692nd Separate Air-Landing Equipment Maintenance Battalion (1692-й отдельный батальон десантного обеспечения)(96536), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 1681st Separate Supply Battalion (1681-й отдельный батальон материального обеспечения), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 6th Separate Repair and Overhaul Battalion (6-й отдельный ремонтно-восстановительный батальон)(58356), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 313th Separate Medical Battalion (313-й отдельный медицинский батальон), Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR
  • 286th Station of the Field Courier Service (286-я станция фельдъегерьско-почтовой связи)
  • 215th Training Range (215-й полигон)(63319), Kazlų Rūda, Lithuanian SSR
  • 51502nd Field Branch of Gosbank (51502-е полевое учреждение госбанка)
• 76th Guards Chernigovskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner Air-Landing Division (76-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Черниговская Краснознаменная дивизия)
  • Division Command and Staff (штаб дивизии), Pskov, RSFSR
  • 728th Separate Guards Signals Battalion (728-й отдельный гвардейский батальон связи)(24538)
  • 104th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (104-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(32515), Cheryokha, suburb of Pskov, RSFSR
  • 234th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (234-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(74268), Pskov, RSFSR
  • 237th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (237-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(56264), Pskov, RSFSR
  • 1140th Guards, twice awarded the Order of the Red Banner Artillery Regiment (1140-й гвардейский артиллерийский дважды Краснознаменный полк)(45377)
  • 165th Separate Air Defence Missile and Artillery Battalion (165-й отдельный зенитный ракетно-артиллерийский дивизион)(81430)
  • 175th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Company (175-я отдельная гвардейская разведывательная рота)(64004)
  • 656th Separate Combat Engineer Battalion (656-й отдельный гвардейский инженерно-сапёрный батальон)(45293)
  • 242nd Separate Military Transport Aviation Squadron (242-я отдельная военно-транспортная авиационная эскадрилья)(06776), Cheryokha, suburb of Pskov, RSFSR
  • 608th Separate Air-Landing Equipment Maintenance Battalion (608-й отдельный батальон десантного обеспечения)(77011)
  • 1682nd Separate Supply Battalion (1682-й отдельный батальон материального обеспечения)(42689)
  • 7th Separate Repair and Overhaul Battalion (7-й отдельный ремонтно-восстановительный батальон)
  • 586th Separate Medical Battalion (586-й отдельный медицинский батальон)
• 98th Guards Svirskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Kutuzov Air-Landing Division (98-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Свирская Краснознаменная ордена Кутузова дивизия)
  • Division Command and Staff (штаб дивизии), Bolgrad, Odessa Oblast, Ukrainian SSR
  • 674th Separate Guards Signals Battalion (674-й отдельный гвардейский батальон связи)(89592), Bolgrad
  • 217th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (217-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(42246), Bolgrad
  • 299th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (299-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(52432), Bolgrad
  • 300th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (300-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(40390), Kishinev, Moldovan SSR
  • 1065th Guards Artillery Regiment (1065-й гвардейский артиллерийский полк)(31539), Vessyolliy Kut, Odessa Oblast, Ukrainian SSR
  • 100th Separate Air Defence Missile and Artillery Battalion (100-й отдельный зенитный ракетно-артиллерийский дивизион)(73512), Bolgrad
  • 215th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Company (215-я отдельная гвардейская разведывательная рота)(03391)
  • 112th Separate Combat Engineer Battalion (112-й отдельный инженерно-саперный батальон)
  • 243rd Separate Military Transport Aviation Squadron (243-я отдельная военно-транспортная авиационная эскадрилья)(68226)
  • 613th Separate Air-Landing Equipment Maintenance Battalion (613-й отдельный батальон десантного обеспечения)
  • 1683rd Separate Supply Battalion (1683-й отдельный батальон материального обеспечения)
  • 15th Separate Repair and Overhaul Battalion (15-й отдельный ремонтно-восстановительный батальон)
  • 176th Separate Medical Battalion (176-й отдельный медицинский батальон)
  • 728th Station of the Field Courier Service (728-я станция фельдъегерьско-почтовой связи)(36477)
  • ? Training Range (? полигон), Tarutino, Odessa Oblast, Ukrainian SSR
• 103rd Guards, awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Combat Red Banner, the Order of Kutuzov II class Air-Landing Division "60th Anniversary of the USSR" (103-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная ордена Ленина, Боевого Красного Знамени, Кутузова 2-й степени дивизия им. 60-ти летия СССР)
  • Division Command and Staff (штаб дивизии)(07197), Vitebsk, Belorussian SSR
  • 742nd Separate Signals Battalion (742-й отдельный батальон связи)
  • 317th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (317-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(52287, г. Витебск), Vitebsk, Belarussian SSR
  • 350th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (350-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(64222, г. Полоцк), Polotsk, Vitebsk Oblast, Belarussian SSR
  • 357th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (357-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(93684, г. Полоцк), Polotsk, Vitebsk Oblast, Belarussian SSR
  • 62nd Separate Tank Battalion (62-й отдельный танковый батальон)
  • 1179th Separate Artillery Regiment (1179-й гвардейский артиллерийский полк)
  • 133th Separate Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion (133-й отдельный противотанковый артиллерийский дивизион)
  • 105th Separate Air Defence Missile and Artillery Battalion (105-й отдельный зенитный ракетно-артиллерийский дивизион)
  • 80th Separate Reconnaissance Company (80-я отдельная разведывательная рота)(86793)
  • 130th Separate Combat Engineer Battalion (130-й отдельный инженерно-саперный батальон)
  • 210th Separate Military Transport Aviation Squadron (210-я отдельная военно-транспортная авиационная эскадрилья)
  • 1388th Separate Supply Battalion (1388-й отдельный батальон материального обеспечения)
  • 20th Separate Repair and Overhaul Battalion (20-й отдельный ремонтно-восстановительный батальон)(59318)
  • 175th Separate Medical Battalion (175-й отдельный медицинский батальон)
  • 274th Separate Automobile Company (274-я отдельная автомобильная рота)
• 104th Guards, awarded the Order of the Combat Red Banner and the Order of Kutuzov II class Air-Landing Division (104-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная ордена Боевого Красного Знамени, Кутузова 2-й степени дивизия)
  • Division Command and Staff (штаб дивизии), Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR
  • 729th Separate Signals Battalion (729-й отдельный батальон связи)(12192), Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR
  • 328th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (328-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(93626), Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR
  • 337th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (337-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк), Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR
  • (345th Separate Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (345-й отдельный гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк), Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR
  • 1080th Guards Artillery Regiment (1080-й гвардейский артиллерийский полк)(73598), Şəmkir, Azerbaijan SSR
  • 103rd Separate Air Defence Missile and Artillery Battalion (103-й отдельный зенитный ракетно-артиллерийский дивизион)
  • 110th Separate Reconnaissance Company (110-я отдельная разведывательная рота)(64009), Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR
  • 132nd Separate Combat Engineer Battalion (132-й отдельный инженерно-саперный батальон)(71296), Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR
  • 116th Separate Military Transport Aviation Squadron (116-я отдельная военно-транспортная авиационная эскадрилья)
  • 611th Separate Air-Landing Equipment Maintenance Battalion (611-й отдельный батальон десантного обеспечения)
  • 1684th Separate Supply Battalion (1684-й отдельный батальон материального обеспечения)
  • 24th Separate Repair and Overhaul Battalion (24-й отдельный ремонтно-восстановительный батальон)
  • 180th Separate Medical Battalion (180-й отдельный медицинский батальон)
  • 422nd Station of the Field Courier Service (422-я станция фельдъегерьско-почтовой связи)
• 106th Guards, awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Kutuzov Air-Landing Division (106-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Краснознаменная ордена Кутузова дивизия)
  • Division Command and Staff (штаб дивизии)(55599), Tula, RSFSR
  • 731st Separate Signals Battalion (731-й отдельный батальон связи)(93687)
  • 51st Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (51-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(в/ч 33842), Tula, RSFSR
  • 137th Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (137-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк)(в/ч 41450), Ryazan, RSFSR
  • 331st Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (331-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный полк), Kostroma, RSFSR
  • 1182nd Guards Artillery Regiment (1182-й гвардейский артиллерийский полк)(93723), Efremov, Tula Oblast, RSFSR
  • 107th Separate Air Defence Missile and Artillery Battalion (107-й отдельный зенитный ракетно-артиллерийский дивизион)(71298)
  • 181st Separate Reconnaissance Company (181-я отдельная разведывательная рота)(86800)
  • 139th Separate Combat Engineer Battalion (139-й отдельный инженерно-саперный батальон)(12159)
  • 110th Separate Military Transport Aviation Squadron (110-я отдельная военно-транспортная авиационная эскадрилья)(25500)
  • 610th Separate Air-Landing Equipment Maintenance Battalion (610-й отдельный батальон десантного обеспечения)(64024)
  • 1060th Separate Supply Battalion (1060-й отдельный батальон материального обеспечения)(14403)
  • 43rd Separate Repair and Overhaul Battalion (43-й отдельный ремонтно-восстановительный батальон)(28393)
  • 234th Separate Medical Battalion (234-й отдельный медицинский батальон)(52296)
  • 1883rd Station of the Field Courier Service (1883-я станция фельдъегерьско-почтовой связи)(54235)

As a high readiness and long range main operational reserve of the General Staff the Airborne Troops could rely on the support of the whole Military Transport Aviation and Aeroflot aircraft mobilized for military service. The Airborne Troops also had their own organic aviation assets, but these had very limited airlift capabilities (Antonov An-2s and Mil Mi-8s) and were used for parachute training and liaison flights between the various units.

Landing Assault units of the Soviet Ground Forces[]

Around the time of the Strategic Military Exercise Dnepr-67 came the organization of the first Soviet air assault formation. Shortly before it the 51st Guards Parachute-Landing Regiment (51-й гв. пдп) was transformed into the 1st Separate Air Assault Brigade (1-я отдельная Воздушно-штурмовая бригада (1-я овшбр)) and this experimental formation was put under the command of Major General Kobzar', Chief of the Combat Training Department of the Airborne Forces HQ.^[32] The task of the brigade in the massive exercise was to land with helicopters on the riverside of the Dnieper and secure a beachhead for the forcing of the river by the main forces. This was executed successfully and the lessons learned were used for the formation of regular air assault brigades. A General Staff Directive from May 22, 1968, ordered the formation of the first brigades. They were under the Ground Forces and by August 1970 the first two active brigades were:

• 13th Air Assault Brigade (13-я отдельная Воздушно-штурмовая бригада (13-я овшбр)) in the villages of Nikolayevka and Zavitinsk, Amur Oblast, under the Far Eastern Military District and the
• 11th Air Assault Brigade (11-я отдельная Воздушно-штурмовая бригада (11-я овшбр)) in the village of Mogocha, Chita Oblast, under the Transbaikal Military District.

These brigades had their organic aviation units and had the following structure:

• Brigade HQ (управление бригады)
• 3x Separate Air Assault Battalions (три отдельные воздушно-штурмовые батальоны)
• Artillery Battalion (артиллерийский дивизион)
• Air Defence Artillery Battalion (зенитно-артиллерийский дивизион)
• Combat Helicopter Regiment with its own Aviation Base (боевой вертолетный полк с авиационной базой)
• Transport Helicopter Regiment with its own Aviation Base (транспортный вертолетный полк с авиационной базой)
• Brigade logistics (тыл бригады)

Each aviation base consisted of an airfield support battalion and a signals and radio-technical support battalion. The brigade was tasked with executing tactical heliborne landings up to 100 km behind enemy lines. In the beginning of the 1970s the designation was changed from Separate Air Assault Brigade (отдельная воздушно-штурмовая бригада (овшбр)) to Separate Landing Assault Brigade (отдельная десантно-штурмовая бригада (одшбр)). In 1973 a third brigade was formed:

• 21st Separate Landing Assault Brigade (21-я одшбр)) in the Georgian city of Kutaisi under the Transcaucasian Military District.

The experimental 1st Separate Air Assault Brigade was fully staffed by Airborne Troops personnel due to its background, but the regular air assault brigades formed afterwards lacked any airborne parachute training and the majority of their officers came from the higher schools of the Ground Forces. The brigades carried the uniform of the motor rifle branch. In 1973 the landing assault brigades received a new table of organization:

• Brigade HQ (управление бригады) of 326 men;
• 3x Separate Landing Assault Battalions (три отдельные десантно-штурмовые батальоны) of 349 men each;
• Separate Artillery Battalion (отдельный артиллерийский дивизион) of 171 men;
• Aviation Group (авиационная группа) of 805 men;
• Separate Signals and Radio-technical Support Battalion (отдельный дивизион связи и радио-технического обеспечения) of 190 men;
• Separate Airfield Technical Support Battalion (отдельный батальон аэродромно-технического обеспечения) of 410 men.

The new air assault brigades were deemed successful and by the end of the 1970s several more brigades were formed under the military districts. In addition several separate landing assault battalions were formed as assets of combined arms and tank armies. In 1983 these forces started receiving parachute training and this put them under the training oversight of the Airborne Troops.^[33] The rapid expansion of the landing assault troops led to the disbanding of one airborne division in 1979. This was the 105th Guards Venskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner Airborne Landing Division (105-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Венская Краснознаменная дивизия) with HQ in Fergana in the Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan SSR and command of the 111th, 345th, 351st and the 383rd Parachute Landing Regiments and additional support units. The division was specialized in warfare in mountain and arid regions and the decision to disband it proved to be a seriously misguided one in the coming Soviet–Afghan War. The division gave birth to the following formations:

• The 345th Parachute Landing Regiment (345-й пдп) retained its airborne qualification and remained deployed at the southern border of the USSR, reformed into the 345th Separate Parachute Landing Regiment.
• The 111th Parachute Landing Regiment (111-й пдп) based in Osh, Kirgiz SSR was used as the basis for the formation of the 14th Guards Separate Landing Assault Brigade (14-я гв одшбр) of the Western Group of Forces in Cottbus, GDR. In December 1979 the brigade was re-numbered from the 14th to the 35th Guards Separate Landing Assault Brigade (35-я гв одшбр).
• The 351st Parachute Landing Regiment (351-й пдп) was used for the formation of the 56th Guards Separate Landing Assault Brigade (56-я гв одшбр) of the Turkestan Military District with brigade HQ in the village of Azadbash near Chirchik, Uzbek SSR.
• The 383rd Parachute Landing Regiment (383-й пдп) based in the village of Aktogay, Taldy-Kurgan Oblast, Kazakh SSR was used for the formation of the 57th Separate Landing Assault Brigade (57-я одшбр) of the Central Asian Military District. The regiment was also used for the formation of the 58th Separate Landing Assault Brigade in Kremenchug of the Kiev Military District, but it was kept as a cadre formation in peacetime.
• The officers of the division HQ were used as the cadre for the formation of the 38th Separate Guards Venskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner Landing Assault Brigade (38-я отдельная Гвардейская Венская Краснознаменная десантно-штурмовая бригада) in Brest, subordinated to the Belorussian Military District.

From the late 1970s to the 1980s, 13 separate landing assault brigades were activated. These brigades provided air-mobile capability for military districts and groups of forces. In 1989, these brigades transferred to control of the VDV. During the same period, 19 separate landing assault battalions were activated. These battalions originally provided air-mobile capability to armies and other formations but were mostly disbanded in 1989.^[34]

In 1979, the 58th Air Assault Brigade was activated as a mobilization unit in Kremenchug. It was co-located with the 23rd Air Assault Brigade from 1986 and disbanded in 1989.^[35] The 128th Air Assault Brigade existed between 1986 and 1989 as a mobilization unit in Stavropol.^[36] The 130th Air Assault Brigade existed between 1986 and 1989 as a mobilization unit in Abakan.^[37]

• 11th Landing Assault Brigade (Mogocha, Transbaikal MD)
• 13th Landing Assault Brigade (Magdagachi, Far Eastern MD)
• 21st Landing Assault Brigade (Kutaisi, Transcaucasian MD)
• 23rd Landing Assault Brigade (Kremenchug, Southwestern TVD)
• 35th Guards Landing Assault Brigade (Cottbus, Group of Soviet Forces in Germany)
• 36th Landing Assault Brigade (Garbolovo, Leningrad MD)
• 37th Landing Assault Brigade (Chernyakhovsk, Baltic MD)
• 38th Guards Landing Assault Brigade (Brest, Belarusian MD)
• 39th Landing Assault Brigade (Khyriv, Carpathian MD)
• 40th Landing Assault Brigade (Nikolaev, Odessa MD)
• 56th Landing Assault Brigade (Ýolöten, Turkestan MD)
• 57th Landing Assault Brigade (Aktogay, Central Asian MD)
• 83rd Landing Assault Brigade (Byałogard, Polish People's Republic)

Experimental Landing Assault units of the Ground Forces[]

In addition to the Landing Assault units of the Ground Forces' military districts and armies, the Soviet General Staff also experimented with the inclusion of landing assault units in experimental combined arms corps. Two such corps were formed in the mid-1980s with the task to exploit and widen the operational breakthrough in offensive operations.

• In the Belorussian Military District the 120th Guards, Rogachyovskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov and the Order of Kutuzov Motor Rifle Division (120-я гвардейская мотострелковая Рогачёвская Краснознамённая, орденов Суворова и Кутузова дивизия) was transformed into the 5th Guards Combined Arms Army Corps'"Supreme Soviet of the Belarussian SSR" (5-й отдельный Гвардейский общевойсковой армейский Рогачевский Краснознаменный орденов Суворова и Кутузова корпус им. Верховного Совета БССР.
• In the Transbaikal Military District the 5th Guards, Budapeshtenskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner, Don Cossacks Tank Division (5-я Гвардейская танковая Будапештская Краснознамённая Донская казачья дивизия) was transformed into the 48th Guards Combined Arms Army Corps (48-й Гвардейский общевойсковой армейский корпус).

Each corps consisted of two tank brigades, two mechanised brigades, a landing assault regiment of two battalions and support units, a helicopter regiment (a Mi-24 attack squadron, a Mi-8 assault squadron and a Mi-26 heavy transport squadron of 20 machines each). The combat and service support units were similar to those found in a tank or motor rifle division. The 5th Corps had the 1318th Separate Landing Assault Regiment and 276th Separate Helicopter Regiment, while the 48th Corps had the 1319th Separate Landing Assault Regiment and 373rd Separate Helicopter Regiment. Around 1987-88 the two corps were disbanded and reverted to divisions, losing their landing troops and helicopters.

Landing-Assault formations of the Naval Infantry and KGB[]

Landing Assault units of the Naval Infantry[]

In addition to the Landing Assault Troops of the Ground Forces similar units were also formed by the Soviet Naval Infantry with the main task to execute airborne landings (by parachute or by helicopters), take over and defend a beachhead for the amphibious landing of the main force. By 1989 these units were organized under their respective Fleet HQs as follows:

Red Banner Northern Fleet (Краснознамённый Северный флот) - ZATO Severomorsk, Murmansk Oblast, RSFSR

• 61st Separate Kirkenesskaya, Red Banner Marine Infantry Brigade (61-я отдельная киркенесская краснознамённая бригада морской пехоты (61-я обрмп)) - Sputnik, Murmansk Oblast, RSFSR
  • 876th Separate Landing Assault Battalion (876-й отдельный десантно-штурмовой батальон (876-й одшб))

Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet (Дважды Краснознамённый Балтийский флот) - Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Oblast, RSFSS

• 336th Separate Guards Belostokskaya, Order of Suvorov and the Order of Alexander Nevski Marine Infantry Brigade (336-я отдельная гвардейская бригада морской пехоты (61-я обрмп)) - Baltiysk, Kaliningrad Oblast, RSFSS
  • 879th Separate Landing Assault Battalion (879-й отдельный десантно-штурмовой батальон (879-й одшб))

Red Banner Black Sea Fleet (Краснознамённый Черноморский флот) - Sevastopol, Crimean ASSR, Ukrainian SSR

• 810th Separate Marine Infantry Brigade 60th Anniversary of the USSR (810-я отдельная бригада морской пехоты имени 60-летия образования СССР) - Sevastopol, Crimean ASSR, Ukrainian SSR
  • 881st Separate Landing Assault Battalion (881-й отдельный десантно-штурмовой батальон (881-й одшб))

Red Banner Pacific Fleet - Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR

• 55th Mozyrskaya, Order of the Red Banner 55th Marine Infantry Division (55-я Мозырская Краснознамённая дивизия морской пехоты (55-я кдмп)) - Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR
  • 165th Marine Infantry Regiment (165-й полк морской пехоты (165-й пмп)) - Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR
    • unidentified Separate Landing Assault Battalion (Н-й отдельный десантно-штурмовой батальон)
  • 390th Marine Infantry Regiment (390-й полк морской пехоты (390-й пмп)) - Slavyanka, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR
    • unidentified Separate Landing Assault Battalion (Н-й отдельный десантно-штурмовой батальон)

Landing Assault units of the KGB Border Troops[]

Although outside of the structure of the Soviet Armed Forces and outside of Ministry of Defence control, the Soviet Border Troops of the KGB had very similar units, which even carried the same 'landing assault' designation. These were the Landing Assault Manoeuvre Groups (sing. десантно-штурмовая маневренная группа (ДШМГ)). The LAMGs of the KGB's Border Troops were temporary task forces, organised for a period of time by a Border Guard Detachment (пограничный отряд (ПОГО)), the border guard equivalent of an army brigade. The BG detachments formed temporary task forces of battalion equivalent for manoeuvre warfare. The land component units were called Motorised Manoeuvre Group (мото-маневренная группа (ммг)) and consisted of 3 or 4 Motorised Manoeuvre Border Outposts (sing. мото-маневренная пограничная застава), the Border Troops equivalent of a company). The 1st MMBO was armed with BMP-1 or BMP-2, the 2nd MMBO was armed with BTR-70 and the 3rd MMBO was armed with BTR-60PB. Each MMBO had 5 BMPs or BTRs. The MMG also had a motorised mortar battery, an anti-tank platoon and additional support units for a total of ca. 300 men. The fire and service support units were motorised with GAZ-66 light trucks.^[38] The Landing Assault Manoeuvre Group formed the airmobile component, which operated in concert with the MMGs. While both types of units were commanded by Border Troops Lieutenant-Colonels, with manpower of less than 50 an LAMG number far fewer men than both the Border Troops's MMGs and the Landing Assault Battalions of the Ground Forces. An LAMG consisted of a command element and two Landing Assault Manoeuvre Border Outposts and had the following structure:^[39]

Landing Assault Manoeuvre Group

• command group (группа управления): 8 men - Commander (начальник ДШМГ); NCO; Translator; Paramedic; Radio Operator; 3 Sappers
• 1st Landing Assault Manoeuvre Border Outpost (1 ДШПЗ) : 21 men
  • Commander (начальник ДШПЗ)
  • Fire Section (огневое отделение): 10 men - SPG-9 team of 3 men; AGS-17 team of 2 men; PK machine gun team of 2 men; RPG-7 team of 2 men and 1 Sniper / Radio Operator armed with SVD and equipped with R-392 radio
  • Rifle Section (стрелковое отделение): 10 men - 1 Commander and 9 Riflemen, armed with Kalashnikov rifles (some with night vision sights) and equipped with 1 R-392 radio
• 2nd Landing Assault Manoeuvre Border Outpost (2 ДШПЗ): 21 men, identical to 1st LAMBO

The LAMG relied on Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters and Mi-8MTV-1 assault helicopters from the KGB Border Troops' own aviation assets.

Force Structure of the Soviet Airborne Forces in 1989[]

V. I. Shaykin lists the following force structure of the Soviet airborne forces in 1989 in his study:^[40]

note: HH is not an official designation, but denotes Helicopter-Heavy - The original three Air Assault Brigades - the 11th, 13th and 21st had their organic helicopter regiments and they have retained them until 1988~89. The brigades, which were formed later lacked own helicopter assets and relied on the helicopter regiments of their higher echelon commands.

note: The 36th Army with its 906th Separate Assault Landing Battalion and the 86th Army Corps with its 1154th Separate Assault Landing Battalion need further investigation, as the 86th Army Corps was expanded into the 36th Combined Arms Army on June 1, 1976, and could not exist simultaneously around 1989, as the Army was itself reduced into the 55th Army Corps on June 1, 1989.

Training establishments[]

• Mikhailovskaya Artillery Military Academy
• Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School
• 44th Airborne Division, later 242nd Training Centre

Commanders of the Soviet Airborne Forces[]

• Vasili Glazunov (1941–1943)
• Alexander Kapitokhin (1943–1944)
• Ivan Zatevakhin (1944–1946)
• Vasily Glagolev (1946–1947)
• Alexander Kazankin (1947–1948)
• Sergei Rudenko (1948–1949)
• Alexander Gorbatov (1950–1954)
• Vasily Margelov (1954–1959)
• Ivan Tutarinov (1959–1961)
• Vasily Margelov (1961–1979)
• Dmitri Sukhorukov (1979–1987)
• Nikolai Kalinin (1987–1989)
• Vladislav Achalov (1989–1990)
• Pavel Grachev (1990–1991)
• (1991–1996)

Traditions[]

The service march of the airborne forces is We Need One Victory, also known as Our 10th Parachute Battalion.^[41] It was made by poet Bulat Okudzhava, written for the feature film Belorussian Station by Andrei Smirnov (1970). It was later adapted by Alfred Schnittke to be performed as a march to be played at the Moscow Victory Day Parade on Victory Day (9 May).

The official lyrics are as follows:^[42]

Здесь птицы не поют Деревья не растут И только мы, к плечу плечо Врастаем в землю тут Горит и кружится планета Над нашей Родиною дым И значит, нам нужна одна победа Одна на всех - мы за ценой не постоим Одна на всех - мы за ценой не постоим Припев: Нас ждет огонь смертельный И все ж бессилен он Сомненья прочь, уходит в ночь отдельный Десятый наш десантный батальон Десятый наш десантный батальон Лишь только бой угас Звучит другой приказ И почтальон сойдет с ума Разыскивая нас Взлетает красная ракета Бьет пулемет неутомим И значит нам нужна одна победа Одна на всех - мы за ценой не постоим Одна на всех - мы за ценой не постоим (Припев) От Курска и Орла Война нас довела До самых вражеских ворот Такие, брат, дела Когда-нибудь мы вспомним это И не поверится самим А нынче нам нужна одна победа Одна на всех - мы за ценой не постоим Одна на всех - мы за ценой не постоим (Припев)

Here birds do not sing Trees do not grow And only we, shoulder to shoulder Grow into the ground here The planet is burning and spinning Over our Motherland now smoking And that means we need one victory One for all - we will not stand for the price One for all - we will not stand for the price Chorus: Lethal fire awaits us And yet he is powerless Undoubtful, he leaves separate in the night Our 10th airborne battalion Our 10th airborne battalion As soon as the battle died down Another order sounds And the postman will go crazy Looking for us A red rocket launching above Beats a machine gun tirelessly And that means we need one victory One for all - we will not stand the price One for all - we will not stand for the price (Chorus) From Kursk and Orel The war brought us to the very enemy gates Such, brother, things Someday we will remember this And we will not believe it ourselves And now we need one victory One for all - we will not stand the price One for all - we will not stand for the price (Chorus)

Paratroopers' Day celebrations[]

On Airborne Forces Day in many Russian cities, it is customary to turn off the fountains and hold veteran reunions near those fountains.^[43]

Bands[]

The Combined Military Band of the Airborne Forces is an integral part of all the solemn events of the Airborne Forces. Every year, the band's personnel take part in the Victory Parade on Red Square, as well as the opening ceremony of the International Army Games. In the ranks of the combined band are musicians of the military bands of the airborne and assault formations of the Airborne Forces. There are six other military bands in the airborne forces.^[44] The Song and Dance Ensemble of the Airborne Forces is the theatrical troupe of the VDV. It began its creative activity in 1937, as the Red Army Song and Dance Ensemble of the Kiev Military District, numbering only 18 people. On 3 May 1945, three days after the signing of the German armistice, the ensemble gave a concert on the steps of the destroyed Reichstag. During the Cold War, the unit was known as the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. During this time, it had participated in concerts in the cities of East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. It gained its current status in 1994. The Song and Dance Ensemble also contains the Blue Berets musical group.^[45]

See also[]

• Awards and emblems of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

Notes[]

References[]

• Bonn, Keith E.(ed.), Slaughterhouse: The handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005
• Brinkster.com VDV at Brinskster.com
• Feskov, V.I.; K.A. Kalashnikov; V.I. Golikov (2004). The Soviet Army in the Years of the 'Cold War' (1945–1991). Tomsk: Tomsk University Press. ISBN 5-7511-1819-7.
• Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.
• Glantz, David, The Soviet Airborne Experience, Research Survey No. 4, Combat Studies Institute, November 1984.
• Isby, David C., Weapons and tactics of the Soviet Army, Jane's Publishing Company, London 1988
• Schofield, Carey, The Russian Elite: Inside Spetsnaz and the Airborne Forces, Stackpole/Greenhill, 1993
• Simpkin, Richard, Red Armour: An examination of the Soviet Mobile Force Concept, Brassey's Defence Publishers, London, 1984
• Staskov, Lt. Gen. N.V., 1943 Dnepr Airborne Operation: Lessons and Conclusions, Military Thought, Vol. 12, No.4, 2003 (in Russian)