The Russian Airborne Troops or VDV (from "Vozdushno-Desantnye Vojska", Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска = ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) is an arm of service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, on a par with the Strategic Rocket Forces and the Russian Space Forces. First formed before World War II, the force undertook two significant airborne operations and a number of smaller jumps during the war and after 1945 for many years was the largest airborne force in the world.

Definition

The word desánt, as used in the Vozdushno-Desantnye Vojska, is a borrowing of the French descente (‘debarkation’ or ‘landing’). It is also used by the Russian Ground Forces for the desantno-shturmoviye batal′ony (десантно-штурмовие батальоны), the airmobile assault battalions, and by the Russian Naval Infantry in voyenno-morskoy desant (военно-морской десант), an amphibious landing. The airborne, air-assault, and amphibious troops of all services are referred to as desantniki, which literally means ‘those who land’. The term desant is defined by Radzievskii as:

Troops intended for landing, or which have already landed on enemy-occupied territory for the purpose of conducting combat operations. According to the transportation method used, a landing force may be amphibious, airborne, or combined; and according to its scale and purpose, such a force may be strategic, operational, or tactical.

The concept of desant is linked with the Russian doctrinal emphasis on flanking maneuvers.

Interwar and World War II

Originally formed in the Soviet Union during the mid 1930s, they were massively expanded during World War II. They then formed up to ten Airborne Corps with numerous Independent Airborne Brigades, with most or all achieving "Guards" status. 9th Guards Army was eventually formed with three Guards Rifle Corps (37th, 38th, and 39th) being of Airborne divisions. At the end of the war they were reconstituted as Guards Rifle Divisions.

The Soviet airborne forces were mostly used as 'leg' 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. 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.

List of Airborne Corps 22 June 1941

Source soldat.ru forums.

• 1st Airborne Corps: Major General Usenko Matvei Alekseyevich (on 23 June - October 1941 year)
  Colonel, 19 January 1942 Major General Zholudev Victor Grigorevich (on December 15, 1941 - July 1942)
  Major General Alexander Peter Alekseyevich (September - December 1942).
• 2nd Airborne Corps:
  Major General Kharitonov Fedor Mikhaylovich (23 June - 9 September 1941)
  Colonel Gubarevich Joseph Ivanovich (May - October 1941)
  Colonel, since 1942 Major General Tikhonov Mikhail Fedorovich (September 1941 - May 1942).
• 3rd Airborne Corps:
  Major General Glazunov Vasiliy Afanasevich (June 23 - 29 August 1941)
  Colonel Travnikov Nikolai Grigorevich (September 1941 - March 1942)
  Colonel Afanasev Fedor Alexandrovich (February - July 1942).
• 4th Airborne Corps:
  Major General Zhadov Aleksey Semenovich (23 June - 2 August 1941)
  Colonel, 19 January 1942 Major General Levashev Aleksey Fedorovich (November 1941 - February 23, 1942)
  Colonel, 13 May 1942 Major General Kazankin Alexander Fedorovich (23 February 1942 - December 1942).
• 5th Airborne Corps:
  Major General Bezuglyy Ivan Semenovich (June - October 1941)
  Colonel Gur'yev Stepan Savelevich (3 October 1941 - August 1942)
  Colonel Afanasev Fedor Alexandrovich (August - November 1942)
  Major General of Shore Duty Parafilo Terenty Mikhaylovich (25 November - December 1942)
• 6th Airborne Corps:
  Major General Pastrevich Alexander Ivanovich (October 1941 - August 1942)
  Major General Kirzimov Alexander Ilyich (August - December 1942)
• 7th Airborne Corps:
  Colonel, since 1942 Major General Gubarevich Joseph Ivanovich (October 1941 - August 1942)
  Major General Lyapin Peter Ivanovich (August - December 1942).
• 8th Airborne Corps:
  Colonel, 1942 Major General Glazkov Vasiliy Andreevich (October 1941 - August 1942)
  Colonel Konev Ivan Nikitin (29 August - December 1942).
• 9th Airborne Corps:
  Major General Bezuglyy Ivan Semenovich (October 1941 - March 30, 1942, “for the use of combat aircraft for personal purposes, the non-fulfillment within the required period of the orders of the military council VDV (Airborne Troops) about the transfer of aircraft to other formations” removed from the held post, and is from June lowered in the service rank to Colonel)
  Colonel, since 1942 Major General Denisenko Mikhail Ivanovich (March - August 1942)
  Colonel Mamontov Aleksey Georgievich (18 August - 29 October 1942)
  Major General Travnikov Nikolai Grigorevich (October 29 - December 1942).
• 10th Airborne Corps
  Colonel, 1942 Major General Ivanov Nikolai Petrovich (November 1941 - August 1942)
  Major General Kapitokhin Alexander Grigorevich (August 29 - December 1942).

Airborne Corps formed during World War II

During October 1944 the three Guards Airborne Corps were formed into the Independent Guards Airborne Army. In December this Army was renamed into the 9th Guards Army.

• 37th Guard Svirsk Airborne Corps (19 January - 9 August 1944 year, and from 30 December 1944 year of 37th Guard Rifle Corps):
  General Lieutenant Mironov Pavel Vasilyevich (19 January 1944 - May 1946)
• 98th Guards Svirsk Rifle Division
• 99th Guards Svirsk Rifle Division
• 103rd Guards Rifle Division (from 13th Guards Airborne Division (2nd formation))
• 38th Guard Airborne Corps:
  Major General, from November 5, General Lieutenant Kapitokhin Alexander Grigorevich (August 9, 1944 year - March 25, 1945)
  General Lieutenant Utvenko Alexander Ivanovich (26 March 1945 - July 1946)
• 104th Guards Rifle Division
• 105th Guards Rifle Division
• 106th Guards Rifle Division
• 39th Guard Airborne Corps:
  General Lieutenant Tikhonov Mikhail Fedorovich (August 1944 - June 1945).
• 100th Guards Rifle Division
• 107th Guards Rifle Division
• 114th Guards Rifle Division (from 14th Guards Airborne Division (2nd formation))

Postwar

HQ 9 Guards Army was redesignated Headquarters Airborne Forces soon after the war ended.
The units of the Army were removed from the order of battle of the Air Forces of USSR and assigned directly to the Ministry of Armed Forces of USSR.

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

While the 37th, 38th, and 39th Corps survived for a while, and in 1946 the force consisted of five corps (the 8th and 15th had been added) and ten divisions, the force was eventually reduced to seven Airborne Divisions , with an Independent Airborne regiment and up to sixteen Air Assault Brigades.

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 1968 operations in Czechoslovakia. The first experimental air assault brigade - the 1st Airborne [Airmobile/Air Assault] Brigade - was apparently activated in 1967/1968 from parts of the 51st Guards Parachute Landing Regiment (PDP) (Tula), after the Russian had been impressed by the American experiences in Vietnam.

By the 1980s there were seven airborne divisions in the VDV (including one training) and several independent brigades, regiments and battalions although only two divisions were capable of being deployed for combat operations in the first wave against NATO employing assets of the Transport Aviation of the Military Air Forces and the Aeroflot.

Confusion was created in NATO sources during the 1970s and 80s over the designation of the active divisions due to differing way they were referenced in Soviet Union. This stemmed from some divisions having a honorific name included in the division title, but also being referred to by the military air base they depended on for airlift assets. These bases were:

• Kaunas ("Каунасская") - 7th Guards Cherkassy Airborne Division
• Gaizhunay (Гайжюнайская) - 44th Training Airborne Division (full designation in Russian 44 воздушно-десантная Овручская Краснознаменная орденов Суворова и Богдана Хмельницкого дивизия - 44th Airborne Ovruch Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division) with three training regiments.
• Pskov ("Псковская") - 76th Guards Chernigov Airborne Division
• Kishinev ("Кишиневская") - 98th Guards Svir Airborne Division
• Vitebsk ("Витебская") - 103rd Guards Airborne Division
• Kirovabad ("Кировобадская") - 104th Guards Airborne Division
• Tula ("Тульская") - 106th Guards Airborne Division

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 in the Far East in the 1980s. 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. 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 nearest division ever active, the 99th Guards Airborne Svirsk Red Banner Division based at Ussuriysk, was broken up to form separate air assault brigades (parts of the 11th, 13th, and 83rd Brigades) in 1973.

In 1989, the Airborne Forces consisted of:

• 7th Airborne Division (Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR)
• 76th Airborne Division (Pskov, RSFSR)
• 98th Guards Airborne Division (Bolgrad & Kishinev, Moldovan SSR)
• 103rd Airborne Division (Vitebsk)
• 104th Guards Airborne Division (Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR)
• 106th Guards Airborne Division (Tula, RSFSR)
• 242nd District Training Centre of the Airborne Forces (Jonava, Lithuanian SSR) created from the 44th Training Division (however, the divisional banner was retained)
• 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment (Gudauta, Georgian SSR)
• 11th Air Assault Brigade
• 13th Air Assault Brigade
• 14th, 21st, 23rd, 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 56th, 83rd, 95th, 100th Air Assault Brigades
• 171st Independent Communications Brigade (Medvezhi Ozera, Moscow Military District, RSFSR)

After the Fall of the Soviet Union

With the demise of the Soviet Union, the number of VDV divisions has shrunk from seven to four, as well as one brigade and the brigade-sized training centre:

• 7th Guards Air Assault Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Division (7-я гвардейская десантно-штурмовая Краснознаменная ордена Кутузова дивизия) - Novorossiysk
• 76th Guards Air Assault Chernigov Red Banner Division - Pskov
• 98th Guards Airborne Svir Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Division - Ivanovo
• 106th Guards Airborne Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Division (106-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Краснознаменная ордена Кутузова дивизия) - Tula
• 31st Independent Guards Air Assault Order of Kutuzov Brigade (31-я отдельная гвардейская десантно-штурмовая ордена Кутузова бригада) - Ulyanovsk
• 242nd Training Centre, Omsk
• 45th Independent Guards Reconnaissance Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment of Special Forces, Moscow

Two other Air Assault brigades & regiments (the 11th Air Assault Brigade in the Siberian Military District and the 56th Air Assault Regiment in the North Caucasus Military District) are partially infantry formations reporting directly to the military districts they are stationed in. The VDV's training institute is the Ryazan Institute for the Airborne Troops named for General of the Army V.F. Margelov.

In the early 1990s, General Pavel Grachev, the first Russian Defence Minister, planned for the VDV to form the core of the planned Mobile Forces. This was announced in Krasnaya Zvezda ('Red Star,') the Ministry of Defence's daily newspaper, in July 1992. However, the Mobile Forces plan never eventuated. The number of formations available for the force was far less than anticipated, since much of the Airborne Forces had been 'nationalised' by the republics their units had been previously based in, and other arms of service, such as the GRU and Military Transport Aviation, who were to provide the airlift component, were adamantly opposed to ceding control of their forces.

After an experimental period, the 104th Parachute Regiment of 76th Airborne Division became the first Russian ground forces regiment that was fully composed of professional soldiers (and not of "srochniki" - the conscripted soldiers aged eighteen). It should be noted, however, that an additional major conversion of many many units across the Russian armed forces to contract manning is now under way. It was announced that the 98th Airborne Division is also earmarked for contract manning, and by September 2006, it was confirmed that 95% of the units of the 98th Division had shifted to contract manning.

Unlike western airborne units, which must walk when they arrive at their destination, the VDV divisions are equipped with armoured fighting vehicles, artillery and anti-aircraft guns, trucks and jeeps. Thus VDV units possess superior mobility and firepower with these vehicles. Each division has both regiments equipped with them and their derivatives. (Each division used to have three regiments, but the 106th was the last, and lost its third regiment in 2006.) With the reduction in forces after 1991, the 61st Air Army, Russia's military air transport force, has enough operational heavy transport aircraft to move one airborne division, manned at peacetime standards, in two-and-a-half lifts. The single independent brigade, the 31st at Ulyanovsk, however, is not equipped with its own armor or artillery and may be equivalent to Western airborne troops, in that it functions as light infantry and must walk when reaching their destination. The 31st was the former 104th Guards Airborne Division.

VDV troops participated in the rapid deployment of Russian forces in and around Pristina airport during the Kosovo War, surprising NATO. They also were deployed in Chechnya as an active bridgehead for other forces to follow.

A VDV unit, the 45th ORPSN (Independent Special Reconnaissance Regiment), that reportedly performed brilliantly in Chechnya during the second campaign, was said to actually represent a Spetsnaz GRU unit, which was later proven untrue.

Russian airborne troops had their own holiday during the Soviet era, which continues to be celebrated on the 2nd of August. One of their most prized distinguishing marks is their Telnyashka shirts.

Notable former Airborne Forces officers include Aleksandr Lebed, who was involved in responses to disorder in the Caucasus republics in the last years of the Soviet Union, and Pavel Grachev who went on to become the first Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation. PRIDE heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter Sergei Kharitonov, went to the Airborne Troops academy in Ryazan', and remains on active duty with the Russian Airborne Troops.

Armament

As of 2007, and for decades before that, the VDV were armed with following equipment.

Personnel firearms

• AK-74M, the official rifle of the Russian Army (5.45x39mm)
• AKS-74, the main purpose assault rifle (AK-74 with folding skeleton buttstock) (5.45x39mm)
• AKS-74U, the main purpose assault rifle carbine (5.45x39mm)
• RPK-74, the light weight machinegun (5.45x39mm)
• PKM, the general purpose machinegun (7.62x54mm)
• 7.62mm “Pecheneg” machinegun, currently replacing PKM as general purpose machinegun throughout the Russian Armed Forces, possibly a more compact version will be developed for VDV and Special Forces
• Dragunov SVD sniper rifle (7.62x54mm)
• Dragunov SVU, modified SVD in bullpup configuration and its variants are in a limited use and might replace the aging SVD in upcoming rearmament
• GP-25 and GP-30, the under-barrel 40mm grenade launchers for fragmentation and gas grenades which are attached to AKS-74 of some paratroopers to increase firepower for combating enemy foot troops
• AGS-17 “Plamya” (Flame), the automatic grenade launcher - deadly against enemy foot troops but ineffective against even lightly armoured vehicles, it will probably be replaced by a much lighter AGS-30 or less likely by some other model in an upcoming rearmament

Armoured Vehicles

Unlike the rest of the mechanized units, which use variety of APCs and IFVs, the VDV uses exclusively BMD family. There are over 1800 armored fighting vehicles, mostly BMD-1 and BMD-2. There were also over 100 BMD-3, but it is unknown if they were upgraded to BMD-4 level, as the Russian military spokesman stated in 2006 that: “over 100 BMD-4 are currently in service with VDV”. If not, all of them will be upgraded by 2010. All of them are amphibious, moving at around 10km/h in water. BMD-4 is also capable of full, continuous fire safely while in the deep water, unlike any other vehicle with such heavy weaponry (100mm gun and 30mm auto canon).

Hulls of BMD and of other airborne capable, armour vehicles are configured and modified to act as search and rescue, medical, communication and other special purposes vehicles to allow specialists to operate in battle more safely and with much higher mobility.

Artillery

• Airborne self-propelled artillery guns ASU-57 and ASU-85, have light armour and limited anti-tank capability, but provide invaluable fire support for paratroopers behind enemy lines (the caliber of the gun is the number next to ASU designation in mm)
• 2S9 “Nona-S” configuration of 2S9 Anona, 120mm self-propelled mortar
• 2S25 “Sprut” a 125mm self-propelled artillery/anti-tank gun based on BMD-3 hull, in use in limited numbers and will most likely replace all of the above gun systems by 2010 as it is superior in every way.
• All of the above vehicles are amphibious
• 2A18 “D-30”, a 122-mm gun howitzer and is a deadly anti-tank weapon, towed by truck, not amphibious, unique capability to make 360 degree turns as it is deployed on tripod
• ZU-23-2, an aged but effective and powerful design of a double barrel 23mm anti-aircraft gun, commonly used against infantry and even APCs and IFVs, it is ether mounted on any amphibious hulls, usually based on PT-76 light tank, or can be towed by jeep or truck as it has wheels.

Other Vehicles The VDV is equipped with numerous types of airborne capable trucks and jeeps: Ural, GAZ, KamAZ and UAZ for transporting cargo, specialist crews and equipment (e.g. mortars, ammunitions), but not infantry (all fighting paratroopers are transported in armoured vehicles).

In January 2007, VDV commander-in-chief General Colonel Aleksander Kolmakov announced that within next 3 years, the VDV will be re-equipped with the new types of equipment. It includes the new BMD-4 “Bahcha-U” airborne fighting vehicles, also approximate 100 BMD-3 vehicles will be upgraded to BMD-4 level. , 125mm self-propelled anti-tank/artillery gun 2C25 “Sprut”, new anti-aircraft self-propelled gun/(missile?) vehicle BTR-D3 “Rakushka”, airborne truck “KamAZ-43501” as well as new parachutes “D-10” and new firearms and other personal equipment for conventional and special purposes.

References

Sources

• Austin, Greg, & Muraviev, Alexey D., Red Star East: The Armed Forces of Russia in Asia, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2000
• Bonn, Keith E.(ed.), Slaughterhouse: The handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005
• Brinkster.com VDV at Brinskster.com
• Isby, David C., Weapons and tactics of the Soviet Army, Jane's Publishing Company, London 1988
• KMS Ltd in association with "RYAZAN" International Airborne and Special Forces Veterans Organisation RUSSIAN VDV
• 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)

External links

• Unofficial website of VDV Russian Only
• Website of "For VDV!" Russian Only
• Association of VDV veterans Russian Only
• History of VDV on pobeda.ru Russian Only
• SovietAirborne.com - Uniforms, Equipment, Weapons and More "English site"