When Vasily Margelov created the Airborne Forces. The ancestor of the "winged infantry

Today Russian paratroopers and veterans of the Russian Airborne Forces celebrate their professional holiday.

The history of our Airborne Forces began on August 2, 1930. On this day, at the exercises of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District, which were held near Voronezh, 12 people were parachuted from the air as part of a special unit. The experiment showed the enormous possibilities and prospects of the paratrooper units.

From that moment, new troops were rapidly developing in the USSR, in its tasks for 1931 the Revolutionary Military Council of the Red Army determines: "... airborne landing operations should be comprehensively studied from the technical and tactical side by the Red Army Headquarters in order to develop and send appropriate instructions to the places." And that was done.

In 1931, an airborne detachment, numbering 164 people, was formed in the Leningrad Military District. For the landing, they use the TB-3 & which took 35 paratroopers aboard, and for the external suspension - either a light tank, or an armored car, or two 76 mm cannons. The idea is verified by experiment.

On December 11, 1932, a resolution of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR was adopted on the creation of massive Airborne Troops. An entire brigade is being formed on the basis of the airborne detachment of the Leningrad Military District, which was parachuted throughout the year. The main task is to train paratrooper instructors plus working out operational and tactical standards. By March 1933, the instructors were trained, the standards were calculated, and in the Belarusian, Ukrainian, Moscow and Volga military districts, they began to form special-purpose aviation battalions.

For the first time, a massive parachute landing in the presence of foreign delegations was dropped during maneuvers in the Kiev military district in September 1935. 1,200 specially trained military personnel landed and quickly captured the airfield. This impressed the observers. At the next major exercises in the Belarusian Military District, 1,800 paratroopers were already dropped. This impressed the German military observers, including Goering. which was "in the subject." In the spring of that year, he gave the order to form the first German airborne regiment. The experience of the Soviet Airborne Forces was deservedly appreciated abroad from the very beginning.

Soon, the troops, who first appeared in our armed forces, have the opportunity to test their capabilities in real combat conditions. In 1939, the 212th Airborne Brigade took part in the battles of Japanese troops on the Khalkhin-Gol River. During the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940), the 201st, 204th and 214th airborne brigades are fighting.

By the summer of 1941, five airborne corps were manned, each numbering 10 thousand people. Since the beginning of World War II, all five airborne corps are participating in fierce battles on the territory of Latvia, Belarus, and Ukraine. During the counteroffensive near Moscow in early 1942, the Vyazemskaya airborne operation was carried out with the landing of the 4th Airborne Corps. This is the largest airborne operation during the war. In total, about 10 thousand paratroopers were dropped into the rear of the Germans.

During the war years, all airborne units receive the rank of guards. 296 paratroopers - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Based on the experience of the war in 1946, the Airborne Forces were withdrawn from the Air Force and included in the reserve troops of the Supreme Command and directly subordinate to the Minister of the USSR Armed Forces. At the same time, the post of commander of the Airborne Forces of the USSR Armed Forces was established.

The first commander of the Airborne Forces is Colonel-General V.V. Glagolev.

In 1954, V.F. Margelov (1909-1990), who remained in this position with a short break until 1979. A whole epoch in the history of the Russian airborne troops is associated with the name of Margelov; it is not for nothing that the Airborne Forces received the unofficial name "Uncle Vasya's Troops."

In the 1950s, at the exercises of the airborne units, special attention was paid to new methods of defense in the rear of the enemy, to the actions of the landing force in the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons. Airborne units are beginning to receive heavy weapons - artillery mounts (ASU-76, ASU-57, ASU-85), tracked airborne combat vehicles (BMD-1, BMD-2). Military transport aviation is equipped with An-12, An-22 aircraft, which were capable of delivering armored vehicles, cars, artillery, and ammunition to the enemy's rear. On January 5, 1973, for the first time in history, a tracked BMD-1 with two crew members on board from the An-12B military transport aircraft landed on parachute-platform vehicles in the Centaur complex. The crew commander is the son of Vasily Filippovich Margelov, senior lieutenant Alexander Margelov, the driver-mechanic is lieutenant colonel Leonid Gavrilovich Zuev.

The Airborne Forces are participating in the Czechoslovak events of 1968. Units of the 7th and 103rd Guards Airborne Divisions capture and block the airfields of Ruzin (near Prague) and the city of Brno; the paratroopers were preparing them to receive military transport aircraft. Two hours later, the paratroopers seized four bridges across the Vltava, the building of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, publishing houses, the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the main post office, the television center, banks and other important objects in Prague. This happens without a single shot being fired.

In the future, units of the Airborne Forces participate in the war in Afghanistan, military conflicts in the territory of the former USSR - Chechnya, Karabakh, South and North Ossetia, in Osh, Transnistria and in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz confrontation. Two airborne battalions perform tasks

UN Peacekeeping Force in Yugoslavia.

Now the Airborne Forces are one of the most efficient units of the Russian Army. They form the backbone of the Special Operations Forces. The ranks of the Airborne Forces number about 35 thousand soldiers and officers.

World experience

The US Airborne Forces have a rich tradition and extensive combat experience. Unlike Russia, the Airborne Forces in the United States are not a separate branch of the military; the Americans consider the Airborne Forces as a special component of the ground forces. Organizationally, the US Airborne Forces are united into the 18th Airborne Corps, which also includes tank, motorized infantry, and aviation units. The corps was formed in 1944 in the British Isles and took part in hostilities in Western Europe. Formations and units from its composition participated in hostilities in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Haiti, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Currently, the corps consists of four divisions and a variety of units and support units. The total number of personnel is 88 thousand people. Corps headquarters are located in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Airborne Forces of Great Britain

In the British Army, the Airborne Forces also do not form a separate branch of the military, but are part of the Ground Forces.

Today, the British Armed Forces have one - the 16th Airborne Assault Brigade as part of the 5th Division of the British Army. It was formed on September 1, 1999, incorporating units of the 5th Airborne Brigade and the 24th Air Brigade. It includes airborne, infantry, artillery, medical and engineering units.

The main emphasis in the British military doctrine of the use of the Airborne Forces is on airborne assault, supported by helicopter units.

The brigade inherited its name from the 1st and 6th airborne divisions, during the Second World War. The Striker Eagle emblem was borrowed from the Training Center located in Lohaylot, Scotland.

The 16th Brigade is the main strike unit of the British Army, so it takes part in all military operations conducted by Great Britain: Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Iraq, Afghanistan.

The brigade has 8,000 personnel, making it the largest brigade of any brigade in the British army.

Airborne forces of France

The French Airborne Forces are part of the Ground Forces and are represented by the 11th Parachute Division. The division is divided into two brigades and consists of seven units, according to the size of the battalion: the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment of the Foreign Legion, the 1st and 9th Commando Paratroopers Regiments (Light Infantry) , 3rd, 6th and 8th Parachute Regiments of the Marine Corps.

The division's headquarters are located in Tarbes, in the Hautes-Pyrenees province. The personnel numbers about 11,000 people.

French paratroopers have participated in all recent military conflicts in France, from the war in Indochina to the peacekeeping operation in Mali.

Airborne forces of germany

German paratroopers form the backbone of the Bundeswehr's special operations forces. Organizationally, the airborne troops are represented in the form of a Special Operations Division with headquarters in Regensburg. The Division includes: a special-purpose squad KSK ("Kommando Spezialkrafte"), formed on the basis of the former 25th paratrooper brigade; 26th Airborne Brigade; 31st Airborne Brigade; and the 4th control and communications regiment; anti-aircraft missile battery; 310th separate reconnaissance company; 200th reconnaissance and sabotage company. The personnel numbers 8 thousand people.

The paratroopers of the Bundeswehr take an active part in all recent peacekeeping and military operations of the UN and NATO.

Airborne forces of China

In China, the airborne forces are part of the Air Force. They are consolidated into the 15th Airborne Corps (headquarters in Xiaogan, Hubei province), which consists of three airborne divisions - 43rd (Kaifeng, Hubei province), 44th (Yinshan, Hubei province) and 45th (Huangpi, Hubei Province).

Currently, in the airborne troops of the PLA Air Force, there are, according to various estimates, from 24 to 30 thousand personnel.

August 2, 1930 was the birthday of the country's Airborne Forces. Then, for the first time in world history, parachute troops were used in the exercises of the Moscow Military District, which were attended by diplomats from Western countries.

72 years have passed since then. During this time, the "winged infantry" covered itself with unfading glory on the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War, showed excellent skill and courage in a number of large-scale exercises, local conflicts, in the mountains of Afghanistan, during the first and second campaigns in Chechnya, in Yugoslavia ... troops grew up a whole galaxy of remarkable military leaders. Among them, the first to name the name of the legendary commander of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army Vasily Filippovich Margelov, who created the modern Airborne Forces.

"Commander of large caliber"

On September 28, 1967, Izvestia reported on its pages: “It must be said that the paratroopers are warriors of boundless courage and courage. They are never lost, they always find a way out of a critical situation. The paratroopers are fluent in various modern weapons, wielding them with artistic skill, each fighter of the "winged infantry" knows how to fight one against a hundred.

During the days spent on the exercise (we are talking about the big autumn exercise of the Soviet Armed Forces "Dnepr" in 1968. Then the landing of thousands of airborne assault forces took only a few minutes. - Author), we had to see a lot of skillful actions not only of individual soldiers and officers, but also formations, units and their headquarters. But, perhaps, the strongest impression remained from the Airborne Forces, headed by Colonel-General V. Margelov (after the completion of successful exercises he was awarded the rank of General of the Army. - Auth.), And the pilots of the Military Transport Aviation, Air Marshal N. Skripko ... Their soldiers showed filigree landing technique, high skill and such courage, initiative that we can say about them: they adequately continue and increase the military glory of their fathers and older brothers - paratroopers of the Great Patriotic War. The relay of courage and valor is in good hands. "

... Recently in one of the magazines I read that scientists researching a person studied the biographies of about 500 graduates of one of the Russian military institutes and established a direct dependence of the choice of a military specialty on the date of birth. According to it, pundits are ready to predict whether a given person will be a military or a civilian. In a word, human destiny is predetermined from the day of birth. I don’t know if you can believe it?

In any case, the future successor of the glorious dynasty of the defenders of the Fatherland Margelov, Vasily Filippovich, was born at the beginning of the last century, on December 27, 1908 (old style), in the city of Yekaterinoslavl (now Dnepropetrovsk). All went to his father, Philip Ivanovich, who was distinguished by enviable strength and article, a participant in the German war of 1914, a Georgievsky cavalier. Margelov Sr. fought skillfully and bravely. In one of the bayonet battles, for example, he personally destroyed up to a dozen enemy soldiers. After graduating from the first imperialist army, he served first in the Red Guard, then in the Red Army.

- Why not at your mesta ?!



- Well, well ... How are you?

Patriarch of the Elite Forces

And Vasily was like Dad, not tall and strong for his years. Before the army, he managed to work in a tannery, a miner, a forester. In 1928, on a Komsomol ticket, he was sent to the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. So he became a cadet at the United Belarusian Military School in Minsk. Just one touch. At the beginning of 1931, the school command supported the initiative of the country's military schools - to organize a ski crossing from the places of deployment to Moscow. One of the best skiers, foreman Margelov, was instructed to form a team. And the February transition Minsk - Moscow took place. True, the skis turned into smooth boards, but the cadets, led by the course commander and foreman, survived. We arrived at the destination on time, without sick and frostbitten ones, about which the foreman reported to the People's Commissar of Defense and received from his hands a valuable gift - a "commander's" watch.

How useful then a thorough sports training was already to Captain Margelov, the commander of a separate reconnaissance ski battalion of a rifle regiment, which took part in the winter war with the Finns! His scouts, together with the battalion commander, carried out daring raids on enemy rear lines, set up ambushes, inflicting sensitive damage on the enemy.

He met the Great Patriotic War with the rank of Major. Initially, I had a chance to lead a separate disciplinary battalion. Penalties in their commander doted. They loved him for his courage and justice. During the bombing they covered it with their bodies.

On the approaches to Leningrad, Vasily Margelov commanded the 1st Special Ski Regiment of the Baltic Fleet sailors, then the 218th Regiment of the 80th Infantry Division ...

Having become a commander, in all subsequent years, decades, Vasily Filippovich never changed his rule - always and in everything to be an example for his subordinates. Somehow, at the end of the front-line spring of 1942, about two hundred experienced enemy fighters, having infiltrated the defense sector of the neighboring regiment, went to the rear of the Margelovites. The regiment commander quickly gave the necessary orders to block and eliminate the Nazis who had broken through. Without waiting for the approach of the reserves, he himself lay down for the easel machine gun, which he mastered masterly. He killed about 80 people in well-aimed bursts. The rest were destroyed and captured in time by a company of submachine gunners, a reconnaissance platoon and a commandant's platoon.

It was not without reason that in the mornings, when his unit was on the defensive, Vasily Filippovich invariably fired a machine gun after physical loading, could cut the tops of trees, and knock out his name on a target. After that - a foot in the stirrup and exercises in the wheelhouse. The indefatigable strength played in his iron muscles. In offensive battles, more than once personally raised battalions to attack. To the point of oblivion, he loved hand-to-hand combat and, if necessary, without knowing a sense of fear, desperately fought with an adversary in the forefront of his fighters, like his father in the first German war. He did not like Margelov if any of his subordinates, when asked about a particular soldier, took up a list of personnel. He said:

- Comrade commander! Alexander Suvorov knew all the soldiers of his regiment not only by their last name, but also by their first name. After many years, he recognized and named the names of the soldiers who served with him. With paper knowledge of subordinates, it is impossible to predict how they will behave during a battle!
In those years, the commander wore a mustache and a small beard. In incomplete 33 years they called him Batey.

“Our Dad is a large-caliber commander,” the soldiers said with respect and love about him.
And then there was Stalingrad. Here Vasily Filippovich commanded the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment. When, during the fierce, bloody battles in the regiment, the battalions became companies, and the companies became incomplete platoons, the regiment was withdrawn to replenish the Ryazan region. The regiment commander Margelov, his officers thoroughly took up the combat training of the unit's personnel. Prepared for the upcoming battles conscientiously.
And not without reason. “Myshkova, a river in the Volgograd region, a left tributary of the Don, at the turn of which, during the Battle of Stalingrad from 19 to 24 December, during the Kotelnikov operation of 1942, the troops of the 51st and 2nd Guards armies repulsed the blow of a strong group of German fascist troops and thwarted plans of the German-fascist command to unblock the enemy troops encircled at Stalingrad ”. This is from the 1983 edition of the Military Encyclopedic Dictionary. "It would not be an exaggeration to say that the battle on the banks of this unknown river (Myshkov) led to the crisis of the Third Reich, put an end to Hitler's hopes of creating an empire and was a decisive link in the chain of events that predetermined the defeat of Germany." And this quote is from the book of the German military historian General F. Mellentin "Tank battles of 1939-1945".
Remember the book of the front-line writer Yuri Bondarev "Hot Snow"? The front-line soldiers, participants in those battles, believe that the author truly reflected the heroic and at the same time dramatic picture of those fierce battles on the Don tributary.
So, Margelov's regiment was part of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division of Major General K. Tsalikov, 13th Guards Rifle Corps of Major General P. Chanchibadze,
2nd Guards Army of Lieutenant General R. Malinovsky. And as you know, the guard may die, but surrender to the enemy - never!
Before the battle of the guard, Lieutenant Colonel Margelov told his subordinates:
- Manstein has a lot of tanks. His calculation is on the strength of a tank strike. The main thing is to knock out the tanks. Each of us must knock out one tank. Cut off the infantry, force them to cuddle and destroy.
... And it began. Predatory arrows on German headquarters maps materialized into endless waves of enemy armor and fire, methodically rolling over the positions of our troops, exploding shells, the whistle of thousands of fragments looking for their prey. Armadas of German bombers were howling from the sky black with soot, howling, striving with exemplary German pedantry and accuracy to deliver a multi-ton deadly cargo to the location of the guards. The Germans understood that if their monstrous armored fist got bogged down in defense, the consequences would be irreversible. More and more forces were thrown into battle. They tried to take our defending units and formations into tank pincers.
Margelov was where a threatening situation was created, where his battalion commanders on their own could not hold back the onslaught of the enemy.

Guards Major General Chanchibadze:

- Margelov, how many do you need to look for? Where are you sitting now?
- I am not sitting. Commander from the command post of the battalion commander-2!
- Why not at your mesta ?!
- My place is here now, comrade first!
- Once again I ask, where is your mesto ?!
- I am in command of the regiment. My place is where my shelf needs me!
- Well, well ... How are you?
- The regiment is on its own lines. He is not going to hand them over.

Embittered by the failures, enraged by the persistence, skill and courage of Soviet soldiers, the enemy furiously dug the ground with steel caterpillars, breaking through. But all the efforts of the combined army group "Goth" were in vain, it was defeated and was forced to retreat.

The further combat path of Vasily Filippovich Margelov and his units already ran to the west. In the direction of Rostov-on-Don, the breakthrough of the impregnable "Mius-Front", the liberation of Donbass, the crossing of the Dnieper, for which the division commander, Colonel Vasily Margelov, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Pushing off with their feet from the Stalingrad soil, the Margelov fighters, as Vladimir Vysotsky sang, "shifted the earth's axis ... without a lever, changing the direction of the blow!"
The soldiers of his 49th division brought freedom to the inhabitants of Nikolaev, Odessa, distinguished themselves during the Jassy-Kishinev operation, entered Romania and Bulgaria on the shoulders of the enemy, successfully fought in Yugoslavia, took Budapest and Vienna. The war unit of the guard of Major General Vasily Margelov ended on May 12, 1945 with a brilliant bloodless capture of selected German SS divisions "Dead Head", "Great Germany", "1st SS Police Division". Isn't it a plot for a full-length feature film?
During the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow on June 24, 1945, a combat general led one of the battalions of the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

Patriarch of the Elite Forces

During the Great Patriotic War, the Airborne Forces fought heroically at all its stages. True, the war found the Airborne Forces in the stage of reorganizing the brigades into corps. Formations and units of the winged infantry were manned, but did not have time to fully receive military equipment. From the very first days of the war, the paratroopers fought bravely at the front along with soldiers of other branches of the army, and offered heroic resistance to the Hitler’s well-oiled machine. In the initial period, they showed examples of courage and resilience in the Baltics, Belarus and Ukraine, near Moscow. The Soviet paratroopers took part in fierce battles for the Caucasus, in the Battle of Stalingrad (remember the House of the Paratrooper Sergeant Pavlov), crushed the enemy on the Kursk Bulge ... They were a formidable force at the final stage of the war.

Where to use perfectly trained, cohesive and fearless commanders and fighters of airborne formations and units, in the war, it was decided at the very top, at the Headquarters of the Supreme Command. Sometimes they were that lifesaver of the high command that saved the day at the most decisive or tragic moment. The paratroopers, who were not used to waiting for the weather by the sea, always showed initiative, ingenuity, and onslaught.
Therefore, taking into account the rich front-line experience and the prospects for the development of this type of troops, the Airborne Forces in 1946 were withdrawn from the Air Force. They began to report directly to the Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union. At the same time, the post of commander of the Airborne Forces was reintroduced. Colonel-General V. Glagolev was appointed to them in April of the same year. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, General Margelov was sent to study. For two intense years, under the supervision of experienced teachers, he studied the subtleties of operational art at the Academy of the General Staff (in those years - the Higher Military Academy named after K.E. Voroshilov). After graduation, he received an unexpected proposal from the Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR and Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers N. Bulganin - to take command of the Pskov airborne division. They say that it was not without the recommendation of Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky, at that time the commander-in-chief of the Far East troops, the commander of the Far Eastern military forces. He knew Margelov well from his front-line affairs. And at that time, the Airborne Forces needed young generals with combat experience. Vasily Filippovich always made decisions quickly. And this time he didn't force himself to persuade. A military man to the marrow of his bones, he understood the importance of the mobile airborne troops in the future. And the fearless officers and paratroopers - he admitted this to his loved ones more than once - reminded him of the front years, when he commanded a naval regiment at the Baltic Fleet. No wonder later, when General Margelov became the commander of the Airborne Forces, he introduced uniform blue berets and vests with stripes of the color of the sky and tireless sea waves.

Working in his usual mode - day and night - day away, General Margelov quickly achieved that his unit became one of the best in the airborne troops. In 1950, he was appointed commander of the airborne corps in the Far East, and in 1954, Lieutenant General Vasily Filippovich Margelov became commander of the Airborne Forces.
From Margelov's brochure "Airborne Forces", published by the publishing house of the "Knowledge" society a quarter of a century ago: "... More than once I had to see off the paratroopers on their first flight, to receive their reports after landing. And to this day I never cease to be amazed at how the warrior transforms after the first jump. And on the ground he walks proudly, and his shoulders are wide open, and there is something extraordinary in his eyes ... Of course: he made a parachute jump!
To understand this feeling, it is imperative to stand by the open hatch of the aircraft over a hundred-meter abyss, feel the chill under your heart in front of this incomprehensible height and decisively step into the abyss as soon as the command is heard: "Let's go!"
Then there will be many more difficult jumps - with weapons, day and night, from high-speed military transport aircraft. But the first jump will never be forgotten. With him begins a paratrooper, a strong-willed and courageous person. "
When Vasily Filippovich retrained from an infantry division commander to an airborne division, he was not even forty. Where did Margelov start? From parachute jumping. He was not advised to jump, after all, nine wounds, age ... During his service in the Airborne Forces, he made more than 60 jumps. The last of them at the age of 65. In the year of the 90th birthday of General of the Army Margelov, "Krasnaya Zvezda" wrote about him in the article "The Legend and Glory of the Landing Force": "Being the eighth commander of the Airborne Forces, nevertheless, he earned a respectful reputation in these troops as the patriarch of the landing business. During his command of the Airborne Forces in the country, five defense ministers were replaced, and Margelov remained irreplaceable and irreplaceable. Almost all of his predecessors were forgotten, and the name of Margelov is still on everyone's lips today.
“Oh, how difficult it is to cross the Rubicon, so that the name becomes a surname,” the poet remarked. Margelov has stepped over such a Rubicon. (He made his branch of the military elite.) Quickly and energetically studying airborne, airborne technology and military transport aviation, showing outstanding organizational skills, he became an outstanding military leader who did an extraordinary amount of work for the development and improvement of the Airborne Forces, for their growth. prestige and popularity in the country, to instill love for this elite branch of the army among the conscripts. Despite the enormous physical and psychological stress of the airborne service, young guys dream of the Airborne Forces, as they say, they sleep and see themselves as paratroopers. And in the only in the country forge of officer airborne personnel - the Ryazan Higher Command twice Red Banner School named after General of the Army V.F. Margelov, recently transformed into the Institute of Airborne Forces, the competition is 14 people for one place. How many military and civilian universities can envy such popularity! And all this was laid down under Margelov ... "
Remembers Hero of Russia Lieutenant General of the Reserve Leonid Shcherbakov:
- In the seventies of the last century, General of the Army Vasily Filippovich Margelov set himself a difficult task - to create highly mobile, modern Airborne Forces in the country's Armed Forces. A rapid rearmament began in the Airborne Forces, airborne combat vehicles (BMD) arrived, on their basis reconnaissance, communication and control equipment, self-propelled artillery, anti-tank systems, engineering equipment ... Margelov and his deputies, heads of services and departments were frequent guests at factories, training grounds, in training centers. The paratroopers daily "agitated" the ministries of defense and defense industry. Ultimately, this culminated in the creation of the world's best landing facilities.
After graduating from the Academy of Armored Forces in 1968, I was assigned to test work at the Research Institute of Armored Vehicles in Kubinka. I had a chance to test many samples at test sites in Transbaikalia, Central Asia, Belarus and near the devil. Somehow we were instructed to test the new technology of the Airborne Forces. He worked with colleagues day and night, in various modes, sometimes beyond the limits of technology and people.
The final stage is military trials in the Baltics. And here the divisional commander, catching my white envy of the paratroopers, offered to jump with a parachute after the combat vehicle.
Passed pre-jump training. Take off early in the morning. Climb. Everything went well: the BMD got out of the plane and fell into the abyss. The carriage followed her. An unexpectedly strong wind blew us to the boulders. The joyful feeling of flying under the canopy ended with pain in the left leg - a fracture in two places.
Plaster of paris, autographs of the paratroopers on it, crutches. In this form he appeared before the commander of the Airborne Forces.
- Well, did you jump? - Margelov asked me.
- I jumped, Comrade Commander.
- I'm taking you to the landing. I need them, ”Vasily Filippovich made a decision.
At that time, there was an acute issue of reducing the time for bringing the airborne units to combat readiness after landing. The old technique of landing - military equipment was thrown from one aircraft, crews from another - are pretty outdated.
After all, the spread on the landing area was large, sometimes reaching five kilometers. While the crews were looking for their equipment, time passed like water in sand.
Therefore, the commander of the Airborne Forces decided - you need to drop the crew together with the combat vehicle. This was not the case in any army in the world! But this was not an argument for Vasily Filippovich, who believed that there were no impossible tasks for the landing.
In August 1975, after the landing of equipment with dummies, I, as a driver-mechanic, together with the son of the commander, Alexander Margelov, was entrusted to test the joint landing complex. They called him "Centaur". The combat vehicle was installed on a platform, behind it was an open vehicle for the crew members with their parachutes. Without means of rescue, testers were located inside the BMD on special, simplified space chairs of the cosmonauts. We have completed the task. And this was a major step towards a more complex experiment. Together with the commander's son, Alexander Margelov, we tested the parachute-jet system, which was already called "Reaktavr". The system was located at the stern of the BMD and went to the take-off airfield with it. She had only one dome instead of five. At the same time, the height and speed of the landing decreased, but the accuracy of the landing increased. There are many advantages, but the main disadvantage is huge overloads.
In January 1976, near Pskov, for the first time in world and domestic practice, this "jet" landing was carried out with a huge risk to life, without individual means of rescue.
"And what happened then?" - the meticulous reader will ask. And then, in each airborne regiment, in winter and summer, crews were parachuted inside combat vehicles on parachute and parachute-jet systems, which became perfect and reliable. In 1998, again near Pskov, a crew of seven people in regular seats descended from the skies inside the then newest BMD-3.
For the feat of the seventies, twenty years later, Alexander Margelov and I were awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
I will add that it was under General of the Army Margelov that it became common practice: to raise airborne troops, say, in Pskov, to make a long flight and land near Fergana, Kirovabad or in Mongolia. No wonder that one of the most popular decryptions of the abbreviation of the Airborne Forces is "Uncle Vasya's Troops."

In the ranks - sons and grandchildren

Retired Major General Gennady Margelov recalls:
- During the war, until 1944, I lived with my grandparents - the parents of my father Vasily Filippovich Margelov. During the evacuation, a junior sergeant came to us. I still remember the last name - Ivanov. Well, he won me over with his stories about the service in my father's division. I was not even thirteen then. He was going to return to the unit. I left the house in the morning, and I was with him, as if to school. Himself in the other direction ... and - to the station. We got on the train and drove off. So he fled at the age of 12 from the fifth grade to the front. We arrived at the division. My father did not know that I had arrived. We met nose to nose and did not recognize each other. It is not surprising, because we saw each other before the Finnish war, when he wore one "tie" in his buttonhole. From the first days of the Great Patriotic War he was at the front. There was no time for vacation.

And so I ended up in my father's division near Kherson in the Kopanei area. It was then the end of February, and there was still snow in some places. Dirt. I ran away from the house in leaky felt boots. So I caught a cold, my whole face was covered in boils, I even saw badly. I got to the medical battalion, got medical treatment.
And then dad calls: "Well, have you rested in the medical battalion?" Me: "That's right!" - "Then go to study in the training battalion."
I arrived as expected, reported to the battalion commander. The battalion had three companies: two rifle companies and a heavy weapons company. So they sent me to a platoon of anti-tank rifles - anti-tank rifles.
Well, the MFR is the MFR. We had guns of two systems: Degtyarev and Simonov. I got Simon's. He was not as afraid of the Germans as the gun is: the soldiers are healthy, and I was very small, I thought that after the shot I would be thrown away by the recoil. Later, when they had already been put into combat formation and the foreman gave the rifle at first, it turned out that it was longer than me. Replaced with a short cavalry carbine.
During the battles in Odessa, two comrades and I (one was a year older, the other a year younger, the sons of the chief of staff of the division, Colonel V.F.Shubin) left with battalion scouts to beat the German on the streets of the city. And what is a fight in the city? Sometimes you don’t understand where yours are and where your enemies are. In general, I was alone ... In one of the houses I came across a wine cellar. And suddenly, out of nowhere, a hefty German with a submachine gun! Of course, he would have "mowed" me with a line at the moment, yes, apparently, he got some Fritz wine from the barrels, and therefore hesitated. I shot him with my carbine. But for my sortie I received from my father three days of guardhouse, because I was forbidden to go to the front line without permission. Served, however, only a day. The Shubin brothers received a combat medal. Always in our family, the demand for the Margelovs was strict.
When the division was already beyond the old Romanian border, in the town of Chobruchi, the commander called me and showed me the Krasnoarmeets magazine (which later became the Soviet Warrior). And there, on the cover, is a photo of the Novocherkassk IED Suvorovites on the stairs at the main entrance. So beautiful!..
- Well, are you going to study? - asked the battalion commander.
“I’ll go,” I replied, fascinated looking at the photo, not knowing that the battalion commander was following the orders of the division commander.
This is how the Great Patriotic War ended for me, the Guard of Private Gennady Margelov, and the service in the school of the 144th Guards Rifle Regiment of Colonel A.G. Lubenchenko, a service that was considered the most honorable even for adult fighters, since the training battalion trained sergeants and was the last reserve of the division commander. Where it was difficult, the training battalion entered the battle.
I met Victory Day already in the Tambov SVU. As a Suvorov soldier, he made several parachute jumps in Pskov in the 76th Airborne Division, commanded by his father, Guards Major General V.F. Margelov. Moreover, the first two jumps - without the knowledge of the father. The third was performed in the presence of his father and the deputy corps commander for airborne training. After landing, I reported to the deputy corps commander: “Suvorovets Margelov made the next, third jump. The hardware worked perfectly, the state of health is good! " My father, who was preparing to hand me the first-rate parachutist badge, was extremely surprised and even said a couple of "warm" words. However, he soon resigned himself to this "offense" and proudly said that his son was growing up as a real paratrooper.
After graduating from the SVU in 1950, I became a cadet at the Ryazan Infantry School, from which I was sent to the Airborne Forces of the Far Eastern District.
In the airborne troops, he rose from a platoon commander to chief of staff of the 44th training airborne division. I jumped with a parachute, as I reported at the interview when entering the Academy of the General Staff, "from Berlin to Sakhalin." There were no more questions.
After graduating from the academy, he was appointed commander of the 26th motorized rifle division, which was located in the city of Gusev. Since 1976 he served in Transbaikalia as the first deputy commander of the 29th combined arms army. He celebrated his fiftieth birthday as head of the Military twice Red Banner Institute of Physical Culture in Leningrad. He graduated from the service as a senior lecturer in the Department of Operational Art of the Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR.
The second son of Vasily Filippovich, Anatoly, also devoted his whole life to defending the Motherland. A graduate of the Taganrog Radio Engineering Institute, he worked for decades in the defense industry. In his early thirties, the Doctor of Technical Sciences did a lot to develop new types of weapons. The scientist has more than two hundred inventions. When meeting, he likes to emphasize:
- Private reserve, professor Margelov.
Colonel-General Vitaly Margelov, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, recalls:
- After the evacuation, together with my mother and brother Anatoly, we lived in Taganrog. I still remember well how in 1945 we went with Tolik to the Oktyabr cinema, which was next to our house. And there, in the documentary chronicle, they show the Victory Parade. For us boys, the sight is exciting. Marshals Zhukov and Rokossovsky on white horses. Stalin himself is on the podium of the Lenin Mausoleum. Front-line generals, officers, soldiers are parading, military orders and medals are glittering on their uniforms ... You can't take your eyes off. And suddenly I see my father in the front columns. With delight, I will shout to the whole hall:
- Dad, dad ...
The hushed spectators revived. Everyone began to look with great curiosity who was making this noise. Since then, ticket collectors began to let my brother and I go to the cinema for free.
For the first time in a general's uniform, my father saw me at his birthday. I was delighted, of course, with my career growth, but I tried not to show it. When we were left alone, he asked me about the service, gave a number of "diplomatic" advice from his rich practice.
There is such a tradition in our Margelov family, inherited from our father: not to pamper our sons, not to favor them and respect their life choices.
... The younger twin brothers Margelov, Alexander and Vasily, were born on October 21 in the victorious 1945 year. Our newspaper has written many times about the Hero of Russia, reserve colonel Alexander Margelov, who served in the airborne troops. About his courage and fearlessness, shown during the test of "Reaktavr". After completing his service, he remained loyal to the Airborne Forces and the memory of his legendary father. In his apartment with his brother Vasily, he opened the home office-museum of General of the Army Vasily Filippovich Margelov.
“I would like to note that the present owner of the Arbat apartment (Alexander Vasilyevich lives with his family in his father's apartment) has not only a military-technical gift, but also an artistic one. No wonder the house is full of books on various fields of knowledge. He called the first descent system inside the BMD on a multi-dome parachute "Centaur" - for he noticed that when the car moves in a marching manner, the driver is visible to the waist, resembling a mythical creature, only in a modern version, "he wrote in his article" Military - home museum "Petr Palamarchuk, published in 1995 in the magazine" Rodina ". Since then, the museum has been visited by over a thousand people, among whom were prominent statesmen, politicians of our country, near and far abroad. Delighted with the exhibits they saw, they left their notes in the visitors' book.
During his life, Alexander Margelov has done a lot of deeds worthy of respect. Among them is the creation of the documentary book "General of the Army Margelov", which was published in Moscow in 1998. The next edition of the book, which is to be published this fall, he co-authored with his brother Vasily, a major in the reserve, an international journalist, who now works as the first deputy director of the International Relations Directorate of the Voice of Russia State Corporation. By the way, Vasily's son, reserve junior sergeant Vasily Margelov, named after his grandfather, served urgently in the Airborne Forces.
It should be noted that all the sons of Vasily Filippovich jumped with a parachute and proudly wear landing shirts.
General of the Army Margelov has many grandchildren, and there are already great-grandchildren who continue and are preparing to continue the family's traditions - to serve the Motherland with dignity. The eldest of them, Mikhail, son of Colonel-General Vitaly Vasilyevich Margelov, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, deputy head of the delegation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Mikhail graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology of the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. Fluent in English and Arabic, he was the head of the RF President's Public Relations Department.

His uncle, Vasily Vasilievich, also successfully graduated from the same faculty in 1970.
Mikhail's brother, Vladimir, served in the border troops ...
* * *
For almost a quarter of a century, Vasily Filippovich Margelov commanded the Airborne Forces. Many generations of winged guardsmen grew up on his example of selfless service to the Fatherland. Ryazan Institute of the Airborne Forces, streets of Omsk, Pskov and Tula bear his name. Monuments have been erected to him in Ryazan, Omsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Tula. Officers and paratroopers, veterans of the Airborne Forces every year come to the monument to their commander at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow to pay tribute to his memory.
During the Great Patriotic War, a song was composed in the division of General Margelov. Here is one of her verses:
The song praises the Falcon
Brave and bold ...
Is it close, is it far
Margelov's regiments were walking.
They still go through life, his regiments, in the ranks of which his sons, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and tens, hundreds of thousands of people who cherish in their hearts the memory of him - the creator of the modern Airborne Forces.

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Heroes of the Great Patriotic War

Margelov Vasily Filippovich

Vasily Filippovich Markelov was born on December 27, 1908 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine), in a family of immigrants from Belarus. Father - Philip Ivanovich Markelov, a metallurgical worker.

Vasily Filippovich's surname “Markelov” was subsequently recorded as “Margelov” due to an error in his party card.

In 1913, the Margelov family returned to the homeland of Philip Ivanovich - to the town of Kostyukovichi in the Klimovichi district (Mogilev province). VF Margelov's mother, Agafya Stepanovna, was from the neighboring Bobruisk district. According to some reports, V.F. Margelov graduated from a parish school in 1921. As a teenager he worked as a loader, carpenter. In the same year he entered a leather workshop as an apprentice, and soon became an assistant to the master. In 1923 he entered the local "Khleboprodukt" as a laborer. There is information that he graduated from the school of rural youth, and worked as a forwarding agent for the delivery of postal items on the Kostyukovichi-Khotimsk line.

Since 1924, he worked in Yekaterinoslav at the mine named after. MI Kalinin as a laborer, then a horseman, a driver of horses carrying trolleys.

In 1925, Margelov was sent again to the BSSR, as a forester in the timber industry. He worked in Kostyukovichi, in 1927 he became the chairman of the working committee of the timber industry and was elected to the local Council.

In 1928, Margelov was drafted into the Red Army. Sent to study at the United Belarusian Military School (OBVSh) named after. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR in Minsk, enrolled in a group of snipers. From the second year - the foreman of a machine-gun company.

In April 1931 he graduated with honors from the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the United Belarusian Military School named after I. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR, appointed commander of the machine gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th rifle regiment of the 33rd territorial rifle division in the city of Mogilev, Belarus. Since 1933, he was a platoon commander in the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the OVSH them. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR (from November 6, 1933 - named after MI Kalinin, from 1937 - the Order of the Red Banner of Labor Minsk Military Infantry School named after MI Kalinin). In February 1934, Margelov was appointed assistant company commander, in May 1936 - the commander of a machine-gun company.

From October 25, 1938, he commanded the 2nd battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division. Dzerzhinsky Belarusian Special Military District. He headed the reconnaissance of the 8th rifle division, being the chief of the 2nd section of the division headquarters. In this position, he participated in the Polish campaign of the Red Army in 1939.

Vasily Filippovich Margelov with paratroopers

During the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940), Margelov commanded the Separate Reconnaissance Ski Battalion of the 596th Infantry Regiment of the 122nd Division. During one of the operations, he captured the officers of the Swedish General Staff.

After the end of the Soviet-Finnish war, he was appointed assistant commander of the 596th regiment for combat units. Since October 1940 - the commander of the 15th separate disciplinary battalion of the Leningrad Military District.

At the beginning of World War II, in July 1941, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 1st Guards Division of the People's Militia of the Leningrad Front. Later - the commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment, Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division. After the division commander P.G. Chanchibadze was wounded, the command was transferred to Chief of Staff Vasily Margelov during his treatment. Under the leadership of Margelov, on July 17, 1943, the soldiers of the 3rd Guards Division broke through 2 Nazi lines of defense on the Mius Front, captured the village of Stepanovka and provided a foothold for the assault on Saur-Mogila.

Since 1944, Margelov commanded the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He supervised the actions of the division during the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kherson, for which in March 1944 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Under his command, the 49th Guards Rifle Division participated in the liberation of the peoples of South-Eastern Europe.

At the Victory Parade in Moscow, Guards Major General Margelov commanded the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

In the Airborne Forces

After the war, he held command positions.

Since 1948, after graduating from the Order of Suvorov I degree of the Higher Military Academy named after K. E. Voroshilov, he was the commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division.

In 1950-1954 he was the commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svirsky Red Banner Corps in the Far East.

From 1954 to 1959 - commander of the Airborne Forces. In 1959-1961 he was appointed (with demotion) first deputy commander of the Airborne Forces. From 1961 to January 1979 he was the commander of the Airborne Forces.

On October 28, 1967 he was awarded the military rank of "General of the Army". Supervised the actions of the Airborne Forces during the entry of troops into Czechoslovakia (Operation Danube).

Since January 1979, he was in the group of inspectors general of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He went on business trips to the Airborne Forces, was the chairman of the State Examination Commission at the Ryazan Airborne School.

During his service in the Airborne Forces, he made more than 60 jumps. The last of them is at the age of 65.

Lived and worked in the city of Moscow. He died on March 4, 1990. Buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

Vasily Filippovich Margelov

Contribution to the formation and development of the Airborne Forces

In the history of the Airborne Forces, and in the Armed Forces of Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, his name will remain forever. He personified an entire era in the development and formation of the Airborne Forces, their authority and popularity are associated with his name not only in our country, but also abroad, General Pavel Fedoseevich Pavlenko recalls Vasily Filippovich.

Under the leadership of Margelov for more than twenty years, the landing troops have become one of the most mobile in the combat structure of the Armed Forces and prestigious in terms of service in them. “The photograph of Vasily Filippovich in the demobilization albums went to the soldiers at the highest price - for a set of badges. The competition in the Ryazan Airborne School overlapped the figures of VGIK and GITIS, and applicants who were cut off at the exams for two or three months, before the snow and frost, lived in the forests near Ryazan in the hope that someone could not withstand the loads and it would be possible to take his place ... The spirit of the troops soared so high that the rest of the Soviet Army was enlisted in the category of "solariums" and "screws", "says Colonel Nikolai Fedorovich Ivanov.

Margelov's contribution to the formation of the Airborne Forces in their current form was reflected in the comic decoding of the abbreviation of the Airborne Forces - "Uncle Vasya's Troops".

Vasily Filippovich Markelov(later Margelov) (December 14, 1908 (December 27, 1908 in the new style), Yekaterinoslav, Russian Empire - March 4, 1990, Moscow) - Soviet military leader, commander of the Airborne Forces in 1954-1959 and 1961-1979, Hero of the Soviet Union (1944) , laureate of the USSR State Prize (1975).

Biography

Adolescent years

V.F. Markelov (later Margelov) was born on December 14, 1906 (December 27, 1906 in a new style) in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine), in a family of immigrants from Belarus. Father - Philip Ivanovich Markelov, a metallurgical worker. (Surname Mar To spruce by Vasily Filippovich was subsequently recorded as Mar G elov because of an error in the party card.)

In 1913, the Margelov family returned to the homeland of Philip Ivanovich - to the town of Kostyukovichi in the Klimovichi district (Mogilev province). VF Margelov's mother, Agafya Stepanovna, was from the neighboring Bobruisk district. According to some reports, V.F. Margelov graduated from the parish school (TsPSh) in 1921. As a teenager he worked as a loader, carpenter. In the same year he entered a leather workshop as an apprentice, and soon became an assistant to the master. In 1923 he entered the local "Khleboprodukt" as a laborer. There is information that he graduated from the school of rural youth, and worked as a forwarder for the delivery of postal items on the line Kostyukovichi - Khotimsk.

Since 1924 he worked in Yekaterinoslav at the mine named after I. MI Kalinin as a laborer, then a horseman (a driver of horses carrying trolleys).

In 1925 he was sent again to the BSSR, as a forester in the timber industry. He worked in Kostyukovichi, in 1927 he became the chairman of the working committee of the timber industry, was elected to the local Council.

Service start

In 1928 he was drafted into the Red Army. Sent to study at the United Belarusian Military School (OBVS) named after TsIKBSSR in Minsk, enrolled in a group of snipers. From the second year, he was a foreman of a machine-gun company.

In April 1931 he graduated with honors from the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the United Belarusian Military School named after I. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR, appointed commander of the machine gun platoon of the regimental school of the 99th rifle regiment of the 33rd territorial rifle division (Mogilev, Belarus). Since 1933 - platoon commander in the Order of the Red Banner of Labor OBVS them. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR (from November 6, 1933 - named after M. I. Kalinin, since 1937 - the Order of the Red Banner of Labor Minsk Military Infantry School named after M. I. Kalinin). In February 1934 he was appointed assistant company commander, in May 1936 - the commander of a machine-gun company.

From October 25, 1938, he commanded the 2nd battalion of the 23rd rifle regiment of the 8th rifle division named after DzerzhinskyBelarusian Special Military District. He headed the reconnaissance of the 8th rifle division, being the chief of the 2nd section of the division headquarters. In this position, he participated in the Polish campaign of the Red Army in 1939.

During the war years

During the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940) he commanded the Separate Reconnaissance Ski Battalion of the 596th Infantry Regiment of the 122nd Division. During one of the operations, he captured the officers of the Swedish General Staff.

After the end of the Soviet-Finnish war, he was appointed assistant commander of the 596th regiment for combat units. Since October 1940 - commander of the 15th separate disciplinary battalion of the Leningrad Military District (15 odisb, Novgorod region). At the beginning of World War II, in July 1941, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 1st Guards Division of the People's Militia of the Leningrad Front (the basis of the regiment was made up of the soldiers of the former 15 odisb).

November 21, 1941 - appointed commander of the 1st Special Ski Regiment of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet sailors. Contrary to the talk that Margelov "will not take root", the Marines accepted the commander, which especially emphasized the appeal to him for the naval equivalent of the rank "Major" - "Comrade Captain 3rd Rank." Margelov, however, sunk into the heart of the boldness of the "brothers". In order for the paratroopers to adopt the glorious traditions of their elder brother - the marines and continue them with honor, Vasily Filippovich made sure that the paratroopers received the right to wear vests.

Later - the commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment, Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division. After the division commander P.G. Chanchibadze was wounded, the command was transferred to Chief of Staff Vasily Margelov during his treatment. Under the leadership of Margelov, on July 17, 1943, the soldiers of the 3rd Guards Division broke through 2 Nazi defense lines on the Mius Front, captured the village of Stepanovka and provided a foothold for the assault on Saur-Mogila.

Since 1944 - commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He supervised the actions of the division during the crossing of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kherson, for which in March 1944 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Under his command, the 49th Guards Rifle Division participated in the liberation of the peoples of South-Eastern Europe.

At the Victory Parade in Moscow, Guards Major General Margelov commanded the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

In the Airborne Forces. After the war, in command positions. Since 1948, after graduating from the Order of Suvorov I degree of the Higher Military Academy named after K.E. Voroshilov - the commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division.

In 1950-1954 - commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svirsky Red Banner Corps (Far East).

From 1954 to 1959 - Commander of the Airborne Forces. In 1959-1961 - appointed with a demotion, first deputy commander of the Airborne Forces. From 1961 to January 1979 - returned to the post of Commander of the Airborne Forces.

After watching the film "This is a Sports Life" in 1964, he ordered to introduce rugby into the training program for paratroopers.

On October 28, 1967 he was awarded the military rank of "General of the Army". Supervised the actions of the Airborne Forces during the entry of troops into Czechoslovakia (Operation Danube).

Since January 1979 - in the group of general inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. He went on business trips to the Airborne Forces, was the chairman of the State Examination Commission at the Ryazan Airborne School.

During his service in the Airborne Forces, he made more than 60 jumps. The last of them at the age of 65.

"Anyone who has never left a plane in his life, whence cities and villages seem like toys, who have never experienced the joy and fear of free fall, whistling in their ears, a stream of wind blowing into their chest, will never understand the honor and pride of a paratrooper ..."

Lived and worked in the city of Moscow. He died on March 4, 1990. Buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

Contribution to the formation and development of the Airborne Forces

General Pavel Fedoseevich Pavlenko:

In the history of the Airborne Forces, and in the Armed Forces of Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, his name will remain forever. He personified a whole era in the development and formation of the Airborne Forces, their authority and popularity are associated with his name not only in our country, but also abroad ...

…V. F. Margelov realized that in modern operations, only highly mobile assault forces capable of wide maneuvering would be able to successfully operate deep behind enemy lines. He categorically rejected the installation of holding the area captured by the landing force until the approach of the troops advancing from the front by the method of hard defense as harmful, because in this case the landing force would be quickly destroyed.

Colonel Nikolai Fedorovich Ivanov:

Under more than twenty years of Margelov's leadership, the landing troops became one of the most mobile in the combat structure of the Armed Forces, prestigious service in them, especially revered among the people ... The soldiers' photograph of Vasily Filippovich in the demobilization albums went at the highest price - for a set of badges. The competition in the Ryazan Airborne School overlapped the figures of VGIK and GITIS, and applicants who were cut off at the exams for two or three months, before the snow and frost, lived in the forests near Ryazan in the hope that someone could not withstand the loads and it would be possible to take his place ... The spirit of the troops soared so high that the rest of the Soviet Army was enlisted in the category of "solariums" and "screws".

Margelov's contribution to the formation of the Airborne Forces in their current form was reflected in the comic decoding of the abbreviation Airborne forces- "Uncle Vasya's troops."

Combat theory

In military theory, it was believed that for the immediate use of nuclear strikes and maintaining a high rate of offensive, the widespread use of airborne assault forces was necessary. In these conditions, the Airborne Forces had to fully comply with the military-strategic goals of the war and meet the military-political goals of the state.

According to Commander Margelov:

“To fulfill their role in modern operations it is necessary that our formations and units be highly maneuverable, covered with armor, have sufficient fire efficiency, are well controlled, capable of landing at any time of the day and quickly switch to active hostilities after landing. This, by and large, is the ideal to which we should strive. "

To achieve these goals, under the leadership of Margelov, the concept of the role and place of the Airborne Forces in modern strategic operations in various theaters of military operations was developed. On this topic, Margelov wrote a number of works, and also successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis (awarded the title of Candidate of Military Sciences by the decision of the Council of the Military Order of Lenin of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov of the MV Frunze Academy). In practical terms, exercises and command camps of the Airborne Forces were regularly held.

Armament

It was necessary to bridge the gap between the theory of the combat use of the Airborne Forces and the existing organizational structure of the troops, as well as the capabilities of military transport aviation. Having assumed the post of Commander, Margelov received troops, consisting mainly of infantry with light weapons and military transport aviation (as part of the Airborne Forces), which was equipped with Li-2, Il-14, Tu-2 and Tu- 4 with significantly limited amphibious capabilities. In fact, the Airborne Forces were not able to solve major tasks in military operations.

Margelov initiated the creation and serial production at the enterprises of the military-industrial complex of landing equipment, heavy parachute platforms, parachute systems and containers for landing cargo, cargo and human parachutes, parachute devices. "You cannot order equipment, so seek the creation of reliable parachutes in the design bureau, industry, during testing of reliable parachutes, trouble-free operation of heavy airborne equipment," Margelov said when assigning tasks to his subordinates.

For the paratroopers, modifications of small arms were created that simplified their landing by parachute - less weight, folding butt.

Especially for the needs of the Airborne Forces in the post-war years, new military equipment was developed and modernized: the airborne self-propelled artillery mount ASU-76 (1949), light ASU-57 (1951), amphibious ASU-57P (1954), self-propelled unit ASU-85, tracked combat vehicle Air - airborne troops BMD-1 (1969). After the arrival of the first batches of BMD-1 in the troops, a family of weapons was developed on its basis: self-propelled artillery guns "Nona", artillery fire control vehicles, command and staff vehicles R-142, long-distance radio stations R-141, anti-tank systems, reconnaissance vehicle. Anti-aircraft units and subunits were also equipped with armored personnel carriers, which housed calculations with portable complexes and ammunition. By the end of the 50s, new An-8 and An-12 aircraft were adopted and entered the troops, which had a carrying capacity of up to 10-12 tons and a sufficient flight range, which made it possible to airborne large groups of personnel with standard military equipment and weapons. Later, thanks to the efforts of Margelov, the Airborne Forces received new military transport aircraft - An-22 and Il-76.

At the end of the 50s, parachute platforms PP-127 appeared in service with the troops, designed for parachuting artillery, vehicles, radio stations, engineering equipment, etc. cargo to zero. Such systems made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of landing due to the rejection of a large number of large-area domes.

On January 5, 1973, at the Slobodka airborne parachute center (view on Yandex. Maps) near Tula, for the first time in world practice in the USSR, parachute-platform vehicles were dropped in the Centaur complex from the An-12B military transport aircraft of a tracked armored combat vehicle BMD-1 with two crew members on board. The commander of the crew was the son of Vasily Filippovich, senior lieutenant Margelov Alexander Vasilyevich, and the driver-mechanic was Lieutenant Colonel Zuev Leonid Gavrilovich.

On January 23, 1976, also for the first time in world practice, dropped from the same type of aircraft, made a soft landing of the BMD-1 on a parachute-jet system in the Reaktavr complex, also with two crew members on board - Major Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov and Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shcherbakov Ivanovich. The landing was carried out at a great risk to life, without individual means of rescue. Twenty years later, for the feat of the seventies, both were awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

Family

• Father - Philip Ivanovich Margelov - a metallurgical worker, in the First World War he became a knight of two St. George's crosses.
• Mother - Agafya Stepanovna, was from the Bobruisk district.
• Two brothers - Ivan (elder), Nikolay (younger) and sister Maria.

V.F.Margelov was married three times:

• The first wife, Maria, left her husband and son (Gennady).
• The second wife is Feodosia Efremovna Selitskaya (mother of Anatoly and Vitaly).
• The last wife is Anna Aleksandrovna Kurakina, a doctor. He met Anna Alexandrovna during the Great Patriotic War.

Five sons:

• Gennady Vasilievich (born 1931) - Major General.
• Anatoly Vasilievich (1938-2008) - Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, author of over 100 patents and inventions in the military-industrial complex.
• Vitaly Vasilyevich (born 1941) - professional intelligence officer, employee of the KGB of the USSR and the SVR of Russia, later - a public and political figure; Colonel General, Deputy of the State Duma.
• Vasily Vasilievich (1945-2010) - retired major; First Deputy Director of the Directorate of International Relations of the Russian State Radio Broadcasting Company "Voice of Russia" (RGRK "Voice of Russia")
• Alexander Vasilievich (born 1945) - Airborne Forces officer. On August 29, 1996 "for courage and heroism shown during testing, fine-tuning and mastering of special equipment" (landing inside the BMD-1 on a parachute-jet system in the "Reaktavr" complex, carried out for the first time in world practice in 1976) was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. After retiring, he worked in the structures of Rosoboronexport.

Vasily Vasilievich and Alexander Vasilievich are twin brothers. In 2003, they co-wrote a book about their father - "Paratrooper No. 1, General of the Army Margelov".

Awards and titles

USSR awards

• Medal "Gold Star" No. 3414 Hero of the Soviet Union (03/19/1944)
• four Orders of Lenin (03/21/1944, 11/3/1953, 12/26/1968, 12/26/1978)
• Order of the October Revolution (05/04/1972)
• two Orders of the Red Banner (3.02.1943, 20.06.1949)
• Order of Suvorov 2nd degree (04/28/1944) was originally presented to the Order of Lenin,
• two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (01/25/1943, 03/11/1985)
• Order of the Red Star (3.11.1944)
• two Orders "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" 2nd (12/14/1988) and 3rd degree (04/30/1975)
• medals

Awarded twelve Commendations of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (03/13/1944, 03/28/1944, 04/10/1944, 11/24/1944, 02/13/1945, 03/25/1945, 04/05/1945, 04/05/1945, 04/13/1945, 04/13/1945, 05/08/1945).

Awards of foreign countries

• Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, 2nd degree (20.09.1969)
• four commemorative medals of Bulgaria (1974, 1978, 1982, 1985)

Hungarian People's Republic:

• star and badge of the Order of the People's Republic of Hungary, 3rd degree (04/04/1950)
• medal "Brotherhood in Arms" gold degree (09/29/1985)

• Order "Star of Friendship of Peoples" in silver (02/23/1978)
• medal "Arthur Becker" in gold (23.05.1980)

• Medal of "Sino-Soviet Friendship" (02/23/1955)

• two anniversary medals (1978, 1986)

Mongolian People's Republic:

• Order of the Red Banner of the Battle (06/07/1971)
• seven commemorative medals (1968, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1982)

• medal "For the Oder, Nisa and Baltic" (7.05.1985)
• Medal "Brotherhood in Arms" (10/12/1988)
• Officer of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland (11/06/1973)

SR Romania:

• Order of Tudor Vladimirescu, 2nd (10/1/1974) and 3rd (10/24/1969) degrees
• two commemorative medals (1969, 1974)

• Order of the "Legion of Honor" officer degree (05/10/1945)
• medal "Bronze Star" (05/10/1945)

Czechoslovakia:

• Order of Clement Gottwald (1969)
• Medal "For Strengthening Friendship in Arms" 1st degree (1970)
• two anniversary medals

Honorary titles

• Hero of the Soviet Union (1944)
• Laureate of the USSR State Prize (1975)
• Honorary Citizen of Kherson
• Honorary soldier of the military unit

Proceedings

• V.F. Margelov Airborne troops. - M .: Knowledge, 1977 .-- 64 p.
• V.F. Margelov Soviet Airborne. - 2nd ed. - M .: Military publishing house, 1986. - 64 p.

Memory

• By order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of April 20, 1985, V.F.Margelov was enlisted as an Honorary Soldier in the lists of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division.

• Monuments to V.F.Margelov were erected in Dnepropetrovsk, Krivoy Rog, Simferopol, Sumy, Kherson (Ukraine), Chisinau (Moldova), Kostyukovichi (Belarus), Ryazan and Seltsy (training center of the Airborne Forces School), Omsk, Tula, Tyumen, St. Petersburg (in the park named after V.F. Margelov), Ulyanovsk, Ivanovo, Istomino village, Balakhninsky district, Nizhny Novgorod region. A memorial plaque was installed in Taganrog. Officers and paratroopers, veterans of the Airborne Forces every year come to the monument of their commander at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow to pay tribute to his memory.

• The name of Margelov is the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School, the Department of the Airborne Military District of the General Military Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Nizhny Novgorod Cadet Corps (NKSHI).

• A park in St. Petersburg, a square in Ryazan, streets in Moscow, Vitebsk (Belarus), Omsk, Pskov, Tula and Zapadnaya Litsa, Ulan-Ude, avenue and a park in the Zavolzhsky district of Ulyanovsk are named after Margelov.

• During the Great Patriotic War, a song was composed in V. Margelov's division, one verse from it:

The song praises the Falcon
Brave and bold ...
Is it close, is it far
Margelov's regiments were walking.

The Sumy Gorobina distillery produces the Margelovskaya memorial vodka. Fortress 48%, in the recipe - alcohol, pomegranate juice, black pepper.

• By order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 182 of May 6, 2005, the departmental medal of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation "General of the Army Margelov" was established. In the same year, a memorial plaque was installed on a house in Moscow, in the Sivtsev Vrazhek lane, where Margelov lived the last 20 years of his life.

• In honor of the centenary of the Commander's birth, 2008 was declared the year of V. Margelov in the Airborne Forces.

• In 2008, with the support of the Moscow government, director Oleg Shtrom filmed the eight serial series "Airborne Dad" in which Mikhail Zhigalov played the main role.

• On February 21, 2010, a bust of Vasily Margelov was installed in Kherson. The bust of the general is located in the city center near the Youth Palace on Perekopskaya Street.

• On June 5, 2010, a monument to the founder of the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces) was unveiled in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. The monument was built at the expense of former paratroopers living in Moldova.

• On June 25, 2010, the memory of the legendary commander was immortalized in the Republic of Belarus (Vitebsk). The Vitebsk City Executive Committee, headed by Chairman V.P. Nikolaykin, in the spring of 2010 approved a petition from veterans of the Airborne Forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation to name the street connecting Chkalov Street and Pobedy Avenue, General Margelov Street. On the eve of the City Day, on General Margelov Street, a new house was put into operation on which a memorial plaque was installed, the right to open which was given to the sons of Vasily Filippovich.

• Monument to Vasily Filippovich, a sketch of which was made from a famous photograph in the divisional newspaper, in which he, being appointed division commander of the 76th Guards. airborne division, preparing for the first jump, - installed in front of the headquarters of the 95th separate airmobile brigade (Ukraine).

• The "Blue Berets" ensemble recorded a song dedicated to VF Margelov, assessing the current state of the Airborne Forces, after his departure from the post of commander, which is called "Forgive us, Vasily Filippovich!"

• On May 7, 2014, a monument to Vasily Margelov was unveiled in Nazran (Ingushetia, Russia).

The airborne troops of the Russian Federation are a separate branch of the Russian armed forces, which is in the reserve of the Commander-in-Chief of the country and is directly subordinate to the Commander of the Airborne Forces. Currently, this position is held (since October 2016) by Colonel General Serdyukov.

The purpose of the airborne troops is to operate behind enemy lines, carry out deep raids, capture important enemy targets, bridgeheads, disrupt the operation of enemy communications and enemy command and control, and sabotage in its rear. The Airborne Forces were created primarily as an effective instrument of offensive warfare. To cover the enemy and actions in his rear, the Airborne Forces can use airborne assault - both parachute and landing.

The airborne troops are rightfully considered the elite of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, in order to get into this type of troops, candidates must meet very high criteria. First of all, this concerns physical health and psychological stability. And this is natural: the paratroopers carry out their tasks behind enemy lines, without the support of their main forces, the supply of ammunition and the evacuation of the wounded.

The Soviet Airborne Forces were created in the 30s, the further development of this type of troops was rapid: by the beginning of the war, five airborne corps were deployed in the USSR, with a number of 10 thousand people each. The USSR Airborne Forces played an important role in the victory over the Nazi invaders. The paratroopers took an active part in the Afghan war. The Russian airborne troops were officially created on May 12, 1992, they went through both Chechen campaigns, participated in the war with Georgia in 2008.

The Airborne Forces flag is a blue banner with a green stripe at the bottom. In its center is an image of a golden open parachute and two planes of the same color. The flag was officially approved in 2004.

In addition to the flag, there is also the emblem of this type of troops. It is a fiery gold-colored grenada with two wings. There is also a medium and large emblem of the Airborne Forces. The middle emblem depicts a double-headed eagle with a crown on its head and a shield with St. George the Victorious in the center. In one paw, the eagle holds a sword, and in the other - the flaming grenada of the Airborne Forces. On the large emblem, the grenada is placed on a blue heraldic shield, framed by an oak wreath. In its upper part there is a two-headed eagle.

In addition to the emblem and flag of the Airborne Forces, there is also the motto of the Airborne Forces: "Nobody but us." The paratroopers even have their own heavenly patron - Saint Elijah.

The paratroopers' professional holiday is the Day of the Airborne Forces. It is celebrated on 2 August. On this day in 1930, the unit was first parachuted to carry out a combat mission. On August 2, Airborne Forces Day is celebrated not only in Russia, but also in Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

The airborne troops of Russia are armed with both conventional types of military equipment and samples developed specifically for this type of troops, taking into account the specifics of its tasks.

It is difficult to name the exact number of the RF Airborne Forces, this information is secret. However, according to unofficial data received from the Russian Ministry of Defense, it is about 45 thousand soldiers. Foreign estimates of the size of this type of troops are somewhat more modest - 36 thousand people.

The history of the creation of the Airborne Forces

The homeland of the Airborne Forces is the Soviet Union. It was in the USSR that the first airborne unit was created, this happened in 1930. First, a small detachment appeared, which was part of a regular rifle division. On August 2, the first parachute landing was successfully carried out during an exercise at a training ground near Voronezh.

However, the first use of parachute landing in military affairs occurred even earlier, in 1929. During the siege of the Tajik city of Garm by anti-Soviet rebels, a detachment of Red Army soldiers was dropped there by parachutes, which made it possible to unblock the settlement in the shortest possible time.

Two years later, a special purpose brigade was formed on the basis of the detachment, and in 1938 it was renamed the 201st airborne brigade. In 1932, by the decision of the Revolutionary Military Council, special aviation battalions were created, in 1933 their number reached 29 pieces. They were part of the Air Force, and their main task was to disorganize the enemy's rear and conduct sabotage.

It should be noted that the development of the amphibious forces in the Soviet Union was very stormy and impetuous. No money was spared on them. In the 30s, the country experienced a real parachute boom, with parachute diving towers standing in almost every stadium.

During the exercises of the Kiev Military District in 1935, a mass parachute landing was practiced for the first time. The following year, an even more massive landing was carried out in the Belarusian Military District. Foreign military observers invited to the exercise were amazed at the scale of the landings and the skill of the Soviet paratroopers.

Before the start of the war, airborne corps were created in the USSR, each of them consisted of up to 10 thousand soldiers. In April 1941, by order of the Soviet military leadership, five airborne corps were deployed in the western regions of the country, after the German attack (in August 1941), the formation of five more airborne corps began. A few days before the German invasion (June 12), the Airborne Forces Directorate was created, and in September 1941, the paratrooper units were withdrawn from the command of the front commanders. Each corps of the Airborne Forces was a very formidable force: in addition to excellently trained personnel, it was armed with artillery and light amphibious tanks.

In addition to the airborne corps, the Red Army also included mobile airborne brigades (five units), spare airborne regiments (five units) and educational institutions that trained paratroopers.

The Airborne Forces made a significant contribution to the victory over the Nazi invaders. Airborne units played an especially important role in the initial - the most difficult - period of the war. Despite the fact that the airborne troops are designed for offensive operations and have a minimum of heavy weapons (compared to other types of troops), at the beginning of the war, paratroopers were often used to "patch holes": in defense, to eliminate sudden German breakthroughs, to unblocking the encircled Soviet troops. Due to this practice, the paratroopers suffered unreasonably high losses, and the effectiveness of their use was reduced. Often, the preparation of amphibious operations left much to be desired.

Airborne units took part in the defense of Moscow, as well as in the subsequent counteroffensive. The 4th Airborne Corps in the winter of 1942 was parachuted during the Vyazemsk landing operation. In 1943, during the crossing of the Dnieper, two airborne brigades were thrown into the rear of the enemy. Another major landing operation was carried out in Manchuria in August 1945. In its course, 4 thousand soldiers were parachuted by landing method.

In October 1944, the Soviet Airborne Forces were transformed into a separate Guards Army of the Airborne Forces, and in December of the same year - into the 9th Guards Army. Airborne divisions have become ordinary rifle divisions. At the end of the war, the paratroopers took part in the liberation of Budapest, Prague, Vienna. The 9th Guards Army ended its glorious combat path on the Elbe.

In 1946, the landing units were incorporated into the Land Forces and were subordinate to the country's Minister of Defense.

In 1956, Soviet paratroopers took part in the suppression of the Hungarian uprising, and in the mid-60s they played a key role in pacifying another country that wanted to leave the socialist camp - Czechoslovakia.

After the end of the war, the world entered an era of confrontation between two superpowers - the USSR and the USA. The plans of the Soviet leadership were by no means limited only to defense, so the airborne forces developed especially actively during this period. The emphasis was placed on increasing the firepower of the Airborne Forces. For this, a number of airborne equipment was developed, including armored vehicles, artillery systems, and road transport. The fleet of military transport aviation was significantly increased. In the 70s, wide-body heavy-duty transport aircraft were created, which made it possible to transport not only personnel, but also heavy military equipment. By the end of the 80s, the state of the military transport aviation of the USSR was such that it could provide parachute drop for almost 75% of the personnel of the Airborne Forces in one sortie.

At the end of the 60s, a new type of units that are part of the Airborne Forces was created - airborne assault units (DShCH). They differed little from the rest of the Airborne Forces, but were subordinate to the command of groups of forces, armies or corps. The reason for the creation of the DShCH was a change in the tactical plans that were prepared by Soviet strategists in the event of a full-scale war. After the start of the conflict, the enemy's defenses were planned to be “broken” with the help of massive assault forces landed in the immediate rear of the enemy.

In the mid-1980s, the Land Forces of the USSR included 14 airborne assault brigades, 20 battalions and 22 separate airborne assault regiments.

In 1979, the war in Afghanistan began, and the Soviet Airborne Forces took an active part in it. During this conflict, the paratroopers had to engage in counter-guerrilla warfare, of course, there was no question of any parachute landing. The delivery of personnel to the place of combat operations took place with the help of armored vehicles or vehicles, less often landing method was used from helicopters.

Paratroopers were often used to guard the numerous outposts and roadblocks scattered throughout the country. Usually, the airborne units performed tasks more suitable for motorized rifle units.

It should be noted that in Afghanistan, the paratroopers used military equipment of the ground forces, which was more suitable for the harsh conditions of this country than their own. Also, airborne units in Afghanistan were reinforced with additional artillery and tank units.

After the collapse of the USSR, the division of its armed forces began. These processes also affected the paratroopers. It was only by 1992 that the Airborne Forces were finally divided, after which the Russian Airborne Forces were created. They included all the units that were on the territory of the RSFSR, as well as part of the divisions and brigades that were previously located in other republics of the USSR.

In 1993, the Russian Airborne Forces included six divisions, six airborne assault brigades and two regiments. In 1994, in Kubinka near Moscow, on the basis of two battalions, the 45th Airborne Special Forces regiment was created (the so-called special forces of the Airborne Forces).

The 90s became a serious test for the Russian airborne troops (as well as for the entire army). The number of the Airborne Forces was seriously reduced, some of the units were disbanded, the paratroopers became subordinate to the Ground Forces. Army aviation was transferred to the Air Force, which significantly impaired the mobility of the Airborne Forces.

The airborne troops of the Russian Federation took part in both Chechen campaigns; in 2008, the paratroopers were involved in the Ossetian conflict. The Airborne Forces have repeatedly taken part in peacekeeping operations (for example, in the former Yugoslavia). Airborne units regularly participate in international exercises, they guard Russian military bases abroad (Kyrgyzstan).

The structure and composition of the airborne troops of the Russian Federation

At present, the RF Airborne Forces consist of command structures, combat subunits and units, as well as various institutions that provide them.

Structurally, the Airborne Forces have three main components:

• Airborne. It includes all airborne units.
• Airborne assault. Consists of airborne assault units.
• Mountain. It includes airborne assault units designed for operations in mountainous areas.

At the moment, the Russian Airborne Forces includes four divisions, as well as separate brigades and regiments. Airborne troops, composition:

• 76th Guards Airborne Assault Division, station Pskov.
• 98th Guards Airborne Division, located in Ivanovo.
• 7th Guards Airborne Assault (Mountain) Division, stationed in Novorossiysk.
• 106th Guards Airborne Division - Tula.

Airborne regiments and brigades:

• 11th Separate Guards Airborne Brigade, stationed in the city of Ulan-Ude.
• 45th separate guards brigade of special purpose (Moscow).
• 56th Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brigade. The place of deployment is the city of Kamyshin.
• 31st separate guards airborne assault brigade. Located in Ulyanovsk.
• 83rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade. Location - Ussuriisk.
• 38th Separate Guards Signal Regiment of the Airborne Forces. Located in the Moscow region, in the village of Medvezhye Ozera.

In 2013, the creation of the 345th Airborne Assault Brigade in Voronezh was officially announced, but then the formation of the unit was postponed to a later date (2017 or 2019). There is information that in 2019 an airborne assault battalion will be deployed on the territory of the Crimean peninsula, and in the future a regiment of the 7th airborne assault division will be formed on its base, which is now deployed in Novorossiysk.

In addition to combat units, the Russian Airborne Forces also include educational institutions that train personnel for the Airborne Forces. The main and most famous of them is the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School, which also trains officers for the RF Airborne Forces. Also, the structure of this kind of troops includes two Suvorov schools (in Tula and Ulyanovsk), the Omsk cadet corps and the 242nd training center located in Omsk.

Armament and equipment of the Russian Airborne Forces

The airborne troops of the Russian Federation use both combined arms equipment and samples that were created specifically for this type of troops. Most of the types of weapons and military equipment of the Airborne Forces were developed and manufactured back in the Soviet period, but there are also more modern models created in modern times.

The most massive examples of airborne armored vehicles are currently BMD-1 (about 100 units) and BMD-2M (about 1,000 units) airborne combat vehicles. Both of these machines were produced back in the Soviet Union (BMD-1 in 1968, BMD-2 in 1985). They can be used for landing both by landing and parachuting. These are reliable machines that have been tested in many armed conflicts, but they are clearly outdated, both morally and physically. Even representatives of the top leadership of the Russian army, which was put into service in 2004, openly declare this. However, its production is slow, today it is armed with 30 units of BMP-4 and 12 units of BMP-4M.

Also in service with the airborne forces there are a small number of armored personnel carriers BTR-82A and BTR-82AM (12 pieces), as well as the Soviet BTR-80. The most numerous armored personnel carrier currently used by the RF Airborne Forces is the tracked BTR-D (more than 700 units). It entered service in 1974 and is quite obsolete. It should be replaced by the BTR-MDM "Shell", but so far its production is moving very slowly: today in combat units from 12 to 30 (according to various sources) "Shells".

The anti-tank weapons of the Airborne Forces are represented by the Sprut-SD self-propelled anti-tank gun 2S25 (36 units), the BTR-RD “Robot” self-propelled anti-tank systems (more than 100 units) and a wide range of various ATGM systems: Metis, Fagot, Konkurs and Cornet.

There are self-propelled and towed artillery in service with the RF Airborne Forces: self-propelled guns "Nona" (250 units and several hundred more units in storage), D-30 howitzer (150 units), as well as mortars "Nona-M1" (50 units) and "Tray" (150 units).

The air defense means of the Airborne Forces consist of portable missile systems (various modifications of the Igla and Verba), as well as the Strela short-range air defense system. Special attention should be paid to the newest Russian MANPADS "Verba", which was only recently put into service and now it has been put into trial operation only in a few units of the RF Armed Forces, including the 98th Airborne Division.

The Airborne Forces are also operating self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery mounts BTR-ZD "Skrezhet" (150 units) of Soviet production and towed anti-aircraft artillery mounts ZU-23-2.

In recent years, the Airborne Forces began to receive new models of automotive equipment, of which the Tiger armored car, the A-1 snowmobile all-terrain vehicle and the KAMAZ-43501 truck should be noted.

The airborne troops are sufficiently equipped with communication, control and electronic warfare systems. Among them, modern Russian developments should be noted: the electronic warfare systems "Leer-2" and "Leer-3", "Infauna", the control system of the air defense complexes "Barnaul", the automated command and control systems "Andromeda-D" and "Polet-K".

The Airborne Forces are armed with a wide range of small arms, among which there are both Soviet models and newer Russian designs. The latter include the Yarygin pistol, PMM and the PSS silent pistol. The main personal weapon of the fighters remains the Soviet AK-74 assault rifle, however, deliveries to the troops of a more advanced AK-74M have already begun. To carry out sabotage missions, paratroopers can use the Russian-made Val "Orlan-10" assault rifle. The exact number of "Orlans" in service with the Airborne Forces is unknown.

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