Who founded the Airborne Forces and when? Vasily Margelov is not a “founder” at all, but a reformer of the Airborne Forces. Beginning of military service

Margelov Vasily Filippovich was born on December 27, 1908 in Dnepropetrovsk, died at the age of 82 on March 4, 1990 in Moscow. Legendary special forces soldier who transformed the USSR Airborne Forces from “penalties” into the elite of the USSR Armed Forces, long-time commander of the airborne forces (1954-1979), army general, Hero Soviet Union.

The feat of Vasily Margelov.

Vasily Margelov became a legend during his lifetime

During the Soviet-Finnish War (1939-1940), commanding the Separate Reconnaissance Ski Battalion of the 122nd Division, he made several daring raids behind enemy lines, during one of which he captured officers of the German General Staff - officially allies of the USSR at that time;

- in 1941, his “land commander” was placed at the head of the marine regiment of the Baltic Fleet. Contrary to prejudices that he “wouldn’t fit in,” Margelov became “one of their own,” and the Marines called him, a major, “Captain 3rd Rank,” emphasizing their respect for the commander. The regiment was considered “the personal guard of Admiral Tributs’s fleet commander,” which he sent in besieged Leningrad to places where even the penal battalion could not send. For example, during the German assault on the Pulkovo Heights, Margelov’s regiment was landed behind enemy lines on the coast of Ladoga in the direction of Lipki - Shlisselburg, and the commander of the North group of troops, Field Marshal von Leeb, was forced to stop the assault on Pulkovo, transferring units to liquidate the landing. Margelov was seriously wounded and miraculously survived;

Since 1943, Margelov was the division commander, stormed the “Saur-Mogila”, liberated Kherson (awarded the Hero’s Star), and in 1945 the Germans called Margelov the “Soviet Skorzeny” after the divisions of the SS tank corps “Totenkopf” and “Greater Germany” surrendered to him personally without a fight;

On May 2, 1945, Margelov was given the task of capturing or destroying the remnants of the two most famous SS units rushing into the American zone of responsibility. Then Vasily Margelov dared to take a decisive step. He, along with a group of officers who were armed with grenades and machine guns, accompanied by a battery of 57-mm cannons, arrived at the group’s headquarters, after which he ordered the battalion commander to set the guns with direct fire at the enemy’s headquarters and open fire if he did not return in ten minutes.

Margelov went to headquarters and presented an ultimatum to the Germans: either they surrender and their lives are spared, or they will be completely destroyed using all the means available to the division: “by 4:00 am - front to the east. Light weapons: machine guns, machine guns, rifles - in stacks, ammunition - nearby. Second line - Combat vehicles, guns and mortars - with their muzzles down. Soldiers and officers - in formation to the west,” Vasily Margelov later wrote in his book. He gave him little time to think: “while his cigarette burns out.” And the Germans capitulated. An accurate count of trophies showed the following figures: 2 generals, 806 officers, 31,258 non-commissioned officers, 77 tanks and self-propelled guns, 5,847 trucks, 493 trucks, 46 mortars, 120 guns, 16 locomotives, 397 carriages.

Vasily Margelov - “father of the Airborne Forces”. In 1950, airborne troops were considered something of a penal battalion, and were never valued. They were compared to penalty prisoners, and the abbreviation itself was deciphered: “you’re unlikely to return home.” However, soon after the arrival of a new commander - Vasily Margelov - the Airborne Forces turned into truly elite troops.

Just a few years later, the primitive equipment was replenished with a Kalashnikov assault rifle with a special folding stock so that it would not interfere with the opening of the parachute, lightweight aluminum armor, an RPG-16 anti-tank grenade launcher, and Centaur platforms for landing people in combat vehicles. The Airborne Guards received official permission from the USSR Ministry of Defense to wear blue berets and vests, which were first shown during the 1969 military parade on Red Square. In 1973, the world's first landing using the BMD-1 parachute system took place near Tula. The crew commander was Margelov's son Alexander. The competition for the Ryazan Airborne School exceeded the numbers of MGIMO, Moscow State University and VGIK. The comically fatalistic name of the Airborne Forces was replaced in the 70s by “Uncle Vasya’s Troops.” This is exactly what the Airborne Forces fighters called themselves, thereby emphasizing the special warmth of feelings for their legendary commander.

During the training of paratroopers, Margelov paid special attention skydiving. He himself first found himself under the dome only in 1948, already with the rank of general: “Until the age of 40, I vaguely understood what a parachute was; I never even dreamed of jumping. It happened on its own, or rather, as it should be in the army, by order. I am a military man, if necessary, I am ready to take the devil in my teeth. That’s how I had to, already being a general, make my first parachute jump. The impression, I tell you, is incomparable.”

Vasily Margelov himself once said: “Anyone who has never left an airplane in his life, from where cities and villages seem like toys, who has never experienced the joy and fear of a free fall, a whistle in his ears, a stream of wind beating his chest, has never will understand the honor and pride of the paratrooper." He himself subsequently, despite his advanced years, made about 60 jumps, the last at the age of 65.

In 1968, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, Margelov managed to convince Defense Minister Marshal Grechko that the winged guard should have vests and berets. Even before this, he emphasized that the airborne troops must adopt the traditions of their “big brother” - the Marine Corps, and continue them with honor. “That’s why I introduced vests to the paratroopers. Only the stripes on them match the color of the sky - blue.”

Vasily Margelov and social networks.

Posted on YouTube video hosting documentary"Vasily Margelov and the Airborne Forces":

Awards of Vasily Margelov.

December 14, 1988 and April 30, 1975 - two Orders “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR” of the second and third degree, respectively.

Biography of Vasily Margelov.

1921 - graduated from a parochial school, entered a leather workshop as an apprentice, and soon became an assistant master;

1923 - entered the local “Hleboproduct” as a laborer;

Since 1924, he worked in Yekaterinoslavl (now Dnepropetrovsk) at the mine named after. M.I. Kalinin as a laborer, then a horse driver (driver of horses pulling trolleys);

1925 - sent to the BSSR as a forester at a timber industry enterprise;

1927 - Chairman of the working committee of the timber industry enterprise, elected to the local Council;

1928 - drafted into the Red Army;

April 1931 - graduated from the Order of the Red Banner of Labor from the United Belarusian Military School named after. Central Executive Committee of the BSSR with honors. Appointed commander of a machine gun platoon of the 99th regimental school rifle regiment 33rd rifle division(Mogilev, Belarus);

Since 1933 - platoon commander in the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the General Military School named after. Central Election Commission of the BSSR;

Since 1937 - platoon commander of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, Minsk Military Infantry School named after. M. I. Kalinina;

February 1934 - appointed assistant company commander;

May 1936 - commander of a machine gun company;

October 25, 1938 - commanded the 2nd battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division named after. Dzerzhinsky Belarusian Special Military District;

1939-1940 - commanded the Separate reconnaissance ski battalion of the 596th Infantry Regiment of the 122nd Division;

Since October 1940 - commander of the 15th separate disciplinary battalion of the Leningrad Military District;

July 1941 - commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 1st Guards Division of the People's Militia of the Leningrad Front;

Since 1944 - commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front;

At the Victory Parade in Moscow, Guard Major General Margelov commanded a battalion in the combined regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front;

1950-1954 - commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svir Red Banner Corps;

1954-1959 - Commander of the Airborne Forces;

January 1979 - 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;

March 4, 1990 - Vasily Filippovich Margelov died in Moscow. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

Perpetuating the memory of Vasily Margelov.

On May 6, 2005, a departmental medal of the Ministry of Defense was established Russian Federation"Army General Margelov";

2005 - a memorial plaque was installed on a house in Moscow on Sivtsev Vrazhek Lane, where Margelov lived for the last 20 years of his life.

Monuments to Vasily Margelov were erected in:

Taganrog;

Chisinau;

Dnepropetrovsk;

Yaroslavl;

as well as in many other localities.

The Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School, the Airborne Department of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Nizhny Novgorod Cadet Corps (NKSHI) bears the name of Margelov;

A square in St. Petersburg, in the city of Belogorsk, Amur Region, a square in Ryazan, streets in Moscow, Vitebsk (Belarus), Omsk, Pskov, Taganrog, Tula and Western Litsa, in Buryatia: in Ulan-Ude and Border Guard are named after Margelov. the village of Naushki, avenue and park in the Zavolzhsky district of Ulyanovsk.

How often do Yandex users from Ukraine look for information about Vasily Margelov in the search engine?

As can be seen from the photo, users of the Yandex search engine were interested in the query “Vasily Margelov” 241 times in October 2015.

And according to this graph, you can see how the interest of Yandex users in the query “Vasily Margelov” has changed over the past two years:

The highest interest in this request was recorded in August 2015 (about 1.2 thousand requests);

How do Ukrainians evaluate the merits of Vasily Margelov?

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“Suvorov of the twentieth century” - this is how Western historians began to call Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov (1908 - 1990) during his lifetime (Soviet historians for a long time were forbidden to use this name in the press for reasons of secrecy).

Having commanded the Airborne Forces for a total of almost a quarter of a century (1954 - 1959, 1961 - 1979), he turned this branch of troops into a formidable striking force that had no equal.

But Vasily Filippovich was remembered by his contemporaries not only as an outstanding organizer. Love for the Motherland, remarkable leadership abilities, perseverance and selfless courage were organically combined in him with greatness of soul, modesty and crystal honesty, and a kind-hearted, truly fatherly attitude towards the soldier.

Let's turn over some pages of the book of his fate, worthy of the pen of both the master of the detective genre and the creator of the heroic epic...

How a paratrooper got a vest

During the Soviet-Finnish War of 1940, Major Margelov was the commander of the Separate Reconnaissance Ski Battalion of the 596th Infantry Regiment of the 122nd Division. His battalion made daring raids on enemy rear lines, set up ambushes, inflicting great damage on the enemy. In one of the raids, they even managed to capture a group of officers of the Swedish General Staff, which gave grounds for the Soviet Government to make a diplomatic demarche regarding the actual participation of the supposedly neutral Scandinavian state in hostilities on the side of the Finns. This step had a sobering effect on the Swedish king and his cabinet: Stockholm did not dare to send its soldiers into the snows of Karelia...

The experience of ski raids behind enemy lines was remembered in the late autumn of 1941 in besieged Leningrad. Major V. Margelov was assigned to lead the First Special Ski Regiment of sailors of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, formed from volunteers.

A veteran of this unit, N. Shuvalov, recalled:

– As you know, sailors are a peculiar people. In love with the sea element, they do not particularly favor their land-based counterparts. When Margelov was appointed commander of a marine regiment, some used to say that he would not fit in there, that his “brothers” would not accept him.

However, this prophecy did not come true. When the regiment of sailors was assembled to be presented to the new commander, Margelov, after the command “Attention!” seeing many gloomy faces looking at him not particularly friendly, instead of the usual words of greeting “Hello, comrades!” in such cases, without thinking, he shouted loudly:

- Hello, claws!

A moment - and not a single gloomy face in the ranks...

Sailors-skiers under the command of Major Margelov performed many glorious feats. The tasks were personally assigned to them by the commander of the Baltic Fleet, Vice Admiral Tributs.

The deep, daring raids of skiers along the German rear in the winter of 1941-42 were a never-ending headache for the command of Hitler’s Army Group North. What was the cost of at least the landing on the coast of Ladoga in the direction of Lipka - Shlisselburg, which alarmed Field Marshal von Leeb so much that he began to withdraw troops from near Pulkovo, who were tightening the noose of the blockade of Leningrad, to eliminate it.

Two decades later, the commander of the Airborne Forces, Army General Margelov, ensured that paratroopers received the right to wear vests.

– The prowess of the “brothers” sank into my heart! - he explained. “I want the paratroopers to adopt the glorious traditions of their older brother, the Marine Corps, and continue them with honor. This is why I introduced vests to the paratroopers. Only the stripes on them match the color of the sky - blue...

When, at a military council chaired by the Minister of Defense, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union S.G. Gorshkov, began to blame that paratroopers were stealing vests from sailors, Vasily Filippovich sharply objected to him:

“I myself fought in the Marine Corps and I know what paratroopers deserve and what sailors deserve!”

And Vasily Filippovich fought with his “Marines” famously. Here's another example. In May 1942, in the Vinyaglovo area near the Sinyavinsky Heights, about 200 enemy infantry broke through the defense sector of a neighboring regiment and went to the rear of the Margelovites. Vasily Filippovich quickly gave the necessary orders and himself lay down behind the Maxim machine gun. Then he personally destroyed 79 fascists, the rest were finished off by reinforcements that arrived in time.

By the way, during the defense of Leningrad, Margelov always had a heavy machine gun at hand, from which in the morning he carried out a kind of shooting exercise: “trimming” the tops of trees with bursts. Then he sat on the horse and practiced chopping with a saber.

In offensive battles, the regiment commander more than once personally raised his battalions to attack, fought in the front ranks of his fighters, leading them to victory in hand-to-hand combat, where he had no equal. Because of such terrible battles, the Nazis nicknamed the Marines “striped death.”

Officer's rations - into the soldiers' cauldron

Caring for a soldier was never a secondary matter for Margelov, especially in war. His former fellow soldier, Guard Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Shevchenko, recalled that, having accepted the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment in 1942, Vasily Filippovich began to increase its combat effectiveness by improving the organization of nutrition for all personnel.

At that time, officers in the regiment ate separately from soldiers and sergeants. Officers were entitled to enhanced rations: in addition to the general military norm, they received animal oil, canned fish, biscuits or cookies, and “Golden Fleece” or “Kazbek” tobacco (non-smokers were given chocolate). But, in addition to this, some battalion commanders and company commanders also had personal cooks in the common catering unit. It is not difficult to understand that some part of the soldier’s pot went to the officer’s table. This is what the regiment commander discovered while touring the units. He always started it with an inspection of the battalion kitchens and sampling the soldiers' food.

On the second day of Lieutenant Colonel Margelov's stay in the unit, all its officers had to eat from a common boiler along with the soldiers. The regiment commander ordered his supplementary ration to be transferred to the general cauldron. Soon other officers began to do the same. “Dad set a good example for us!” - recalled veteran Shevchenko. Surprisingly, Vasily Filippovich’s name was Batya in all the regiments and divisions that he happened to command...

God forbid if Margelov noticed that a fighter had leaky shoes or shabby clothes. This is where the business executive got the full benefit. Once, noticing that the machine-gunner sergeant at the front line was “asking for porridge,” the regiment commander called the head of the clothing supply to him and ordered him to exchange shoes with this soldier. And he warned that if he sees something like this again, he will immediately transfer the officer to the front line.

Vasily Filippovich could not stand cowards, weak-willed people, and lazy people. Theft was simply impossible in his presence, because he punished it mercilessly...

Hot Snow

Anyone who has read Yuri Bondarev’s novel “Hot Snow” or seen the film of the same name based on this novel should know: the prototype of the heroes who stood in the way of Manstein’s tank armada, which was trying to break the encirclement ring around Paulus’s 6th Army in Stalingrad, were Margelov’s men. It was they who found themselves in the direction of the main attack of the fascist tank wedge and managed to prevent a breakthrough, holding out until reinforcements arrived.

In October 1942, Guard Lieutenant Colonel Margelov became the commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment, which was part of the 2nd Guards Army of Lieutenant General R. Ya. Malinovsky, which was formed specifically to complete the defeat of the enemy who had broken through into the Volga steppes. For two months, while the regiment was in reserve, Vasily Filippovich intensely prepared his soldiers for fierce battles for the Volga stronghold.

Near Leningrad, he had to engage in single combat with fascist tanks more than once; he knew their vulnerabilities well. And now he personally taught tank destroyers, showing armor-piercing soldiers how to dig a trench in full profile, where and at what distances to aim with an anti-tank rifle, how to throw grenades and Molotov cocktails.

When the Margelovites held the defense at the turn of the river. Myshkov, having taken the blow of the Goth tank group, which was advancing from the Kotelnikovsky area to join the Paulus breakthrough group, they were not afraid of the newest heavy Tiger tanks, and did not flinch in front of the many times superior enemy. They did the impossible: in five days of fighting (from December 19 to 24, 1942), without sleep or rest, suffering heavy losses, they burned and knocked out almost all enemy tanks in their direction. At the same time, the regiment retained its combat effectiveness!

In these battles, Vasily Filippovich was severely shell-shocked, but did not leave the formation. He celebrated the New Year of 1943 with his soldiers, with a Mauser in his hand, leading the attacking chains to storm the Kotelnikovsky farm. This swift rush of units of the 2nd Guards Army put an end to the Stalingrad epic: last hopes Paulus's armies melted away like smoke during the relief of the blockade. Then there was the liberation of Donbass, the crossing of the Dnieper, fierce battles for Kherson and “Iasi-Kishinev Cannes”... The 49th Guards Kherson Red Banner Order of Suvorov Infantry Division - Margelov's Division - earned thirteen thanks from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief!

The final chord was the bloodless capture in May 1945 on the border of Austria and Czechoslovakia of the SS Panzer Corps, which was breaking through to the West to surrender to the Americans. This included the elite of the Reich's armored forces - the SS divisions "Greater Germany" and "Totenkopf".

As the best of the best guards, Major General Hero of the Soviet Union V. F. Margelov (1944), the leadership of the 2nd Ukrainian Front entrusted the honor of commanding a front-line combined regiment at the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945.

After graduating from the Higher Military Academy in 1948 (since 1958 - the Military Academy of the General Staff), Vasily Filippovich accepted the Pskov Airborne Division.

This appointment was preceded by a meeting between Major General V. Margelov and the USSR Minister of Defense, Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Bulganin. There was another general in the office, also a Hero of the Soviet Union.

The Minister of Defense began the conversation with kind words about the Airborne Forces, their glorious combat past, and the fact that a decision had been made to develop this relatively young branch of the military.

“We believe in them and consider it necessary to strengthen them with military generals who distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War. What is your opinion, comrades?

He, the second general, began to complain about the wounds received at the front and said that doctors did not recommend that he make parachute jumps. In general, I refused the minister’s proposal.

General Margelov, who had many wounds over three wars, including serious ones, and even in the legs, asked a single question in response:

– When can you go to the troops?

“Today,” answered the Minister of Defense and firmly shook his hand.

Margelov understood that he would have to start from scratch and, as a beginner, comprehend the tricky science of landing. But he also knew something else: there is a special attraction in this type of troops - audacity, a strong masculine bond.

Years later, he told a correspondent of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper:

Until the age of 40, I had a vague idea of what a parachute was; I never even dreamed of jumping. It happened on its own, or rather, as it should be in the army, by order. I am a military man, if necessary, I am ready to take the devil in my teeth. That’s how I had to, already being a general, make my first parachute jump. The impression, I tell you, is incomparable. A dome opens above you, you soar in the air like a bird - by God, you want to sing! I started singing. But you won’t get away with enthusiasm alone. I was in a hurry, didn’t pay attention to the ground, and ended up having to walk for two weeks with my leg bandaged. Learned a lesson. Parachute business is not only romance, but also a lot of work and impeccable discipline...

Then there will be many jumps - with weapons, day and night, from high-speed military transport aircraft. During his service in the Airborne Forces, Vasily Filippovich committed more than 60 of them. The last one was at the age of 65.

Anyone who has never left an airplane in his life, from where cities and villages seem like toys, who has never experienced the joy and fear of a free fall, a whistle in his ears, a stream of wind hitting his chest, he will never understand the honor and pride of a paratrooper - Margelov will say one day.

What did Vasily Filippovich see when he received the 76th Guards Airborne Chernigov Division? The material and technical base of combat training is at zero. The simplicity of the sports equipment was discouraging: two springboards for jumping, a cradle for a balloon suspended between two posts, and a frame aircraft, vaguely resembling an airplane or glider. Injuries and even deaths are common. If Margelov was a novice in the airborne business, then in the organization of combat training, as they say, he ate the dog.

In parallel with combat training, no less important work was going on to equip the personnel and families of officers. And here everyone was surprised by Margelov’s persistence.

“A soldier must be well-fed, clean in body and strong in spirit,” Vasily Filippovich liked to repeat Suvorov’s statement. It was necessary - and the general became a real foreman, as he called himself without any irony, and on his desktop, mixed with plans for combat training, exercises, landings, there were calculations, estimates, projects...

Working in his usual mode - day and night - a day away, General Margelov quickly ensured that his formation became one of the best in the airborne forces.

In 1950, he was appointed commander of the airborne corps in the Far East, and in 1954, Lieutenant General V. Margelov headed the Airborne Forces.

And he soon proved to everyone that he was not a simple-minded campaigner, as some perceived Margelov, but a man who saw the prospects of the Airborne Forces and had a great desire to turn them into the elite of the Armed Forces. To do this, it was necessary to break stereotypes and inertia, win the trust of active, energetic people, and involve them in joint productive work. Over time, V. Margelov formed a carefully selected and nurtured circle of like-minded people. And the commander’s outstanding sense of the new, combat authority and ability to work with people allowed him to achieve his goals.

The year is 1970, the operational-strategic exercise “Dvina”. Here is what the newspaper of the Belarusian Military District “For the Glory of the Motherland” wrote about them: “Belarus is a country of forests and lakes, and it is incredibly difficult to find a landing site. The weather was not pleasant, but did not give reason for despondency. Fighter-attack aircraft ironed the ground, and from the commentary booth the following sounded: “Attention!” – and the eyes of those present turned upward.

Large dots separated from the first planes - these were military equipment, artillery, cargo, and then paratroopers fell like peas from the hatches of the An-12. But the crowning achievement of the drop was the appearance of four Anteys in the air. A few minutes - and now there’s a whole regiment on the ground!

When the last paratrooper touched the ground, V.F. Margelov stopped the stopwatch on the commander's watch and showed it to the Minister of Defense. It took just over 22 minutes for eight thousand paratroopers and 150 units of military equipment to be delivered to the rear of the “enemy.”

Brilliant results at major exercises “Dnepr”, “Berezina”, “South”... It has become common practice: to launch an airborne assault, say, in Pskov, make a long flight and land near Fergana, Kirovabad or in Mongolia. Commenting on one of the exercises, Margelov told a Krasnaya Zvezda correspondent:

– The use of airborne assault has become practically unlimited. For example, we have this type of combat training: a point is randomly selected on the map of the country where troops are dropped. Warrior-paratroopers jump into completely unfamiliar terrain: into the taiga and deserts, onto lakes, swamps and mountains...

It was after the Dvina exercises, declaring gratitude to the guards for their courage and military skill, that the commander casually asked:

Margelov could understand: there was a need to reduce the time required to prepare airborne units for battle after landing. Landing military equipment from one aircraft and crews from another led to the fact that the dispersion was sometimes up to five kilometers. While the crews were looking for equipment, it took a lot of time.

A little later, Margelov returned to this thought again:

“I understand that this is difficult, but no one but us will do this.”

Moreover, when the fundamental decision to conduct the first such experiment was made rather difficultly, Vasily Filippovich proposed his candidacy to participate in the first test of this kind, the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff were categorically against it.

However, even without this, legends circulated about the military leader’s courage. It manifested itself not only in a combat situation. At one of the festive receptions, where they could not help but invite the disgraced Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, Vasily Filippovich, standing at attention, congratulated him on the holiday. Zhukov, as Minister of Defense, repeatedly observed the actions of paratroopers during exercises and expressed satisfaction with their high training, admired their courage and bravery. General Margelov was proud of the respect such military leaders had for him, and therefore did not change his attitude towards honored people to please temporary workers and high-ranking sycophants.

The troops of “Uncle Sam” and the troops of “Uncle Vasya”

At the end of the spring of 1991, the USSR Minister of Defense, Marshal of the Soviet Union, D.T. Yazov, made an official visit to the United States.

Returning to Moscow, the minister met with officers from the Information Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.

Subsequently, reflecting on this meeting that lasted more than two hours in the hall where meetings of the Board of the Ministry of Defense usually took place, I came to the conclusion that communication with us, ordinary employees of the department, was primarily aimed at conveying to the general public through officers who, on duty, maintain contacts with the press, his very skeptical opinion about the merits military equipment the richest power in the world and about the level of preparedness of the American “pros”, who were then enthusiastically admired by the Ogonyok magazine and publications related to it in spirit.

While visiting the military base at Fort Bragg, the Soviet Minister of Defense was invited to a demonstration exercise of one of the parachute battalions of the famous “Devil Regiment” - the US 82nd Airborne Division. This division became famous for participating in almost all post-war conflicts in which the United States intervened (Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, etc.). She was the first to land in the Middle East before the start of the anti-Iraq Desert Storm in 1990. In all operations, the “devils” were at the forefront of the attack as the most dexterous, courageous, and invincible.

And it was these “understudies of Satan” who were tasked with surprising the Soviet minister with their class of training and fearlessness. They were parachuted in. Part of the battalion landed in combat vehicles. But the effect of the “show off” turned out to be the opposite of what was expected, because Dmitry Timofeevich could not talk about what he saw in North Carolina without a bitter smile.

– What grade would I give you for such a landing? – the Minister of Defense asked, with a sly squint, the then deputy commander of the Airborne Forces for combat training, Lieutenant General E. N. Podkolzin, who was part of the Soviet military delegation.

“You would have torn my head off, Comrade Minister!” - Evgeniy Nikolaevich minted.

It turns out that almost all of the American paratroopers thrown out of planes in combat vehicles received serious injuries and mutilations. There were also deaths. Having landed, more than half of the cars never moved...

It’s hard to believe, but even in the early 90s, the vaunted American professionals did not have the same equipment as ours and did not know the secrets of safely landing “winged infantry” units using equipment that was mastered in “Uncle Vasya’s troops” (as fighters of the Airborne Forces called themselves, hinting at a special warmth of feelings for the commander) back in the 70s.

And it all began with Margelov’s courageous decision to place the responsibility of a pioneer on his shoulders. Then, in 1972, testing of the newly created Centaur system was in full swing in the USSR - for landing people inside an airborne combat vehicle on parachute platforms. The experiments were risky, so they started on animals. Not everything went smoothly: either the parachute canopy was torn, or the active braking engines did not work. One of the jumps even ended in the death of the dog Buran.

Something similar happened among Western testers of identical systems. True, they experimented on people there. A man sentenced to death was placed in a combat vehicle that was dropped from an airplane. death penalty. It crashed, and for a long time the West considered it inappropriate to continue development work in this direction.

Despite the risk, Margelov believed in the possibility of creating safe systems for landing people on equipment and insisted on complicating the tests. Since dog jumping went well in the future, he pushed for a transition to a new phase of R&D - with the participation of warriors. At the beginning of January 1973, he had a difficult conversation with the USSR Minister of Defense, Marshal of the Soviet Union A. A. Grechko.

– Do you understand, Vasily Filippovich, what you are doing, what you are risking? - Andrei Antonovich convinced Margelov to abandon his plan.

“I understand perfectly well, that’s why I stand my ground,” answered the general. – And those who are ready for the experiment also understand everything perfectly well.
On January 5, 1973, the historic jump took place. For the first time in the world, a crew was parachuted inside the BMD-1 using parachute-platform means. It included Major L. Zuev and Lieutenant A. Margelov - in the car next to the experienced officer was the commander’s youngest son Alexander, at that time a young engineer of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Airborne Forces.

Only a very courageous person would dare to send his son to such a complex, unpredictable experiment. This was an act akin to the feat of Lieutenant General Nikolai Raevsky, when Kutuzov’s favorite in 1812, near Saltanovka, fearlessly led his young sons in front of the front of the battalions that flinched from the French grapeshot and with this stunning example inspired steadfastness in the discouraged grenadiers, held his position, deciding the outcome of the battle. Sacrificial heroism of this kind is a unique phenomenon in world military history.

“A combat vehicle was dropped from the AN-12, five domes were opened,” recalled the details of the unprecedented jump, Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, now an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations. – Of course, it’s dangerous, but one thing was reassuring: the system was successfully used for more than one year. True, without people. We landed normally then. In the summer of 1975, at the base of the parachute regiment, which was then commanded by Major V. Achalov, Lieutenant Colonel L. Shcherbakov and I inside the BMD and four officers outside, in the joint landing cabin, jumped again...

Vasily Filippovich was awarded the USSR State Prize for this bold innovation.

The “Centaur” (not least thanks to the commander of the Airborne Forces, who persistently proved to the highest party and government authorities of the country the promise of a new method of delivering fighters and equipment to the target, its speedy development to enhance the mobility of the “winged infantry”) was soon replaced by a new, more perfect system "Reactavr". The rate of descent on it was four times higher than on the Centaur. Psychophysically, it is correspondingly more difficult for the paratrooper (deafening roar and roar, very close flames escaping from the jet nozzles). But the vulnerability from enemy fire and the time from the moment of ejection from the aircraft to bringing the BMD into combat position have sharply decreased.

From 1976 to 1991, the Reactavr system was used about 100 times, and always successfully. Year after year, from exercise to exercise, the “blue berets” gained experience in its use and polished the skills of their own actions at various stages of landing.

Since 1979, Vasily Filippovich was no longer with them, having handed over the post of commander of the Airborne Forces and transferred to the Group of Inspectors General of the Ministry of Defense. 11 years later, on March 4, 1990, he passed away. But the memory of Paratrooper number one, his testaments to the blue berets are imperishable.

Name of Army General V.F. Margelov is worn by the Ryazan Higher Command School of the Airborne Forces, the streets, squares and gardens of St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Omsk, Pskov, Tula... Monuments have been erected to him in St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Pskov, Omsk, Tula, the Ukrainian cities of Dnepropetrovsk and Lvov, and the Belarusian Kostyukovichi.

Airborne soldiers and veterans of the Airborne Forces come every year to the monument of their commander at the Novodevichy cemetery to honor his memory.

But the main thing is that Margelov’s spirit is alive in the troops. The feat of the 6th parachute company of the 104th Guards Regiment of the 76th Pskov Division, in which Vasily Filippovich began his career in the Airborne Forces, is eloquent confirmation of this. He is also in other accomplishments of the paratroopers last decades, in which the “winged infantry” covered itself with unfading glory.

The Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation are a separate branch of the Russian armed forces, located in the reserve of the Commander-in-Chief of the country and directly subordinate to the Commander of the Airborne Forces. This position is currently 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 enemy communications and control, and carry out sabotage behind enemy lines. The Airborne Forces were created primarily as effective tool offensive war. To cover the enemy and operate in his rear, the Airborne Forces can use airborne landings - 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 branch of the military, candidates must meet very high criteria. First of all, this concerns physical health and psychological stability. And this is natural: 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 strength of 10 thousand people each. The USSR Airborne Forces played an important role in the victory over the Nazi invaders. The paratroopers actively participated in Afghan war. The Russian Airborne Forces were officially created on May 12, 1992, they went through both Chechen campaigns, and participated in the war with Georgia in 2008.

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

In addition to the flag, there is also an emblem of this branch of the military. This is a golden-colored flaming grenade with two wings. There is also a medium and large Airborne Forces emblem. 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 - a flaming airborne grenade. In the large emblem, Grenada is placed on a blue heraldic shield framed by an oak wreath. At its top there is a double-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.

Professional holiday of paratroopers - Airborne Forces Day. It is celebrated on August 2. On this day in 1930, a unit was parachuted for the first time 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 Russian airborne troops are armed with both conventional types of military equipment and models 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 Russian Airborne Forces; this information is secret. However, according to unofficial data obtained from Russian Ministry defense, it is about 45 thousand soldiers. Foreign estimates of the number of this type of troops are somewhat more modest - 36 thousand people.

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 exercises at the 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 parachute, which made it possible to release 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 decision of the Revolutionary Military Council, special-purpose aviation battalions were created; in 1933, their number reached 29. They were part of the Air Force, and their main task was to disorganize the enemy rear and carry out sabotage.

It should be noted that the development of airborne troops in the Soviet Union was very stormy and rapid. No expense was spared on them. In the 1930s, the country was experiencing a real parachute boom; parachute jumping towers stood at almost every stadium.

During the exercises of the Kyiv 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 exercises were amazed by 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 included 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 another five airborne corps began. A few days before the German invasion (June 12), the Directorate of Airborne Forces was created, and in September 1941, paratrooper units were removed from the subordination of front commanders. Each airborne corps was a very formidable force: in addition to well-trained personnel, it was armed with artillery and light amphibious tanks.

In addition to the landing corps, the Red Army also included mobile landing brigades (five units), reserve airborne regiments (five units) and educational establishments who trained paratroopers.

The Airborne Forces made a significant contribution to the victory over the Nazi invaders. The airborne units played a particularly important role in the initial—the most difficult—period of the war. Despite the fact that airborne troops are designed to conduct offensive operations and have a minimum of heavy weapons (compared to other branches of the military), at the beginning of the war, paratroopers were often used to “patch holes”: in defense, to eliminate sudden German breakthroughs, to releasing the encircled Soviet troops. Because of this practice, paratroopers suffered unreasonably high losses, and the effectiveness of their use decreased. Often, the preparation of landing operations left much to be desired.

Airborne units took part in the defense of Moscow, as well as in the subsequent counter-offensive. The 4th Airborne Corps was landed during the Vyazemsk landing operation in the winter of 1942. In 1943, during the crossing of the Dnieper, two airborne brigades were thrown behind enemy lines. Another major landing operation was carried out in Manchuria in August 1945. During its course, 4 thousand soldiers were landed by landing.

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

In 1946, airborne units were introduced into the Ground 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 troops developed especially actively during this period. The emphasis was placed on increasing the firepower of the Airborne Forces. For this purpose, a whole range of airborne equipment was developed, including armored vehicles, artillery systems, and motor vehicles. The fleet of military transport aircraft was significantly increased. In the 70s, wide-body heavy-duty transport aircraft were created, making it possible to transport not only personnel, but also heavy military equipment. By the end of the 80s, the state of the USSR military transport aviation was such that it could ensure the parachute drop of almost 75% of the Airborne Forces personnel in one flight.

At the end of the 60s, a new type of units included in the Airborne Forces was created - airborne assault units (ASH). They were not much different from the rest of the Airborne Forces, but were subordinate to the command of groups of troops, armies or corps. The reason for the creation of the DShCh was a change in the tactical plans that Soviet strategists were preparing in the event of a full-scale war. After the start of the conflict, they planned to “break” the enemy’s defenses with the help of massive landings landed in the immediate rear of the enemy.

In the mid-80s, the USSR Ground Forces included 14 air assault brigades, 20 battalions and 22 separate air assault regiments.

In 1979, the war began in Afghanistan, 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 talk of any parachute landing. Personnel were delivered to the site of combat operations using armored vehicles or vehicles; landing from helicopters was used less frequently.

Paratroopers were often used to provide security at numerous outposts and checkpoints scattered throughout the country. Typically, 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. They were able to finally divide the Airborne Forces only in 1992, after which the Russian Airborne Forces were created. They included all the units that were located 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 air assault brigades and two regiments. In 1994, in Kubinka near Moscow, the 45th regiment was created on the basis of two battalions special purpose Airborne Forces (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 airborne forces was seriously reduced, some units were disbanded, and the paratroopers became subordinate to the Ground Forces. Army aviation was transferred to the air force, which significantly worsened the mobility of the airborne forces.

The Russian airborne troops took part in both Chechen campaigns; in 2008, 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).

Structure and composition of the airborne troops of the Russian Federation

Currently, the Russian Airborne Forces consist of command structures, combat units and units, as well as various institutions that provide them.

Structurally, the Airborne Forces have three main components:

Airborne. It includes all airborne units.
Air assault. Consists of air assault units.
Mountain. It includes air assault units designed to operate in mountainous areas.

Currently, the Russian Airborne Forces include four divisions, as well as separate brigades and shelves. Airborne troops, composition:

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

Airborne regiments and brigades:

11th Separate Guards Airborne Brigade, headquartered in the city of Ulan-Ude.
45th separate guards special purpose brigade (Moscow).
56th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade. Place of deployment - the city of Kamyshin.
31st Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade. Located in Ulyanovsk.
83rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade. Location: Ussuriysk.
38th Separate Guards Airborne Communications Regiment. Located in the Moscow region, in the village of Medvezhye Ozera.

In 2013, the creation of the 345th Air Assault Brigade in Voronezh was officially announced, but then the formation of the unit was postponed to more late 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, on its basis, a regiment of the 7th Airborne Assault Division, which is currently deployed in Novorossiysk, will be formed.

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 Russian Airborne Forces. Also, the structure of this type of troops includes two Suvorov schools (in Tula and Ulyanovsk), the Omsk Cadet Corps and the 242nd The educational 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 models that were created specifically for this type of troops. Most types of weapons and military equipment of the Airborne Forces were developed and manufactured back in Soviet period, but there are also more modern samples created in modern times.

The most popular types of airborne armored vehicles are currently the BMD-1 (about 100 units) and BMD-2M (about 1 thousand units) airborne combat vehicles. Both of these vehicles were produced in the Soviet Union (BMD-1 in 1968, BMD-2 in 1985). They can be used for landing both by landing and by parachute. These are reliable vehicles that have been tested in many armed conflicts, but they are clearly outdated, both morally and physically. Even senior management representatives openly say this. Russian army., which was put into service in 2004. However, its production is slow; today there are 30 BMP-4 units and 12 BMP-4M units in service.

Airborne units also have a small number of armored personnel carriers BTR-82A and BTR-82AM (12 units), as well as the Soviet BTR-80. The most numerous armored personnel carrier currently used by the Russian Airborne Forces is the tracked BTR-D (more than 700 units). It was put into service in 1974 and is very outdated. It should be replaced by the BTR-MDM “Shell”, but so far its production is moving very slowly: today there are from 12 to 30 (according to various sources) “Shell” in combat units.

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

The Russian Airborne Forces also have self-propelled and towed artillery: the Nona self-propelled gun (250 units and several hundred more units in storage), the D-30 howitzer (150 units), and the Nona-M1 mortars (50 units) and "Tray" (150 units).

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

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

IN last years The Airborne Forces began to receive new models of automotive equipment, of which the Tiger armored car, the A-1 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: electronic warfare systems "Leer-2" and "Leer-3", "Infauna", the control system for air defense complexes "Barnaul", automated troop control systems "Andromeda-D" and "Polet-K".

The Airborne Forces are armed with a wide range of small arms, including both Soviet models and newer Russian developments. 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, but deliveries to the troops of the more advanced AK-74M have already begun. To carry out sabotage missions, paratroopers can use the Russian-made Val Orlan-10 silent assault rifle. The exact number of Orlans in service with the Airborne Forces is unknown.

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DECEMBER 2008 CELEBRATED THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY of the birth of the legendary commander of the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces), Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Filippovich Margelov.

“Anyone who has never left an airplane in his life, from where cities and villages seem like toys, who has never experienced the joy and fear of a free fall, a whistle in his ears, a stream of wind hitting his chest, will never understand the honor and pride of a paratrooper. ..”
V.F. Margelov

Vasily Filippovich Margelov was born on December 27 (January 9), 1908 in Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine). Father - Philip Ivanovich Markelov - metallurgist. He “received” the surname Margelov due to a mistake made by an official on his party card - his surname was spelled with a “g”. Mother - Agafya Stepanovna - as they say now, a housewife.

In the Red Army since 1928. He was sent to study as a commander at the United Belarusian Military School (UBVS) named after the Central Executive Committee of the Belarusian SSR in Minsk.

In 1931 he graduated from Minsk military school(former OBVSH). Served as a platoon, company, and battalion commander. Participant Soviet-Finnish war 1939-1940 To the Great Patriotic War- commander of a rifle regiment, chief of staff and deputy commander of a rifle division. Since 1944 - commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He led the division's actions 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 took part in the liberation of the peoples of South-Eastern Europe.

With the name V.F. Margelov is inextricably linked with many bright pages in the history of the Airborne Forces of our country.

In 1948, after graduating from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR named after K.E. Voroshilova Margelov V.F. appointed commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division.

In 1950-1954 - commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svir Red Banner Corps, stationed in the Far East.

From 1954 to 1959 - Commander of the Airborne Forces.

Commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division V.F. Margelov

In 1959, Vasily Filippovich was appointed with demotion as first deputy commander of the Airborne Forces.

In 1961 V.F. Margelov was reappointed to the post of commander of the Airborne Forces, which he held until January 1979.

Since 1979 - in the group of inspectors general of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Having assumed the post of commander of the Airborne Forces, Margelov took command of troops consisting mainly of infantry with light weapons and military transport aviation (as an integral part of the Airborne Forces), equipped with Li-2, Il-14, Tu-2 and Tu-4 with significantly limited landing capabilities. In fact, the Airborne Forces were not capable of solving major problems in military operations.

As commander of the Airborne Forces, V.F. Margelov said: “To fulfill our role in modern operations, it is necessary that our formations and units be highly maneuverable, covered with armor, have sufficient fire efficiency, well controlled, capable of landing at any time of the day and quickly proceeding to active combat operations after landing. This, by and large, is the ideal to which we should strive.”

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.

To achieve the goals under the leadership of V.F. Margelov developed the concept of the role and place of the Airborne Forces in modern strategic operations in various theaters of military operations. Margelov wrote a number of works on this topic, and also successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation. In practical terms, Airborne Forces exercises and command meetings were regularly held.

V.F. Margelov initiated the creation at enterprises of the military-industrial complex of serial production of landing equipment, heavy parachute platforms, parachute systems and containers for landing cargo, cargo and human parachutes, parachute devices. “You can’t order equipment, so strive to create in design bureaus, industry, during testing of reliable parachutes, trouble-free operation of heavy airborne equipment,” Margelov said when setting tasks for his subordinates.

Especially for the needs of the Airborne Forces in the post-war years, new military equipment was developed and modernized: airborne self-propelled artillery mount ASU-76 (1949), light - ASU-57 (1951), amphibious - ASU-57P (1954), self-propelled installation of ASU-85, combat vehicle of the Airborne Forces BMD-1 (1969). A large family of vehicles was developed on the basis of the BMD-1: the 2S9 “Nona” self-propelled gun, the 1B119 “Reostat” artillery fire control vehicles, the multi-purpose armored personnel carrier BTR-D, repair and recovery vehicle BREM-D, etc. New types of weapons and communications equipment were adopted.

By the end of the 1950s, new An-8 and An-12 aircraft were put into service, with a payload capacity of up to 10-12 tons and a sufficient flight range, which made it possible to land large groups of personnel with standard military equipment and weapons. Later, through the efforts of V.F. Margelov Airborne troops have mastered landing from new military transport aircraft An-22 and Il-76.

Commander of the Airborne Forces in the troops

Various parachute platforms have appeared in service with the troops, designed for parachute landing of military equipment, vehicles and various cargoes. Parachute-jet landing equipment was created, which, due to the jet thrust created by the engine, makes it possible to bring the landing speed of the cargo closer to zero. Such systems made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of landing by eliminating a large number of large-area domes.

On January 5, 1973, for the first time in world practice, the USSR carried out a parachute-platform landing in the Centaur complex from an An-12B BMD-1 military transport aircraft with two crew members on board. The crew commander was the son of Vasily Filippovich, Major Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, and the driver-mechanic was Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Gavrilovich Zuev.

On January 23, 1976, also for the first time in world practice, a landing from the same type of aircraft produced soft landing BMD-1 on a parachute-rocket system in the Reaktavr complex, also with two crew members on board - Major Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov and Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Ivanovich Shcherbakov. The landing was carried out at great risk to life, without personal means of rescue. 20 years later, for the feat of the 1970s, both were awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

It was V.F. Margelov achieved the introduction of the now famous blue beret and blue and white vest into the uniform of paratroopers. Every person who served in the Airborne Forces is proud of these attributes.

Vasily Filippovich was awarded 13 orders and 19 medals of the Soviet Union, including four Orders of Lenin, 34 orders and medals of foreign countries. Name V.F. Margelova is the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School (military institute), a square in Ryazan, the streets of Omsk, Pskov and Tula. Monuments were erected to him in Ryazan, Omsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Tula, and St. Petersburg. Officers and paratroopers, veterans of the Airborne Forces every year come to the grave of their Commander at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow, where a monument is also erected, to pay tribute to his memory.

Having gone from commander of a formation to commander of the Airborne Forces, V.F. Margelov turned the Airborne Forces into the elite of the Armed Forces. And it is no coincidence that to this day the abbreviation “VDV” is revealed both jokingly and seriously, as “Uncle Vasya’s Troops,” and the motto of the paratroopers for all times has become winged words Margelova: “Nobody but us!”

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Commander, 2008 was declared the year of Vasily Filippovich Margelov in the Airborne Forces.

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- [born 12/14/27/1908, Ekaterinoslav, now Dnepropetrovsk], Soviet military leader, army general (1967), Hero of the Soviet Union (3/21/1944). Member of the CPSU since 1929. In the Soviet Army since 1928. Graduated from the United Belarusian Military School named after the Central Executive Committee... ...

December 27, 1908 (19081227) March 4, 1990 Commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, Guard Colonel V.F. Margelov ... Wikipedia

Vasily Filippovich Margelov December 27, 1908 (19081227) March 4, 1990 Commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, Guard Colonel V.F. Margelov ... Wikipedia

Margelov, Mikhail- Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation. Senator, representative of the administration of the Pskov region in the Federation Council of the Russian Federation since 2000, Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the upper house of parliament. Special… … Encyclopedia of Newsmakers

Margelov surname. Famous bearers: Margelov, Alexander Vasilyevich (born 1945) son of Margelov V.F., Hero of the Russian Federation, retired colonel. Margelov, Vasily Filippovich (1908 1990) army general, Hero of the Soviet ... ... Wikipedia

Vasily Filippovich [born 12/14/27/1908, Ekaterinoslav, now Dnepropetrovsk], Soviet military leader, army general (1967), Hero of the Soviet Union (3/21/1944). Member of the CPSU since 1929. In the Soviet Army since 1928. Graduated from the United... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia