The 21st Guards Airborne Division was an airborne division of the

Soviet airborne The Soviet Airborne Forces or VDV (from ''Vozdushno-Parachuting, desantnye voyska SSSR'', Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска СССР, ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) was a military branch, separate troops branch of the Soviet ...

from 1948 to 1955. It was based in Valga and was formed from a regiment of the

104th Guards Airborne Division The 104th Guards Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Air Assault Division (; MUN 73612) is a division of the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) and formerly of the Soviet Airborne Troops. From 1998 until 2023 it was called the 31st Guards Airborne Brigade () ...

. It was disbanded in 1955, with two regiments being transferred to the 104th Guards Airborne Division and

76th Guards Airborne Division 76th may refer to: *76th Academy Awards ceremony honored films of 2003 * 76th Air Army, an air army of the Soviet Air Forces from 1949 to 1980 and from 1988 to 1998 *76th Air Assault Division (Russia), a division of the Russian Airborne Troops base ...

History

The division was activated on 15 October 1948 in Valga in Estonia from the 346th Guards Airlanding Regiment of the 104th Guards Airborne Division, inheriting the

Order of Alexander Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky () is an Order (distinction), order of merit of the Russia, Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious ser ...

from the regiment. The division was part of the

15th Guards Airborne Corps In music, a fifteenth or double octave, abbreviated ''15ma'', is the interval between one musical note and another with one-quarter the wavelength or quadruple the frequency. It has also been referred to as the bisdiapason. The fourth harmonic, ...

.Feskov et al 2013, p. 236 It included the 97th Guards Airborne Regiment, 104th Guards Airlanding Regiment and 1293rd Guards Artillery Regiment.Feskov et al 2013, p. 248 In 1949, the Separate Landing Security Company was disbanded. At some point the 104th Guards Airlanding Regiment became an airborne regiment, having previously been a glider-borne regiment. On 15 November 1953, the division was reorganized. The Separate Communications Company became the Separate Guards Communications Battalion. On the same day, the Separate Medical & Sanitary company became a battalion while the Separate Guards Antitank Artillery Battalion and Separate Guards Reconnaissance Company were disbanded. On 25 April 1955, the division was disbanded. Its 97th Guards Airborne Regiment was transferred to the

and its 104th Guards Airborne Regiment was transferred to the

References

* {{Soviet Union divisions 1945–1957, state=collapsed Military units and formations established in 1948 Military units and formations disestablished in 1955 Airborne divisions of the Soviet Union Valga, Estonia