The 31st 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 1959. Originally part of the

39th Guards Airborne Corps The 39th Guards Airborne Corps was a Red Army airborne corps. First formed in August 1944, it was converted to infantry in January 1945 and fought during World War II in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive. Postwar, it was converted back ...

, it was directly subordinated to Soviet airborne headquarters after the corps was disbanded in 1955. The division's only combat occurred in Operation Whirlwind, the suppression of the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

History

The 31st Guards Airborne Division was formed on 15 October 1948 from the 298th Guards Airborne Regiment of the 100th Guards Airborne Division in

Novohrad-Volynskyi Zviahel (, ; ) is a city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. The city serves as the administrative center of Zviahel Raion (district). According to a 2025 estimate, its population was approximately 54,3 thousand inhabitants. The city is loca ...

, part of the

. The division inherited the

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov ( ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established during World War II t ...

from the regiment. Its 381st Guards Air Landing Regiment was converted to an airborne regiment at some point. The division's Separate Air Landing Security Company was disbanded in 1949. On 15 November 1953, its 716th Separate Guards Communications Company became a battalion, along with the Separate Medical & Sanitary Company. The Separate Guards Antitank Battalion and Separate Guards Reconnaissance Company were disbanded on the same date. On 30 April 1955, the 109th Guards Airborne Regiment became part of the division after its original parent unit, the 100th Guards Airborne Division was disbanded. The 152nd Separate Tank Destroyer Battalion was activated on the same day. Due to the

, two regiments of the division were placed on alert. On 1 November, the 114th and 381st Guards Airborne Regiments of the division landed at

Veszprém Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name. Etymology The city's name derives ...

airport and

Tököl Tököl () is a town in Pest County, Hungary. Demography The majority of residents are Hungarians, with a Croatian minority of Bunjevci or Raci. Hungarian Uprising An Budapest-Tököl airfield (47 20 35 N / 18 59 20 E) was built during World ...

airport, along with the

7th Guards Airborne Division The 7th Guards Mountain Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Air Assault Division is the only elite guards (other than Spetsnaz VDV) division of the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) (Military Unit Number 61756) responsible for mountain warfare ...

. It helped suppress the Hungarian uprising during Operation Whirlwind and took part in fighting in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

between 4–7 November. The division left Hungary in late November. During Operation Whirlwind, the division was commanded by P.M. Ryabov. 24 soldiers from the division were killed during the crushing of the Hungarian uprising. 114th Guards Airborne Regiment company commander Mikhail Zinukov, 381st Guards Airborne Regiment deputy company commander Nikolai Muravlev, and 381st Guards Airborne Regiment platoon commander Pyotr Volokytin were posthumously awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

for their actions. The division was relocated to

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also #Names, other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivt ...

after leaving Hungary, with its 1295th Artillery Regiment in

Kolomyia Kolomyia (, ), formerly known as Kolomea, is a city located on the Prut, Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in the west of Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Kolomyia Raion, hosting the administration of Kolomyia urban hromada ...

. On 30 April 1959, the 31st Guards Airborne Division was disbanded.

Composition

In 1955, the division was composed of the following units. * 109th Guards Airborne Regiment * 114th Guards Airborne Regiment * 381st Guards Airborne Regiment * 1295th Guards Artillery Regiment * 95th Separate Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion * 764th Separate Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion * 152nd Separate Antitank Artillery Battalion * 716th Separate Guards Communications Battalion * 157th Separate Guards Engineering Battalion

References

* {{Soviet Union divisions 1945{{endash57, state=collapsed Airborne divisions of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1948 Military units and formations disestablished in 1959