Soviet Airborne Forces

The Soviet Airborne Forces, or VDV (from Vozdushno-desantnye voyska SSSR, Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска СССР, ВДВ; Air-landing Forces), was a separate troops branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. First formed before the Second World War, the VDV undertook two significant airborne operations and a number of smaller jumps during the war and for many years after 1945 was the largest airborne force in the world. The force was split after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with the core becoming the Russian Airborne Forces, losing divisions to Belarus and Ukraine. Troops of the Soviet Airborne Forces traditionally wore a sky blue beret and blue-striped telnyashka undershirts and they were named desant (Russian: Десант) from the French Descente. The Soviet Airborne Forces were noted for their relatively large number of vehicles, specifically designed for airborne transport. As such, they traditionally had a larger complement of heavy weaponry than most contemporary airborne forces.