98th Guards Airborne Division

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=98th Guards Rifle Division (1943)
98th Guards Airborne Division


caption=
country=Soviet Union/Russian Federation
allegiance=
type=Division
branch= Soviet, later Russian Airborne Troops
dates=December 1943 – present
specialization=Airborne force
command_structure=
size=
current_commander=
garrison=Ivanovo
nickname=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= World War II
2008 South Ossetia war
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=

The 98th Guards Airborne Division (98-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Свирская Краснознаменная ордена Кутузова дивизия) is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, stationed in Ivanovo. It took part in the 2008 war against Georgia.

During the Second World War, the formation began its existence as the 98th Guards Rifle Division. It incorporated 296th Guards Rifle Regiment (formerly the 18th Independent Guards Airborne Brigade), 299th GRR (fmr 19 IGAB), 302nd GRR (fmr 20 IGAB). Formed in December 1943-January 1944 at Demitrov in the Moscow Military District. [ [http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=61112 Axis History Forum • View topic - 9th Guards Army] ] Part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps, 9th Guards Army on the Karelian front (May 1944), on the Svir river (June 1944) and near Budapest in February 1945. Ended the war near Prague.

Today, its two regiments, the 217th and 299th, are stationed near the Ivanovo Severny military-transport airfield. [Moscow Moskovskiy Komsomolets in Russian 8 July 2003] However another source lists the two constituent regiments as the 217th and 331st, the later having transferred from 106th 'Tula' Guards Airborne Division in 1998. [cite web|first=Neil |last=Baumgardner |title=Russian Armed Forces Order of Battle |url=http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/9059/RussianArmedForces.html]

References