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83rd anniversary of the creation of the Russian Airborne Forces. And somehow it happened that Airborne Forces Day is certainly associated with swimming in fountains.

Why is water so attractive? blue berets"? It's not just like that. A reserve private, who wished to remain anonymous, shared some thoughts on this matter with readers of the Tula city portal website:

In fact, why our people bathe in fountains is now a mystery to many. But in the unit they said that the guys see the reflection of the sky in the water and just want to be closer to it. This is where my love for water comes from. As my company commander said: “If a paratrooper is normal, then he will celebrate Airborne Forces Day with his family and fellow soldiers, and not wander around in an unknown place, swimming for the amusement of the public.” But for the majority, it is believed that Airborne Forces Day should go like this: get up in the morning, have a drink, go for a swim in the fountain, get stuffed in the face, then they hit you in the face - that’s it, you can go home. And if there is no fight, then the holiday is not a holiday.

As our anonymous author noted, no one remembers the romance of “sky in water”. Laughs:

I drank 200 grams and went. Here you have the sky in the palm of your hand.

In general, according to the practice of past years, this day is celebrated in different ways: some at barbecues with friends, some with family, some jumping with a parachute to remember the most bright moments services, who bathes in the fountain (not without this). The traditional meeting place in Tula is the square near the drama theater (of course, the fountain there is famous).

If we talk about the official part, this year the holiday will open on August 2 at 10.00 on the territory of the training complex of the 106th Guards Airborne Division named after. 40th anniversary of the Airborne Forces in Slobodka. Guests of the event will be treated to demonstration performances, a concert, an exhibition, and soldiers' canteen porridge.

There was a thing...

Our friend, the Airborne Forcesman, shared a couple more funny stories.

“Everything in a company should be square, right down to the pillows,” the company commander liked to repeat. And indeed, life with a military man is scheduled minute by minute. A really overheard conversation between a company commander and his wife:

So that's it. At 18.00 you watch cartoons with your children. At 18.20 you feed them. Report whether I understood or not? Great. At 18.40 you wash the dishes while the children watch cartoons on their own. At 19.00 you meet me, feed me and then according to the standard schedule (here it depends on the day of the week - author's note).

"For battle!"

“Once Pashka, Dimka and Seryoga (names have been changed) were standing in uniform. They messed up, well, accordingly, the company commander calls them, - says a reserve private, - “Stand up!” - the guys stand near the wall of the 70-meter corridor. “Pull out the bayonet!” - they pull out. "For battle!" - the boys lie down and let’s fight with the chewing gum stuck to the floor. Yes, our company commander was humorous.”

31/07/2017 - 11:50

Airborne Forces Day falls annually on the same date - August 2. And according to tradition, many paratroopers “dive” into the fountain in order to “check in” with everyone’s participation in the holiday. In many cities, fountain structures are even emptied on this day, so as not to tempt lovers of this tradition.

That's just why they swim and why they eat watermelons, let's look at the material from rrenws.ru

Why do they bathe in fountains on Airborne Forces Day?

There is no clear answer to this question. There are only a few versions, and you decide for yourself which one is more plausible:

Random photo

One of the most common versions is the version about a random photograph. As the “legend” says, one day several paratroopers, clearly drunk, fell into a fountain. Their friends began to help them get out. Even the police got involved in the case. And a random passer-by filmed all this action on his camera, thereby starting a tradition for this professional holiday.

Water and sky

The sky is reflected in the water, and the paratroopers want to be closer to the sky - that’s why they dive into the pool to “touch” it.

Thirst for water

There is a version that there were no reservoirs in the hot spots of Afghanistan and the military felt a lack of water. Due to this, the thirst for swimming in the water became like their dream.

Provocation of journalists

Another interesting version is that journalists provoked the paratroopers to swim in the fountains. As soon as cameras appeared nearby, the paratroopers wanted to get into them, so they jumped into the fountain, demonstrating their own prowess.

Last swim of summer

Let us remind you that the paratrooper's day coincides with Ilya's day, which is traditionally considered the last day when you can swim. So the paratroopers bathe in the fountains.

Why do paratroopers eat watermelons on Airborne Forces Day?

There is no disagreement in this tradition. The thing is that this tradition was born in the late 80s and early 90s of the last century, when Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan. The paratroopers celebrate the holiday with watermelons, since they fall at the very time when they ripen. And this is just the end of July - the beginning of August.

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The airborne troops celebrate their next birthday on August 2. Paratroopers are the only branch of the military that vigorously celebrates the date of its founding. One of the main traditions is swimming in fountains, which has a romantic legend.

Mikhail Tukhachevsky began to promote the idea of creating special units designed for rapid airlift in 1928. According to his plan, it was only about “landing” landings, and the parachute was considered as a means of rescuing pilots.

The first operation, in which military personnel disembarked from airplanes participated, was carried out in 1929. Then a group of Red Army soldiers near the village of Garm on the territory of modern Tajikistan, with the support local residents defeated a detachment of Basmachi.

First jump

The birthday of the Russian Airborne Forces is considered to be August 2, 1930, when an airborne unit consisting of 12 people was parachuted for the first time during an Air Force exercise of the Moscow Military District near Voronezh.

The landing was carried out from the Farman-Goliath aircraft. The paratroopers jumped out of it immediately into the open door. The Farman allowed no more than seven people to be taken on board; it was decided to carry out the landing in two stages.

The first airborne unit was created in 1931. It consisted of 164 people. In 1932, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR adopted a resolution on the formation of the Airborne Forces.

General Vasily Margelov is considered the father of the Airborne Forces. He took command in 1950. At that time, airborne troops were not very popular. They were compared to penalty prisoners, and the abbreviation itself was deciphered: “You’re unlikely to return home.”

Margelov reformed the structure so that paratroopers became an elite branch of the military. He ensured that the winged guard had vests and berets. For a short time the beret was crimson, then they were replaced with blue, since the paratroopers felt that the blue color, symbolizing the sky, was more suitable for airborne units. Since the 1970s, the Airborne Forces have been deciphered as “Uncle Vasya’s troops.” The price of free fall: how to jump with a parachute?

Airborne forces today

IN currently The Russian Airborne Forces include four divisions, as well as four separate brigades and one regiment. The airborne troops were the first to be transferred to the contract method of recruitment. At the end of December 2003, the 76th Pskov Airborne Division was formed.

The Airborne Forces have formed three combat components: air assault, airborne and air assault (mountain). Unmanned aerial vehicle units are being created in each airborne division.

According to unofficial data from the Ministry of Defense for 2015, the number of Russian Airborne Forces was 45 thousand military personnel. According to foreign estimates, the Airborne Forces personnel number 36 thousand military personnel.

The airborne troops of the Russian Federation use both combined arms equipment and models that were created specifically for this type of troops. The most popular types of airborne armored vehicles are currently the BMD-1 and BMD-2M airborne combat vehicles. They can be used for landing both by landing and by parachute.

The motto of the Airborne Forces is the words: “Nobody but us” and “Where we are, there is victory.” This type of army has its own heavenly patron - Saint Elijah.

Holiday traditions

The Union of Paratroopers of Siberia published rules of conduct on Airborne Forces Day, in which it prescribed detailed, half-joking recommendations for those celebrating. Paratroopers are prohibited from: lying around drunk in in public places, cause riots and brawls, dive into an unexplored body of water, and most importantly - disgrace the Airborne Forces in some way. Top predator: are there any worthy rivals to the Armata in the world?

“A real paratrooper will never disgrace the Airborne Forces! “He doesn’t come in shorts and a dirty vest, shorts or tights, doesn’t attach badges and medals bought at a stall to his holy vest, doesn’t drink vodka with beer and wine by the liter and then doesn’t vomit on those around him, doesn’t become rowdy and doesn’t disturb the peace of citizens,” - it says in the rules.

It is described in detail in what order toasts should be raised: the first - to the Airborne Forces, the second - to the commanders, the third - to those who are not with us, the fourth - to parents, and the fifth - to military friends. At the end of the day, it is worth singing the song “The Blue Splashed.”

One of the main traditions of the celebration is swimming in fountains. The Union of Paratroopers does not object to the military taking a dip in the pond to “wash away the sins of those who have accumulated.”

There are several versions of the paratroopers’ special love for fountains. According to one army legend, paratroopers see the sky reflected in the water and want to be closer to it; according to another, this is how the longing for water manifests itself: in the hot spots of Afghanistan, the paratroopers had no bodies of water nearby.

2016 in Moscow and others Russian cities will be celebrated for the 86th time. The first half of the day is traditionally dedicated to official congratulations and demonstration performances of paratroopers. Then representatives of one of the most menacing species Russian troops They begin to celebrate the holiday in their own way: they meet former colleagues, eat watermelons and, of course, move as close as possible to the city fountains.

Airborne Forces Day: history of the holiday

The birthday of the Airborne Forces is considered to be August 2, 1930. Then, during military exercises near Voronezh, for the first time, an airborne squad of 12 people was released from a TB-3 bomber by parachute. Military leadership assessed the prospects of these troops. Already in 1932, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR signed a decree on the creation of airborne troops. A brigade of instructors responsible for airborne training was located at the base of the airborne detachment of the Leningrad Military District.

Already at the beginning of 1933, special-purpose aviation battalions were formed in the Belarusian, Ukrainian, Moscow and Volga military districts. And by the summer of 1941, the manning of five airborne corps, each numbering 10 thousand people, had ended.
The combat path of the Airborne Forces has been noted by many memorable dates. The 212th Airborne Brigade took part in the armed conflict on Khalkhin Gol. During the Soviet-Finnish War (1939-1940), the 201st, 202nd and 214th airborne brigades fought together with the rifle units.

It is worth noting that the history of Airborne Forces Day is inextricably linked with the name of Army General Vasily Margelov. Often he is called nothing more than “paratrooper No. 1.” It was under his leadership that the Airborne Forces achieved significant results in the development of landing equipment, the organization of troops, their weapons, combat training, and the possibilities of combat use expanded. Vasily Margelov personified an entire era in the development and formation of the Airborne Forces; their authority and popularity are associated with his name not only in our country, but also abroad. By the way, to this day the paratroopers call themselves “Uncle Vasya’s Troops.”

Where did the tradition of swimming in fountains come from?

The traditional fun of paratroopers on August 2 is swimming in fountains. It is very difficult to say exactly where this tradition came from. However, representatives of the airborne troops themselves have several assumptions in this regard.

One of the most common versions says: at one of the celebrations, several paratroopers accidentally fell into the fountain. Colleagues came to their aid. The “swimming” was captured on film by a photographer who was passing by, and his photographs were circulated.
Another reason why paratroopers bathe in fountains is the love of the sky. Representatives of this type of troops claim that the reflection of the sky is clearly visible in the reflection of the water surface. Thus, while bathing in the fountain, the paratroopers become closer to the sky.
There is another version of the origin of the tradition: they say that in the hot spots of Afghanistan, the paratroopers did not have nearby bodies of water, and thus the military made up for the lack of service by using the reserves of fountains.
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Airborne Forces Vladimir Shamanov previously announced own opinion about paratroopers bathing in fountains. In his opinion, journalists are pushing the military to take this step:

“When paratroopers sitting peacefully on the grass in parks in their circle note that suddenly they see a camera and (they have) a desire to show off their prowess, they realize it, including through swimming in fountains,” AiF quotes Shamanov’s statement.

It is possible that the tradition of bathing in the fountain is closely connected with another holiday, which is also celebrated in Russia on August 2 - Ilya’s Day. In Rus' it was believed that this was the last summer day when you could swim in reservoirs. So the paratroopers are taking advantage of their last chance.

Meanwhile, swimming of paratroopers in fountains causes a lot of controversy not only among city residents who are not involved in the holiday, but also among municipal authorities. That is why in some cities on August 2 they try to control the operation of fountains. So, for example, this year fountains will not work in several major cities. In Omsk, Kirov, Saratov, Novosibirsk, paratroopers will not be able to follow tradition. Security will be posted at the fountains of St. Petersburg.

Doctors also oppose the tradition of paratroopers, who have repeatedly warned about negative consequences swimming in fountains. Thus, a jump into water can result in more than just a fracture, dislocation or bruise for a paratrooper.

The fact is that many unpleasant diseases can be transmitted through water: staphylococcus, streptococcus, erysipelas, tuberculosis, intestinal infections and even sexually transmitted diseases.