26th Air Army

The 26th Air Army was an Air army of the Soviet Air Forces active from 1949 to 1980, and then 1988-circa 1991.

It was formed by redesignation of the 1st Air Army in Kaliningrad in February 1949 (in accordance with a decree of 10 January 1949), but from 1946 to the 1990s was in the Belorussian Military District.

Highlights

In 1952 two new Fighter Aviation Divisions arrived within the 26th Army, the 175th from East Germany and the 229th from Poland.

In 1953 the 175th Fighter Aviation Division was transferred to the 30th Air Army in the Baltic States, and was replaced by the 95th Fighter Aviation Division, arriving from the 29th Air Army in the Far East.

On 1 May 1988, in accordance with the Ministry of Defence of the USSR's Decree № 0018, the Air Forces of the District were again renamed the 26th Air Army.

The 95th Fighter Aviation Division was disbanded in mid-1988.

In 1990 the army included:

• 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division (Lida, Grodno Oblast)
• 50th independent Composite Aviation Regiment (Minsk, Minsk Oblast)
• 151st independent Aviation Regiment for Electronic Warfare (Schuchin, Grodno Oblast)
• 927th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Bereza, Brest Oblast)
• 206th independent Assault Aviation Regiment (Pruzhany, Brest Oblast)
• 378th independent Assault Aviation Regiment (Postavy, Vitebsk Oblast)
• 397th independent Assault Aviation Regiment (Kobrin, Brest Oblast)
• 10th independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (Schuchin, Grodno Oblast)
• 302nd independent Helicopter Squadron for Electronic Warfare (Kobrin, Brest Oblast)
• 56th independent Communications Regiment and Automated Control Regiment (Minsk, Minsk Oblast)

The army came under Belorussian control in mid 1992. On 15 June 1992, by decree № 05 of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus, the 26th Air Army headquarters became the command of the Air Forces of the Republic of Belarus.

References

• http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/army/26va.htm