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What date is Artillery Day celebrated. Day of Strategic Missile Forces. Congratulations on the day of rocket troops and artillery

Every year in Russia on November 19 a memorable day is celebrated - the Day of the Missile Forces and Artillery. For the first time, the holiday, then still Artillery Day, was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 21, 1944. The date of the holiday was due to the fact that it was on November 19, 1942, after the most powerful artillery preparation, that the Red Army troops launched Operation Uranus - the code name for the Soviet counteroffensive during the Battle of Stalingrad. This operation ended with the encirclement of the army of Paulus and marked a turning point in the course of the Great Patriotic War. Since 1964, the holiday began to be celebrated as the Day of the Rocket Forces and Artillery.

Domestic artillery originates at the end of the 14th century, when in 1382, during the siege of Moscow by the troops of Khan Tokhtamysh, the defenders of the city first used forged cannons. It is believed that it was then that the debut of the firearm took place, presumably taken to Moscow from Bulgar during the campaign of 1376. Among other things, the defenders used "mattresses", special weapons that fired "shot" - pieces of iron, small stones, rubble. Since then, artillery (and in the 20th century also rocket troops) has become an integral part of the army of our country.

In an independent branch of the military, which was able to provide support for the actions of infantry and cavalry in battle, artillery stood out already in the 16th century and until the end of the 17th century was served by squeakers and gunners. At the beginning of the 18th century, artillery was divided into field (including regimental), fortress and siege artillery. Also, at the end of the century, horse artillery was finally formed, and at the beginning of the 19th century, artillery regiments and brigades began to form in Russia.

Flag of the Missile Forces and Artillery of the Russian Federation


By the beginning of the 19th century, Russian artillery was at a fairly high technical level and was in no way inferior to the French, having shown itself perfectly in the Patriotic War of 1812. At the beginning of the war, the artillery of the Russian Empire was united into brigades. In total there were 27 army and one guards artillery brigade. Each of the brigades consisted of 6 companies (at that time the main tactical unit): two battery, two light, one horse and one "pioneer" (engineering). Each company had 12 guns. Thus, one brigade was armed with 60 guns. In total, in 1812, the Russian army was armed with 1,600 different guns. After the era of the Napoleonic Wars, around the 1840s, mountain artillery was added to the composition of the artillery of the armed forces of the Russian Empire.

Artillery also said its weighty word in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, when Russian artillerymen first used indirect fire at the enemy, at the same time the first mortars appeared on the battlefield. By the beginning of the First World War (1914-1918), the artillery of the Russian imperial army was divided into field (light, horse and mountain), heavy field and heavy (siege). By the time the war began, the army had 6848 light and 240 heavy guns. This time the situation with artillery was much worse than during the invasion of the country by Napoleon's troops. Artillery by 1914 was in the process of formation, especially for units armed with heavy guns. At the same time, throughout the war, Russian artillery experienced shell hunger, and it was not possible to fully resolve it, even taking into account the growth in production and the increase in allied supplies. At the same time, it was during the First World War that new models of artillery weapons appeared: anti-aircraft artillery, self-propelled, and somewhat later, anti-tank guns.


By the beginning of World War II (1939-1945), the influence and role of artillery on the battlefield increased even more, while rocket artillery became widespread, for example, the famous Katyusha rocket launchers became one of the symbols of war and a real weapon of victory. Anti-tank and self-propelled artillery also became widespread. Figuratively named back in 1940 as the “god of war,” artillery fully justified its purpose in the battles of the Great Patriotic War. Emphasizing the ever-increasing importance of artillery, it can be noted that the Red Army entered the war on June 22, 1941, armed with more than 117 thousand artillery pieces and mortars, of which 59.7 thousand barrels were deployed in the western military districts of the country. In almost all battles and operations of the Great Patriotic War, artillery made a decisive contribution to achieving a common victory over the enemy, being the main fire means of destroying enemy manpower and equipment. In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, more than 1,800 Soviet artillerymen were awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union for heroism and courage shown in the battles for the Motherland, and more than 1.6 million artillerymen were awarded various government orders and medals.

The appearance of the holiday itself - Artillery Day - was largely due to the valor of artillerymen during the war years and the recognition of their merits. On November 19, 1942, it was the artillery units, with their massive and powerful fire strike, that marked the beginning of a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War. The barrage of fire passed through the advanced positions of the enemy's defense, violating the enemy's defense, supply and communications system. The ensuing offensive of the troops of the Southwestern (Lieutenant General N. F. Vatutin), Don (Lieutenant General K. K. Rokossovsky) and Stalingrad (Colonel General A. I. Eremenko) fronts already by November 23, 1942 led to the encirclement near Stalingrad of the 6th German field army of Paulus and other German units, as well as units of the allies of Nazi Germany. In total, about 330 thousand enemy soldiers and officers turned out to be in the boiler.

After the end of the Second World War, artillery continued its development, new, more advanced and powerful types of weapons appeared, including atomic munitions. The Rocket Forces were gaining more and more importance, and already in 1961, the Rocket Forces and Artillery were formed as a branch of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. In 1964, the holiday was officially renamed the Day of Rocket Forces and Artillery. Since 1988, it began to be celebrated every third Sunday of November, but since 2006 they have returned to the original date - November 19th.


Currently, the missile troops and artillery of the RF Armed Forces include the missile troops and artillery of the Ground Forces, the artillery of the coastal troops of the Navy and the artillery of the Airborne Forces, organizationally consisting of artillery, missile, rocket brigades, regiments and divisions of high power, separate reconnaissance artillery divisions, and also artillery of tank, motorized rifle, airborne formations and formations of marines. Today, artillery and missile formations and military units regularly conduct tactical exercises with live firing and live missile launches, individual firing with sergeants and officers. According to the results of 2017 alone, as part of the combat training of troops in the Russian army, more than 36,000 fire missions were completed from closed and open firing positions, about 240,000 artillery ammunition of various calibers was used up.

The process of equipping the troops with new and modernized types of weapons continues. Thus, the upgraded 152-mm Msta-SM self-propelled guns, as well as the Tornado-G multiple launch rocket systems, which are fully integrated into the ESU TZ RV&A subsystem and have the function of automatically targeting a combat vehicle, are entering service with the Russian army. The anti-tank units of the ground forces are receiving new Khrizantema-S all-weather missile systems, which have excellent capabilities for hitting various types of armored vehicles. The process of re-equipping the missile formations of the Ground Forces from the Tochka-U missile system to the new Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system continues. To date, more than 80 percent of the missile formations of the Russian army already have modern Iskander systems in their arsenal.

Rocket launch by the Iskander complex


Today, various methods and forms of training are used to improve the professional training of Russian officers of the missile forces and artillery. One of the most effective norms is competitions for commanders of artillery batteries, training in combat work on equipment as part of officer crews, competitions for the best solution of tasks in shooting and fire control, individual tasks and other types of training and training. Today, the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy, located in St. Petersburg, is training officers for the missile forces and artillery of the Russian Ground Forces. Mikhailovskaya Artillery Academy is a higher educational institution with a rich history and highly qualified teaching staff, which has a modern material and educational base.

According to the official website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, since 2012, in military units and formations of missile forces and artillery, there has been an increase in the number of contract servicemen in the positions of soldiers, sergeants and warrant officers. As of 2016, the staffing of military command and control bodies, formations and military units of the missile forces and artillery under the contract was more than 70 percent, and the positions of sergeants and foremen - 100 percent.

November 19 "Military Review" congratulates all active military personnel, as well as veterans related to the Rocket Forces and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, on their professional holiday.

Based on materials from open sources

To thank for the fact that our country has not yet been occupied and has not disappeared from the face of the Earth, a very specific branch of the armed forces follows - namely, the Strategic Missile Forces. It is their presence and constant combat readiness that guarantees the reliable protection of the Russian Federation from the aggression of any of the world powers. Every day, thousands of servicemen - soldiers and officers - take up compulsory combat duty in missile silos and mobile complexes. It would be strange if such a power, capable of destroying all life on the planet, but standing solely on guard of the world, would remain without its own memorable date.

History

Today, the status of this memorable day is regulated in accordance with a presidential decree establishing a list of military holidays and issued in 2006. But the history of this date is much older. It was chosen for a very specific reason - it was on December 17, but back in 1959, the Rocket Forces, which had a strategic purpose, were first created.

Over the past years, they have repeatedly:

  • reformed;
  • resubordinated;
  • merged with other branches of the military and separated from them.

However, the tasks facing the Strategic Missile Forces did not change.

For the first time, the holiday of the Strategic Missile Forces (not to be confused with the Day of Artillery and Missile Forces) was established in 1995 by a presidential decree dated December 10th. And the Decree of 2006 canceled the previous one, lowering the status of the holiday to the usual memorable date, since the Strategic Missile Forces turned from a branch of the armed forces into a branch of the military. However, such a decrease did not affect the scale of the celebration.

Traditions

  • those who sit at the launch consoles;
  • all military personnel who ensure the combat readiness of the Strategic Missile Forces;
  • civilian specialists;
  • support staff;
  • scientists from their own research institutes, available in the structure of the Strategic Missile Forces, Higher Educational Institutions, factories that produce equipment for this kind of troops, training grounds, etc.

This date is celebrated not only by those who served or are working in the Rocket Forces now, but also by civilian and military pensioners who were related to the Strategic Missile Forces in the past.

The scale of the event is evidenced at least by the fact of the annual reception in the Kremlin, organized on December 17th. In all military units and institutions of the armed forces, solemn formations and meetings are held, awards are presented and successive ranks are awarded. There are also traditions associated with the church - many divisional churches are given icons of St. Ilya Muromets, who is the patron saint of the Strategic Missile Forces.




Undoubtedly, today there are many holidays that are directly related to the whole country. The military, as a rule, celebrate all events related to any branch of the military. The Day of the Missile Forces in 2017, on what date and in what year they were created, is of interest to many.

Day of Rocket Forces and Artillery - a little history of the holiday




So, if we touch on our history, we can safely say that these troops found their name back in 1964. We can immediately say that such a day is not a red number of the calendar, on the basis of which it is not official. But in our country there are many professional holidays. These include the Day of the Missile Forces and Artillery, but on what date in 2017 such an event should be celebrated, you can immediately specify that it is on November 19 that the long-awaited and unusual day of rocketmen will come.

I would like to emphasize the facts that our country, thanks to the combat readiness of such troops, has reliable protection and strong support for the Russian Federation. Strong and courageous troops are able to protect the country from any onslaught of world powers. Every day, thousands of people salute their service in the army, and, of course, it would be unfair to forget about such a professional and honorable day for everyone, especially since the memorable date was born a long time ago and is proudly celebrated by the whole country, although it is not official.

Artillery is one of the oldest branches of the military. In 1382, artillery pieces were first used, which were used exclusively for enemies. If we touch on past years, we can safely say that such troops have experienced many changes, that is, they have been reformed, merged and divided with other branches of the military, but the tasks assigned to them have not changed.

Who celebrates the holiday of the rocket troops




The professional day is celebrated not only by military personnel, but also by everyone who is directly related to the development of technology, specialists and scientists in the production of technology, as well as many other workers who work for the good of their homeland, developing various types of weapons and much more.

The Day of Missile Forces and Artillery is celebrated in the third autumn month, the date is also known, namely November 19th. On this occasion, specially trained troops have their own history, which is passed on to a new generation from year to year. The history of the holiday can tell how a long time ago such an industry as rocket science appeared, and only then the rocket unit and artillery were formed.

Further, the state tried its best to build up and raise the missile potential with a combination of trained personnel. Which had to have the ability to manage their own forces, as well as solve tasks regardless of the location of the object. Moreover, these forces were reliable, strong and enduring, because it was simply impossible to do otherwise.

How can you celebrate a revered holiday




The solemn day of this holiday should certainly be celebrated with family and friends. Almost all military personnel spend this special day with their families. Indeed, due to their difficult chosen profession, such people are often not at home, so they want to be with their relatives for their professional celebration.

Of course, men usually decide on their own how to spend such a day, and most often their choice falls on a gala dinner, which the hostess of the house is happy to cook, and her relatives help her with this. After all, the day of the Missile Forces in 2017 is already known what the date will be and you can slowly prepare for this celebration.

The festive atmosphere should satisfy all guests, so many often prepare various treats and entertainment. Although it is on such a holiday that men also like to relax in nature, while organizing music. After all, every person probably knows that you can’t find a better vacation than in nature. But here it is necessary to guess with the weather, because in a frosty blizzard it will not be very comfortable on the street.




The Day of the Missile Forces and Artillery is undoubtedly a men's holiday, so cooked dishes must be made from meat (for example), and treats cooked on the grill will clearly become crown masterpieces of culinary delights, baked potatoes are also suitable.

Such serious troops consist mainly of patriots, their own business, where there is a clear head and strong reliable hands, so the holiday can be organized by inventing and playing sketches where humor will be present, and also, if desired, everyone can participate in the draws.

If the weather suddenly fails and leaving the house for nature does not work, then you can organize a festive party in a restaurant. You can invite your loved ones and relatives there, and for the strong half of the solemn holiday, in this way arrange a surprise. Surely they will gladly accept such an invitation.


November 19 - Russia. The holiday was established in 1964 and is celebrated to commemorate the merits of artillery in the defeat of the Nazi invaders near Stalingrad.

November 19 - the beginning of the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad in 1942. At the beginning of the operation, on November 18, the artillery of the Southwestern and Don Fronts inflicted heavy losses on the enemy with a powerful fire strike and disrupted its entire defense system, which allowed the Soviet troops to launch a counteroffensive, which ended with the encirclement and defeat of the German troops near Stalingrad. Until 1964, this holiday was called Artillery Day, because the Rocket Forces and Artillery as a branch of service were created in the early 60s on the basis of the artillery of the ground forces and missile weapons introduced into the troops.
Along with infantry and cavalry, artillery is one of the oldest branches of the military.
The first mention of the combat use of artillery in Russia dates back to 1382, when, defending themselves from the invasion of Tokhtamysh's troops, Muscovites "fired from large cannons."

Until the 16th century, carriages as such did not exist. The trunks were mounted on special oak decks.

Count Arakcheev played a huge role in the transformation of our artillery in the 19th century. He introduced a system of guns of the 1805 model. Of the many dozens of types of guns that were under Catherine II, only 12-pounder guns of medium and smaller proportions, a 6-pounder gun of smaller proportions, and also unicorns should have remained in field artillery: 1 / 2-pound, 1/4-pound foot, 1/4-pound horse. All these guns were cast from the so-called "artillery metal", which contained 10 parts of copper and one part of tin. To aim the guns at the target, before each shot, a quadrant was installed on the barrel, along which the gun was pointed. Immediately before the shot itself, it was removed so that the shot would not knock down the tip, and then installed again.

On June 21, 1941, the Soviet government decided on the serial production of M-13 rockets, BM-13 launchers and the formation of missile military units. The Katyushas fired their first salvo at the enemy on July 14, 1941. Then the battery under the command of Captain IAFlerov struck at the concentration of German trains at the Orsha railway junction. The combat effectiveness of the weapon exceeded all expectations. Subsequently, rocket artillery was successfully used in all major operations of the Great Patriotic War. In terms of its power, it had no equal among other means of fire destruction of the enemy.

The heroic traditions are adequately continued by the modern generations of the military rocket and artillery troops of the RF Armed Forces. They fulfill their military duty with honor and nobility, master the latest weapons and equipment, improve their combat skills, the high level of which guarantees the fulfillment of the necessary tasks in a variety of combat conditions.

Artillery still plays an important role as the main striking force in land battles to this day. By the way, for the first time, it was not Stalin who called artillery “the god of war”, but the French general Jean Baptiste Wackette de Gribeauval, who, with his military reform, laid the foundation for Napoleonic victories.

Happy holiday, gods of war!


The Russian "Gods of War" have their own holiday, which in 2018 was celebrated 74 times in a row, and in 2019 the anniversary is celebrated 75 times.

The date of this holiday has not changed since 1944, when on November 19 a festive salute was given in honor of the artillerymen.

The choice of this particular date was justified by the fact that on November 19, 1942, a powerful artillery strike launched the offensive of the Red Army in the Stalingrad region.

Until 1964, the holiday was called Artillery Day, but this year it got its modern name. This was due to the mass saturation of the Soviet army with samples of tactical missile weapons and heavy rocket systems.

In Russia, the holiday of artillerymen was officially established by presidential decree in 2006. On this day, wreaths are laid in Moscow at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the burial places of Marshals of Artillery N. Voronov and M. Nedelin.

On this day, solemn formations are held in military units, at which congratulations from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief are read out, military personnel receive awards for distinction in service, promotions and gratitude for combat training. In the cities where the units of the RV&A are located, demonstrations of equipment are held and visits to the units by schoolchildren are organized.

In addition to the active military and veterans, teachers of educational institutions, designers of artillery systems, workers of factories that produce weapons and ammunition can also celebrate this holiday.

Briefly about the history of artillery

The first official mention of the use of “mattresses” (forged cannons) dates back to 1382, when they fired at the troops of Khan Tokhtamysh from the walls of Moscow.

In the XV-XVI centuries, there was an active development of artillery, foundry specialists from Germany and Italy were actively attracted to the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and domestic craftsmen also achieved considerable success. An artillery officer in that era was a specialist worth its weight in gold. Often, in addition to direct command of the guns during the siege and on the battlefield, he had to be able to independently cast the gun.

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In the era of Ivan the Terrible, the Pushkar Order was established, which was in charge of accounting for artillery pieces in operation and being manufactured, providing troops with gunpowder, cannonballs and transport. In 1586, the Tsar Cannon was cast by master Andrei Chokhov, which until 1930 was the largest caliber gun in the world.

And although the army did not suffer from a shortage of guns, there was no organizational structure for artillery. The guns were kept at the infantry regiments, in the garrisons or at the artillery yard in Moscow, from where they were taken on campaigns as needed.

The first regular artillery unit was the bombardment company, created in 1695 in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, captained by Tsar Peter himself. In 1717, the troops received the first signal rockets. Artillery factories from year to year increased the number of barrels in the army.

In the middle of the 19th century, breech-loading guns with a rifled barrel, as well as military artillery rockets, began to appear in the troops. In 1894, shells equipped with smokeless powder were put into service, which significantly increased the effectiveness of artillery fire.

The Second World War was the high point of artillery. Reactive systems, powerful long-range guns and self-propelled artillery entered the battlefield. Soviet artillery has always been at the center of events - repelling enemy attacks and providing a breakthrough for the most powerful fortifications.

Rocket Forces Today

In Russia, the main part of the rocket and artillery units is part of the ground forces as one of the military branches. The purpose of rocket and artillery units is to deliver a massive fire impact on the enemy. Under special conditions, modern missile troops can use shells and missiles with a nuclear “stuffing”.

Parts of the missile forces and artillery are equipped with weapons of various types:

  • transportable and self-propelled mortars,
  • towed guns,
  • self-propelled artillery mounts,
  • multiple launch rocket systems,
  • operational tactical missile systems.

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Coastal troops of the Navy (Bal and Bastion missile systems, Bereg artillery systems) and the Airborne Forces (SAU Nona) have their own artillery. Also, in small quantities, their own self-propelled artillery and towed guns and mortars are in service with the Border Guard Service and the National Guard troops. And this equipment is operated by people for whom the MFA day is also a professional holiday.

The Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, organizationally part of the Logistics Support of the RF Ministry of Defense, is responsible for the supply of units, repair, maintenance of weapons, and the supply of new military equipment.

The Russian fleet of self-propelled artillery today occupies one of the leading places in the world in terms of its numbers and technical equipment.

The training of officers is carried out by the Mikhailovskaya Artillery Academy in St. Petersburg and specialized training centers. Specialists in engineering and maintenance and ammunition are trained in the city of Penza at the branch of the Academy of Logistics. Khruleva.

Awards

As in other branches of the military and individual services, artillerymen have their own awards, which are divided into departmental and public.

Departmental awards include awards that have an official state status.

M medal "Marshal of Artillery E.V. Boychuk. Approved by the Order of the Minister of Defense in 2012, which is awarded to military personnel who distinguished themselves in combat operations, in the performance of tasks associated with a risk to life.

Insignia "Chief Marshal of Artillery Nedelin". This award is awarded to military personnel, veterans and civilian personnel for excellence in providing service to this type of troops, courage and valor in the line of duty and who have contributed to the popularization of this type of troops.

Badge of Merit. In the Rocket Troops and Artillery, soldiers and officers who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Rocket and Artillery Troops and increase their combat readiness are to be awarded.