To the 60th anniversary of the Order of Lenin of the Moscow Air Defense District
August 20, 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of the Moscow Air Defense District, the successor and heir to the military glory of which is the command of the air and anti-missile defense of the Aerospace Defense Forces. However, the air defense of Moscow began much earlier.
The formation of the air defense system of the capital
On April 25, 1918, Order No. 01 of the Military Director of the Moscow Region was issued, in accordance with which the Moscow Air Defense Directorate was formed. The former captain of the tsarist army, N. M. Enden, was appointed head of the air defense.
Therefore, it should be argued with good reason that April 25, 1918 is the day of the birth of the air defense of the capital of our state.
The main content of the development of the air defense system of the capital at that time was the consistent build-up of forces and assets, their combat capabilities and, as a consequence, the corresponding structural changes.
“In modern conditions, when, like us, our potential enemy has in the hands of intercontinental weapons with nuclear stuffing, the importance of air defense, of course, has become No. 1. Serious grief awaits the country that will be unable to repel an air strike.”
G. K. Zhukov"
From 1924 to 1929, the composition of the air defense forces and means was limited to one zenap (first, the 1st separate territorial-positional anti-aircraft artillery division - division commander Sudarikov S. G., then the 31st separate anti-aircraft artillery division - division commander T. A. Sviklin)).
In accordance with the Order of the Commander of the Moscow Military District of September 21, 1929, No. 339/111, the first combined-arms air defense formation, the 1st Air Defense Brigade, was formed, which organizationally included units FOR, ZP and VNOS.
In accordance with the Directive of the Red Army headquarters of August 17, 1931 No. 3/013720, the 1st Air Defense Brigade was reorganized into the 1st Air Defense Division. The brigade commander N. V. Shcheglov was appointed the division commander. The functional composition of the division's units did not differ from the composition of the brigade.
In accordance with the program for improving the country's air defense, approved by the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and Directive of the Military Council of the Moscow Military District of January 11, 1938, No. 8826, the 1st Air Defense Division was reorganized into the 1st Air Defense Corps. In April 1938, brigade commander F. Ya. Kryukov was appointed the corps commander.
From October 1938 to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, taking into account the situation in the country at that time, the corps was sequentially commanded by brigade commander I. A. - Major of artillery Zhuravlev D. A.
On the eve of World War II, all air defense systems were combined into the Moscow air defense zone, which was headed by Major General M. Gromadin. The zone included parts of the 1st Air Defense Corps and the 6th IAK (corps commander - Colonel I. D. Klimov), as well as Kalininsky, Yaroslavsky, Gorkovsky and Tula brigade air defense areas.
The Moscow air defense was based on the principle of a circular echeloned defense with the strengthening of the western and southern directions.
Battle-born glory
On June 22, 1941, Germany, without declaring war, treacherously attacked the Soviet Union.
In mid-July, within the framework of a general plan for an offensive deep into Soviet territory, the Hitlerite command specially considered the issue of preparing and conducting massive air raids on Moscow.
The first attempt to carry out such a raid on the capital was made by the fascist German command on the night of July 22. The raid of enemy bombers on Moscow continued for five hours with four successive echelons of single aircraft and small groups. The first, as well as subsequent massive raids on the capital were successfully repelled.
It must be said that throughout the entire period of the war, the structure and composition of the air defense forces and means of the capital and the center of the country changed based on the capabilities of enemy aviation (composition and main directions of concentration of efforts), the spatial scope of the operational formation of air defense forces, the tasks they solved and, most importantly, the need unified leadership of these groups.
In order to create a unified grouping of air defense forces and assets on the European territory of the country, united into air defense regions, in accordance with the GKO decree of November 9, 1941, the 1st air defense corps was reorganized into the Moscow air defense corps region.
Taking into account the strengthening of the German Air Force grouping west of Moscow for a decisive attack on it, from April 5, 1942, the Moscow Air Defense Corps Region was reorganized into the Moscow Air Defense Front.
In the interests of further improving the organizational structure of the troops and improving the leadership of units in accordance with the GKO decree of June 29, 1943, the Moscow Air Defense Front was reorganized into the Special Moscow Air Defense Army. Artillery lieutenant general Zhuravlev D. A. was appointed commander of the army.
The combat strength of the army included the 1st VIA Air Defense, divisions FOR, barrage balloons and VNOS. Organizationally, the Moscow Special Air Defense Army was part of the formed Western Air Defense Front.
In the summer of 1943, the air defense forces of the capital were entrusted with the honorable task of conducting artillery salutes to commemorate victories on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. The first fireworks were fired on 5 August. In total, over 350 fireworks were fired during the war years.
In response to changes in the general situation, the State Defense Committee of the USSR, by its Decree of March 29, 1944, reorganized the air defense fronts. The Moscow Special Air Defense Army became part of the formed Northern Air Defense Front.
In connection with the liberation of the territory of the USSR and in order to improve the coordination of military actions in accordance with the Decree of the State Defense Committee of December 24, 1944, the Directorate of the Special Moscow Air Defense Army was reorganized into the Directorate of the Central Air Defense Front (commander of the front forces - Colonel General M. Gromadin).
The Central Air Defense Front, along with units and formations of the Special Moscow Air Defense Army, included the Leningrad Air Defense Army with the 2nd Leningrad Guards IAK and the Vyborg Air Defense Brigade Region, the 1st and 3rd corps, 78, 80, 82nd divisions and the 16th separate air defense brigade.
Marshal of the Soviet Union GK Zhukov, the Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union, GK Zhukov, spoke about the results of the air defense of Moscow during the war four times in his memoirs: “The air defense of the country coped well with the defense of the capital of our Motherland - Moscow. Moscow was tightly and reliably covered by anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aircraft. The air enemy in rare cases managed to break through the air defense to Moscow. Most often, enemy aircraft were destroyed or returned home …"
Having begun a victorious march in the fall of 1941 near Moscow, the air defense soldiers completed it in the spring of 1945 in Berlin.
Guarding the peaceful sky
At the end of the war, the transition of the USSR Armed Forces to peacetime states began. In accordance with the Directive of the General Staff of October 25, 1945, the Directorate of the Central Front of the Air Defense was reorganized into the Directorate of the Central District of the Air Defense.
Subsequent structural changes were based on the experience of the final stage of the war. In accordance with the Directive of the General Staff of May 23, 1946, the Directorate of the Central Air Defense District was reorganized into the Directorate of the North-Western Air Defense District. Lieutenant-General P. E. Gudymenko was appointed commander of the district troops, then in January 1948 - Colonel-General of Artillery Zhuravlev D. A.
In 1948, the country's Air Defense Forces were removed from the subordination of the artillery commander and transformed into an independent type of the USSR Armed Forces, the leadership of which was entrusted to the commander of the country's Air Defense Forces. Corresponding transformations followed.
In accordance with the Directive of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces of August 14, 1948, the Directorate of the North-Western Air Defense District was reorganized into the Directorate of the Commander of the Air Defense Forces of the Moscow Region. Colonel-General K. S. Moskalenko, Hero of the Soviet Union, was appointed commander of the region's troops.
The combat strength of the air defense forces of the Moscow region included 64 VIAs consisting of 56 (Yaroslavl), 78 (Bryansk) and 88 (Moscow) IAK. Each IAK consisted of three IADs of three-regimental composition; 2nd and 3rd anti-aircraft searchlight divisions; 1 guards, 74, 76, 80, 96 zenad, 1287, 1306, 1326, 1329, 1383 zenap, 33 cr. ozad, 17th separate division AZ; 3rd and 6th VNOS regiments, 14 RTP VNOS, eight orb VNOS; 98th communications regiment.
Since 1950, the creation of a system of anti-aircraft reactive (later anti-aircraft missile) defense of Moscow S-25 "Berkut" began. The head organization was the Design Bureau (KB-1) of the USSR Ministry of Armaments. The leaders of KB-1 were P. N. Kuksenko, S. L. Beria, A. Raspletin. It was a unique experience of solving one of the main problems of the country's security by military measures alone.
The basis of the system was the air defense systems located around the defended object - Moscow - in two echelons (44 air defense systems in the first and 22 air defense systems in the second echelon). They formed a continuous circular affected area with a depth of more than 100 kilometers and an altitude reach of about 20 kilometers.
In 1953-1954, the commanders of the air defense forces of the Moscow region were Colonel-General Nagorny N. N., Colonel-General Galitsky K. N.
1954 was the year that determined the course of development of the air defense of the capital for decades to come. In accordance with the Order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of August 20, 1954, on the basis of the Office of the Commander of the Air Defense Forces of the Moscow Region, the Office of the Moscow Air Defense District was created. It was this event that became the foundation for the construction of the future air defense system of the center of the country and the capital.
By order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of August 27, 1954, Colonel General Batitsky P. F. (later Marshal of the Soviet Union, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces of the country) was appointed commander of the district troops.
The Moscow Air Defense District included 52 VIA (formed on the basis of 64 VIA) consisting of 56, 78, 88 and 37 IAK, 151 IAD, 38 and 182 ORAE; 1st guards, 74, 76, 78, 80, 96 and 52 zenads, 48, 80 guards, 108, 387, 389, 393, 532, 1225, 1287 zenap, 126, 132, 292 separate anti-aircraft artillery battalions; 3, 6, 43, 57, 59, 61, 62, 63, 65, 67, 83, 84 rtp, 65 orb, 21, 23, 26 separate RTTs for long-range reconnaissance and guidance, 92 separate RTR and jamming regiment; 17 separate division AZ.
With the arrival of anti-aircraft missile systems and new radars, the foundation was laid for the modern arms of the air defense forces - anti-aircraft missile and radio-technical troops.
On May 7, 1955, the S-25 system was adopted. In accordance with the order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR dated July 15, 1955, the Directorate of the 1st Special Purpose Air Defense Army (ON) was formed, which included four Air Defense Corps (ON) -1 K Air Defense (ON) - Vidnoye, 6 K Air Defense (ON) - the city of Chernoe, 10 K air defense (ON) - the city of Odintsovo, 17 K air defense (ON) - the city of Dolgoprudny.
In 1960, the 52 VIA Air Defense Directorate was disbanded. On the basis of IAK directorates, air defense corps departments were formed - 3rd (Yaroslavl), 7th (Bryansk), 2nd (Rzhev), on the basis of control 78 zenads and 142 Iads (Gorky) formed Directorate of the 18th Air Defense Division, on the basis of Directorate 328 IAD (Yelets), the Directorate of the 15th Air Defense Division was formed. Thus, the combat strength of the district included 1 AA defense (ON) consisting of 4 air defense corps (OH), 2, 3, 7 air defense corps, 15 and 18 air defense divisions.
In January 1960, it was decided to create the first national missile defense system - the RTC-81 system. In 1965, the ABM Directorate was created as part of the Moscow Air Defense District Directorate.
In 1965, the management of the 15th Air Defense Division was removed from the district, the 18th Air Defense Division was reorganized into the 16th Air Defense Corps. The composition of the district did not change until 1988.
From 1966 to 1987, the commanders of the district troops were Colonel-General V. V. Okunev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Aviation A. I. Koldunov, Colonel-General Bochkov B. V., Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Aviation Konstantinov A. W.
On February 22, 1968, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Moscow Air Defense District was awarded the Order of Lenin for its great contribution to strengthening the defensive power of the Soviet state and its armed protection, successes in combat and political training, and in connection with the fiftieth anniversary of the SA and the Navy.
In 1972, the Directorate of the Chief of the ABM Troops of the Moscow Air Defense District was reorganized into the Second Directorate of the Chief of the ABM Troops of the Moscow Air Defense District and in 1976 it was reassigned to the General Committee of the Air Defense Forces.
In 1983, work began on the S-50 system. In the process of its creation, in the period from 1981 to 1985, in all 4 air defense (OH) corps, the S-25 air defense systems were reformed and re-equipped with the new S-300PT air defense system.
In 1987, Colonel-General of Aviation V. G. Tsarkov was appointed commander of the district troops.
This year has become "black" in the history of the Air Defense Forces. On May 28, 1987 at 18.55, Matias Rust's plane landed in Moscow on Red Square.
The serious imperfection of the legal basis for the actions of the duty forces of the Air Defense Forces of the country and, as a consequence of the contradiction between the tasks assigned to the Air Defense Forces, and the limited rights of the leadership in the use of forces and means, became obvious.
After Rust's flight, the guilty ones were found immediately. Three Marshals of the Soviet Union (including the Minister of Defense of the USSR Sokolov S. L., Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces Koldunov A. I.), about three hundred generals and officers were removed from their posts. The army has not known such a personnel pogrom since 1937.
In 1988, the directorates of the 1st, 6th, 10th and 17th Air Defense Corps (ON) of the 1st Air Defense Army (ON) were reorganized into the directorates of 86, 87, 88 and 89 Air Defense Divisions (ON).
In 1989, Colonel-General V. A. Prudnikov (later General of the Army, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces) was appointed commander of the district troops.
Since September 1991, the district was headed by Colonel-General of Aviation AM Kornukov (later General of the Army, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces).
In 1993, the management of the 16th Air Defense Corps (Gorky) was reduced.
On April 25, 1994, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the air defense system of the capital S-50 was put into service.
At the same time, significant changes took place in the structure of the command and control bodies of the district troops. The directorates of 86, 87, 88 and 89 air defense divisions (ON) of the 1st Air Defense Army (ON) were reorganized into the directorates of the air defense brigades, and the army itself was reorganized into the 1st Air Defense Corps on December 1. Directorates of the 3rd Air Defense Corps (Yaroslavl), 7 Air Defense Corps (Bryansk), 2 Air Defense Corps (Rzhev) were reorganized into Directorates of the 3rd, 7th and 5th Air Defense Divisions, respectively.
In 1998, on the basis of the Moscow Air Defense District and the 16th Red Banner VA MVO, the Moscow Order of Lenin Directorate of the Air Force and Air Defense District was formed. Aviation Lieutenant General Vasiliev G. B. was appointed commander of the district troops.
The district troops included 16 VA, 1 air defense corps, 3 and 5 air defense divisions. The Directorate of the 7th Air Defense Division (Bryansk) was disbanded.
In 2001, the command of the 3rd Air Defense Division (Yaroslavl) was reduced. On the basis of the command and control of the 5th Air Defense Division (Rzhev), the command of the 32 Air Defense Corps was formed.
In 1 air defense corps, from four directorates of air defense brigades, directorates of 9 and 37 air defense divisions were formed, instead of a 4-sector group, a 2-sector grouping of the S-50 system was created.
As part of the military development of the RF Armed Forces, on September 1, 2002, the Office of the Order of Lenin of the Moscow Air Force and Air Defense District was reorganized into the Office of the Order of Lenin of the Special Forces Command. Lieutenant-General Yu. V. Soloviev became the commander of the KSpN troops.
Since 2005, the rearmament of the air defense missile systems began with the new SD S-400 Triumph air defense system, and in 2007 the first regiment (606 Guards ZRP), armed with the S-400 air defense system, took up combat duty in a solemn atmosphere.
In 2008, Lieutenant General Razygraev S. N. was appointed commander of the KSPN troops.
As part of the military development of the Armed Forces on June 1, 2009, the Order of Lenin Directorate of the KSpN and the 1st Air Defense Corps were reorganized into the Order of Lenin Directorate of the Operational-Strategic Command of Aerospace Defense with a deployment in the town of Balashikha, Moscow Region. Major General L. E. Tishkevich was appointed commander of the USC EKR troops.
The troops of the USC VKO included the 4th, 5th and 6th brigades of the VKO. Formations and aviation units of the 16th VA were transferred to the 1st Air Force and Air Defense Command of the Western Military District. Management of the 16th VA was disbanded.
In 2010, Lieutenant General Ivanov V. M. (later Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of the Aerospace Defense Forces) was appointed commander of the USC EKR troops.
Continuing glorious traditions
As part of the further development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, on December 1, 2011, a new type of troops was created - the VKO Troops.
On the basis of the Department of the Order of Lenin of the USC VKO Defense, the Department of the Order of Lenin of the Command of the Air and Missile Defense of the VKO Troops was formed. The air defense-missile defense command troops included 9 missile defense divisions, 4, 5, 6 air defense brigades.
From 2011 to 2013, Major General Popov S. V., Lieutenant General P. P. Kurachenko (currently Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of the Aerospace Defense Forces) were the commanders of the Air Defense and Missile Defense Command.
During this period, the number of operational (combat) training activities for the air defense-missile defense command troops increased significantly.
Five or six tactical exercises with live firing are held annually in the air defense-missile defense command troops, of which one is mandatory with an air defense formation.
Formations and military units perform combat training missions at "good" and "excellent", live firing - with an efficiency of 1.0.
The combat crews of the 9th missile defense division regularly successfully carry out anti-missile launches. The means of the division are actively used in the interests of solving the tasks of the PRN and the KKP.
In the period from March 21 to March 22, 2013, the troops of the air defense-missile defense command took part in the command and control team of troops (forces) solving the tasks of the aerospace defense / air defense, conducted under the leadership of the NGSH of the RF Armed Forces.
In the course of the command and control squadron, on the basis of the Air Defense-Missile Defense Command, the operational command of the East Kazakhstan region "West" was created, to which (according to the training conditions), the 1st and 2nd brigades of the VKO 1 of the Air Force and Air Defense Command and the 3rd brigade of the Aerospace Defense Forces BF were directly subordinate.
The purpose of the training was to assess the ability of the created command to control the grouping of troops (forces) at the stages of direct preparation and conduct of hostilities in the zone of responsibility.
The results of the training showed that the air defense-missile defense command directorate, formations and military units successfully coped with the task.
In the period from August 13 to September 12, 2013, the troops of the Air Defense and Missile Defense Command took part in a joint exercise with live firing of troops (forces) of the East Kazakhstan region, the air force (air defense, air force and air defense) of the armed forces of the CIS member states "Combat Commonwealth-2013".
In this exercise, the command of the coalition grouping of aviation and air defense forces was created on the basis of the Directorate of the Air Defense-Missile Command, it was headed by the commander of the Air Defense-Missile Command, Lieutenant General P. P. Kurachenko.
In the period from 20 to 26 September 2013, the troops of the Air Defense and Missile Defense Command took part in the joint strategic exercise of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation "West-2013".
On October 19, 2013, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 785, the 6th Air Defense Brigade was given the honorary title "named after three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin", the 4th Air Defense Brigade was given the honorary title "named after Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant General Boris Petrovich Kirpikov."
In 2013, the rearmament of 93 air defense missile systems of the 4th air defense brigade was carried out on the S-400 Triumph air defense system, 108 air defense missile defense units of the 6 air defense brigade - on the S-300 PM1 air defense system, the supply of Pantsir-S air defense missile systems to the military units of the command air defense missile system.
The highest results in combat training and the state of affairs in the 2013 academic year were achieved by military teams under the leadership of Colonel A. Lipikhin, Colonel A. Cheburin, Guard Lieutenant Colonel A. V. Berezhny, Colonel M. Chernikov, L. Chumakov A.. N.
According to the results of the 2013 academic year of the Order of Lenin, the Air Defense and Missile Defense Command was recognized as the best among the formations of the VKO Troops.
On December 2, 2013, the newly formed 590 separate radio-technical unit of the Air Defense-ABM Command successfully took over on experimental combat duty, thereby significantly increasing the reconnaissance capabilities of the association.
In the spring of 2014, the servicemen of our association successfully completed the special tasks set by the country's leadership to ensure the security of the referendum in the Republic of Crimea and the hero city of Sevastopol. Many servicemen were awarded state and departmental awards.
Every year, servicemen of the Air Defense and Missile Defense Command adequately represent the VKO Troops at military parades on Red Square in Moscow in honor of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, marching in mechanized columns on the Pantsir-S BM and S-400 launchers.
In 2014, in accordance with the plan of activities until 2020, measures are being taken to re-equip 549 air defense brigades of the 5th air defense brigade on the S-400 Triumph air defense system; "Sopka", "Obnovlenie", etc., the delivery to the troops of automated control systems and communications of a new generation.
The Air Defense and Missile Defense Command is actively preparing for the celebration of the centenary of the establishment of organized air (air) defense of the country and the 70th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War in cooperation with the Council of Veterans of the Moscow Air Defense District.
As before, the personnel of our association, carrying out the most important state tasks for the air and missile defense of the capital of our Motherland - the hero city of Moscow and the Central Industrial Region, honorably bears the high title of "Defender of the Moscow Sky".
I sincerely congratulate the personnel, veterans, family members of military personnel, and defense industry workers on the anniversary of our illustrious association. I wish you health, prosperity, high combat training and combat readiness, a peaceful sky over your head!
