43rd Rocket Army
military unit
The 43rd Red Banner Rocket Army, known officially as the 43rd Red Banner Missile Army, was an army of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces. It was formed in Vinnytsia from the 43rd Air Army of Long Range Aviation. In 1991, it came under the control of the Commonwealth of Independent States while stationed in Ukraine, and was dismantled by 1996. For much of its existence, it was headquartered in the city of Vinnytsia, in the then-Ukrainian SSR. It was among the first units in the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces to field the UR-100 (SS-11 'Sego') and UR-100N (SS-19 'Stilleto') ICBMs.
History
On 9 April 1946 8th Air Army was renamed 2nd Air Army DA, and transferred to Vinnytsia, Vinnytsia Oblast. In 1946 the 2nd Air Army DA comprised the 2nd Guards Bomber Aviation Corps (2nd and 13th Guards Bomber Aviation Divisions) and the 4th Guards Bomber Aviation Corps (14th and 15th Guards Bomber Aviation Divisions). On 10 January 1949 2nd Air Army DA was redesignated 43rd Air Army DA.
43rd Rocket Army was formed at Vinnytsia within the Kiev Military District's boundaries on 1 September 1960 from the previous 43rd Air Army of the Long Range Aviation.
In 1961 the 43rd Rocket Army comprised the 44th Rocket Division (Kolomiya, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, previously 73rd Engineer Brigade RVGK at Kamyshin), the 19th Rocket Division (Gaisin, Vinnitsa Oblast), the 50th Rocket Division (Belokorovichi, Zhitomir Oblast), the 46th Rocket Division (Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast, formed from 93rd Motor Rifle Division of the Ground Forces), 43rd Guards Rocket Division (Romny, Sumy Oblast), the 35th Rocket Division (Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetia), and the 37th Guards Rocket Division (Lutsk, Volyn Oblast).
On 19 March 1970, the 33rd Guards Rocket Division became part of the army. On 25 May 1972, the 60th Rocket Regiment transferred from control of the 19th Rocket Division to direct army subordination.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “43rd Rocket Army” is military unit. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through 43rd, Rocket and Army, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “military unit” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 2, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4637966. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1991, 1996, 1946 and 1949.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “43rd Rocket Army”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 43rd Rocket Army primary sources, 43rd Rocket Army archive and 43rd research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “43rd Rocket Army”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “43rd Rocket Army” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.