42nd Guards Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment

The regiment began to form in May 1917 at the Putilov factory in Petrograd . Then the first detachments of the Red Guard began to form there.

On October 30, 1917 at the Putilov plant, an auto-armored artillery unit was formed, called the “Putilov Steel Artillery Division of the Rail, Air, and Field Battery”, which also included the 2nd anti-aircraft railway battery, which became the founder of the Putilov-Kirov Regiment.

The regiment received its first baptism of fire in February 1918 in battles with the troops of Kaiser Germany.

During the Civil War, the regiment distinguished itself in battles on the Northern Front, where it shot down 8 aircraft and damaged 12.

For fearlessness and heroism shown by the personnel in the battles with the invaders, by order of the Republican Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic of February 7, 1920 No. 53, the battery was awarded the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Red Banner of Honor, which was presented by M. I. Kalinin .

From 1928 to 1939, the regiment was guarded by the oil fields in Baku .

In 1939, the 14th battery of the regiment participated in battles on the Khalkhin-Gol River , where it inflicted significant damage to the enemy. In the same year, the regiment was relocated to Moscow to strengthen its air defense.

During the Great Patriotic War, the regiment defended Moscow. Then the regiment conducted 125 air battles, shooting down 38 enemy aircraft and damaging 104 aircraft.

On November 7, 1942, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, the first regiment in the Air Defense Forces was awarded the guard rank . The regiment became the 72nd guards anti-aircraft artillery regiment.

On June 2, 1943, the 72nd Guards Regiment was transformed into the 1st Guards Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division, and 1 division of the regiment was transformed into the 236th Guards Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment.

From July 1965 to July 1966, a group of soldiers of the regiment participated in military operations in Vietnam as military specialists.

By order of the USSR Minister of Defense of September 22, 1965, the regiment was given the honorary name "Putilov-Kirov".

In October 1992, the regiment was relocated to the city of Valdai .

Starting in 1939, the regiment participated in all military parades on Red Square. From 1939 to 1941, parades took place on May 1 and November 7.

In 1942-1944, parades were not held. In 1945, three parades took place: May 1, June 24 ( Victory Parade ) and November 7. In 1946-1964 and 1966-1968, parades were held on May 1 and November 7. In 1965, parades took place on May 9 and November 7. Since 1969, parades were held only on November 7 (with the exception of 1985 and 1990, when the parades were held on May 9 and November 7). The banner of the regiment was fixed on a machine heading the passage of S-300P anti-aircraft missile systems at the Victory Parade on May 9, 2011.

Since 1995, the regiment has been participating in military parades in Valdai.

On June 12, 2007, the regiment was awarded the Battle Banner of the new model.

• Guard rank (11/11/1942)
• Order of Lenin ^[1]
• By order of the USSR Minister of Defense of September 22, 1965, the regiment was given the honorary name "Putilov-Kirov".

• According to the results of military and political training in 1985, the regiment is listed on the Honor Plate of the advanced military units in the socialist competition of the Soviet Army and Navy ^[2]
• Certificate of Merit of the Moscow Mayor (11/11/1997)

• Veterans website regiment
• Article in the Red Star