50th Air Army Long-Range Aviation

• Formed on May 16, 1942 by the order of the NPO of May 5, 1942 on the basis of the Air Force of the Kalinin Front as the 3rd Air Army ^[1] .
• In April 1946, she was transferred to Smolensk and the command of the 3rd Air Army was reorganized by the Directive of the General Staff into the command of the 1st Air Army of Long-Range Aviation ^[2] .
• In February 1949, in accordance with the directive of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces, the command of the 1st Air Army of Long-Range Aviation was renamed the command of the 50th Air Army of Long-Range Aviation ^[3] .

In the 50s of the XX century, army troops mastered a number of new models of aircraft: Tu-4 , Tu-16 , MiG-15 and MiG-17 . By 1957, units of the association successfully mastered refueling aircraft in the air . Repair and technical bases were created in the army, which in a short time mastered the technology of preparation for combat use of nuclear weapons entering the army. Army aviation regiments mastered the combat use of nuclear weapons and in 1957 made the first drop of a nuclear bomb during the exercises of the Minister of Defense ^[4] .

In 1958, the army headquarters was instructed by long-range aviation commander Marshal Aviation V. A. Sudets to proceed with the formation of missile units in the army ^[4] .

Since August 1958, a group of army control officers and formed units went to one of the first missile formations to study missile technology, and the formation of the first missile regiment, the 115th missile regiment (military unit 18288), began in the army. A missile regiment and a mobile repair and technical base were formed on the basis of the 362nd heavy bomber aviation regiment of the 11th Guards heavy bomber aviation Orel-Berlin Red Banner Division at Seshcha airfield in the Bryansk region ^[4] .

In November 1958, the second missile regiment, the 94th missile regiment (military unit 18291), was formed on the basis of the 454th heavy bomber aviation regiment . In each regiment, 4 squadrons were created. The development of rocketry was carried out by studying a transitional model - the R-2 (8Zh38) missile, under the guidance of a member of the instructor group. The regiments received 4 sets of ground equipment and one training missile R-2 ( 8Zh38 ) ^[4] .

In the spring of 1959, on the basis of the 11th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation, the Oryol-Berlin Red Banner Division , the command of the 25th Missile Division was formed. After the dissolution of the 11th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation, the Oryol-Berlin Red Banner Division , on July 1, 1960, the honorary names and awards of the division were transferred to the 25th Missile Division, and it was renamed the 23rd Guards Missile Orel-Berlin Red Banner Division ^[4] .

In 1959, five more missile regiments and five mobile missile and technical bases were formed in the army, and three missile regiments and three missile and technical bases were transferred from other associations to the army staff ^[4] .

In January-February 1960, all missile regiments and five mobile missile-technical bases were transferred to the Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces. In the fall of 1960, most officers of the army’s command bodies became part of the newly formed command of the 50th missile army of the Strategic Missile Forces ^[4] .

• In connection with the reorganization of the USSR Armed Forces in August 1960, the 50th Long-Range Aviation Army was reorganized ^[4] :
  • Army Directorate - to the Directorate of the 50th Missile Army ;
  • part of the formations - reduced to the 6th separate heavy bomber aviation corps ;
• The 6th Separate Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps on April 30, 1975 was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and became the 6th Separate Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps;
• on the basis of the 6th separate heavy bomber Red Banner Aviation Corps, on August 1, 1980, the 46th Air Army of the All-Russian High Command was deployed, which became subordinate to the Long-Range Aviation Command ;
• June 30, 1990 the 50th Missile Army was disbanded;
• The 46th Air Army of the All-Russian High Command in October 1994 was disbanded.

• Air Force of the Kalinin Front ^[5] (from October 17, 1941);
• 3rd Air Army (May 5, 1942);
• 1st Air Army Long-Range Aviation (April 9, 1946);
• 50th Air Army of Long-Range Aviation (February 20, 1949);
• 50th Missile Army (August 1, 1960);
• Military unit 49707 (until 04.1946).
• Military unit 55135 (after 04.1946).

• 51st Guards Bomber Aviation Corps ( Mogilev ) ^[6] :
  • 11th Guards Bomber Aviation Division ( Shatalovo , Smolensk Region) ^[6] ;
  • 57th Bomber Aviation Division ( Novozybkov , Bryansk Region ) ^[6] ;
• 79th Guards Bomber Aviation Corps ( Bobruisk , Mogilev Region ) ^[6] :
  • 22nd Guards Bomber Aviation Division ( Bobruisk , Mogilev Region ) ^[6] ;
  • 45th Bomber Aviation Division ( Bolbasovo , Vitebsk region) ^[6] .

In 1949, the 79th Guards Bomber Aviation Corps was renamed the 79th Guards Bomber Aviation Corps in connection with the rearmament of the corps' connections to new Tu-4 aircraft , and in 1950 the 51st Guards Bomber Aviation Corps was renamed the 51st Guards heavy bomber aviation corps .

In March 1951, the 160th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division ( division headquarters - Bolbasovo , Vitebsk region) was formed as part of the 79th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps:

• 291st Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (Tu-4, Bolbasovo );
• 402th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (Tu-4, Bolbasovo ).

On November 2, 1951, the 144th Fighter Aviation Division entered the army; the Division was transferred from the 26th Air Army in full force. On July 10, 1957, the division was transferred back to the 26th Air Army .

In February 1955, the 57th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division was transferred to the Baltic Fleet Air Force and renamed the 57th Naval Aviation Division .

In July 1956, the 79th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps and the 51st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps were disbanded, units and formations were transferred directly to the headquarters of the air army.

In December 1959, the 160th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division was disbanded along with the 291st Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment. The 402nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment was transferred to the 45th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division.

By 1958, the army included:

• 11th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division ( Shatalovo , Smolensk Region) ^[6] ;
• 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division ( Bobruisk , Mogilev Region ) ^[6] ;
• 45th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division ( Baranovichi , Brest Region) ^[6] ;
• 160th heavy bomber aviation division ( Bolbasovo , Vitebsk region) ^[6] ;
• 121st separate guards long-range reconnaissance aviation regiment ( Machulishche , Minsk region) ^[6] ;
• 290th separate long-range reconnaissance aviation regiment ( Zyabrovka , Gomel region) ^[6] .

• Headquarters and management of the army - the city of Smolensk.
• Parts and connections - the city of Mogilev , Smolensk region, Bryansk region , Mogilev region , Vitebsk region ^[6] .

•   Aviation Lieutenant General Nikolayenko Evgeny Makarovich , 02.20.1949 - 08.1949
• Aviation Lieutenant General Georgy Semenovich Counters , 08.1949 - 07.1952
•   Aviation Lieutenant General Nikolayenko Evgeny Makarovich , 07.1952 - 01.1956
• Major General of Aviation , Lieutenant General of Aviation Dobysh Fedor Ivanovich , 01.1956 - 07/01/1960

• G.I. Smirnov, retired colonel, honorary member of the Russian Academy of Military Sciences A.V. Suvorova A.I. Yasakov, candidate of historical sciences. History of the 50th Missile Army. Creation and formation (1959-1964) (Russian) . A brief historical background on the 50th Air Army of Long-Range Aviation. . Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation. Smolensk regional office. Council of Veterans of the Strategic Missile Forces (December 22, 2016). Date of treatment December 22, 2016. Archived July 17, 2013.

• There was such an army ...
• 50th Air Army YES
• History of the 50th Missile Army