398th Missile Regiment

398-й ракетный полк

Military Unit: 14273

Activated 9.59 in Kozenki, Gomel Oblast, as the 398th Engineer Regiment RVGK, from the 56th Howitzer Artillery Brigade (cadre) - under the 15th Guards Engineer Brigade RVGK.

1.7.60 renamed 398th Missile Regiment, now attached to the 33rd Guards Missile Division.

The regiment consisted of two battalions with each 4 R-12 (SS-4) pads.

The first battalion went on alert duty 1.10.60 (one R-12 pad - no warhead until April 1961), 1.1.61 (one R-12 pad) and 25.9.61 (the two remaining R-12 pads). The second battalion went on alert duty 10.12.61 (four R-12 pads).

The 2nd battalion stood down in 1971 (four R-12 pads), followed by the 1st battalion in 1977 (four R-12 pads).

The regiment went on alert duty 25.12.77 with 9 RSD-10 Pioner-K (15P645K) (SS-20) missiles.

The regiment stood down 1989, and was disbanded 2.90.

US designation 1960-1977: Yelsk MRBM complex (Yelsk launch sites 1 and 2). Type I (pad) sites.

Yelsk launch site 1 (52 02 27N, 21 11 26E):

Yelsk launch site 2 (51 46 54N, 29 17 46E):

One alternative fixed field site for the pad launchers, were set up at Yelsk (51 51 03N, 29 05 12E), but had become inactive by 1967.

Mozyr (Yelsk 1) launch site (1977-1989 RSD-10 missiles) (52 02 27N, 21 11 26E):