638th Guards Missile Regiment

638-й гвардейский ракетный полк

Military Unit: 25585

Activated 1955 in Medved, Novgorod Oblast, as the 638th independent Engineer Battalion, under the 72nd Engineer Brigade RVGK.

1.59 transferred to Lychen, East Germany, attached to the 72nd Engineer Brigade RVGK.

The battalion went on alert duty 1.5.59 with four R-5M (SS-3) pads.

The battalion stood down 8.59, and was transferred to Volkovysk, Grodno Oblast - the R-5M missiles were transferred to the 97th Engineer Regiment at Gvardeysk, Kaliningrad Oblast.

August 1959 renamed 638th Engineer Regiment, now attached to the 83rd Guards Aviation (Missile) Division, and from 1.7.60 the 31st Guards Missile Division.

15.4.61 regimental HQ transferred to Slonim, Grodno Oblast.

The regiment consisted of two battalions with each 4 R-12 (SS-4) pads - both went to alert duty 15.5.60 (eight R-12 pads).

The battalions stood down 10.4.80, and the regiment was transferred to the 49th Guards Missile Division during the same month, and began conversion to the RSD-10 Pioner (SS-20) missile.

The regiment went on alert duty with 9 RSD-10 Pioner-K (15P645K) (SS-20) missiles 25.5.81.

The regiment stood down 1990, and was disbanded shortly thereafter.

US designation: Slonim MRBM complex (Byten launch sites 1 and 2). Type I (pad) sites.

Byten launch site 1 (52 52 11N, 25 21 32E):

Byten launch site 2 (52 55 38N, 25 21 51E):

Two alternative fixed field sites for the pad launchers, were set up at Byten (52 54 08N, 25 21 47E) and Gavinovichi (53 01 30N, 25 38 30E), but both had become inactive by 1967.

Byten launch site 2 (1981-1990, RSD-10 missiles) (52 55 38N, 25 21 51E):

Lychen launch site 1 (1959) (53 10 30N, 13 16 58E):

No drawing.