97th Missile Regiment im. 60th Anniversary VLKSM

97-й ракетный полк им. 60-летия ВЛКСМ

Military Unit: 41203

Activated 1955 in Medved, Novgorod Oblast, as the 650th independent Engineer Battalion, under the 72nd Engineer Brigade RVGK.

May 1959 renamed 97th Engineer Regiment, and was transferred to Gvardeisk, Kaliningrad Oblast, attached to the ShRCh (Staff of Reactive Parts).

1.7.60 renamed 97th Missile Regiment, and came under the 24th Guards Missile Division.

The regiment consisted of two battalions with each 4 R-5M (SS-3) pads - both battalions went on on alert duty 1.10.59.

The battalions stood down 5.11.66, and the regiment was relocated to Khmelnitskiy, Khmelnitskiy Oblast, in 8.68 - attached to the 19th Missile Division.

The regiment began conversion to the UR-100 (SS-11) missile in 1969, and went on alert duty 1.12.69 at site BRK-5, with 10 UR-100 (8K84) silos.

Converted to the UR-100U (SS-11 mod.2) in 1973, the UR-100N (SS-19) missile in 1975/1976, and the UR-100NU (SS-19 mod.3) in 1979/1980.

The missiles were removed between October and November 1996, and the regiment officially stood down in 11.96.

Disbanded 1.7.98.

US designation 1958 - 1966: Gvardeysk MRBM complex (Gvardeysk launch site 1 and 2). Type I (pad) sites.

US designation 1969 - 1995: Derazhnya ICBM complex (Launch Group A). Type IIID silos.

Gvardeysk launch site 1 (54 40 40N, 21 07 25E):

Gvardeysk launch site 2 (54 45 19N, 21 09 19E):

Two alternative fixed field sites for the pad launchers, were set up at Geroyskoye (54 45 57N, 21 24 56E) and Vysokoye (54 44 33N, 21 33 48E), but Geroyskoye had become inactive by 1967.

Derazhnya ICBM complex (Launch Group A):