Kozel'sk (Guards Red Banner Division)
28th Guards Red Banner Missile Division
military unit 54055,
54°02'N 35°46'E

The division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (October 22, 1944), the Pennant of the Minister of Defense "For Courage and Military Valor" (November 19, 1981). In various years, the division was armed with R-9A missiles (from 1964 to 1976), UR-100 (from 1967 to 1977), UR-100N (from 1975 to 1987), UR-100NU (from 1982 to the present). Once deployed at a dozen locations across the Soviet Union, by the early 1990s the SS-11 were deployed at only half a dozen sites: Bershet' [Perm], Drovyanaya, Kozel'sk [Kozelsk], Krasnoyarsk [Gladkaya], Teykovo and Yasnaya [Olovyannaya], and by the late 1990s all had been withdrawn from service. By 2008 Kozelsk was the only remaining SS-19 deployment location. The last re-equipment was carried out in 2013, when the RS-24 Yars complex was installed in 10 silos.

The location of the 28th Guards Red Banner Missile Division, or military unit 54055, is the city of Kozelsk, Kaluga Region, surrounded on all sides by forests, rivers and swamps. On the territory of the division there are 11 military units belonging to various types of troops. This unit belongs to the 27th Missile Army and is an exemplary division of the Strategic Missile Forces. The main activity of the unit is military and civilian personnel on alert duty at a special command console, which is located a few kilometers from the unit.

The Red Banner Guards Missile Division was formed on May 3, 1961 on the basis of the 198 missile brigade, which was created on the basis of the 28 Guards Red Banner Cannon-Artillery Brigade (PABR). 28 pabr was formed in October 1943 on the basis of 2 artillery regiments: 270 corps artillery regiment of the RGK and 390 howitzer artillery regiment. The formation of the brigade took place in the village of Puzanovo, Velizhsky district, Smolensk region. The first brigade commander is Guard Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Iosifovich Osokin.

From the end of 1943, the brigade took part in all major operations of the 1st Baltic Front (Gorodokskaya, Vitebsk, Vitebsk-Orsh, Riga, Memel), participated in battles for the cities of Vitebsk, Gorodok, Nevel, Bauska. For the Riga operation 28 Pabr 22 November 1944 was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The title of "Guards" 28 Pabr inherited from the 270th corps artillery regiment, which in 1943 was awarded the rank of "Guards" and it was renamed the 164th Guards Artillery Regiment of the RGK.

In September 1944, 28 Pabr took part in the Riga operation during the breakthrough of the enemy's defense in the area of Bausska, for which, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 10/22/1944, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The guardsmen celebrated the Victory Day in the town of Priekule, Latvian SSR. In May 1945, the brigade was redeployed from the town of Priekule to the city of Lyubava, and in January 1946 to the city of Vladimir and stayed there until 1960.

On April 21, 1960, 28 parbets were disbanded and on its basis from From May 15 to June 25, 1960, the MKR missile brigade was formed, which was redeployed to the city of Kozelsk. On May 3, 1961, the MKR brigade was reorganized into the Red Banner Missile Guards Division. The annual holiday of the unit was established on October 17, when 28 pubs were formed on that day in 1943. The Combat Banner was awarded to the unit's formation on August 4, 1961.

During the formation of the Strategic Missile Forces, it became the 28th Guards Missile Division. At that time, the division's facilities were located at several sites, that is, on the territory of various military units - No. 11 and 12 (military unit 34060), No. 21 and 22 (military unit 44070) and No. 31 (military unit 54291).

In August 1961, the first missile launch was made from the unit's range, and in March 1964, two formed missile regiments within subunits took up combat duty. The creation of the division intensified in the 1960s - then eleven missile regiments were on alert. VCH54055.

The first rearmament of today's military unit 54055 took place in 1975-1978, at the same time the number of regiments was reduced to 6. Technical re-equipment with the command post "Vybor" took place in 1984, but in 1999 it was eliminated. In 1985, a computing center was formed for the operational calculation of flight tasks and the trajectory of rocket launchers, which continues to operate today.

In September 2007, military unit 54055 lost another regiment, removed from combat duty. As a result of the 2008 military reform, it was planned to completely disband the 28th Guards Missile Division, but instead it was rearmed.

The material and living conditions of service in such a unit as military unit 54055 are generally good. Urgent conscripts live in standard-type barracks, where renovations have been carried out, and paintings are even hung in the rooms. Until they are sworn in, recruits live in a separate room and do not meet with the old ones. There are many women among the contract personnel of the 28th Missile Division, mainly employees of management units and paramedics.

Among the disadvantages of military service is the problem of housing for the families of military personnel. At present, it is problematic to rent or purchase an apartment on the territory of the garrison, and there are interruptions in hot water in hostels. In the military town itself there are about 67 high-rise buildings, so it is quite possible to rent an apartment there. Due to the housing situation, no more than 330 people are accepted for contract service in such a unit as military unit 54055 per year.

There are no hazing and hazing in the unit: some are exemplary, monthly checks are carried out from the command of the Strategic Missile Forces, as well as daily medical and physical examination of soldiers. If there is any suspicion of hazing and hazing, an explanatory letter is written in the name of the commander of military unit 54055.

Civilian personnel are involved in organizing food for the missile men. Meals are served in a queue system, organized as a buffet. Four servicemen eat at one table, officers and conscripts eat together.

The bathing day in the subdivision is held within the framework of the park-economic one, that is, on Saturdays. At the same time, the soldiers receive clean bedding. Laundry plant - on the territory of the garrison, rooms for washing, ironing and haircut - in the barracks. Also in the garrison there is a medical unit, a club, premises for transportation equipment and its repair.

Also, once every two weeks, servicemen solemnly take up combat duty. Not everyone is allowed to use the consoles of mine installations, but only those who have passed a special two-week training. The material and educational base for passing it, as well as for obtaining the main military specialty, was selected in the most careful way.

Shifts of combat duty are built on the principle of the quality of the physical and psychological training of the personnel and officers of military unit 54055. The indicators of psychological compatibility of the duty officers are also taken into account. During duty, coordinates and orders come from the headquarters of the Strategic Missile Forces, and the shift itself consists of representatives of the unit and representatives of the main command of the missile forces. At the end of combat duty, the missilemen are sent to the psychological relief room or to the leisure room. Both rooms are equipped with players, books, periodicals, TVs and upholstered furniture. The walls of the rooms are painted in neutral colors, and in the psychological rehabilitation room there is dim, moderate lighting.

To ensure combat training in the division, the necessary educational and material base has been created, equipped with various educational and training means for training military personnel of the main specialties: from the numbers of combat crews of launch and security, communications specialists, technicians, drivers, cooks, etc.

The formation has built a clear system for the selection of duty shifts and calculations, taking into account the study and analysis of the psychophysiological qualities of servicemen and the psychological compatibility of the numbers of the duty forces, both at the stage of preparation for entering combat duty, and directly during service. Serious attention is paid to the creation of conditions for psychological rehabilitation, the organization of adequate nutrition, medical care and recreation of personnel who have been replaced from duty. The barracks are equipped with rooms for psychological relief and leisure. They are equipped with TVs, DVD-equipment, libraries, periodical files, board games. The highly trained medical staff of the military hospital are ready to provide assistance to all who need it. They have at their disposal modern diagnostic equipment. In the soldiers' canteens, cooks are loving about their work. The main principle in cooking is our children at the dinner table.

An integral part of the activities of the command of the division, the department of educational work is the organization of cultural and leisure work, good rest for missilemen and their families.

The interaction of the division command with local authorities is growing every year. Geographically, the garrison became one with the city of Kozelsk. Not only streets, public institutions, kindergartens and schools have become common, but also social and everyday problems that can only be solved together. Through joint efforts, roads are being repaired, natural gas has been supplied to residential buildings and a boiler house, and the most pressing issue of officer's life - housing - is being resolved. A modern cottage town has grown up on the outskirts of Kozelsk.