43rd Rocket Army

The 43rd Red Banner Rocket Army was an army of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces.

It was formed at Vinnitsa within the Kiev Military District's boundaries on 1 September 1960 from the previous 43rd Air Army of the Long Range Aviation.

In 1961 the 43rd Rocket Army comprised the 44th Rocket Division (Kolomiya, Ivano-Frankovsk Oblast. Previously 73rd Engineer Brigade RVGK at Kamyshin.), ), the 19th Rocket Division (Gaisin, Vinnitsa Oblast), the 50th Rocket Division (Belokorovichi, Zhitomir Oblast), the 46th Rocket Division (Pervomaisk, Luhansk Oblast), 43rd Guards Rocket Division (Romny, Sumy Oblast), the 35th Rocket Division (Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetia), and the 37th Guards Rocket Division (Lutsk, Volyn Oblast).

On 31 March 1990 the 44th Rocket Division at Kolomiya was disbanded. In June 1990 the 50th Rocket Army at Smolensk was disbanded, and two of its divisions were reassigned to the 43rd Rocket Army.

Organisation 1990:
 * 19th Rocket Division (Rakovo, Khmelnytskyi Oblast)
 * 32nd Rocket Division (Postavy, Vitebsk Oblast)
 * 33rd Guards Rocket Division (Mozyr, Gomel Oblast)
 * 37th Guards Rocket Division (Lutsk, Volyn Oblast)
 * 43rd Guards Rocket Division (Romny, Sumy Oblast)
 * 46th Rocket Division (Pervomaisk, Luhansk Oblast)
 * 49th Guards Rocket Division (Lida, Grodno Region, Belorussian SSR) - transferred to 27th Guards Rocket Army from March 1993.
 * 50th Rocket Division (Belokorovichi, Zhitomir Oblast)

The 50th Rocket Division was disbanded 30.4.91, followed by the 43rd Guards Rocket Division 31.12.92 and the 37th Guards Rocket Division 31.12.93.

The 43rd Rocket Army's last commander was Colonel-General Vladimir Alekseevich Mikhtyuk, who served from 10.1.1991 to 8.5.1996. It was finally disbanded on 8 May 1996.

Commanders

 * Colonel-General of Aviation Georgy Nikolaevich Tupikov, 22.11.60 - 25.11.61
 * Colonel-General Pavel Borisovich Dankevich, 25.11.61 - 7.7.62
 * Colonel-General Aleksandr Grigorevich Shevtsov, 24.8.62 - 20.6.66
 * Colonel-General Mikhail Grigorevich Grigorev, 20.6.66 - 25.4.68
 * Colonel-General Aleksey Dmitrievich Melekhin, 25.4.68 - 15.7.74
 * Colonel-General Yury Petrovich Zabegaylov, 15.7.74 - 18.12.75
 * Colonel-General Vadim Serafimovich Nedelin, 18.12.75 - 15.8.82
 * Colonel-General Aleksandr Petrovich Volkov, 15.8.82 - 22.7.87
 * Lieutenant-General Valery Vasilevich Kirilin, 22.7.87 - 10.1.91
 * Colonel-General Vladimir Alekseevich Mikhtyuk, 10.1.91 - 8.5.96