USSR Missile forces and artillery emblem

Day of Missile Forces and Artillery (russian: День ракетных войск и артиллерии) is a holiday celebrated in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

on 19 November.

History

The holiday was first established by a Presidium of

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Верховный Совет Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, r=Verkhovnyy Sovet Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respubl ...

decree on 21 October 1944 as ''Artillery day of

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

'' (russian: День артиллерии Красной Армии). The date was chosen because the Red Army began their successful counter-attack ( Operation Uranus) in the

battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

on 19 November 1942, with much help from the artillery of the Red Army. Since 1964, the holiday bears its present name. In modern Russia, the holiday has the status of ''memorable day''.

References

{{reflist November observances Observances in Russia Autumn events in Russia