Marshal Nedelin is a legendary figure, and not only on the Strategic Rocket Forces scale. In 1920 he entered the service in the Red Army. He went from a private to a marshal, at the beginning of the war he commanded an artillery brigade, in 1943 he was appointed commander of the artillery of the South-Western (later renamed to Ukrainian) front. For competent leadership of artillery and courage shown in repelling the large forces of tanks and enemy infantry north-east of Lake Balaton, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. After the war ended, Mitrofan Ivanovich changed several command posts, and in December 1959 an order was signed on his appointment as commander in chief of the newly created type of troops - the Strategic Missile Forces. On November 24, 1960, Marshal Nedelin died tragically at the Baikonur Cosmodrome during the testing of a new nuclear missile.
Strategic missile forces today are the main deterrent for our "partners", the guarantor of Russia's security. And today only rocket launchers, and even then not all, know what the creation of this impenetrable shield was worth.
In the history of the Strategic Missile Forces there were not only heroic, but also tragic pages. One of them is the explosion of the R-16 rocket when launched from the Baikonur training ground. In this disaster, the first commander of the missile forces, artillery marshal Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin, died.
Marshal Nedelin is a legendary figure, and not only on the Strategic Rocket Forces scale. There are different versions of its origin. One by one, he comes from a noble family, the other from a working-class family. In 1920 he entered the service in the Red Army. He went from a private to a marshal, at the beginning of the war he commanded an artillery brigade, in 1943 he was appointed commander of the artillery of the South-Western (later renamed to Ukrainian) front. For competent leadership of artillery and courage shown in repelling the large forces of tanks and enemy infantry north-east of Lake Balaton, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. After the war, Mitrofan Ivanovich changed several command posts, and in December 1959 an order was signed on his appointment as commander in chief of the newly created type of troops - Strategic Rocket Forces.
Marshal Nedelin approached his new post with all responsibility. He was engaged not only in organizing the activities of the Missile Forces, but also actively involved in the development of the first strategic missiles. Under his leadership, tests were carried out of these first samples. Thanks to Nedelin’s interest, the Strategic Missile Forces developed rapidly. But for a long time, the Marshal did not have to lead the most formidable troops in the world.
October 24, 1960, he did not change the tradition - at the Baikonur Cosmodrome he personally took part in the tests of the new intercontinental R-16 rocket. The rocket was launched from an open start. At a safe distance, a concrete bunker was installed that goes underground to a depth of more than 10 meters. In it were all who participated in the preparation of the launch, as well as the equipment necessary to control the rocket. For guests of honor in the open space in front of the bunker. However, only the commander-in-chief decided to take a place there.
Before the start, there were only a few minutes, and at this time, experts said that the diagnosis revealed the threat of unauthorized entry of fuel into the engines of the second stage. Launching under such conditions was risky, so it was decided to conduct additional diagnostics. She confirmed previous results.
In the meantime, a final decision was not made, preparations for the planned launch continued. The system has already started … After 42 years, General Konstantin Gerchik, who held the post of chief of Baikonur in 1960, said: "Contrary to logic and common sense, the R-16 came to us raw, with major defects and shortcomings. But then no one was found, able to report “up” the truth about the unavailability of the R-16 to tests. The calculation was built on “maybe.” We, the testers, were confronted with the fact and became hostages of the situation
.At 18.5 hours an unauthorized start of the second-stage engine occurred, and the escaping hot gas instantly destroyed everyone who was in the zone of its impact. Almost immediately, the first missile block exploded, fuel components scattered many tens of meters in different directions, destroying everything on the way. When the red-hot stream escaped from the rocket, Marshal Nedelin was in the affected area. The remains of him were identified only by the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
The liquid components of the fuel rose up and then settled in the form of poisonous condensate consisting of nitric acid. Everyone who breathed this “air” at least once burned their lungs.
In the disaster on October 24, 1960, 126 people were killed. Another 50 launch participants received injuries and burns.
The media reported the death of the Marshal in a disaster. And for several decades, the biography of the commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces Nedelin ended with the words "… died in the line of duty."
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