Mitrofan Nedelin
Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 November [O.S. 27 October] 1902 Borisoglebsk, Voronezh Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 24 October 1960 (aged 57) Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Artillery Strategic Rocket Forces |
| Years of service | 1920–1960 |
| Rank | Chief marshal of the artillery |
| Commands | 13th Artillery Regiment (1939–40) Artillery 160th Rifle Division (1940–41) 4th Anti-Tank Brigade (1941) Artillery 18th Army (1941) Artillery 37th Army (1941–43) Artillery 56th Army (1943) V Artillery Corps (1943) Artillery South-Western Front (1943) Artillery 3rd Ukrainian Front (1943–45) Artillery Southern Soviet Group of Forces (1945–46) Chief Artillery Directorate (1948–50) Artillery (1950–52; 1953–55) Deputy Minister of War (1952–53) Deputy Minister of Defence (1955–60) Strategic Missile Force (1959–60) |
| Battles / wars | Russian Civil War Spanish Civil War Winter War World War II |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union |
Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin (Russian: Митрофа́н Ива́нович Неде́лин; 9 November [O.S. 27 October] 1902 – 24 October 1960) was a Soviet military commander who served as Chief Marshal of the Artillery in the Soviet Armed Forces. He oversaw the development of the Soviet ballistic missile program and was appointed as the first Commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces from 1959 until his death.
A long-time member of the Red Army, Nedelin was a veteran of numerous wars and was honored as a Hero of the Soviet Union for his service during the Second World War. On 8 May 1959, Nedelin was promoted to Chief Marshal of the Artillery, and became an important program manager in the development of ICBMs and the Space Race. On 24 October 1960, Nedelin was killed in an explosion at Baikonur Cosmodrome during the eponymous Nedelin catastrophe.