A Brief History of the Development and Liquidation of the Permanent System of Medical and Technical Tests and Medical Research at the Rzhevka Landfill оr 80 years in the ranks. (1928–2008)

Abstract

Based on open documentary and information sources, the authors of the article show the historical stages of creation, formation, and work in the structure of the Rzhevka research and testing artillery range of a specialized medical unit responsible for the quality and compliance of prototype weapons with the basic ergonomic requirements set out in the tactical and technical specifications for their development. Such a unit was created in 1928 on the initiative of the People’s Commissar of Defense M. N. Tukhachevsky. For 80 years of its interaction with the test site, up to 2008, it made a significant contribution to increasing the combat power of the domestic land and naval artillery. Despite the wide range of experimental studies and the large volume of tasks facing this unit, its employees have always been distinguished by the highest level of professionalism, innate military intelligence, and exemplary responsibility for the execution of the task assigned to them. For such an approach to the profession, the test site testers have always treated colleagues in medical uniforms with great respect. This article tells, about who these people were, what they did for their native country, what universal and moral principles they were guided by.