Orzyski rozdział historii wojsk rakietowych (1961–1994): dostosowanie Wojska Polskiego do wymogów nowoczesnego pola walki

The beginning of the 1960s was marked by a new stage in the development of the Polish Army. It consisted of the creation of rocket troops. This decision was influenced by political considerations related to membership in the Warsaw Pact and strategic dependence on the Soviet Union. Rocket troops capable of carrying nuclear warheads with tactical (up to 100 km) and operational-tactical (50–450 km) ranges began to be established as part of the ground forces.According to the plan of organisational intentions of the Polish Army for 1959–1965, in 1961 a base was designated in Garrison Orzysz in 1961 for the formation of the first rocket units. It had a solid barracks base, technical facilities, and training ground infrastructure. The 32nd Lusatian Artillery Brigade, a tactical and operational rocket brigade, was then formed there. An Artillery Training Center was also established to prepare personnel scheduled for employment in the rocket armies that were formed subsequently.The changing international situation in the second half of the 1980s led the Polish side to give up on maintaining rocket troops that were offensive in nature. On June 10, 1989, as part of the restructuring of the armed forces, the 32nd Lusatian Artillery Brigade was reformed into the 32nd Specialised Training Centre of the Missile and Artillery Forces, which was finally dissolved in 1994. Thus, this type of unit disappeared from the structures of the Polish Army for more than thirty years.The article examines the scope of tasks as well as organisational changes in the aforementioned military units and their impact on the functioning and development of land-based rocket troops, based on archival documents located in the archives of the Military Historical Office: the Central Military Archive, the Military Archive in Oleśnica and the Military Archive in Toruń, as well as a few scientific studies.