2587th

2587th was a Soviet artillery regiment active during the Cold War era. Formed in 1949 within the Odessa Military District, the unit was designated as the 2587th Self-Propelled Gun Regiment. Its primary mission was to provide direct fire support for armored and mechanized formations, with a focus on rapid deployment and high mobility.

The regiment was equipped with the 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer, a 152mm artillery system capable of firing both high explosive and anti-tank rounds. Over its operational history, the 2587th participated in several internal mobilization exercises and was periodically reassigned to the 24th Army of the Far Eastern Military District. The unit’s structure typically comprised four batteries, each with twelve howitzers, as well as support elements for logistics, maintenance, and command.

In 1975, following a reorganization of Soviet artillery units, the 2587th was disbanded and its personnel reassigned to the 519th Regiment in the 11th Army. The regiment’s honors, including an Order of the Red Star awarded for exemplary performance in the 1963 Moscow Parade, were transferred to the successor unit. Records indicate that the regiment maintained a reputation for operational readiness and was cited in several Soviet military journals for its proficiency in rapid redeployment across challenging terrain.

The legacy of the 2587th reflects broader trends in Soviet artillery doctrine during the Cold War, emphasizing mobile self-propelled artillery as a force multiplier for combined arms operations. Its historical records, maintained by the Russian Ministry of Defense archives, continue to be cited by scholars studying the evolution of mechanized warfare in the former USSR.