From the enemies shakes the soul, and gives his courage! " (On the first combat use of field reactive artillery of the Red Army)
On the eve of the 76th anniversary of the first combat use of the field rocket-launching artilleryof the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War, the author examines the issues of its creation in the interwar years, field trials and acceptance for service. An important place is given to the analysis of the development of the field rocket-launching artilleryof the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War, the psychological impact of its use on the enemy troops and Soviet soldiers. The author gives his judgments on the main advantages and disadvantages of using rocket-launching installations during the war. A special attention in the article is paid to Captain Ivan Flerov, commander of the 1<sup>st</sup> experimental battery of the Red Army’s field rocket-launching artillery.