Osinnikov Roman
1. Introduction
2. Aviation
3. Tanks and self-propelled guns
4. Armored vehicles
5. Other military equipment
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Military equipment of the Great Patriotic War 1941 - 1945 Purpose: to get acquainted with various materials about the Great Patriotic War; find out what military equipment helped our people to win. Completed by: Dudanov Valera, student of the 4th grade Leader: Matyashchuk Larisa Grigorievna
Armored vehicles Other military equipment Tanks and self-propelled guns Aviation
Sturmovik Il - 16
Sturmovik Il - 2 Sturmovik Il - 10
Pe-8 bomber Pe-2 bomber
Tu-2 bomber
Fighter Yak-3 Yak-7 Yak-9
Fighter La-5 Fighter La-7
Tank ISU - 152
Tank ISU - 122
Tank SU - 85
Tank SU - 122
Tank SU - 152
Tank T - 34
Armored car BA-10 Armored car BA-64
Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-31
Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-36
Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-24
Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM - 13N
Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-13
2. http://1941-1945.net.ru/ 3. http://goup32441.narod.ru 4. http://www.bosonogoe.ru/blog/good/page92/
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Military equipment of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.
Plan.
1. Introduction
2. Aviation
3. Tanks and self-propelled guns
4. Armored vehicles
5. Other military equipment
Introduction
The victory over fascist Germany and its allies was won by the joint efforts of the states of the anti-fascist coalition, the peoples who fought against the invaders and their accomplices. But the decisive role in this armed battle was played by Soviet Union. It was the Soviet country that was the most active and consistent fighter against the fascist invaders who sought to enslave the peoples of the whole world.
A significant number of national military formations with a total strength of 550 thousand people were formed on the territory of the Soviet Union, about 960 thousand rifles, carbines and machine guns, more than 40.5 thousand machine guns, 16.5 thousand guns and mortars were donated to their armament , over 2300 aircraft, over 1100 tanks and self-propelled guns. Considerable assistance was also rendered in the training of national command cadres.
The results and consequences of the Great Patriotic War are grandiose in their scope and historical significance. It was not "military happiness", not accidents that led the Red Army to a brilliant victory. The Soviet economy throughout the war successfully coped with providing the front with the necessary weapons and ammunition.
Soviet industry in 1942 - 1944 monthly produced over 2 thousand tanks, while the German industry only in May 1944 reached a maximum of -1450 tanks; field artillery guns in the Soviet Union were produced more than 2 times, and mortars 5 times more than in Germany. The secret of this "economic miracle" lies in the fact that, in fulfilling the intense plans for the war economy, the workers, peasants, and intelligentsia displayed mass labor heroism. Following the slogan “Everything for the front! Everything for the Victory! ”, Regardless of any hardships, the home front workers did everything to give the army perfect weapons, clothe, shoe and feed the soldiers, ensure the uninterrupted operation of transport and the entire national economy. The Soviet military industry surpassed the German fascist not only in quantity, but also in the quality of the main models of weapons and equipment. Soviet scientists and designers radically improved many technological processes, tirelessly created and improved military equipment and weapons. So, for example, the medium tank T-34, which has undergone several modifications, is rightfully considered the best tank of the Great Patriotic War.
Mass heroism, unprecedented stamina, courage and selflessness, selfless devotion to the Motherland of the Soviet people at the front, behind enemy lines, the labor exploits of the workers, peasants and intelligentsia were the most important factor in achieving our Victory. History did not know such examples of mass heroism and labor enthusiasm.
One can name thousands of glorious Soviet soldiers who accomplished remarkable feats in the name of the Motherland, in the name of Victory over the enemy. More than 300 times in the Great Patriotic War, the immortal feat of the infantrymen A.K. Pankratov V.V. Vasilkovsky and A.M. Matrosov. The names of Yu.V. Smirnova, A.P. Maresyev, paratrooper K.F. Olshansky, Panfilov heroes and many, many others. The names of D.M. became a symbol of unbending will and perseverance in the struggle. Karbyshev and M. Jalil. The names of M.A. Egorova and M.V. Kantaria, who hoisted the Banner of Victory over the Reichstag. More than 7 million people who fought on the fronts of the war were awarded orders and medals. 11358 people were awarded the highest degree of military distinction - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
After watching various films about the war, hearing in the media mass media about the approaching 65th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, I became interested in what kind of military equipment helped our people win over Nazi Germany.
Aviation
In the creative competition of design bureaus that developed new fighters at the end of the thirties, the team led by A.S. Yakovlev achieved great success. The experimental I-26 fighter he created was excellently tested and under the brand name Yak-1 was put into mass production. In terms of its aerobatic and combat qualities, the Yak-1 was among the best front-line fighters.
During the Great Patriotic War, it was repeatedly modified. On its basis, more advanced fighters Yak-1M and Yak-3 were created. Yak-1M - single-seat fighter, development of the Yak-1. Created in 1943 in two copies: a prototype N 1 and an understudy. Yak-1M was the lightest and most maneuverable fighter in the world for its time.
Constructors: Lavochkin, Gorbunov, Gudkov - LaGG
The introduction of the aircraft did not go smoothly, since the aircraft and its drawings were still quite "raw", not finalized for serial production. It was not possible to establish in-line production. With the release of serial aircraft and their arrival in military units, wishes and demands began to come to strengthen armament and increase the volume of tanks. An increase in the capacity of gas tanks made it possible to increase the flight range from 660 to 1000 km. Automatic slats were installed, but conventional aircraft were more in the series. Factories, having produced about 100 LaGG-1 machines, began to build its version - LaGG-3. All this was carried out as far as possible, but the aircraft became heavier and its flight qualities decreased. In addition, winter camouflage - a rough paint surface - worsened the aerodynamics of the aircraft (and a prototype dark cherry color was polished to a shine, for which it was called "piano" or "radiola"). The overall weight culture in the LaGG and La aircraft was lower than in the Yak aircraft, where it was brought to perfection. But the survivability of the LaGG (and then La) design was exceptional. LaGG-3 in the first period of the war was one of the main front-line fighters. In 1941-1943. factories built over 6.5 thousand LaGG aircraft.
It was a low-wing cantilever with smooth lines and a retractable landing gear with a tail wheel; it was unique among the fighters of the time because it had an all-wood construction, except for the control surfaces that had a metal frame and fabric covering; the fuselage, tail and wings had a wooden load-bearing structure, to which diagonal strips of plywood were attached using phenol-formaldehyde rubber.
Over 6,500 LaGG-3s were built, with later variants having retractable tailwheels and the ability to carry drop fuel tanks. Armament included a 20 mm cannon firing through a propeller hub, two 12.7 mm (0.5 inch) machine guns, and underwing mounts for unguided rockets or light bombs.
The armament of the serial LaGG-3 consisted of one ShVAK cannon, one or two BS and two ShKAS, 6 RS-82 shells were also suspended. There were also production aircraft with a 37 mm Shpitalny Sh-37 (1942) and Nudelman NS-37 (1943) cannon. The LaGG-3 with the Sh-37 cannon was called the "tank destroyer".
In the mid-30s, there was, perhaps, no fighter that would have enjoyed such wide popularity in aviation circles as the I-16 (TsKB-12), designed by a team headed by N.N. Polikarpov.
In my own way appearance and flight qualities I-16 sharply different from most of his serial contemporaries.
The I-16 was created as a high-speed fighter, which simultaneously pursued the goal of achieving maximum maneuverability for air combat. To do this, the center of gravity in flight was aligned with the center of pressure by about 31% of the MAR. There was an opinion that in this case the aircraft would be more maneuverable. In fact, it turned out that the I-16 became practically insufficiently stable, especially in gliding, it required a lot of attention from the pilot, and reacted to the slightest movement of the handle. And along with this, there was, perhaps, no aircraft that would have made such a great impression on contemporaries with its high-speed qualities. The small I-16 embodied the idea of a high-speed aircraft, which, moreover, performed aerobatics very effectively, and favorably differed from any biplanes. After each modification, the speed, ceiling and armament of the aircraft increased.
The armament of the I-16, issued in 1939, consisted of two cannons and two machine guns. Aircraft of the first series received a baptism of fire in battles with the Nazis in the skies of Spain. On machines of subsequent releases with installations for rockets, our pilots smashed the Japanese militarists at Khalkhin Gol. I-16s took part in battles with Nazi aircraft in the first period of the Great Patriotic War. Heroes of the Soviet Union G. P. Kravchenko, S. I. Gritsevets, A. V. Vorozheikin, V. F. Safonov and other pilots fought and won many victories on these fighters twice.
I-16 type 24 took part in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. I-16, adapted for a dive bombing strike /
One of the most formidable combat aircraft of World War II, the Ilyushin Il-2 was produced in huge numbers. Soviet sources call the figure 36163 aircraft. A characteristic feature of the two-seat aircraft TsKB-55 or BSh-2, developed in 1938 by Sergei Ilyushin and his Central Design Bureau, was an armored shell that was integral with the fuselage structure and protected the crew, engine, radiators and fuel tank. The aircraft was perfectly suited to the role of attack aircraft assigned to it, as it was well protected when attacking from low altitudes, but it was abandoned in favor of a lighter single-seat model - the TsKB-57 aircraft, which had an AM-38 engine with a power of 1268 kW (1700 hp). s.), a raised, well-streamlined cockpit canopy, two 20 mm cannons instead of two of the four machine guns mounted on the wing, and underwing rocket launchers. The first prototype took off on October 12, 1940.
Serial copies, designated IL-2, in general, they were similar to the TsKB-57 model, but had a modified windshield and a shortened fairing at the rear of the cockpit canopy. The single-seat version of the Il-2 quickly proved to be a highly effective weapon. However, losses during 1941-42. due to the lack of escort fighters, they were very large. In February 1942, it was decided to return to the two-seat version of the Il-2 in accordance with Ilyushin's original concept. The Il-2M aircraft had a gunner in the rear cockpit under a common canopy. Two of these aircraft were flight tested in March, and production aircraft appeared in September 1942. A new version of the Il-2 Type 3 (or Il-2m3) aircraft first appeared in Stalingrad in early 1943.
Il-2 aircraft were used by the USSR Navy for anti-ship operations, in addition, specialized Il-2T torpedo bombers were developed. On land, this aircraft was used, if necessary, for reconnaissance and setting smoke screens.
In the last year of World War II, Il-2 aircraft were used by Polish and Czechoslovak units flying together with the Soviet ones. These attack aircraft remained in service with the USSR Air Force for several post-war years and for a slightly longer time in other countries of Eastern Europe.
In order to provide a replacement for the Il-2 attack aircraft, two different experimental aircraft were developed in 1943. The Il-8 variant, while retaining a close resemblance to the Il-2, was equipped with a more powerful AM-42 engine, had a new wing, horizontal tail unit and landing gear, combined with the fuselage of a late-production Il-2 aircraft. It was flight tested in April 1944 but abandoned in favor of the Il-10, which was a completely new development of all-metal construction and an improved aerodynamic shape. Mass production began in August 1944, and evaluation in active regiments two months later. For the first time this aircraft began to be used in February 1945, and by the spring its production reached its peak. Before the surrender of Germany, many regiments were re-equipped with these attack aircraft; a significant number of them took part in short but large-scale actions against the Japanese invaders in Manchuria and Korea during August 1945.
During the Great Patriotic War Pe-2 was the most massive Soviet bomber. These aircraft took part in battles on all fronts, were used by land and naval aviation as bombers, fighters, and reconnaissance aircraft.
In our country, the Ar-2 A.A. became the first dive bomber. Arkhangelsky, which was a modernization of the Security Council. The Ar-2 bomber was developed almost in parallel with the future Pe-2, but was put into mass production faster, since it was based on a well-developed aircraft. However, the design of the S B was already quite outdated, so there were practically no prospects for the further development of the Ar-2. A little later, a small series (five pieces) of the SPB N.N. Polikarpov, which surpassed the Ar-2 in terms of armament and flight characteristics. Since numerous accidents occurred during flight tests, after a long refinement of this machine, work was stopped.
During the tests of the "hundredth" there were several accidents. The right engine of Stefanovsky’s plane failed, and he hardly landed the car at the maintenance site, miraculously “jumping” over the hangar and the goats stacked around it. The second plane, the “understudy”, on which A.M. Khripkov and P.I. Perevalov flew, also crashed. After takeoff, a fire broke out on it, and the pilot, blinded by smoke, landed on the first available platform, crushing the people who were there.
Despite these accidents, the aircraft showed high flight performance and it was decided to build it in series. An experienced "weave" was demonstrated at the May Day parade of 1940. State tests of the "weave" ended on May 10, 1940, and on June 23 the aircraft was accepted for serial production. The production aircraft had some differences. The most noticeable external change was the shift forward of the cockpit. Behind the pilot, slightly to the right, was the navigator's seat. The bow was glazed from below, which made it possible to aim while bombing. The navigator had a ShKAS machine gun firing backwards on a pivot mount. Behind the back
Serial production of Pe-2 unfolded very quickly. In the spring of 1941, these vehicles began to enter combat units. On May 1, 1941, a Pe-2 regiment (95th Colonel S.A. Pestov) flew over Red Square in parade formation. These machines were “appropriated” by the 13th air division of F.P. Polynov, who, having independently studied them, successfully used them in battles on the territory of Belarus.
Unfortunately, by the beginning of hostilities, the machine was still poorly mastered by pilots. Here, the comparative complexity of the aircraft, and the tactics of dive bombing, which were fundamentally new for Soviet pilots, and the absence of dual-control "spark" aircraft, and design defects, in particular, insufficient chassis cushioning and poor fuselage sealing, which increased the fire hazard, played a role. Subsequently, it was also noted that takeoff and landing on the Pe-2 is much more difficult than on the domestic SB or DB-3, or the American Douglas A-20 Boston. In addition, the flight crew of the rapidly growing Soviet Air Force was inexperienced. For example, in the Leningrad District, more than half of the flight personnel graduated from aviation schools in the autumn of 1940 and had very few flying hours.
Despite these difficulties, units armed with Pe-2s fought successfully already in the first months of the Great Patriotic War.
On the afternoon of June 22, 1941, 17 Pe-2 aircraft of the 5th Bomber Aviation Regiment bombed the Galatsky Bridge across the Prut River. This high-speed and quite maneuverable aircraft could operate during the day in conditions of enemy air superiority. So, on October 5, 1941, the crew of Art. lieutenant Gorslikhin took the fight with nine German Bf 109 fighters and shot down three of them.
On January 12, 1942, V.M. Petlyakov died in a plane crash. The Pe-2 plane, on which the designer was flying, fell into a heavy snowfall on the way to Moscow, lost orientation and crashed into a hill near Arzamas. The place of the chief designer was briefly taken by A.M.Izakson, and then he was replaced by A.I.Putilov.
The front badly needed modern bombers.
Since the autumn of 1941, Pe-2s have already been actively used on all fronts, as well as in naval aviation of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets. The formation of new units was carried out at an accelerated pace. For this, the most experienced pilots were attracted, including test pilots from the Air Force Research Institute, from which a separate regiment of Pe-2 aircraft (410th) was formed. During the counter-offensive near Moscow, Pe-2s already accounted for about a quarter "of the bombers concentrated for the operation. However, the number of bombers produced was still insufficient. In the 8th Air Army near Stalingrad on July 12, 1942, out of 179 bombers, there were only 14 Pe-2s and one Pe-3, i.e. about 8%.
Pe-2 regiments were often transferred from place to place, using them in the most dangerous areas. Near Stalingrad, the 150th regiment of Colonel I.S. Polbin (later general, commander of the air corps) became famous. This regiment performed the most responsible tasks. Having mastered dive bombing well, the pilots delivered powerful blows to the enemy during the day. So, for example, a large gasoline storage facility was destroyed near the Morozovsky farm. When the Germans organized an "air bridge" to Stalingrad, dive bombers participated in the destruction of German transport aircraft at airfields. On December 30, 1942, six Pe-2s of the 150th regiment burned 20 German three-engine Junkers Ju52 / 3m aircraft in Tormosin. In the winter of 1942–1943, a Baltic Fleet Air Force dive bomber bombed the bridge across the Narva, making it difficult to supply German troops near Leningrad (the bridge was being restored for a month).
During the “battles, the tactics of the Soviet dive bombers also changed. At the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, strike groups of 30-70 aircraft were already used instead of the previous “triples” and “nines”. Here was born the famous Polbinskaya "turntable" - a giant inclined wheel of dozens of dive-bombers, covering each other from the tail and alternately inflicting well-aimed blows. In the conditions of street fighting, Pe-2s acted from low altitudes with extreme precision.
However, experienced pilots were still in short supply. Bombs were dropped mainly from level flight, young pilots did not fly well on instruments.
In 1943, V.M. Myasishchev, also a former “enemy of the people”, and later a well-known Soviet aircraft designer, creator of heavy strategic bombers, was appointed head of the design bureau. He was faced with the task of modernizing the Pe-2 in relation to the new conditions at the front.
Enemy aviation developed rapidly. In the autumn of 1941, the first Messerschmitt Bf.109F fighters appeared on the Soviet-German front. The situation demanded that the characteristics of the Pe-2 be brought into line with the capabilities of the new enemy aircraft. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the maximum speed of the Pe-2 of the 1942 production even slightly decreased compared to the pre-war production aircraft. The additional weight, due to more powerful weapons, armor, and the deterioration in assembly quality also affected here (women and teenagers mostly worked at the factories, who, with all their efforts, lacked the skill of regular workers). Poor-quality sealing of aircraft, poor fit of skin sheets, etc. were noted.
Since 1943, Pe-2s have taken first place in the number of machines of this type in bomber aircraft. In 1944, Pe-2s took part in almost all major offensive operations of the Soviet Army. In February, 9 Pe-2s destroyed the bridge across the Dnieper near Rogachov with direct hits. The Germans pressed to the shore were destroyed by Soviet troops. At the beginning of the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation, the 202nd air division delivered powerful blows to the airfields in Uman and Khristinovka. In March 1944, Pe-2s of the 36th Regiment destroyed German crossings on the Dniester River. Dive-bombers also proved to be very effective in the mountainous conditions of the Carpathians. 548 Pe-2s took part in aviation training before the offensive in Belarus. June 29, 1944 Pe-2 destroyed the bridge over the Berezina - the only way out of the Belarusian "cauldron".
Naval aviation widely used the Pe-2 against enemy ships. True, the short range and the relatively weak instrumentation of the aircraft interfered here, but in the conditions of the Baltic and Black Seas these aircraft operated quite successfully - the German cruiser Niobe and a number of large transports were sunk with the participation of dive bombers.
In 1944, the average accuracy of bombing increased by 11% compared to 1943. A considerable contribution here was made by the already well-mastered Pe-2s.
They did not do without these bombers at the final stage of the war. They operated throughout Eastern Europe, accompanying the offensive of the Soviet troops. Pe-2s played an important role in the assault on Koenigsberg and the Pillau naval base. A total of 743 Pe-2 and Tu-2 dive bombers took part in the Berlin operation. For example, on April 30, 1945, one of the targets of the Pe-2 was the Gestapo building in Berlin. Apparently, the last Pe-2 sortie in Europe took place on May 7, 1945. Soviet pilots destroyed the runway at the Sirava airfield, from where German planes were going to fly to Sweden.
Pe-2s also participated in a short campaign on Far East. In particular, dive bombers of the 34th Bomber Regiment, during attacks on the ports of Rashin and Seishin in Korea, sank three transports and two tankers and damaged five more transports.
Production of the Pe-2 ceased in the winter of 1945-1946.
Pe-2 - the main aircraft of the Soviet bomber aviation - played an outstanding role in achieving victory in the Great Patriotic War. This aircraft was used as a bomber, reconnaissance, fighter (it was not used only as a torpedo bomber). Pe-2s fought on all fronts and in naval aviation of all fleets. In the hands of Soviet pilots, the Pe-2 fully revealed its capabilities. Speed, maneuverability, powerful armament plus strength, reliability and survivability were its hallmarks. Pe-2 was popular with pilots, who often preferred this car to foreign ones. From the first to last day Great Patriotic War "Pawn" served faithfully.
Airplane Petlyakov Pe-8 was the only heavy four-engine bomber in the USSR during World War II.
In October 1940 as standard power plant a diesel engine was chosen. During the bombing of Berlin in August 1941, it turned out that they were also unreliable. It was decided to stop using diesel engines. By that time, the designation TB-7 had been changed to Pe-8, and by the end of serial production in October 1941, a total of 79 of these aircraft had been built; by the end of 1942, about 48 of the total number of aircraft were equipped with ASh-82FN engines. One aircraft with AM-35A engines made an excellent flight with stopovers from Moscow to Washington and back from May 19 to June 13, 1942. The surviving aircraft were intensively used in 1942-43. for close support, and from February 1943 to deliver 5,000 kg bombs for precision attack on special targets. After the war, in 1952, two Pe-8s played a key role in the founding of the Arctic station, flying 5,000 km (3,107 miles) non-stop.
Creation of an aircraft Tu-2 (front-line bomber) began at the end of 1939 by a design team led by A.N. Tupolev. In January 1941, he went to the test, an experimental aircraft, designated "103". In May of the same year, tests began on its improved version "103U", which was distinguished by stronger defensive weapons, a changed arrangement of the crew, which consisted of a pilot, a navigator (if necessary, he could be a gunner), a radio operator gunner and a gunner. The aircraft was equipped with AM-37 high-altitude engines. On tests, the aircraft "103" and "103U" showed outstanding flight qualities. In terms of speed at medium and high altitudes, flight range, bomb load and the power of defensive weapons, they significantly exceeded the Pe-2. At altitudes of more than 6 km, they flew faster than almost all serial fighters, both Soviet and German, second only to the domestic MiG-3 fighter.
In July 1941, it was decided to launch the "103U" in a series. However, in the context of the outbreak of war and the large-scale evacuation of aviation enterprises, it was not possible to organize the production of AM-37 engines. Therefore, the designers had to remake the aircraft for other engines. They were M-82 A.D. Shvedkov, which had just begun to be mass-produced. Aircraft of this type have been used on the fronts since 1944. Production of this type of bomber continued for several more years after the war, until they were replaced by jet bombers. A total of 2547 aircraft were built.
18 red-star fighters of the Yak-3 type, raised from the front-line airfield, met 30 enemy fighters over the battlefield on a July day in 1944. In a fleeting fierce battle, the Soviet pilots won a complete victory. They shot down 15 fascist planes, and lost only one. The battle confirmed once again the high skill of our pilots and the excellent qualities of the new Soviet fighter.
Aircraft Yak-3 created in 1943 a team headed by A.S. Yakovlev, developing the Yak-1M fighter, which had already justified itself in battles. The Yak-3 differed from its predecessor by a smaller wing (its area is 14.85 square meters instead of 17.15) with the same fuselage dimensions and a number of aerodynamic and structural improvements. It was one of the lightest fighters in the world in the first half of the forties.
Taking into account the experience of the combat use of the Yak-7 fighter, the comments and suggestions of the pilots, A.S. Yakovlev made a number of significant changes to the machine.
In essence, it was a new aircraft, although the factories during its construction needed to make very small changes in production technology and equipment. Therefore, they were able to quickly master the upgraded version of the fighter, called the Yak-9. Since 1943, the Yak-9 has become, in essence, the main air combat aircraft. It was the most massive type of front-line fighter aircraft in our Air Force during the Great Patriotic War. In terms of speed, maneuverability, flight range and armament, the Yak-9 surpassed all serial fighters of Nazi Germany. At combat altitudes (2300-4300 m), the fighter developed speeds of 570 and 600 km/h, respectively. For a set of 5 thousand meters, 5 minutes was enough for him. The maximum ceiling reached 11 km, which made it possible to use the Yak-9 in the country's air defense system to intercept and destroy enemy high-altitude aircraft.
During the war, the design bureau created several modifications of the Yak-9. They differed from the main type mainly in armament and fuel supply.
The team of the design bureau, headed by S.A. Lavochkin, in December 1941 completed the modification of the LaGG-Z fighter, which was being mass-produced, for the ASh-82 radial engine. Alterations were relatively small, the dimensions and design of the aircraft were preserved, but due to the larger midsection of the new engine, a second, inoperative skin was placed on the sides of the fuselage.
Already in September 1942, fighter regiments equipped with machines La-5 , participated in the battle of Stalingrad and achieved major successes. The battles showed that the new Soviet fighter has serious advantages over fascist aircraft of the same class.
The efficiency of performing a large amount of finishing work during the tests of the La-5 was largely determined by the close interaction of the design bureau of S.A. Lavochkin with the Air Force Research Institute, LII, TsIAM and the design bureau of A.D. Shvetsov. Thanks to this, it was possible to quickly resolve many issues related mainly to the layout of the power plant, and bring the La-5 to the series before another fighter appeared on the conveyor instead of the LaGG.
The production of the La-5 was rapidly increasing, and already in the autumn of 1942, the first aviation regiments appeared near Stalingrad, which were armed with this fighter. I must say that the La-5 was not the only option for converting the LaGG-Z to the M-82 engine. Back in the summer of 1941. a similar modification was carried out in Moscow under the leadership of M. I. Gudkov (the aircraft was called Gu-82). This aircraft received a good review from the Air Force Research Institute. The subsequent evacuation and, apparently, the underestimation at that moment of the importance of such work greatly delayed the testing and refinement of this fighter.
As for the La-5, it quickly won recognition. High horizontal flight speeds, good rate of climb and throttle response, combined with better vertical maneuverability than the LaGG-Z, led to a sharp qualitative leap in the transition from LaGG-Z to La-5. The air-cooled motor had greater survivability than the liquid-cooled motor, and at the same time was a kind of protection for the pilot from fire from the front hemisphere. Using this property, the pilots flying the La-5 boldly launched frontal attacks, imposing on the enemy a battle tactic that was beneficial to them.
But all the advantages of La-5 at the front did not appear immediately. At first, due to a number of "childhood illnesses" fighting qualities decreased significantly. Of course, during the transition to serial production, the flight data of the La-5 deteriorated somewhat compared to its prototype, but not as significantly as that of other Soviet fighters. Thus, the speed at low and medium altitudes decreased by only 7-11 km / h, the rate of climb remained almost unchanged, and the turn time, thanks to the installation of slats, even decreased from 25 to 22.6 s. However, it was difficult to realize the maximum capabilities of a fighter in combat. Overheating of the motor limited the time for using maximum power, the oil system needed to be improved, the air temperature in the cockpit reached 55-60 ° C, the emergency canopy reset system and the quality of the plexiglass needed to be improved. In 1943, 5047 La-5 fighters were produced.
From the first days of their appearance on front-line airfields, La-5 fighters have proven themselves excellently in battles with Nazi invaders. The pilots liked the maneuverability of the La-5, their ease of control, powerful armament, tenacious star-shaped engine, which protected well from fire in front, and a fairly high speed. On these machines, our pilots won many brilliant victories.
The design team of S.A. Lavochkin persistently improved the machine that justified itself. At the end of 1943, its modification, La-7, was released.
Accepted for serial production of La-7 in Last year war became one of the main front-line fighters. On this plane, I.N. Kozhedub, who was awarded three gold stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union, won most of his victories.
Tanks and self-propelled guns
Tank T-60 was created in 1941 as a result of a deep modernization of the T-40 tank, carried out under the leadership of N.A. Astrov in the conditions of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Compared to the T-40, it had enhanced armor protection and more powerful weapons - a 20-mm cannon instead of a heavy machine gun. This serial tank was the first to use a device for heating the engine coolant in winter. Modernization achieved an improvement in the main combat characteristics while simplifying the design of the tank, but at the same time, combat capabilities were narrowed - buoyancy was eliminated. Like the T-40 tank, the T-60 chassis uses four rubber-coated road wheels on board, three support rollers, a drive wheel located in front and a rear steering wheel. Suspension individual torsion bar.
However, in the face of a shortage of tanks, the main advantage of the T-60 was the ease of production at automobile plants with the widespread use of automotive components and mechanisms. The tank was produced simultaneously at four factories. In just a short time, 6045 T-60 tanks were produced, which played an important role in the battles of the initial period of the Great Patriotic War.
Self-propelled gun ISU-152
Heavy self-propelled artillery mount ISU-122 was armed with a 122-mm field gun of the 1937 model, adapted for installation in the SU. And when the design team, headed by F.F. Petrov, created a 122-mm tank gun of the 1944 model, it was also installed on the ISU-122. The vehicle with the new gun was called the ISU-122S. The 1937 model gun had a piston breech, and the 1944 model gun had a semi-automatic wedge. In addition, it was equipped with a muzzle brake. All this made it possible to increase the rate of fire from 2.2 to 3 rounds per minute. The armor-piercing projectile of both systems weighed 25 kg and had an initial velocity of 800 m/s. Ammunition consisted of separate loading shots.
The vertical aiming angles of the guns were somewhat different: on the ISU-122 they ranged from -4° to +15°, and on the ISU-122S - from -2° to +20°. The horizontal aiming angles were the same - 11° in each direction. The combat weight of the ISU-122 was 46 tons.
The ISU-152 self-propelled gun based on the IS-2 tank did not differ in any way from the ISU-122 except for the artillery system. It was equipped with a 152-mm howitzer-gun of the 1937 model with a piston bolt, the rate of which was 2.3 rounds per minute.
The crew of the ISU-122, like the ISU-152, consisted of a commander, gunner, loader, lock and driver. The hexagonal conning tower is fully armored. The gun mounted on the machine (on the ISU-122S in a mask) is shifted to the starboard side. In the fighting compartment, in addition to weapons and ammunition, there were fuel and oil tanks. The driver sat in front to the left of the gun and had his own observation devices. The commander's cupola was missing. The commander conducted surveillance through the periscope in the roof of the cabin.
Self-propelled gun ISU-122
As soon as the IS-1 heavy tank entered service at the end of 1943, it was decided to create a fully armored self-propelled gun based on it. At first, this met with some difficulties: after all, the IS-1 had a hull noticeably narrower than the KV-1s, on the basis of which the SU-152 heavy self-propelled gun with a 152-mm howitzer-gun was created in 1943. However, the efforts of the designers of the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant and gunners under the leadership of F.F. Petrov were crowned with success. By the end of 1943, 35 self-propelled guns armed with a 152-mm howitzer-gun were produced.
ISU-152 was distinguished by powerful armor protection and artillery system, good driving performance. The presence of panoramic and telescopic sights made it possible to fire both direct fire and from closed firing positions. The simplicity of the device and operation contributed to the rapid development of its crews, which in wartime was extremely important. This machine, armed with a 152-mm howitzer gun, was mass-produced from the end of 1943. Its weight was 46 tons, armor thickness - 90 mm, the crew consisted of 5 people. Diesel power 520 l. with. accelerated the car to 40 km / h.
Later, on the basis of the ISU-152 self-propelled gun chassis, several more heavy self-propelled guns were developed, on which high-power guns of 122 and 130 mm calibers were installed. The mass of the ISU-130 was 47 tons, the thickness of the armor was 90 mm, the crew consisted of 4 people. Diesel engine with a capacity of 520 liters. with. provided a speed of 40 km / h. The 130-mm cannon mounted on the self-propelled gun was a modification of a naval gun, adapted for mounting in the conning tower of the vehicle. To reduce the gas contamination of the fighting compartment, it was equipped with a system for purging the barrel with compressed air from five cylinders. ISU-130 passed front-line tests, but was not accepted into service.
The heavy self-propelled artillery mount ISU-122 was armed with a 122-mm field gun of the model
Heavy Soviet self-propelled artillery mounts played a huge role in achieving victory. They proved themselves excellently during street fighting in Berlin and during the assault on the powerful fortifications of Koenigsberg.
In the 50s, the ISU self-propelled guns, which remained in service with the Soviet Army, underwent modernization, like the IS-2 tanks. In total, the Soviet industry produced more than 2400 ISU-122 and more than 2800 ISU-152.
In 1945, on the basis of the IS-3 tank, another model of heavy self-propelled guns was designed, which received the same name as the machine developed in 1943 - ISU-152. A feature of this machine was that the common frontal sheet was given a rational angle of inclination, and the lower side plates of the hull had reverse angles of inclination. Combat and control departments were combined. The mechanic was located in the conning tower and monitored through a periscope viewing device. A target designation system specially created for this machine connected the commander with the gunner and driver. However, with many advantages, a large angle of inclination of the walls of the cabin, a significant amount of recoil of the howitzer gun barrel and the alignment of compartments made the work of the crew much more difficult. Therefore, the ISU-152 of the 1945 model was not adopted for service. The machine was made in a single copy.
Self-propelled gun SU-152
In the autumn of 1942, at the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant, designers led by L. S. Troyanov created the SU-152 (KV-14) self-propelled gun based on the heavy tank KB-1s, designed to fire at troop concentrations, long-term strongholds and armored objects.
Regarding its creation in the History of the Great Patriotic War, there is a modest mention: “On the instructions of the State Defense Committee, at the Kirov plant in Chelyabinsk, within 25 days (a unique period in the history of world tank building!) A prototype of the self-propelled artillery mount SU- 152, which entered production in February 1943.
The baptism of fire self-propelled guns SU-152 received on Kursk Bulge. Their appearance on the battlefield was for German tankers complete surprise. These self-propelled guns proved to be excellent in single combat with the German "Tigers", "Panthers" and "Elephants". Their armor-piercing shells pierced the armor of enemy vehicles, tore off their towers. For this, the front-line soldiers lovingly called heavy self-propelled guns "St. John's wort". The experience gained in the design of the first Soviet heavy self-propelled guns was subsequently used to create similar weapons based on heavy IS tanks.
Self-propelled gun SU-122
On October 19, 1942, the State Defense Committee decided to create self-propelled artillery mounts - light ones with 37-mm and 76-mm guns and medium ones with 122-mm guns.
Production of the SU-122 continued at Uralmashzavod from December 1942 to August 1943. During this time, the plant produced 638 self-propelled units of this type.
In parallel with the development of drawings for a serial self-propelled gun, work began on its cardinal improvement back in January 1943.
As for the serial SU-122, since April 1943, the formation of self-propelled artillery regiments with the same type of vehicles began. In such a regiment there were 16 self-propelled guns SU-122, which until the beginning of 1944 continued to be used to escort infantry and tanks. However, this use of it was not effective enough due to the low initial velocity of the projectile - 515 m / s - and, consequently, the low flatness of its trajectory. The new self-propelled artillery mount SU-85, which had been delivered to the troops since August 1943 in much larger quantities, quickly pressed its predecessor on the battlefield.
Self-propelled gun SU-85
The experience of using the SU-122 installations showed that they have too low a rate of fire to perform the tasks of escorting and supporting tanks, infantry and cavalry with fire. The troops needed an installation armed with a faster rate of fire.
Self-propelled guns SU-85 entered service with individual self-propelled artillery regiments (16 units in each regiment) and were widely used in the battles of the Great Patriotic War.
The heavy tank IS-1 was developed at the design bureau of the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant in the second half of 1942 under the leadership of Zh. Ya. Kotin. The KV-13 was taken as the basis, on the basis of which two experimental versions of the new heavy machine IS-1 and IS-2 were made. Their difference was in armament: the IS-1 had a 76-mm cannon, the IS-2 had a 122-mm howitzer cannon. The first prototypes of IS tanks had a five-roller undercarriage, made according to the type of undercarriage of the KV-13 tank, from which the outlines of the hull and the general layout of the vehicle were also borrowed.
Almost simultaneously with the IS-1, the production of a more powerfully armed model IS-2 (object 240) began. The newly created 122-mm D-25T tank gun (originally with a piston breech) with an initial projectile velocity of 781 m/s made it possible to hit all major types of German tanks at all combat ranges. On an experimental basis, an 85-mm high-power cannon with an initial projectile velocity of 1050 m / s and a 100-mm S-34 cannon were installed on the IS tank.
Under the brand name IS-2 in October 1943, the tank was accepted into mass production, which was deployed in early 1944.
In 1944, the IS-2 was upgraded.
The IS-2 tanks entered service with individual heavy tank regiments, which were already given the name "Guards" when they were formed. At the beginning of 1945, several separate guards heavy tank brigades were formed, each including three heavy tank regiments. The IS-2 was first used in the Korsun-Shevchenko operation, and then participated in all operations of the final period of the Great Patriotic War.
The last tank created during the Great Patriotic War was the heavy IS-3 (object 703). It was developed in 1944–1945 at experimental plant No. 100 in Chelyabinsk under the leadership of the chief designer M. F. Balzhi. Serial production began in May 1945, during which 1170 combat vehicles were produced.
IS-3 tanks, contrary to popular belief, were not used in the hostilities of the Second World War, but on September 7, 1945, one tank regiment, which these combat vehicles were armed with, took part in the parade of the Red Army units in Berlin in honor of the victory over Japan, and IS-3 made a strong impression on the Western allies of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition.
Tank KV
In accordance with the decision of the USSR Defense Committee, at the end of 1938, at the Kirov Plant in Leningrad, the design of a new heavy tank with anti-cannon armor, called SMK ("Sergey Mironovich Kirov"), began. The development of another heavy tank, called the T-100, was carried out by the Leningrad Experimental Machine Building Plant named after Kirov (No. 185).
In August 1939, the SMK and KB tanks were made in metal. At the end of September, both tanks took part in the demonstration of new models of armored vehicles at the NIBTPolygon in Kubinka near Moscow, and on December 19, the KB heavy tank was adopted by the Red Army.
The KB tank showed its best side, but it quickly became clear that the 76-mm L-11 gun was weak for fighting pillboxes. Therefore, in a short time, they developed and built the KV-2 tank with an oversized turret, armed with a 152-mm M-10 howitzer. By March 5, 1940, three KV-2s were sent to the front.
In fact, serial production of the KV-1 and KV-2 tanks began in February 1940 at the Leningrad Kirov Plant.
However, under the conditions of the blockade, it was impossible to continue the production of tanks. Therefore, from July to December, the evacuation of the Kirov Plant from Leningrad to Chelyabinsk was carried out in several stages. On October 6, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant was renamed the Kirov Plant of the People's Commissariat of Tank Industry - ChKZ, which became the only manufacturer of heavy tanks until the end of World War II.
The tank of the same class as the KB - "Tiger" - appeared with the Germans only at the end of 1942. And then fate played a second cruel joke with KB: it instantly became outdated. KB was simply powerless against the "Tiger" with its "long paw" - an 88-mm cannon with a barrel length of 56 calibers. "Tiger" could hit KB at distances beyond the limits for the latter.
The appearance of the KV-85 allowed the situation to be somewhat smoothed out. But these vehicles were mastered late, there were few of them, and they could not make a significant contribution to the fight against German heavy tanks. A more serious opponent for the "Tigers" could be the KV-122 - the serial KV-85, armed in an experimental order with a 122-mm D-25T cannon. But at that time, the first tanks of the IS series had already begun to leave the ChKZ workshops. These vehicles, which at first glance continued the KB line, were completely new tanks, which in terms of their combat qualities far surpassed the heavy tanks of the enemy.
During the period from 1940 to 1943, the Leningrad Kirov and Chelyabinsk Kirov plants produced 4775 KB tanks of all modifications. They were in service with tank brigades of a mixed organization, and then were consolidated into separate breakthrough tank regiments. Heavy tanks KB took part in the fighting of the Great Patriotic War until its final stage.
Tank T-34
The first prototype of the T-34 was manufactured by plant number 183 in January 1940, the second - in February. In the same month, factory tests began, which were interrupted on March 12, when both cars left for Moscow. On March 17, in the Kremlin, on Ivanovskaya Square, tanks were demonstrated to I.V. Stalin. After the show, the cars went further - along the route Minsk - Kyiv - Kharkov.
The first three production vehicles in November - December 1940 were subjected to intensive firing and mileage tests along the route Kharkov - Kubinka - Smolensk - Kyiv - Kharkov. The tests were carried out by officers.
It should be noted that each manufacturer made some changes and additions to the design of the tank in accordance with its technological capabilities, so the tanks of different factories had their own characteristic appearance.
Minesweeper tanks and bridge layers were made in small quantities. A commander's version of the "thirty-four" was also produced, hallmark which was the presence of the RSB-1 radio station.
Tanks T-34-76 were in service in the tank units of the Red Army throughout the Great Patriotic War and took part in almost all combat operations, including the assault on Berlin. In addition to the Red Army, medium tanks T-34 were in service with the Polish Army, the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia and the Czechoslovak Corps, which fought against Nazi Germany.
armored vehicles
Armored car BA-10
In 1938, the Red Army adopted the BA-10 medium armored car, developed a year earlier at the Izhora plant by a group of designers headed by such well-known specialists as A. A. Lipgart, O. V. Dybov and V. A. Grachev.
The armored car was made according to the classic layout with a front engine, front control wheels and two rear drive axles. The BA-10 crew consisted of 4 people: commander, driver, gunner and machine gunner.
Since 1939, the production of the upgraded BA-10M model began, which differed from the base vehicle in reinforced frontal projection armor protection, improved steering, an external location of gas tanks and a new radio station / In small quantities, BA-10zhd railway armored vehicles with a combat weight of 5 8 t.
The baptism of fire BA-10 and BA-10M took place in 1939 during the armed conflict near the Khalkhin-Gol River. They made up the bulk of the fleet of armored cars 7, 8 and 9 and motorized armored brigades. Their successful application was facilitated by the steppe terrain. Later, BA 10 armored vehicles took part in the liberation campaign and the Soviet-Finnish war. During the Great Patriotic War, they were used in the troops until 1944, and in some units until the end of the war. They have proven themselves as a means of reconnaissance and combat protection, and with proper use they successfully fought with enemy tanks.
In 1940, a number of BA-20 and BA-10 armored vehicles were captured by the Finns and later they were actively used in the Finnish army. 22 BA 20 units were put into service, with some vehicles used as training vehicles until the early 1950s. There were fewer BA-10 armored cars; the Finns replaced their native 36.7-kilowatt engines with 62.5-kilowatt (85 hp) eight-cylinder Ford V8 engines. The Finns sold three cars to the Swedes, who tested them for further use as control vehicles. In the Swedish army, the BA-10 received the designation m / 31F.
The Germans also used captured BA-10s, captured and restored vehicles, and entered service with some infantry units of the police forces and training units.
Armored car BA-64
In the pre-war period, the Gorky Automobile Plant was the main supplier of chassis for light machine gun armored vehicles FAI, FAI-M, BA-20 and their modifications. The main disadvantage of these machines was their low cross-country ability, and their armored hulls did not have high protective properties.
The beginning of the Great Patriotic War found employees of the Gorky Automobile Plant mastering the production of the GAZ-64, an off-road light army vehicle developed under the guidance of the leading designer V.A. Grachev in early 1941.
Taking into account the experience gained in the 30s in creating two-axle and three-axle chassis for armored vehicles, the Gorky people decided to make a light machine-gun armored car based on the GAZ-64 for the army.
The plant management supported Grachev's initiative and design work began on July 17, 1941. The layout of the machine was led by engineer F.A. Lependin, G.M. Wasserman was appointed the lead designer. The designed armored car both externally and in terms of combat capabilities differed sharply from previous vehicles of this class. The designers had to take into account the new tactical and technical requirements for armored vehicles, which arose on the basis of an analysis of combat experience. The vehicles were to be used for reconnaissance, for command and control of troops during battle, in the fight against airborne troops, for escorting convoys, and also for air defense tanks on the march. Also, the acquaintance of the factory workers with the German captured armored car Sd Kfz 221, which was delivered to GAZ on September 7 for detailed study, had a certain influence on the design of the new car.
Despite the fact that the designers Yu.N. Sorochkin, B.T. Komarevsky, V.F. Samoilov and others had to design an armored hull for the first time, they, taking into account the experience of their predecessors, successfully completed the task. All armor plates (of different thicknesses) were located with an inclination, which significantly increased the resistance of the welded hull when armor-piercing bullets and large fragments hit it.
The BA-64 was the first domestic armored car with all-wheel drive, thanks to which it successfully overcame slopes of more than 30 ° on hard ground, fords up to 0.9 m deep and slippery slopes with a slope of up to 18 °.
The car not only walked well on arable land and sand, but also confidently set off from such soils after stopping. Feature hulls - large overhangs in front and behind made it easier for the BA-64 to overcome ditches, pits and funnels. The survivability of the armored car was increased by bullet-resistant tires of the GK (sponge chamber).
Started in the spring of 1943, the production of the BA-64B continued until 1946. In 1944 / Despite their main drawback - low firepower - BA-64 armored vehicles were successfully used in landing operations, reconnaissance raids, for escorting and outposting infantry units.
Other military equipment
Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-36
In parallel with the creation and launch of mass production of BM-13 combat vehicles and M-13 shells, work was carried out to adapt air-to-air missiles of the RS-82 class for use in field rocket artillery. These works were completed on August 2, 1941 with the adoption of the 82-mm M-8 rocket. During the war, the M-8 projectile was modified several times in order to increase the power of action at the target and the flight range.
In order to reduce the time for creating the installation, the designers, along with the creation of new units, widely used the units of the BM-13 installation already mastered in production, for example, the base, and as guides they used guides of the “flute” type produced by order of the Air Force.
Taking into account the experience in the production of BM-13 installations when creating a new installation Special attention It was turned to ensure the parallelism of the guides and the strength of their fastening in order to reduce the dispersion of projectiles during firing.
The new installation was adopted by the Red Army on August 6, 1941 under the designation BM-8-36 and put into mass production at the Moscow Kompressor and Krasnaya Presnya plants. By the beginning of September 1941, 72 installations of this type were manufactured, and by November - 270 installations.
The BM-13-36 installation has established itself as a reliable weapon with a very powerful salvo. Its significant drawback was the unsatisfactory off-road capability of the ZIS-6 chassis. During the course of the war, this shortcoming was largely eliminated by the expense.
Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-24
The chassis of the three-axle truck ZIS-6, which was used in the creation of the BM-8-36 combat vehicle, although it had a high cross-country ability on roads of various profiles and surfaces, was of little use for driving on swampy rough terrain and on dirt roads, especially in thaw in autumn and spring. In addition, when conducting combat operations in a rapidly changing environment, combat vehicles often found themselves under enemy artillery and machine-gun fire, as a result of which the crews suffered significant losses.
For these reasons, already in August 1941, the design bureau of the Kompressor plant considered the issue of creating a BM-8 launcher on a chassis light tank T-40. The development of this installation was carried out quickly and by October 13, 1941 was successfully completed. The new installation, called BM-8-24, was equipped with aiming mechanisms and sights artillery unit with guides for launching 24 M-8 rockets.
The artillery unit was mounted on the roof of the T-40 tank. All the necessary electrical wiring and fire control devices were located in the fighting compartment of the tank. After the T-40 tank was replaced in production by the T-60 tank, its chassis was appropriately upgraded for use as the undercarriage of the BM-8-24 installation.
The BM-8-24 launcher was mass-produced at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War and was distinguished by high maneuverability, an increased angle of fire along the horizon and a relatively low height, which facilitated its camouflage on the ground.
Launcher M-30
On July 5, 1942, on the Western Front, near the city of Belyov, for the first time, volleys were fired at the fortified points of the enemy by the 68th and 69th Guards mortar regiments of the four divisions, which were armed with new launchers for launching heavy high-explosive rockets M-30.
The M-30 projectile was intended to suppress and destroy sheltered fire weapons and manpower, as well as the destruction of enemy field defenses.
The launcher was an inclined frame made of steel angle profiles, on which four caps with M-30 rockets were placed in one row. Shooting was carried out by applying an electric current pulse to the projectile through wires from an ordinary sapper demolition machine. The machine served a group of launchers through a special "crab" switchgear.
Already during the creation of the M-30 projectile, it was clear to the designers that the range of its flight did not fully meet the needs of the troops. Therefore, at the end of 1942, a new heavy high-explosive rocket M-31 was adopted by the Red Army. This projectile, having a weight of 20 kg more than that of the M-30 projectile, was also superior to its predecessor in flight range (4325 m instead of 2800 m).
The M-31 shells were also launched from the M-30 launcher, but this launcher was also modernized in the spring of 1943, as a result of which two-row stacking of shells on the frame became possible. Thus, 8 shells were launched from each such launcher instead of 4.
The M-30 launchers were in service with the guards mortar divisions formed from the middle of 1942, each of which had three brigades of four divisions. The salvo of the brigade was 1152 shells with a total weight of over 106 tons. In total, the division had 864 launchers, which could simultaneously fire 3456 M-30-320 tons of metal and fire shells!
Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-13N
Due to the fact that the production of BM-13 launchers was urgently deployed at several enterprises with different production capabilities, more or less significant changes were made to the design of the installation, due to the production technology adopted at these enterprises.
In addition, at the stage of deployment of mass production of the launcher, the designers made a number of changes to its design. The most important of these was the replacement of the “spark” type guide used on the first samples with a more advanced “beam” type guide.
Thus, the troops used up to ten varieties of the BM-13 launcher, which made it difficult to train the personnel of the guards mortar units and had a negative effect on the operation of military equipment.
For these reasons, a unified (normalized) BM-13N launcher was developed and put into service in April 1943. When creating the installation, the designers critically analyzed all the parts and assemblies, seeking to improve the manufacturability of their production and reduce the cost. All nodes of the installation received independent indexes and became, in essence, universal. A new unit was introduced into the design of the installation - a subframe. The subframe made it possible to assemble the entire artillery part of the launcher (as a single unit) on it, and not on the chassis, as it was before. Once assembled, the artillery unit was relatively easy to mount on the chassis of any brand of car with minimal modification of the latter. The created design made it possible to reduce the complexity, manufacturing time and cost of launchers. The weight of the artillery unit was reduced by 250 kg, the cost - by more than 20 percent.
The combat and operational qualities of the installation were significantly improved. Due to the introduction of reservations for the gas tank, gas pipeline, side and rear walls of the driver's cab, the survivability of launchers in battle was increased. The firing sector was increased, the stability of the launcher in the stowed position was increased. Improved lifting and swivel mechanisms made it possible to increase the speed of targeting the installation.
With the creation of this launcher, the development of the BM-13 serial combat vehicle was finally completed. In this form, she fought until the end of the war.
Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-13
After the 82-mm air-to-air missiles RS-82 (1937) and 132-mm air-to-ground missiles RS-132 (1938) were adopted by aviation, the Main Artillery Directorate set before the developer projectiles - Reactive Research Institute - the task of creating a reactive field multiple launch rocket system based on RS-132 projectiles. An updated tactical and technical task was issued to the institute in June 1938.
In accordance with this task, by the summer of 1939, the institute developed a new 132-mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile, which later received official name M-13. Compared to the aviation RS-132, this projectile has a longer flight range (8470 m) and a much more powerful warhead (4.9 kg). The increase in range was achieved by increasing the amount of propellant. To accommodate a larger rocket charge and explosive, it was necessary to lengthen the rocket and warhead by 48 cm. The M-13 projectile has slightly better aerodynamic characteristics than the RS-132, which made it possible to obtain higher accuracy.
A self-propelled multiply charged launcher was also developed for the projectile. Conducted in the period from December 1938 to February 1939, field tests of the installation showed that it did not fully meet the requirements. Its design made it possible to launch rockets only perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and jets of hot gases damaged the elements of the installation and the vehicle. Security was also not ensured when controlling fire from the cab of vehicles. The launcher swayed strongly, which worsened the accuracy of firing rockets.
Loading the launcher from the front of the rails was inconvenient and time consuming. The ZIS-5 car had limited cross-country ability.
During the tests, an important feature of volley fire with rockets was revealed: when several shells burst simultaneously in a limited area, shock waves act from different directions, the addition of which, that is, oncoming strikes, significantly increases the destructive effect of each projectile.
Based on the results of field tests that ended in November 1939, the Institute was ordered five launchers for military testing. Another installation was ordered by the Artillery Directorate of the Navy for use in the coastal defense system.
Thus, in the conditions of the Second World War that had already begun, the leadership of the Main Artillery Directorate was clearly in no hurry to adopt rocket artillery: the institute, which did not have sufficient production capacity, manufactured the ordered six launchers only by the autumn of 1940, only in January 1941.
The situation changed dramatically after June 21, 1941, at the review of samples of weapons of the Red Army, the installation was presented to the leaders of the CPSU (b) and the Soviet government. On the same day, literally a few hours before the start of World War II, a decision was made to urgently deploy mass production of M-13 rockets and a launcher, officially called BM-13 (combat vehicle 13).
The production of BM-13 installations was organized at the Voronezh plant. Comintern and at the Moscow plant "Compressor". One of the main enterprises for the production of rockets was the Moscow plant. Vladimir Ilyich.
The first battery of field rocket artillery sent to the front on the night of July 1-2, 1941 under the command of Captain I.A. Flerov, was armed with seven installations made by the Reactive Research Institute. With its first salvo at 15:15 on July 14, 1941, the battery wiped out the Orsha railway junction, along with the German trains with troops and military equipment that were on it.
The exceptional efficiency of the battery of Captain I.A. Flerov and seven more such batteries formed after it contributed to the rapid increase in the production of jet weapons. By the autumn of 1941, 45 divisions of a three-battery composition, four launchers in a battery, were operating on the fronts. For their armament in 1941, 593 BM-13 installations were manufactured. At the same time, the manpower and military equipment of the enemy were destroyed on an area of over 100 hectares. Officially, the regiments were called Guards Mortar Artillery Regiments of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command.
Literature
1. Military equipment, equipment and weapons of 1941-1945
The exhibition of weapons, military equipment and fortifications of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War presents a fairly complete collection of Soviet armored vehicles of the war period, British and American armored vehicles supplied to the Soviet Union in 1941-1945 under Lend-Lease, as well as armored vehicles of our main opponents in war years - Germany and Japan.
During the Second World War, armored forces, as the experience of their combat use showed, played a decisive role in battles, performing a wide range of tasks in all types of combat, both independently and together with other branches of the military. They grew both quantitatively and qualitatively, rightfully becoming the main striking force of the armies of various states. During the six years of World War II, about 350,000 armored combat vehicles took part in the battles on both sides: tanks, self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS), armored vehicles (BA) and armored personnel carriers (APCs).
Soviet military thought in the prewar years assigned an important role to tanks. They were supposed to be used in all types of hostilities. As part of rifle formations, they were intended to break through the tactical defense zone as a means of direct infantry support (NPP), operating in close cooperation with other branches of the military. Most of the tanks were in service with tank and mechanized formations, which had the task of developing success in the operational depth after breaking through the defense.
During the first five-year plans in the Soviet Union, the necessary production base for the mass production of tanks was created. Already in 1931, the factories gave the Red Army 740 vehicles. For comparison: in 1930, the troops received only 170 tanks, and in 1932 - 3121 vehicles, including 1032 T-26 light tanks, 396 BT-2 light fast tanks and 1693 T-27 tankettes. No other country built such a number of tanks at that time. And this pace was practically maintained until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
In 1931 - 1941, 42 samples of various types of tanks were created in the USSR, of which 20 samples were adopted and put into mass production: tankettes T-27; light infantry escort tanks T-26; light wheeled-tracked high-speed tanks of mechanized units BT-5/BT-7; light reconnaissance amphibious tanks T-37/T-38/T-40; medium tanks of direct infantry support T-28; heavy tanks of additional quality reinforcement when breaking through the fortified T-35 lanes. At the same time, attempts were made in the Soviet Union to create self-propelled artillery installations. However, it was not possible to fully work out and put into mass production the self-propelled guns.
In total, 29,262 tanks of all types were manufactured in the Soviet Union during these ten years. In the 1930s in our country, when developing light tanks, preference was given to wheeled-tracked vehicles, which then formed the basis of the tank fleet of the Red Army.
The fighting during the Spanish Civil War of 1936 - 1939 showed that tanks with bulletproof armor were already outdated. Soviet tankmen and technicians who visited Spain came to the conclusion that it was necessary to increase the thickness of the frontal armor of the hull and turret to 60 mm. Then the tank will not be afraid of anti-tank guns, which the ground forces of various countries began to equip. For such a relatively heavy machine, as tests have shown, a purely caterpillar mover was optimal. This conclusion of Soviet designers formed the basis for the creation of a new medium tank T-34, which rightfully won the glory of the best tank in the world during the Great Patriotic War.
At the turn of the 1930s - 1940s, domestic tank builders developed a clear idea of the prospects for the development of armored vehicles. Various measures were taken in the Soviet Union to strengthen the Armed Forces. As a result, the Red Army received new medium (T-34) and heavy (KV-1 and KV-2) tanks, which had anti-cannon armor, powerful weapons and high mobility. In terms of combat qualities, they surpassed foreign models and fully met modern requirements.
The development of tanks, engines, weapons in the USSR was carried out by design teams led by N.N. Kozyreva (T-27), N.N. Barykova (T-26 and T-28), A.O. Firsova (BT), N.A. Astrov (T-37), O.M. Ivanova (T-35), M.I. Koshkin and A.A. Morozova (T-34), Zh.Ya. Kotin (KV and IS-2), M.F. Balzhi (IS-3), I.Ya. Trashutin and K. Chelpan (V-2 diesel engine), V.G. Grabina (tank guns, V.A. Degtyarev (tank machine guns), E.I. Maron and V.A. Agntsev (tank sights).
By 1941, mass production of tanks was organized in the USSR, meeting all the requirements of that time. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, and then during the war, tanks were produced by about two dozen factories in the country: the Leningrad Kirov Plant, the Moscow Plant named after. S. Ordzhonikidze, Kharkov Locomotive Plant, Stalingrad Tractor Plant, Gorky Krasnoe Sormovo Plant, Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (“Tankograd”), Ural Tank Plant in Nizhny Tagil, etc.
Mass deliveries of armored vehicles made it possible to start organizing mechanized corps in the Red Army in the mid-1930s, which was 5-6 years ahead of the appearance of similar units in the armed forces of Germany and other countries. Already in 1934, a new type of troops was created in the Red Army - armored troops (from December 1942 - armored and mechanized troops), which to this day are the main striking force of the Ground Forces. At the same time, the 5th, 7th, 11th and 57th special mechanized corps were deployed, converted in August 1938 into tank corps. However, the armored forces were in the process of reorganization. In 1939, these formations were disbanded due to an incorrect assessment of the combat experience of using tanks in Spain. In May 1940, the armored forces of the Red Army consisted of: one T-35 tank brigade; three brigades T-28; 16 BT tank brigades; 22 T-26 tank brigades; three armored brigades; two separate tank regiments; one training tank regiment and one training battalion of armored units. Their total number was 111,228 people. The ground forces also included six motorized divisions. Each of them had one tank regiment. In total, the motorized division had 258 light tanks in the state.
The study of the combat experience of using armored and mechanized troops during the outbreak of World War II allowed Soviet military specialists to develop a scientifically based theory of the combat use of tank and mechanized formations and units, both in combined arms combat and in independent operations. This theory was further developed during the Great Patriotic War.
The fighting that took place near the river. Khalkhin-Gol units and formations of the Red Army clearly proved that much can be achieved by the active use of mobile tank formations. Powerful tank formations were widely used by Germany during the first period of World War II. All this proved that it was urgent to return to the creation of large armored formations. Therefore, in 1940, the restoration of 9 mechanized corps, 18 tank and 8 mechanized divisions began in the Red Army, and in February - March 1941, the formation of another 21 mechanized corps began. To fully equip the new mechanized corps, 16,600 tanks of only new types were required, and in total - about 32,000 tanks.
On June 13, 1941, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General N.F. Vatutin in his "Information on the deployment of the Armed Forces of the USSR in case of war in the West" noted: "In total, there are 303 divisions in the USSR: rifle divisions- 198, tank divisions - 61, motorized divisions - 31 ... "Thus, instead of the 42 previous tank brigades and six motorized divisions in the Red Army, a week before the start of the war, there were 92 tank and motorized divisions. However, due to such a rapid reorganization of the troops, less than half of the formed corps received the necessary weapons and military equipment in full. In the tank units, there was an acute shortage of tank commanders and technical specialists, since the commanders who came from rifle and cavalry formations did not have practical experience in the combat use of tank troops and the operation of armored vehicles.
On June 1, 1941, the tank fleet of the Soviet ground forces consisted of 23,106 tanks, including 18,690 combat-ready ones. In the five western border districts - Leningrad, Baltic Special, Western Special, Kiev Special and Odessa - on June 22, 1941, there were 12,989 tanks, of which 10,746 were combat-ready and 2,243 needed repairs. Of the total number of vehicles, about 87% were light tanks T-26 and BT. Relatively new samples there were light T-40s with machine guns, medium T-34s (1105 units), heavy KV-1 and KV-2 (549 units).
In the battles of the first period of the Great Patriotic War with Wehrmacht strike groups, units of the Red Army lost a large amount of their military equipment. Only in 1941, during the Baltic defensive operation (June 22 - July 9), 2523 tanks were lost; in Belorusskaya (June 22 - July 9) - 4799 cars; in Western Ukraine (June 22 - July 6) - 4381 tanks. Compensation for losses became one of the main tasks of Soviet tank builders.
During the course of the war, the relative number of light tanks in the active army was continuously decreasing, although in 1941-1942 their output increased in quantitative terms. This was explained by the need to supply the troops with the largest possible number of combat vehicles in a short time, and it was relatively easy to establish the production of light tanks.
At the same time, they were modernized, and first of all, armor was strengthened.
In the autumn of 1941, the T-60 light tank was created, and in 1942, the T-70. Their introduction into serial production was facilitated by the low cost of production, due to the use of automotive units, as well as the simplicity of design. But the war showed that light tanks were not effective enough on the battlefield due to the weakness of weapons and armor. Therefore, from the end of 1942, their production was noticeably reduced, and in the late autumn of 1943 it was discontinued.
The vacated production facilities were used to produce light self-propelled guns SU-76, created on the basis of the T-70. Medium tanks T-34 from the first days took part in the hostilities. They had an undeniable superiority over the German Pz tanks. Krfw. III and Pz. Krfw. IV. German specialists had to urgently upgrade their machines.
In the spring of 1942, the Pz tank appeared on the Eastern Front. Krfw. IV modification F2 with a new 75-mm cannon and reinforced armor. In a duel, he won the T-34, but was inferior to him in maneuverability and maneuverability. In response, Soviet designers increased the T-34's cannon and the thickness of the turret's frontal armor. By the summer of 1943, the Germans equipped tank units with new tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts (Pz. Krfw. V "Panther"; Pz. Krfw.VI "Tiger"; self-propelled guns "Ferdinand", etc.) with more powerful armor protection, fire from their 75 - and 88-mm long-barreled guns hit our armored vehicles from a distance of 1000 meters or more.
The new Soviet tanks T-34-85 and IS-2, armed with 85-mm and 122-mm guns (respectively), by the beginning of 1944 were able to restore the advantage of Soviet armored vehicles in terms of armor protection and firepower. All this taken together allowed the Soviet Union to gain an unconditional advantage over Germany, both in terms of the quality of armored vehicles and the number of samples produced.
In addition, starting in 1943, the Red Army began to receive a large number of self-propelled artillery mounts. The need for them was revealed in the first months of hostilities, and already in the summer of 1941 at the Moscow Automobile Plant. I.V. Stalin, in a hurry, a 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun of the 1941 model was mounted on semi-armored artillery tractors T-20 Komsomolets. These self-propelled units received the designation ZIS-30.
On October 23, 1942, the State Defense Committee decided to start work on the creation of two types of self-propelled guns: light ones - for direct fire support of infantry and medium ones, armored like a T-34 medium tank - to support and escort tanks in battle. Tank builders for a light self-propelled gun equipped with a 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon used the base of the T-70 tank. This machine was well developed and relatively easy to manufacture. It was also taken into account that the supply of light tanks to the front was gradually reduced. Then came: the medium self-propelled guns SU-122 - a 122 mm howitzer based on the T-34 tank and the heavy SU-152 - a 152 mm howitzer gun based on the KV-1S tank. In 1943, the Supreme High Command decides to transfer self-propelled artillery installations from the GAU to the jurisdiction of the Commander of Armored and Mechanized Forces. This contributed to a sharp increase in the quality of self-propelled guns and the growth of their production. In the same year, 1943, the formation of self-propelled artillery regiments for tank, mechanized and cavalry corps began. In the offensive, light self-propelled guns accompanied the infantry, medium and heavy self-propelled guns fought tanks, assault guns, anti-tank artillery enemy, destroying defensive structures.
The role of self-propelled guns has increased in the context of the widespread use of Panther and Tiger tanks by the enemy. To combat them, Soviet troops received SU-85 and SU-100 vehicles.
The 100-mm gun mounted on the SU-100 self-propelled guns surpassed the 88-mm guns of German tanks and self-propelled guns in terms of the power of armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation shells, not inferior to them in rate of fire. During the war, self-propelled artillery mounts proved to be a highly effective formidable weapon and, at the suggestion of tankers, the designers developed self-propelled guns based on heavy IS-2 tanks, and armor-piercing shells were added to the ammunition load of heavy self-propelled mounts ISU-122 and ISU-152, which allowed, at the final stage of the war , hit almost all types of German tanks and self-propelled guns. Light self-propelled guns were developed in the design bureau under the leadership of S.A. Ginzburg (SU-76); L.L. Terentiev and M.N. Shchukin (SU-76 M); medium - in design bureaus under the leadership of N.V. Kurina, L.I. Gorlitsky, A.N. Balashova, V.N. Sidorenko (SU-122, SU-85, SU-100); heavy - in the design bureau under the leadership of Zh.Ya. Kotina, S.N. Makhonina, L.S. Troyanova, S.P. Gurenko, F.F. Petrov (SU-152, ISU-152, ISU-122).
In January 1943, the formation of tank armies of a homogeneous composition began in the Red Army - the 1st and 2nd tank armies appeared, and by the summer of that year, the Red Army already had five tank armies, which consisted of two tank and one mechanized corps. Now armored and mechanized troops included: tank armies, tank and mechanized corps, tank and mechanized brigades and regiments.
During the war, Soviet armored vehicles were not inferior to Wehrmacht equipment, and often surpassed it both qualitatively and quantitatively. Already in 1942, 24,504 tanks and self-propelled guns were produced in the USSR, i.e. four times more than the German industry produced in the same year (5953 tanks and self-propelled guns). Given the failures of the first period of the war, this was a real feat of Soviet tank builders.
Colonel General of the Engineering and Technical Service Zh.Ya. Kotin noted that an invaluable feature of the Soviet school of tank building played a huge role in this - the maximum possible simplicity of design, the desire for the complex only if the same effect cannot be achieved by simple means.
The number has steadily increased Soviet tanks, participating in operations: 780 tanks participated in the Moscow battle (1941 - 1942), 979 tanks participated in the Stalingrad battle (1942 - 1943), 5200 tanks participated in the Belarusian strategic offensive operation (1944), 5200 tanks participated in the Berlin operation (1945) - 6250 tanks and self-propelled guns. According to the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, General of the Army A.I. Antonova, “... the second half of the war was marked by the predominance of our tanks and self-propelled artillery on the battlefields. This allowed us to carry out operational maneuvers on a huge scale, to surround large enemy groupings, to pursue him until complete destruction.
In total, in 1941 - 1945, the Soviet tank industry gave the front 103,170 tanks and self-propelled guns (the latter - 22,500, of which more than 2,000 were medium-sized, and more than 4,200 were heavy), Of this amount, light tanks accounted for 18.8%, medium - 70.4% (T-34 with a 76-mm cannon - 36,331, and with an 85-mm cannon - another 17,898 tanks) and heavy - 10.8%.
During the fighting, about 430,000 combat vehicles were returned to service after repairs in the field or at the factory, that is, each tank manufactured by the industry was repaired and restored on average more than four times.
Along with the mass production of armored vehicles during the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army received tanks and self-propelled guns that came from Great Britain, Canada and the USA under Lend-Lease. The transportation of armored vehicles was carried out mainly along three routes: the northern one - through the Atlantic and the Barents Sea, the southern one - through the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and Iran, the eastern one - through Pacific Ocean. The first transport with tanks arrived in the USSR from Great Britain in September 1941. And by the beginning of 1942, the Red Army received 750 British and 180 American tanks. Many of them were used in the battle near Moscow in the winter of 1941-1942. In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War for the Soviet Union, according to Western sources, 3805 tanks were shipped to Great Britain, including 2394 Valentine, 1084 Matilda, 301 Churchill, 20 Tetrarch, 6 Cromwell. To these should be added 25 Valentine bridge tanks. Canada provided the USSR with 1,388 Valentine tanks. In the United States, 7172 tanks were loaded on ships under Lend-Lease, including 1676 light MZA1, 7 light M5 and M24, 1386 medium MZAZ, 4102 medium M4A2, one M26, as well as 707 anti-tank self-propelled guns (mainly M10 and M18), 1100 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns (M15, M16 and M 17), and 6666 armored personnel carriers. However, not all of these machines took part in the hostilities. So, under the blows of the German fleet and aviation, along with the ships of the Arctic convoys, 860 American and 615 British tanks were sent to the seabed. With a fairly high degree of certainty, we can say that 18,566 armored vehicles were delivered to the USSR during the four years of the war, of which: 10,395 tanks, 6,242 armored personnel carriers, 1,802 self-propelled guns and 127 armored vehicles, which were used in units, formations and educational units Red Army.
Soviet tankers during the Great Patriotic War showed examples of the effective use of armored weapons, although the enemy was strong and had very powerful military equipment. The motherland duly noted the feat of Soviet tankmen: in their ranks there were 1150 Heroes of the Soviet Union (including 16 twice Heroes), and more than 250,000 were awarded orders and medals. On July 1, 1946, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the professional holiday "Tankman's Day" was established - to commemorate the great merits of armored and mechanized troops in defeating the enemy during the Great Patriotic War, as well as for the merits of tank builders in equipping the country's Armed Forces with armored vehicles. It is deeply symbolic that the legendary T-34 tank was often installed on the pedestals of monuments in honor of the liberation of Soviet cities from Nazi captivity, and many of the Soviet tanks of that time took their place of honor in many domestic museums.
In its modern form, the armored forces represent the main striking force of the Ground Forces, being a powerful means of armed struggle designed to solve the most important tasks in various types of military operations. The significance of tank troops as one of the main arms of the Ground Forces will continue in the foreseeable future. At the same time, the tank will retain its role as the leading universal combat weapon of the Ground Forces. In the post-war years, numerous modern models of tanks, self-propelled artillery mounts, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and airborne combat vehicles, which embodied the latest achievements of domestic science and technology, entered service with the armored forces.
The German army, our main enemy during the Great Patriotic War, had very powerful armored forces (Panzerwaffe). The Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 forbade Germany to have tank troops and produce armored vehicles. However, in violation of its terms, already at the end of the 1920s, the Germans began to secretly work in the field of tank building, and with the coming to power of Hitler in January 1933, all the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty were discarded, and in Germany the creation of a mass army began at an accelerated pace. A special place in it was intended for tanks.
The initiator of the construction of armored forces and the theorist of their use in the war was General G. Guderian. According to his views, tanks should have been used massively as part of large shock mechanized formations in cooperation with other branches of the armed forces, primarily with aviation. Having broken through the enemy defenses, and without waiting for the infantry, the tanks must enter the operational space, smash the rear, disrupting communications and paralyzing the work of enemy headquarters. He listed the advantages of tanks in the following order: mobility, weapons, armor and communications.
The German Panzerwaffe became the basis of the "blitzkrieg" during the Second World War, constituting the main strike force of the Ground Forces of the Third Reich. The Wehrmacht abandoned the division of tanks according to purpose - into infantry and cruising. Tanks, consolidated into large formations, were supposed to perform, if necessary, any functions: both infantry escort tanks and success development tanks. Although the complete rejection of relatively small tank units designed for close interaction with infantry formations and units also cannot be considered successful. In the Wehrmacht, they switched (similar to the Red Army) to the division of tanks into light, medium and heavy. But if in the USSR only the mass of the tank was such a criterion, then in Germany tanks for a long time were divided into classes, both in terms of mass and armament. For example, the original tank Pz. Krfw. IV was considered as a heavy combat vehicle, based on its armament - a 75-mm gun - and was considered as such until the summer of 1943.
All tanks that entered service with the Wehrmacht received the letter abbreviation Pz. Krfw. (short for Panzegkampfwagen - armored fighting vehicle) and serial number. Modifications were designated by letters of the Latin alphabet and the abbreviation Ausf. - (abbr. Ausfuhrung - model, option). Command tanks were designated Рz.Bf.Wg. (Panzerbefehlswagen). Simultaneously with this type of designation, a through system was also used for all Wehrmacht mobile vehicles. According to the through system, most of the Wehrmacht armored vehicles (with some exceptions) received the designation Sd. Kfz. (abbr. Sonderkraftfahrzeug - special purpose vehicle) and serial number.
Self-propelled artillery mounts, considered as a means of reinforcing infantry and tanks on the battlefield, were designated differently, since the Wehrmacht and the SS troops had a large number of their classes and types. Assault guns had their own designation system, self-propelled howitzers, ZSU and anti-tank installations had their own. At the same time, the official designation of almost any self-propelled guns, as a rule, included information about the tank chassis on the basis of which it was created. Like tanks, most self-propelled artillery mounts also had end-to-end indexes with serial numbers in the Sd system. Kfz. The classification of Wehrmacht self-propelled artillery installations differed in several main classes: assault guns (Sturmgeschutz; StuG); assault howitzers (Sturmhaubitze; StuH); self-propelled carriages and chassis (Selbstfahrlafetten; Sf.); assault infantry guns (Sturminfanteriengeschutz; StuIG); assault tanks (Sturmpanzer; StuPz.); tank destroyers / self-propelled anti-tank guns (Panzerjager, Pz.Jg; Jagdpanzer Jgd.Pz); howitzer self-propelled guns (Panzerhaubitze; Рz.Н); self-propelled anti-aircraft installations (Flakpanzer, Fl.Pz). The disorder with classification and designations was aggravated by the fact that machines of one of the types, after modernization and changes in their design, acquired completely different properties, the so-called. 75mm StuG assault gun. III, which, after the installation of a 75-mm long-barreled gun in it, actually turned into a tank destroyer, but continued to be listed as an assault gun. The Marder self-propelled anti-tank guns also underwent a change in designation, instead of the original Pak Slf (self-propelled anti-tank gun) they became known as the Panzerjager (tank destroyer).
The first mass-produced German tank was the light Pz. Krfw. I, which entered the troops in 1934. The following year, the second light tank Pz appeared. Krfw. II. These machines were tested in combat conditions during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939.
The creation of medium tanks in Germany was delayed due to unsettled tactical and technical requirements for them, although some firms started developing a prototype with a 75-mm gun back in 1934. Guderian considered it necessary to have two types of medium tanks: the main one (Pz. Krfw. III) with a 37-mm cannon and a support tank with a 75-mm short-barreled gun (Pz. Krfw. IV). Production of tanks Rz. Krfw. III and Pz. Krfw. IV began only in 1938.
After the capture of the Czech Republic, in March 1939, the Wehrmacht received more than 400 modern Czech tanks LT-35 (Pz. Krfw. 35 (t)). In addition, the German tank forces were significantly strengthened by the LT-38 tanks (Pz.Krfw. 38 (t)) produced in occupied Moravia, but already under German orders, which had higher combat characteristics than the Pz tanks. Krfw. I and Rz. Krfw. II.
On September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht tank fleet in combat, training units and bases consisted of 3195 vehicles. There were about 2800 of them in the active army.
German losses in armored vehicles during the Polish campaign were small (198 destroyed and 361 damaged) and were quickly replenished by industry. As a result of the September (1939) battles, Guderian demanded to strengthen the armor and firepower of tanks and increase the production of Pz. Krfw. W and Rz. Krfw. IV. By the beginning of the campaign in France (May 10, 1940), 5 German tank corps had 2580 tanks. The British and French tanks were superior to the enemy in terms of armor and armament, but the German tank troops had higher training and combat experience, and were also better controlled. They were used massively, while the allies fought tank battles in small groups, sometimes not having close interaction either with each other or with the infantry. The victory went to the German shock groups.
To attack the Soviet Union, the German command, consisting of 17 tank divisions, concentrated 3582 tanks and self-propelled guns. These included 1698 light tanks: 180 Rz. Krfw. I; 746 Rz. Krfw. II; 149 Rz. 35(t); 623 Rz. 38(t) and 1404 medium tanks: 965 Рz. Krfw. III; 439 Rz. Krfw. IV, as well as 250 assault guns. The troops had another 230 command tanks that did not have cannon weapons. The fighting on the Soviet-German front revealed a number of technical shortcomings of German tanks. Their cross-country ability and mobility on the ground turned out to be low. In terms of armament and armor, they were significantly inferior to the Soviet T-34 and KV. It became clear to the Wehrmacht command that the troops needed stronger vehicles. While the development of new medium and heavy tanks was underway, the re-equipment of the Pz began. Krfw. IV (a long-barreled 75-mm cannon was installed with simultaneous strengthening of its armor). This temporarily equalized it with Soviet tanks in terms of armament and armor. But according to the rest of the data, the T-34 retained its superiority.
Even at the height of World War II, the Germans did not immediately begin to speed up the production of military equipment, but only when the specter of defeat loomed before them. At the same time, in the course of hostilities, the material part of the German tank forces was continuously improved qualitatively and grew quantitatively. Since 1943, the Germans began to massively use the Pz medium tank on the battlefields. Krfw. V "Panther" and heavy Rz. Krfw. VI "Tiger". In these new tanks of the Wehrmacht, weapons were better worked out, and their disadvantage was, first of all, a large mass. Thick armor did not save the Wehrmacht vehicles from the shells of Soviet guns mounted on T-34-85 and IS-2 tanks and SU-100 and ISU-122 self-propelled guns. In order to gain superiority over the Soviet IS-2 tank, in 1944 a new heavy tank Pz.Krfw was created. VI In "Royal Tiger". It was the heaviest production tank of World War II. During the war, German industry began to produce more and more self-propelled artillery mounts for various purposes. As the Wehrmacht moved to defensive operations, the proportion of self-propelled artillery grew in comparison with tanks. In 1943, the production of self-propelled guns exceeded the production of tanks, and in recent months the war outnumbered him three times. On the Soviet-German front in different time there were approximately 65 to 80% of the armored vehicles of the Wehrmacht.
If the armored vehicles of Germany, created in the period 1934 - 1940, were mainly distinguished by high reliability, simplicity and ease of maintenance and operation, ease of control, then the equipment created during the war years could no longer boast of such indicators. Haste and haste in the development and launch of the tanks Pz.Krfw.V "Panther", Pz.Krfw.VI Ausf.E "Tiger" and Pz.Krfw.VI Ausf. B ("Royal Tiger") had a negative impact on their reliability and performance, especially the Panther and Royal Tiger tanks. In addition, the Wehrmacht also used captured armored vehicles, but in rather limited quantities. Captured tanks, as a rule, were outdated and of little value to the front (except for the Czechoslovak LT-38 model). The Wehrmacht used them in secondary theaters of operations, for the occupying forces and the fight against partisans, as well as for the training of tankers.
Captured equipment was also used for conversion into self-propelled artillery mounts, armored personnel carriers for the delivery of ammunition, etc. All the factories of the European states occupied by the Germans also worked for the German Wehrmacht. Two large Czech factories "Skoda" (Pilsen) and SKD (Prague), renamed VMM, produced tanks and self-propelled guns based on them until the end of the war. In total, Czech factories produced more than 6,000 tanks and self-propelled guns. French tank-building factories were involved mainly in the conversion of captured French tanks, their repair or the manufacture of some spare parts for them, but not a single new tank or self-propelled guns was assembled there. In Austria, annexed during the Anschluss of 1938 to the Third Reich, during the Second World War, the Niebelungwerke tank assembly plant (Steyr-Daimler-Puch) was established in St. Valentine. Its products were included in the total production of factories in Germany. After the capitulation of Italy in 1943, its territory was partially occupied by German troops. Some tank-building factories in northern Italy, for example, Fiat-Ansaldo (Turin), continued to produce tanks and self-propelled guns for German formations operating in Italy. In 1943 - 1945 they produced more than 400 cars. In total, from September 1939 to March 1945, German industry produced about 46,000 tanks and self-propelled guns, with the latter accounting for more than 22,100 units. In addition to these vehicles, in Germany during the Second World War, tracked, wheeled and half-tracked armored personnel carriers, armored vehicles, tractor-transporters were also produced.
The first English Mk V tanks arrived in Japan in 1918, and in 1921 - Mk A tanks and French Renault FT 17. In 1925, two tank companies were formed from these vehicles. The Japanese began their own tank building only in 1927, when several prototypes of multi-turreted tanks weighing about 20 tons were created. In the same years, the British Vickers-6-ton tanks and the Karden-Loyd MkVI tankette, the French Renault NC1 tanks were purchased (the latter were in service until 1940 under the designation "Otsu"). On their basis, Japanese firms began developing tankettes and light tanks.
In 1931-1936, a medium tank type 89 was produced in small batches. This designation of military equipment was adopted in the armed forces based on the Japanese chronology, according to which the Japanese year 2589 corresponded to 1929 of the Gregorian calendar. In 1933, the leadership of Japan and the military command decided to mechanize the Japanese army and issued corresponding orders to industry. At first, Japanese designers preferred wedges. The first of these was the Type 92 (1932), followed by the Type 94 ultra-small tank (1934) and the Type 97 "Te-ke" small tank (1937). In total, more than 1000 tankettes were built until 1937. However, further production of this class of vehicles ceased due to their low combat qualities, although it was in Japan that the wedge design reached its greatest development.
Since the mid-1930s, the Japanese tank building industry has completely switched to the development of light and medium vehicles. In 1935, the most massive light tank "Ha-go" was created, and in 1937 - the medium "Chi-ha". The latter, until the end of World War II, was the main model of the Japanese armored forces. In 1937, the pace of tank production increased in connection with deliveries to the Kwantung Army in Manchuria. At the same time, the Ha-go and Chi-ha machines were modernized. In the mid-1930s, the command of the Japanese army for the first time showed interest in the production of amphibious tanks, which were necessary for the implementation of amphibious assault operations in a future war. At this time, samples of floating tanks are being developed.
Japanese tank building in the 1920s and 1930s is characterized by a thorough study of foreign experience; hobby for wedges; concentration of efforts on the creation of light and medium tanks for arming the Kwantung Army in China, as well as, starting from 1933, the use of diesel engines in tanks. Japanese tanks were tested in combat during the fighting in the 1930s and early 1940s in the Far East against Chinese and Mongolian troops, as well as units of the Red Army. The experience gained in the combat use of tanks made Japanese designers, first of all, look for ways to increase their firepower and armor protection. In total, in 1931 - 1939, the Japanese industry produced 2020 tanks. 16 samples were developed, including 7 serial ones.
With the outbreak of war in Europe, the production of tanks in Japan was gaining momentum: in 1940, 1023 vehicles were manufactured, in 1941 - 1024. Taking into account the country's insular position, the Japanese military leadership did not seek to build up its tank and troops. In the manual for training troops published in 1935, it was noted: "The main purpose of tanks is to fight in close cooperation with the infantry." From a tactical point of view, tanks were considered only as a means of supporting infantry and were reduced to small units. Their main tasks were considered to be: combating firing points and field artillery and making passages for infantry in barriers. Tanks could be sent on “close raids” beyond the front line of the enemy’s defense to a depth of no more than 600 m. At the same time, having violated his defense system, they had to return to their infantry and support its attack. The most maneuverable type of fighting was "deep raids" with cavalry, motorized infantry in vehicles, sappers and field artillery. In defense, tanks were used to carry out frequent counterattacks (mostly at night) or to fire from an ambush. The fight against enemy tanks was allowed only when absolutely necessary. In November 1941, according to the operational plan of the headquarters, the main forces of the fleet and aviation were involved in the capture of the Philippine Islands, Malaya, Burma and other territories, and 11 infantry divisions and only 9 tank regiments were allocated from the ground forces.
By December 1941, the tank fleet of the Japanese army consisted of about 2,000 vehicles: mainly Hago light tanks and tankettes, there were several hundred medium Chi-ha tanks. Since 1940, the main tanks "Ha-go" and "Chi-ha" have been modernized. As a result, the Ke-nu light tank and the Chi-he medium tank were built in appreciable quantities during the war years. In 1942, the designers created the Ka-mi amphibious tank, which experts consider to be the best example in the history of Japanese tank building. But its release was extremely limited. In the same year, a limited number of self-propelled artillery mounts went into the Japanese army to fight the allied tanks and support their troops.
Japanese tanks had weak weapons and armor, satisfactory mobility, and were also not reliable enough and did not have good means of observation and communication. In terms of armament, protection and other characteristics, these vehicles lagged behind the models of other warring countries. Therefore, by the end of the war, Japanese instructions already considered tanks as one of the most effective anti-tank weapons, and tanks were often buried in the ground in defense. The main feature of Japanese tank building was the widespread use of diesel engines. During the war, Japanese tank building experienced a constant shortage of raw materials (steel) and skilled labor. The production of tanks in Japan reached its maximum level in 1942 and then began to fall. In total, Japanese industry produced 2377 tanks and 147 self-propelled guns in 1942-1945.
The Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War is persistently working to identify and collect material evidence of the heroic and tragic past. With each subsequent year after the war, it becomes more and more difficult to carry out work on completing their collections with new models of armored vehicles. Currently, the museum has tanks and other armored objects of domestic production of the pre-war, military and post-war periods of production. This makes it possible to reveal the main stages of domestic tank building, to show the hard work of workers, engineers, designers, technologists, production organizers, all home front workers in achieving Victory in incredibly difficult conditions.
The collection of armored vehicles of the USSR, Great Britain, USA, Germany and Japan has been created by the museum staff since 1990. Great assistance in this work was provided by the Main Armored Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Russian Federation, leadership of the Border Troops of the FSB of Russia, military-patriotic public associations, search groups, veteran organizations of tankers. The museum recreates the missing samples of armored vehicles by building their models from the preserved fragments found by the search teams. In this way, the layout of the heavy tank KV-1, models of Japanese tanks was recreated. A number of exhibits were restored by specialists of the 38th Research and Testing Institute of Armored Vehicles of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation before they were placed at the arms exhibition.
A sharp jump in the development of weapons and military equipment occurred during the Second World War. “The influence of scientific and technological advances on the nature of this war was enormous and multifaceted. Simply put, until 1918 military operations were conducted in two dimensions (on land and at sea) within the limits of mere visibility with weapons of short range and lethal force. During the war of 1939-1945. gigantic changes took place - the third dimension (air), the ability to "see" the enemy at a distance (radar), the spaces in which battles were fought, the power of weapons were added. To this must be added all sorts of countermeasures. The biggest impact on fighting into the war of 1939-1945. provided air power. It revolutionized the strategy and tactics of war on land and at sea.
On fig. 89 aircraft of the period of the Second World War are presented.
In service with aviation different countries consisted of air bombs weighing from 1 kg to 9 thousand kg, small-caliber automatic guns (20-47 mm), heavy machine guns (11.35-13.2 mm),
rocket projectiles.
Rice. 89.
Soviet aircraft: 1 - MiG-3 fighter; 2 - La-5 fighter;
3 - Yak-3 fighter; 4 - front-line dive bomber Pe-2; 5 - front-line bomber Tu-2; 6 - attack aircraft Il-2; 7 - long-range bomber Il-4; 8 - long-range bomber Pe-2 (TB-7). Foreign aircraft: 9 - Me-109E fighter (Germany); 10 - dive bomber Ju-87 (Germany); 11 - bomber Ju-88 (Germany); 12 - fighter "Spitfire" (Great Britain); 13 - fighter "Ercobra" (USA); 14 - Mosquito bomber (Great Britain); 15 - strategic bomber "Lancaster" (Great Britain); 16 - B-29 strategic bomber (USA).
The most important role in World War II was played by tanks (Fig. 90). Nazi Germany entered World War II armed with the following tanks: light T-1 and T-II, medium T-Sh and T-IV.
However, already at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet T-34 and KV tanks showed complete superiority over Nazi tanks. In 1942, the Nazi command modernized medium tanks - the T-Sh was equipped with a 50-mm cannon instead of the 37-mm one, and the T-IV received a long-barreled 75-mm cannon instead of the short-barreled one, and the thickness of the armor increased. In 1943, heavy tanks - the T-V "Panther" and the T-VI "Tiger" - entered service with the Nazi army. However, these tanks were inferior to the Soviet T-34 tank in terms of maneuverability, and the IS-2 tank in terms of weapon power.
During the Great Patriotic War, the main Soviet tank was the famous T-34. During the war, it was repeatedly modernized - in 1942 the thickness of the armor was increased, the design was simplified, a commander's cupola was introduced, the four-speed gearbox was replaced with a five-speed one, and the capacity of the fuel tanks was increased. In the second half of 1943, the T-34-85 with an 85 mm gun entered service. In the autumn of 1941, the KV-1C tank was launched to replace the KV tank, in which, by reducing the mass due to armor, the speed increased from 35 to 42 km/h. In the summer of 1943, a more powerful 85 mm cannon in a cast turret was installed on this tank - the new vehicle was named KV-85. In 1943, a new heavy tank IS-1 was created, armed with an 85 mm cannon. Already in December of this year, a 122-mm cannon was installed on the tank. The new tank - IS-2 and its further modification IS-3 were rightfully considered the most powerful tanks of World War II. Light tanks in the USSR, as in other countries, did not receive much development. On the basis of the T-40 amphibious tank with machine gun armament, by September 1941, the T-60 light tank with a 20-mm cannon and reinforced armor was created. On the basis of the T-60 tank, at the beginning of 1942, the T-70 tank was developed, armed with a 45-mm cannon. However, in the second half of the war, light tanks turned out to be ineffective, and from 1943 their production ceased.
Rice. 90.
- 1 - heavy tank KV-2 (USSR); 2 - heavy tank IS-2 (USSR);
- 3 - medium tank T-34 (USSR); 4 - heavy tank T-VI "Tiger" (Germany); 5 - heavy tank T-V "Panther" (Germany);
- 6 - medium tank "Sherman" (USA); 7 - light tank "Locast" (USA);
- 8 - infantry tank (UK).
In the development of the tanks of the main belligerent armies, medium tanks were most widely used. However, since 1943 there has been a tendency to create new types of heavy tanks and increase their output. Medium and heavy tanks of the Second World War were single-turret, with anti-cannon armor, armed with 50-122-mm guns.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Soviet troops fired the first salvo from rocket artillery combat vehicles ("Katyusha") (Fig. 91). During the Second World War, rocket weapons were also used by the Nazi, British and American armies. In 1943, the first large-caliber breech-loading 160-mm mortar entered service with the Soviet troops. Self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS) (Fig. 92) became widespread in the Second World War: in the Soviet Army with guns of 76, 85, 100, 122 and 152 mm caliber; in the fascist German army - 75-150 mm; in the British and American armies - 75-203 mm.
Rice. 91.
Rice. 92.
1 - SU-100 (USSR); 2 - 88-mm anti-tank self-propelled artillery "Ferdinand" (Germany); 3 - English 76-mm self-propelled artillery mount "Archer"; 4 - American 155-mm self-propelled artillery M41.
Small arms automatic weapons (especially assault rifles and submachine guns), various types of flamethrowers, incendiary ammunition, cumulative and sub-caliber projectiles, and mine-explosive weapons received further development during the Second World War.
During the Second World War, ships of various classes were used in the fight on sea and ocean theaters (Fig. 93). At the same time, aircraft carriers and submarines became the main striking force of the fleet. Anti-submarine defense ships (sloops, corvettes, frigates, etc.) have received significant development. Many landing ships (vessels) were built. During the war years, a large number of destroyers were built, but they only in some cases carried out torpedo attacks, and were mainly used for anti-aircraft defense and air defense purposes. The main types of naval weapons were various artillery systems, advanced torpedoes, mines and depth charges. Of great importance for increasing the combat effectiveness of ships was the widespread use of radar and hydroacoustic equipment.
Rice. 93.
- 1 - cruiser "Kirov" (USSR); 2 - battleship (Great Britain);
- 3 battleship "Bismarck" (Germany); 4 - battleship "Yamato" (Japan); 5 - liner "Wilhelm Gustloff" (Germany), torpedoed by the Soviet submarine S-13 under the command of A.I. Marinesko; 6 - liner "Queen Mary" (Great Britain);
- 7 - submarine type "Sch" (USSR); 8 - American ships.
In 1944, the fascist German army used V-1 guided missiles and ballistic missiles V-2.
- B.L. Montgomery. Short story military battles. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004. - S. 446.
Technique of the USSR
Tank of the USSR: T-34 (or "thirty-four")
The tank was put into service on December 19, 1939. This is the only tank in the world that retained its combat capability and was in mass production until the end of the Great Patriotic War. The T-34 tank deservedly enjoyed the love of soldiers and officers of the Red Army, was best car world tank fleet. He played a decisive role in the battles near Moscow, Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge, near Berlin and other military operations.
Soviet technology of World War II
Tank of the USSR: IS - 2 "Joseph Stalin"
IS-2 is a Soviet heavy tank of the Great Patriotic War period. The abbreviation IS means "Joseph Stalin" - the official name of the serial Soviet heavy tanks produced in 1943-1953. Index 2 corresponds to the second serial model of the tank of this family. During the Great Patriotic War, along with the designation IS-2, the name IS-122 was used on an equal footing, in this case, the index 122 means the caliber of the main armament of the vehicle.
Weapons of the USSR: 76-mm divisional gun model 1942
ZIS-3 became the most massive Soviet artillery gun produced during the Great Patriotic War. Due to its outstanding combat, operational and technological qualities, this weapon is recognized by experts as one of the best weapons of the Second World War. In the post-war period, the ZIS-3 was in service with the Soviet Army for a long time, and was also actively exported to a number of countries, in some of which it is still in service.
Military equipment of the USSR: Katyusha
Katyusha is the unofficial collective name for the BM-8 (82 mm), BM-13 (132 mm) and BM-31 (310 mm) rocket artillery combat vehicles. Such installations were actively used by the USSR during World War II.
-When I saw the Russians, I was surprised. How did the Russians get from the Volga to Berlin in such primitive vehicles? When I saw them and the horses, I thought it couldn't be. Technically advanced German and artillery were very much inferior to Russian technology. Do you know why? We have to be accurate. And the snow and dirt of accuracy do not help. When I was captured, I had a Sturmgever, modern weapons, but he refused after three shots - sand hit ... - Gunther Kuehne, Wehrmacht soldier
Any war is a clash not only of troops, but also of the industrial and economic systems of the belligerents. This question must be remembered when trying to evaluate the merits of certain types of military equipment, as well as the successes of the troops achieved on this equipment. When evaluating the success or failure of a combat vehicle, one must clearly remember not only its technical characteristics, but also the costs that were invested in its production, the number of units produced, and so on. In other words, an integrated approach is important.
That is why the assessment of a single tank or aircraft and loud statements about the "best" model of war must be critically evaluated every time. It is possible to create an invincible tank, but quality issues almost always conflict with issues of ease of manufacture and mass production of such equipment. There is no point in creating an invincible tank if the industry cannot mass-produce it, and the cost of the tank will be like that of an aircraft carrier. A balance is important between the combat qualities of equipment and the ability to quickly establish large-scale production.
In this regard, it is of interest how this balance was observed by the belligerent powers at different levels of the military-industrial system of the state. How much and what kind of military equipment was produced, and how it affected the results of the war. This article attempts to bring together statistical data on the production of armored vehicles by Germany and the USSR during the Second World War and the immediate pre-war period.
Statistics.
The data obtained are summarized in a table, to which some explanations are required.
1. Approximate numbers are in red font. Basically, they concern two types - captured French vehicles, as well as the number of self-propelled guns produced on the chassis of German armored personnel carriers. The first is due to the inability to determine exactly how many trophies were actually used by the Germans in the troops. The second is due to the fact that the production of self-propelled guns on the chassis of an armored personnel carrier was often carried out by retrofitting already produced armored personnel carriers without heavy weapons, by installing a gun with a machine tool on an armored personnel carrier chassis.
2. The table contains information about all guns, tanks and armored vehicles. For example, the line "assault guns" includes German self-propelled guns sd.kfz.250/8 and sd.kfz.251/9, which are armored personnel carrier chassis with a short-barreled gun of 75 cm caliber installed. The corresponding number of linear armored personnel carriers is excluded from the line "armored personnel carriers" etc.
3. Soviet self-propelled guns did not have a narrow specialization, and could fight both tanks and support infantry. However, they are divided into different categories. For example, according to the designers, the closest to the German assault guns were the Soviet self-propelled guns of the breakthrough SU / ISU-122/152, as well as the self-propelled guns supporting the infantry Su-76. And such self-propelled guns as the Su-85 and Su-100 had a pronounced anti-tank character and were classified as "tank destroyers".
4. The “self-propelled artillery” category included guns designed primarily for firing from closed positions out of direct line of sight of targets, including rocket-propelled mortars on armored chassis. From the Soviet side, only BM-8-24 MLRS on the T-60 and T-40 chassis fell into this category.
5. Statistics include all production from 1932 to May 9, 1945. It was this technique, one way or another, that made up the potential of the warring parties and was used in the war. The technique of earlier production by the beginning of the Second World War was outdated and of no serious importance.
the USSR
The data obtained fit well into the well-known historical situation. The production of armored vehicles in the USSR was deployed on an incredible, massive scale, which fully corresponded to the aspirations of the Soviet side - preparation for a war of survival in the vast expanses from the Arctic to the Caucasus. To a certain extent, for the sake of mass character, the quality and debugging of military equipment were sacrificed. It is known that equipping Soviet tanks with high-quality communications equipment, optics and interior decoration was much worse than the Germans.
A clear imbalance in the weapon system is striking. In favor of the production of tanks, there are no entire classes of armored vehicles - armored personnel carriers, ZSU, control vehicles, etc. Last but not least, this situation is determined by the desire of the USSR to overcome a serious gap in the main types of weapons, inherited after the collapse of the Republic of Ingushetia and civil war. Attention was concentrated on saturating the troops with the main striking force - tanks, while support vehicles were ignored. This is logical - it is stupid to invest in the design of bridge layers and ARVs in conditions where the production of the main armament - tanks - has not been debugged.
Ammunition transporter TP-26
At the same time, the USSR was aware of the inferiority of such a weapon system, and already on the eve of the Second World War, they were actively designing a wide variety of support equipment. These are armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery, repair and recovery vehicles, bridge layers, etc. Most of this equipment did not have time to be introduced into production before the start of the Second World War, and already during the war its development had to be stopped. All this could not but affect the level of losses during the hostilities. So, for example, the absence of armored personnel carriers had a negative impact on infantry losses and their mobility. Making multi-kilometer foot marches, the infantrymen lost strength and part of their combat capability even before contact with the enemy.
Experienced armored personnel carrier TR-4
Partially, the gaps in the weapons system were filled with supplies from the allies. It is no coincidence that armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns and SPAAGs on the chassis of American armored personnel carriers were supplied to the USSR. The total number of such vehicles was about 8500, which is not much less than the number of tanks received - 12300.
Germany
The German side followed a completely different path. Having suffered a defeat in WWI, Germany did not lose its design school and did not lose its technological superiority. Recall that in the USSR there was nothing to lose, tanks were not produced in the Russian Empire. Therefore, the Germans did not need to rush through the path from an agrarian state to an industrial one in a wild hurry.
Having begun preparations for war, the Germans were well aware that they could only defeat numerous and economically strong opponents in the person of Great Britain and France, and then the USSR, only by ensuring a qualitative superiority, which, traditionally, the Germans are excellent. But the issue of mass character for Germany was not so acute - relying on the blitzkrieg strategy and the quality of weapons gave a chance to achieve victory with small forces. The first attempts confirmed the success of the chosen course. Although not without problems, the Germans managed to defeat Poland, then France, and so on. The spatial scope of hostilities in the center of compact Europe fully corresponded to the number of tank forces that the Germans had at their disposal. Obviously, these victories further convinced the German command of the correctness of the chosen strategy.
Actually, that is why the Germans initially paid close attention to the balance of their weapons system. Here we see a variety of types of armored vehicles - ZSU, ammunition transporters, forward observers vehicles, BREM. All this made it possible to build a well-functioning mechanism for waging war, which, like a steamroller, went through all of Europe. Such a close attention to the technology of support, which also contributes to the achievement of victory, can only be admired.
Actually, the first shoots of the future defeat were laid in this weapon system. The Germans are Germans in everything. Quality and reliability! But as mentioned above, quality and mass are almost always in conflict. And one day the Germans started a war where everything was different - they attacked the USSR.
Already in the first year of the war, the blitzkrieg mechanism failed. The Russian open spaces were absolutely indifferent to the ideally debugged, but small German technology. Here a different scope was required. And although the Red Army suffered defeat after defeat, it became difficult for the Germans to maneuver with the modest forces that they had. Losses in the protracted conflict grew, and already in 1942 it became obvious that it was impossible to produce high-quality German equipment in the quantities necessary to make up for losses. Or rather, it is impossible in the same mode of operation of the economy. I had to start mobilizing the economy. However, these actions were very late - it was necessary to prepare for the current situation before the attack.
Technics
Assessing the potential of the parties, it is necessary to clearly separate the equipment for its intended purpose. The decisive influence on the outcome of the battle is exerted primarily by "battlefield" vehicles - equipment engaged in the destruction of the enemy by direct fire in the advanced echelons of troops. These are tanks and self-propelled guns. It should be recognized that in this category the USSR had an absolute superiority, having produced 2.6 times more military equipment.
AT separate category allocated light tanks with machine guns, as well as wedges. Formally, being tanks, they represented a very low combat value for 1941. Neither the German Pz. I, neither the Soviet T-37 and T-38 tongue turns out to be included on a par with the formidable T-34 and even light BT or T-26. Passion for such technology in the USSR should be considered not a very successful experiment.
Separately, self-propelled artillery is indicated. The difference between this category of armored vehicles from assault guns, tank destroyers and other self-propelled guns lies in the possibility of firing from closed positions. Destruction of troops by direct fire for them is rather an exception to the rule than a typical task. In fact, these are ordinary field howitzers or MLRS mounted on the chassis of armored vehicles. Currently, this practice has become the norm, as a rule, any artillery gun has a towed (for example, 152-mm howitzer MSTA-B) and self-propelled version (MSTA-S). At that time it was a novelty, and the Germans were one of the first to implement the idea of self-propelled artillery, covered with armor. The USSR limited itself only to experiments in this area, and the self-propelled guns built using howitzers were used not as classic artillery, but as breakthrough weapons. At the same time, 64 jet systems BM-8-24 on T-40 and T-60 chassis. There is information that the troops were satisfied with them, and why their mass release was not arranged is not clear.
MLRS BM-8-24 on a light tank chassis
The next category is combined arms armored vehicles, whose task is to support first-line equipment, but not designed to destroy targets on the battlefield. This category includes armored personnel carriers and SPAAGs on armored chassis, armored vehicles. It is important to understand that such vehicles, by their design, are not designed to fight in the same formation with tanks and infantry, although they should be located behind them in close proximity. It is erroneously considered that an armored personnel carrier is a battlefield vehicle. In fact, the armored personnel carriers were originally intended to transport infantry in the front line and protect it from fragments of artillery shells at the initial lines of attack. On the battlefield, armored personnel carriers, armed with a machine gun and protected by thin armor, could not help either the infantry or the tanks. Their large silhouette makes them an excellent and easy target. If in reality they did fight, it was forced. Vehicles of this category influence the outcome of the battle indirectly - saving the lives and forces of the infantry. Their value in battle is significantly lower than that of tanks, although they are also necessary. In this category, the USSR practically did not produce its own equipment, and only by the middle of the war acquired a small number of vehicles supplied under Lend-Lease.
The temptation to attribute armored personnel carriers to battlefield technology is fueled by the presence of very weak tanks in the ranks of the Red Army, for example, the T-60. Thin armor, primitive equipment, a weak gun - why is a German armored personnel carrier worse? Why is a tank with such weak performance characteristics a battlefield machine, but an armored personnel carrier is not? First of all, a tank is a specialized vehicle, the main task of which is precisely the destruction of targets on the battlefield, which cannot be said about the armored personnel carrier. Even though their armor is similar, but the low squat silhouette of the tank, its mobility, the ability to fire from a cannon clearly speaks of its purpose. An armored personnel carrier is precisely a transporter, and not a means of destroying the enemy. However, those German armored personnel carriers that received specialized weapons, for example, 75 cm or 3.7 cm anti-tank guns, are included in the table in the corresponding rows - anti-tank self-propelled guns. This is true, since this armored personnel carrier was eventually made into a vehicle designed to destroy the enemy on the battlefield, albeit with weak armor and a high, clearly visible silhouette of the transporter.
As for armored vehicles, they were mainly intended for reconnaissance and security. The USSR produced a huge number of machines of this class, and the combat capabilities of a number of models came close to the capabilities of light tanks. However, this applies primarily to pre-war technology. It seems that the forces and means spent on their manufacture could have been spent with a better use. For example, if some of them were intended for the transport of infantry, like conventional armored personnel carriers.
The next category is special vehicles without weapons. Their task is to provide troops, and armor is needed primarily to protect against random fragments and bullets. Their presence in combat formations should be short-lived; they do not need to constantly accompany the advancing troops. Their task is to solve specific tasks at the right time and in the right place, advancing from the rear, avoiding contact with the enemy if possible.
The Germans produced about 700 repair and recovery vehicles, plus about 200 were converted from previously released equipment. In the USSR, such machines were created only on the basis of the T-26 and produced in the amount of 183 units. It is difficult to fully assess the potential of the parties' repair forces, since the matter was not limited to BREM alone. Feeling the need for this type of equipment, both Germany and the USSR were engaged in makeshift conversion of obsolete and partially defective tanks into tow trucks and tractors. In the Red Army there were a lot of such vehicles with dismantled towers based on T-34, KV and IS tanks. It is not possible to establish their exact number, since they were all made in combat units of the army, and not in factories. In the German army, despite the presence of specialized ARVs, similar homemade products were also made, and their number is also unknown.
Ammunition transporters were intended by the Germans primarily to supply advanced artillery units. In the Red Army, the same task was solved by ordinary trucks, the security of which, of course, was lower.
Forward observers' vehicles were also mainly needed by the gunners. In the modern army, their counterparts are the vehicles of senior battery officers and mobile reconnaissance posts of the PRP. However, in those years the USSR did not produce such machines.
In terms of bridgelayers, their presence in the Red Army may be surprising. Nevertheless, it was the USSR that produced 65 such vehicles on the basis of the T-26 tank under the designation ST-26 before the war. The Germans, on the other hand, made several of these vehicles based on the Pz IV, Pz II and Pz I. However, neither the Soviet ST-26 nor the German bridge layers had any effect on the course of the war.
Bridge tank ST-26
Finally, the Germans mass-produced such specific machines as demolition charge stackers. The most massive of these machines, the Goliath, was a remotely controlled disposable tankette. This type of machine is difficult to attribute to any category, so their tasks are unique. The USSR did not produce such machines.
findings
Analyzing the impact of the production of weapons on the consequences of the war, two factors must be taken into account - the balance of the weapons system and the balance of equipment in terms of quality / quantity.
The balance of the German army's weapons system is extremely commendable. The USSR in the pre-war period was unable to create anything of the kind, although the need for this was recognized by the leadership. The lack of auxiliary equipment had a negative impact on the combat capabilities of the Red Army, primarily in the mobility of support units and infantry. Of all the wide range of auxiliary equipment, one should regret the absence in the Red Army, first of all, of armored personnel carriers and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. The absence of such exotic vehicles as remote demolition charges and artillery observer vehicles could be endured without tears. As for the BREM, their role was quite successfully solved by tractors based on tanks with weapons removed, and there are still no armored ammunition transporters in the army, and the troops as a whole cope with this task with the help of conventional trucks.
The production of armored personnel carriers in Germany should be considered justified. Knowing the cost of military equipment, it is not difficult to calculate that the production of the entire fleet of armored personnel carriers cost the Germans about 450 million marks. For this money, the Germans could build about 4000 Pz. IV or 3000 Pz.V. Obviously, such a number of tanks would not greatly affect the outcome of the war.
As for the USSR, its leadership, overcoming the technological lag behind Western countries, correctly assessed the importance of tanks as the main striking force of the troops. The emphasis on improving and developing tanks eventually gave the USSR an advantage over by the German army directly on the battlefield. With the high utility of support technology, it was the battlefield vehicles that played the decisive role in the outcome of the battles, which in the Soviet army had the highest development priority. A large number of support vehicles in the end did nothing to help Germany win the war, although it certainly saved a considerable number of lives of German soldiers.
But the balance between quality and quantity in the end was not in favor of Germany. The traditional tendency of the Germans to strive for the achievement of the ideal in everything, even where this should be neglected, played a cruel joke. Preparing for a war with the USSR, it was necessary to pay close attention to the mass production of equipment. Even the most advanced combat vehicles in small numbers are not able to turn the tide of events. The gap between the combat capabilities of Soviet and German technology was not so large that the German qualitative superiority could play a decisive role. But the quantitative superiority of the USSR turned out to be able not only to make up for the losses of the first period of the war, but also to influence the course of the war as a whole. The ubiquitous T-34s, supplemented by small Su-76s and T-60s, were everywhere, while the Germans from the very beginning of the Second World War did not have enough equipment to saturate the huge front.
Speaking about the quantitative superiority of the USSR, it is impossible to bypass the discussion of the traditional template of "filled up with corpses." Having discovered such a striking superiority of the Red Army in technology, it is difficult to resist the temptation to put forward the thesis that we fought in numbers, and not in skill. Such statements should be stopped immediately. Not a single, even the most talented commander, will give up quantitative superiority over the enemy, even if he can fight with a much smaller number of troops. Quantitative superiority gives the commander the widest possibilities for planning a battle and does not at all mean an inability to fight in small numbers. If you have a lot of troops, this does not mean that you will immediately enthusiastically throw them into a frontal attack, in the hope that they will crush the enemy with their mass. Whatever the quantitative superiority is, it is not infinite. Provide your troops with the ability to operate in more- the most important task of industry and the state. And the Germans understood this very well, having squeezed out everything that was possible from their economy in the years 43-45 in an attempt to achieve at least not superiority, but parity with the USSR. They did not do it in the best way, but the Soviet side did it excellently. Which became one of the many bricks in the foundation of victory.
P.S.
The author does not consider this work exhaustive and final. Perhaps there are experts who can significantly supplement the information presented. Any reader can get acquainted with the collected statistics in detail by downloading the full version of the statistical table presented in this article from the link below.
https://yadi.sk/i/WWxqmJlOucUdP
References:
A.G. Solyankin, M.V. Pavlov, I.V. Pavlov, I.G. Zheltov “Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. (in 4 volumes)
W. Oswald. "Complete Catalog of German Military Vehicles and Tanks 1900 - 1982"
P. Chamberlain, H. Doyle, "Encyclopedia of German tanks of the Second World War."
