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ARMED FORCES OF THE MAIN PARTICIPANTS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR COUNTRY Number of armed forces (millions of people) By the beginning of 1941 By the beginning of 1945 Germany 7.2 9.4 Japan 1.7 7.2 Italy 1.5 - USA 1.8 11, 9 Great Britain 3.2 4.5 USSR 5.2 9.4 China (Kuomintang) 2.5 4.0 China (communists) 0.4 0.9
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THE RELATION OF FORCES OF THE USSR AND GERMANY IN THE MOSCOW DIRECTION IN THE AUTUMN 1941 Combat forces and means Red Army German troops Personnel (thousands of people) 120 1800 Number of tanks 990 1700 Number of guns and mortars (thousands) 7.6 14 Number of aircraft 667 1390
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Lend-Lease (from the English “lend” - to lend and “lease” - to rent) is a unique program for lending to allies by the United States of America through the supply of equipment, food, equipment, raw materials and materials. According to the Lend-Lease law, the United States could supply equipment, ammunition, equipment, etc. countries whose defense was vital for the States themselves. All deliveries were free of charge. All machinery, equipment and materials spent, used up or destroyed during the war were not subject to payment. Property left over after the end of the war that was suitable for civilian purposes had to be paid for.
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Share of Lend-Lease deliveries in the total quantity of products produced and supplied to the USSR
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Aircrafts 22,150 Tanks 12,700 Passenger SUVs and all-terrain vehicles 51,503 Trucks 375,883 Motorcycles 35,170 Tractors 8,071 Rifles 8,218 Automatic weapons 131,633 Pistols 12,997 Boxcars 11,155 Locomotives 1,981 Cargo ships s 90 Anti-submarine ships, etc. 105
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Il-2 is the most popular combat aircraft in history, more than 36 thousand were produced. In the Red Army, the plane received the nickname “humpback” (for the characteristic shape of the fuselage). The designers called the aircraft they developed a “flying tank.” The aircraft had a bad reputation among the ground forces of the Wehrmacht and earned several honorary nicknames, such as “butcher”, “iron Gustav.” The Il-2 took part in battles during all military operations of the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War, as well as in the Soviet-Japanese War. In February 1941, mass production began. The first production IL-2s were manufactured in Voronezh at plant No. 18 (in November 1941 the plant was evacuated to Kuibyshev). Il-2 was mass-produced at aircraft factories No. 1 and No. 18 in the city of Kuibyshev, and at aircraft factory No. 30 in Moscow.
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Development was started by the designers and engineers of the special NKVD design bureau, SKB-29, in mid-1938. Created on the basis of the experimental twin-engine high-altitude fighter "100", the Pe-2 made its first flight on December 22, 1939 and began mass production at the end of 1940. The Pe-2 also served as a flying laboratory for testing rocket boosters. The first flight with a functioning rocket launcher took place in October 1943. The speed increased by 92 km/h. Experiments with various versions of the Pe-2 with rocket launchers continued until 1945
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The first three production Tu-2s, produced by plant No. 166, reached the Kalinin Front in September 1942. The vehicles ended up as part of the 3rd Air Army. Front-line pilots rated the Tu-2 very highly. They emphasized the high efficiency of the aircraft, capable of dropping large bombs on a target, powerful defensive weapons, ease of piloting and high flight performance. For the creation and organization of serial production of the Tu-2 bomber A.N. Tupolev was awarded the Stalin Prize, 1st degree, in 1943, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and the Order of Suvorov, 2nd degree, in 1944, and was also promoted to major general of the engineering and technical service. In 1945, Tupolev became a Hero of Socialist Labor.
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Yak-7 Soviet single-engine fighter aircraft of the Great Patriotic War. It was developed at Plant No. 301 shortly after the start of the war on the initiative of the A. S. Yakovlev Design Bureau brigade located at this plant to assist in the development of the Yak-7UTI. The Yak-7 has been produced since 1941; a total of 6,399 aircraft of 18 different modifications were built, including training and combat ones. By the end of 1942, it began to be replaced at an accelerated pace by the more advanced Yak-9, which later became the most popular Soviet fighter of the Great Patriotic War.
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The La-5 fighter appeared under circumstances that were not entirely ordinary, if not dramatic, for the design team headed by S.A. Lavochkin. LaGG-Z fighter. for the production and improvement of which this design bureau was responsible, due to insufficient efficiency it was removed from production. And the very existence of the design bureau is now in question. Of course, the designers perfectly understood the nature of the LaGG's shortcomings and were already carrying out design work on its radical modification. Along with the need to dramatically improve flight data, the main thing in this matter was efficiency and the requirement for continuity of the LaGG-Z design and its new modification. Only if these conditions were met was it possible to transfer the plant to the production of a new aircraft before the Yak fighter appeared on the assembly line (as planned). And S.A. Lavochkin’s design bureau coped with this task successfully.
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To produce armored vehicles, the Tankograd military production complex was created in the Urals. Thousands of planes and tanks rolled off the assembly lines of defense enterprises. This made it possible to form air and tank armies, which played a decisive role in the offensive of the Soviet Armed Forces in 1943-1945.
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T-34 was the main tank of the Red Army until the first half of 1944, when it was replaced by the T-34-85 modification tank. From 1942 to 1945, the main production of the T-34 was launched at powerful machine-building plants in the Urals and Siberia, and continued in the post-war years. The leading plant for modifying the T-34 was the Ural Tank Plant No. 183. The T-34 tank had a huge impact on the outcome of the war and on the further development of world tank building. Thanks to the totality of its combat qualities, the T-34 was recognized by many specialists and military experts as one of the best tanks of the Second World War. During its creation, Soviet designers managed to find the optimal balance between the main combat, tactical, ballistic, operational, running and technological characteristics. The T-34 tank is the most famous Soviet tank and one of the most recognizable symbols of World War II.
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Serial production of the T-44 began in 1944, but during the Great Patriotic War it was carried out on a limited scale in order to prevent a reduction in the production of the T-34-85 during large-scale offensive operations. T-44
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In general, the tank fully met the expectations of the command as a means of qualitatively strengthening units and subunits intended to break through well-fortified enemy lines in advance, as well as storm cities. Is -2
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OT-34 - was created on the basis of the T-34. Unlike a linear tank, it was armed with an automatic powder piston flamethrower ATO-41, located in place of the forward machine gun, which, for example, compared to the solution for the KV-8, allowed the 76-mm cannon to be retained. OT-34
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Katyusha is the unofficial name of barrelless field rocket artillery systems that appeared during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 (primarily and initially - BM-13, and subsequently also BM-8, BM-31 and others). Such installations were actively used by the Armed Forces of the USSR during the Second World War. The popularity of the nickname turned out to be so great that “Katyusha” colloquial speech Post-war MLRS on automobile chassis, in particular BM-14 and BM-21 “Grad”, were often called. Subsequently, by analogy with “Katyusha”, a number of similar nicknames (“Andryusha”, “Vanyusha”) were given by Soviet soldiers to other installations (BM-31, etc.) rocket artillery, but these nicknames have not received such wide distribution and popularity and in general are much less known.
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Balance of forces in the Stalingrad direction in November 1942 Forces and means Red Army Germany and its allies Personnel (thousands of people) 1134.8 1011.5 Number of tanks 1560 675 Number of guns and mortars 14934 10290 Number of aircraft 1916 1219
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Balance of forces in the Orel-Kursk direction at the beginning of July 1943 Forces and means Soviet troops German troops Personnel (thousands of people) 1336 900 Number of tanks and self-propelled guns 3444 2733 Number of guns and mortars 19100 10000 Number of aircraft 2172 2050
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PRODUCTION OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT IN THE LARGEST COUNTRIES IN 1943-1944. COUNTRY PRODUCTION OF TANKS (thousand units) PRODUCTION OF AIRCRAFT (thousand units) 1943 1944 1943 1944 GERMANY 19.8 27.3 25.2 38.0 JAPAN 1.0 1.0 16.3 28.3 USSR 24.0 29 .0 35.0 40.3 UK 8.6 7.5 23.7 26.3 USA 29.5 17.6 85.9 96.4
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Of the divisional guns, the most common was the 76 mm ZIS-3 cannon. In the initial period of the war, the 76-mm F-22 cannon and the 76-mm USV cannon were also used. Corps artillery was represented by 122-mm A-19 cannons, a 152-mm howitzer of the 1909/30 model, and also a 152-mm ML-20 howitzer-gun. Anti-tank guns included 45 mm 53-K, 45 mm M-42 and 57 mm ZIS-2 anti-tank guns. Anti-aircraft artillery used 37 mm anti-aircraft guns 61-K, as well as 76-mm 3-K and 85-mm 52-K cannons.
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Before the war, increased attention was paid to the development of automatic weapons - the ABC self-loading rifle was followed by the SVT and AVT. However, the main small arms The Soviet army had the Mosin rifle. In addition, the PPSh submachine gun has also gained some popularity. Nagan revolvers and TT pistols were used as officer weapons. The main light machine gun was the DP, and the Maxim machine gun, developed before the First World War, was used as an easel machine gun. The DShK heavy machine gun, also used as an anti-aircraft gun, has also gained some popularity.
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Mosin rifle.7.62-mm (3-line) rifle model 1891 (Mosin rifle, three-line) - a repeating rifle adopted by the Russian Imperial Army in 1891. It was actively used in the period from 1891 to the end of the Great Patriotic War, and was modernized many times during this period. The name three-ruler comes from the caliber of the rifle barrel, which is equal to three Russian lines (the old measure of length was equal to one tenth of an inch, or 2.54 mm - respectively, three lines are equal to 7.62 mm). Based on the 1891 model rifle and its modifications, a number of sporting and hunting weapons, both rifled and smoothbore.
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Shpagin submachine gun. 7.62-mm submachine gun model 1941 of the Shpagin system (PPSh) is a Soviet submachine gun developed in 1940 by designer G. S. Shpagin and adopted by the Red Army on December 21, 1940. The PPSh was the main submachine gun of the Soviet armed forces in the Great Patriotic War. After the end of the war, the PPSh was withdrawn from service in the early 1950s Soviet army and was gradually replaced by the Kalashnikov assault rifle; for a little longer it remained in service with rear and auxiliary units, units of internal troops and railway troops. It was in service with paramilitary security units at least until the mid-1980s. Also, in the post-war period, PPSh was supplied in significant quantities to countries friendly to the USSR, was in service with the armies of various states for a long time, was used by irregular formations, and was used in military operations throughout the twentieth century. armed conflicts Worldwide.
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Pistol arr. 1933 (TT, Tula, Tokarev) - the first army self-loading pistol of the USSR, developed in 1930 by Soviet designer Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev. The TT pistol was developed for the 1929 competition for a new army pistol, announced to replace the Nagan revolver and several models of foreign-made revolvers and pistols that were in service with the Red Army by the mid-1920s. The German 7.63×25 mm Mauser cartridge was adopted as a standard cartridge, which was purchased in significant quantities for the Mauser S-96 pistols in service.
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Each of the warring sides has invested staggering amounts of money into designing and building powerful weapons, and we'll take a look at some of the most influential. They are not considered the best or most destructive today, but the military equipment listed below influenced the course of World War II to one degree or another.
The LCVP is a type of landing craft used by the US Navy. Designed for transporting and landing personnel on an unequipped coastline occupied by the enemy.
LCVP or "Higgins boat", named after its creator Andrew Higgins, who designed the boat to operate in shallow waters and marshy areas, was used extensively by the US Navy during naval operations. landing operations during the Second World War. Over 15 years of production, 22,492 boats of this type were built.
The LCVP landing craft was built from pressed plywood and was structurally reminiscent of a small river barge with a crew of 4 people. At the same time, the boat could transport a full infantry platoon of 36 soldiers. When fully loaded, Higgins' boat could reach speeds of up to 9 knots (17 km/h).
Katyusha (BM-13)
Katyusha is the unofficial name for barrelless field rocket artillery systems widely used by the Armed Forces of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Initially, Katyushas were called BM-13, and later they began to call them BM-8, BM-31, and others. BM-13 - the famous and most widespread Soviet fighting machine(BM) of this class.
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster was a British heavy bomber used during World War II and used by the Royal Air Force. The Lancaster is considered the most successful night bomber of World War II and the most famous. It flew more than 156,000 combat missions and dropped more than 600,000 tons of bombs.
The first combat flight took place in March 1942. More than 7,000 Lancasters were produced during the war, but almost half were destroyed by the enemy. Currently (2014) there are only two surviving machines that are capable of flying.
U-boat (submarine)
U-boat is a generalized abbreviation for German submarines that were in service with the German navy.
Germany, not having a strong enough fleet capable of resisting the Allied forces at sea, primarily relied on its submarines, the main purpose of which was the destruction of trade convoys transporting goods from Canada, the British Empire and the United States to the Soviet Union and allied countries in the Mediterranean. German submarines proved incredibly effective. Winston Churchill would later say that the only thing that scared him during World War II was the submarine threat.
Research has shown that the Allies spent $26,400,000,000 to fight German submarines. Unlike the Allied countries, Germany spent $2.86 billion on its U-boats. From a purely economic point of view, the campaign was seen as a success for the Germans, making German submarines one of the most influential weapons of the war.
the plane Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane was a British World War II single-seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. In total, more than 14,500 of these aircraft were built. The Hawker Hurricane had various modifications and could be used as a fighter-bomber, interceptor and attack aircraft.
M4 Sherman - American medium tank during the Second World War. Between 1942 and 1945, 49,234 tanks were produced and is considered the third most produced tank in the world after the T-34 and T-54. During World War II, the M4 Sherman tank was built on the basis of the a large number of various modifications (one of which the Sherman Crab is the strangest tank), self-propelled artillery units (SPG) and engineering equipment. Used by the American army, and also supplied in large quantities to the Allied forces (mainly to Great Britain and the USSR).
The 88 mm FlaK 18/36/37/41 also known as the "eight-eight" was a German anti-aircraft, anti-tank artillery gun that was widely used German troops during the Second World War. The weapon, designed to destroy both aircraft and tanks, was also often used as artillery. Between 1939 and 1945, a total of 17,125 such guns were built.
North American P-51 Mustang
Third on the list of the most influential military equipment of World War II is the P-51 Mustang, an American single-seat long-range fighter developed in the early 1940s. Counts the best fighter US Air Force during World War II. It was used mainly as a reconnaissance aircraft and to escort bombers during raids on German territory.
Aircraft carriers
Aircraft carriers are a type of warship whose main striking force is carrier-based aircraft. In World War II, Japanese and American aircraft carriers already played a leading role in Pacific battles. For example, the famous attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out using dive bombers stationed on six Japanese aircraft carriers.
T-34 is a Soviet medium tank that was mass-produced from 1940 until the first half of 1944. It was the main tank of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), until it was replaced by the T-34-85 modification, which is in service with some countries today. The legendary T-34 is the most popular medium tank and is recognized by many military experts and specialists as the best tank produced during the Second World War. Also considered one of the most famous symbols of the above mentioned war.
On July 8, 1941, a tank battle broke out near the town of Senno, not far from the Dnieper: light Soviet T-26s fought off German T-IIIs. In the midst of the battle, a Russian tank crawled out of the thick rye, crushing potato tops into the ground, the silhouette of which was still unknown to the Germans. “Several German tanks opened fire on it, but the shells ricocheted off its massive turret. There was a German 37mm anti-tank gun on his road. The German artillerymen fired shell after shell at the advancing tank until it crushed their gun into the ground. Then, leaving behind the set fire to the T-III, the tank went 15 kilometers deep into the German defense,” this is how Western historians describe the first appearance of the legendary T-34 tank in the book “From Barbarossa to Terminal.”
For a long time, German designers tried to create a tank that could compete with the 34. This is how the German T-6 Tiger (1942) and T-5 Panther (1943) tanks appeared. However, the German giants still lost to the “best tank in the world,” as the German military leader von Kleist dubbed it, in maneuverability. The brainchild of Mikhail Koshkin, which came off the assembly line of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant, contributed to the development of the so-called “tank fear” among the German troops of the Eastern Front. However, for the designer himself, the invention became fatal: from Kharkov to Moscow, where the tank was supposed to be shown to the management, Koshkin, who had a cold, drove his 34. Having proven that his tank could cover such distances without problems, the designer received severe pneumonia and returned to Kharkov in a semi-conscious state. Having never recovered from the disease, Mikhail Koshkin died in the hospital. This self-sacrifice convinced senior officials to put the tanks into mass production. Before the start of the war, 1,225 T-34 tanks were produced.
Main woman at the front
The front-line soldiers nicknamed the M-30 howitzer “Mother”, the rockets were initially called “Raisa Sergeevna” (from the abbreviation RS), but most of all they loved, of course, “Katyusha”, the BM-13 field rocket artillery system. One of the first volleys of Katyusha rockets hit the Market Square in the city of Rudnya. The BM-13 made a peculiar sound when firing, in which the soldiers heard Matvey Blanter’s song “Katyusha,” popular before the war. The apt nickname given to the gun by Sergeant Andrei Sapronov spread throughout the army in a couple of days, and then became the property of the Soviet people.
Monument to Katyusha. (wikipedia.org)
The order to start production of Katyushas was signed a few hours before the start of the German invasion. The German troops were the first to use multiple launch rocket systems, trying to destroy them at the very beginning of the offensive. Brest Fortress. However, the fortress survived and for a long time the Red Army soldiers who found themselves in it fought against the invaders. The order to start production of Katyushas was signed a few hours before the start of the German invasion. Less than a month later, Soviet troops struck back: in the summer of 1941, the Germans had to get acquainted not only with the new T-34 tank, but also with the hitherto unknown Katyusha. The Chief of the German General Staff, Halder, wrote in his diary: “On July 14, near Orsha, the Russians used weapons unknown until that time. A fiery barrage of shells burned the Orsha railway station and all the trains with personnel and military equipment of the arriving military units. The metal was melting, the earth was burning.”
Monument to the first rocket battery of Captain Flerov. (wikipedia.org)
Rocket launchers, which at the beginning of the war were most often mounted on the chassis of ZIS vehicles, then began to be mounted on anything: from Fords, Dodges and Bedfords received under the Lend-Lease program, to motorcycles, snowmobiles and boats. The operation in which multiple launch rocket systems were used most extensively was . Then the “Stalinist organs,” as the Germans called them, fired more than 10 thousand shells and destroyed 120 buildings, where the resistance of the enemy troops was especially fierce.
IL-2, "Cement Bomber"
The most popular combat aircraft in history, which for a long time was the Il-2 attack aircraft, seems to have become a record holder for the number of nicknames. “Concrete plane” - that’s what the German pilots called it: the Il-2 had poor maneuverability, but it was very difficult to shoot it down. The pilots even joked that the IL-2 could fly “on half a wing, and on my word of honor.” Wehrmacht ground troops, seeing it as a constant threat, called the plane the “butcher” or “Iron Gustav.” The designers themselves simply called the Il-2 a “flying tank.” And in the Red Army, the plane received the nickname “humpback” due to the unusual shape of the hull.
In this form, the Il-2 flew to the airfield. (wikipedia.org)
The first production aircraft "Il-2" was produced on March 10, 1941 at the Voronezh aircraft plant, since then 36,183 of the same attack aircraft have risen above the ground. However, at the time the war began, the Red Army had only 249 vehicles at its disposal. Initially, Ilyushin, the chief designer, created a two-seat “armored attack aircraft”, but after the first tests it was decided to install an additional gas tank instead of the second seat.
All the time, the Soviet command lacked specialized combat aircraft. This is largely why the IL-2, being the most common vehicle, was used for different tasks. For example, a mandatory bomb load was established for all Il-2 aircraft, which was jokingly called the “Stalin outfit”. In addition to bombing, the Il-2 was used, despite its impressive dimensions, as a reconnaissance aircraft. One of interesting features attack aircraft is that the pilots, if the aircraft caught fire in combat, often landed the aircraft on its “belly” without releasing the landing gear. The most difficult thing for the pilot was to get out of the fuselage in time and escape before the "" exploded.
USSR technology
USSR tank: 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, and was the best vehicle in the world tank fleet. He played a decisive role in the battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, the Kursk Bulge, Berlin and other military operations.
Soviet technology of World War II
Tank USSR: IS - 2 “Joseph Stalin”
IS-2 is a Soviet heavy tank during the Great Patriotic War. The abbreviation IS means “Joseph Stalin” - the official name of serial Soviet heavy tanks produced in 1943-1953. Index 2 corresponds to the second production model of the tank of this family. During the Great Patriotic War, along with the designation IS-2, the name IS-122 was used equally, in this case the index 122 means the caliber of the main armament of the vehicle.
USSR weapons: 76-mm divisional gun model 1942
ZIS-3 became the most popular Soviet artillery piece, produced during the Great Patriotic War. Thanks 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 today.
USSR military equipment: 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 the Second World War.
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. Goal: get to know various materials o In the Great Patriotic War; find out which one Combat vehicles helped our people win. Completed by: Valera Dudanov, 4th grade student Supervisor: Larisa Grigorievna Matyashchuk
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
Bomber Tu-2
Fighter Yak-3 Yak-7 Yak-9
La-5 fighter La-7 fighter
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
BM-31 rocket artillery combat vehicle
BM-8-36 rocket artillery combat vehicle
Rocket artillery combat vehicle BM-8-24
Rocket artillery combat vehicle BM-13N
BM-13 rocket artillery combat vehicle
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 achieved through the joint efforts of the states of the anti-fascist coalition, the peoples who fought against the occupiers and their accomplices. But the Soviet Union played a decisive role in this armed conflict. 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.
In the territory Soviet Union a significant number of national military formations with a total number of 550 thousand people, for whose arsenal about 960 thousand rifles, carbines and machine guns, more than 40.5 thousand machine guns, 16.5 thousand guns and mortars, over 2,300 aircraft, more than 1,100 tanks and self-propelled guns were donated. Considerable assistance was also provided in the training of national command personnel.
The results and consequences of the Great Patriotic War are grandiose in scale and historical significance. It was not “military happiness”, not accidents that led the Red Army to a brilliant victory. Throughout the war, the Soviet economy successfully coped with providing the front with the necessary weapons and ammunition.
Soviet industry in 1942 - 1944. produced over 2 thousand tanks monthly, while German industry reached a maximum of 1,450 tanks only in May 1944; The number of field artillery guns in the Soviet Union was 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 of the military economy, the workers, peasants, and intelligentsia showed massive labor heroism. Following the slogan “Everything for the front! Everything for Victory!”, regardless of any hardships, home front workers did everything to give the army perfect weapons, clothe, shoe and feed the soldiers, provide uninterrupted operation transport and the entire national economy. The Soviet military industry surpassed the fascist German one not only in quantity, but also in the quality of the main types of weapons and equipment. Soviet scientists and designers radically improved many technological processes, tirelessly created and improved military equipment and weapons. For example, the T-34 medium tank, which has undergone several modifications, is rightfully considered the best tank of the Great Patriotic War.
Mass heroism, unprecedented perseverance, courage and dedication, selfless devotion to the Motherland Soviet people at the front, behind enemy lines, the labor exploits of workers, peasants and intellectuals were the most important factor in achieving our Victory. History has never known 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. The immortal feat of the infantrymen A.K. was repeated more than 300 times during the Great Patriotic War. Pankratov V.V. Vasilkovsky and A.M. Matrosova. Golden letters in battle chronicle The names of Yu.V. are inscribed in the Soviet Fatherland. 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 M.A. are widely known. Egorova and M.V. Kantaria, who hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag. More than 7 million people who fought on the war fronts were awarded orders and medals. 11,358 people were awarded the highest degree of military distinction - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Having watched various films about the war, having heard 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 defeat Nazi Germany.
Aviation
In the creative competition of design bureaus that developed new fighters in the late thirties, the team led by A.S. Yakovlev achieved great success. The experimental I-26 fighter he created passed excellent tests and was branded Yak-1 was accepted 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 modified several times. 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: prototype No. 1 and a backup. The Yak-1M was the lightest and most maneuverable fighter in the world for its time.
Designers: 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 continuous production. With the release of production aircraft and their arrival at military units, wishes and demands began to be received to strengthen armament and increase the capacity of tanks. Increasing the capacity of gas tanks made it possible to increase the flight range from 660 to 1000 km. Automatic slats were installed, but the series used more conventional aircraft. Factories, having produced about 100 LaGG-1 vehicles, began to build its version - LaGG-3. All this was accomplished to the best of our ability, but the plane became heavier and its flight performance decreased. In addition, winter camouflage - a rough surface of the paint - worsened the aerodynamics of the aircraft (and the dark cherry-colored prototype 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 was one of the main front-line fighters in the first period of the war. In 1941-1943. factories built over 6.5 thousand LaGG aircraft.
It was a cantilever low-wing aircraft with smooth contours and a retractable landing gear with a tail wheel; it was unique among fighters of the time because it had an all-wood construction, with the exception of its metal frame and fabric-covered control surfaces; The fuselage, tail and wings had a wooden load-bearing structure, to which diagonal strips of plywood were attached using phenol-formaldehyde rubber.
More than 6,500 LaGG-3 aircraft were built, with later versions having a retractable tailwheel and the ability to carry jettisonable fuel tanks. Armament included a 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub, two 12.7 mm (0.5 in) 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, and 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 a “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 the team headed by N.N. Polikarpov.
In my own way appearance and flight qualities I-16 was 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. For this purpose, the center of gravity in flight was combined with the center of pressure at approximately 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 during 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 its contemporaries with its high-speed qualities. The small I-16 embodied the idea of a high-speed aircraft, which also performed aerobatic maneuvers very effectively, and compared favorably with any biplanes. After each modification, the speed, ceiling and armament of the aircraft increased.
The armament of the 1939 I-16 consisted of two cannons and two machine guns. The aircraft of the first series received a baptism of fire in battles with the Nazis in the skies of Spain. Using subsequent production vehicles with missile launchers, our pilots defeated the Japanese militarists at Khalkhin Gol. I-16s took part in battles with Nazi aviation 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 on these fighters and won many victories twice.
I-16 type 24 took part in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. I-16, adapted for dive bombing/
One of the most formidable combat aircraft of World War II, the Ilyushin Il-2 was produced in huge quantities. Soviet sources give the figure as 36,163 aircraft. A characteristic feature of the two-seat TsKB-55 or BSh-2 aircraft, developed in 1938 by Sergei Ilyushin and his Central Design Bureau, was the armored shell, which was integral with the fuselage structure and protected the crew, engine, radiators and fuel tank. The aircraft was perfectly suited to its designated role as an attack aircraft, 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 canopy, two 20 mm cannons instead of two of the four wing-mounted machine guns, and underwing missile 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 itself 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 the general 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 up smoke screens.
In the final year of World War II, Il-2 aircraft were used by Polish and Czechoslovak units flying alongside Soviet units. 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.
To provide a replacement for the Il-2 attack aircraft, two different prototype aircraft were developed in 1943. The Il-8 variant, while maintaining a close resemblance to the Il-2, was equipped with a more powerful AM-42 engine, had a new wing, horizontal tail and landing gear, combined with the fuselage of the late-production Il-2 aircraft. It was flight tested in April 1944, but was abandoned in favor of the Il-10, which was a completely new development with an all-metal design and improved aerodynamic shape. Mass production began in August 1944, and evaluation in active regiments two months later. This aircraft first came into use in February 1945, and by the spring its production had reached its peak. Before the German surrender, 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 popular Soviet bomber. These aircraft took part in battles on all fronts and were used by land and naval aviation as bombers, fighters, and reconnaissance aircraft.
In our country, the first dive bomber was Ar-2 A.A. Arkhangelsky, which represented 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 SB design was already quite outdated, so there were practically no prospects for further development of the Ar-2. A little later, the St. Petersburg N.N. aircraft was produced in a small series (five pieces). Polikarpov, superior to the Ar-2 in armament and flight characteristics. Since numerous accidents occurred during flight tests, work was stopped after extensive development of this machine.
During the testing of the "hundredth" several accidents occurred. The right engine of Stefanovsky’s plane failed, and he barely landed the plane on the maintenance site, miraculously “jumping” over the hangar and the trestles stacked near it. The second plane, the “backup”, on which A.M. Khripkov and P.I. Perevalov were flying, also suffered an accident. After takeoff, a fire broke out on it, and the pilot, blinded by the smoke, landed on the first landing site he came across, crushing the people there.
Despite these accidents, the aircraft showed high flight characteristics and it was decided to build it in series. An experienced "weaving" was demonstrated at the May Day parade in 1940. State tests"hundreds" ended on May 10, 1940, and on June 23 the aircraft was accepted for mass production. The production aircraft had some differences. The most noticeable external change was the forward movement of the cockpit. Behind the pilot, slightly to the right, was the navigator's seat. The lower part of the nose was glazed, which made it possible to aim during bombing. The navigator had a rear-firing ShKAS machine gun on a pivot mount. Behind the back
Serial production of the Pe-2 unfolded very quickly. In the spring of 1941, these vehicles began to arrive in combat units. On May 1, 1941, the Pe-2 regiment (95th Colonel S.A. Pestov) flew over Red Square in parade formation. These vehicles were “appropriated” by F.P. Polynov’s 13th Air Division, which, 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 the pilots. The comparative complexity of the aircraft, the dive-bombing tactics that were fundamentally new for Soviet pilots, the lack of twin-control aircraft, and design defects, in particular insufficient landing gear damping and poor fuselage sealing, which increased the fire hazard, all played a role here. 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 pilots of the rapidly growing Soviet Air Force were inexperienced. For example, in the Leningrad district, more than half of the flight personnel graduated from aviation schools in the fall of 1940 and had very few flight hours.
Despite these difficulties, units armed with the Pe-2 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 Galati Bridge over the Prut River. This fast and quite maneuverable aircraft could operate during the day in conditions of enemy air superiority. So, on October 5, 1941, the crew of St. Lieutenant Gorslikhin took on 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 was caught in heavy snow on the way to Moscow, lost orientation and crashed into a hill near Arzamas. The place of chief designer was briefly taken by A.M. Izakson, and then he was replaced by A.I. Putilov.
The front was in dire need of modern bombers.
Since the autumn of 1941, the Pe-2 was already actively used on all fronts, as well as in the 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 whom a separate regiment of Pe-2 aircraft (410th) was formed. During the counter-offensive near Moscow, Pe-2s already accounted for approximately a quarter of the bombers concentrated for the operation. However, the number of bombers produced remained insufficient. In the 8th Air Army at 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. At Stalingrad, the 150th regiment of Colonel I.S. Polbin (later general, commander of the air corps) became famous. This regiment performed the most important tasks. Having mastered dive bombing well, the pilots launched powerful strikes against the enemy during the day. For example, near the Morozovsky farm, a large gas storage facility was destroyed. When the Germans organized an “air bridge” to Stalingrad, dive bombers took part 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 dive bomber from the Baltic Fleet Air Force bombed the bridge across Narva, dramatically complicating the supply of German troops near Leningrad (the bridge took a month to restore).
During the battles, the tactics of Soviet dive bombers also changed. At the end Battle of Stalingrad strike groups of 30-70 aircraft were already used instead of the previous “threes” and “nines”. The famous Polbinsk “pinwheel” was born here - a giant inclined wheel of dozens of dive bombers covering each other from the tail and taking turns delivering well-aimed blows. In conditions of street fighting, the Pe-2 operated from low altitudes with extreme precision.
However, there was still a shortage of experienced pilots. Bombs were dropped mainly from level flight; young pilots were poor instrument fliers.
In 1943, V.M. Myasishchev, also a former “enemy of the people”, and later a famous 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 new conditions at the front.
Enemy aviation developed rapidly. In the fall of 1941, the first Messerschmitt Bf.109F fighters appeared on the Soviet-German front. The situation required bringing the characteristics of the Pe-2 into line with the capabilities of new enemy aircraft. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the maximum speed of the Pe-2 produced in 1942 even decreased slightly compared to pre-war aircraft. This was also affected by the additional weight due to more powerful weapons and armor, and deterioration in the quality of assembly (the factories were mainly staffed by women and teenagers, who, despite all their efforts, lacked the dexterity 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 vehicles of this type in bomber aviation. In 1944, Pe-2s participated in almost all major offensive operations 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-Shevchenko operation, the 202nd Air Division launched powerful attacks on 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. On June 29, 1944, Pe-2s destroyed the bridge across 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 relatively weak instrumentation of the aircraft hampered this, but in the conditions of the Baltic and Black Seas, these aircraft operated quite successfully - with the participation of dive bombers, the German cruiser Niobe and a number of large transports were sunk.
In 1944, the average bombing accuracy increased by 11% compared to 1943. The already well-developed Pe-2 made a significant contribution here.
We could not do without these bombers at the final stage of the war. They acted throughout Eastern Europe, accompanying the advance of Soviet troops. Pe-2s played a major role in the assault on Konigsberg 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 combat flight of the Pe-2 in Europe took place on May 7, 1945. Soviet pilots destroyed the runway at the Sirava airfield, from where German planes were planning to fly to Sweden.
Pe-2s also took part in a short campaign in the Far East. In particular, dive bombers of the 34th Bomber Regiment, during attacks on the ports of Racine 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.
The Pe-2, the main aircraft of Soviet bomber aviation, played an outstanding role in achieving victory in the Great Patriotic War. This aircraft was used as a bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, and 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 inherent capabilities. Speed, maneuverability, powerful weapons plus strength, reliability and survivability were its hallmarks. The Pe-2 was popular among pilots, who often preferred this aircraft to foreign ones. From first to last day During the 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, the diesel engine was chosen as the standard power plant. 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, approximately 48 of the total number of aircraft were equipped with ASh-82FN engines. One aircraft with AM-35A engines made a magnificent flight with intermediate stops from Moscow to Washington and back from May 19 to June 13, 1942. The surviving aircraft were intensively used in 1942-43. for close-in 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, making non-stop flights with a range of 5,000 km (3,107 miles).
Making an airplane Tu-2 (front-line bomber) began at the end of 1939 by a design team led by A.N. Tupolev. In January 1941, an experimental aircraft, designated "103", entered testing. In May of the same year, tests began on its improved version "103U", which was distinguished by stronger defensive weapons, a modified arrangement of the crew, which consisted of a pilot, a navigator (could, if necessary, be a gunner), a gunner-radio operator and a gunner. The aircraft was equipped with AM-37 high-altitude engines. During testing, the "103" and "103U" aircraft showed outstanding flight qualities. In terms of speed at medium and high altitudes, flight range, bomb load and the power of defensive weapons, they were significantly superior to the Pe-2. At altitudes of more than 6 km, they flew faster than almost all production fighters, both Soviet and German, second only to the domestic MiG-3 fighter.
In July 1941, it was decided to launch the "103U" into series. However, in the conditions 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 plane for other engines. They were the M-82 by A.D. Shvedkov, which had just begun to be mass-produced. Aircraft of this type have been used on the front since 1944. Production of this type of bomber continued for several years after the war, until they were replaced by jet bombers. A total of 2,547 aircraft were built.
Picked up from a front-line airfield, 18 red-star Yak-3 fighters met 30 enemy fighters over the battlefield on a July day in 1944. In a fast-paced, fierce battle Soviet pilots won a complete victory. They shot down 15 Nazi planes and lost only one. The battle once again confirmed the high skill of our pilots and the excellent qualities of the new Soviet fighter.
Airplane Yak-3 created a team headed by A.S. Yakovlev in 1943, developing the Yak-1M fighter, which had already proven itself in battle. The Yak-3 differed from its predecessor by a smaller wing (its area was 14.85 square meters instead of 17.15) with the same fuselage dimensions and a number of aerodynamic and design improvements. It was one of the lightest fighters in the world in the first half of the forties
Considering experience combat use the Yak-7 fighter, comments and suggestions from the pilots, A.S. Yakovlev made a number of significant changes to the car.
Essentially, it was a new aircraft, although during its construction the factories needed to make very minor changes to production technology and equipment. Therefore, they were able to quickly master the modernized version of the fighter, called the Yak-9. Since 1943, the Yak-9 has essentially become the main air combat aircraft. It was the most popular type of front-line fighter aircraft in our Air Force during the Great Patriotic War. In 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. To gain 5 thousand m, 5 minutes were 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 high-altitude enemy aircraft.
During the war, the design bureau created several modifications of the Yak-9. They differed from the main type mainly in their weapons 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. The alterations were relatively minor; the dimensions and design of the aircraft were preserved, but due to the larger midsection of the new engine, a second, non-functional skin was added to the sides of the fuselage.
Already in September 1942, fighter regiments equipped with vehicles La-5 , participated in the battle of Stalingrad and achieved major successes. The battles showed that the new Soviet fighter had serious advantages over fascist aircraft of the same class.
The efficiency of completing a large volume of development work during the testing of the La-5 was largely determined by the close interaction of S.A. Lavochkin’s design bureau with the Air Force Research Institute, LII, CIAM and A.D. Shvetsov’s design bureau. 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 production before another fighter appeared on the assembly line instead of the LaGG.
Production of the La-5 quickly increased, and already in the fall of 1942, the first aviation regiments armed with this fighter appeared near Stalingrad. It must be said 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 plane was called Gu-82). This plane received good review Air Force Research Institute. The subsequent evacuation and, apparently, underestimation at that moment of the importance of such work greatly delayed the testing and development of this fighter.
As for the La-5, it quickly gained recognition. High horizontal flight speeds, good rate of climb and acceleration, combined with better vertical maneuverability than LaGG-Z, determined 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 advantageous battle tactics on the enemy.
But all the advantages of the La-5 at the front did not immediately appear. At first, due to a number of “childhood diseases,” his fighting qualities were significantly reduced. Of course, during the transition to serial production, the flight performance of the La-5, compared to its prototype, deteriorated somewhat, 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 fighter's maximum capabilities in combat. Overheating of the engine limited the time for using maximum power, the oil system needed improvement, the air temperature in the cockpit reached 55-60°C, the emergency release system of the canopy and the quality of the plexiglass needed improvement. In 1943, 5047 La-5 fighters were produced.
From the first days of their appearance at front-line airfields, La-5 fighters proved themselves to be excellent in battles with the Nazi invaders. The pilots liked the maneuverability of the La-5, its ease of control, powerful weapons, tenacious star-shaped engine, which provided good protection from fire from the front, and fairly high speed. Our pilots won many brilliant victories using these machines.
The design team of S.A. Lavochkin persistently improved the machine, which had justified itself. At the end of 1943, its modification, La-7, was released.
The La-7, which entered mass production in the last year of the war, became one of the main front-line fighters. On this plane, I.N. Kozhedub, 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 outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. Compared to the T-40, it had enhanced armor protection and more powerful weapons - a 20-mm cannon instead heavy machine gun. This production tank was the first to use a device for heating 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 the combat capabilities were narrowed - buoyancy was eliminated. Like the T-40 tank, the T-60 chassis uses four rubberized road wheels on board, three support rollers, a front drive wheel and a rear idler wheel. Individual torsion bar suspension.
However, in conditions of a shortage of tanks, the main advantage of the T-60 was its ease of production in automobile factories with the widespread use of automotive components and mechanisms. The tank was produced simultaneously at four factories. Only short term 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
The heavy self-propelled artillery unit ISU-122 was armed with a 122-mm field gun of the 1937 model, adapted for installation in the control unit. 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 ISU-122S. The 1937 model gun had a piston breech, while the 1944 model gun had a semi-automatic wedge breech. 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 speed of 800 m/s. The ammunition consisted of separately loaded rounds.
The vertical aiming angles of the guns were slightly 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 was no different from the ISU-122 except for the artillery system. It was equipped with a 152-mm howitzer-gun, model 1937, with a piston bolt, the rate of fire of which was 2.3 rounds per minute.
The crew of the ISU-122, like the ISU-152, consisted of a commander, gunner, loader, locker and driver. The hexagonal conning tower is fully protected by armor. The gun mounted on the machine (on the ISU-122S with 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 observation through a periscope in the roof of the wheelhouse.
Self-propelled gun ISU-122
As soon as the IS-1 heavy tank came into service at the end of 1943, they decided to create a fully armored self-propelled gun on its basis. At first, this encountered some difficulties: after all, the IS-1 had a body 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 artillerymen 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 had been produced.
The ISU-152 was distinguished by powerful armor protection and artillery system, and good driving characteristics. The presence of panoramic and telescopic sights made it possible to fire both direct fire and from closed firing positions. The simplicity of its design and operation contributed to its rapid mastery by crews, which was of utmost importance in wartime. This vehicle, armed with a 152 mm howitzer cannon, was mass-produced from the end of 1943. Its mass was 46 tons, its armor thickness was 90 mm, and its crew consisted of 5 people. Diesel with a capacity of 520 hp. With. accelerated the car to 40 km/h.
Subsequently, 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 weight of the ISU-130 was 47 tons, the thickness of the armor was 90 mm, the crew consisted of 4 people. Diesel engine power 520 hp With. provided a speed of 40 km/h. The 130-mm cannon mounted on the self-propelled gun was a modification of the naval gun, adapted for installation in the conning tower of the vehicle. To reduce gas contamination in the fighting compartment, it was equipped with a system for purging the barrel with compressed air from five cylinders. The ISU-130 passed front-line tests, but was not accepted for service.
The heavy self-propelled artillery unit ISU-122 was armed with a 122-mm field gun
Heavy Soviet self-propelled artillery systems played a huge role in achieving victory. They performed well during street battles in Berlin and during the assault on the powerful fortifications of Koenigsberg.
In the 50s, ISU self-propelled guns, which remained in service with the Soviet Army, underwent modernization, like the IS-2 tanks. In total, Soviet industry produced more than 2,400 ISU-122 and more than 2,800 ISU-152.
In 1945, based on the IS-3 tank, another model of a heavy self-propelled gun was designed, which received the same name as the vehicle developed in 1943 - ISU-152. The peculiarity of this vehicle was that the general frontal sheet was given a rational angle of inclination, and the lower side sheets of the hull had reverse angles of inclination. The 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 vehicle connected the commander with the gunner and driver. However, despite many advantages, the large angle of inclination of the walls of the cabin, the significant amount of rollback of the howitzer gun barrel and the combination of compartments significantly complicated the work of the crew. Therefore, the ISU-152 model of 1945 was not accepted for service. The car was made in a single copy.
Self-propelled gun SU-152
In the fall of 1942, at the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant, designers led by L. S. Troyanov created, on the basis of the KB-1s heavy tank, the SU-152 (KV-14) self-propelled gun, designed for firing at troop concentrations, long-term strongholds and armored targets.
Regarding its creation, there is a modest mention in the “History of the Great Patriotic War”: “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 SU- self-propelled artillery mount was designed and manufactured. 152, which went into production in February 1943.”
The SU-152 self-propelled guns received their baptism of fire at the Kursk Bulge. Their appearance on the battlefield was a complete surprise for the German tank crews. These self-propelled guns performed well in single combat with the German Tigers, Panthers and Elephants. Their armor-piercing shells pierced the armor of enemy vehicles and tore off their turrets. For this, front-line soldiers lovingly called heavy self-propelled guns “St. John’s worts.” The experience gained in the design of the first Soviet heavy self-propelled guns was subsequently used to create similar fire 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 units - light ones with 37 mm and 76 mm guns and medium ones with a 122 mm gun.
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 radical improvement back in January 1943.
As for the serial SU-122, the formation of self-propelled artillery regiments with the same type of vehicles began in April 1943. This regiment had 16 SU-122 self-propelled guns, which continued to be used to accompany infantry and tanks until the beginning of 1944. 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 unit SU-85, which entered the troops in much larger quantities since August 1943, quickly supplanted its predecessor on the battlefield.
Self-propelled gun SU-85
Experience with the use of SU-122 installations has shown that their rate of fire is too low to perform escort and fire support tasks for tanks, infantry and cavalry. The troops needed an installation armed with a faster rate of fire.
SU-85 self-propelled guns 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 IS-1 heavy tank 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 vehicle IS-1 and IS-2 were manufactured. The difference between them was in their armament: the IS-1 had a 76-mm cannon, and the IS-2 had a 122-mm howitzer gun. The first prototypes of IS tanks had a five-wheel chassis, made similar to the chassis of the KV-13 tank, from which the hull outlines and general layout of the vehicle were also borrowed.
Almost simultaneously with the IS-1, production of the more powerfully armed model IS-2 (object 240) began. The newly created 122-mm D-25T tank gun (originally with a piston bolt) with an initial projectile speed of 781 m/s made it possible to hit all main types of German tanks at all combat distances. On a trial basis, an 85-mm high-power cannon with an initial projectile speed of 1050 m/s and a 100-mm S-34 cannon were installed on the IS tank.
Under the brand name IS-2, the tank entered mass production in October 1943, which was launched at the beginning of 1944.
In 1944, the IS-2 was modernized.
IS-2 tanks entered service with separate heavy tank regiments, which were given the name “Guards” during their formation. At the beginning of 1945, several separate guards heavy tank brigades were formed, including three heavy tank regiments each. 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 pilot plant No. 100 in Chelyabinsk under the leadership of lead designer M. F. Balzhi. Serial production began in May 1945, during which 1,170 combat vehicles were produced.
IS-3 tanks, contrary to popular belief, were not used in combat operations of the Second World War, but on September 7, 1945, one tank regiment, which was armed with these combat vehicles, took part in the parade of Red Army units in Berlin in honor of the victory over Japan, and the IS-3 made a strong impression on the Western allies of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition.
Tank KV
In accordance with the resolution of the USSR Defense Committee, at the end of 1938, the Kirov plant in Leningrad began designing a new heavy tank with projectile-proof armor, called SMK (“Sergei Mironovich Kirov”). The development of another heavy tank, called the T-100, was carried out by the Leningrad Experimental Engineering Plant named after Kirov (No. 185).
In August 1939, the SMK and KB tanks were manufactured in metal. At the end of September, both tanks took part in the display of new models of armored vehicles at the NIBT Test Site in Kubinka, near Moscow, and on December 19, the KB heavy tank was adopted by the Red Army.
The KB tank showed itself with the best side, however, it quickly became clear that the 76-mm L-11 cannon was weak for combating pillboxes. Therefore, in a short time, they developed and built the KV-2 tank with an enlarged 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 blockade it was impossible to continue producing 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 Tanks and Industry - ChKZ, which became the only manufacturing plant of heavy tanks until the end of the Great Patriotic War.
A tank of the same class as the KB - the Tiger - appeared with the Germans only at the end of 1942. And then fate played a second cruel joke on KB: it instantly became outdated. KB was simply powerless against the Tiger with its “long arm” - an 88-mm cannon with a barrel length of 56 calibers. "Tiger" could hit KB at distances prohibitive for the latter.
The appearance of the KV-85 allowed the situation to be somewhat smoothed out. But these vehicles were developed late, only a few were produced, and they were unable to make a significant contribution to the fight against German heavy tanks. A more serious opponent for the Tigers could be the KV-122 - a serial KV-85, experimentally armed with a 122-mm D-25T cannon. But at this 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 their combat qualities far surpassed the enemy’s heavy tanks.
During the period from 1940 to 1943, the Leningrad Kirov and Chelyabinsk Kirov plants produced 4,775 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. KB heavy tanks 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 No. 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 J.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 testing by shooting and running 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 tank design in accordance with its technological capabilities, so tanks from different factories had their own characteristic appearance.
Minesweeper tanks and bridge laying tanks were produced in small quantities. A command version of the "thirty-four" was also produced, the distinctive feature of which was the presence of the RSB-1 radio station.
T-34-76 tanks were in service with tank units of the Red Army throughout the Great Patriotic War and took part in almost all combat operations, including the storming of Berlin. In addition to the Red Army, T-34 medium tanks 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 famous 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-mounted engine, front steering wheels and two rear drive axles. The BA-10 crew consisted of 4 people: commander, driver, gunner and machine gunner.
Since 1939, production of the modernized BA-10M model began, which differed from the base vehicle by enhanced armor protection of the frontal projection, improved steering, external location of gas tanks and a new radio station. In small quantities, BA-10zhd railway armored vehicles with a combat weight of 5 were produced for armored train units. 8 t.
The baptism of fire for the 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 use 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 by the troops until 1944, and in some units until the end of the war. They have proven themselves well as a means of reconnaissance and combat security, and when used correctly, they successfully fought against enemy tanks.
In 1940, a number of BA-20 and BA-10 armored vehicles were captured by the Finns and subsequently they were actively used in the Finnish army. 22 BA 20 units were put into service, with some vehicles used as trainers 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 V-shaped Ford V8 engines. The Finns sold three cars to the Swedes, who tested them for further use as control machines. In the Swedish army, the BA-10 was designated m/31F.
The Germans also used captured BA-10s, captured and restored vehicles, which 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 vehicles 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, a light all-terrain army vehicle developed under the leadership of lead 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 residents decided to produce a light machine-gun armored car based on the GAZ-64 for the active army.
The plant management supported Grachev's initiative and design work began on July 17, 1941. The layout of the vehicle was led by engineer F.A. Lependin, and G.M. Wasserman was appointed lead designer. The designed armored vehicle, both in appearance and in combat capabilities, was sharply different from previous vehicles of this class. The designers had to take into account new tactical and technical requirements for armored cars, which arose based on an analysis of combat experience. The vehicles were to be used for reconnaissance, for commanding troops during battle, in the fight against airborne assault, for escorting convoys, and also for air defense tanks on the march. Also, the factory workers’ acquaintance with the German captured armored car Sd Kfz 221, which was delivered to GAZ on September 7 for detailed study, also had a certain influence on the design of the new vehicle.
Despite the fact that 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 at an angle, which significantly increased the resistance of the welded hull when hit by armor-piercing bullets and large fragments.
The BA-64 was the first domestic armored vehicle with all drive wheels, thanks to which it successfully overcame slopes of over 30°, fords up to 0.9 m deep and slippery slopes with a slope of up to 18° on hard ground.
The car not only walked well on arable land and sand, but also moved off confidently from such soils after stopping. A characteristic feature of the hull - large overhangs in front and behind - made it easier for the BA-64 to overcome ditches, holes and craters. The survivability of the armored car was increased by bullet-resistant GK tires (sponge tube).
Production of the BA-64B, which began in the spring of 1943, continued until 1946. In 1944, despite its main drawback - low firepower - BA-64 armored vehicles were successfully used during landing operations, reconnaissance raids, and for escorting and combat protection of infantry units.
Other military equipment
BM-8-36 rocket artillery combat vehicle
In parallel with the creation and launch into mass production of BM-13 combat vehicles and M-13 projectiles, work was carried out to adapt the RS-82 air-to-air missiles for use in field rocket artillery. This work was completed on August 2, 1941, with the adoption of the 82-mm M-8 rocket into service. During the war, the M-8 projectile was modified several times in order to increase its target power and flight range.
In order to reduce the time needed to create the installation, the designers, along with the creation of new components, widely used the components of the BM-13 installation that had already been mastered in production, for example, the base, and as guides they used “flute” type guides 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 was paid to ensuring the parallelism of the guides and the strength of their fastening in order to reduce the dispersion of projectiles when firing.
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 factories. By the beginning of September 1941, 72 installations of this type were manufactured, and by November - 270 installations.
The BM-13-36 installation has proven itself to be a reliable weapon with a very powerful salvo. Its significant drawback was the unsatisfactory off-road capability of the ZIS-6 chassis. During the war, this deficiency was largely eliminated due to.
BM-8-24 rocket artillery combat vehicle
The chassis of the three-axle ZIS-6 truck used to create the BM-8-36 combat vehicle, although it had high maneuverability on roads of various profiles and surfaces, was unsuitable for driving on swampy rough terrain and on dirt roads, especially during muddy times in the fall 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 the chassis light tank T-40. The development of this installation was carried out quickly and was successfully completed by October 13, 1941. The new installation, called BM-8-24, was equipped with aiming mechanisms and sights an artillery unit with guides for launching 24 M-8 rockets.
The artillery unit was mounted on the roof of the T-40 tank. All 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 suitably modernized for use as the chassis 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 its high maneuverability, increased horizontal firing angle and relatively low height, which made it easier to camouflage on the ground.
M-30 launcher
On July 5, 1942, on the Western Front, near the city of Belyov, the 68th and 69th Guards mortar regiments of four divisions, armed with new launchers for launching heavy high-explosive missiles M-30, fired salvos for the first time at enemy fortified points.
The M-30 projectile was intended to suppress and destroy hidden fire weapons and manpower, as well as destroy enemy field defenses.
The launcher was an inclined frame made of steel angle profiles, on which four cappings with M-30 missiles were placed in one row. Shooting was carried out by giving an impulse electric current to the projectile via wires from a conventional sapper demolition machine. The machine served a group of launchers through a special “crab” distribution device.
Already when creating the M-30 projectile, it was clear to the designers that its flight range did not fully meet the needs of the troops. Therefore, at the end of 1942, the new heavy high-explosive missile M-31 was adopted by the Red Army. This projectile, weighing 20 kg more than the M-30 projectile, surpassed its predecessor in flight range (4325 m instead of 2800 m).
M-31 shells were also launched from the M-30 launcher, but this installation was also modernized in the spring of 1943, as a result of which double-row stacking of shells on the frame became possible. Thus, 8 projectiles were launched from each such launcher instead of 4.
M-30 launchers were in service with the guards mortar divisions that were formed from mid-1942, each of which had three brigades of four divisions. The brigade's salvo amounted to 1,152 shells weighing over 106 tons. In total, the division had 864 launchers, which could simultaneously fire 3456 M-30 shells - 320 tons of metal and fire!
BM-13N rocket artillery combat vehicle
Due to the fact that the production of BM-13 launchers was urgently launched 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 mass production of the launcher, the designers made a number of changes to its design. The most important of them 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 personnel of guards mortar units and had a negative impact on the operation of military equipment.
For these reasons, a unified (normalized) launcher BM-13N was developed and put into service in April 1943. When creating the installation, the designers critically analyzed all the parts and assemblies, trying to improve the manufacturability of their production and reduce the cost. All installation nodes received independent indexes and became, essentially, 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 was previously the case. Once assembled, the artillery unit was relatively easily mounted on the chassis of any make of car with minimal modification to the latter. The created design made it possible to reduce the labor intensity, 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 armor for the gas tank, gas pipeline, side and rear walls of the driver's cabin, the survivability of the launchers in combat was increased. The firing sector was increased, and the stability of the launcher in the stowed position was increased. Improved lifting and turning mechanisms made it possible to increase the speed of pointing the installation at the target.
The development of the BM-13 serial combat vehicle was finally completed with the creation of this launcher. In this form she fought until the end of the war.
BM-13 rocket artillery combat vehicle
After the adoption of 82-mm air-to-air missiles RS-82 (1937) and 132-mm air-to-ground missiles RS-132 (1938), the Main Artillery Directorate set the developer shells - the Jet Research Institute - the task of creating a multiple launch rocket field system based on RS-132 shells. The updated tactical and technical specifications were issued to the institute in June 1938.
In accordance with this task, by the summer of 1939 the institute had developed a new 132-mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile, which later received the official name M-13. Compared to the aircraft RS-132, this projectile has a longer flight range (8470 m) and is significantly more powerful. combat unit(4.9 kg). The increase in range was achieved by increasing the amount of rocket fuel. To accommodate a larger missile charge and explosive, it was necessary to lengthen the missile and warhead parts of the rocket 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 multi-charge launcher was also developed for the projectile. Field tests of the installation carried out between December 1938 and February 1939 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. Safety was also not ensured when controlling fire from the cab of vehicles. The launcher swayed strongly, which worsened the accuracy of the rockets.
Loading the launcher from the front of the rails was inconvenient and time-consuming. The ZIS-5 vehicle had limited cross-country ability.
During the tests it was revealed important feature salvo firing of rocket projectiles: when several projectiles explode simultaneously in a limited area from different directions, shock waves act, the addition of which, that is, counter strikes, significantly increases the destructive effect of each projectile.
Based on the results of field tests completed in November 1939, the institute was ordered five launchers to carry out military tests. Another installation was ordered by the Ordnance Department 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, produced the ordered six launchers only by the fall of 1940, and only in January 1941.
The situation changed dramatically after on June 21, 1941, at a review of Red Army weapons, the installation was presented to the leaders of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and the Soviet government. On the same day, literally a few hours before the start of the Great Patriotic War, a decision was made to urgently launch mass production of M-13 missiles and a launcher, officially named BM-13 (combat vehicle 13).
The production of BM-13 units was organized at the Voronezh plant named after. Comintern and at the Moscow Kompressor plant. One of the main enterprises for the production of rockets was the Moscow plant named after. 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 manufactured by the Jet 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 located there.
The exceptional efficiency of the battery of captain I.A. Flerov and seven more such batteries formed after her contributed to the rapid increase in the rate of production of jet weapons. By the fall of 1941, 45 three-battery divisions with four launchers per battery were operating at the fronts. For their armament in 1941, 593 BM-13 installations were manufactured. At the same time, enemy manpower and military equipment were destroyed over an area of over 100 hectares. Officially, the regiments were called Guards Mortar Regiments of the Reserve Artillery of the Supreme High Command.
Literature
1.Military equipment, equipment and weapons of 1941-1945
