Presentation on the topic "technique of the Great Patriotic War." Soviet equipment of the Second World War Samples of weapons and military equipment of the Second World War

A sharp leap 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, before 1918, military operations were carried out in two dimensions (on land and at sea) within the limits of simple visibility with weapons of short range and lethal force. During the war of 1939-1945. Huge changes took place - the third dimension (air), the ability to “see” the enemy at a distance (radar), the spaces in which battles were fought, and the power of weapons were added. To this we must add all kinds of countermeasures. The greatest influence on combat operations in the war of 1939-1945. provided air power. She revolutionized the strategy and tactics of war on land and at sea."

In Fig. 89 shows aircraft from the Second World War.

The aviation of different countries was armed with aerial bombs weighing from 1 kg to 9 thousand kg, small-caliber automatic guns (20-47 mm), large-caliber machine guns (11.35-13.2 mm),

rockets.

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 - Il-2 attack aircraft; 7 - Il-4 long-range bomber; 8 - long-range bomber Pe-2 (TB-7). Foreign aircraft: 9 - Me-109E fighter (Germany); 10 - Ju-87 dive bomber (Germany); 11 - Ju-88 bomber (Germany); 12 - Spitfire fighter (Great Britain); 13 - Ercobra fighter (USA); 14 - Mosquito bomber (Great Britain); 15 - strategic bomber "Lancaster" (Great Britain); 16 - B-29 strategic bomber (USA).

Tanks played the most important role in World War II (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, Hitler's command modernized medium tanks - a 50 mm gun was installed on the T-Sh instead of a 37 mm one, and a long-barreled 75 mm gun was installed on the T-IV instead of a short-barreled one, and the thickness of the armor increased. In 1943, heavy tanks - T-V "Panther" and T-VI "Tiger" - entered service with the Nazi army. However, these tanks were inferior to the Soviet T-34 tank in maneuverability, and to the IS-2 tank in weapon power.

During the Great Patriotic War, the main Soviet tank was the famous T-34. During the war, it was modernized several times - 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, and the capacity of the fuel tanks was increased. In the second half of 1943, the T-34-85 with an 85 mm cannon entered service. In the fall of 1941, the KV tank was replaced by the KV-1C tank, whose speed increased from 35 to 42 km/h by reducing its weight due to armor. 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, armed with an 85 mm cannon, was created. Already in December of this year, a 122 mm cannon was installed on the tank. New tank- The IS-2 and its further modification, the IS-3, were rightfully considered the most powerful tanks of the Second World War. 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. Based on the T-60 tank, the T-70 tank, armed with a 45-mm cannon, was developed at the beginning of 1942. However, in the second half of the war, light tanks turned out to be ineffective and their production ceased in 1943.

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 "Locust" (USA);
8 - infantry tank (Great Britain).

In the development of tanks of the main warring armies greatest distribution received medium tanks. However, since 1943, there has been a tendency to create new types of heavy tanks and increase their production. Medium and heavy tanks of the Second World War were single-turret, with shell-resistant armor, armed with 50-122 mm cannons.

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 World War II, jet 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 units (SPG) became widespread in World War II (Fig. 92): in the Soviet Army with guns of 76, 85, 100, 122 and 152 mm caliber; in the Nazi 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 unit “Ferdinand” (Germany); 3 - English 76-mm self-propelled artillery mount "Archer"; 4 - American 155-mm self-propelled artillery unit M41.

Small automatic weapons (especially machine guns and submachine guns), flamethrowers of various types, incendiary ammunition, cumulative and sub-caliber projectiles, mine-explosive weapons.

During the Second World War, ships of various classes were used in the fight on sea and ocean theaters of war (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 craft (ships) were built. During the war years it was built big number destroyers, however, they only in some cases carried out torpedo attacks, and were mainly used for anti-aircraft and air defense purposes. The main types of naval weapons were various artillery systems, improved torpedoes, mines and depth charges. The widespread use of radar and hydroacoustic equipment was important for increasing the combat effectiveness of ships.

Rice. 93.

1 - cruiser "Kirov" (USSR); 2 - battleship(Great Britain);
3rd 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 of the "Shch" type (USSR); 8 - American ships.

In 1944, the Nazi army used guided missiles V-1 and ballistic missiles V-2.

B.L. Montgomery. Short story military battles. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004. - P. 446.

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Introduction

During the Second World War, for the first time in human history, major clashes of military equipment occurred, which largely determined the outcome of the military confrontation. The Great Patriotic War, from the point of view of the quality of tank forces, their material support and their management, is both the past and, partly, the present. The fragments of that war and that era still fly and injure people, so the problems raised by military historians are of interest to modern society.

Many people are still concerned about the question of which tank was the best tank of the Second World War. Some carefully compare the tables of tactical and technical characteristics (TTX), talk about the thickness of the armor, the armor penetration of shells and many other figures from the TTX tables. Different sources give different figures, so disputes begin about the reliability of the sources. In these disputes, it is forgotten that the numbers in the tables themselves do not mean anything. Tanks are not designed for duels with their own kind in perfectly identical conditions.

I have long been interested in armored vehicles from the Great Patriotic War. Therefore, in my work I would like to systematize all the information received, dwell in more detail on the characteristics of medium and heavy armored vehicles of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, analyze and compare the collected data. In my work I mainly refer to the book by A.G. Mernikov. “The Armed Forces of the USSR and Germany 1939 - 1945” and the electronic resource “Tanks Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”.

After I familiarized myself with the literature, where I learned the history of tank building, analyzed the quantitative and tactical specifications tanks from the Great Patriotic War, learned about many technical innovations from leading countries, I decided to conduct sociological research. A survey was conducted, the survey participants were students from my 5th “B” class. Respondents had to answer the questions: “What tanks of the Great Patriotic War do you know? What tanks were used in the battle on the Kursk Bulge? Which tank was considered the best in the Soviet Union? What tank was created by the Germans to surpass the T-34? (Appendix A). The survey showed that more than half of my classmates do not know which tanks participated in the Kursk Bulge (57%) (Appendix B diagram 2), many do not know which tank was created by the Germans to surpass the T-34 (71%) (Appendix B diagram 4).

We all say that we are patriots of our country. Is this patriotism when a schoolchild cannot name which tanks were used in the battle on the Kursk Bulge? I hope that with my project I have inspired my classmates to research activities concerning the Great Patriotic War. Create the same works, and perhaps in the near future all the gaps, secrets and ambiguities of this war will be open and accessible to everyone!

The relevance of this work lies in the fact that tanks played a huge role during the world wars. And we must remember about these machines, about their creators. IN modern world people forget about the terrible days of these wars. My scientific work is aimed at remembering these military pages.

Purpose of the work: comparison of quantitative and tactical-technical characteristics of Soviet and German tanks during the Great Patriotic War.

Objectives: 1. Conduct a comparative analysis of medium and heavy tanks of the USSR and Germany during the Great Patriotic War.

2. Systematize the information received about medium and heavy tanks of the USSR and Germany during the Great Patriotic War in the form of tables.

3.Assemble a model of the T-34 tank.

Object of study: tanks from the Great Patriotic War.

Subject of research: medium and heavy tanks of the Soviet Union and Germany during the Great Patriotic War.

Hypothesis: there is a version that Soviet tanks from the Great Patriotic War had no analogues.

problem-search;

research;

practical;

The practical significance of the study is that the younger generation, to which I and my peers belong, do not forget about the role of tanks with the help of which our country withstood the fascist occupation. So that our generation never allows military action on our Earth.

Chapter 1. Comparative characteristics medium tanks of the USSR and Germany during the Great Patriotic War

A light tank is a tank that, according to one of the classification criteria (weight or armament), falls into the corresponding category of combat vehicles. When classified by weight, a light tank is considered to be a combat vehicle no heavier than the conventional limit value between the categories of light and medium tanks. When classified by armament, the category of light vehicles includes all tanks armed with automatic cannons (or machine guns) with a caliber of up to 20 mm inclusive (or non-automatic up to 50 mm), regardless of weight or armor.

Different approaches to the classification of tanks led to the fact that in different countries the same vehicles were considered to belong to different classes. The main purpose of light tanks was reconnaissance, communications, direct support of infantry on the battlefield, and counter-guerrilla warfare.

Medium tanks included tanks that had a combat weight of up to 30 tons and were armed with a large-caliber cannon and machine guns. Medium tanks were intended to reinforce infantry when breaking through a heavily fortified enemy defensive line. Medium tanks included T-28, T-34, T-44, T-111, Pz Kpfw III, Pz Kpfw IV and others.

Heavy tanks included tanks that had a combat weight of over 30 tons and were armed with large-caliber guns and machine guns. Heavy tanks were intended to strengthen combined arms formations when breaking through heavily fortified enemy defenses and attacking their fortified areas. Heavy tanks included all modifications of the KV tank, IS-2, Pz Kpfw V “Panther”, Pz Kpfw VI “Tiger”, Pz Kpfw VI Ausf B “Royal Tiger” and others.

Panzerkampfwagen III is a German medium tank from World War II, mass-produced from 1938 to 1943. The abbreviated names of this tank were PzKpfw III, Panzer III, Pz III.

These combat vehicles used by the Wehrmacht from the first day of World War II. Latest entries about the battle use of PzKpfw III in the regular composition of Wehrmacht units date back to mid-1944, single tanks fought until the surrender of Germany. From mid-1941 to early 1943, the PzKpfw III was the backbone of the Wehrmacht's armored forces (Panzerwaffe) and, despite its relative weakness compared to its contemporary tanks from the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, made a significant contribution to the successes of the Wehrmacht of that period. Tanks of this type were supplied to the armies of Germany's Axis allies. Captured PzKpfw IIIs were used by the Red Army and the Allies with good results.

Panzerkamfwagen IV - surprisingly, this tank was not the main tank of the Wehrmacht, although it was the most popular (8686 vehicles were made). The creator of the T-IV (as it was called in the Soviet Union) was Alfred Krupp, great person Germany. He provided a lot of jobs for people, but that's not what this is about. It was mass-produced from 1936 to 1945, but began to be used only in 1939. This tank was constantly modernized, armor was increased, more and more powerful guns were installed, etc., which allowed it to withstand enemy tanks (even against the T-34). At first it was armed with the KwK 37 L/24 gun, later, in 1942, the KwK 40 L/43 and in 1943 the Kwk 40 L/47.

T-34 is a well-known tank. My personal opinion: he’s handsome, and probably everyone shares this opinion with me. It was created at Kharkov plant No. 183, under the leadership of M.I. Koshkin in 1940. Interesting feature this tank was what was in it aircraft engine AT 2. Thanks to this, it could accelerate to 56 km/h, which is a lot for tanks, but, to be honest, it is not the fastest tank. The T-34 was the main tank of the USSR and was the most produced tank of the Second World War, from 1940 to 1956 84,000 tanks were made, 55,000 of which were made during the war (for comparison: German T-IV, tigers and panthers were made at most 16,000). The T-34 was created with the L-11 76mm gun, a year later it was equipped with the F-34 76mm, and in 1944 the S-53 85mm.

From the very first hours of the war, T-34 tanks took part in battles and showed unsurpassed combat qualities. The enemy, knowing nothing about our new tanks, was not ready to meet them. Its main tanks T-III and T-IV could not fight with thirty-four tanks. The guns did not penetrate the armor of the T-34, while the latter could shoot enemy vehicles from the extreme distances of a direct shot. A year passed before the Germans confronted them with vehicles more or less equal in firepower and armor.

Our answer to the panther - T-34-85 - the best tank of the Great Patriotic War. I can add that this modification featured an expanded turret and S-53 gun. And that’s it, there’s nothing more to add, the corps did not change throughout the war. From 1944 to 1945, 20,000 tanks were made (that's 57 tanks per day).

Mobility is the ability of a tank to cover a given distance in a certain time without additional means of support (Appendix C, table 1).

T-34-76 is the best tank in the category - “MOBILITY”.

Security is the tank’s ability to preserve the tank’s crew and equipment when hit by shells, shrapnel, and large-caliber bullets (Appendix C, Table 2).

T-34-85 is the best tank in the “DEFENSE” category.

German Pz. IV samples 1943-1945. the best tank in the category is “Firepower” (Appendix C, table 3).

Analyzing the technical characteristics of medium tanks, we can conclude that our medium tanks are superior to German tanks in speed, caliber, and ammunition (Appendix C, table 4) .

T-34 is the best medium tank of World War II.

Chapter 2. Comparative characteristics of heavy tanks of the USSR and Germany during the Great Patriotic War

Panther is the main heavy tank of the Wehrmacht, created by MAN in 1943 and is one of best tanks of that time (but it cannot surpass the T-34). Visually, it is somewhat similar to the T-34 and not surprising. In 1942, a commission was assembled to study Soviet tanks. Having collected all the pros and cons of our tanks, they assembled their own version of the T-34. If Daimler-Benz, sorry, stupidly copied our beauty, then MAN made a truly German tank (engine in the rear, transmission in the front, rollers in a checkerboard pattern) and only added a couple of little things. At the very least, he tilted the armor. The first time the panther was used was in the Battle of Kursk, after which it was used in all “theaters of war.” Serially produced from 1943 to 1945. About 6,000 tanks were made. All panthers were equipped with a KwK 42 L/70 75mm gun.

The Tiger is the first heavy tank of the Wehrmacht. The Tiger was the smallest tank (from 1942 to 1944, 1,354 vehicles were made). There are two possible reasons such a small production. Either Germany could not afford more tanks; one tiger cost 1 million Reichsmarks (about 22,000,000 rubles). Which was twice as expensive as any German tank.

Requirements for a tank weighing 45 tons were received in 1941 by two well-known companies, namely Henschel (Erwin Aders) and Porsche (Ferdinand Porsche) and the prototypes were ready by 1942. Unfortunately for Hitler, Ferdinand's project was not adopted due to the need for scarce materials for production. Aders' project was adopted, but the tower was borrowed from Ferdinand for two reasons. Firstly, the turret of the Henschel tank was only in development, and secondly, the Porsche turret had a more powerful KwK 36 L/56 88mm gun, popularly known as “eight eight”. The first 4 tigers, without any testing and without any training of the crew, were sent to the Leningrad Front (they wanted to carry out the tests during the battle), I think it’s easy to guess what happened to them... Heavy vehicles got stuck in the swamp.

The Tiger's armor turned out to be quite powerful - although without slope, the front plates were 100 mm thick. The chassis consisted of eight staggered double rollers on one side on a torsion bar suspension, which ensured a smooth ride of the tank. But, although the Germans, following the example of the KV and T-34s, used wide tracks, the specific pressure on the ground was still quite large, and on soft soil the Pz Kpfw VI burrowed into the ground (this is one of the disadvantages of this tank).

The Tigers suffered their first losses on January 14, 1943. On the Volkhov Front soviet soldiers knocked out and then captured the enemy vehicle, after which it was sent to the training ground, where all its strengths and weak sides and instructions were developed to combat this “beast”.

KV-1 (Klim Voroshilov), Soviet heavy tank. It was originally called simply KV (before the creation of the KV-2). There was a misconception that the tank was created during the Finnish campaign to break through Finnish long-term fortifications (the Mannerheim Line). In fact, the design of the tank began at the end of 1938, when it was clear that the concept of multi-turret tanks was a dead end. The KV was created in the late 30s and successfully passed combat tests. Not a single enemy gun could penetrate the KV’s armor. The military’s only disappointment was that the 76-mm L-11 gun was not strong enough to fight the pillboxes. For this purpose, the KV-2 was created with a 152 mm M-10 howitzer. From 1940 to 1942, 2,769 tanks were created.

IS-2 (Joseph Stalin) is a Soviet heavy tank created to fight German “beasts”. The need for a tank more powerful than the KV was caused by the increased effectiveness of German anti-tank defense and the expected mass appearance of heavy German Tiger and Panther tanks at the front. Work on new model from the spring of 1942, it was led by a special group of designers (leading designer N.F. Shashmurin), which included A.S. Ermolaev, L.E. Sychev et al.

In the fall of 1943, the project was completed and three prototypes of the machine were produced. After testing, a commission of the State Defense Committee proposed adopting the tank for service, and its serial production began in December 1943.

The tank had an 85-mm semi-automatic cannon designed by F.F. Petrov and weighed a little more than the KV-1S (44 tons), but had thicker armor, rationally distributed over the hull and turret (differentiated armor thickness). The hull was welded from a cast frontal part and rolled sheets of the sides, stern, bottom and roof. The tower is cast. Installation of small-sized planetary rotation mechanisms designed by A.I. Blagonravova made it possible to reduce the width of the IS-1 hull by 18 cm compared to the KV-1S.

However, by that time the 85-mm cannon had also been installed on the T-34-85. It was not practical to produce medium and heavy tanks with the same armament. The team led by F.F. Petrov, presented calculations and layouts for placing a 122-mm gun in a tank. Petrov took as a basis a 122-mm hull cannon of the 1937 model with a slightly shortened barrel and installed it on the cradle of an 85-mm cannon. At the end of December 1943, factory tests of the tank with the new gun began. After a number of improvements (including replacing the piston bolt with a wedge one to increase the rate of fire), the 122-mm semi-automatic tank gun of the 1943 model was accepted for service and installed in the IS-2.

Thanks to well-thought-out design solutions, its size did not increase compared to the KV, but its speed and maneuverability were higher. The machine was distinguished by ease of operation and the ability to quickly replace units in the field.

The 122 mm gun had a muzzle energy 1.5 times greater than the Tiger's 88 mm gun. The armor-piercing projectile weighed 25 kg and had initial speed 790 m/s and at a distance of 500 m penetrated armor up to 140 mm thick. Baptism of fire The IS-2 was received in the Korsun-Shevchenko operation in February 1944.

In the second quarter of 1944 they improved sighting devices, widened the gun mask. From mid-1944, the IS-2 began to be produced with a modified hull shape - now its frontal part became the same as that of the T-34. Instead of an inspection hatch, the driver received an inspection slot with triplex. The tank was called IS-2M.

If we compare the IS-2 tank with the KV-1, the IS-2 turned out to be faster, easier to operate and repair in the field. The IS-2 was equipped with a D-25T 122mm gun, which was 1.5 times superior to the German “eight-eight” in muzzle energy and was more penetrating. But with a poor rate of fire.

The Germans, knowing in advance that new types of tanks would soon appear in the Soviet Union, in 1942 began to design a new, more armored tank, which was the Königstiger (Tiger II) - the royal tiger, like the IS-2, is one of the most powerful serial heavy tanks and the last tank of Nazi Germany. The situation with its design is almost the same as with the first tiger. Only if in the first case the hull was from Henschel, and the turret from Porsche, then in this case the royal tiger is the full merit of Aders. This monster was armed with the KwK 43 L/71 gun, which was more penetrating than the Soviet D-25T. I would like to add that in the second tiger all the mistakes of the first were corrected. Produced from 1944 to 1945, only 489 tanks were made.

Analyzing the data (Appendix C, Table 5) we can draw the following conclusion that the tiger, compared to the KV-1, was better armored (except for the bottom and roof), had better performance in speed and armament. But the KV was superior to the Tiger in range. The situation with Tiger 2 and IS is the same as that of Tiger with KV. Therefore, I believe that the Tiger is the best heavy tank of the Second World War (no matter how unpatriotic it sounds).

Conclusion

Thus, I half agree with the words from the tankers’ march “The armor is strong, and our tanks are fast.” In the category of medium tanks, we have the superiority of the T-34 by far. But in the category of heavy tanks, in my opinion, the best is the German P-VI Tiger.

Second World War gave impetus to the development of tank building in all participating countries, and especially the USSR, Germany and Great Britain. Tank troops were and remain the main striking force in ground operations. The best combination of mobility, protection and firepower allows them to solve a wide range of tasks. All this means that tank forces will not only not die out in the foreseeable future, but will also actively develop. Now Russian tanks are some of the best tanks in the world and are supplied to different countries around the world.

List of references and sources

1. Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945. Events. People. Documents: Brief history. Directory / Under general. Ed. O. A. Rzheshevsky; Comp. E.K. Zhigunov. - M.: Politizdat, 1990. - 464 pp.: ill., map.

2. Guderian G., Memoirs of a Soldier: trans. with him. / G. Guderian. - Smolensk: Rusich, 1999.-653 p.

3. History of military art: Textbook for higher military educational institutions / Ed. ed. I.Kh. Bagramyan. - M.: Military Publishing House of the USSR Ministry of Defense, 1970. - 308 p.

4. Mernikov A.G. Armed forces of the USSR and Germany 1939-1945./A.G.Mernikov-Minsk: Harvest, 2010.- 352 p.

5. USSR in the Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945: Brief chronicle / I. G. Viktorov, A. P. Emelyanov, L. M. Eremeev and others; Ed. S. M. Klyatskina, A. M. Sinitsina. - 2nd ed. . - M.: Military Publishing House, 1970. - 855 s.

6. Tank yesterday, today, tomorrow [electronic resource] / Encyclopedia of tanks. - 2010. Access mode http://de.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc_tech/4239/Tank, free. (Date of access: 03/10/2017)

7. Battle of Kursk [electronic resource] / Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia. Access mode https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle of Kursk#cite_ref-12, free. (Date of access: 03/10/2017)

8. Tank T-34 - from Moscow to Berlin [electronic resource]. Access mode http://ussr-kruto.ru/2014/03/14/tank-t-34-ot-moskvy-do-berlina/, free. (Date of access: 03/10/2017)

Appendix A

QUESTIONNAIRE.

What tanks of the Great Patriotic War do you know? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What tanks were used in the battle on the Kursk Bulge?The Battle of Kursk took place on July 12, 1943.

T-34, BT-7 and T-26 against Pz-3, Pz-2

T-34, Churchill and KV-1 against Pz-5 "Panther" and Pz-6 "Tiger"

A-20, T-43 and KV-2 against Pz4, Pz2

Which tank was considered the best in the Soviet Union?

What tank was created by the Germans to surpass the T-34?
1. Pz-5 "Panther"

Which tank do you think is the best?

Soviet tank T - 34;

German tank Pz-5 "Panther";

Soviet tank KV - 2;

German tank Pz-6 "Tiger";

Soviet IS tank.

Appendix B

RESULTS OF THE SURVEY.

Diagram 1.

Diagram 2.

Diagram 3.

Diagram 4.

Diagram 5.

Appendix C

Table 1

	Characteristics	soviet medium tanks		German medium tanks
	Characteristics		T-34-85
	Crew (persons)
for reference	Weight (tons)	26 tons.500 kg.		19 tons 500 kg.
	Engine type	diesel	diesel	petrol	petrol
	Engine power (hp)
	Power density(power to weight). How many hp accounted for one ton of tank weight.
	Maximum speed on the highway (km per hour)
	Power reserve (km.)
	Specific ground pressure (grams per sq. cm.)
Rating, points

Table 2.

	Characteristics	soviet medium tanks		German medium tanks
	Characteristics		T-34-85
	Tower forehead, mm.
	Tower side, mm.
	Tower top, mm.				18
	Body forehead, mm.
	Side wall of the case, mm.
	Bottom, mm.
	Height, cm.
	Width, cm
	Length, cm
	Target volume, cubic meters	49	66	40	45
Rating, points

Table 3.

	Characteristics	soviet medium tanks		German medium tanks
	Characteristics	T-34-76	T-34-85
	Gun name		ZIS-S-53
	Start of installation, year	since 1941	since March 1944	since 1941	since 1943	1937-1942	1942-1943	1943-1945
	Tanks manufactured during the war, pcs.	35 467	15 903	597	663	1 133	1 475	6 088
	Caliber, mm
	Barrel length, calibers
	Barrel length, m.
	Practical rate of fire, rd./m.
	Armor-piercing shells, impact angle 60°
	at a distance of 100 meters, mm. armor
	at a distance of 500 meters, mm. armor
	at a distance of 1000 meters, mm. armor
	at a distance of 1500 meters, mm. armor
	at a distance of 2000 meters, mm. armor
	High-explosive fragmentation shells max. range, km.
	number of fragments, pcs.
	damage radius, m
	quantity of explosive, gr.
	Full turn towers, seconds
	Telescopic sight	TMFD-7
	magnification, times
	Machine guns	2x7.62 mm	2x7.62 mm	2x7.92 mm	2x7.92 mm	2x7.92 mm	2x7.92 mm	2x7.92 mm
	Ammunition load
	Ammunition of shells
Rating, points

Table 4.

Technical characteristics of medium tanks

Name	"Panther"	Pz.kpfw IV ausf H


	KwK 42 L/70 75 mm,	KwK 40 L/48 75mm
Ammunition	79 shots	87 shots	100 shots	60 shots
Booking	mask-110mm	forehead - 80mm side -30mm stern -20mm bottom -10mm forehead - 50 mm side - 30 mm feed - 30 mm roof - 15 mm	Hull and turret: Mask-40mm forehead - 45 mm side - 45 mm feed - 45 mm roof - 20 mm bottom - 20 mm	feed -45mm bottom - 20mm mask-40mm forehead - 90mm side - 75mm feed -52mm roof -20mm
Engine
Speed
Power reserve

Table 5.

Technical characteristics of heavy tanks

Name	"Panther"	Pz.kpfw VI Tiger II


	KwK 42 L/70 75 mm,	KwK 43 L/71 88mm
Ammunition	79 shots	84 shots	114 shots	28 shots
Booking	forehead - 80 mm side - 50 mm feed - 40 mm bottom - 17 mm mask-110mm forehead - 110 mm side - 45 mm feed - 45 mm roof - 17 mm	forehead - 150mm board -80mm stern -80mm bottom - 40mm mask-100mm forehead - 180 mm side - 80 mm feed - 80 mm roof - 40 mm	forehead -75mm side -75mm stern -60mm bottom -40 mm mask-90mm forehead - 75 mm side - 75 mm feed - 75 mm roof - 40 mm	feed -60mm bottom -20 mm forehead -100 mm side -90 mm feed -90 mm roof -30 mm
Engine
Speed
Power reserve

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 period of the war, British and American armored vehicles supplied to Soviet Union in 1941 - 1945 under Lend-Lease, as well as armored vehicles of our main opponents during the war - Germany and Japan.

During the Second World War, armored forces, as shown by the experience of their combat use, 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 battles on both sides: tanks, self-propelled artillery units (SPG), armored vehicles (AV) and armored personnel carriers (APC).

Soviet military thought in the pre-war years assigned an important role to tanks. They were intended to be used in all types of combat operations. As part of rifle formations, they were intended to break through the tactical defense zone as a means of direct infantry support (INS), 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 operational depth after breaking through the defense.

During the first five-year plans, the necessary production base for the mass production of tanks was created in the Soviet Union. Already in 1931, the factories provided the Red Army with 740 vehicles. For comparison: in 1930, the troops received only 170 tanks, and in 1932 - 3,121 vehicles, including 1,032 T-26 light tanks, 396 BT-2 light fast tanks and 1,693 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 accepted for service and put into mass production: T-27 tankettes; light infantry escort tanks T-26; light wheeled-tracked high-speed tanks of mechanized formations BT-5/BT-7; light reconnaissance amphibious tanks T-37/T-38/T-40; T-28 medium tanks for direct infantry support; heavy tanks provide additional high-quality reinforcement when breaking through fortified T-35 zones. At the same time, attempts were made in the Soviet Union to create self-propelled artillery units. However, it was not possible to fully develop and put into mass production the self-propelled guns.

In total, 29,262 tanks of all types were manufactured in the Soviet Union over 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 tank crews and technical specialists 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 have begun to be equipped with the ground forces of various countries. For such a relatively heavy vehicle, as tests have shown, a purely tracked propulsion system was optimal. This conclusion of Soviet designers formed the basis for the creation of the new T-34 medium tank, 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. In the Soviet Union, various measures were taken 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 ballistic armor, powerful weapons and high mobility. In terms of combat qualities, they were superior to foreign models and fully met modern requirements.

The development of tanks, engines, and weapons in the USSR was carried out by design teams under the leadership of N.N. Kozyreva (T-27), N.N. Barykova (T-26 and T-28), A.O. Firsova (BT), N.A. Astrova (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. Degtyareva ( tank machine guns), E.I. Marona and V.A. Agntseva (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 Plant "Krasnoe Sormovo", Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant ("Tankograd"), Ural Tank Plant in Nizhny Tagil, etc.

Massive deliveries of armored vehicles made it possible to begin organizing mechanized corps in the Red Army in the mid-1930s, which was 5-6 years ahead of the emergence of similar formations in the armed forces of Germany and other countries. Already in 1934, the Red Army created new kind troops - motorized armored troops (since 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, transformed into tank corps in August 1938. 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 Red Army's armored forces consisted of: one T-35 tank brigade; three T-28 brigades; 16 tank brigades BT; 22 T-26 tank brigades; three motorized armored brigades; two separate tank regiments; one educational tank regiment and one training battalion of motorized 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.

The study of combat experience in the use of armored and mechanized troops during the outbreak of World War II allowed Soviet military specialists to develop a scientifically based theory combat use tank and mechanized formations and units, both in combined arms combat and in independent actions. 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 urgently necessary 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 staff 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 the “Certificate 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 previous 42 tank divisions, 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, as a result of such a rapid reorganization of the troops, they fully received the necessary weapons and military equipment less than half of the formed buildings. In 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 forces and the operation of armored vehicles.

On June 1, 1941, the Soviet tank fleet ground forces numbered 23,106 tanks, including 18,690 combat-ready. In the five western border districts - Leningradsky, Baltic Special, Western Special, Kiev Special and Odessa - as of June 22, 1941, there were 12,989 tanks, of which 10,746 were combat-ready and 2,243 required repairs. Of the total number of vehicles, about 87% were light tanks T-26 and BT. Relatively new models there were light T-40 with machine gun armament, medium T-34 (1105 units), heavy KV-1 and KV-2 (549 units).

In the battles of the first period of the Great Patriotic War with the shock groups of the Wehrmacht, parts of the Red Army lost a large amount of their military equipment. In 1941 alone, during the Baltic defensive operation (June 22 - July 9), 2,523 tanks were lost; in Belorusskaya (June 22 - July 9) - 4799 cars; in Western Ukraine (June 22 - July 6) - 4381 tanks. Replacing losses became one of the main tasks of Soviet tank builders.

During the war, the relative number of light tanks in the active army continuously decreased, although in 1941-1942 their production 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 simple to organize the production of light tanks.

At the same time, their modernization was carried out, and first of all, strengthening of the armor.

In the fall of 1941, the T-60 light tank was created, and in 1942, the T-70. Their implementation in serial production contributed to the low cost of production, thanks to the use of automobile units, as well as the simplicity of the design. But the war showed that light tanks were not effective enough on the battlefield due to the weakness of their weapons and armor. Therefore, from the end of 1942, their production decreased markedly, and in the late autumn of 1943 it was discontinued.

The freed production capacity was used to produce light self-propelled guns SU-76, created on the basis of the T-70. Medium tanks T-34 took part in hostilities from the first days. They had an undoubted superiority over the German Pz tanks. Krfw. III and Pz. Krfw. IV. German specialists had to urgently modernize 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, it outperformed the T-34, but was inferior to it in maneuverability and maneuverability. In response, Soviet designers strengthened the T-34's gun 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 units (Pz. Krfw. V "Panther"; Pz. Krfw.VI "Tiger"; self-propelled guns "Ferdinand", etc.) with more powerful armor protection, fire from 75 of them - 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 armor protection and firepower. All this taken together allowed the Soviet Union to gain an unconditional advantage over Germany, both in the quality of armored vehicles and in the number of models produced.

In addition, starting in 1943, the Red Army began to receive a large number of self-propelled artillery units. The need for them became apparent in the first months of hostilities, and already in the summer of 1941 at the Moscow Automobile Plant named after. I.V. Stalin hastily mounted a 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun of the 1941 model on semi-armored T-20 Komsomolets artillery tractors. These self-propelled units received the designation ZIS-30.

On October 23, 1942, the State Defense Committee decided to begin work on the creation of two types of self-propelled guns: light ones - for direct fire support of infantry and medium ones, armored like the 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 declining. Then they appeared: the medium self-propelled gun 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 decided to transfer self-propelled artillery units 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 an increase in their production. In the same year, 1943, the formation of self-propelled artillery regiments for tank, mechanized and cavalry corps began. During the offensive, light self-propelled guns accompanied the infantry, medium and heavy self-propelled guns fought against enemy tanks, assault guns, and anti-tank artillery, and destroyed defensive structures.

The role of self-propelled guns has increased in conditions of widespread use by the enemy of the Panther and Tiger tanks. To combat them, Soviet troops received SU-85 and SU-100 vehicles.

The 100-mm gun mounted on the SU-100 self-propelled guns was superior to the 88-mm guns of German tanks and self-propelled guns in terms of the power of armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation shells, and was not inferior to them in rate of fire. During the war, self-propelled artillery mounts showed themselves to be highly effective and formidable weapons and, at the suggestion of tankers, the designers developed self-propelled guns based on the heavy IS-2 tanks, and the ammunition load of the heavy self-propelled guns ISU-122 and ISU-152 received armor-piercing shells, which made it possible, at the final stage of the war , hit almost all types of German tanks and self-propelled guns. Light self-propelled guns were developed at the design bureau under the leadership of S.A. Ginzburg (SU-76); L.L. Terentyev and M.N. Shchukin (SU-76 M); medium - in the design bureau 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. Petrova (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 those of the Wehrmacht, and often surpassed them both qualitatively and quantitatively. Already in 1942, the USSR produced 24,504 tanks and self-propelled guns, i.e. four times more than what German industry produced in the same year (5953 tanks and self-propelled guns). Considering 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 of Soviet tanks participating in operations was constantly increasing: 780 tanks took part in the Battle of Moscow (1941–1942), 979 in the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943), 5200 in the Belarusian Strategic Offensive Operation (1944), and 5200 in the Berlin Operation (1945) - 6250 tanks and self-propelled guns. According to the boss General Staff Red Army General of the Army A.I. Antonov, “...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 of enormous scope, encircle large enemy groups, and pursue them until they are completely destroyed.”

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 medium - more than 2,000, and heavy - more than 4,200), of which 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 battles, about 430,000 combat vehicles were returned to service after being repaired in the field or in the factory, that is, each industrial tank 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 from Great Britain, Canada and the United States under Lend-Lease. Transportation of armored vehicles was carried out mainly along three routes: northern - through the Atlantic and the Barents Sea, southern - through the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and Iran, eastern - through the 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 of Moscow in the winter of 1941 - 1942. In total, during 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 USA, 7172 tanks were loaded onto 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 vehicles took part in the fighting. Thus, under the attacks 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 during the four years of the war, 18,566 units of armored vehicles were delivered to the USSR, 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 departments Red Army.

During the Great Patriotic War, Soviet tank crews 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 tank crews: in their ranks there were 1,150 Heroes of the Soviet Union (including 16 twice Heroes), and more than 250,000 were awarded orders and medals. On July 1, 1946, by 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 forces 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, armored forces represent the main striking force of the Ground Forces, being a powerful means of armed warfare, designed to solve the most important tasks in various types of combat operations. The importance of tank forces as one of the main branches of the Ground Forces will remain in the near foreseeable future. At the same time, the tank will retain its role as the leading universal weapon Ground forces. In the post-war years, numerous modern models of tanks, self-propelled artillery, 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.

German army- our main enemy during the Great Patriotic War, had very powerful armored forces (Panzerwaffe). By the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Germany was prohibited from having tank troops and producing armored vehicles. However, in violation of its terms, already at the end of the 1920s, the Germans began to secretly carry out work in the field of tank building, and with Hitler coming to power in January 1933, all restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles were discarded, and the creation of mass army. A special place in it was reserved for tanks.

The initiator of the construction of armored forces and the theorist of their use in war was General G. Guderian. According to his views, tanks were to be used en masse as part of large mechanized strike formations in cooperation with other branches of the military, primarily with aviation. Having broken through the enemy defenses, and without waiting for the infantry, the tanks must enter the operational space, destroy the rear, disrupting communications and paralyzing the work of the 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 striking force of the Ground Forces of the Third Reich. The Wehrmacht abandoned the division of tanks by purpose - into infantry and cruising. Tanks, assembled into large formations, were supposed to perform any functions if necessary: both infantry escort tanks and success development tanks. Although the complete abandonment of relatively small tank units intended for close interaction with infantry formations and units also cannot be considered successful. The Wehrmacht switched (similarly to the Red Army) to dividing tanks into light, medium and heavy. But if in the USSR such a criterion was only the mass of the tank, then in Germany tanks for a long time were divided into classes, both by weight and by armament. For example, originally the Pz tank. Krfw. The IV was considered a heavy fighting vehicle based on its armament - a 75 mm cannon - and was considered such until the summer of 1943.

All tanks entering 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. Аusfuhrung - model, variant). Command tanks were designated Pz.Bf.Wg. (Panzerbefehlswagen). Simultaneously with this type of designation, an end-to-end system was used for all Wehrmacht vehicles. Through the end-to-end system most of Wehrmacht armored vehicles (with some exceptions) received the designation Sd. Kfz. (abbr. Sonderkraftfahrzeug - special purpose vehicle) and serial number.

Self-propelled artillery units, considered as a means of strengthening infantry and tanks on the battlefield, were designated differently, since the Wehrmacht and SS troops had a large number of their classes and types. Assault guns had their own designation system, self-propelled howitzers, self-propelled howitzers and anti-tank guns had their own. At the same time, the official designation of almost any self-propelled gun, as a rule, also included information about the tank chassis on the basis of which it was created. Like tanks, most self-propelled artillery units also had end-to-end indexes with serial numbers in the Sd system. Kfz. The classification of self-propelled artillery units of the Wehrmacht varied according to 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; Pz.N); anti-aircraft self-propelled guns (Flakpanzer, Fl.Pz). The confusion 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. 75 mm StuG assault gun. III, which, after mounting a 75 mm long-barreled gun, actually turned into a tank destroyer, but continued to be listed as an assault gun. The Marder self-propelled anti-tank guns also underwent changes in designation; instead of the original “Pak Slf” (self-propelled anti-tank gun), they began to be called “Panzerjager” (tank destroyer).

The first serial German tank was the light Pz. Krfw. I, entered the army in 1934. The following year, the second light tank Pz appeared. Krfw. II. These vehicles 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 companies began developing a prototype with a 75-mm cannon back in 1934. Guderian considered it necessary to have two types of medium tanks: the main one (Pz. Krfw. III) with a 37 mm gun and a support tank with a 75 mm short-barreled gun (Pz. Krfw. IV). Production of Pz tanks. 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 (Pz.Krfw. 38(t)) tanks produced in occupied Moravia, but under German orders, which had higher combat characteristics than the Pz tanks. Krfw. I and Pz. Krfw. II.

On September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht tank fleet in combat, training units and bases consisted of 3,195 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 replaced by industry. Following the results of the September (1939) battles, Guderian demanded that the armor be strengthened and firepower tanks and increase the production of Pz. Krfw. Ш and Рz. Krfw. IV. By the beginning of the campaign in France (May 10, 1940), 5 German tank corps had 2,580 tanks. British and French tanks were superior to enemy models in terms of armor and armament, but German tank forces had higher training and combat experience, and were also better controlled. They were used en masse while the Allies fought tank battles in small groups, sometimes without close interaction either with each other or with the infantry. Victory went to the German strike forces.

To attack the Soviet Union, the German command, consisting of 17 tank divisions, concentrated 3,582 tanks and self-propelled guns. These included 1698 light tanks: 180 Рz. 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 armament. The battles 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 rearmament of the Pz began. Krfw. IV (a long-barreled 75-mm cannon was installed with simultaneous reinforcement of its armor). This temporarily put it on par with Soviet tanks in terms of armament and armor. But according to other 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, during the fighting, 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 battlefield. Krfw. V "Panther" and heavy Pz. Krfw. VI "Tiger". These new Wehrmacht tanks had better developed weapons, but their disadvantage was, first of all, their large mass. Thick armor did not save Wehrmacht vehicles from shells from Soviet guns mounted on T-34-85 and IS-2 tanks and SU-100 and ISU-122 self-propelled guns. To gain superiority over the Soviet IS-2 tank, a new heavy tank Pz.Krfw was created in 1944. VI B "Royal Tiger". This was the hardest serial tank Second World War. During the war, German industry began to produce self-propelled artillery systems for various purposes in increasing quantities. As the Wehrmacht transitioned to defensive operations, the proportion of self-propelled artillery compared to tanks increased. In 1943, the production of self-propelled guns exceeded the production of tanks, and in the last months of the war it exceeded it three times. On the Soviet-German front in different time There were approximately 65 to 80% of the Wehrmacht's armored vehicles.

If German armored vehicles, created in the period 1934 - 1940, were mainly distinguished by high reliability, simplicity and ease of maintenance and operation, and ease of operation, then the equipment created during the war could no longer boast of such indicators. Haste and haste during the development and launch of production of the Pz.Krfw.V “Panther”, Pz.Krfw.VI Ausf.E “Tiger” and Pz.Krfw.VI Ausf tanks. B (“Royal Tiger”) had a negative impact on their reliability and performance characteristics, 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 did not represent much value for the front (except for the Czechoslovak model LT-38). The Wehrmacht used them in secondary theaters of war, for occupation forces and counter-partisans, as well as for training tank crews.

Captured equipment was also used for conversion into self-propelled artillery units, armored personnel carriers for delivering ammunition, etc. All the factories of the European states occupied by the Germans also worked for the German Wehrmacht. Two large factories in the Czech Republic, Skoda (Pilsen) and SKD (Prague), renamed VMM, produced tanks and self-propelled guns of their own design until the end of the war. In total, Czech factories produced more than 6,000 tanks and self-propelled guns. Tank factories in France were involved mainly in converting captured French tanks, repairing them, or manufacturing some spare parts for them, but not a single new tank or self-propelled gun was assembled there. In Austria, annexed to the Third Reich during the Anschluss of 1938, the Niebelungwerke tank assembly plant (Steyr-Daimler-Puch) was created in St. Valentine during the Second World War. Its products were included in the total production of German factories. After the surrender of Italy in 1943, its territory was partially occupied by German troops. Some tank factories in northern Italy, for example the Fiat-Ansaldo company (Turin), continued to produce tanks and self-propelled guns for German formations operating in Italy. In 1943 - 1945 they produced more than 400 vehicles. 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, during the Second World War, Germany also produced tracked, wheeled and half-track armored personnel carriers, armored vehicles, and tractor-transporters.

The first English Mk V tanks arrived in Japan in 1918, followed by Mk A tanks and French Renault FT 17 tanks in 1921. 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-turret tanks weighing about 20 tons were created. During these same years, British Vickers-6-ton tanks and the Carden-Loyd MkVI wedge, and French Renault NC1 tanks were purchased (the latter were in service under the designation "Otsu" until 1940). On their basis, Japanese firms began developing wedges and light tanks.

In 1931-1936, the Type 89 medium tank was produced in small series. 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 Japanese leadership and 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 midget tank (1934) and the Type 97 Te-ke small tank (1937). In total, more than 1000 wedges were built before 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 industry has completely switched to the development of light and medium vehicles. In 1935, the most popular light tank, the Ha-Go, was created, and in 1937, the medium-sized Chi-Ha tank was created. The latter, until the end of World War II, was the main model of Japanese armored forces. In 1937, the rate of tank production increased due to deliveries to the Kwantung Army in Manchuria. At the same time, the “Ha-go” and “Chi-ha” machines were being modernized. In the mid-1930s, the command of the Japanese army first showed interest in producing amphibious tanks, which were necessary for carrying out amphibious operations in a future war. At this time, samples of amphibious tanks are being developed.

Japanese tank building in the 1920s and 1930s was characterized by a careful study of foreign experience; passion for wedges; concentrating efforts on creating light and medium tanks to arm the Kwantung Army in China, as well as, starting in 1933, using diesel engines in tanks. Japanese tanks were tested in combat during combat operations 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 forced Japanese designers, first of all, to look for ways to increase their firepower and enhance armor protection. In total, in 1931 - 1939, Japanese industry produced 2020 tanks. 16 samples were developed, including 7 serial ones.

With the outbreak of the war in Europe, tank production in Japan picked up pace: in 1940, 1023 vehicles were produced, in 1941 - 1024. Given the island position of the country, the Japanese military leadership did not seek to build up its tanks and troops. A troop training manual published in 1935 noted: “The main purpose of tanks is combat in close cooperation with 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: fighting fire points and field artillery and making passages for infantry in obstacles. 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 disrupted his defense system, they had to return to their infantry and support their attack. The most maneuverable type of combat operations were “deep raids” together with cavalry, motorized infantry on vehicles, sappers and field artillery. In defense, tanks were used to carry out frequent counterattacks (mostly at night) or to fire from ambush. Fighting 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 Japanese army's tank fleet consisted of about 2,000 vehicles: mostly light Ha-Go tanks and wedges, and 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 noticeable quantities during the war. In 1942, designers created the Ka-mi amphibious tank, which experts consider the best example in the history of Japanese tank building. But its release was extremely limited. In the same year, to combat Allied tanks and support their troops, the Japanese army sent self-propelled artillery units in limited quantities.

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 those 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 dug into 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. Tank production in Japan reached its maximum level in 1942 and then began to fall. In total, Japanese industry produced 2,377 tanks and 147 self-propelled guns between 1942 and 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 complete the work of completing our collections with new models of armored vehicles. Currently, the museum has tanks and other armored vehicles of domestic production, pre-war, military and post-war periods production. This makes it possible to reveal the main stages of domestic tank building, to show the intense work of workers, engineers, designers, technologists, production organizers, and 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 museum staff since 1990. Great assistance in this work was provided by the Main Armored Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the leadership Border Troops FSB of Russia, military-patriotic public associations, search groups, veteran organizations of tankers. The museum is recreating missing examples of armored vehicles by constructing mock-ups of them from surviving fragments found by search teams. In this way, the model of the KV-1 heavy tank and models of Japanese tanks were recreated. A number of exhibits were restored by specialists from the 38th Research Testing Institute of Armored Vehicles of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation before being placed at the weapons exhibition.

Photo. Multi-purpose all-wheel drive army vehicle

Willys-MV (USA, 1942)

Unloaded weight 895kg. (2150lbs)

Engine carburetor liquid cooling 42 hp / 2500 rpm 4-cycle. 2200cm²

Gearbox: 3 speeds + 1 reverse

Maximum speed on the highway: 104 km/h.

Fuel consumption 14l/100kl.

Tank 57l.

Photo. Anti-tank gun. M-42. 45 mm. Caliber 45mm. Barrel length 3087mm. Maximum rate of fire is 15-30 rounds per minute.

Photo. Katyusha. BM-13 rocket launcher. Created in 1939 design bureau of A. Kostyukov. Performance characteristics: Caliber: 132mm. Weight without shells: 7200 kg. Number of guides: 16 Firing range: 7900m.

Photo. 122 mm. Howitzer. Model 1938 Created in 1938 design group of F. Petrov. Tactical and technical characteristics: Weight: in combat position 2400 kg. Firing range: 11800m. Maximum elevation angle + 63.5°. Rate of fire 5-6 rounds/min.

Photo. 76 mm. Divisional Cannon. Model 1942 Created in 1938-1942. design bureau of V. Grabin. Tactical and technical characteristics: Weight: in combat position 1200 kg. Firing range: 13290m. Maximum elevation angle + 37°. Rate of fire 25 rounds/min.

Photo. 57 mm. Anti-tank gun. Model 1943 Created in 1938-1942. design bureau of V. Grabin. Tactical and technical characteristics: Weight: in combat position 1250 kg. Firing range: 8400m. Maximum elevation angle + 37°. Rate of fire 20-25 rounds/min.

Photo. 85 mm. Anti-aircraft gun. Model 1939 Created in 1939 G. D. Dorokhin. Tactical and technical characteristics: Weight: in combat position 4300 kg. Firing range in height: 10500m. Horizontal: 15500m. Maximum elevation angle + 82°. Rate of fire 20 rounds/min.

Photo. Barrel 203 mm. Howitzers. Model 1931 Designers F. F. Pender, Magdesnev, Gavrilov, Torbin. Tactical and technical characteristics: Weight: in combat position 17700 kg. Firing range: 18000m. Maximum elevation angle + 60°. Rate of fire 0.5 rounds/min.

Photo. 152 mm. Howitzer gun M-10. Model 1937 Created in 1937 design group of F. Petrov Tactical and technical characteristics: Weight: in combat position 7270 kg. Firing range: 17230m. Maximum elevation angle + 65°. Rate of fire 3-4 shots/min

Photo. 152 mm. Howitzer D-1. Model 1943 Created in 1943 design group of F. Petrov Tactical and technical characteristics: Weight: in combat position 3600 kg. Firing range: 12400m. Maximum elevation angle + 63.30°. Rate of fire 3-4 rounds/min.

Photo. Field kitchen. KP-42 M.

Photo. Heavy Tank IS-2. Created in 1943 design group of Zh. Ya. Kotin, N. L. Dukhova Tactical and technical characteristics: Combat weight: 46 tons. Reservation: hull forehead; 120mm; hull side; 90mm; tower 110mm. Speed: 37 km/h Highway range: 240 km. Armament: 122mm cannon; 3 machine guns 7.62mm; 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun Ammunition: 28 shells, 2331 rounds Crew: 4 people

Photo. Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Mount ISU-152 Created in 1944. Tactical and technical characteristics: Combat weight: 47t. Reservation: hull forehead; 100mm; hull side; 90mm; cutting 90mm. Speed: 37 km/h Highway range: 220 km. Armament: 152mm howitzer gun; 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun Ammunition: 20 shells Crew: 5 people

Photo. Heavy Tank IS-3 Developed under the direction of designer M. F. Blazhi. Adopted into service in 1945. Tactical and technical characteristics: Combat weight: 45.8 tons. Speed: 40 km/h Cruising range on the highway: 190 km. Power: 520hp Armament: 122mm D-25T cannon, model 1943. 7.62mm DT machine gun, 12.7mm DShK machine gun. Ammunition: 20 shells Crew: 4 people.

Information from the Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad, in the city of Volgograd.

-When I saw the Russians, I was surprised. How did the Russians get from the Volga to Berlin in such primitive machines? When I saw them and the horses, I thought this couldn't be true. The Germans were technically advanced and their artillery was very much inferior to Russian technology. Do you know why? Everything with us must be accurate. But snow and mud do not help accuracy. When I was captured, I had a Sturmgever, modern weapons, but he refused after three shots - sand hit... - Günter Kühne, Wehrmacht soldier

Any war is a clash not only of troops, but also of the industrial and economic systems of the warring parties. This question must be remembered when trying to evaluate the merits of certain types of military equipment, as well as the successes of troops achieved using this equipment. When assessing 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. Simply put, 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 assessed every time. It is possible to create an invincible tank, but issues of quality almost always conflict with issues of ease of manufacture and mass availability of such equipment. There is no point in creating an invincible tank if the industry cannot organize its mass production, and the cost of the tank will be the same as that of an aircraft carrier. The balance between the combat qualities of the equipment and the ability to quickly establish large-scale production is important.

In this regard, it is of interest how this balance was maintained by the warring powers at different levels of the military-industrial system of the state. How much and what kind of military equipment was produced, and how this affected the results of the war. This article attempts to collect 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, which requires some explanation.

1. Approximate numbers are highlighted in red. They mainly concern two types - captured French equipment, as well as the number of self-propelled guns produced on the chassis of German armored personnel carriers. The first is due to the impossibility of establishing exactly how many trophies were actually used by the Germans in the army. The second is due to the fact that the production of self-propelled guns on an armored personnel carrier chassis was often carried out by retrofitting already produced armored personnel carriers without heavy weapons, by installing a gun with a machine on the armored personnel carrier chassis.

2. The table contains information about all guns, tanks and armored vehicles. For example, in the line “assault guns” the German self-propelled guns sd.kfz.250/8 and sd.kfz.251/9 are taken into account, which are armored personnel carrier chassis with an installed short-barreled 75 cm caliber gun. The corresponding number of linear armored personnel carriers is excluded from the line “armored personnel carriers” and so on.

3. Soviet self-propelled guns did not have a narrow specialization, and could fight both tanks and support infantry. However, they are classified into different categories. For example, the closest to the German assault guns, as conceived by the designers, were the Soviet breakthrough self-propelled guns SU/ISU-122/152, as well as the infantry support self-propelled guns Su-76. And self-propelled guns such 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 includes guns designed primarily for firing from closed positions beyond the direct line of sight of targets, including rocket-propelled mortars on armored chassis. On the Soviet side, only the 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 constituted the potential of the warring parties and was used in the war. The technology of earlier production was outdated by the beginning of the Second World War and is not of serious importance.

USSR

The data obtained fit well into the well-known historical situation. The production of armored vehicles in the USSR was launched on an incredible, massive scale, which was fully consistent with the aspirations of the Soviet side - preparation for a war of survival in vast areas from the Arctic to the Caucasus. To a certain extent, for the sake of mass production, the quality and debugging of military equipment was sacrificed. It is known that the equipment of Soviet tanks with high-quality communications equipment, optics and interior decoration was significantly worse than that of the Germans.

The obvious imbalance of the weapons system is striking. For the sake of tank production, entire classes of armored vehicles are missing - armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns, control vehicles, etc. Not least of all, this situation is determined by the desire of the USSR to overcome the serious gap in the main types of weapons, inherited after the collapse of the Republic of Ingushetia and civil war. Attention was focused on saturating the troops with the main striking force - tanks, while support vehicles were ignored. This is logical - it is stupid to invest effort in the design of bridge laying vehicles and ARVs in conditions where the production of the main weapons - tanks - has not been streamlined.

Ammunition transporter TP-26

At the same time, the USSR realized 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 include 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 fighting. For example, the lack 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 effectiveness even before contact with the enemy.

Experienced armored personnel carrier TR-4

Gaps in the weapons system were partially filled by Allied supplies. It is no coincidence that the USSR supplied armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns and self-propelled guns on the chassis of American armored personnel carriers. The total number of such vehicles was about 8,500, which is not much less than the number of tanks received - 12,300.

Germany

The German side followed a completely different path. Having been defeated in WWII, Germany did not lose its design school and did not lose its technological superiority. Let us remind you that in the USSR there was nothing to lose, in Russian Empire no tanks were produced. Therefore, the Germans did not need to overcome the path from an agricultural state to an industrial one in a wild hurry.

Having begun preparations for war, the Germans were well aware that they could defeat numerous and economically powerful opponents in the form of Great Britain and France, and then the USSR, only by ensuring qualitative superiority, which the Germans traditionally do excellently anyway. But the issue of mass participation 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 the fighting in the center of compact Europe was quite consistent with 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, this is why the Germans initially paid the closest attention to the balance of their weapons system. Here we see the most different types armored vehicles - ZSU, ammunition transporters, forward observer vehicles, ARVs. All this made it possible to build a well-functioning mechanism for waging war, which went like a steamroller throughout Europe. Such close attention to support technology, which also contributes to achieving victory, can only be admired.

Actually, the first shoots of future defeat were laid in this weapon system. The Germans are Germans in everything. Quality and reliability! But as mentioned above, quality and mass production almost always come into 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 expanses were absolutely indifferent to the perfectly tuned, but small number of German technology. A different scope was required here. And although the Red Army suffered defeat after defeat, it became difficult for the Germans to maneuver with the modest forces 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. We had to start mobilizing the economy. However, these actions were very late - it was necessary to prepare for the current situation before the attack.

Technique

When assessing the potential of the parties, it is necessary to clearly separate equipment by purpose. The decisive influence on the outcome of the battle is primarily exerted by “battlefield” vehicles - equipment engaged in the destruction of the enemy by direct fire in the forward echelons of troops. These are tanks and self-propelled guns. It should be recognized that in this category the USSR had absolute superiority, producing 2.6 times more military equipment.

IN separate category light tanks with machine gun armament, as well as wedges, are highlighted. Formally being tanks, they were of very low combat value for 1941. Neither the German Pz. I, neither the Soviet T-37 and T-38 dare to be included in the same rank with the formidable T-34 and even light BT or T-26. The enthusiasm for such technology in the USSR should be considered not a very successful experiment.

Self-propelled artillery is listed separately. The difference between this category of armored vehicles and assault guns, tank destroyers and other self-propelled guns is the ability to fire from closed positions. Destruction of troops by direct fire is, for them, an exception to the rule rather than a typical task. In essence, these are ordinary field howitzers or MLRS mounted on armored vehicle chassis. Currently, this practice has become the norm, as a rule, any artillery piece has a towed (for example, 152-mm howitzer MSTA-B) and self-propelled version (MSTA-S). At that time this was a novelty, and the Germans were among the first to implement the idea of self-propelled artillery covered with armor. The USSR limited itself to only experiments in this area, and the self-propelled guns built using howitzers were used not as classical artillery, but as breakthrough weapons. At the same time, 64 BM-8-24 rocket systems were produced on the T-40 and T-60 chassis. There is information that the troops were satisfied with them, and it is not clear why their mass production was not organized.

MLRS BM-8-24 on a light tank chassis

The next category is general-arms armored vehicles, whose task is to support first-line equipment, but are not intended to destroy targets on the battlefield. This category includes armored personnel carriers and self-propelled guns on armored chassis, and armored vehicles. It is important to understand that such vehicles, by design, are not intended to fight in the same formation as tanks and infantry, although they should be located behind them in close proximity. It is mistakenly believed that an armored personnel carrier is a battlefield vehicle. In fact, armored personnel carriers were originally intended to transport infantry in the front line and protect them from artillery shell fragments 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 infantry or tanks. Their large silhouette makes them a great and easy target. If in reality they entered into battle, it was forced. Vehicles of this category influence the outcome of the battle indirectly - saving the lives and strength of the infantry. Their importance 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 classify armored personnel carriers as battlefield equipment 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, weak gun - why is the German armored personnel carrier worse? Why is a tank with such weak performance characteristics a battlefield vehicle, 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 an armored personnel carrier. Even though their armor is similar, the tank’s low, squat silhouette, its mobility, and the ability to fire from a cannon clearly speak 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 taken into account in the table in the corresponding rows - anti-tank self-propelled guns. This is fair, 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 a transporter.

As for armored vehicles, they were mainly intended for reconnaissance and security. The USSR produced a huge number of cars of this class, and combat capabilities a number of models came close to the capabilities of light tanks. However, this applies primarily to pre-war equipment. It seems that the effort and money spent on their production could have been spent for better use. For example, if some of them were intended to transport 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 for protection from random fragments and bullets. Their presence in battle formations should be short-term; they do not have to constantly accompany the advancing troops. Their task is to solve specific problems in time and in the right place, moving forward 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 produced equipment. In the USSR, similar vehicles were created only on the basis of the T-26 and were produced in the amount of 183 units. It is difficult to fully assess the potential of the repair forces of the parties, since the matter was not limited to ARVs alone. Having felt the need for this type of equipment, both Germany and the USSR were engaged in handicraft conversion of outdated and partially faulty tanks into tow trucks and tractors. The Red Army had quite a lot of such vehicles with dismantled turrets based on T-34, KV and IS tanks. It is not possible to establish their exact number, since they were all manufactured in combat units of the army, and not in factories. In the German army, despite the presence of specialized ARVs, they also produced similar homemade vehicles, and their number is also unknown.

The Germans intended ammunition transporters primarily to supply advanced artillery units. In the Red Army, the same problem was solved by ordinary trucks, the security of which, of course, was lower.

Forward observer vehicles were also mainly needed by artillerymen. IN modern army their analogues are the vehicles of senior battery officers and mobile reconnaissance points PRP. However, in those years the USSR did not produce such machines.

In terms of bridge layers, their presence in the Red Army may be surprising. However, it was the USSR that before the war produced 65 of these vehicles based on the T-26 tank under the designation ST-26. The Germans produced several such vehicles based on the Pz IV, Pz II and Pz I. However, neither the Soviet ST-26 nor the German bridge layers had any influence on the course of the war.

Bridge tank ST-26

Finally, the Germans produced quite a lot of such specific machines as demolition charge stackers. The most widespread of these machines, “Goliath,” was a remote-controlled disposable wedge. This type machines are difficult to classify into any category, their tasks are so unique. The USSR did not produce such machines.

conclusions

When analyzing the impact of weapons release on the consequences of war, two factors must be taken into account - the balance of the weapons system and the balance of equipment in terms of quality/quantity ratio.

The balance of the German army's weapons system is extremely commendable. In the pre-war period, the USSR was unable to create anything like this, 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, it is worth regretting the absence in the Red Army, first of all, of armored personnel carriers and self-propelled vehicles anti-aircraft installations. The absence of such exotic vehicles as remote demolition charges and artillery observer vehicles could be endured without tears. As for ARVs, their role was quite successfully performed by tractors based on tanks with weapons removed, but there are still no armored ammunition transporters in the army, and the troops generally 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 approximately 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 gap from Western countries, correctly assessed the importance of tanks as the main striking force of the troops. The emphasis on improving and developing tanks ultimately gave the USSR an advantage over the German army directly on the battlefield. Despite the high utility of support equipment, the decisive role in the outcome of battles was played by battlefield vehicles, which had the highest development priority in the Soviet army. A large number of In the end, the support vehicles did not help Germany win the war, although they probably saved a considerable number of lives of German soldiers.

But the balance between quality and quantity ultimately turned out to be not in Germany’s favor. The traditional tendency of the Germans to strive to achieve the ideal in everything, even where this should be neglected, played a cruel joke. In preparation for 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 capable of turning the tide of events. The gap between the combat capabilities of the Soviet and German technology was not so large that German qualitative superiority could play a decisive role. But the quantitative superiority of the USSR turned out to be capable of not only making up for the losses of the first period of the war, but also influencing 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 avoid discussing the traditional template “filled 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 with numbers, and not with skill. Such statements must be stopped immediately. No one, even the most talented commander, will give up quantitative superiority over the enemy, even if he can fight with many times fewer troops. Quantitative superiority gives the commander the greatest opportunity to plan a battle and does not at all mean an inability to fight with 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 quantitative superiority there is, it is not infinite. Provide your troops with the opportunity to operate in more- the most important task of industry and the state. And the Germans understood this very well, having squeezed everything they could out of their economy in 1943-45 in an attempt to achieve at least not superiority, but parity with the USSR. They did not do it 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 think this work exhaustive and final. Perhaps there will be specialists who can significantly supplement the information presented. Any reader can familiarize themselves 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)
V. Oswald. "Complete catalog of military vehicles and tanks of Germany 1900 - 1982."
P. Chamberlain, H. Doyle, “Encyclopedia of German tanks of the Second World War.”

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