Soviet technology of the times of WWII. War of motors: weapons of the Red Army before the start of World War II The best military equipment of the USSR during the Second World War

Osinnikov Roman

1. Introduction
2. Aviation
3. Tanks and self-propelled guns
4. Armored vehicles
5. Other military equipment

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Military equipment of the Great Patriotic War 1941 - 1945 Purpose: to get to know various materials o In the Great Patriotic War; find out what military equipment helped our people to win. Completed by: Dudanov Valera, student of the 4th grade Leader: Matyashchuk Larisa Grigorievna

Armored vehicles Other military equipment Tanks and self-propelled guns Aviation

Sturmovik Il - 16

Sturmovik Il - 2 Sturmovik Il - 10

Pe-8 bomber Pe-2 bomber

Tu-2 bomber

Fighter Yak-3 Yak-7 Yak-9

Fighter La-5 Fighter La-7

Tank ISU - 152

Tank ISU - 122

Tank SU - 85

Tank SU - 122

Tank SU - 152

Tank T - 34

Armored car BA-10 Armored car BA-64

Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-31

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-36

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-24

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM - 13N

Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-13

2. http://1941-1945.net.ru/ 3. http://goup32441.narod.ru 4. http://www.bosonogoe.ru/blog/good/page92/

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Military equipment of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.

Plan.

1. Introduction

2. Aviation

3. Tanks and self-propelled guns

4. Armored vehicles

5. Other military equipment

Introduction

The victory over fascist Germany and its allies was won by the joint efforts of the states of the anti-fascist coalition, the peoples who fought against the invaders and their accomplices. But the decisive role in this armed clash was played by the Soviet Union. It was the Soviet country that was the most active and consistent fighter against the fascist invaders who sought to enslave the peoples of the whole world.

A significant number of national military formations with a total strength of 550 thousand people were formed on the territory of the Soviet Union, about 960 thousand rifles, carbines and machine guns, more than 40.5 thousand machine guns, 16.5 thousand guns and mortars were donated to their armament , over 2300 aircraft, over 1100 tanks and self-propelled guns. Considerable assistance was also rendered in the training of national command cadres.

The results and consequences of the Great Patriotic War are grandiose in scope and historical significance. It was not "military happiness", not accidents that led the Red Army to a brilliant victory. The Soviet economy throughout the war successfully coped with providing the front with the necessary weapons and ammunition.

Soviet industry in 1942 - 1944 monthly produced over 2 thousand tanks, while the German industry only in May 1944 reached a maximum of -1450 tanks; field artillery guns in the Soviet Union were produced more than 2 times, and mortars 5 times more than in Germany. The secret of this "economic miracle" lies in the fact that, in fulfilling the intense plans for the military economy, the workers, peasants, and intelligentsia displayed mass labor heroism. Following the slogan “Everything for the front! Everything for the Victory! ”, Regardless of any hardships, the home front workers did everything to give the army perfect weapon, clothe, shoe and feed the soldiers, ensure the uninterrupted operation of transport and the entire national economy. The Soviet military industry surpassed the German fascist not only in quantity, but also in the quality of the main models of weapons and equipment. Soviet scientists and designers radically improved many technological processes, tirelessly created and improved military equipment and weapons. For example, medium tank The T-34, which has undergone several modifications, is rightfully considered the best tank of the Great Patriotic War.

Mass heroism, unprecedented stamina, courage and selflessness, selfless devotion to the Motherland of the Soviet people at the front, behind enemy lines, the labor exploits of the workers, peasants and intelligentsia were the most important factor in achieving our Victory. History did not know such examples of mass heroism and labor enthusiasm.

One can name thousands of glorious Soviet soldiers who accomplished remarkable feats in the name of the Motherland, in the name of Victory over the enemy. More than 300 times in the Great Patriotic War, the immortal feat of the infantrymen A.K. Pankratov V.V. Vasilkovsky and A.M. Matrosov. The names of Yu.V. Smirnova, A.P. Maresyev, paratrooper K.F. Olshansky, Panfilov heroes and many, many others. The names of D.M. became a symbol of unbending will and perseverance in the struggle. Karbyshev and M. Jalil. The names of M.A. Egorova and M.V. Kantaria, who hoisted the Banner of Victory over the Reichstag. More than 7 million people who fought on the fronts of the war were awarded orders and medals. 11358 people were awarded the highest degree of military distinction - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After watching various films about the war, hearing in the media mass media about the approaching 65th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, I became interested in what kind of military equipment helped our people win over Nazi Germany.

Aviation

In the creative competition of design bureaus that developed new fighters at the end of the thirties, the team led by A.S. Yakovlev achieved great success. The experimental I-26 fighter he created was excellently tested and under the brand name Yak-1 was put into mass production. In terms of its aerobatic and combat qualities, the Yak-1 was among the best front-line fighters.

During the Great Patriotic War, it was repeatedly modified. On its basis, more advanced fighters Yak-1M and Yak-3 were created. Yak-1M - single-seat fighter, development of the Yak-1. Created in 1943 in two copies: a prototype N 1 and an understudy. Yak-1M was the lightest and most maneuverable fighter in the world for its time.

Constructors: Lavochkin, Gorbunov, Gudkov - LaGG

The introduction of the aircraft did not go smoothly, since the aircraft and its drawings were still quite "raw", not finalized to serial production. It was not possible to establish in-line production. With the release of serial aircraft and their arrival in military units, wishes and demands began to come to strengthen armament and increase the volume of tanks. An increase in the capacity of gas tanks made it possible to increase the flight range from 660 to 1000 km. Automatic slats were installed, but conventional aircraft were more in the series. Factories, having produced about 100 LaGG-1 machines, began to build its version - LaGG-3. All this was carried out as far as possible, but the aircraft became heavier and its flight qualities decreased. In addition, winter camouflage - a rough paint surface - worsened the aerodynamics of the aircraft (and a prototype dark cherry color was polished to a shine, for which it was called "piano" or "radiola"). The overall weight culture in the LaGG and La aircraft was lower than in the Yak aircraft, where it was brought to perfection. But the survivability of the LaGG (and then La) design was exceptional. LaGG-3 in the first period of the war was one of the main front-line fighters. In 1941-1943. factories built over 6.5 thousand LaGG aircraft.

It was a low-wing cantilever with smooth lines and a retractable landing gear with a tail wheel; it was unique among the fighters of the time because it had an all-wood construction, except for the control surfaces that had a metal frame and fabric covering; the fuselage, tail and wings had a wooden load-bearing structure, to which diagonal strips of plywood were attached using phenol-formaldehyde rubber.

Over 6,500 LaGG-3s were built, with later variants having retractable tailwheels and the ability to carry drop fuel tanks. From the armament, a 20-mm cannon was installed, firing through the screw hub, two machine guns of 12.7 mm (0.5 inch) caliber, and underwing mounts for unguided missiles or light bombs.

The armament of the serial LaGG-3 consisted of one ShVAK cannon, one or two BS and two ShKAS, 6 RS-82 shells were also suspended. There were also production aircraft with a 37 mm Shpitalny Sh-37 (1942) and Nudelman NS-37 (1943) cannon. The LaGG-3 with the Sh-37 cannon was called the "tank destroyer".

In the mid-30s, there was, perhaps, no fighter that would have enjoyed such wide popularity in aviation circles as the I-16 (TsKB-12), designed by a team headed by N.N. Polikarpov.

In my own way appearance and flight qualities I-16 sharply different from most of his serial contemporaries.

The I-16 was created as a high-speed fighter, which simultaneously pursued the goal of achieving maximum maneuverability for air combat. To do this, the center of gravity in flight was aligned with the center of pressure by about 31% of the MAR. There was an opinion that in this case the aircraft would be more maneuverable. In fact, it turned out that the I-16 became practically insufficiently stable, especially in gliding, it required a lot of attention from the pilot, and reacted to the slightest movement of the handle. And along with this, there was, perhaps, no aircraft that would have made such a great impression on contemporaries with its high-speed qualities. The small I-16 embodied the idea of ​​a high-speed aircraft, which, moreover, performed aerobatics very effectively, and favorably differed from any biplanes. After each modification, the speed, ceiling and armament of the aircraft increased.

The armament of the I-16, issued in 1939, consisted of two cannons and two machine guns. Aircraft of the first series received a baptism of fire in battles with the Nazis in the skies of Spain. On machines of subsequent releases with installations for rockets, our pilots smashed the Japanese militarists at Khalkhin Gol. I-16s took part in battles with Nazi aircraft in the first period of the Great Patriotic War. Heroes of the Soviet Union G. P. Kravchenko, S. I. Gritsevets, A. V. Vorozheikin, V. F. Safonov and other pilots fought and won many victories on these fighters twice.

I-16 type 24 took part in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. I-16, adapted for a dive bombing strike /

One of the most formidable combat aircraft of World War II, the Ilyushin Il-2 was produced in huge numbers. Soviet sources call the figure 36163 aircraft. A characteristic feature of the two-seat aircraft TsKB-55 or BSh-2, developed in 1938 by Sergei Ilyushin and his Central Design Bureau, was an armored shell that was integral with the fuselage structure and protected the crew, engine, radiators and fuel tank. The aircraft was perfectly suited to the role of attack aircraft assigned to it, as it was well protected when attacking from low altitudes, but it was abandoned in favor of a lighter single-seat model - the TsKB-57 aircraft, which had an AM-38 engine with a power of 1268 kW (1700 hp). s.), a raised, well-streamlined cockpit canopy, two 20 mm cannons instead of two of the four machine guns mounted on the wing, and underwing rocket launchers. The first prototype took off on October 12, 1940.

Serial copies, designated IL-2, in general, they were similar to the TsKB-57 model, but had a modified windshield and a shortened fairing at the rear of the cockpit canopy. The single-seat version of the Il-2 quickly proved to be a highly effective weapon. However, losses during 1941-42. due to the lack of escort fighters, they were very large. In February 1942, it was decided to return to the two-seat version of the Il-2 in accordance with Ilyushin's original concept. The Il-2M aircraft had a gunner in the rear cockpit under a common canopy. Two of these aircraft were flight tested in March, and production aircraft appeared in September 1942. A new version of the Il-2 Type 3 (or Il-2m3) aircraft first appeared in Stalingrad in early 1943.

Il-2 aircraft were used by the USSR Navy for anti-ship operations, in addition, specialized Il-2T torpedo bombers were developed. On land, this aircraft was used, if necessary, for reconnaissance and setting smoke screens.

In the last year of World War II, Il-2 aircraft were used by Polish and Czechoslovak units flying together with the Soviet ones. These attack aircraft remained in service with the USSR Air Force for several post-war years and slightly longer times in other Eastern European countries.

In order to provide a replacement for the Il-2 attack aircraft, two different experimental aircraft were developed in 1943. The Il-8 variant, while retaining a close resemblance to the Il-2, was equipped with a more powerful AM-42 engine, had a new wing, horizontal tail unit and landing gear, combined with the fuselage of a late-production Il-2 aircraft. It passed flight tests in April 1944, but was abandoned in favor of the Il-10, which was completely new development all-metal construction and improved aerodynamic shape. Mass production began in August 1944, and evaluation in active regiments two months later. For the first time this aircraft began to be used in February 1945, and by the spring its production reached its peak. Before the surrender of Germany, many regiments were re-equipped with these attack aircraft; a significant number of them took part in short but large-scale actions against the Japanese invaders in Manchuria and Korea during August 1945.

During the Great Patriotic War Pe-2 was the most popular Soviet bomber. These aircraft took part in battles on all fronts, were used by land and naval aviation as bombers, fighters, and reconnaissance aircraft.

In our country, the Ar-2 A.A. became the first dive bomber. Arkhangelsky, which was a modernization of the Security Council. The Ar-2 bomber was developed almost in parallel with the future Pe-2, but was put into mass production faster, since it was based on a well-developed aircraft. However, the design of the S B was already quite outdated, so there were practically no prospects for the further development of the Ar-2. A little later, a small series (five pieces) of the SPB N.N. Polikarpov, which surpassed the Ar-2 in terms of armament and flight characteristics. Since numerous accidents occurred during flight tests, after a long refinement of this machine, work was stopped.

During the tests of the "hundredth" there were several accidents. The right engine of Stefanovsky’s plane failed, and he hardly landed the car at the maintenance site, miraculously “jumping” over the hangar and the goats stacked around it. The second plane, the “understudy”, on which A.M. Khripkov and P.I. Perevalov flew, also crashed. After takeoff, a fire broke out on it, and the pilot, blinded by smoke, landed on the first available platform, crushing the people who were there.

Despite these accidents, the aircraft showed high flight characteristics and it was decided to build it serially. An experienced "weave" was demonstrated at the May Day parade of 1940. State tests of the "weave" ended on May 10, 1940, and on June 23 the aircraft was accepted for mass production. The production aircraft had some differences. The most noticeable external change was the shift forward of the cockpit. Behind the pilot, slightly to the right, was the navigator's seat. The bow was glazed from below, which made it possible to aim while bombing. The navigator had a ShKAS machine gun firing backwards on a pivot mount. Behind the back

Serial production of Pe-2 unfolded very quickly. In the spring of 1941, these vehicles began to enter combat units. On May 1, 1941, a Pe-2 regiment (95th Colonel S.A. Pestov) flew over Red Square in parade formation. These machines were "appropriated" by the 13th air division of F.P. Polynov, who, having independently studied them, successfully used them in battles on the territory of Belarus.

Unfortunately, by the beginning of hostilities, the machine was still poorly mastered by pilots. Here, the relative complexity of the aircraft, and the tactics of dive bombing, which were fundamentally new for Soviet pilots, and the absence of dual-control “spark” aircraft, and design defects, in particular, insufficient chassis cushioning and poor fuselage sealing, which increased the fire hazard, played a role. Subsequently, it was also noted that takeoff and landing on the Pe-2 is much more difficult than on the domestic SB or DB-3, or the American Douglas A-20 Boston. In addition, the flight crew of the rapidly growing Soviet Air Force was inexperienced. For example, in the Leningrad District, more than half of the flight personnel graduated from aviation schools in the autumn of 1940 and had very few flying hours.

Despite these difficulties, units armed with Pe-2s fought successfully already in the first months of the Great Patriotic War.

On the afternoon of June 22, 1941, 17 Pe-2 aircraft of the 5th Bomber Aviation Regiment bombed the Galatsky Bridge across the Prut River. This high-speed and quite maneuverable aircraft could operate during the day in conditions of enemy air superiority. So, on October 5, 1941, the crew of Art. Lieutenant Gorslikhin took the fight with nine German fighters Bf 109 and shot down three of them.

On January 12, 1942, V.M. Petlyakov died in a plane crash. The Pe-2 plane, on which the designer was flying, fell into a heavy snowfall on the way to Moscow, lost orientation and crashed into a hill near Arzamas. The place of the chief designer was briefly taken by A.M.Izakson, and then he was replaced by A.I.Putilov.

The front badly needed modern bombers.

Since the autumn of 1941, Pe-2s have already been actively used on all fronts, as well as in naval aviation of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets. The formation of new units was carried out at an accelerated pace. To do this, they attracted the most experienced pilots, including test pilots from the Air Force Research Institute, from which the separate regiment Pe-2 aircraft (410th). During the counter-offensive near Moscow, Pe-2s already accounted for about a quarter "of the bombers concentrated for the operation. However, the number of bombers produced was still insufficient. In the 8th Air Army near Stalingrad on July 12, 1942, out of 179 bombers, there were only 14 Pe-2s and one Pe-3, i.e. about 8%.

Pe-2 regiments were often transferred from place to place, using them in the most dangerous areas. Near Stalingrad, the 150th regiment of Colonel I.S. Polbin (later general, commander of the air corps) became famous. This regiment performed the most responsible tasks. Having mastered dive bombing well, the pilots delivered powerful blows to the enemy during the day. So, for example, a large gasoline storage facility was destroyed near the Morozovsky farm. When the Germans organized an "air bridge" to Stalingrad, dive bombers participated in the destruction of German transport aircraft at airfields. On December 30, 1942, six Pe-2s of the 150th regiment burned 20 German three-engine Junkers Ju52 / 3m aircraft in Tormosin. In the winter of 1942–1943, a Baltic Fleet Air Force dive bomber bombed the bridge across the Narva, making it difficult to supply German troops near Leningrad (the bridge was being restored for a month).

During the “battles, the tactics of the Soviet dive bombers also changed. At the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, strike groups of 30-70 aircraft were already used instead of the previous “triples” and “nines”. Here was born the famous Polbinskaya "turntable" - a giant inclined wheel of dozens of dive-bombers, covering each other from the tail and alternately inflicting well-aimed blows. In the conditions of street fighting, Pe-2s acted from low altitudes with extreme precision.

However, experienced pilots were still in short supply. Bombs were dropped mainly from level flight, young pilots did not fly well on instruments.

In 1943, V.M. Myasishchev, also a former “enemy of the people”, and later a well-known Soviet aircraft designer, creator of heavy strategic bombers, was appointed head of the design bureau. He was faced with the task of modernizing the Pe-2 in relation to the new conditions at the front.

Enemy aviation developed rapidly. In the autumn of 1941, the first Messerschmitt Bf.109F fighters appeared on the Soviet-German front. The situation demanded that the characteristics of the Pe-2 be brought into line with the capabilities of the new enemy aircraft. At the same time, it should be taken into account that maximum speed The Pe-2 produced in 1942 even slightly decreased in comparison with the aircraft of the pre-war production. The additional weight, due to more powerful weapons, armor, and the deterioration in assembly quality also affected here (women and teenagers mostly worked at the factories, who, with all their efforts, lacked the dexterity of personnel workers). Poor-quality sealing of aircraft, poor fit of skin sheets, etc. were noted.

Since 1943, Pe-2s have taken first place in the number of machines of this type in bomber aircraft. In 1944, Pe-2s took part in almost all major offensive operations of the Soviet Army. In February, 9 Pe-2s destroyed the bridge across the Dnieper near Rogachov with direct hits. The Germans pressed to the shore were destroyed by Soviet troops. At the beginning of the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation, the 202nd air division delivered powerful blows to the airfields in Uman and Khristinovka. In March 1944, Pe-2s of the 36th Regiment destroyed German crossings on the Dniester River. Dive-bombers also proved to be very effective in the mountainous conditions of the Carpathians. 548 Pe-2s took part in aviation training before the offensive in Belarus. June 29, 1944 Pe-2 destroyed the bridge over the Berezina - the only way out of the Belarusian "cauldron".

Naval aviation widely used the Pe-2 against enemy ships. True, the short range and the relatively weak instrumentation of the aircraft interfered here, but in the conditions of the Baltic and Black Seas these aircraft operated quite successfully - the German cruiser Niobe and a number of large transports were sunk with the participation of dive bombers.

In 1944, the average accuracy of bombing increased by 11% compared to 1943. A considerable contribution here was made by the already well-mastered Pe-2s.

They did not do without these bombers at the final stage of the war. They operated throughout Eastern Europe, accompanying the offensive of the Soviet troops. Pe-2s played an important role in the assault on Koenigsberg and the Pillau naval base. A total of 743 Pe-2 and Tu-2 dive bombers took part in the Berlin operation. For example, on April 30, 1945, one of the targets of the Pe-2 was the Gestapo building in Berlin. Apparently, the last Pe-2 sortie in Europe took place on May 7, 1945. Soviet pilots destroyed the runway at the Sirava airfield, from where German planes were going to fly to Sweden.

Pe-2s also participated in a short campaign in the Far East. In particular, dive bombers of the 34th Bomber Regiment, during attacks on the ports of Rashin and Seishin in Korea, sank three transports and two tankers and damaged five more transports.

Production of the Pe-2 ceased in the winter of 1945-1946.

Pe-2 - the main aircraft of the Soviet bomber aviation - played an outstanding role in achieving victory in the Great Patriotic War. This aircraft was used as a bomber, reconnaissance, fighter (it was not used only as a torpedo bomber). Pe-2s fought on all fronts and in naval aviation of all fleets. In the hands of Soviet pilots, the Pe-2 fully revealed its capabilities. speed, agility, powerful weapons plus strength, reliability and survivability were its hallmarks. Pe-2 was popular with pilots, who often preferred this car to foreign ones. From the first to last day Great Patriotic War "Pawn" served faithfully.

Airplane Petlyakov Pe-8 was the only heavy four-engine bomber in the USSR during World War II.

In October 1940, a diesel engine was chosen as the standard power plant. During the bombing of Berlin in August 1941, it turned out that they were also unreliable. It was decided to stop using diesel engines. By that time, the designation TB-7 had been changed to Pe-8, and by the end of mass production in October 1941, a total of 79 of these aircraft had been built; by the end of 1942, about 48 of the total number of aircraft were equipped with ASh-82FN engines. One aircraft powered by AM-35A engines made an excellent flight with intermediate stops from Moscow to Washington and back from May 19 to June 13, 1942. The surviving aircraft were intensively used in 1942-43. for close support, and from February 1943 to deliver 5,000 kg bombs for precision attack on special targets. After the war, in 1952, two Pe-8s played a key role in the founding of the Arctic station, flying 5,000 km (3,107 miles) non-stop.

Creation of an aircraft Tu-2 (front-line bomber) began at the end of 1939 by a design team led by A.N. Tupolev. In January 1941, he went to the test, an experimental aircraft, designated "103". In May of the same year, tests began on its improved version "103U", which was distinguished by stronger defensive weapons, a changed arrangement of the crew, which consisted of a pilot, a navigator (if necessary, he could be a gunner), radio operator gunner and gunner. The aircraft was equipped with AM-37 high-altitude engines. On tests, the aircraft "103" and "103U" showed outstanding flight qualities. In terms of speed at medium and high altitudes, flight range, bomb load and the power of defensive weapons, they significantly exceeded the Pe-2. At altitudes of more than 6 km, they flew faster than almost all serial fighters, both Soviet and German, second only to the domestic MiG-3 fighter.

In July 1941, it was decided to launch the "103U" in a series. However, in the context of the outbreak of war and the large-scale evacuation of aviation enterprises, it was not possible to organize the production of AM-37 engines. Therefore, the designers had to remake the aircraft for other engines. They were M-82 A.D. Shvedkov, which had just begun to be mass-produced. Aircraft of this type have been used on the fronts since 1944. Production of this type of bomber continued for several more years after the war, until they were replaced by jet bombers. A total of 2547 aircraft were built.

18 red-star fighters of the Yak-3 type, raised from the front-line airfield, met 30 enemy fighters over the battlefield on a July day in 1944. In a fleeting fierce battle, the Soviet pilots won a complete victory. They shot down 15 fascist planes, and lost only one. The battle confirmed once again the high skill of our pilots and the excellent qualities of the new Soviet fighter.

Aircraft Yak-3 created in 1943 a team headed by A.S. Yakovlev, developing the Yak-1M fighter, which had already justified itself in battles. The Yak-3 differed from its predecessor by a smaller wing (its area is 14.85 square meters instead of 17.15) with the same fuselage dimensions and a number of aerodynamic and structural improvements. It was one of the lightest fighters in the world in the first half of the forties.

Considering experience combat use fighter Yak-7, comments and suggestions of the pilots, A.S. Yakovlev made a number of significant changes to the car.

In essence, it was a new aircraft, although the factories during its construction needed to make very small changes in production technology and equipment. Therefore, they were able to quickly master the upgraded version of the fighter, called the Yak-9. Since 1943, the Yak-9 has become, in essence, the main air combat aircraft. It was the most popular type of front-line fighter aircraft in our Air Force during the Great Patriotic War. In terms of speed, maneuverability, flight range and armament, the Yak-9 surpassed all serial fighters of Nazi Germany. At combat altitudes (2300-4300 m), the fighter developed speeds of 570 and 600 km/h, respectively. For a set of 5 thousand meters, 5 minutes was enough for him. The maximum ceiling reached 11 km, which made it possible to use the Yak-9 in the country's air defense system to intercept and destroy enemy high-altitude aircraft.

During the war, the design bureau created several modifications of the Yak-9. They differed from the main type mainly in armament and fuel supply.

The team of the design bureau, headed by S.A. Lavochkin, in December 1941 completed the modification of the LaGG-Z fighter, which was being mass-produced, for the ASh-82 radial engine. Alterations were relatively small, the dimensions and design of the aircraft were preserved, but due to the larger midsection of the new engine, a second, inoperative skin was placed on the sides of the fuselage.

Already in September 1942, fighter regiments equipped with machines La-5 , participated in the battle of Stalingrad and achieved major successes. The battles showed that the new Soviet fighter has serious advantages over fascist aircraft of the same class.

The efficiency of performing a large amount of finishing work during the tests of the La-5 was largely determined by the close interaction of the design bureau of S.A. Lavochkin with the Air Force Research Institute, LII, TsIAM and the design bureau of A.D. Shvetsov. Thanks to this, it was possible to quickly resolve many issues related mainly to the layout of the power plant, and bring the La-5 to the series before another fighter appeared on the conveyor instead of the LaGG.

The production of the La-5 was rapidly increasing, and already in the autumn of 1942, the first aviation regiments appeared near Stalingrad, which were armed with this fighter. I must say that the La-5 was not the only option for converting the LaGG-Z to the M-82 engine. Back in the summer of 1941. a similar modification was carried out in Moscow under the leadership of M. I. Gudkov (the aircraft was called Gu-82). This aircraft received good review Research Institute of the Air Force. The subsequent evacuation and, apparently, the underestimation at that moment of the importance of such work greatly delayed the testing and refinement of this fighter.

As for the La-5, it quickly won recognition. High horizontal flight speeds, good rate of climb and throttle response, combined with better vertical maneuverability than the LaGG-Z, led to a sharp qualitative leap in the transition from LaGG-Z to La-5. The air-cooled motor had greater survivability than the liquid-cooled motor, and at the same time it was a kind of protection for the pilot from fire from the front hemisphere. Using this property, the pilots flying the La-5 boldly launched frontal attacks, imposing on the enemy a battle tactic that was beneficial to them.

But all the advantages of La-5 at the front did not appear immediately. At first, due to a number of "childhood illnesses", his fighting qualities were significantly reduced. Of course, during the transition to serial production, the flight data of the La-5 deteriorated somewhat compared to its prototype, but not as significantly as that of other Soviet fighters. Thus, the speed at low and medium altitudes decreased by only 7-11 km / h, the rate of climb remained almost unchanged, and the turn time, thanks to the installation of slats, even decreased from 25 to 22.6 s. However, it was difficult to realize the maximum capabilities of a fighter in combat. Overheating of the motor limited the time for using maximum power, the oil system needed to be improved, the air temperature in the cockpit reached 55-60 ° C, the emergency canopy reset system and the quality of the plexiglass needed to be improved. In 1943, 5047 La-5 fighters were produced.

From the first days of their appearance on front-line airfields, La-5 fighters have proven themselves excellently in battles with Nazi invaders. The pilots liked the maneuverability of the La-5, their ease of control, powerful armament, tenacious star-shaped engine, which protected well from fire in front, and a fairly high speed. On these machines, our pilots won many brilliant victories.

The design team of S.A. Lavochkin persistently improved the machine that justified itself. At the end of 1943, its modification, La-7, was released.

Accepted for serial production of La-7 in Last year war became one of the main front-line fighters. On this plane, I.N. Kozhedub, who was awarded three gold stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union, won most their victories.

Tanks and self-propelled guns

Tank T-60 was created in 1941 as a result of a deep modernization of the T-40 tank, carried out under the leadership of N.A. Astrov in the conditions of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Compared to the T-40, it had enhanced armor protection and more powerful weapons - a 20-mm cannon instead of a heavy machine gun. On this serial tank for the first time a device was used to heat the engine coolant in winter. Modernization achieved an improvement in the main combat characteristics while simplifying the design of the tank, but at the same time narrowed combat capabilities- liquidated buoyancy. Like the T-40 tank, the T-60 chassis uses four rubber-coated road wheels on board, three support rollers, a drive wheel located in front and a rear steering wheel. Suspension individual torsion bar.

However, in the face of a shortage of tanks, the main advantage of the T-60 was the ease of production at automobile plants with the widespread use of automotive components and mechanisms. The tank was produced simultaneously at four factories. In total, 6045 T-60 tanks were produced in a short time, which played important role in the battles of the initial period of the Great Patriotic War.

Self-propelled gun ISU-152

The heavy self-propelled artillery mount ISU-122 was armed with a 122-mm field gun of the 1937 model, adapted for installation in the SU. And when the design team, headed by F.F. Petrov, created a 122-mm tank gun of the 1944 model, it was also installed on the ISU-122. The vehicle with the new gun was called the ISU-122S. The 1937 model gun had a piston breech, and the 1944 model gun had a semi-automatic wedge. In addition, it was equipped with a muzzle brake. All this made it possible to increase the rate of fire from 2.2 to 3 rounds per minute. The armor-piercing projectile of both systems weighed 25 kg and had an initial velocity of 800 m/s. Ammunition consisted of separate loading shots.

The vertical aiming angles of the guns were somewhat different: on the ISU-122 they ranged from -4° to +15°, and on the ISU-122S - from -2° to +20°. The horizontal aiming angles were the same - 11° in each direction. The combat weight of the ISU-122 was 46 tons.

The ISU-152 self-propelled gun based on the IS-2 tank did not differ in any way from the ISU-122 except for the artillery system. It was equipped with a 152-mm howitzer-gun of the 1937 model with a piston bolt, the rate of which was 2.3 rounds per minute.

The crew of the ISU-122, like the ISU-152, consisted of a commander, gunner, loader, lock and driver. The hexagonal conning tower is fully armored. The gun mounted on the machine (on the ISU-122S in a mask) is shifted to the starboard side. In the fighting compartment, in addition to weapons and ammunition, there were fuel and oil tanks. The driver sat in front to the left of the gun and had his own observation devices. The commander's cupola was missing. The commander conducted surveillance through the periscope in the roof of the cabin.

Self-propelled gun ISU-122

As soon as the IS-1 heavy tank entered service at the end of 1943, it was decided to create a fully armored self-propelled gun based on it. At first, this met with some difficulties: after all, the IS-1 had a hull noticeably narrower than the KV-1s, on the basis of which the SU-152 heavy self-propelled gun with a 152-mm howitzer-gun was created in 1943. However, the efforts of the designers of the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant and gunners under the leadership of F.F. Petrov were crowned with success. By the end of 1943, 35 self-propelled guns armed with a 152-mm howitzer-gun were produced.

ISU-152 was distinguished by powerful armor protection and artillery system, good driving performance. The presence of panoramic and telescopic sights made it possible to fire both direct fire and from closed firing positions. The simplicity of the device and operation contributed to the rapid development of its crews, which in war time was of the utmost importance. This machine, armed with a 152-mm howitzer gun, was mass-produced from the end of 1943. Its weight was 46 tons, armor thickness - 90 mm, the crew consisted of 5 people. Diesel power 520 l. With. accelerated the car to 40 km / h.

Later, on the basis of the ISU-152 self-propelled gun chassis, several more heavy self-propelled guns were developed, on which high-power guns of 122 and 130 mm calibers were installed. The mass of the ISU-130 was 47 tons, the thickness of the armor was 90 mm, the crew consisted of 4 people. Diesel engine with a capacity of 520 liters. With. provided a speed of 40 km / h. The 130-mm cannon mounted on the self-propelled gun was a modification of a naval gun, adapted for mounting in the conning tower of the vehicle. To reduce the gas contamination of the fighting compartment, it was equipped with a system for purging the barrel with compressed air from five cylinders. ISU-130 passed front-line tests, but was not accepted into service.

The heavy self-propelled artillery mount ISU-122 was armed with a 122-mm field gun of the model

Heavy Soviet self-propelled artillery mounts played a huge role in achieving victory. They proved themselves excellently during street fighting in Berlin and during the assault on the powerful fortifications of Koenigsberg.

In the 50s, the ISU self-propelled guns, which remained in service with the Soviet Army, underwent modernization, like the IS-2 tanks. In total, the Soviet industry produced more than 2400 ISU-122 and more than 2800 ISU-152.

In 1945, on the basis of the IS-3 tank, another model of heavy self-propelled guns was designed, which received the same name as the machine developed in 1943 - ISU-152. A feature of this machine was that the common frontal sheet was given a rational angle of inclination, and the lower side plates of the hull had reverse angles of inclination. Combat and control departments were combined. The mechanic was located in the conning tower and monitored through a periscope viewing device. A target designation system specially created for this machine connected the commander with the gunner and driver. However, with many advantages, a large angle of inclination of the walls of the cabin, a significant amount of recoil of the howitzer gun barrel and the alignment of compartments made the work of the crew much more difficult. Therefore, the ISU-152 of the 1945 model was not adopted for service. The machine was made in a single copy.

Self-propelled gun SU-152

In the autumn of 1942, at the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant, designers led by L.S. Troyanov created the SU-152 (KV-14) self-propelled gun based on the KB-1s heavy tank, designed to fire at troop concentrations, long-term strongholds and armored objects.

Regarding its creation in the History of the Great Patriotic War, there is a modest mention: “On the instructions of the State Defense Committee at the Kirov plant in Chelyabinsk, within 25 days (a unique period in the history of world tank building!) A prototype of the self-propelled artillery mount SU- 152, which entered production in February 1943.

The baptism of fire self-propelled guns SU-152 received on Kursk Bulge. Their appearance on the battlefield was a complete surprise for the German tankers. These self-propelled guns proved to be excellent in single combat with the German "Tigers", "Panthers" and "Elephants". Their armor-piercing shells pierced the armor of enemy vehicles, tore off their towers. For this, the front-line soldiers lovingly called heavy self-propelled guns "St. John's wort". The experience gained in the design of the first Soviet heavy self-propelled guns was subsequently used to create similar weapons based on heavy IS tanks.

Self-propelled gun SU-122

On October 19, 1942, the State Defense Committee decided to create self-propelled artillery mounts - light ones with 37-mm and 76-mm guns and medium ones with 122-mm guns.

Production of the SU-122 continued at Uralmashzavod from December 1942 to August 1943. During this time, the plant produced 638 self-propelled units of this type.

In parallel with the development of drawings of serial self-propelled unit back in January 1943, work began on its cardinal improvement.

As for the serial SU-122, since April 1943, the formation of self-propelled artillery regiments with the same type of vehicles began. In such a regiment there were 16 self-propelled guns SU-122, which until the beginning of 1944 continued to be used to escort infantry and tanks. However, this use of it was not effective enough due to the low initial velocity of the projectile - 515 m / s - and, consequently, the low flatness of its trajectory. The new self-propelled artillery mount SU-85, which had been delivered to the troops since August 1943 in much larger quantities, quickly pressed its predecessor on the battlefield.

Self-propelled gun SU-85

The experience of using the SU-122 installations showed that they have too low a rate of fire to perform the tasks of escorting and supporting tanks, infantry and cavalry with fire. The troops needed an installation armed with a faster rate of fire.

Self-propelled guns SU-85 entered service with individual self-propelled artillery regiments (16 units in each regiment) and were widely used in the battles of the Great Patriotic War.

The heavy tank IS-1 was developed at the design bureau of the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant in the second half of 1942 under the leadership of Zh. Ya. Kotin. The KV-13 was taken as the basis, on the basis of which two experimental versions of the new heavy machine IS-1 and IS-2 were made. Their difference was in armament: the IS-1 had a 76-mm cannon, the IS-2 had a 122-mm howitzer cannon. The first prototypes of IS tanks had a five-roller undercarriage, made according to the type of undercarriage of the KV-13 tank, from which the outlines of the hull and the general layout of the vehicle were also borrowed.

Almost simultaneously with the IS-1, the production of a more powerfully armed model IS-2 (object 240) began. The newly created 122-mm D-25T tank gun (originally with a piston breech) with an initial projectile velocity of 781 m/s made it possible to hit all major types of German tanks at all combat ranges. On an experimental basis, an 85-mm high-power cannon with an initial projectile velocity of 1050 m / s and a 100-mm S-34 cannon were installed on the IS tank.

Under the brand name IS-2 in October 1943, the tank was accepted into mass production, which was deployed in early 1944.

In 1944, the IS-2 was upgraded.

The IS-2 tanks entered service with individual heavy tank regiments, which were already given the name "Guards" when they were formed. At the beginning of 1945, several separate guards heavy tank brigades were formed, each including three heavy tank regiments. The IS-2 was first used in the Korsun-Shevchenko operation, and then participated in all operations of the final period of the Great Patriotic War.

The last tank created during the Great Patriotic War was the heavy IS-3 (object 703). It was developed in 1944-1945 on pilot plant No. 100 in Chelyabinsk under the leadership of the leading designer M. F. Balzhi. Serial production began in May 1945, during which 1170 combat vehicles were produced.

IS-3 tanks, contrary to popular belief, were not used in the hostilities of the Second World War, but on September 7, 1945, one tank regiment, which these combat vehicles were armed with, took part in the parade of the Red Army units in Berlin in honor of the victory over Japan, and IS-3 made a strong impression on the Western allies of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition.

Tank KV

In accordance with the decision of the USSR Defense Committee, at the end of 1938, at the Kirov Plant in Leningrad, the design of a new heavy tank with anti-cannon armor, called SMK ("Sergey Mironovich Kirov"), began. The development of another heavy tank, called the T-100, was carried out by the Leningrad Experimental Machine Building Plant named after Kirov (No. 185).

In August 1939, the SMK and KB tanks were made in metal. At the end of September, both tanks took part in the demonstration of new models of armored vehicles at the NIBTPolygon in Kubinka near Moscow, and on December 19, the KB heavy tank was adopted by the Red Army.

Tank KB showed itself with better side, however, it quickly became clear that the 76-mm L-11 gun was weak for fighting pillboxes. Therefore, in a short time, they developed and built the KV-2 tank with an oversized turret, armed with a 152-mm M-10 howitzer. By March 5, 1940, three KV-2s were sent to the front.

In fact, serial production of the KV-1 and KV-2 tanks began in February 1940 at the Leningrad Kirov Plant.

However, under the conditions of the blockade, it was impossible to continue the production of tanks. Therefore, from July to December, the evacuation of the Kirov Plant from Leningrad to Chelyabinsk was carried out in several stages. On October 6, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant was renamed the Kirov Plant of the People's Commissariat of Tank Industry - ChKZ, which became the only manufacturer of heavy tanks until the end of World War II.

The tank of the same class as the KB - "Tiger" - appeared with the Germans only at the end of 1942. And then fate played a second cruel joke with KB: it instantly became outdated. KB was simply powerless against the "Tiger" with its "long paw" - an 88-mm cannon with a barrel length of 56 calibers. "Tiger" could hit KB at distances beyond the limits for the latter.

The appearance of the KV-85 allowed the situation to be somewhat smoothed out. But these vehicles were mastered late, there were few of them, and they could not make a significant contribution to the fight against German heavy tanks. A more serious opponent for the "Tigers" could be the KV-122 - the serial KV-85, armed in an experimental order with a 122-mm D-25T cannon. But at that time, the first tanks of the IS series had already begun to leave the ChKZ workshops. These vehicles, which at first glance continued the KB line, were completely new tanks, which in terms of their combat qualities far surpassed the heavy tanks of the enemy.

During the period from 1940 to 1943, the Leningrad Kirov and Chelyabinsk Kirov plants produced 4775 KB tanks of all modifications. They were in service with tank brigades of a mixed organization, and then were reduced to separate tank regiments breakthrough. Heavy tanks KB took part in the fighting of the Great Patriotic War until its final stage.

Tank T-34

The first prototype of the T-34 was manufactured by plant number 183 in January 1940, the second - in February. In the same month, factory tests began, which were interrupted on March 12, when both cars left for Moscow. On March 17, in the Kremlin, on Ivanovskaya Square, tanks were demonstrated to I.V. Stalin. After the show, the cars went further - along the route Minsk - Kyiv - Kharkov.

The first three production vehicles in November - December 1940 were subjected to intensive firing and mileage tests along the route Kharkov - Kubinka - Smolensk - Kyiv - Kharkov. The tests were carried out by officers.

It should be noted that each manufacturer made some changes and additions to the design of the tank in accordance with its technological capabilities, so the tanks of different factories had their own characteristic appearance.

Minesweeper tanks and bridge layers were made in small quantities. A commander's version of the "thirty-four" was also produced, hallmark which was the presence of the RSB-1 radio station.

Tanks T-34-76 were in service in the tank units of the Red Army throughout the Great Patriotic War and took part in almost all combat operations, including the assault on Berlin. In addition to the Red Army, medium tanks T-34 were in service with the Polish Army, the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia and the Czechoslovak Corps, which fought against Nazi Germany.

armored vehicles

Armored car BA-10

In 1938, the Red Army adopted the BA-10 medium armored car, developed a year earlier at the Izhora plant by a group of designers headed by such well-known specialists as A. A. Lipgart, O. V. Dybov and V. A. Grachev.

The armored car was made according to the classic layout with a front engine, front control wheels and two rear drive axles. The BA-10 crew consisted of 4 people: commander, driver, gunner and machine gunner.

Since 1939, the production of the upgraded BA-10M model began, which differed from the base vehicle in reinforced frontal projection armor protection, improved steering, an external location of gas tanks and a new radio station. In small quantities, BA-10zhd railway armored vehicles with a combat weight of 5 8 t.

The baptism of fire BA-10 and BA-10M took place in 1939 during the armed conflict near the Khalkhin-Gol River. They made up the bulk of the fleet of armored cars 7, 8 and 9 and motorized armored brigades. Their successful application was facilitated by the steppe terrain. Later, BA 10 armored vehicles took part in the liberation campaign and the Soviet-Finnish war. During the Great Patriotic War, they were used in the troops until 1944, and in some units until the end of the war. They have proven themselves as a means of reconnaissance and combat protection, and with proper use they successfully fought with enemy tanks.

In 1940, a number of BA-20 and BA-10 armored vehicles were captured by the Finns and later they were actively used in the Finnish army. 22 BA 20 units were put into service, with some vehicles used as training vehicles until the early 1950s. There were fewer BA-10 armored cars; the Finns replaced their native 36.7-kilowatt engines with 62.5-kilowatt (85 hp) eight-cylinder Ford V8 engines. The Finns sold three cars to the Swedes, who tested them for further use as control vehicles. In the Swedish army, the BA-10 received the designation m / 31F.

The Germans also used captured BA-10s, captured and restored vehicles, and entered service with some infantry units of the police forces and training units.

Armored car BA-64

In the pre-war period, the Gorky Automobile Plant was the main supplier of chassis for light machine gun armored vehicles FAI, FAI-M, BA-20 and their modifications. The main disadvantage of these machines was their low cross-country ability, and their armored hulls did not have high protective properties.

The beginning of the Great Patriotic War found employees of the Gorky Automobile Plant mastering the production of the GAZ-64, an off-road light army vehicle developed under the guidance of the leading designer V.A. Grachev in early 1941.

Taking into account the experience gained in the 30s in creating two-axle and three-axle chassis for armored vehicles, the Gorky people decided to make a light machine-gun armored car based on the GAZ-64 for the army.

The plant management supported Grachev's initiative and design work began on July 17, 1941. The layout of the machine was led by engineer F.A. Lependin, G.M. Wasserman was appointed the lead designer. The designed armored car both externally and in terms of combat capabilities differed sharply from previous vehicles of this class. The designers had to take into account the new tactical and technical requirements for armored vehicles, which arose on the basis of an analysis of combat experience. The vehicles were to be used for reconnaissance, for command and control of troops during battle, in the fight against airborne troops, for escorting convoys, and also for air defense tanks on the march. Also, the acquaintance of the factory workers with the captured German armored car Sd Kfz 221, which was delivered to GAZ on September 7 for detailed study, had a certain influence on the design of the new car.

Despite the fact that the designers Yu.N. Sorochkin, B.T. Komarevsky, V.F. Samoilov and others had to design an armored hull for the first time, they, taking into account the experience of their predecessors, successfully completed the task. All armor plates (of different thicknesses) were located with an inclination, which significantly increased the resistance of the welded hull when armor-piercing bullets and large fragments hit it.

The BA-64 was the first domestic armored car with all-wheel drive, thanks to which it successfully overcame slopes over 30 ° on hard ground, fords up to 0.9 m deep and slippery slopes with a slope of up to 18 °.

The car not only walked well on arable land and sand, but also confidently set off from such soils after stopping. A characteristic feature of the hull - large overhangs in front and behind made it easier for the BA-64 to overcome ditches, pits and funnels. The survivability of the armored car was increased by bullet-resistant tires of the GK (sponge chamber).

Started in the spring of 1943, the production of the BA-64B continued until 1946. In 1944 / Despite their main drawback - low firepower - the BA-64 armored vehicles were successfully used in landing operations, reconnaissance raids, for escorting and combat protection of infantry units.

Other military equipment

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-36

In parallel with the creation and launch of mass production of BM-13 combat vehicles and M-13 shells, work was carried out to adapt RS-82 air-to-air missiles for use in field rocket artillery. These works were completed on August 2, 1941 with the adoption of the 82-mm M-8 rocket. During the war, the M-8 projectile was modified several times in order to increase the power of action at the target and the flight range.

In order to reduce the time for creating the installation, the designers, along with the creation of new units, widely used the units of the BM-13 installation already mastered in production, for example, the base, and as guides they used guides of the “flute” type produced by order of the Air Force.

Taking into account the experience in the production of BM-13 installations when creating a new installation Special attention It was turned to ensure the parallelism of the guides and the strength of their fastening in order to reduce the dispersion of projectiles during firing.

The new installation was adopted by the Red Army on August 6, 1941 under the designation BM-8-36 and put into mass production at the Moscow Kompressor and Krasnaya Presnya plants. By the beginning of September 1941, 72 installations of this type were manufactured, and by November - 270 installations.

The BM-13-36 installation has established itself as a reliable weapon with a very powerful salvo. Its significant drawback was the unsatisfactory off-road capability of the ZIS-6 chassis. During the course of the war, this shortcoming was largely eliminated by the expense.

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-24

The chassis of the three-axle truck ZIS-6, which was used in the creation of the BM-8-36 combat vehicle, although it had a high cross-country ability on roads of various profiles and surfaces, was of little use for driving on swampy rough terrain and on dirt roads, especially in muddy conditions in autumn and spring. In addition, when conducting combat operations in a rapidly changing environment, combat vehicles often found themselves under enemy artillery and machine-gun fire, as a result of which the crews suffered significant losses.

For these reasons, already in August 1941, the design bureau of the Kompressor plant considered the issue of creating a BM-8 launcher on a chassis light tank T-40. The development of this installation was carried out quickly and by October 13, 1941 was successfully completed. The new installation, called BM-8-24, was equipped with aiming mechanisms and sights artillery unit with guides for launching 24 M-8 rockets.

The artillery unit was mounted on the roof of the T-40 tank. All the necessary electrical wiring and fire control devices were located in the fighting compartment of the tank. After the T-40 tank was replaced in production by the T-60 tank, its chassis was appropriately upgraded for use as the undercarriage of the BM-8-24 installation.

The BM-8-24 launcher was mass-produced at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War and was distinguished by high maneuverability, an increased angle of fire along the horizon and a relatively low height, which facilitated its camouflage on the ground.

Launcher M-30

On July 5, 1942, on the Western Front, near the city of Belev, the 68th and 69th guards mortar regiments of the four-divisional composition, which were armed with new launchers for launching heavy high-explosive rockets M-30, fired for the first time at the fortified points of the enemy.

The M-30 projectile was intended to suppress and destroy sheltered fire weapons and manpower, as well as the destruction of enemy field defenses.

The launcher was an inclined frame made of steel angle profiles, on which four caps with M-30 rockets were placed in one row. Shooting was carried out by applying an electric current pulse to the projectile through wires from an ordinary sapper demolition machine. The machine served a group of launchers through a special "crab" switchgear.

Already during the creation of the M-30 projectile, it was clear to the designers that the range of its flight did not fully meet the needs of the troops. Therefore, at the end of 1942, a new heavy high-explosive rocket M-31 was adopted by the Red Army. This projectile, having a weight of 20 kg more than that of the M-30 projectile, was also superior to its predecessor in flight range (4325 m instead of 2800 m).

The M-31 shells were also launched from the M-30 launcher, but this launcher was also modernized in the spring of 1943, as a result of which two-row stacking of shells on the frame became possible. Thus, 8 shells were launched from each such launcher instead of 4.

The M-30 launchers were in service with the guards mortar divisions formed from the middle of 1942, each of which had three brigades of four divisions. The salvo of the brigade was 1152 shells with a total weight of over 106 tons. In total, the division had 864 launchers that could simultaneously fire 3456 M-30-320 tons of metal and fire shells!

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-13N

Due to the fact that the production of BM-13 launchers was urgently deployed at several enterprises with different production capabilities, more or less significant changes were made to the design of the installation, due to the production technology adopted at these enterprises.

In addition, at the stage of deployment of mass production of the launcher, the designers made a number of changes to its design. The most important of these was the replacement of the “spark” type guide used on the first samples with a more advanced “beam” type guide.

Thus, the troops used up to ten varieties of the BM-13 launcher, which made it difficult to train the personnel of the guards mortar units and had a negative effect on the operation of military equipment.

For these reasons, a unified (normalized) BM-13N launcher was developed and put into service in April 1943. When creating the installation, the designers critically analyzed all the parts and assemblies, seeking to improve the manufacturability of their production and reduce the cost. All nodes of the installation received independent indexes and became, in essence, universal. Into the design of the installation was introduced new node- stretcher. The subframe made it possible to assemble the entire artillery part of the launcher (as a single unit) on it, and not on the chassis, as it was before. When assembled, the artillery unit was relatively easy to mount on the chassis of any brand of car with minimal modification of the latter. The created design made it possible to reduce the complexity, manufacturing time and cost of launchers. The weight of the artillery unit was reduced by 250 kg, the cost - by more than 20 percent.

The combat and operational qualities of the installation were significantly improved. Due to the introduction of reservations for the gas tank, gas pipeline, side and rear walls of the driver's cab, the survivability of launchers in battle was increased. The firing sector was increased, the stability of the launcher in the stowed position was increased. Improved lifting and swivel mechanisms made it possible to increase the speed of targeting the installation.

With the creation of this launcher, the development of the BM-13 serial combat vehicle was finally completed. In this form, she fought until the end of the war.

Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-13

After the 82-mm air-to-air missiles RS-82 (1937) and 132-mm air-to-ground missiles RS-132 (1938) were adopted by aviation, the Main Artillery Directorate set before the developer projectiles - Reactive Research Institute - the task of creating a reactive field multiple launch rocket system based on RS-132 projectiles. An updated tactical and technical task was issued to the institute in June 1938.

In accordance with this task, by the summer of 1939, the institute developed a new 132-mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile, which later received the official name M-13. Compared to the aviation RS-132, this projectile has a longer flight range (8470 m) and a much more powerful warhead(4.9 kg). The increase in range was achieved by increasing the amount of propellant. To accommodate a larger rocket charge and explosive, it was necessary to lengthen the rocket and head parts of the rocket by 48 cm. The M-13 projectile has slightly better aerodynamic characteristics than the RS-132, which made it possible to obtain higher accuracy.

A self-propelled multiply charged launcher was also developed for the projectile. Conducted in the period from December 1938 to February 1939, field tests of the installation showed that it did not fully meet the requirements. Its design made it possible to launch rockets only perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and jets of hot gases damaged the elements of the installation and the vehicle. Security was also not ensured when controlling fire from the cab of vehicles. The launcher swayed strongly, which worsened the accuracy of firing rockets.

Loading the launcher from the front of the rails was inconvenient and time consuming. The ZIS-5 car had limited cross-country ability.

During the tests, an important feature of volley fire with rockets was revealed: with the simultaneous bursting of several shells in a limited area with different directions operate shock waves, the addition of which, that is, counter strikes, significantly increases the destructive effect of each projectile.

Based on the results of field tests that ended in November 1939, the Institute was ordered five launchers for military testing. Another installation was ordered by the Artillery Directorate Navy for use in the coastal defense system.

Thus, in the conditions of the Second World War that had already begun, the leadership of the Main Artillery Directorate was clearly in no hurry to adopt rocket artillery: the institute, which did not have sufficient production capacity, manufactured the ordered six launchers only by the autumn of 1940, only in January 1941.

The situation changed dramatically after June 21, 1941, at a review of samples of weapons of the Red Army, the installation was presented to the leaders of the CPSU (b) and the Soviet government. On the same day, just a few hours before the start of the Great Patriotic War, a decision was made to urgently launch mass production of M-13 rockets and a launcher, officially called BM-13 (combat vehicle 13).

The production of BM-13 installations was organized at the Voronezh plant. Comintern and at the Moscow plant "Compressor". One of the main enterprises for the production of rockets was the Moscow plant. Vladimir Ilyich.

The first battery of field rocket artillery sent to the front on the night of July 1-2, 1941 under the command of Captain I.A. Flerov, was armed with seven installations made by the Reactive Research Institute. With its first salvo at 15:15 on July 14, 1941, the battery wiped out the Orsha railway junction, along with the German trains with troops and military equipment that were on it.

The exceptional efficiency of the battery of Captain I.A. Flerov and seven more such batteries formed after it contributed to the rapid increase in the pace of production of jet weapons. By the autumn of 1941, 45 divisions of a three-battery composition, four launchers in a battery, were operating on the fronts. For their armament in 1941, 593 BM-13 installations were manufactured. At the same time, the manpower and military equipment of the enemy were destroyed on an area of ​​over 100 hectares. Officially, the regiments were called Guards Mortar Artillery Regiments of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command.

Literature

1. Military equipment, equipment and weapons of 1941-1945

On July 8, 1941, a tank battle broke out near the town of Senno, not far from the Dnieper: light Soviet T-26s fought off German T-IIIs. In the midst of the battle, a Russian tank crawled out of the thick rye, crushing potato tops into the ground, the silhouette of which was still not familiar to the Germans. “Several German tanks opened fire on him, but the shells ricocheted off his massive turret. A German 37 mm anti-tank gun stood in its path. The German gunners fired shell after shell at the advancing tank until it pressed their cannon into the ground. Then, leaving behind the set fire to the T-III, the tank went deep into the German defenses for 15 kilometers, "- this is how Western historians describe the first appearance of the legendary T-34 tank in the book" From - "Barbarossa" to "Terminal".

For a long time, German designers tried to create a tank that could compete with the 34th. This is how the German tanks T-6 "Tiger" (1942) and T-5 "Panther" (1943) appeared. However, the German giants still lost to the “best tank in the world”, as the German commander von Kleist dubbed it, in maneuverability. The brainchild of Mikhail Koshkin, which came off the assembly line of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant, contributed to the development of the so-called "tank fear" among the German troops of the Eastern Front. However, for the designer himself, the invention became fatal: from Kharkov to Moscow, where the tank was to be shown to the leadership, a cold Koshkin drove his 34-ke. Having proved that his tank could overcome such distances without problems, the designer got severe pneumonia and returned to Kharkov in a semi-conscious state. Never recovering from the disease, Mikhail Koshkin died in the hospital. This self-sacrifice convinced top officials to put the tanks into mass production. Before the start of the war, 1225 T-34 tanks were produced.

Main woman at the front

The front-line soldiers nicknamed the M-30 howitzer "Matushka", the rockets were initially called "Raisa Sergeevna" (from the abbreviation RS), but most of all they loved, of course, "Katyusha", the BM-13 field rocket artillery system. One of the first volleys of Katyushas hit the Market Square of the city of Rudnya. BM-13 during the shots made a peculiar sound in which the soldiers heard Matvey Blanter's popular song "Katyusha" before the war. The apt nickname given to the gun by Sergeant Andrei Sapronov spread throughout the entire army in a couple of days, and then became the property of the Soviet people.

Monument to Katyusha. (wikipedia.org)

The order to launch the production of Katyushas was signed a few hours before the start of the German invasion. The German troops were the first to use multiple launch rocket systems, trying to destroy the Brest Fortress at the very beginning of the offensive. However, the fortress survived and for a long time the Red Army soldiers who found themselves in it fought against the invaders. The order to start production of Katyushas was signed a few hours before the start of the German invasion. Less than a month later, Soviet troops struck back: in the summer of 1941, the Germans had to get acquainted not only with the new T-34 tank, but also with the hitherto unknown Katyusha. Head of the German General Staff Halder wrote in his diary: “On July 14, near Orsha, the Russians used a hitherto unknown weapon. A fiery flurry of shells burned railway station Orsha, all echelons with personnel and military equipment of the arrived military units. The metal melted, the earth burned.

Monument to the first rocket battery of Captain Flerov. (wikipedia.org)

Rocket launchers, at the beginning of the war, most often mounted on the chassis of ZIS vehicles, then began to be mounted on anything: from Fords, Dodges and Bedfords received under the Lend-Lease program, ending with motorcycles, snowmobiles and boats. The operation in which multiple rocket launchers were used most extensively was . Then the "Stalin's bodies", as the Germans called them, fired more than 10 thousand shells and destroyed 120 buildings, where the resistance of the enemy troops was especially fierce.

IL-2, "Cement bomber"

The most massive combat aircraft in history, which for a long time was the Il-2 attack aircraft, seems to have become the champion in the number of nicknames. "Concrete plane" - this is how the German pilots called it: "IL-2" had poor maneuverability, but it was very difficult to shoot it down. The pilots even joked that the IL-2 could fly "on half a wing, but on parole." ground troops the Wehrmacht, seeing it as a constant threat, called the plane "butcher" or "Iron Gustav". The designers themselves called "IL-2" simply - "flying tank". And in the Red Army, the plane because of unusual shape Corps was nicknamed "humpback".

In this form, the IL-2 flew to the airfield. (wikipedia.org)

The first serial Il-2 aircraft was produced on March 10, 1941 at the Voronezh aircraft plant, since then 36,183 of the same attack aircraft have risen above the ground. However, at the time the war began, the Red Army had only 249 vehicles at its disposal. Initially, Ilyushin, the chief designer, created a two-seat "armored attack aircraft", but after the very first tests, it was decided to install an additional gas tank instead of the second place.

All the time, the Soviet command lacked specialized combat aircraft. This is largely why the IL-2, being the most common machine, was used for various tasks. So, for example, for all Il-2 aircraft, a mandatory bomb load was established, which was jokingly called the “Stalin outfit”. In addition to the bombing, "IL-2" was used, despite its impressive dimensions, as a reconnaissance aircraft. One of the interesting features of the attack aircraft is that the pilots, if the car caught fire in battle, often landed the plane on its "belly" without releasing the landing gear. The most difficult thing for the pilot was to get out of the fuselage in time and run away before the "" explodes.

Tank T-29

In the mid-1930s, during the heyday of the idea of ​​a wheeled-tracked high-speed tank, its more protected and heavily armed modification T-29 arose. This tank, almost as fast as its lightly armored counterparts, had armor up to 30 mm thick and was armed with a 76 mm cannon. According to the concept, the T-29 was similar to the T-28 medium tank, but differed from it in increased dimensions, which was caused by the location of the suspension elements inside the hull. This provided the best level of survivability of the undercarriage, but complicated its maintenance. In general, the car turned out to be not very reliable and difficult to manufacture, and only 2 serial copies were produced.

Tank Grotte

An experienced medium tank TG (Tank Grotte) was developed in the USSR based on the project of the German engineer Edward Grotte. For the first time, many technical innovations were used in this vehicle, which at that time had not yet been used on any production tank. These include a fully welded hull, multi-tiered armament, coil spring suspension.

Tests of the tank showed an equal number of both advantages and disadvantages. The TG guns were distinguished by good accuracy of fire, and the 76-mm gun was superior in power to all tank guns of that time. The control of the tank was extremely easy, and the course was smooth. At the same time, the TG had poor maneuverability on soft soils, a too cramped fighting compartment, and it was difficult to repair the engine and gearbox. True, the main obstacle to putting the tank into mass production was its huge cost (like 25 BT-2 tanks)!

Tank SMK

The heavy multi-turret tank SMK (Sergey Mironovich Kirov) was developed in 1939 on the basis of the T-35 as a heavy breakthrough tank. The design of the QMS is noticeably different from the prototype tank. To reduce the weight of the vehicle and improve the working conditions of the crew, the number of towers was reduced to two. A torsion bar suspension was used in the undercarriage of the QMS, which ensured a good move for a tank weighing 55 tons. The armament consisted of two 45 and 76 mm cannons and five 7.62 mm machine guns. After the start of the war with Finland, prototypes of the QMS and a similar one, shortly after the start of the attack, the QMS ran into a mine and lost a caterpillar. The experienced KV and T-100 participating in the attack covered the car for several hours, but the damage could not be repaired. The QMS had to be left in enemy territory. After the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line, the non-tinder SMK was towed to the location of our troops and sent by rail to its native plant for repairs. But it was never produced, and the SMK stood in the backyard of the enterprise until the 50s until it was melted down. -100 were sent to be tested by combat.

USSR, tanks of the second world war

Tank T-44

Specifications:

Tank type Medium

Crew 4 people

Combat weight 31.8 t

Length 7.65 m

Width 3.18 m

Height 2.41 m

Number of guns / caliber 1/85 mm

Frontal armor 90 mm

Side armor 75 mm

V-44 engine, diesel, 500 hp. With.

Maximum speed 51 km/h

Power reserve 300 km

The T-44, developed at the design bureau of the Ural Tank Plant under the leadership of chief designer A. A. Morozov and released at the very end of the war, embodied the vast experience in building and combat use of T-34 tanks. This is the best Soviet wartime medium tank, which became a transition to the post-war generation of combat vehicles. Having a significant external resemblance to its predecessor, the T-34-85, the T-44 tank was radically different from it in size, layout and design. The transverse arrangement of the engine made it possible to reduce the length of the hull, save weight, and use this savings to enhance armor protection. The fighting compartment was enlarged and the working conditions of the crew were improved. The side walls of the hull became vertical, and the monolithic frontal sheet was set at an angle of 60 ° to the vertical. In connection with the new layout, it was possible to shift the turret to the center of the hull, which acquired a more streamlined shape, which increased its projectile resistance. In the vacated space, a driver's hatch was placed, installed on the T-34 in the front sheet. All units and mechanisms of the tank were significantly improved. Before the end of the war, the plant in Kharkov managed to produce 190 T-44 vehicles. Although they were not used in combat, the T-44-equipped Guards Tank Brigades became the "hot reserve" of the Red Army. The release of the T-44 lasted up to a year and amounted to 1823 units. In 1961, the tanks were modernized in order to unify the transmission units and chassis with the main medium tank of the Soviet Army T-54. Under the designation T-44M, these vehicles received night instruments for the driver and commander, as well as increased ammunition. The T-44MK command tank was created on the basis of the T-44M. In it, due to a slight decrease in ammunition, a second radio station was installed. The tanks underwent the last modernization in the year when they were equipped with two-plane weapon stabilizers, which increase the accuracy of firing on the move. These machines received the designation T-44S. Part of the T-44M tanks were converted into armored tractors BTS-4 in the year. The T-44s were withdrawn from service at the end of the 70s and then "served" as targets at the training grounds. At the end of their career, they still had a chance to take part in the Great Patriotic War ... as German tanks Pz VI "Tiger" in the film "Liberation". After the corresponding alteration, the T-44s became practically indistinguishable on the screen from the Nazi machines.

Tank T-34-76

The T-34 became the best medium tank of the Second World War and the most massive tank in the Red Army. According to the combination of the three most important characteristics - firepower, security and mobility - in the year he had no equal. "The T-34 is the most remarkable example of an offensive weapon," Hitler's general von Mellenthin noted. The project of the A-32 tracked tank was developed by a team led by the talented designer M.I. Koshkin, and the first prototype of the vehicle was tested in the summer of the year. Having won the competition with the wheeled-tracked A-20, the tank was adopted by the Red Army in December of the same year and put into mass production under the designation T-34. He was distinguished by a number of characteristic features. The most important advantage of the machine was its economical diesel engine, which can withstand heavy loads in operation. Chassis with large rollers and wide tracks provided excellent cross-country capability for the tank. Powerful booking in combination with optimal angles of inclination of the armored plates contributed to the high! projectile ricochet probability. For the manufacture of the largest part of the T-34, the armored hull, automatic welding was used for the first time in the world. The armament of the vehicle consisted of a 76 mm L-11 cannon and two 7.62 mm machine guns. Since the serial production of the L-11 had already been discontinued, in the spring of 1941, a new gun, the F-34, of the same caliber, was installed on the tank. By the beginning of World War II, there were 967 T-34s in the border districts - almost all of them were lost in the first two! weeks of fighting due to unsuccessful deployment, poorly trained crews and lack of repair and evacuation facilities. However, the first tank battles showed a significant advantage of Soviet machines. German tank guns did not pose a serious threat to the T-34, while the 76-mm projectile of the "thirty-four" pierced the armor of any enemy tank at a distance of up to 1000 m. Weakness and anti-tank artillery Wehrmacht. The Germans called the 37 mm Pak 37 cannon "army firecracker". One of the reports cited data that the calculation of such a gun achieved 23 hits on the T-34 tank, but only a shell that hit the base of the tower put the car out of action. In the year, the design of the tank changed somewhat. Instead of a welded or cast turret of complex configuration, the T-34 received a hexagonal cast turret. The capacity of the fuel tanks has been increased, the engine is equipped with an improved air cleaning system, and power point- five-speed gearbox. On the basis of the T-34, 70 repair and recovery vehicles and several dozens of bridge-laying tanks with a bridge 7.7 m long were produced. Some "thirty-fours" were converted into flamethrower and command tanks. Only by the year the Germans managed to change the ratio of the characteristics of tanks in their favor. The increased thickness of the armor of the Tigers and Panthers limited the effectiveness of the short-barreled guns of the T-34, and the 75- and 88-mm German guns could hit with soviet cars from a distance of 900 and 1500 m, respectively. The victory near Kursk came at a high price - during the counteroffensive, the Red Army lost about six thousand tanks and self-propelled guns. Other shortcomings of the T-34 also affected: poor ventilation and visibility from the tank, an unreliable gearbox, as well as a cramped tower without a rotating floor (when turning the gun, the loader had to follow the breech, stepping over spent cartridges), which housed only two crew members . The gunner had to combine his duties with those of a tank commander. Although the T-34 was constantly improved during the serial production, in the middle of the war there was a need for its radical modernization.

Specifications:

Tank type Medium

Crew 4 people

Combat weight 30.9 t

Length 6.62 m

Width 3 m

Height 2.52 m

Number of guns / caliber 1/76 mm

Number of machine guns/caliber 2/7.62 mm

Frontal armor 45 mm

Side armor 45 mm

Engine V-2-34, diesel, 450 hp. With.

Maximum speed 51 km/h

Power reserve 300 km

USSR, between two wars

Tanks T-37 and T-38

Specifications:

Tank type Light amphibious

Crew 2 people

Combat weight 3.3 t

Length 3.78 m

Width 2.33 m

Height 1.63 m

Number of guns / caliber -

Number of machine guns / caliber 1 / 7.62 mm

Frontal armor 8 mm

Side armor 8 mm

GAZ-AA engine, carburetor, 40 hp With.

Max speed 40/6 km/h

Power reserve 230 km

A significant drawback of reconnaissance tankettes was the placement of weapons in the hull. Therefore, the first Soviet small amphibious tanks received a circular rotation tower. On prototypes of the T-33, T-41 and T-37, various options for placing the tower and using GAZ-AA automobile power units were worked out in the year. A variant under the designation T-37A was launched into serial production, having a larger displacement of the hull and additional floats - fenders filled with cork. The tank had good stability and maneuverability afloat. A propeller with rotating blades made it possible to carry out reverse on the water. Two plants (No. 37 in Moscow and GAZ in Gorky) produced 2627 T-37 tanks of all modifications from one year to the next. In addition to the linear T-37A (without a radio station), 643 T-37TU tanks were built with the widespread tank radio station of that time 71-TK-1. Outwardly, they were distinguished by a handrail antenna along the perimeter of the hull. Also, 75 OT-37 (BKhM-4) vehicles were produced, armed with a DG machine gun and a flamethrower. In 1936, the T-37A was replaced in production by its improved version, the T-38. It differed from its predecessor in a refined form of a riveted-welded hull and an improved suspension, which increased the smoothness of the ride and speed on land. Instead of an automobile differential, the T-38 received on-board clutches, which increased the vehicle's cross-country ability and controllability. In 1938, the tank was modernized by installing the engine and gearbox from the GAZ M-1 car and received the designation T-38M2. Its speed increased to 46 km / h, combat weight - up to 3.8 tons. The T-38 was produced at the same factories as the T-37A. In total, 1217 T-38 linear vehicles and 165 T-38TUs with radio stations were manufactured from 1936 to 1939. In the pre-war period, methods were worked out for the transfer of T-37 and T-38 tanks by air with the help of bombers. The strength of the tanks allowed them to be dropped onto water bodies from a height of 6 meters at an aircraft speed of 160 km / h. The crew dropped by parachute. Soviet amphibious tanks were used during the armed conflict between the USSR and Japan

The second selection of test drives with Ivan Zinkevich, this time vehicles exclusively from the period of the Great Patriotic War (including the IS-3 tank).

Tank "Panther" Ausf. G/Panzerkampfwagen V Panther

In this issue, Ivan Zenkevich will talk about the famous Panther tank, which is essentially a German adaptation of the T-34 tank. It is this copy that is the only Panther tank in the world with a native propulsion system.

Armored personnel carrier OT-810

The father of the OT-810 was the German Hanomag Sd Kfz 251; after the war, the Czechoslovaks created their own modernized Sd Kfz 251, which was used until 1995.

Tank Maus / Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus"

This tank is the apotheosis of German tank building, the propulsion system was based on three engines: one gasoline engine turned the generator, and the generated current went to the electric motors that set the 188-ton car in motion.

Mortar Karl Gerat "Adam"

The German military industry produced a total of six such large mortars, weight - 126 tons, 600 mm, at a distance of 7 km. the projectile flies for 49 seconds, its weight is 2 tons, and starting speed 225 m/s.

Tank T-30

This tank is the progenitor of modern infantry fighting vehicles, MTLBs and other light combat vehicles. Initially, this is a modernized T-40 tank, deprived of the ability to force rivers and lakes.

Tank T-34

Tank T-34-76 Soviet medium tank, symbolic tank, whose name will live forever on the pages of history books and in the memory of our descendants. The simple and reliable design of this tank has become a model for comparison and imitation. See the end of the video about the unique and heroic fate of the tank (from the video).

Armored car BA-3

The hull of this BA-3 was completely welded, which was an advanced innovation for those times. The combat vehicle was created on the basis of the Soviet GAZ-AA truck, a lightweight turret and a cannon from the T-26 tank and a machine gun served as weapons.

SU-100

It was this SU-100 that was filmed in the movie "". The SU-100 was developed in response to the emergence of new German heavy tanks "Tiger" and "Panther"

Panzer IV tank

The German medium tank, which became the most massive tank of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, was mass-produced in several versions from 1937 to 1945. This instance (on video) Panzer IV managed to fight in the 5th Guards Tank Brigade.

Tank LT vz.38/ Pz. Kpfw.38

This tank was developed for the Czechoslovak army in the mid-30s. Many people were interested in the tank European countries, but in 1939 Germany monopolized all interest in its favor. It entered service with the Wehrmacht under the new name Pz. Kpfw.38 became a good vehicle for infantry support and reconnaissance.

TANK KV-2

This tank is an example of the first self-propelled artillery mount with a powerful 152-mm howitzer, it was created to destroy the enemy's fortified defense lines and was actively used in the Finnish War of 1939-1940. This copy was assembled on the basis of the IS-2 tank, since the original KV-2 has not survived to this day.

Tank T-26

The T-26 is essentially an exact licensed copy of the 6-ton Vickers tank, the Soviet designers improved this tank as best they could, but at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War it had already begun to become obsolete.

Tank T-38

This tank is an upgrade of the earlier T-37 amphibious tank. The T-38 is essentially a steel floating boat, everything in it is adapted for navigation - both a propeller with a rudder and a streamlined hull.

Tank T-60

Small in size, with good armor and a simple gasoline car engine, this tank was intended for infantry support and reconnaissance. At the beginning of the war, it was not difficult to arrange the production of this useful, necessary machine.

Tank MS 1

Small escort tank, first production soviet tank own design, was taken as a basis french tank FT-17. There is only one such tank in the world on the move.

A pickup truck based on the "Lutorka", this car was found in the battlefields in the "Vyazemsky boiler", it was almost completely destroyed by a shell explosion.

Tank T-70

It was designed in just six months at the design bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant under the leadership of Nikolai Ostrov, it was produced from 1941 to 1943. A good tank to start a war, it was very reliable and heavily armed, much less noisy than diesel tanks, they were often used in reconnaissance.

Tank BT-7

Test drive of the BT-7 high-speed tank at the Stalin Line Museum (Minsk). The car from the review was pulled out of the river, where the crew drove it after the battles so that the enemy would not get it, after decades the tank was raised from the river and brought to working condition.

Katyusha BM-13 (ZIL-157)

Despite the fact that in the review "Katyusha" is not from the time of the war, you will be told many interesting features of this type of jet weapon.

Tank IS-2

The heavy breakthrough tank IS-2 was created as a counterweight to the German "Tigers" and "Panthers", the crews of the IS-2 were formed exclusively from officers, and the 122-mm cannon could destroy any enemy tank at a distance of up to 3 kilometers, the armor reached 120 mm.

TANK IS-3

The last tank created during the Great Patriotic War, fully developed during its years, but put into production only in May 1945. For its time, it was an advanced combat vehicle that combined powerful armor, reliable chassis and strong weapons. The most massive and heaviest tank of the Soviet Union.

GAZ AA

This car was produced from 1932 to 1950, the legendary lorry created on the basis of the Ford AA truck. In the Soviet Union, the design of this car was even more simplified and was brought to a minimum - if necessary, a lorry could be disassembled a few hours before the screw. With a low weight, the lorry had excellent cross-country ability and carrying capacity.

ZIS 42

Already the first months of the Great Patriotic War showed that the Red Army really lacked fast and passable artillery tractors, and such a tractor was developed. ZIS 42 was created on the basis of the ZIS-5V truck. From over 6000 of these unique cars there was only one restored by enthusiasts.

Willys MB

During the war, more than 50 thousand Jeeps were delivered from the USSR from the USA.

GAZ MM

A modernized "one and a half", instead of two headlights - one, instead of wooden doors they have canvas substitutes, an angular but still elegant design.

GAZ-67

Despite the similarity with the "Willis", this front-line car was completely designed in the USSR, it could be repaired using only 3 wrenches.

ZIS-5

A truck without rear-view windows, without brake lights, which runs on any fuel.

Studebaker "Katyusha" (Studebaker) BM-13M

Studebakers on the front roads have proven themselves only from the best side, and rocket launchers began to fire more closely due to the heavier and denser fit of this truck.

M4 Sherman "Sherman"

The workhorse of the Allies, this tank was supplied under Lend-Lease to the USSR from the winter of 1943, it fought on all fronts of World War II - from the Pacific Ocean to Belarus.

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Photo. Multi-purpose all-wheel drive army vehicle

Willys-MV (USA, 1942)

Weight without load 895kg. (2150lbs)

Liquid-cooled carburetor engine 42hp / 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. Antitank gun. M-42. 45 mm. Caliber 45mm. Barrel length 3087mm. The maximum rate of fire is 15-30 rounds per minute.

Photo. Katyusha. Rocket mortar BM-13. Created in 1939 design bureau A. Kostyukov. Tactical and technical characteristics: Caliber: 132mm. Weight without shells: 7200kg. Number of guides: 16 Firing range: 7900m.

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

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

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

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

Photo. Barrel 203 mm. Howitzers. Model 1931 Designers F. F. Pender, Magdesnev, Gavrilov, Torbin. Tactical and technical characteristics: Weight: in combat position 17700kg. Firing range: 18000m. Maximum elevation angle + 60°. Rate of fire 0.5 rds / 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 7270kg. Firing range: 17230m. Maximum elevation angle + 65°. Rate of fire 3-4 rds / 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 3600kg. Firing range: 12400m. Maximum elevation angle + 63.30°. Rate of fire 3-4 rds / min.

Photo. Field kitchen. KP-42 M.

Photo. Heavy tank IS-2. Created in 1943 design group Zh. Ya. Kotina, NL Dukhov Tactical and technical characteristics: Combat weight: 46t. Booking: forehead of the hull; 120mm; side of the hull; 90mm; tower 110mm. Speed: 37km/h Highway range: 240km. Armament: 122mm gun; 3 machine guns 7.62mm; 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun Ammunition: 28 shells, 2331 cartridges Crew: 4 pers.

Photo. Heavy self-propelled artillery mount ISU-152 Created in 1944. Tactical and technical characteristics: Combat weight: 47t. Booking: forehead of the hull; 100mm; side of the hull; 90mm; cabin 90mm. Speed: 37km/h Highway range: 220km. Armament: 152mm gun-howitzer; 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun Ammunition: 20 rounds Crew: 5 people

Photo. Heavy Tank IS-3 Developed under the guidance of designer M. F. Blazhi. Adopted 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 gun D-25T model 1943. machine gun 7.62mm DT, machine gun 12.7mm DShK. Ammunition: 20 shells Crew: 4 people

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