List of USSR artillery of the Second World War. Anti-tank artillery of the Red Army Anti-tank artillery of the Red Army in WWII

Soviet artillerymen made a great contribution to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. No wonder they say that artillery is the “God of War.” For many people, symbols of the Great Patriotic War legendary guns remain - the “forty-five”, a 45-mm gun of the 1937 model, with which the Red Army entered the war, and the most massive soviet gun during the war - a 76-mm divisional gun of the 1942 model ZIS-3. During the war, this weapon was produced in a huge series - more than 100 thousand units.

The legendary "forty-five"

The battlefield is shrouded in clouds of smoke, flashes of fire and the sound of explosions all around. An armada of German tanks is slowly moving towards our positions. They are opposed by only one surviving artilleryman, who personally loads and aims his forty-five at the tanks.

A similar plot can very often be found in Soviet films and books; it was supposed to show the superiority of the spirit of the simple Soviet soldier, who, with the help of practically “scrap metal,” managed to stop the high-tech German horde. In fact, the 45-mm anti-tank gun was far from a useless weapon, especially at the initial stage of the war. When used wisely, this weapon has repeatedly demonstrated all its best qualities.

The history of the creation of this legendary gun dates back to the 30s of the last century, when the first anti-tank gun was adopted by the Red Army - a 37-mm gun of the 1930 model. This gun was a licensed version of the German 37-mm gun 3.7-cm PaK 35/36, created by Rheinmetall engineers. In the Soviet Union, this gun was produced at plant No. 8 in Podlipki, the gun received the designation 1-K.

At the same time, almost immediately the USSR started thinking about improving the weapon. Two ways were considered: either to increase the power of the 37-mm gun by introducing new ammunition, or to switch to a new caliber - 45 mm. The second way was considered promising. Already at the end of 1931, the designers of Plant No. 8 installed a new 45 mm caliber barrel into the casing of the 37-mm anti-tank gun of the 1930 model, while slightly strengthening the gun carriage. This is how the 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1932 model was born, its factory index was 19K.

As the main ammunition for the new gun, it was decided to use a unitary shot from a 47-mm French cannon, the projectile of which, or rather not even the projectile itself, but its sealing belt, was simply ground from 47 mm to 46 mm in diameter. At the time of its creation, this anti-tank weapon was the most powerful in the world. But even despite this, the GAU demanded modernization in order to reduce the weight of the gun and increase armor penetration to 45-55 mm at ranges of 1000-1300 meters. On November 7, 1936, it was also decided to transfer 45 mm anti-tank guns from wooden wheels to metal wheels filled with sponge rubber from the GAZ-A car.

By the beginning of 1937, the 45-mm gun of the 1932 model had new wheels installed and the gun went into production. In addition, the gun received an improved sight, a new semi-automatic mechanism, a push-button release, a more reliable shield mount, suspension, better balancing of the swinging part - all these innovations made the 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model (53K) meet all the requirements of the time.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was this weapon that formed the basis of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army. As of June 22, 1941, 16,621 such guns were in service. In total, during the war years, 37,354 45-mm anti-tank guns were produced in the USSR.

The gun was intended to combat enemy armored vehicles (tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers). For its time and at the start of the war, its armor penetration was quite adequate. At a distance of 500 meters, an armor-piercing projectile penetrated 43 mm armor. This was enough to fight German tanks of those years, most of which had more bulletproof armor.

Moreover, already during the war in 1942, the gun was modernized and its anti-tank capabilities increased. The 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1942 model, designated M-42, was created by modernizing its 1937 predecessor. The work was carried out at plant No. 172 in Motovilikha (Perm).

Basically, the modernization consisted of lengthening the gun barrel, as well as strengthening the propellant charge and row technical measures, which were aimed at simplifying the mass production of the gun. At the same time, the thickness of the gun shield armor increased from 4.5 mm to 7 mm for better protection crew from armor-piercing bullets. As a result of modernization, the muzzle velocity of the projectile was raised from 760 m/s to 870 m/s. When using caliber armor-piercing shells, the armor penetration of the new gun at a distance of 500 meters increased to 61 mm.

The M-42 anti-tank gun was able to fight all medium German tanks of 1942. Moreover, throughout the entire first period of the Great Patriotic War, it was the forty-fives that remained the basis of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army. During the Battle of Stalingrad, these guns accounted for 43% of all guns in service with anti-tank fighter regiments.

But with the appearance in 1943 of new German tanks, primarily the Tiger and Panther, as well as the modernized version of the Pz Kpfw IV Ausf H, which had a frontal armor thickness of 80 mm, Soviet anti-tank artillery was again faced with the need to increase firepower.

The problem was partially solved by restarting production of the 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun. But despite this and thanks to well-established production, production of the M-42 continued. This gun could fight Pz Kpfw IV Ausf H and Panther tanks by firing at the side, and such fire could be counted on due to the high mobility of the gun. As a result, it was left in production and service. A total of 10,843 such guns were manufactured from 1942 to 1945.

Model 1942 divisional gun ZIS-3

The second Soviet weapon, no less legendary than the forty-five, was the 1942 model ZIS-3 divisional gun, which today can be found on many pedestals. It is worth noting that by the time the Great Patriotic War began, the Red Army was armed with both rather outdated field guns of the 1900/02, 1902/26 and 1902/30 models, as well as fairly modern guns: 76.2-mm divisional guns of the 1936 model ( F-22) and a 76.2-mm divisional gun of the 1939 model (USV).

Moreover, work on the ZIS-3 began before the war. The design of the new gun was carried out by the famous designer Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin. He began work on the gun at the end of 1940 after his 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun successfully passed tests. Like most anti-tank guns, it was quite compact and had a lightweight and durable carriage, which was quite suitable for the development of a divisional gun.

At the same time, a technologically advanced barrel with good ballistic characteristics had already been created for the 76.2 mm F-22 and USV divisional guns. So the designers practically only had to put the existing barrel on the ZIS-2 gun carriage, equipping the barrel with a muzzle brake to reduce the load on the gun carriage. In parallel with the design process of the divisional gun, issues related to its production technology were resolved, and the production of many parts was tested using stamping, casting, and welding. Compared to the USV gun, labor costs were reduced by 3 times, and the cost of one gun fell by more than a third.

The ZIS-3 was a weapon of a modern design at that time. The gun barrel was a monoblock with a breech and a muzzle brake (absorbed approximately 30% of the recoil energy). A semi-automatic wedge shutter was used. The trigger was lever or push-button (on guns of different production series). The barrel life of guns in the first series reached up to 5,000 rounds, but for most guns it did not exceed 2,000 rounds.

Already in the battles of 1941, the ZIS-3 gun showed all its advantages over the heavy and inconvenient F-22 and USV guns for gunners. This allowed Grabin to personally present his gun to Stalin and receive from him official permission to launch the gun into mass production; moreover, the gun was already being produced and actively used in the army.

At the beginning of February 1942, formal tests of the gun took place, which lasted only 5 days. Based on the test results, the ZIS-3 gun was put into service on February 12, 1942 with the official name “76-mm divisional gun of the 1942 model.” For the first time in the world, the production of the ZIS-3 gun was carried out using the in-line method with a sharp increase in productivity. On May 9, 1945, the Volga Plant reported to the party and government about the production of the 100,000th 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon, increasing their production during the war years by almost 20 times. A in total, more than 103 thousand of these guns were manufactured during the war years.

The ZIS-3 gun could use the entire range of 76 mm cannon shells available, including a variety of old Russian and imported grenades. Thus, the 53-OF-350 steel high-explosive fragmentation grenade, when the fuse was set to fragmentation action, created approximately 870 lethal fragments, the effective radius of destruction of manpower was 15 meters. When the fuse was set to high explosive at a distance of 7.5 km, the grenade could penetrate a 75 cm thick brick wall or a 2 m thick earthen embankment.

The use of the 53-BR-354P sub-caliber projectile ensured penetration of 105 mm of armor at a distance of 300 meters, and at a distance of 500 meters - 90 mm. First of all, sub-caliber shells were sent to provide fighter- anti-tank units. Since the end of 1944, the troops also received the 53-BP-350A cumulative projectile, which could penetrate armor up to 75-90 mm thick at an impact angle of 45 degrees.

At the time of adoption, the 76-mm divisional gun of the 1942 model fully met all the requirements facing it: firepower, mobility, unpretentiousness in everyday operation and manufacturability. The ZIS-3 gun was a typical example of a weapon of the Russian school of design: technologically uncomplicated, cheap, powerful, reliable, absolutely unpretentious and easy to operate.

During the war years, these guns were produced using the in-line method using any more or less trained workforce without loss of quality of the finished samples. He easily mastered the guns and could keep the personnel of the units in order. For the conditions in which the Soviet Union found itself in 1941-1942, the ZIS-3 gun was almost an ideal solution, not only from the point of view combat use, but also from the point of view of industrial output. Throughout the war years, the ZIS-3 was successfully used both against tanks and against infantry and enemy fortifications, which is what made it so universal and widespread.

122-mm howitzer model 1938 M-30

The 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model M-30 became the most popular Soviet howitzer of the Great Patriotic War. This weapon was mass-produced from 1939 to 1955 and was, and still is, in service with some countries. This howitzer took part in almost all significant wars and local conflicts of the 20th century.

According to a number of artillery successes, the M-30 can easily be considered one of the best examples of Soviet cannon artillery from the middle of the last century. The presence of such a howitzer in the artillery units of the Red Army made an invaluable contribution to victory in the war. In total, during the production of the M-30, 19,266 howitzers of this type were assembled.

The howitzer was developed in 1938 by the Motovilikha Plants Design Bureau (Perm), the project was led by Fedor Fedorovich Petrov. Serial release howitzers began in 1939 at three factories at once, including the Motovilikha Plants (Perm) and at the Uralmash artillery plant (Sverdlovsk, since 1942 artillery plant No. 9 with OKB-9). The howitzer was in mass production until 1955, which most clearly characterizes the success of the project.

In general, the M-30 howitzer had a classic design: a reliable, durable two-frame carriage, a rigidly fixed shield with a liftable central sheet, and a 23-caliber barrel that did not have a muzzle brake. The M-30 howitzer was equipped with the same carriage as the 152-mm D-1 howitzer. Large-diameter wheels received solid slopes; they were filled with spongy rubber. At the same time, the M-30 modification, which was produced in Bulgaria after the war, had wheels of a different design. Each 122nd howitzer had two openers different types- for hard and soft soil.

The 122 mm M-30 howitzer was, of course, a very successful weapon. The group of its creators under the leadership of F. F. Petrov managed to very harmoniously combine simplicity and reliability in one model of artillery weapons. The howitzer was very easy to master by personnel, which was in many ways typical of howitzers of the First World War era, but at the same time it had a large number of new design solutions that made it possible to increase the fire capabilities and mobility of the howitzer. As a result, the Soviet divisional artillery received a powerful and modern howitzer, which was able to operate as part of highly mobile tank and mechanized units of the Red Army. The wide distribution of this 122-mm howitzer in various armies of the world and excellent reviews from artillerymen only confirm this.

The weapon was appreciated even by the Germans, who at the initial stage of the war managed to capture several hundred M-30 howitzers. They adopted the weapon under the designation heavy howitzer 12.2 cm s.F.H.396(r), actively using them on the Eastern and Western Fronts. Starting in 1943, for this howitzer, as well as some other samples of Soviet barrel artillery of the same caliber, the Germans even launched full-fledged mass production of shells. So in 1943 they fired 424 thousand rounds, in 1944 and 1945 - 696.7 thousand and 133 thousand rounds, respectively.

The main type of ammunition for the 122-mm M-30 howitzer in the Red Army was a fairly effective fragmentation projectile, which weighed 21.76 kg. The howitzer could fire these shells at a range of up to 11,800 meters. Theoretically, the 53-BP-460A armor-piercing cumulative projectile could be used to combat armored targets, which, at an angle of impact with armor of 90°, would penetrate armor up to 160 mm thick. Sighting range firing at a moving tank was up to 400 meters. But naturally this would be an extreme case.

The M-30 was intended primarily for firing from closed positions against openly located and entrenched enemy personnel and equipment. The howitzer was successfully used to destroy enemy field fortifications (dugouts, bunkers, trenches) and to make passages in wire fences when it was impossible to use mortars for these purposes.

Moreover, the barrage of M-30 howitzer batteries with high-explosive fragmentation shells posed some threat to German armored vehicles. The fragments formed when 122-mm shells exploded were able to penetrate armor up to 20 mm thick, which was quite enough to destroy the sides of enemy light tanks and armored personnel carriers. For vehicles with thicker armor, fragments of howitzer shells could damage the gun, sights, and chassis elements.

Cumulative projectiles for this howitzer appeared only in 1943. But in their absence, the artillerymen were instructed to fire at the tanks with high-explosive fragmentation shells, having previously set the fuse to high-explosive action. Very often, in the event of a direct hit on a tank (especially for light and medium tanks), it became fatal for the armored vehicle and its crew, up to the point where the turret was torn off the shoulder strap, which automatically rendered the tank incapable of combat.

History and heroes of the elite type of troops born during the Great Patriotic War

The fighters of these units were envied and, at the same time, sympathized with. “The barrel is long, life is short”, “Double salary - triple death!”, “Farewell, Motherland!” - all these nicknames, hinting at high mortality, went to soldiers and officers who fought in the anti-tank artillery (IPTA) of the Red Army.

The crew of senior sergeant A. Golovalov's anti-tank gun fires at German tanks. In recent battles, the crew destroyed 2 enemy tanks and 6 firing points (battery of senior lieutenant A. Medvedev). The explosion on the right is a return shot from a German tank.

All this is true: the salaries increased by one and a half to two times for the IPTA units on staff, and the length of the barrels of many anti-tank guns, and the unusual high mortality rate among the artillerymen of these units, whose positions were often located next to, or even in front of, the infantry front... But it is also true that the anti-tank artillery accounted for 70% of the destroyed German tanks; and the fact that among the artillerymen awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War, every fourth was a soldier or officer of anti-tank destroyer units. In absolute numbers, it looks like this: out of 1,744 artillerymen - Heroes of the Soviet Union, whose biographies are presented in the lists of the "Heroes of the Country" project, 453 people fought in anti-tank destroyer units, whose main and only task was direct fire at German tanks...
Keep up with the tanks

The very concept of anti-tank artillery as a separate type This type of troops appeared shortly before the Second World War. During the First World War, the fight against slow-moving tanks was quite successfully carried out by conventional field guns, for which armor-piercing shells were quickly developed. In addition, the armor of tanks until the early 1930s remained mainly bulletproof and only with the approach of a new world war began to increase. Accordingly, specific means of combating this type of weapon were required, which became anti-tank artillery.

In the USSR, the first experience in creating special anti-tank guns occurred at the very beginning of the 1930s. In 1931, a 37-mm anti-tank gun appeared, which was a licensed copy of a German gun intended for the same purpose. A year later, a Soviet semi-automatic 45 mm cannon was installed on the carriage of this gun, and thus the 45 mm anti-tank gun of the 1932 model, the 19-K, appeared. Five years later it was modernized, eventually receiving a 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model - 53-K. It was this that became the most popular domestic anti-tank weapon - the famous “forty-five”.

Crew of the M-42 anti-tank gun in battle. Photo: warphoto.ru

These guns were the main means of fighting tanks in the Red Army in the pre-war period. Since 1938, it was with them that anti-tank batteries, platoons and divisions were armed, which until the fall of 1940 were part of rifle, mountain rifle, motorized rifle, motorized and cavalry battalions, regiments and divisions. For example, the anti-tank defense of a pre-war state rifle battalion was provided by a platoon of 45 mm guns - that is, two guns; rifle and motorized rifle regiments - a “forty-five” battery, that is, six guns. And since 1938, the rifle and motorized divisions had a separate anti-tank division - 18 45 mm caliber guns.

Soviet artillerymen are preparing to open fire from a 45 mm anti-tank gun. Karelian Front.

But the way things began to unfold fighting World War II, which began on September 1, 1939 with the German invasion of Poland, quickly showed that anti-tank defense at the divisional level may not be sufficient. And then the idea arose to create anti-tank artillery brigades of the Reserve of the High Command. Each such brigade would be a formidable force: the standard armament of the 5,322-man unit consisted of 48 76 mm caliber guns, 24 107 mm caliber guns, as well as 48 85 mm anti-aircraft guns and another 16 37 mm anti-aircraft guns. At the same time, the brigades did not actually have anti-tank guns, but non-specialized field guns, which received standard armor-piercing shells, more or less successfully coped with their tasks.

Alas, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the country did not have time to complete the formation of the RGK anti-tank brigades. But even underformed, these units, placed at the disposal of the army and front-line command, made it possible to maneuver them much more effectively than anti-tank units in the staff of rifle divisions. And although the beginning of the war led to catastrophic losses in the entire Red Army, including in artillery units, due to this the necessary experience was accumulated, which quite soon led to the emergence of specialized anti-tank units.

The birth of artillery special forces

It quickly became clear that standard divisional anti-tank weapons were not capable of seriously resisting Wehrmacht tank wedges, and the lack of anti-tank guns of the required caliber forced light field guns to be rolled out for direct fire. At the same time, their crews, as a rule, did not have the necessary preparation, which means that they sometimes did not act effectively enough even in conditions favorable to them. In addition, due to the evacuation of artillery factories and massive losses in the first months of war, the shortage of main guns in the Red Army became catastrophic, so they had to be managed much more carefully.

Soviet artillerymen roll 45mm M-42 anti-tank guns as they follow the ranks of advancing infantry on the Central Front.

In such conditions, the only correct decision was the formation of special reserve anti-tank units, which could not only be placed on the defensive along the front of divisions and armies, but could be maneuvered, thrown into specific tank-dangerous directions. The experience of the first war months spoke about the same thing. And as a result, by January 1, 1942, the command of the active army and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command had at their disposal one anti-tank artillery brigade operating on the Leningrad Front, 57 anti-tank artillery regiments and two separate anti-tank artillery divisions. Moreover, they actually existed, that is, they actively participated in the battles. Suffice it to say that following the battles of the autumn of 1941, five anti-tank regiments were awarded the “Guards” title, which had just been introduced in the Red Army.

Soviet artillerymen with a 45-mm anti-tank gun in December 1941. Photo: Museum engineering troops and artillery, St. Petersburg

Three months later, on April 3, 1942, a decree of the State Defense Committee was issued, introducing the concept of a fighter brigade, the main task of which was to fight Wehrmacht tanks. True, its staff was forced to be much more modest than that of a similar pre-war unit. The command of such a brigade had at its disposal three times less people— 1,795 soldiers and commanders versus 5,322, 16 76 mm guns versus 48 in the pre-war staff, and four 37 mm anti-aircraft guns instead of sixteen. True, twelve 45-mm cannons and 144 anti-tank rifles appeared on the list of standard weapons (they were armed with two infantry battalions that were part of the brigade). In addition, in order to create new brigades, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief ordered within a week to review the lists of personnel of all branches of the military and “withdraw all junior and private personnel who had previously served in artillery units.” It was these soldiers who, having undergone short retraining in reserve artillery brigades, formed the backbone of the anti-tank brigades. But they still had to be staffed with fighters who had no combat experience.

Crossing of an artillery crew and a 45-mm 53-K anti-tank gun across the river. The crossing is carried out on a pontoon of A-3 landing boats

By the beginning of June 1942, twelve newly formed fighter brigades were already operating in the Red Army, which, in addition to artillery units, also included a mortar division, an engineering mine battalion and a company of machine gunners. And on June 8, a new GKO resolution appeared, which reduced these brigades into four fighter divisions: the situation at the front required the creation of more powerful anti-tank fists capable of stopping German tank wedges. Less than a month later, in the midst of the summer offensive of the Germans, who were quickly advancing into the Caucasus and the Volga, the famous order No. 0528 “On the renaming of anti-tank artillery units and subunits into anti-tank artillery units and establishing advantages for the commanding and rank and file of these units” was issued.

Pushkar elite

The appearance of the order was preceded by a lot of preparatory work, which concerned not only calculations, but also how many guns and what caliber the new units should have and what advantages their composition would enjoy. It was absolutely clear that the soldiers and commanders of such units, who would have to risk their lives every day in the most dangerous sectors of the defense, needed a powerful not only material, but also moral incentive. They did not assign the title of guards to the new units upon formation, as was done with the Katyusha rocket mortar units, but decided to leave the well-established word “fighter” and add “anti-tank” to it, emphasizing the special significance and purpose of the new units. The same effect, as far as can be judged now, was also intended for the introduction of a special sleeve insignia for all soldiers and officers of the anti-tank artillery - a black diamond with crossed golden trunks of stylized Shuvalov “unicorns”.

All this was spelled out in the order in separate paragraphs. The same separate clauses prescribed special financial conditions for new units, as well as standards for the return to service of wounded soldiers and commanders. Thus, the commanding personnel of these units and subunits were given one-and-a-half salaries, and juniors and privates were given double salaries. For each destroyed tank, the gun crew also received a cash bonus: the commander and gunner - 500 rubles each, the rest of the crew - 200 rubles. It is noteworthy that initially other amounts appeared in the text of the document: 1000 and 300 rubles, respectively, but Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin, who signed the order, personally reduced the prices. As for the norms for returning to service, the entire commanding staff of anti-tank fighter units, up to the division commander, had to be kept under special registration, and at the same time, the entire staff, after treatment in hospitals, had to be returned only to the specified units. This did not guarantee that the soldier or officer would return to the same battalion or division in which he fought before being wounded, but he could not end up in any other units other than anti-tank fighters.

The new order instantly turned the anti-tank fighters into the elite artillery of the Red Army. But this elitism was confirmed by a high price. The level of losses in anti-tank fighter units was noticeably higher than in other artillery units. It is no coincidence that anti-tank units became the only subtype of artillery where the same order No. 0528 introduced the position of deputy gunner: in battle, crews that rolled out their guns to unequipped positions in front of the front of the defending infantry and fired direct fire often died earlier than their equipment.

From battalions to divisions

New artillery units quickly gained combat experience, which spread just as quickly: the number of anti-tank fighter units grew. On January 1, 1943, the Red Army's anti-tank destroyer artillery consisted of two fighter divisions, 15 fighter brigades, two heavy anti-tank destroyer regiments, 168 anti-tank destroyer regiments and one anti-tank destroyer division.

An anti-tank artillery unit on the march.

And for the Battle of Kursk, Soviet anti-tank artillery received a new structure. Order of the People's Commissariat of Defense No. 0063 of April 10, 1943 introduced in each army, primarily the Western, Bryansk, Central, Voronezh, Southwestern and Southern Fronts, at least one anti-tank fighter regiment of the wartime army staff: six 76-mm batteries guns, that is, 24 guns in total.

By the same order, one anti-tank artillery brigade of 1,215 people was organizationally introduced into the Western, Bryansk, Central, Voronezh, South-Western and Southern fronts, which included a fighter-anti-tank regiment of 76-mm guns - a total of 10 batteries, or 40 guns, and a regiment of 45-mm guns, armed with 20 guns.

Guards artillerymen roll a 45-mm 53-K anti-tank gun (model 1937) into a prepared trench. Kursk direction.

The relatively calm time that separated the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad from the beginning of the battle on Kursk Bulge, the command of the Red Army used it to the fullest to maximally reform, equip and further train anti-tank destroyer units. No one doubted that the coming battle would largely rely on the massive use of tanks, especially new German vehicles, and it was necessary to be prepared for this.

Soviet artillerymen with a 45-mm M-42 anti-tank gun. In the background is a T-34-85 tank.

History has shown that the anti-tank destroyer units had time to prepare. The battle on the Kursk Bulge became the main test of the artillery elite's strength - and it passed it with honor. And the invaluable experience, for which, alas, the fighters and commanders of anti-tank fighter units had to pay a very high price, was soon comprehended and used. It was after the Battle of Kursk that the legendary, but, unfortunately, already too weak for the armor of the new German tanks, the “magpies” began to be gradually removed from these units, replacing them with 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank guns, and where these guns were not enough, to the well-proven divisional 76-mm ZIS-3 guns. By the way, it was the versatility of this gun, which showed itself well both as a divisional gun and as an anti-tank gun, along with the simplicity of design and manufacture that allowed it to become the most popular artillery gun in the world in the entire history of artillery!

Masters of "fire bags"

In an ambush is a “forty-five”, a 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model (53-K).

The last major change in the structure and tactics of using anti-tank artillery was the complete reorganization of all fighter divisions and brigades into anti-tank artillery brigades. By January 1, 1944, there were as many as fifty such brigades in the anti-tank artillery, and in addition to them there were another 141 anti-tank artillery regiments. The main weapons of these units were the same 76-mm ZIS-3 cannons, which the domestic industry produced at incredible speed. In addition to them, the brigades and regiments were armed with 57 mm ZIS-2 and a number of “forty-five” and 107 mm guns.

Soviet artillerymen from units of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps fire at the enemy from a camouflaged position. In the foreground: 45-mm anti-tank gun 53-K (model 1937), in the background: 76-mm regimental gun (model 1927). Bryansk front.

By this time, the fundamental tactics for the combat use of anti-tank units had been completely worked out. The system of anti-tank areas and anti-tank strong points, developed and tested before the Battle of Kursk, was rethought and refined. The number of anti-tank guns in the troops became more than sufficient, there were enough experienced personnel to use them, and the fight against Wehrmacht tanks was made as flexible and effective as possible. Now the Soviet anti-tank defense was built on the principle of “fire bags” arranged along the routes of movement of German tank units. Anti-tank guns were placed in groups of 6-8 guns (that is, two batteries) at a distance of fifty meters from each other and were camouflaged with the utmost care. And they opened fire not when the first line of enemy tanks was in the zone of confident destruction, but only after virtually all the attacking tanks had entered it.

Unidentified Soviet female privates from a fighter-anti-tank artillery unit (IPTA).

Such “fire bags,” taking into account the characteristics of anti-tank artillery guns, were effective only at medium and short combat distances, which means that the risk for artillerymen increased many times over. It was necessary to show not only remarkable restraint, watching as German tanks passed almost nearby, it was necessary to guess the moment when to open fire, and fire it as quickly as the capabilities of the equipment and the strength of the crews allowed. And at the same time, be ready to change position at any moment as soon as it came under fire or the tanks went beyond the distance of sure destruction. And in battle this had to be done, as a rule, literally by hand: most often there was simply no time to adjust the horses or vehicles, and the process of loading and unloading the gun took too much time - much more than the conditions of the battle with the advancing tanks allowed.

A crew of Soviet artillerymen fires from a 45-mm anti-tank gun, model 1937 (53-K), at a German tank on a village street. The crew number hands the loader a 45-mm sub-caliber projectile.

Heroes with a black diamond on their sleeve

Knowing all this, you are no longer surprised at the number of heroes among the fighters and commanders of anti-tank units. Among them were real artillery snipers. Such as, for example, the commander of the gun of the 322nd Guards Anti-Tank Fighter Regiment, Senior Sergeant Zakir Asfandiyarov, who has almost three dozen fascist tanks, and ten of them (including six Tigers!) he knocked out in one battle. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Or, say, the gunner of the 493rd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, Sergeant Stepan Khoptyar. He fought from the very first days of the war, fought all the way to the Volga, and then to the Oder, where in one battle he destroyed four German tank, and in just a few January days 1945 - nine tanks and several armored personnel carriers. The country appreciated this feat: in April of the victorious forty-fifth, Khoptyar was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Hero of the Soviet Union, gun commander of the 322nd Guards Fighter-Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment of the Guard, senior sergeant Zakir Lutfurakhmanovich Asfandiyarov (1918-1977) and Hero of the Soviet Union, gunner of the 322nd Guards Fighter-Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment of the Guard, sergeant Veniamin Mikhailovich Permyakov (1924- 1990) reading the letter. In the background, Soviet artillerymen at the 76-mm ZiS-3 divisional gun.

Z.L. Asfandiyarov at the front of the Great Patriotic War since September 1941. He particularly distinguished himself during the liberation of Ukraine.
On January 25, 1944, in the battles for the village of Tsibulev (now the village of Monastyrischensky district, Cherkasy region), a gun under the command of Guard Senior Sergeant Zakir Asfandiyarov was attacked by eight tanks and twelve armored personnel carriers with enemy infantry. Having brought the enemy attacking column within direct shot range, the gun crew opened targeted sniper fire and burned all eight enemy tanks, of which four were Tiger tanks. Guard senior sergeant Asfandiyarov himself destroyed one officer and ten soldiers with fire from his personal weapon. When the gun failed, the brave guardsman switched to the gun of a neighboring unit, whose crew was out of order and, repelling a new massive enemy attack, destroyed two Tiger tanks and up to sixty Nazi soldiers and officers. In just one battle, Guard Senior Sergeant Asfandiyarov’s crew destroyed ten enemy tanks, six of them “tiger” types and over one hundred and fifty enemy soldiers and officers.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 2386) was awarded to Asfandiyarov Zakir Lutfurakhmanovich by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 1, 1944.

V.M. Permyakov was drafted into the Red Army in August 1942. At the artillery school he became a gunner. Since July 1943, at the front, he fought in the 322nd Guards Anti-Tank Fighter Regiment as a gunner. Baptism of fire accepted at the Kursk Bulge. In the first battle, he burned three German tanks, was wounded, but did not leave his combat post. For courage and perseverance in battle, accuracy in defeating tanks, Sergeant Permyakov was awarded the Order of Lenin. He particularly distinguished himself in the battles for the liberation of Ukraine in January 1944.
On January 25, 1944, in an area at a fork in the road near the villages of Ivakhny and Tsibulev, now the Monastyryshchensky district of the Cherkasy region, the crew of the guard of Senior Sergeant Asfandiyarov, whose gunner was Sergeant Permyakov, was among the first to meet the attack of enemy tanks and armored personnel carriers with infantry. Reflecting the first onslaught, Permyakov destroyed 8 tanks with precise fire, of which four were Tiger tanks. When the enemy landing force approached the artillery positions, they entered into hand-to-hand combat. He was wounded, but did not leave the battlefield. Having repulsed the attack of the machine gunners, he returned to the gun. When the gun failed, the guards switched to the gun of a neighboring unit, whose crew had failed and, repelling a new massive enemy attack, destroyed two more Tiger tanks and up to sixty Nazi soldiers and officers. During a raid by enemy bombers, the gun was destroyed. Permyakov, wounded and shell-shocked, was sent to the rear unconscious. On July 1, 1944, Guard Sergeant Permyakov Veniamin Mikhailovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 2385).

Lieutenant General Pavel Ivanovich Batov presents the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal to the commander of the anti-tank gun, Sergeant Ivan Spitsyn. Mozyr direction.

Ivan Yakovlevich Spitsin has been at the front since August 1942. He distinguished himself on October 15, 1943 during the crossing of the Dnieper. Sergeant Spitsin's crew destroyed three enemy machine guns with direct fire. Having crossed to the bridgehead, the artillerymen fired at the enemy until direct hit the gun did not break. The artillerymen joined the infantry, during the battle they captured enemy positions along with cannons and began to destroy the enemy with their own guns.

On October 30, 1943, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism displayed, Sergeant Ivan Yakovlevich Spitsin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 1641).

But even against the background of these and hundreds of other heroes from among the soldiers and officers of the anti-tank artillery, the feat of the only two-time Hero of the Soviet Union, Vasily Petrov, stands out. Drafted into the army in 1939, he graduated from the Sumy Artillery School right before the war, and met the Great Patriotic War as a lieutenant, platoon commander of the 92nd separate artillery division in Novograd-Volynsky in Ukraine.

Captain Vasily Petrov earned his first “Golden Star” of Hero of the Soviet Union after crossing the Dnieper in September 1943. By that time, he was already deputy commander of the 1850th anti-tank artillery regiment, and on his chest he wore two Orders of the Red Star and a medal “For Courage” - and three stripes for wounds. The decree conferring the highest degree of distinction on Petrov was signed on the 24th and published on December 29, 1943. By that time, the thirty-year-old captain was already in the hospital, having lost one of his last fights both hands. And if not for the legendary order No. 0528, which ordered the return of the wounded to anti-tank units, the newly minted Hero would hardly have had a chance to continue fighting. But Petrov, always distinguished by his firmness and tenacity (sometimes dissatisfied subordinates and superiors said it was stubbornness), achieved his goal. And at the very end of 1944 he returned to his regiment, which by that time had already become known as the 248th Guards Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment.

With this guard regiment, Major Vasily Petrov reached the Oder, crossed it and distinguished himself by holding a bridgehead on the west bank, and then participating in the development of the offensive on Dresden. And this did not go unnoticed: by decree of June 27, 1945, for the spring exploits on the Oder, artillery major Vasily Petrov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time. By this time, the regiment of the legendary major had already been disbanded, but Vasily Petrov himself remained in service. And he remained in it until his death - and he died in 2003!

After the war, Vasily Petrov managed to graduate from Lvov State University and the Military Academy, received a candidate of military sciences degree, rose to the rank of lieutenant general of artillery, which he received in 1977, and served as deputy chief missile forces and artillery of the Carpathian Military District. As the grandson of one of General Petrov’s colleagues recalls, from time to time, going for a walk in the Carpathians, the middle-aged military leader managed to literally drive his adjutants, who could not keep up with him, on the way up...

Memory is stronger than time

The post-war fate of anti-tank artillery completely repeated the fate of all the Armed Forces of the USSR, changing in accordance with the changing challenges of the time. Since September 1946, the personnel of units and subunits of anti-tank artillery, as well as anti-tank rifle units, stopped receiving increased salaries. Right to special sleeve badge, of which the anti-tank crews were so proud, survived ten years longer. But it also disappeared over time: another order to introduce new form For the Soviet army, this patch was canceled.

The need for specialized anti-tank artillery units gradually disappeared. Anti-tank guided missiles replaced guns, and units armed with these weapons appeared in motorized rifle units. In the mid-1970s, the word “fighter” disappeared from the name of anti-tank fighter units, and twenty years later, along with Soviet army The last two dozen anti-tank artillery regiments and brigades also disappeared. But whatever the post-war history of Soviet anti-tank artillery, it will never cancel the courage and those exploits with which the fighters and commanders of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army glorified their branch of the army during the Great Patriotic War.

In the first months after October revolution in the Don, Siberia, the Urals, and North-West Russia, centers of the White movement began to emerge - centers of anti-Soviet struggle. In parallel, to counter them, Red Guard units were created, and on January 15, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, headed by V.I. Lenin, adopted a decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) - the Armed Forces of the Soviet State. A photocopy of this decree is on display in the hall.

By the summer of 1918, Russia was engulfed in the flames of fratricidal Civil War. On the main territory of the country, hostilities ceased by the end of 1920, and on Far East, in Primorye, they continued until the autumn of 1923. With the beginning of the war, both the Whites and the Reds began to pay special attention to the creation of artillery units. The Red Army was in a more favorable position, since the main industrial regions of the country and a large number of artillery depots and arsenals of internal military districts. For this reason, the numerical superiority of its artillery over the artillery of the White armies was overwhelming.

The first section of the hall's exhibition is dedicated to the actions of Soviet artillery during the Civil War. The photographs depict one of the first artillery batteries of the Red Army, formed in Petrograd in the spring of 1918, and the Red artillery commanders - the first graduate of the Second Soviet Petrograd Artillery Course, held in the fall of 1918.

I. G. Drozdov. The first Red Army soldiers in 1918 1924.

Here you can also see personal belongings of active participants in the Civil War - a Nagant system revolver, presented by Tula gunsmiths to the commander of the 25th Infantry Division V.I. Chapaev, a Caucasian saber that belonged to the wife of the commissar of the 25th division V.I. Furmanov to the division's political worker A.N. .Furmanova, another outstanding Nagan system revolver Soviet artilleryman N.N. Voronov (later Chief Marshal of Artillery), as well as a dagger that belonged to the commander of one of the cavalry divisions of the Red Army G.I. Kotovsky.

The first Soviet order is also on display in the hall - the Order of the Red Banner, established by the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) of the RSFSR on September 16, 1918. Portraits of Soviet military leaders who were awarded four Orders of the Red Banner during the Civil War are also presented here - V.K. Blucher, S.S. Vostretsov, Y.F. Fabritsius and I.F. Fedko.

There is a very interesting exhibit in the hall - a homemade 50-mm smoothbore cannon, used by the Ural Red partisans in battles with the White Guards. The muzzle-loading gun with a hammer-type percussion-capsule mechanism fired stone cannonballs or “shot” at a range of up to 250 m.

In the Civil War in Russia, troops and equipment of foreign countries - England, France, the USA, Germany, Japan, Czechoslovakia, China, Latvia, etc. - took part both on the side of the Whites and on the side of the Reds. This is confirmed by the 18-pound exhibited in the hall. (85 mm) English field gun mod. 1903, captured by the Red Army in battles against the Anglo-American interventionists near Shenkursk in January 1919.

During the war years, Soviet artillery went from individual guns and scattered Red Guard and partisan formations to an independent branch of troops. The combat skills of the artillerymen grew stronger, and new types of artillery emerged. Thus, during the defense of the Kakhovsky bridgehead in the summer of 1920, a system of modern anti-tank defense was born. In this operation, the artillery of one of the defense sectors was commanded by the former Kolchak officer, talented artilleryman L.A. Govorov, later an active participant in the Great Patriotic War, Marshal of the Soviet Union. A photocopy of the artillery layout diagram during the defense of the Kakhovka bridgehead and a photograph of Govorov’s paint gun are on display in the hall. Also presented here are portraits of the first chief of artillery of the Red Army, Yu. M. Sheideman, as well as one of the largest Soviet commanders during the Civil War, a prominent reformer of the armed forces in the post-war period, People's Commissar for Military and maritime affairs, Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR M. V. Frunze.

After the end of the war in 1924-1928. In the USSR, a large-scale military reform was carried out, during which the size of the Red Army was significantly reduced. Special attention At the same time, attention was paid to the development of special branches of the military, in particular artillery and armored vehicles. The exhibition includes a photocopy of the law “On compulsory military service"dated September 28, 1925, regulations and instructions of the Red Army of the 1920s, photographs showing combat training of soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, including artillerymen.

The experience of the World War and the Civil War showed the need to improve the quality of artillery weapons. Due to the devastation that reigned in industry after the war, the lack of raw materials and qualified personnel, the initial tasks of the Soviet artillery were to put in order and subsequently modernize the models already in service. The hall contains authentic samples and photographs of artillery systems, ammunition and instruments that were in service with the Russian artillery in the 1920s. Samples of small arms of the Red Army of that period are also presented here.

However, it was clear to the country's leadership and military command that modernization alone would not solve the problems of improving weapons. Even during the Civil War, on December 17, 1918, the Commission for Special Artillery Experiments (COSARTOP) was created in Petrograd, which was organizationally part of the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU). This commission, which existed until 1926, was entrusted with the tasks of carrying out research and experimental work in the field of artillery. Members of the commission developed promising projects for new guns, mortars, and ammunition. Photo portraits of the commission's chairman V.M. Trofimov and its permanent members N.F. Drozdov, F.F. Lender, V.I. Rdultovsky and M.F. Rosenberg are presented in the exhibition. Located nearby prototypes artillery pieces created in the 2nd half of the 1920s - 37-mm cannon by M.F. Rosenberg, 45-mm cannon by A.A. Sokolov, 65-mm howitzer by R.A. Durlyakhov, etc.

In 1926, due to a significant increase in the volume of artillery research, a number of design bureaus and research institutes were created on the basis of KOSARTOP, working on the instructions of the GAU.

In 1927, the first regimental gun was put into service, which was a modernized and improved 76-mm short gun mod.

1913-1925, and in 1929 the first domestic 45-mm battalion was adopted. howitzer (gun) mod. 1929 designed by F. F. Lander with sliding frames to increase fire flexibility. Modernized guns of the First World War are also located here: 76 mm. rapid-fire cannon arr. 1902-1930, 122 mm howitzer mod. 1910-1930, 152 mm howitzer mod. 1910-1930 and 107 mm gun mod. 1910-1930 As a result of modernization, the firing range increased significantly (for guns - by almost 50%, for howitzers - by 30%), the mobility of guns increased as a result of the transition from wooden wheels to metal ones with tires filled with sponge rubber, which also made it possible to successfully transfer the guns from horse-drawn to mechanical.

In the 20s were carried out in the USSR active work on creating new samples of manual automatic weapons. A remarkable school of Soviet gunsmiths emerged, whose outstanding representatives were V.G. Fedorov, V.A. Degtyarev, F.V. Tokarev, G.S. Shpagin, S.G. Simonov.
Personal belongings, awards, and weapons created by them are displayed in special cabinets. Particularly interesting are the samples adopted by the Red Army in the late 1920s. machine guns designed by V.A. Degtyarev - aviation (coaxial DA-2 model 1928 and PV-1), infantry model. 1927 (DP-27), tank mod. 1929 (DT-29). Two cabinets are occupied by a collection of the first samples of automatic weapons created in 1921-1927. V. G. Fedorov, V. A. Degtyarev, G. S. Shpagin. Here are the automatic rifles of F.V. Tokarev mod. 1932 and S.G. Simonov arr. 1931 and 1936, submachine guns designed by F.V. Tokarev, S.G. Simonov, S.A. Korovin.

During the first five-year plan (1929-1932), in connection with the development of aviation, new types of guns were created anti-aircraft artillery, rangefinders, as well as artillery anti-aircraft fire control devices (PUAZO), which develop installations for firing at air targets and transmit them to the guns.

A 76-mm anti-aircraft gun mod. 1931 and ammunition for it. Next to the gun are PUAZO-1 and PUAZO-2, a range finder, a synchronous communication cable, and a command tablet mod. 1927, sound detector and anti-aircraft searchlight station.

A separate section of the exhibition is devoted to the origin and development of a completely new type of artillery weapons - dynamo-reactive guns, proposed in 1923 by designer L. V. Kurchevsky. When fired from them, part of the powder gases rushed through the nozzle in the direction opposite to the movement of the projectile. A reactive force arose equal to the pressure force of the powder gases on the bottom of the projectile. This achieved practical recoillessness of the gun barrel. In the early 30s. in service ground forces, aviation and navy consisted of dynamo-reactive guns various types. Among the material exhibits are 37 mm anti-tank rifle Kurchevsky RK, 76-mm battalion gun BPK, 76-mm dynamo-reactive gun DRP-4 and 76-mm aircraft cannon Kurchevsky APK-4. For his services in creating new types of artillery weapons, L.V. Kurchevsky, among the first Soviet citizens, was awarded the Order of the Red Star (No. 116). But, to the greatest regret for domestic science and the armed forces, in 1937 the designer was repressed and in 1939 he died in prison, and the army was left without an effective weapon.

The period from 1933 to 1940 was marked by a new qualitative stage in the development of domestic artillery. Modernized guns of old types no longer responded modern requirements, therefore, the main task facing Soviet designers was to create a new material part of the artillery. On March 22, 1934, the Labor and Defense Council of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted a resolution “On the artillery armament system of the Red Army for the second five-year plan.” This system provided for the rearmament of the Red Army during the second five-year plan (1933-1937) with new models of modern artillery equipment. Particular attention was paid to the development of anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery, improvement of old and development of new types of ammunition, standardization and unification of weapons.

From mid-1932, a 45-mm anti-tank gun mod. 1932. However, despite the high ballistic data, it had a number of disadvantages, in particular, it lacked suspension. Therefore, as a result of modernization, a new gun was created, called the 45-mm anti-tank gun mod. 1937. A new semi-automatic bolt was created for it, a push-button release was introduced on the flywheel of the lifting mechanism, which increased the rate of fire and shooting accuracy, as well as suspension, which increased the mobility of the gun. In addition, the cannon had a sprung front end for 50 shells, the wheels of which were the same type as the cannon's wheels. The new cannon, along with its limber and ammunition samples, can be seen on display.

To replace the 76-mm mountain artillery gun mod. 1909 by the design bureau of the plant named after. M. V. Frunze created a new 76-mm mountain gun mod. 1938. It was light and silent on the move, had good maneuverability on mountain roads and was not inferior in its combat qualities to foreign models. In the display case you can see an disassembled model of this weapon and drawings showing the method of transporting the weapon in packs.

By 1936, under the leadership of chief designer V.G. Grabin, the first domestic 76-mm divisional gun mod. 1936 (F-22). Not a single node of it was borrowed from other systems. The gun's rate of fire was increased to 20 rounds per minute, and its firing range was increased to 14 km, although the complexity of the device and its large mass reduced it combat capabilities. In connection with this, the design bureau of V.G. Grabin quickly developed and put into service a 76-mm cannon mod. 1939 (USV), which was lighter, more compact and eliminated the disadvantages of its predecessor, the F-22.

A separate part of the exhibition is devoted to the development of domestic mortar weapons. Its development was carried out mainly by the design group led by B.I. Shavyrin. In the 2nd half of the 30s. a whole family of mortars was created. Samples of all of them are presented in the exhibition. For example, a 50-mm company mortar mod. 1938 was distinguished by its simplicity of design, high accuracy and good fragmentation effect, and the small mass of the mortar and the ability to be carried in one pack made it a very maneuverable weapon. During the modernization, the weight of the mortar decreased by 2 kg, it became easier to manufacture, and the dead space was reduced by 100 m. The new mortar was called the “50-mm company mortar mod. 1940."

In 1937, an 82-mm mortar was created, which was distinguished by high ballistic data, had a base plate of a more rational design and had a relatively high practical rate of fire - 15 rounds per minute. A powerful and highly maneuverable weapon for accompanying mountain rifle units was the 107-mm mountain pack mortar mod. 1938. It could be disassembled into several parts and transported in nine horse packs. About the advantages of the 120-mm regimental mortar mod. 1938 is eloquently evidenced by the fact that its design was copied by the Germans in 1943. All domestic mortars were different small in size, long firing range, mobility, rate of fire and were successfully used during the Great Patriotic War. Samples of ammunition for them are also shown next to the mortars. Behind the complex showing the creation of mortars in our country, there are display cases with fuses and remote tubes for artillery ammunition, rockets and feathered mines.

To replace the 122-mm howitzer mod.
1909/30, which in its tactical and technical data was already inferior to the corresponding models of foreign armies, the team under the leadership of F.F. Petrov created a howitzer of the same caliber - a 122-mm howitzer mod. 1938 (M-30). The sliding frames of its carriage made it possible to significantly increase the angles of horizontal and vertical fire, which in turn sharply increased the ability to maneuver fire. Suspension significantly increased the maneuverability of the howitzer. It was in service until the 1980s.

The better use of artillery in battle was facilitated by the successes achieved in such branches of artillery science as internal and external ballistics artillery firing. Scientific research artillery scientists D.A. Ventzel, P.V. Gelvikh, I.I. Grave, V.D. Grendal, N.F. Drozdov, V.G. Dyakonov, D.E. Kozlovsky, V.V. Mechnikov , Ya.M. Shapiro made it possible by the fall of 1939 to create new shooting tables, shooting rules for military and anti-aircraft artillery, rework manuals on fire training and firing courses, as well as other manuals.

Portraits of outstanding Soviet artillery designers V.G. Grabin, F.F. Petrov, I.I. Ivanov, M.Ya. Krupchatnikov, who were awarded the high title of Hero of Socialist Labor for their activities, are displayed in the display cases.

Along with the creation of new guns, Soviet designers also developed new ammunition for them. The activities of the most prominent Soviet specialists in this field D. N. Vishnevsky, A. A. Hartz, M. F. Vasilyev are reflected in documents, photographs, and printed works. Next to them are samples of the projectiles, remote tubes, and fuses they created.

Gunsmith designers did a lot of work during these years. In 1938, a 12.7-mm heavy machine gun of the Degtyarev-Shpagin system (DShK) was created and entered service on a universal Kolesnikov machine gun, which made it possible to fire at both ground and air targets. This machine gun is on display. Next to him is a 7.62-mm heavy machine gun of the V. A. Degtyarev system mod. 1939 (DS-39). Here are also samples of automatic weapons designed by G. S. Shpagin, V. A. Degtyarev, B. G. Shpitalny, I. A. Komaritsky, M. E. Berezin and S. V. Vladimirov, created in the 2nd half of 1930- x years

Particular attention was paid to the creation of weapons for aviation.
In 1936, Soviet designers developed an ultra-high-speed machine gun - ShKAS, capable of firing 1,800 rounds per minute. In 1939, the super-ShKAS entered service, the rate of fire of which reached 3600 rounds per minute. This machine gun is exhibited next to the Berezin (UB) system universal machine gun, which was one of the main types of aviation weapons during the Great Patriotic War. Nearby is a large-caliber aircraft machine gun designers
B. G. Shpitalny and S. V. Vladimirov (ShVAK). The hall also houses a twin anti-aircraft gun for machine guns of the B. G. Shpitalny and I. A. Komaritsky system (ShKAS) and a 20-mm aircraft gun of the Shpitalny-Vladimirov system on a tripod machine for firing at air targets.

A major contribution to the development of automatic weapons was the creation of submachine guns by V. A. Degtyarev and G. S. Shpagin. PPD and PPSh are presented in the display case.

In September 1935, personal military ranks. One of the display cases contains portraits of the five first Marshals of the Soviet Union - K.E. Voroshilov, S.M. Budyonny, M.N. Tukhachevsky, V.K. Blyukher, A.I. Egorov.

In the 2nd half of the 1930s. Significant changes occurred in the development of military educational institutions - their number increased, curricula changed, military schools were renamed military schools. Materials dedicated to artillery schools are presented in the exhibition.

However, during the same period, a wave of political repression hit the Red Army. About 40 thousand commanders and political workers, including M. N. Tukhachevsky, V. K. Blyukher, A. I. Egorov, were repressed, many were shot. The death of many experienced commanders and weapons designers seriously undermined the combat effectiveness of the Armed Forces.

Created by Soviet designers military equipment showed high fighting qualities in battles with Japanese militarists who suddenly invaded the territory of Soviet Primorye near Lake Khasan on July 29, 1938. The stands dedicated to these events show battle patterns. Japanese troops in the Khasan area managed to capture the dominant heights - Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya. A Soviet offensive was scheduled for August 6, the ultimate goal of which was to drive the Japanese off Soviet soil. By the end of August 7, units of the 40th Division of the Red Army, defeating the Japanese, reached the eastern slopes of the Zaozernaya Hill. In these battles, the commander of a platoon of 45-mm cannons of the 118th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division, Lieutenant I. R. Lazarev, acted heroically. When, attacking the eastern slopes of the heights, the Red Army soldiers lay down under heavy fire, Lieutenant Lazarev’s artillerymen, moving in infantry combat formations, opened fire on the enemy with direct fire. At one of the guns, Lazarev personally acted as a gunner and, despite heavy Japanese fire and the wound he received, continued to fire. Three enemy guns were destroyed and machine gun fire was suppressed. On August 9, the enemy was driven out of the territory state border, and two days later hostilities ceased. Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain I.R. Lazarev died in battle with the fascist invaders in the fall of 1941. One of the display cases displays his winter helmet, as well as the Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin.

During the operation carried out by Soviet-Mongolian troops under the command of corps commander G.K. Zhukov in July - August 1939, the 6th Japanese Army was inflicted a crushing defeat in the area
R. Khalkhin Gol. The Japanese suffered huge losses from Soviet artillery fire. In a showcase dedicated to the battle on the river. Khalkhin Gol, a photograph and awards of the commander of the artillery division, Captain A.S. Rybkin, are placed. In battles with the Japanese, with skillful actions and well-aimed fire, he more than once thwarted enemy infantry attacks, suppressed several artillery batteries, and distinguished himself while breaking through enemy defenses. For the bravery and courage shown in battles with the Japanese on the Khalkhin Gol River, A.S. Rybkin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on November 17, 1939.

The painting “Eleven Border Guards on the Zaozernaya Hill” by artist M. Avilov is dedicated to the events in the Far East. Here you can also see two captured cannons and weapon captured from the Japanese.

The increased role of aviation dictated the need to dramatically improve the quality of anti-aircraft artillery. The 76-mm anti-aircraft guns in service no longer fully met the increased requirements, so in 1939 an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun with increased power mod. 1939, which, if necessary, could be used to combat ground targets and strengthen anti-tank defense. To combat aircraft operating at low altitudes, small-caliber automatic anti-aircraft guns. In 1939 and 1940 37- and 25-mm automatic guns were adopted. They had a high rate of fire and were a powerful means of combating not only enemy aircraft, but also ground targets - tanks, armored vehicles, etc. Along with these guns, ammunition for them is also on display in the hall. During the Great Patriotic War, these guns were an effective means of combating German attack aircraft and dive bombers.

The exhibition also includes anti-aircraft artillery fire control devices (PUAZO-3), a commander's anti-aircraft tube, a stereoscopic rangefinder with a 4-meter base and a meter-long anti-aircraft rangefinder. The stand contains illustrative material that was used in training in shooting from anti-aircraft artillery guns. The first samples of radar stations - RUS-2 and P-2M - are of interest.

Events related to the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940 were also reflected in the hall. The stand shows a diagram of military operations. The main obstacle for the advancing units of the Red Army was a fortified strip of permanent structures, the so-called “Mannerheim Line,” the flanks of which abutted Lake Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland and therefore could not be bypassed. The “Mannerheim Line” was a dense chain of pillboxes, bunkers and dugouts, reinforced with anti-tank ditches, gouges, wire fences and skillfully adapted to the terrain. How formidable the Finnish defense was can be judged by the fragments of Finnish reinforced concrete fortifications and granite anti-tank hammer presented in the hall. In addition, one of the photographs shows a section of the front edge of the Finnish fortified zone in 1939. In such a situation, artillery acquired particular importance. With its fire it destroyed detected enemy firing points, thereby clearing the way for infantry and tanks. The exhibition features Soviet concrete-piercing shells of various calibers and a 45-mm anti-tank gun mod. 1937 No. 2243. Under enemy fire, the commander of the 45-mm anti-tank gun I. E. Egorov rolled the gun out into the open and, firing armor-piercing shells at the embrasures of the pillbox, suppressed it, and after the gun was disabled, he took over together with the crew, participation in the infantry attack. For the courage shown in battle, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The paintings of the artists M. Avilov “The Dot Silenced Forever” and A. Blinkov “The Capture of Vyborg by Soviet Troops on March 12, 1940” are dedicated to the events of this war. The flag of the 27th Infantry Regiment, hoisted on March 13, 1940 over Vyborg, is on display in the hall. A separate display case shows captured enemy small arms.

In addition to samples of artillery equipment, the exhibition includes military uniform clothes of the 1920-1930s. Uniforms, tunics and hats of soldiers and commanders of the Red Army can be seen in glass display cases located along the central gallery of the hall.