Military equipment wwii. Start in science. The cabin of the submarine "Narodovolets"

Military equipment from the Great Patriotic War, installed as monuments and museum exhibits in St. Petersburg.

Wall newspapers of the charitable educational project "Briefly and clearly about the most interesting" (website website) are intended for schoolchildren, parents and teachers of St. Petersburg. They are delivered free of charge to most educational institutions, as well as to a number of hospitals, orphanages and other institutions in the city. The publications of the project do not contain any advertising (only the logos of the founders), are politically and religiously neutral, written in easy language, well illustrated. They are conceived as informational "braking" for students, awakening cognitive activity and the desire to read. Authors and publishers, without claiming the academic completeness of the presentation of the material, publish interesting Facts, illustrations, interviews with famous personalities science and culture and hope thereby to increase the interest of schoolchildren in educational process... Please send your comments and suggestions to: [email protected] We thank the Education Department of the Administration of the Kirovsky District of St. Petersburg and everyone who unselfishly helps in the distribution of our wall newspapers. We are grateful to the "Book of Memory" project, the Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps, the Sestroretsk Border Museum and Exhibition Complex and Sergei Sharov for the materials provided to the issue. Many thanks to Alexey Shvaryov and Denis Chaliapin for valuable comments.

This issue is dedicated to military equipment that fought on the fields of the Great Patriotic War, and now installed as monuments on the territory of St. Petersburg. With the help of these tanks, ships, aircraft and guns, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union won a victory over Nazi Germany, driving the enemy out of the territory of our country and liberating the peoples of Europe. These combat vehicles (and some of them remained in single copies) deserve to be carefully preserved, studied, remembered and proud of. The issue was prepared in cooperation with the "Book of Memory" project, whose task is to find and organize all the monuments dedicated to the events of the Second World War of 1939-1945 in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. Post-war monuments remain behind the scenes: the T-80 tank on the Oil Road, the rocket train in the Museum railway equipment, the S-189 submarine on the Lieutenant Schmidt embankment, the MIG-19 aircraft in the Aviator park, the Triton-2M submarine in Kronstadt and some others. And we plan to devote a separate newspaper to the military equipment installed on pedestals in the Leningrad Region. Also, in a separate issue we will talk about the extensive collection of the Artillery Museum on Kronverksky Island.

Admiralteyskiy district

1.305-mm railway artillery mount

Photo: Vitaly V. Kuzmin

The Museum of Railway Technology at the former Varshavsky Railway Station exhibits many unique exhibits. One of the most interesting is this huge weapon. The explanatory plate reads: “Railway gun mount TM-3-12. The caliber of the gun is 305 mm. The maximum firing range is 30 km. Rate of fire - 2 rounds per minute. Weight - 340 tons. Built at the Nikolaev state plant in 1938. A total of 3 installations of this type were built, with the use of guns dismantled from the battleship "Empress Maria". Participated in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. From June to December 1941, they took part in the defense of the Soviet naval base on the Hanko Peninsula (Finland). Disabled by Soviet sailors during the evacuation of the base, later restored by Finnish specialists using the guns of the Russian battleship Alexander III. They were in service until 1991, decommissioned in 1999. The installation was delivered to the museum in February 2000 ”. The same artillery transporter is in the Moscow Museum on Poklonnaya Hill. Address: Obvodny Canal Embankment, 118, Museum of Railway Technology.

2. Railway armored platform

This 22-tonne armored platform was manufactured in 1935. During World War II, such armored platforms, equipped with anti-aircraft guns or machine guns, were used to protect trains from attacks by enemy aircraft. Address: Obvodny Canal Embankment, 118, Museum of Railway Technology.

Vasileostrovsky district

3. Icebreaker "Krasin"

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

Icebreaker "Krasin" (until 1927 - "Svyatogor") was built in 1916 in England by order of the Russian government. For several decades, she was the most powerful Arctic icebreaker in the world. In 1928, the Krasin rescued the surviving members of the expedition to the North Pole on the Italia airship, which crashed off the coast of Spitsbergen. After that "Krasin" became known all over the world. During the Second World War, the renowned icebreaker acquired naval artillery and paved the way for the "polar convoys". This was the name of the caravans of ships with military and civilian cargo that our allies (USA and Great Britain) sent to the USSR. Dozens of ships sailed "Krasin" through the ice of the Kara Sea, the Laptev Sea and the White Sea. For the courage and courage shown during the wiring during the war years, more than 300 residents of Krasin received government awards. Since 2004, the icebreaker has been a Branch of the Museum of the World Ocean. Address: Lieutenant Schmidt embankment at the 23rd line Vasilievsky Island.

4. Towers of the main battery of the cruiser "Kirov"

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

The Soviet light artillery cruiser "Kirov" was built at the Baltic Shipyard No. 189 in Leningrad and launched in 1936. On the very first day of the war, he repelled an air raid on Riga with an anti-aircraft caliber, then massive air raids on the Main Base of the Baltic Fleet in Tallinn. After the redeployment of the squadron of the Baltic Fleet to Kronstadt and until the end of the war, "Kirov" remained the flagship (this is the name of the ship on which the commander is). He took an active part in the defense of Leningrad. In total, during the war, "Kirov" repelled the raids of 347 enemy aircraft. In 1942-44, he occupied a position mainly between the Palace Bridge and the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, from where he conducted live firing. At the end of the war, with its main caliber, it supported the offensive operations of our army. 100-kilogram shells fired from triple guns 10 meters long hit the target at a record distance of 40 kilometers for those times. More than a thousand crew members were awarded government awards for their heroism and courage. In 1961, "Kirov" was retrained into a training ship and regularly made cruises with cadets in the Baltic Sea. After the ship was excluded from the lists of the fleet in 1974, it was decided to install its two bow 180-mm turrets and propellers as a memorial to the feat of the Baltic Fleet sailors. Installed in 1990. Address: Morskaya embankment, 15-17.

5. Torpedo boat of the Komsomolets project

Photo: lenww2.ru, Leonid Maslov

Although this boat on a pedestal faced with granite is post-war, it was installed in memory of the feat of the torpedo boat sailors of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet in the Great Patriotic War. During the war years, similar torpedo boats of the Komsomolets project of the Baltic Fleet sank 119 enemy ships and vessels. Installed in 1973. Address: Harbor, territory of the exhibition complex "Lenexpo", Bolshoy prospect of Vasilievsky island, 103.

6. Submarine "Narodovolets"

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

This diesel-electric torpedo submarine was built at Baltic Shipyard # 189 in Leningrad in 1929. Initially, these boats were called "Narodovolets", then they were renamed "D-2" (according to the first letter of the name of the lead ship - "Decembrist"). The boat took a direct part in the battles of the Great Patriotic War. The first ships she sunk were transport with a cargo of coal and sea steam. After the end of the war, the boat continued to serve in the Baltic Fleet, and then was based in Kronstadt as a training station. In 1989, after restoration work, the boat was installed on the shore as a monument to heroes-submariners, scientists, designers and shipbuilders of the Great Patriotic War. The submarine museum opened in 1994. Address: Shkipersky channel, 10.

Vyborgsky district

7. "Katyusha"

This legendary "Katyusha" (multiple launch rocket system based on the 6-wheeled 4-ton ZIS-6 off-road truck) is a monument to the military and labor glory of the Karl Marx Machine-Building Association, on whose territory it is installed. At the enterprise, which traditionally produced spinning machines for cotton and wool, with the beginning of the war, they began to make ammunition and weapons, including Katyusha. The inscription on the granite pedestal: "To you, who left here for the front, to you who remained to forge the weapon of Victory, to the soldiers and workers of the Great Patriotic War, this monument will be erected." To the right and left behind the vehicle are bronze groups of soldiers and workers. The monument was opened in 1985. Address: Bolshoi Sampsonievsky Prospect, 68.

8. Cannon "ZIS-3" on the Square of Courage

Photo: lenww2.ru, Olga Isaeva

A memorial composition consisting of the legendary ZIS-3 cannon of the 1942 model and four anti-tank “hedgehogs”. Flowers on the pedestal are planted in the form of the inscription "Remember". The 76-mm divisional gun "ZIS-3" became the most massive Soviet artillery gun produced during the Great Patriotic War (103,000 guns were produced in total). This gun is also recognized by experts as one of the best weapons of the entire Second World War - due to its outstanding qualities, economy and simplicity. In the post-war period, "ZIS-3" was in service with the Soviet Army for a long time, and was also actively exported to a number of countries, in some of which it is still in service today. The memorial was opened in 2011. Address: Square of Courage.

Kalininsky district

9. Cannon "ZIS-3" on Metalistov Avenue

Photo: lenww2.ru, Olga Isaeva

During the war, in the building of the North-West Regional Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Ministry Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of the Consequences of Natural Disasters), there was a school of the MPVO (local air defense) and artillery courses. In honor of this, a 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon, which took part in the defense of Leningrad, was installed on a granite slab in the park in front of the building. Eight stars are painted on the cannon's shield - according to the number of enemy aircraft shot down. To the left of the cannon, on a separate granite pedestal, is a symbolic open book, on the pages of which St. Isaac's Cathedral is depicted in the days of the Blockade and the Victory salute. Address: Prospect Metalistov, 119.

Kirovsky district

10. Tank "IS-2" on the territory of the Kirov plant

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

On the territory of the Kirovsky Zavod association is the IS-2 tank, which was produced at the end of the war in Chelyabinsk. On a pedestal made of granite blocks, there is a bronze plaque with the text: “1941–1945. This heavy tank was installed here in memory of the glorious deeds of the tank builders of the Kirov plant. " The IS-2 was the most powerful and most armored of the Soviet production tanks of the war period and one of the strongest tanks in the world at that time. These tanks have been produced since 1943 at the Chelyabinsk Kirov plant, created in the shortest possible time on the basis of equipment evacuated from Leningrad. Tanks of this type played a big role in the battles of 1944-1945, especially during the storming of cities. After the end of the war, "IS-2" were modernized and were in service with the Soviet and Russian army up to 1995. The memorial was opened in 1952. Address: Stachek Avenue, 47.

11. Tank KV-85 on Stachek Avenue

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

This copy (one of the two known surviving) of the KV-85 tank was installed in 1951 at the initiative of the tank designer Joseph Cotin. The "Winner Tank" is part of the Kirovsky Val memorial, which is part of the Green Belt of Leningrad Glory. The heavy tank "KV" ("Klim Voroshilov") was produced at the Chelyabinsk Tank Plant from 1939 to 1942 and had no equal for a long time. Index "85" means gun caliber in millimeters. Shells fired from standard German anti-tank guns bounced off it, leaving no damage to the armor. It was produced only in August-October 1943. A total of 148 machines of this type were manufactured. The predecessor of the IS heavy tank. Address: Stachek Avenue, 106-108.

12. "Izhora Tower" on Korabelnaya Street

Near the well-preserved bunker (Long-term firing point), the so-called "Izhora tower" is installed - a machine-gun armored tower under heavy machine gun system "Maxim" sample 1910-1930. The tower was found by search engines on the Karelian Isthmus near the Yatki River. The armor is 3 centimeters thick and weighs about 500 kilograms. Such machine-gun armored towers were produced by the Izhora plant and were actively used on the defense lines of Leningrad. The memorial appeared here in 2011 with the support of the Kirovsky district administration. Address: Korabelnaya street, in a public garden at the intersection with Kronstadt street.

Kolpinsky district

13. "Izhora Tower" in Kolpino

Photo: lenww2.ru, Alexey Sedelnikov

The same armored tower was installed in Kolpino as part of the memorial to the Armored Carriers of Izhora Plants. The armored tower had been lying in the Sinyavinsky swamps for more than 50 years and was found by the Zvezda search team. It has marks from the impact of artillery shell fragments. The inscriptions on the stone, also brought from Sinyavino, read: "Low bow to all the creators of Russian armor at the Izhora factories" and "A memorial sign to the" Armored personnel of the Izhora factories "was installed in the year of the 100th anniversary of the birth of MI Koshkin, the general designer of the tank" T-34"". Mikhail Koshkin insisted that the tower of his famous tank also be made of heavy-duty armor, cast using Izhora technology. The memorial sign was installed in 1998. Address: Kolpino, at the intersection of Proletarskaya Street and Tankistov Street.

Krasnogvardeisky district

14.406-mm gun at the Rzhev training ground

The barrel length of this unique B-37 cannon is 16 meters, the two-meter round for it weighs over a ton, and the firing range is 45 kilometers. A plate is attached to the armored turret: “406-mm gun mount of the USSR Navy. This gun of the Red Banner NIMAP (Scientific Testing Naval Artillery Range) from August 29, 1941 to June 10, 1944 took an active part in the defense of Leningrad and the defeat of the enemy. With well-aimed fire, it destroyed powerful strongholds and centers of resistance, destroyed military equipment and manpower of the enemy, supported the actions of units of the Red Army of the Leningrad Front and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet on the Nevsky, Kolpinsky, Uritsko-Pushkinsky, Krasnoselsky and Karelian directions. Clarification from the NIMAP website: From this gun “in January 1944, during the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad, 33 shells were fired at the enemy. One of the shells hit the building of the power station No. 8 occupied by the enemy. As a result of the hit, the building was completely destroyed. A crater from a 406-mm projectile with a diameter of 12 m and a depth of 3 m was found nearby. This experimental installation was the most powerful Soviet artillery system used during the Second World War. It was planned to arm four battleships of the Sovetsky Soyuz type, laid down in 1939-1940, with such weapons in three-gun turrets. In connection with the outbreak of war, none of the ships of this project could be built.

15.305-mm gun at the Rzhev training ground

Photo: aroundspb.ru, Sergey Sharov

This naval cannon was manufactured at the Obukhovsky plant in 1914 on a "Zhuravl" -type polygon machine. Four such cannons constituted one of the batteries of the Krasnaya Gorka fort during the Great Patriotic War. Two similar former Russian guns are currently in Finland, and only one has survived in Russia - this. The text on the memorial plaque: "From August 29, 1941 to June 10, 1944, a 305-mm naval gun mount fired at the Nazi troops during the defense of Leningrad." The most powerful weapon ever serially installed on ships of the Russian or Soviet navy. The Rzhev proving ground under the name "experimental artillery battery" was established more than a century and a half ago with the aim of testing new types of weapons. Over time, the battery turned into the main artillery range of tsarist Russia, and then the Soviet Union. The Scientific and Testing Naval Artillery Range (NIMAP) nowadays occupies a significant area northeast of St. Petersburg. Unique artillery pieces that participated in the defense of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War are kept here. So far, the territory of the test site is closed to the public, but the issue of assigning these famous guns the status of historical and cultural monuments of the Russian Federation is being discussed.

16. Anti-aircraft gun "52-K"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Alexey Sedelnikov

85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model "52-K" - an exhibit of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. This blockade combat weapon, together with the "Regulator" memorial sign, is part of the memorial complex "The Road of Life - 1st Kilometer". The memorial was erected in 2010. Address: Ryabovskoe highway, at 129.

Krasnoselsky district

17. Airplane, tank and anti-aircraft gun in the village of Khvoiny

Photo: lenww2.ru, Alexey Sedelnikov

The settlement of Khvoiny is a "piece" of the Krasnoselsky District of St. Petersburg, surrounded on all sides by the territory of the Gatchinsky District of the Leningrad Region. This is an active military unit, but the passage to the memorial is free. On the stele with a bas-relief depicting besieged Leningrad, there is a quote from the speech of Leonid I. Brezhnev (the leader of the USSR in 1966-1982) at the presentation of the Golden Star of the Hero to Leningrad: “... The legends of the hoary antiquity and the tragic pages of the not so distant past pale before that an incomparable epic of human courage, endurance and selfless patriotism, which was the heroic 900-day defense of besieged Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. It was one of the most outstanding, most amazing mass feats of the people and the army in the entire history of war on earth. " Nearby on the site is a T-34/85 tank (1944) with the inscription "For the Motherland", a 130-mm KS-30 anti-aircraft gun (1948) and a model of the Yak-50P aircraft. Under the anti-aircraft gun there is a memorial plaque with the inscription: “To the anti-aircraft gunners who defended Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Leningrad was saved by the courage of the brave. Eternal glory to the heroes. "

Kronstadt district

18. Torpedo boat of the Komsomolets project

Photo: wikipedia.org, Vasyatka1

Post-war torpedo boat of the Komsomolets project, similar to the one installed in the Gavan. Here, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe former Litke base, torpedo boats were based during the war. The boat's armament is clearly visible - two 450 mm torpedo tubes and a twin stern mount of 14.5 mm machine guns. "To sailors-boats of the Baltic" - it is written on the plate. A park was laid out around the monument, linden trees were planted. Historical note of the newspaper "Kronstadtsky Vestnik": "During the Great Patriotic War, surface ships in the shallow Gulf of Finland, which were all strewn with mines, were mainly involved in Baltic boats of torpedo boat brigades. They were fearless and daring, and their attacks dealt a lot of damage to the enemy. And many of the commanders of these small but formidable ships became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Both during the war and, decades after it, trawling brigades were working in the Gulf of Finland filled with mines, which included special flat-bottomed boats - minesweepers. More than ten of these ships and more than a hundred sailors were killed during operations to clear the fairways. This sign is installed in memory of the courage and dedication of the boat sailors. The memorial was opened in 2009. Address: Kronstadt, Gidrostroiteley Street, 10.

19. Artillery installation of the battleship "Gangut"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Oleg Ivanov

76-mm two-gun artillery mount 81-K of the battleship "Gangut" (after 1925 the battleship was called the "October Revolution"). "Gangut" was laid down in 1909 at the Admiralty Plant in St. Petersburg under the leadership of the outstanding Russian shipbuilder AN Krylov. He took part in the First World War. During the Great Patriotic War, he participated in the defense of Leningrad, was damaged by German artillery fire and aircraft. From 1954 she was used as a training ship, in 1956 she was expelled from the Navy and dismantled. The text of the plate on the gun: "Two-gun mount of the foreman of the 1st article Ivan Tambasov." The monument was opened in 1957. Address: Kronstadt, Kommunisticheskaya street, intersection with the Obvodny Canal. Nearby are two anchors of the illustrious battleship.

20. Cabin of the submarine "Narodovolets"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Leonid Kharitonov

Part of the fencing of the cabin of the diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Narodovolets (D-2) series. Text on the memorial plaque: “The firstborn of the Soviet submarine shipbuilding. Laid down in 1927 in Leningrad. Commissioned in 1931. From 1933 to 1939 she was part of the Northern Military Flotilla. From 1941 to 1945, she led active hostilities against the fascist invaders at the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (Red Banner Baltic Fleet). During the war, she sank 5 enemy ships with a total displacement of 40 thousand tons. " Located in the closed territory of the 123rd Red Banner submarine brigade.

Kurortny district

21. Artillery half-caponier "Elephant"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Olga Isaeva

Caponier (from the French word for "deepening") - a defensive structure for conducting flank (side) fire in both directions. Accordingly, the half-caponier is designed to fire at the enemy in only one direction along the fortress wall. In the photo - artillery half-caponier # 1 (call sign - "Elephant") of the Front line of the Karelian fortified area ("KaUR"), built to protect the old Soviet-Finnish border. The caponier is the main exhibit of the Sestroretsk Border Museum and Exhibition Complex. During the Great Patriotic War, the "Elephant" shot through the lowland from the Resort to Beloostrov, the approaches to the Sestra River and the railway bridge with artillery fire. The interior of the half-caponier has been restored in the museum, and a collection of search finds has been placed. The outdoor exposition includes various types of small fortifications: two reinforced concrete firing points delivered from the area of \u200b\u200bBeloostrov and Mednoye Lake, the already known Izhora tower, an observation turret of the 1938 model, firing points based on the towers of the T-28, KV tanks -1 "," T-70 "," BT-2 ", Finnish machine-gun armored hood, nadolby, hedgehogs, barriers and other interesting exhibits Address: Museum and Exhibition Complex "Sestroretsk Border", Sestroretsk, not far from the intersection of Primorskoe Highway with the Kurort-Beloostrov railway.

22. The firing point from the hull of the T-28 tank

Photo: lenww2.ru, Olga Isaeva

This is a copy of a firing point discovered by search engines on the Karelian Isthmus. It was built from the hull of a three-turret medium tank "T-28", produced in 1933-1940 at the Kirov plant in Leningrad. The tank was overturned, placed on a wooden foundation and covered with earth. The entrance was through the removed radiator grill. This procedure was described in the book "Manual for the Corps of Engineers: Fortifications" in the chapter "Using an inverted tank hull for a machine gun blockhouse." Museum and Exhibition Complex "Sestroretsk Border".

23. Firing point with a turret of the KV-1 tank

Photo: Sergey Sharov

This is a copy of the tower of the KV-1 tank, which was installed on a concrete casemate, built in 1943 on the Karelian Isthmus. Such turret artillery mounts with 76-mm cannons mounted in the towers of KV tanks were intended to strengthen the anti-tank defense of fortified areas. Museum and Exhibition Complex "Sestroretsk Border".

24. Defensive-offensive armored sliders

Photo: Sergey Sharov

Two armored sliders are on display in the Sestroretsk Border Museum and Exhibition Complex. It is known about one of them that he was armed with a casemate artillery installation based on a 76-mm tank gun of the 1938 model and had the call sign "Halva" (in the photo he is in the background). In the book by BV Bychevsky "City-Front" there is a description: "... The creation of the so-called" armor belt "around Leningrad began. We have developed a technology for the mass production of various types of prefabricated pillboxes. Once they brought a front-line machine-gunner to the Izhora plant to check a newly made squat structure made of armor plates. The machine gunner climbed under the hood, examined it inside and got out. “You know what, friend,” he turned to the welder, “let's cut a wider hole in the bottom. We will make a frame of logs for this piece and put it right on the trench ”. “Or maybe I could weld the towing hook to the wall? - suggested the welder. - Go on the offensive and take with you. A tractor or a tank will boldly drag! " “And that's right,” the machine gunner rejoiced. "We'll have it sort of like a slider: both for defense and for offensive." That is how we christened this structure that day - "defensive-offensive armored slider". Under this name, she gained wide popularity throughout the Leningrad front. " Museum and Exhibition Complex "Sestroretsk Border".

Moskovsky district

25. Tanks "T-34-85" of the memorial "Pulkovsky Rubezh"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Alexey Sedelnikov

The Pulkovsky Rubezh memorial is part of the Green Belt of Glory. It was here in 1941-1944 that the front line of the defense of Leningrad passed. The memorial includes a mosaic panel dedicated to the military and labor exploits of Leningraders, a birch alley and concrete anti-tank gouges. On both sides of the memorial there are two T-34-85 tanks with hull numbers 112 and 113. The T-34-85 is a Soviet medium tank of the Great Patriotic War period, which was put into service in 1944 and forms the basis of the tank forces of the Soviet Army until the mid-1950s. The installation of a more powerful 85-mm cannon significantly increased the tank's combat effectiveness compared to its predecessor, the T-34-76. The memorial was opened in 1967. Address: 20th kilometer of Pulkovskoe highway.

Nevsky district

26. Tank "T-34-85" on the territory of the plant "Zvezda"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Olga Isaeva

Tank "T-34-85" was installed on the territory of the machine-building plant "Zvezda", which until recently bore the name of K.E. Voroshilov. On the pedestal there is a bronze plaque: "In memory of the military and labor feat of the Voroshilovites." It was founded in 1932 in Leningrad on the basis of the Machine-Building Department of the country's oldest enterprise - the Bolshevik plant (now the Obukhov Plant) and initially specialized in the production of tanks. In the pre-war period and during the Great Patriotic War, the plant produced about 14.5 thousand tanks. During the war, the evacuated factory workers created almost 6 thousand T-34 tanks in Omsk and more than 10 thousand tank engines in Barnaul. In the shops of the plant in besieged Leningrad, tanks were repaired, mines and armored shields were produced. The monument was opened in 1975. Address: Babushkina street, 123, on the territory of JSC "Zvezda".

27. Firing point with a turret of the KV-1 tank

At the pillbox of the Izhora defensive line, a model of the KV tank turret was installed. As the press service of the city administration reported, “during the war, such a tower was located at the same place, as evidenced by the tank's turning mechanism mounted in the upper part of the bunker. Enthusiasts, relying on historical drawings, restored the tank turret, returning the pillbox to its original appearance. " The memorial was restored in 2013. Address: Rybatskoye, Murzinskaya street, not far from the intersection with Obukhovskaya defense avenue.

Petrogradskiy district

28. The cruiser "Aurora"

Photo: wikipedia.org, George Shuklin

The Aurora, the 1st rank cruiser of the Baltic Fleet, was launched in 1900 at the New Admiralty shipyard, one of the oldest shipbuilding enterprises in Russia. Emperor Nicholas II ordered to call the ship "Aurora" (the goddess of dawn among the Romans) in honor of the sailing frigate "Aurora", which became famous during the defense of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky during the Crimean War of 1853-1856. During the Great Patriotic War, the cruiser was in Oranienbaum and defended Kronstadt from air raids. Nine 130-mm guns removed from the cruiser (together with part of the team) became part of the Duderhof battery, which fought heroically against German tanks. Monuments and memorials included in the "Green Belt of Glory" have been erected at the positions of the guns of the Aurora battery. Since 1948, the "Aurora" has been permanently at the Nakhimov Naval School. In 2010, the cruiser was decommissioned from the Navy and is a branch of the Central Naval Museum. In September 2014, the Aurora was towed to the repair dock of the Kronstadt Marine Plant, where it will remain until 2016.

29. "Three-inch" of the late 19th century in the Artillery Museum

Photo: VIMAIViVS

3-inch (76-mm) experimental rapid-firing field cannon, model 1898, on display in the Artillery Museum. This is one of the first famous "three-inch" guns, which became famous as one of the best guns of its time. Previously, guns were muzzle loaded, which was long and ineffective. Thanks to the efforts of outstanding Russian artillery scientists, a completely new weapon was developed at the Putilov factory in St. Petersburg. So, in these guns for the first time a fast-acting piston bolt with locking, percussion and ejection mechanisms and a safety device, an elastic carriage and a coulter, a rollback brake and a protractor are used. The excellent qualities of the new gun were confirmed on the fields of the Russo-Japanese (1904-1905) and the First World War (1914-1918). After modernization in 1930, these guns were actively used throughout the Great Patriotic War, proving to be an effective means of fighting light German tanks. Address: Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

30. Cannons of the 1930s in the Artillery Museum

Photo: Sergey Sharov

A 305 mm howitzer of the 1939 model (in the foreground) and a 210 mm cannon of the 1939 model. These powerful weapons were created by the famous Soviet designer Ilya Ivanov. The collection of guns from the 1930s of the Artillery Museum is of particular interest - with these guns, so familiar to us from war films, the Red Army entered the Great Patriotic War. Their uniqueness lies also in the fact that they were created in record time. Among the guns of the same period, one should note the famous divisional (76-mm cannon of the 1936 and 1939 model, chief designer Vasily Grabin), and corps, army guns (107-mm cannon of the 1940 model and 152-mm howitzer-cannon of the 1937 model, chief designer Fyodor Petrov). There is also a cannon (122-mm howitzer, model 1938), which was in service with our country until the 1980s. Address: Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

31. Artillery 1941-1945 in the Artillery Museum

Photo: Sergey Sharov

These systems were created directly during the Great Patriotic War. During this period, using a high-speed method, taking into account experience combat use artillery pieces were excellent. Many of them are associated with the name of the famous Soviet designer Fyodor Petrov. The photograph shows one of his developments, a 152-mm howitzer of the 1943 D-1 model. It is hard to imagine, but it took less than three weeks to create it, and it was in service for more than thirty years. The first powerful 100-, 122- and 152-mm self-propelled artillery mounts are adjacent to it - a thunderstorm german tanks and self-propelled guns. Address: Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

Photo: Sergey Sharov

57-mm anti-tank gun model 1943 "ZIS-2" (left) - the most powerful weapon of this caliber during the Great Patriotic War. This gun had the ability to penetrate 145 mm of armor, so it could hit all German tanks. A special place among the guns of the war years is occupied by the 76-mm divisional cannon of the 1942 model - the famous "ZIS-3" (center). It has become more compact and as much as 400 kg lighter, and also significantly surpassed its predecessor, the 1939 model in all other respects. In it, for the first time for divisional guns, a muzzle brake was used - a special device that made it possible to reduce the recoil of the barrel. The guns of this design were notable for their cheapness in production (three times cheaper than before). They were very maneuverable and reliable. All this was vividly confirmed in combat conditions. The formidable and beautiful cannon earned respect even from enemies. Wolff, Hitler's artillery consultant, considered it to be the best weapon of World War II, “one of the most ingenious designs in history. barrel artillery". Address: Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

Photo: Sergey Sharov

It will be interesting to know that the Soviet anti-aircraft artillery successfully hit not only air, but also ground targets, including tanks. This 14.5-mm quadruple anti-aircraft machine-gun mount designed by Leshchinsky "ZPU-4" destroyed both aircraft (at altitudes up to 2000 meters) and lightly armored ground targets and enemy personnel. Its rate of fire is 600 rounds per minute. In the courtyard of the museum, almost all anti-aircraft guns, created and in service in the pre-war and war years, are displayed. These are 25- and 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft guns of the 1940 and 1939 model and the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model, which proved to be good during the Great Patriotic War. Address: Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

Photo: pomnite-nas.ru, Dmitry Panov

Heavy self-propelled artillery unit based on the IS tank - ISU-152 model 1943. The main armament of the self-propelled gun was the 152-mm howitzer-gun "ML-20", the firepower of which made it easy to deal with the "Tigers" and "Panthers" - the main enemy tanks. For this, the famous self-propelled gun received the nickname "St. John's wort". In the post-war period, "ISU-152" underwent modernization and were in service with the Soviet army for a long time. The development of the ISU-152 was carried out under the leadership of Joseph Kotin, chief designer of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, built on the basis of the evacuated Leningrad Kirov Plant. Address: Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

32. Historical instruments in the Peter and Paul Fortress

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

152-mm howitzer model 1937 "ML-20" in the Peter and Paul Fortress on the square near the Naryshkin Bastion. “These howitzers in 1992-2002 served as signal guns of the Peter and Paul Fortress and fired the traditional midday shot every day,” the information plate says. Every Saturday (late May to October), five minutes before noon, a ceremony of breaking the guard of honor is held here. The ML-20 howitzer occupies an honorable place among the best designs of cannon artillery. It was these guns that were installed on the "Hypericum" - powerful self-propelled artillery installations. Address: Peter and Paul Fortress.

Frunze district

33. Firing point with a turret of the KV-1 tank

Photo: kupsilla.ru, Denis Chaliapin

A firing point covered with earth and construction debris was accidentally discovered by a local resident in the summer of 2014. Historians became interested in the find, secured the status of the monument and raised money for its restoration. An exact replica of the KV-1 heavy tank turret was made and solemnly installed in its original place. This pillbox was part of the Izhora defensive line, built in 1943. Kupchinsky ethnographer Denis Shalyapin commented on the opening of the monument in the following way: “A tank tower installed on a concrete casemate (which in itself is the rarest case) on one of the central thoroughfares of the city will be noticed by everyone passing along the avenue. Thus, Kupchino will receive a unique monument that can rightfully become one of the symbols of the region. " The monument was opened in 2015. Address: Glory Avenue, opposite building 30.

Each of the warring parties has invested staggering amounts of money to design and build powerful weapons, and we will try to consider some of the most influential. To date, they are not considered the best or most destructive, but the military equipment below, to one degree or another, influenced the course of the Second World War.

The LCVP is a variation of the US Navy landing craft. Designed for the transportation and disembarkation of personnel on an unequipped coastline occupied by the enemy.

The LCVP, or "Higgins boat", is named after its creator Andrew Higgins, who designed the boat for operations in shallow water and swampy terrain and was used extensively by the US Navy during amphibious operations during World War II. For 15 years of production, 22,492 boats of this type were built.

Landing craft LCVP was built from pressed plywood and structurally resembled a small river barge with a crew of 4 people. At the same time, the boat could carry a full infantry platoon of 36 troops. At full load, Higgins' boat could reach speeds of up to 9 knots (17 km / h).

Katyusha (BM-13)

Katyusha is the unofficial name for barrelless field rocket artillery systems widely used Armed Forces USSR during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Initially, they were called Katyushas - BM-13, and later they began to call BM-8, BM-31, and others. BM-13 is the famous and most massive Soviet combat vehicle (BM) of this class.

Avro lancaster

Avro Lancaster - British heavy bomber, used during the Second World War, and was in service with the Royal Air Force. Lancaster is considered the most effective night bomber of the Second World War and the most famous. It flew over 156,000 sorties and dropped over 600,000 tons of bombs.

The first combat flight took place in March 1942. During the war, more than 7,000 Lancasters were produced, but almost half were destroyed by the enemy. At the present time (2014), only two machines have survived that are capable of flying.

U-boat (submarine)

U-boat is a generalized abbreviation for German submarines that were in service with the German naval forces.

Germany, not having a strong enough fleet to withstand the allied forces at sea, primarily relied on its submarines, the main purpose of which was to destroy trade convoys carrying goods from Canada, the British Empire and the United States to the Soviet Union and allied countries in the Mediterranean. German submarines have proven to be incredibly effective. Winston Churchill would later say that the only thing that scared him during World War II was the underwater threat.

Research has shown that the Allies spent $ 26.4 billion to fight German submarines. Unlike the Allied countries, Germany spent $ 2.86 billion on its U-boats. From a purely economic point of view, the campaign is seen as a German success, making German submarines one of the most influential weapons of the war.

the plane Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane is a World War II British single seat fighter designed and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. In total, more than 14,500 of these aircraft were built. The Hawker Hurricane had various modifications and could be used as a fighter-bomber, interceptor and attack aircraft.

M4 "Sherman" - American medium tank of the Second World War. In the period from 1942 to 1945, 49,234 tanks were produced, it is considered the third most massive tank in the world after the T-34 and T-54. During World War II, on the basis of the M4 Sherman tank, a large number of various modifications were built (one of which the Sherman Crab is the strangest tank), self-propelled artillery units (ACS) and engineering equipment. It was used by the American army, and was also supplied in large quantities to the allied forces (mainly to Great Britain and the USSR).

The 88 mm FlaK 18/36/37/41 is also known as the "eight-eight" - a German anti-aircraft, anti-tank artillery gun that was widely used by German troops during the Second World War. A weapon designed to destroy both aircraft and tanks was also often used as artillery. In the period from 1939 to 1945, a total of 17,125 such guns were built.

North American P-51 Mustang

Third on the list of the most influential military equipment of the Second World War is the P-51 Mustang, an American long-range single-seat fighter developed in the early 1940s. It is considered the best fighter aircraft of the USAF during the Second World War. It was used mainly as a reconnaissance aircraft and to escort bombers during raids on German territory.

Aircraft carriers

Aircraft carriers are a type of warship, the main striking force of which is carrier-based aircraft. In World War II, Japanese and American aircraft carriers already represented a leading role in the battles of the Pacific. For example, the famous attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out using dive bombers deployed on six Japanese aircraft carriers.

The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank that was mass-produced from 1940 until the first half of 1944. It was the main tank of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), until it was replaced by the T-34-85 modification, which is still in service in some countries today. The legendary T-34 is the most massive medium tank and is recognized by many military experts and specialists as the best tank produced during the Second World War. It is also considered one of the most famous symbols of the above mentioned war.

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Introduction

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Object of research: tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

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

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

problem-search;

research;

practical;

The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the young generation, to which I belong, and my peers, do not forget about the role of tanks, with the help of which our country withstood the fascist occupation. So that our generation will never allow military operations on our Earth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

These combat vehicles have been used by the Wehrmacht since the first day of World War II. The last records of the combat use of the PzKpfw III in the regular composition of the Wehrmacht units date back to mid-1944, single tanks fought until the surrender of Germany. From mid-1941 to early 1943, the PzKpfw III was the backbone of the Wehrmacht's armored forces (Panzerwaffe) and, despite the relative weakness in comparison with the modern tanks of the anti-Hitler coalition countries, made a significant contribution to the success of the Wehrmacht of that period. Tanks of this type were supplied to the armies of Germany's allies along the Axis. The captured PzKpfw IIIs were used by the Red Army and the Allies with good results.

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

The T-34 is a well-known tank. My personal opinion: handsome, and, probably, everyone shares this opinion with me. It was created at the Kharkov plant No. 183, under the leadership of M. I. Koshkin in 1940. An interesting feature of this tank was that it had a V-2 aircraft engine. Thanks to this, it could accelerate to 56 km / h, which is a lot for tanks, but, to be honest, it is not the fastest tank. The T-34 was the main tank of the USSR and was the most massive tank of the Second World War, from 1940 to 1956 84,000 tanks were made, 55,000 of which were made during the war (for comparison: German T-IVs, tigers and panthers were made by force 16000). The T-34 was created with the L-11 76mm gun, a year later the F-34 76mm was installed on it, and in 1944 the S-53 85mm.

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

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

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

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

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

T-34-85 is the best tank in the PROTECTION category.

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

Analyzing the technical characteristics of medium tanks, we can conclude that our medium tanks have superiority over German tanks in speed, caliber, ammunition (Appendix C, Table 4) .

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

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

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

Tiger is the first heavy tank of the Wehrmacht. The Tiger was the most non-mass tank (1,354 vehicles were built from 1942 to 1944). There are two possible reasons for such low production. Either Germany could not afford more tanks, one tiger cost 1 million Reichsmarks (about 22 million rubles). That was twice as expensive as any German tank.

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

The armor of the "Tiger" turned out to be quite powerful - albeit without a tilt, but in 100 mm thickness of the frontal plates. The chassis consisted of eight staggered double rollers on one side on a torsion bar suspension, which achieved a smooth movement of the tank. But, although the Germans, following the example of the KV and T-34s, used wide tracks, the specific ground pressure was still quite high, and on soft soil the Pz Kpfw VI buried itself in the ground (this is one of the disadvantages of this tank).

The Tigers suffered their first losses on January 14, 1943. On the Volkhov front, Soviet soldiers knocked out and then captured an enemy vehicle, after which it was sent to the training ground, where all its strengths and weaknesses were studied and instructions were developed to combat this "beast".

KV-1 (Klim Voroshilov), Soviet heavy tank. It was originally called simply KV (before the creation of the KV-2). There was a misconception that the tank was created during the Finnish campaign to break through the Finnish long-term fortifications (Mannerheim line). In fact, the tank began to be designed at the end of 1938, when it was clear that the concept of multi-turret tanks was a dead end. The KV was created at the end of the 30s and successfully passed combat tests. None of the enemy's weapons could penetrate the KV armor. The chagrin of the military was only caused by the fact that the 76 mm L-11 gun was not strong enough to fight the pillboxes. For this, the KV-2 was created with a 152 mm M-10 howitzer. From 1940 to 1942, 2,769 tanks were built.

The IS-2 (Joseph Stalin) is a Soviet heavy tank designed to fight German "beasts". The need for a more powerful tank than the KV was caused by the increased effectiveness of the German anti-tank defense and the expected massive appearance on the front of the heavy German Tiger and Panther tanks. Since the spring of 1942, work on the new model has been carried out by a special group of designers (leading designer N.F. Shashmurin), which included A.S. Ermolaev, L.E. Sychev and others.

In the fall of 1943, the project was completed and three prototypes of the machine were manufactured. After the tests, the commission of the State Defense Committee proposed to accept the tank into service, in December 1943 its mass production began.

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

However, by that time, the 85-mm gun was installed on the T-34-85. It was impractical to produce medium and heavy tanks with the same armament. The team led by F.F. Petrov, presented calculations and layouts of a 122-mm gun in a tank. Petrov took as a basis the case-mounted 122-mm cannon of the 1937 model with a slightly shortened barrel and installed it on the cradle of the 85-mm cannon. At the end of December 1943, factory tests of a tank with a new gun began. After a number of improvements (including replacing the piston breech with a wedge one to increase the rate of fire), the 122-mm semi-automatic tank gun of the 1943 model was put into service and installed in the IS-2.

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

The 122mm cannon had a muzzle energy of 1.5 times that of the 88mm Tiger cannon. An armor-piercing projectile weighed 25 kg, had an initial speed of 790 m / s and at a distance of 500 m pierced armor up to 140 mm thick. The IS-2 was baptized by fire in the Korsun-Shevchenko operation in February 1944.

In the second quarter of 1944, the aiming devices were improved, the gun mask was widened. Since mid-1944, the IS-2 began to be produced with a modified body - now its frontal part has become the same as that of the T-34. Instead of an inspection hatch, the driver received a triplex inspection slit. The tank was named the IS-2M.

Comparing the IS-2 to the KV-1, the IS-2 is faster, easier to operate and easier to repair in the field. The IS-2 was equipped with a D-25T 122mm gun, which was 1.5 times superior to the German "eight-eight" in muzzle energy, and was more penetrating. But with a poor rate of fire.

The Germans, knowing in advance about the imminent appearance of new types of tanks in the Soviet Union, in 1942 began to design a new, more armored tank, which was the Königstiger (Tiger II) - the king's tiger, like the IS-2, is one of the most powerful serial heavy tanks and the last tank of Nazi Germany. The situation with its design is almost the same as with the first tiger. Only if in the first case the hull was from Henschel, and the tower from Porch, that in this case the royal tiger is the full merit of Aders. This monster was armed with the KwK 43 L / 71 gun, which was more penetrating than the Soviet D-25T. I would like to add that in the second tiger all the mistakes of the first were corrected. Produced from 1944 to 1945, only 489 tanks were made.

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

Conclusion

Thus, with the words from the march of the tankers "Armor is strong, and our tanks are fast" I agree half. In the category of medium tanks, the T-34 is undoubtedly superior. But in the category of heavy tanks, in my opinion, the best is the German P-VI Tiger.

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

References and sources

1. The Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945. Events. People. Documents: Brief history. Reference / Under total. Ed. O. A. Rzheshevsky; Comp. E.K. Zhigunov. - M.: Politizdat, 1990 .-- 464 p .: ill., Maps.

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

3. History of military art: A textbook for higher military educational institutions / Under total. ed. I.Kh.Bagramyan. - M.: Military publishing house of the USSR Ministry of Defense, 1970. - 308 p.

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

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

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

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

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

Appendix A

QUESTIONNAIRE.

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

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

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

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

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

Which tank was considered the best in the Soviet Union?

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

What is the best tank in your opinion?

Soviet tank T - 34;

German tank Pz-5 "Panther";

Soviet tank KV - 2;

German tank Pz-6 "Tiger";

Soviet tank IS.

Appendix B

QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS.

Chart 1.

Chart 2.

Chart 3.

Chart 4.

Chart 5.

Appendix C

Table 1

	Specifications	soviet medium tanks		german medium tanks
	Specifications		T-34-85
	Crew (people)
for reference	Mass (tons)	26 tons, 500 kg.		19 tons 500 kg.
	Engine type	diesel	diesel	petrol	petrol
	Engine power (hp)
	Specific power (power to weight). How many hp accounted for one ton of tank weight.
	Maximum speed on the highway (km per hour)
	Power reserve (km.)
	Specific ground pressure (grams per square centimeter)
Assessment, points

Table 2.

	Specifications	soviet medium tanks		german medium tanks
	Specifications		T-34-85
	Tower forehead, mm.
	Tower side, mm.
	Top of the tower, mm.				18
	Body forehead, mm.
	Side wall of the case, mm.
	Bottom, mm.
	Height, cm.
	Width, cm.
	Length, cm.
	Target volume, cubic meters	49	66	40	45
Assessment, points

Table 3.

	Specifications	soviet medium tanks		german medium tanks
	Specifications	T-34-76	T-34-85
	Name of the tool		ZIS-S-53
	Installation start, year	from 1941	from March 1944	from 1941	since 1943	1937-1942	1942-1943	1943-1945
	Tanks manufactured during the war, pcs.	35 467	15 903	597	663	1 133	1 475	6 088
	Caliber, mm
	Barrel length, calibers
	Barrel length, m
	Practical rate of fire, shot / m
	Armor-piercing shells, impact angle 60 °
	at a distance of 100 meters, mm. armor
	at a distance of 500 meters, mm. armor
	at a distance of 1000 meters, mm. armor
	at a distance of 1500 meters, mm. armor
	at a distance of 2000 meters, mm. armor
	High-explosive fragmentation shells, maximum range, km
	number of fragments, pcs.
	radius of destruction, m
	quantity of explosive, gr.
	Full turn towers, seconds
	Telescopic sight	TMFD-7
	increase, times
	Machine guns	2x7.62 mm	2x7.62 mm	2x7.92 mm	2x7.92 mm	2x7.92 mm	2x7.92 mm	2x7.92 mm
	Ammunition of cartridges
	Ammunition of shells
Assessment, points

Table 4.

Technical characteristics of medium tanks

Name	"Panther"	Pz.kpfw IV ausf H


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

Table 5.

Technical characteristics of heavy tanks

Name	"Panther"	Pz.kpfw VI Tiger II


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

The exhibition of weapons, military equipment and fortifications of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War presents a fairly complete collection of Soviet armored vehicles of the war period, British and American armored vehicles supplied to the Soviet Union in 1941-1945 under Lend-Lease, as well as armored vehicles of our main enemies in the years of the war - Germany and Japan.

During the Second World War, armored forces, as the experience of their combat use showed, played a decisive role in battles, performing a wide range of tasks in all types of combat, both independently and together with other types of troops. They grew both quantitatively and qualitatively, rightfully becoming the main striking force of the armies of various states. Over the six years of World War II, about 350,000 armored combat vehicles took part in battles on both sides: tanks, self-propelled artillery units (ACS), armored vehicles (BA) and armored personnel carriers (APCs).

Soviet military thought in the pre-war years assigned tanks an important role. They were supposed to be used in all types of hostilities. As part of rifle formations, they were intended to break through the tactical defense zone as a means of direct support for the infantry (NPP), operating in close cooperation with other branches of the military. Most of the tanks were in service with tank and mechanized formations, which had the task of developing success in the operational depth after breaking through the defense.

During the first five-year plans in the Soviet Union, the necessary production base was created for the mass production of tanks. Already in 1931, factories provided the Red Army with 740 vehicles. For comparison: in 1930, the troops received only 170 tanks, and in 1932 - 3121 vehicles, including 1,032 light T-26 tanks, 396 light high-speed BT-2 tanks and 1,693 T-27 tankettes. No other country built such a number of tanks at that time. And this pace was practically maintained until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

In 1931-1941, 42 samples of various types of tanks were created in the USSR, of which 20 samples were adopted and put into mass production: T-27 tankettes; light tanks for infantry support T-26; light wheeled-tracked high-speed tanks of mechanized formations BT-5 / BT-7; light reconnaissance amphibious tanks T-37 / T-38 / T-40; medium tanks of direct support of infantry T-28; heavy tanks of additional quality reinforcement when breaking through the fortified T-35 bands. At the same time, attempts were made in the Soviet Union to create self-propelled artillery mounts. However, it was not possible to fully work out and launch the ACS into serial production.

All in all, in the Soviet Union during these ten years, 29,262 tanks of all types were manufactured. In the 1930s, in the development of light tanks in our country, preference was given to wheeled-tracked vehicles, which then constituted the basis of the Red Army's tank fleet.

The fighting during the Spanish Civil War in 1936-1939 showed that tanks with bulletproof armor were already outdated. Soviet tankmen and technical specialists who visited Spain came to the conclusion that it was necessary to increase the thickness of the frontal armor of the hull and turret to 60 mm. Then the tank will not be afraid of the anti-tank guns, which the ground forces of various countries have begun to equip. For such a relatively heavy machine, as shown by tests, a purely tracked propulsion device was optimal. This conclusion of Soviet designers formed the basis for the creation of a new medium tank T-34, which rightfully won the fame of the best tank in the world during the Great Patriotic War.

At the turn of the 1930s - 1940s, domestic tank builders developed a clear idea of \u200b\u200bthe prospects for the development of armored vehicles. In the Soviet Union, various measures were taken to strengthen the Armed Forces. As a result, the Red Army received new medium (T-34) and heavy (KV-1 and KV-2) tanks with anti-cannon armor, powerful weapons and high mobility. In terms of fighting qualities, they were superior to foreign models and fully met modern requirements.

The development of tanks, engines, weapons in the USSR was carried out by design teams under the leadership of N.N. Kozyreva (T-27), N.N. Barykov (T-26 and T-28), A.O. Firsova (BT), N.A. Astrova (T-37), O.M. Ivanova (T-35), M.I. Koshkina and A.A. Morozov (T-34), J. Ya. Kotina (KV and IS-2), M.F. Balzhi (IS-3), I. Ya. Trashutin and K. Chelpan (diesel engine V-2), V.G. Grabin (tank guns, V.A. Degtyarev (tank machine guns), E.I. Maron and V.A.Agntsev (tank sights).

By 1941, serial production of tanks was organized in the USSR, which met all the requirements of that time. By the beginning of World War II, and then during the war, tanks were produced by about two dozen factories in the country: the Leningrad Kirov Plant, the Moscow Plant named after I. S. Ordzhonikidze, Kharkov Locomotive Plant, Stalingrad Tractor Plant, Gorky Plant "Krasnoe Sormovo", Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant ("Tankograd"), Ural Tank Plant in Nizhny Tagil, etc.

Mass deliveries of armored vehicles made it possible in the mid-1930s to start organizing mechanized corps in the Red Army, which was 5-6 years ahead of the appearance of such formations in the armed forces of Germany and other countries. Already in 1934, a new branch of troops was created in the Red Army - the armored forces (since December 1942 - armored and mechanized troops), which to this day are the main striking force of the Ground Forces. At the same time, the 5th, 7th, 11th and 57th Special Mechanized Corps were deployed, transformed in August 1938 into tank corps. However, the armored forces were in the process of reorganization. In 1939, these formations were disbanded due to an incorrect assessment of the combat experience of using tanks in Spain. In May 1940, the Red Army armored forces consisted of: one T-35 tank brigade; three brigades T-28; 16 BT tank brigades; 22 tank brigades T-26; three motorized armored brigades; two separate tank regiments; one training tank regiment and one training battalion of motorized armored units. Their total number was 111,228 people. The ground forces also included six motorized divisions. Each of them had one tank regiment. In total, the motorized division had 258 light tanks per staff.

The study of the combat experience of using armored and mechanized troops during the outbreak of World War II allowed Soviet military specialists to develop a scientifically grounded theory of the combat use of tank and mechanized formations and units, both in combined arms combat and in independent actions. This theory has received further development during the Great Patriotic War.

The hostilities that were at the river. Khalkhin-Gol units and formations of the Red Army have clearly proved that much can be achieved by the active use of mobile tank formations. Powerful tank formations were widely used by Germany during the first period of World War II. All this proved that an urgent need to return to the creation of large armored formations. Therefore, in 1940, the restoration of 9 mechanized corps, 18 tank and 8 mechanized divisions began in the Red Army, and in February - March 1941, the formation of another 21 mechanized corps began. To fully equip the new mechanized corps, 16,600 tanks of only new types were required, and in total, about 32,000 tanks.

On June 13, 1941, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General N.F. Vatutin in the "Information on the deployment of the Armed Forces of the USSR in case of war in the West" noted: "In total there are 303 divisions in the USSR: rifle divisions - 198, tank divisions - 61, motorized divisions - 31 ..." Thus, instead of 42 previous tank divisions brigades and six motorized divisions in the Red Army a week before the outbreak of the war, there were 92 tank and motorized divisions. However, as a result of such a rapid reorganization of the troops, less than half of the corps being formed received the necessary weapons and military equipment. In the tank units, there was an acute shortage of tank commanders and technical specialists, since the commanders who came from rifle and cavalry formations did not have practical experience in the combat use of tank forces and the operation of armored vehicles.

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

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

During the war, the relative number of light tanks in the active army was continuously reduced, although in 1941-1942 their production increased in quantitative terms. This was due to the need to supply the troops with the largest possible number of combat vehicles in a short time, and it was relatively simple to organize the production of light tanks.

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

In the fall of 1941, a light tank T-60 was created, and in 1942 - a T-70. Their introduction into serial production was facilitated by the low cost of production, thanks to the use of automotive units, as well as the simplicity of design. But the war showed that light tanks are not effective enough on the battlefield due to the weakness of weapons and armor. Therefore, from the end of 1942, their production was noticeably reduced, and in the late autumn of 1943 it was discontinued.

The vacated production facilities were used for the production of light self-propelled units SU-76, created on the basis of the T-70. Medium tanks T-34 from the first days took part in hostilities. They had undoubted superiority over the German Pz tanks. Krfw. III and Pz. Krfw. IV. German specialists had to urgently upgrade their machines.

In the spring of 1942, the Pz tank appeared on the Eastern Front. Krfw. IV modification F2 with a new 75mm cannon and reinforced armor. In a duel duel, he won the T-34, but was inferior to him in maneuverability and maneuverability. In response, Soviet designers reinforced the T-34's cannon and the thickness of the turret's frontal armor. By the summer of 1943, the Germans had equipped tank units with new tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts (Pz. Krfw. V "Panther"; Pz. Krfw.VI "Tiger"; ACS "Ferdinand", etc.) with more powerful armor protection, fire from them 75 - and 88-mm long-barreled guns hit our armored vehicles from a distance of 1000 meters or more.

New Soviet tanks T-34-85 and IS-2, armed with 85-mm and 122-mm cannons (respectively), by the beginning of 1944 were able to restore the advantage of Soviet armored vehicles in armor protection and firepower. All this taken together, allowed the Soviet Union to gain an unconditional advantage over Germany, both in the quality of armored vehicles and in the number of samples produced.

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

On October 23, 1942, the State Defense Committee decided to begin work on the creation of two types of self-propelled guns: light - for direct fire support of infantry and medium, armored like a medium tank T-34 - to support and escort tanks in battle. Tank builders for a light self-propelled gun equipped with a 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon used the base of the T-70 tank. This machine was well established and relatively easy to manufacture. It was also taken into account that the supply of light tanks to the front was gradually reduced. Then came: the medium SAU SU-122 - a 122 mm howitzer based on the T-34 tank and the heavy SU-152 - 152-mm howitzer gun based on the KV-1S tank. In 1943, the Supreme Command decided to transfer self-propelled artillery units from the GAU to the Commander of the Armored and Mechanized Forces. This contributed to a sharp increase in the quality of ACS and the growth of their production. In the same year, 1943, the formation of self-propelled artillery regiments for tank, mechanized and cavalry corps began. On the offensive, light self-propelled guns accompanied the infantry, medium and heavy self-propelled guns fought against tanks, assault guns, anti-tank artillery enemy, destroyed defensive structures.

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

The 100-mm gun installed on the SU-100 SPG surpassed the 88-mm guns of German tanks and SPGs in terms of the power of armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation shells, not inferior to them in rate of fire. During the war, self-propelled artillery units proved to be a highly effective formidable weapon and, at the suggestion of tankers, the designers developed an ACS based on heavy tanks IS-2, and armor-piercing shells entered the ammunition load of heavy self-propelled guns ISU-122 and ISU-152, which allowed, at the final stage of the war , destroy almost all types of German tanks and self-propelled guns. Light self-propelled guns were developed in the design bureau under the leadership of S.A. Ginzburg (SU-76); L.L. Terentyev and M.N. Shchukin (SU-76 M); medium - in the design bureau under the leadership of N.V. Kurina, L.I. Gorlitsky, A.N. Balashova, V.N. Sidorenko (SU-122, SU-85, SU-100); heavy - in the design bureau under the leadership of J.Ya. Kotina, S.N. Makhonina, L.S. Troyanova, S.P. Gurenko, F.F. Petrov (SU-152, ISU-152, ISU-122).

In January 1943, the formation of tank armies of a uniform composition began in the Red Army - the 1st and 2nd tank armies appeared, and by the summer of the same year there were already five tank armies in the Red Army, which consisted of two tank corps and one mechanized corps. Now armored and mechanized troops included: tank armies, tank and mechanized corps, tank and mechanized brigades and regiments.

During the war, Soviet armored vehicles were not inferior to Wehrmacht equipment, and often surpassed it both qualitatively and quantitatively. Already in 1942, 24,504 tanks and self-propelled guns were produced in the USSR, i.e. four times more than the German industry produced in the same year (5953 tanks and self-propelled guns). Considering the failures of the first period of the war, this was a real feat of Soviet tank builders.

Colonel General of the Engineering and Technical Service Zh.Ya. Kotin noted that an invaluable feature of the Soviet tank building school played a huge role in this - the maximum possible design simplicity, the pursuit of the complex only if the same effect cannot be achieved by simple means.

The number of Soviet tanks participating in operations was constantly increasing: 780 tanks took part in the Moscow battle (1941-1942), 979 in the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), in the Belarusian strategic offensive operation (1944) - 5200, in the Berlin operation (1945) - 6,250 tanks and self-propelled guns. According to the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, General of the Army A.I. Antonova, “... the second half of the war was marked by the predominance of our tanks and self-propelled artillery on the battlefields. This allowed us to carry out operational maneuvers on a huge scale, to surround large enemy groupings, to pursue them until they are completely destroyed. "

In total, in 1941-1945, the Soviet tank industry gave the front 103,170 tanks and self-propelled guns (the latter - 22,500, of which - medium - more than 2,000, and heavy - more than 4,200), Of this amount, light tanks accounted for 18.8%, medium - 70.4% (T-34 with a 76-mm gun 36 331, and with an 85-mm gun - 17 898 more tanks) and heavy - 10.8%.

During the fighting, about 430,000 combat vehicles were returned to service after repairs in the field or at the factory, that is, each tank made by industry was repaired and restored on average more than four times.

Along with the mass production of armored vehicles during the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army received tanks and self-propelled guns that came from Great Britain, Canada and the United States under Lend-Lease. The transportation of armored vehicles was carried out mainly along three routes: the north - across the Atlantic and the Barents Sea, the south - through the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and Iran, and the east - across the Pacific Ocean. The first transport with tanks arrived in the USSR from Great Britain in September 1941. And by the beginning of 1942, the Red Army had received 750 British and 180 American tanks. Many of them were used in the battle of Moscow in the winter of 1941-1942. In total, during the Great Patriotic War for the Soviet Union, according to Western sources, 3805 tanks were shipped to Great Britain, including 2394 Valentine, 1084 Matilda, 301 Churchill, 20 Tetrarch, 6 Cromwell. To these should be added 25 Valentine bridge tanks. Canada provided the USSR with 1,388 Valentine tanks. In the United States, 7172 tanks were loaded on ships under Lend-Lease, including 1676 light MZA1, 7 light M5 and M24, 1386 medium MZAZ, 4102 medium M4A2, one M26, as well as 707 anti-tank self-propelled guns (mainly M10 and M18), 1,100 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns (M15, M16 and M 17), and 6666 armored personnel carriers. However, not all of these vehicles took part in the hostilities. So, under the blows of the German fleet and aviation, 860 American and 615 British tanks were sent to the seabed along with the ships of the Arctic convoys. With a fairly high degree of reliability, we can say that in the four years of the war, 18,566 armored vehicles were delivered to the USSR, of which 10,395 tanks, 6,242 armored personnel carriers, 1802 self-propelled guns and 127 armored vehicles, which were used in units, formations and training units of the Red Army.

Soviet tankers during the Great Patriotic War showed examples of the effective use of armored weapons, although the enemy was strong and had very powerful military equipment. The Motherland deservedly noted the feat of Soviet tankmen: in their ranks there were 1,150 Heroes of the Soviet Union (including 16 - twice Heroes), and more than 250,000 were awarded orders and medals. On July 1, 1946, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the professional holiday "Day of the Tankman" was established to commemorate the great merits of armored and mechanized troops in defeating the enemy during the Great Patriotic War, as well as for the merits of tank builders in equipping the Armed Forces of the country with armored vehicles. It is deeply symbolic that the legendary T-34 tank was often installed on the pedestals of monuments in honor of the liberation of Soviet cities from Nazi captivity, and many of the Soviet tanks of that time took their place of honor in many domestic museums.

In its modern form, armored forces represent the main striking force of the Ground Forces, being a powerful means of armed struggle, designed to solve the most important tasks in various types of combat operations. The importance of the tank forces as one of the main branches of the Ground Forces will continue in the near foreseeable future. At the same time, the tank will retain its role as the leading universal combat means Ground Forces. IN post-war years The armored forces received numerous modern models of tanks, self-propelled artillery installations, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and airborne combat vehicles, which embodied the latest achievements of domestic science and technology.

The German army, our main enemy during the Great Patriotic War, had very powerful armored forces (Panzerwaffe). The Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 forbade Germany to have tank troops and to produce armored vehicles. However, in violation of its terms, already at the end of the 1920s, the Germans began to secretly work in the field of tank building, and with the coming to power of Hitler in January 1933, all restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles were dropped, and the creation of a mass army began at an accelerated pace in Germany. Tanks had a special place in it.

The initiator of the construction of armored forces and the theorist of their use in the war was General G. Guderian. According to his views, tanks were to be used massively as part of large mechanized shock formations in cooperation with other branches of the armed forces, primarily with aviation. Having broken through the enemy defenses, and, without waiting for the infantry, the tanks must go out into the operational space, smash the rear, disrupting communications and paralyzing the work of the enemy headquarters. He listed the advantages of tanks in the following order: mobility, weapons, armor, and communications.

During the Second World War, the German Panzerwaffe became the basis of the "blitzkrieg", constituting the main striking force of the Ground Forces of the Third Reich. The Wehrmacht abandoned the division of tanks according to their intended purpose - into infantry and cruising. Tanks, brought together in large formations, had to perform any functions if necessary: \u200b\u200bboth infantry escort tanks and success development tanks. Although the complete rejection of relatively small tank units designed for close cooperation with infantry formations and units also cannot be considered successful. The Wehrmacht switched (similar to the Red Army) to a division of tanks into light, medium and heavy. But if in the USSR such a criterion was only the mass of a tank, then in Germany tanks for a long time were divided into classes, both in terms of mass and armament. For example, the original tank Pz. Krfw. IV was considered a heavy combat vehicle, based on its armament - 75 mm cannon - and was considered as such until the summer of 1943.

All tanks that entered service with the Wehrmacht received the letter abbreviation Pz. Krfw. (abbreviated from Ranzegkampfwagen - armored combat vehicle) and serial number. Modifications were designated by letters of the Latin alphabet and the abbreviation Ausf. - (abbreviated Ausfuhrung - model, option). The command tanks were designated Pz.Bf.Wg. (Panzerbefehlswagen). Simultaneously with this type of designation, an end-to-end system was also used for all mobile assets of the Wehrmacht. According to the through system, most of the armored vehicles of the Wehrmacht (with some exceptions) received the designation Sd. Kfz. (abbreviated Sonderkraftfahrzeug - special purpose vehicle) and serial number.

Self-propelled artillery mounts, considered as a means of reinforcing infantry and tanks on the battlefield, were designated differently, since the Wehrmacht and the SS troops had a large number of their classes and types in service. Assault guns had their own designation system, self-propelled howitzers, ZSU and anti-tank installations had their own. At the same time, the official designation of almost any ACS, as a rule, included information about the tank chassis on the basis of which it was created. Like tanks, most self-propelled artillery mounts also had end-to-end indexes with serial numbers in the Sd. Kfz. The classification of self-propelled artillery installations of the Wehrmacht differed according to several main classes: assault guns (Sturmgeschutz; StuG); assault howitzers (Sturmhaubitze; StuH); self-propelled carriages and chassis (Selbstfahrlafetten; Sf.); assault infantry guns (Sturminfanteriengeschutz; StuIG); assault tanks (Sturmpanzer; StuPz.); tank destroyers / self-propelled anti-tank guns (Panzerjager, Pz.Jg; Jagdpanzer Jgd.Pz); howitzer self-propelled guns (Panzerhaubitze; Рz.Н); self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (Flakpanzer, Fl.Pz). The disorder with classification and designations was aggravated by the fact that machines of one of the types, after modernization and changes in their design, acquired completely different properties, the so-called. 75 mm StuG assault gun. III, which after mounting a 75-mm long-barreled cannon in it, actually turned into a tank destroyer, but continued to be listed as an assault weapon. Self-propelled anti-tank installations "Marder" also underwent changes in designation, instead of the original "Rak Slf" (self-propelled anti-tank gun), they became known as "Panzerjager" (tank destroyer).

The light Pz was the first serial German tank. Krfw. I, entered the army in 1934. The next year, the second light tank Pz appeared. Krfw. II. These vehicles were tested in combat conditions during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939.

The creation of medium tanks in Germany was delayed due to unsteady tactical and technical requirements for them, although some firms in 1934 began to develop a prototype with a 75-mm cannon. Guderian considered it necessary to have two types of medium tanks: a main tank (Pz. Krfw. III) with a 37-mm cannon and a support tank with a 75-mm short-barreled gun (Pz. Krfw. IV). Production of Pz tanks. Krfw. III and Pz. Krfw. IV began in 1938 only.

After the capture of the Czech Republic, in March 1939, the Wehrmacht received more than 400 modern Czech tanks LT-35 (Pz. Krfw. 35 (t)). In addition, the German tank forces were significantly strengthened by the LT-38 tanks (Pz.Krfw. 38 (t)) produced in occupied Moravia, but already on German orders, which had higher combat characteristics than the Pz tanks. Krfw. I and Pz. Krfw. II.

On September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht's tank fleet in combat, training units and at bases consisted of 3195 vehicles. There were about 2,800 of them in the active army.

The losses of the Germans in armored vehicles during the Polish campaign were small (198 destroyed and 361 damaged) and were quickly replenished by industry. Following the September (1939) battles, Guderian demanded to strengthen the armor and firepower tanks and increase the production of Pz. Krfw. W and Pz. Krfw. IV. By the beginning of the campaign in France (May 10, 1940), 5 German tank corps had 2,580 tanks. British and French tanks outnumbered the enemy in terms of armor and armament, but the German tank forces had higher training and combat experience, and were also better controlled. They were used massively, while the allies fought tank battles in small groups, sometimes not having close cooperation either with each other or with the infantry. The victory went to the German shock groups.

To attack the Soviet Union german command 3582 tanks and self-propelled guns were concentrated in 17 tank divisions. These included 1,698 light tanks: 180 Pz. Krfw. I; 746 Pz. Krfw. II; 149 Pz. 35 (t); 623 Pz. 38 (t) and 1404 medium tanks: 965 Pz. Krfw. III; 439 Pz. Krfw. IV, as well as 250 assault guns. The troops also had 230 command tanks that did not have cannon armament. The battles on the Soviet-German front revealed a number of technical shortcomings of German tanks. Their passability and mobility on the ground turned out to be low. In terms of armament and armor, they were significantly inferior to the Soviet T-34 and KV. It became clear to the command of the Wehrmacht that the troops needed more powerful machines. While the development of new medium and heavy tanks was underway, the rearmament of the Pz began. Krfw. IV (a long-barreled 75-mm gun was installed with a simultaneous increase in its armor). This temporarily equated it with Soviet tanks in terms of armament and armor. But according to the rest of the data, the T-34 retained its superiority.

Even at the height of World War II, the Germans did not immediately begin to force the release of military equipment, but only when the ghost of defeat loomed in front of them. At the same time, in the course of hostilities, the material part of the German tank forces was continuously improved in quality and increased in quantity. Since 1943, the Germans began to massively use the Pz medium tank on the battlefields. Krfw. V "Panther" and heavy Pz. Krfw. VI "Tiger". In these new Wehrmacht tanks, the weapons were better developed, and their disadvantage was, first of all, a large mass. The thick armor did not save the Wehrmacht vehicles from the shells of Soviet cannons mounted on the T-34-85 and IS-2 tanks and the SU-100 and ISU-122 self-propelled guns. To gain superiority over the Soviet tank IS-2, in 1944 a new heavy tank Pz.Krfw was created. VI In the "King Tiger". It was the heaviest production tank of the Second World War. During the war, German industry began to produce more and more self-propelled artillery mounts for various purposes. As the Wehrmacht moved to defensive operations, the proportion of self-propelled artillery grew in comparison with tanks. In 1943, the production of self-propelled units exceeded the production of tanks, and in the last months of the war exceeded it three times. On the Soviet-German front in different time there were approximately 65 to 80% of the armored vehicles of the Wehrmacht.

If the armored vehicles of Germany, created in the period 1934 - 1940, were mainly distinguished by high reliability, simplicity and ease of maintenance and operation, ease of control, then the equipment created during the war years could no longer boast of such indicators. Haste and haste in the development and launch into production of the Pz.Krfw.V "Panther", Pz.Krfw.VI Ausf.E "Tiger" and Pz.Krfw.VI Ausf tanks. B ("Royal Tiger") negatively affected their reliability and operational characteristics, especially the tanks "Panther" and "Royal" Tiger ". In addition, the Wehrmacht also used captured armored vehicles, but in rather limited quantities. Captured tanks, as a rule, were outdated and of little value to the front (except for the Czechoslovak model LT-38). The Wehrmacht used them in secondary theaters of military operations, for the occupation forces and the fight against partisans, as well as for training tankers.

Captured equipment was also used for alteration for self-propelled artillery units, armored personnel carriers for the delivery of ammunition, etc. All factories of the European states occupied by the Germans also worked for the German Wehrmacht. Two large factories of the Czech Republic "Skoda" (Pilsen) and SKD (Prague), renamed VMM, produced tanks and self-developed self-propelled guns based on them until the end of the war. In total, Czech factories produced more than 6,000 tanks and self-propelled guns. Tank factories in France were mainly involved in the alteration of captured French tanks, their repair or the manufacture of some spare parts for them, but not a single new tank or self-propelled gun was assembled there. In Austria, which was annexed to the Third Reich during the 1938 Anschluss, during the Second World War the tank assembly plant "Niebelungwerke" (Steyr-Daimler-Puch) was established in St. Valentine Its products were included in the total production of German factories. After Italy's surrender in 1943, its territory was partially occupied by German troops. Some tank-building factories in northern Italy, for example, Fiat-Ansaldo (Turin), continued to produce tanks and self-propelled guns for German formations operating in Italy. Between 1943 and 1945 they produced over 400 vehicles. In total, from September 1939 to March 1945, the German industry produced about 46,000 tanks and self-propelled guns, the latter accounting for more than 22,100 units. In addition to these machines, in Germany during the Second World War, tracked, wheeled and half-tracked armored personnel carriers, armored vehicles, and transporter tractors were also produced.

The first British Mk V tanks entered Japan in 1918, and in 1921 - the Mk A tanks and the French Renault FT 17. In 1925, two tank companies were formed from these vehicles. The Japanese began their own tank building only in 1927, when several prototypes of multi-turret tanks weighing about 20 tons were created. In the same years, British Vickers-6-ton tanks and the Carden-Loyd MkVI tankette, French Renault NC1 tanks were purchased (the latter were in service until 1940 under the designation Otsu). On their basis, Japanese firms began developing tankettes and light tanks.

In 1931-1936, the Type 89 medium tank was produced in small series. This designation of military equipment was adopted by the armed forces based on the Japanese chronology, according to which the Japanese year 2589 corresponded to the 1929 year of the Gregorian calendar. In 1933, the Japanese leadership and the military command decided to mechanize the Japanese army and issued appropriate orders to industry. At first, Japanese designers preferred tankettes. The first of them - type 92 (1932), followed by the midget tank type 94 (1934) and the small tank type 97 "Te-ke" (1937). In total, more than 1000 tankettes were built until 1937. However, further production of this class of vehicles ceased due to their low combat qualities, although it was in Japan that the design of the tankette reached its greatest development.

Since the mid-1930s, the Japanese tank building industry has completely switched to the development of light and medium vehicles. In 1935, the most massive light tank "Ha-go" was created, and in 1937 - the medium "Chi-ha". The latter, until the end of World War II, was the main model of the Japanese armored forces. In 1937, the rate of production of tanks increased in connection with supplies for the Kwantung Army in Manchuria. At the same time, the modernization of machines "Ha-go" and "Chi-ha" was carried out. In the mid-1930s, the command of the Japanese army first showed interest in the production of amphibious tanks, which were necessary for carrying out amphibious assault operations in a future war. At this time, samples of amphibious tanks were being developed.

Japanese tank building of the 1920s - 1930s is characterized by a thorough study of foreign experience; hobby for wedges; the concentration of efforts on the creation of light and medium tanks for arming the Kwantung Army in China, as well as, starting in 1933, the use of diesel engines in tanks. Japanese tanks were tested in battle during military operations in the 1930s and early 1940s in the Far East against Chinese and Mongolian troops, as well as units of the Red Army. Experience gained combat use tanks forced Japanese designers, first of all, to look for ways to increase their firepower and enhance armor protection. In total, between 1931 and 1939, the Japanese industry produced 2020 tanks. 16 samples were developed, including 7 serial ones.

With the beginning of the war in Europe, the production of tanks in Japan is gaining momentum: in 1940, 1,023 vehicles were manufactured, in 1941 - 1,024. Taking into account the country's insular position, the Japanese military leadership did not seek to build up its tank and troops. In the instruction on the training of troops, published in 1935, it was noted: "The main purpose of tanks is to fight in close cooperation with the infantry." From a tactical point of view, tanks were considered only as a means of supporting the infantry and were reduced to small units. Their main tasks were considered: the fight against firing points and field artillery and making passes for infantry in obstacles. Tanks could be sent into "close raids" beyond the front edge of the enemy's defense to a depth of no more than 600 m. At the same time, having violated his defense system, they had to return to their infantry and support its attack. The most maneuverable type of combat operations were "deep raids" along with cavalry, motorized infantry in vehicles, sappers and field artillery. On the defensive, tanks were used to carry out frequent counterattacks (mainly at night) or to fire from an ambush. Fighting enemy tanks was allowed only when absolutely necessary. In November 1941, according to the operational plan of the headquarters, the main forces of the fleet and aviation were involved in the capture of the Philippine Islands, Malaya, Burma and other territories, and 11 infantry divisions and only 9 tank regiments were allocated from the ground forces.

By December 1941, the tank fleet of the Japanese army consisted of about 2,000 vehicles: mainly light tanks "Ha-go" and tankettes, medium tanks "Chi-ha" there were several hundred. Since 1940, the main tanks "Ha-go" and "Chi-ha" were modernized. As a result, the light tank "Ke-nu" and the medium "Chi-he" were built in noticeable quantities during the war years. In 1942, the designers created the Ka-mi amphibious tank, which experts consider the best example in the history of Japanese tank building. But its release was extremely limited. In the same year, a limited number of self-propelled artillery units were sent to the Japanese army to fight the tanks of the allies and to support their troops.

Japanese tanks had weak armament and armor, satisfactory mobility, and were also not reliable enough and did not have good means of observation and communication. In terms of armament, protection and other characteristics, these machines lagged behind the models of other belligerent countries. Therefore, by the end of the war, the Japanese manuals already considered tanks as one of the most effective anti-tank weapons, and often tanks in the defense were buried in the ground. The main feature of Japanese tank building was the widespread use of diesel engines. During the war, Japanese tank building experienced a constant shortage of raw materials (steel) and skilled labor. Tank production in Japan reached its maximum level in 1942 and then began to decline. In total, the Japanese industry produced 2377 tanks and 147 self-propelled guns in 1942-1945.

The Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War is persistently working to identify and collect material evidence of the heroic and tragic past. With each subsequent year after the war, it becomes more and more difficult to carry out work on completing their collections with new models of armored vehicles. Currently, the museum has tanks and other armored vehicles of domestic production of the pre-war, war and post-war periods of production. This makes it possible to reveal the main stages of domestic tank building, to show the intense work of workers, engineers, designers, technologists, production organizers, all home front workers in achieving Victory in incredibly difficult conditions.

The collection of armored vehicles of the USSR, Great Britain, USA, Germany and Japan has been created by the museum staff since 1990. Great assistance in this work was provided by the Main Automobile and Armored Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the leadership Border troops FSB of Russia, military-patriotic public associations, search groups, veteran organizations tankers. The museum recreates the missing samples of armored vehicles by building their models from the surviving fragments found by search associations. In this way, the layout of the KV-1 heavy tank and the layouts of Japanese tanks were recreated. A number of exhibits were restored by specialists from the 38th Scientific Research Testing Institute of Armored Vehicles of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation before being placed at the weapons exhibition.

-When I saw the Russians, I was surprised. How did the Russians get from the Volga to Berlin in such primitive machines? When I saw them and the horses, I thought it couldn't be. Technically advanced German and artillery was very much inferior to Russian technology. Do you know why? Everything must be accurate with us. And snow and mud don't help precision. When I was captured, I had a "Sturmgever" modern weapons, but he refused after three shots - sand hit ... - Gunther Kuehne, Wehrmacht soldier

Any war is a clash not only of troops, but also of the industrial and economic systems of the belligerents. This question must be remembered when trying to assess the merits of certain types of military equipment, as well as the successes of the troops achieved with this equipment. When assessing the success or failure of a combat vehicle, one must clearly remember not only its technical characteristics, but also the costs that were invested in its production, the number of units produced, and so on. Simply put, an integrated approach is important.
That is why the assessment of a single tank or aircraft and loud statements about the "best" model of war must be critically assessed each time. It is possible to create an invincible tank, but quality issues almost always conflict with issues of simplicity of manufacture and the mass scale of such equipment. There is no point in creating an invincible tank if the industry cannot organize its mass production, and the cost of the tank will be the same as that of an aircraft carrier. The balance between the fighting qualities of equipment and the ability to quickly establish large-scale production is important.

In this regard, it is of interest how this balance was maintained by the belligerent powers in different levels the military-industrial system of the state. How much and what kind of military equipment was produced, and how it influenced the results of the war. This article is an attempt to bring together statistical data on the production of armored vehicles by Germany and the USSR during the Second World War and the next pre-war period.

Statistics.

The data obtained are summarized in a table, which requires some explanation.

1. Approximate figures are highlighted in red. Basically, they relate to two types - captured French equipment, as well as the number of self-propelled guns produced on the chassis of German armored personnel carriers. The first is connected with the impossibility of establishing exactly how many trophies were actually used by the Germans in the troops. The second is due to the fact that the release of an ACS on an armored personnel carrier chassis was often carried out by retrofitting already released armored personnel carriers without heavy weapons, by installing a cannon with a machine tool on an armored personnel carrier chassis.

2. The table contains information about all guns, tanks and armored vehicles. For example, the line "assault guns" includes German self-propelled guns sd.kfz.250 / 8 and sd.kfz.251 / 9, which are an armored personnel carrier chassis with a short-barreled 75 cm gun installed. The corresponding number of linear armored personnel carriers is excluded from the line "armored personnel carriers" etc.

3. Soviet self-propelled guns did not have a narrow specialization, and could fight both tanks and support the infantry. However, they are categorized into different categories. For example, the Soviet breakthrough self-propelled guns SU / ISU-122/152, as well as the self-propelled guns of su-76 infantry support, were the closest to the German assault guns as conceived by the designers. And such self-propelled guns, such as the Su-85 and Su-100, had a pronounced anti-tank character and are classified as "tank destroyers".

4. The category of "self-propelled artillery" includes guns intended primarily for firing from closed positions out of line of sight of targets, including rocket launchers on armored chassis. On the Soviet side, only the BM-8-24 MLRS on the T-60 and T-40 chassis fell into this category.

5. Statistics include all production from 1932 to May 9, 1945. It was this technique, one way or another, that constituted the potential of the belligerents and was used in the war. The technique of earlier production by the beginning of the Second World War was outdated and did not represent any serious significance.

USSR

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

The obvious imbalance of the weapon system is striking. For the sake of the production of tanks, there are no whole classes of armored vehicles - armored personnel carriers, SPAAGs, control vehicles, etc. Not least, this situation is determined by the desire of the USSR to overcome the serious lag in the main types of weapons, inherited after the collapse of the Republic of Ingushetia and the civil war. Attention was focused on saturating the troops with the main striking force - tanks, while the support vehicles were ignored. This is logical - it is foolish to invest in the design of bridgelayers and ARVs in conditions when the production of the main weapon - tanks - is not well-established.

Ammunition transporter TP-26

At the same time, the USSR realized the flawedness of such a weapon system, and already on the eve of the Second World War, they were actively designing a wide variety of support equipment. These are armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery, repair and recovery vehicles, bridgelayers, etc. Most of this technology did not have time to be introduced into production before the beginning of the Second World War, and already during the war, its development had to be stopped. All this could not but affect the level of losses in the course of hostilities. So, for example, the absence of armored personnel carriers negatively affected the losses of the infantry and their mobility. Making many kilometers of foot marches, the infantrymen lost strength and part of their combat capability even before contact with the enemy.

Experienced armored personnel carrier TR-4

The gaps in the weapons system were partially filled with supplies from the allies. It is no coincidence that armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns and SPAAGs on the chassis of American armored personnel carriers were supplied to the USSR. The total number of such machines was about 8500, which is not much less number received tanks - 12,300.

Germany

The German side followed a completely different path. Having been defeated in WWI, Germany did not lose its design school and did not lose its technological superiority. Recall - in the USSR and there was nothing to lose, in Russian Empire tanks were not produced. Therefore, the Germans did not need to overcome the path from an agrarian state to an industrial one in a wild haste.

Having started preparations for war, the Germans were well aware that they could defeat numerous and economically strong opponents in the person of Great Britain and France, and then the USSR, only by ensuring a quality superiority, which the Germans traditionally do well without. But the question of mass character for Germany was not so acute - relying on the blitzkrieg strategy and the quality of weapons gave a chance to achieve victory with small forces. The first attempts have confirmed the success of the chosen course. Although not without problems, the Germans managed to defeat Poland, then France, and so on. The spatial scope of hostilities in the center of compact Europe was quite consistent with the number of tank forces at the disposal of the Germans. Obviously, these victories convinced the German command even more of the correctness of the chosen strategy.

Actually, this is why the Germans initially paid close attention to the balance of their weapons system. Here we see a variety of types of armored vehicles - ZSU, ammunition transporters, forward observer vehicles, ARVs. All this made it possible to build a well-functioning mechanism for waging war, which, like a steam roller, passed throughout Europe. Such a keen attitude towards support technology, which also contributes to the achievement of victory, can only be admired.

Actually, the first seeds of future defeat were laid in this weapon system. Germans - they are all Germans. Quality and reliability! But as mentioned above, quality and mass character almost always come into conflict. And once the Germans started a war, where everything was different - they attacked the USSR.

In the first year of the war, the blitzkrieg mechanism malfunctioned. The Russian open spaces were absolutely indifferent to the perfectly oiled, but scanty German technology. Here a different scope was required. And although the Red Army suffered defeat after defeat, it became difficult for the Germans to maneuver with the modest forces that they had. Losses in the protracted conflict were growing, and already in 1942 it became obvious that it was impossible to produce high-quality German equipment in the quantities necessary to make up for the losses. Rather, it is impossible in the same mode of operation of the economy. I had to start mobilizing the economy. However, these actions were very late - it was necessary to prepare for the situation before the attack.

Technics

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

Light tanks with machine-gun armament, as well as tankettes are allocated into a separate category. Formally being tanks, they represented a very low combat value for 1941. Nor the German Pz. I, nor the Soviet T-37 and T-38, the language does not turn to be included in a row with the formidable T-34 and even light BT or T-26. Passion for this technique in the USSR should be considered not a very successful experiment.

Self-propelled artillery is indicated separately. The difference between this category of armored vehicles from assault guns, tank destroyers and other self-propelled guns lies in the ability to fire from closed positions. For them, the destruction of troops by direct fire is rather an exception to the rule than a typical task. In fact, these are ordinary field howitzers or MLRS, mounted on the chassis of armored vehicles. At present, this practice has become the norm, as a rule, any artillery gun has a towed (for example, the 152-mm MSTA-B howitzer) and a self-propelled version (MSTA-S). At the time, this was new, and the Germans were among the first to implement the idea of \u200b\u200bself-propelled artillery, covered with armor. The USSR limited itself to experiments in this area, and the built self-propelled guns using howitzers were used not as classical artillery, but as a breakthrough weapon. At the same time, 64 were issued jet systems BM-8-24 on the T-40 and T-60 chassis. There is information that the troops were satisfied with them, and why their mass production was not organized is not clear.

MLRS BM-8-24 on the chassis of a light tank

The next category is combined arms armored vehicles, the task of which is to support the equipment of the first line, but not designed to destroy targets on the battlefield. This category includes armored personnel carriers and ZSU on armored chassis, armored vehicles. It is important to understand that such vehicles, by their design, are not intended to conduct combat in the same formation with tanks and infantry, although they should be behind them in close proximity. It is mistakenly believed that the armored personnel carrier is a battlefield vehicle. In fact, the armored personnel carriers were originally intended to transport infantry in the frontal zone and protect it from shrapnel. artillery shells on the initial lines of the attack. On the battlefield, armored personnel carriers, armed with a machine gun and protected by thin armor, could not help either the infantry or the tanks. Their large silhouette makes them a beautiful and easy target. If in reality they entered the battle, it was forced. Vehicles of this category affect the outcome of the battle indirectly - saving the lives and strength of the infantry. Their value in battle is significantly lower than that of tanks, although they are also necessary. In this category, the USSR practically did not produce its own equipment, and only by the middle of the war acquired a small number of vehicles supplied under Lend-Lease.

The temptation to classify the armored personnel carrier as a battlefield technique is fueled by the presence of very weak tanks in the ranks of the Red Army, for example, the T-60. Thin armor, primitive equipment, weak cannon - why is the German armored personnel carrier worse? Why is a tank with such weak performance characteristics a battlefield vehicle, but not an armored personnel carrier? First of all, a tank is a specialized vehicle, the main task of which is precisely the destruction of targets on the battlefield, which cannot be said about an armored personnel carrier. Although their armor is similar, the low, squat silhouette of the tank, its mobility, the ability to fire from a cannon clearly speaks of its purpose. An armored personnel carrier is precisely a transporter, and not a means of destroying the enemy. Nevertheless, those German armored personnel carriers that received specialized weapons, for example, 75-cm or 3.7-cm anti-tank guns, are taken into account in the table in the corresponding lines - anti-tank self-propelled guns... This is true, since this armored personnel carrier was eventually turned into a vehicle designed to destroy the enemy on the battlefield, albeit with weak armor and a high, clearly visible silhouette of the transporter.

As for armored vehicles, they were mainly intended for reconnaissance and security. The USSR produced a huge number of vehicles of this class, and the combat capabilities of a number of models came close to the capabilities of light tanks. However, this applies primarily to pre-war technology. It seems that the effort and money spent on their manufacture could have been spent with better benefit. For example, if some of them were intended for the transport of infantry, like conventional armored personnel carriers.

The next category is special vehicles without weapons. Their task is to provide troops, and armoring is needed primarily to protect against accidental fragments and bullets. Their presence in battle formations should be short-term; they do not have to constantly accompany the advancing troops. Their task is on time and in the right place, advancing from the rear, to solve specific tasks, avoiding contact with the enemy whenever possible.

Repair and recovery vehicles, the Germans produced about 700 units, plus about 200 converted from previously released equipment. In the USSR, such machines were created only on the basis of the T-26 and produced in the amount of 183 units. It is difficult to fully assess the potential of the repair forces of the parties, since the matter was not limited to ARVs alone. Sensing the need for this type of equipment, both Germany and the USSR were engaged in handicraft conversion of obsolete and partially faulty tanks into tow trucks and tractors. In the Red Army there were quite a few such vehicles with dismantled turrets based on the T-34, KV and IS tanks. Their exact number is not possible to establish, since they are all manufactured in combat units of the army, and not at factories. In the German army, despite the presence of specialized ARVs, similar homemade products were also made, and their number is also unknown.

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

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

As for the bridgelayers, their presence in the Red Army may be surprising. Nevertheless, it was the USSR that produced 65 of these vehicles on the basis of the T-26 tank under the designation ST-26 before the war. The Germans, on the other hand, produced several of these vehicles based on the Pz IV, Pz II and Pz I. However, neither the Soviet ST-26 nor the German bridge-laying machines had any effect on the course of the war.

Bridge tank ST-26

Finally, the Germans quite massively produced such specific machines as blasting charges stackers. The most massive of these vehicles, the Goliath, was a remotely controlled single-use tankette. This type of machine can hardly be attributed to any category, so their tasks are unique. The USSR did not produce such machines.

conclusions

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

The balance of the armament system of the German army is highly appreciated. In the pre-war period, the USSR was unable to create anything of the kind, although the leadership was aware of the need for this. The lack of auxiliary equipment negatively affected the combat capabilities of the Red Army, primarily in the mobility of support units and infantry. Of all the wide range of auxiliary equipment, it is worth regretting the absence in the Red Army, first of all, of armored personnel carriers and self-propelled anti-aircraft installations. The absence of such exotic vehicles as remote blasting charges and artillery observer vehicles could be overcome without tears. As for the ARVs, their role was quite successfully solved by tractors based on tanks with removed weapons, and there are still no armored ammunition transporters in the army, and the troops in general cope with this task with the help of ordinary trucks.

The production of armored personnel carriers in Germany should be considered justified. Knowing the cost of military equipment, it is not difficult to calculate that the production of the entire fleet of armored personnel carriers cost the Germans about 450 million marks. For this money, the Germans could build about 4000 Pz. IV or 3000 Pz.V. Obviously, such a number of tanks would not greatly affect the outcome of the war.

As for the USSR, its leadership, overcoming the technological lag behind Western countries, correctly assessed the importance of tanks as the main striking force of troops. The emphasis on improving and developing tanks ultimately gave the USSR an advantage over the German army directly on the battlefield. With the high benefits of support technology, it was the machines of the battlefield, which in the Soviet army had the highest priority of development, played a decisive role in the outcome of battles. The large number of support vehicles ultimately did not help Germany win the war, although it certainly saved a considerable number of German soldiers' lives.

But the balance between quality and quantity ended up not in favor of Germany. The traditional tendency of the Germans to strive in everything to achieve the ideal, even where it is worth neglecting, played a cruel joke. Preparing for war with the USSR, it was necessary to pay close attention to the mass production of equipment. Even the most advanced combat vehicles in small numbers are not capable of turning the tide of events. The gap between the combat capabilities of Soviet and German technology was not so great that German quality superiority could play a decisive role. But the quantitative superiority of the USSR turned out to be able not only to make up for the losses of the first period of the war, but also to influence the course of the war as a whole. The ubiquitous T-34s, supplemented by small Su-76s and T-60s, were everywhere, while the Germans from the very beginning of the Second World War did not have enough equipment to saturate the huge front.

Speaking about the quantitative superiority of the USSR, it is impossible to ignore the discussion of the traditional template “filled up with corpses”. Having discovered such a striking superiority of the Red Army in technology, it is difficult to resist the temptation to put forward the thesis that we fought in numbers, not skill. Such statements must be stopped immediately. Not one, even the most talented commander, will not give up quantitative superiority over the enemy, even if he can fight in times fewer troops. Quantitative superiority gives the commander the widest possibilities for planning a battle and does not at all mean an inability to fight a small number. If you have a lot of troops, this does not mean that you immediately enthusiastically throw them into a frontal attack, in the hope that they will crush the enemy with their mass. Whatever the quantitative superiority, it is not infinite. Providing your troops with the opportunity to operate in greater numbers is the most important task of industry and the state. And the Germans understood this perfectly well, having squeezed out of their economy in 43-45 everything that could be achieved in an attempt to achieve at least not superiority, but parity with the USSR. They did not do it the best way, but the Soviet side did it excellently. Which became one of the many building blocks in the foundation of the victory.

P.S.
The author does not consider this work to be exhaustive and final. Perhaps there are specialists who can significantly supplement the information presented. Any reader can get acquainted with the collected statistics in detail by downloading the full version of the statistical table presented in this article from the link below.
https://yadi.sk/i/WWxqmJlOucUdP

References:
A.G. Solyankin, M.V. Pavlov, I.V. Pavlov, I.G. Zheltov “Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. " (in 4 volumes)
W. Oswald. "Complete catalog of military vehicles and tanks of Germany 1900 - 1982."
P. Chamberlain, H. Doyle, "Encyclopedia of German tanks of the Second World War."

Military equipment wwii. Start in science. The cabin of the submarine "Narodovolets"

Military equipment from the Great Patriotic War, installed as monuments and museum exhibits in St. Petersburg.

Admiralteyskiy district

1.305-mm railway artillery mount

2. Railway armored platform

Vasileostrovsky district

3. Icebreaker "Krasin"

4. Towers of the main battery of the cruiser "Kirov"

5. Torpedo boat of the Komsomolets project

6. Submarine "Narodovolets"

Vyborgsky district

7. "Katyusha"

8. Cannon "ZIS-3" on the Square of Courage

Kalininsky district

9. Cannon "ZIS-3" on Metalistov Avenue

Kirovsky district

10. Tank "IS-2" on the territory of the Kirov plant

11. Tank KV-85 on Stachek Avenue

12. "Izhora Tower" on Korabelnaya Street

Kolpinsky district

13. "Izhora Tower" in Kolpino

Krasnogvardeisky district

14.406-mm gun at the Rzhev training ground

15.305-mm gun at the Rzhev training ground

16. Anti-aircraft gun "52-K"

Krasnoselsky district

17. Airplane, tank and anti-aircraft gun in the village of Khvoiny

Kronstadt district

18. Torpedo boat of the Komsomolets project

19. Artillery installation of the battleship "Gangut"

20. Cabin of the submarine "Narodovolets"

Kurortny district

21. Artillery half-caponier "Elephant"

22. The firing point from the hull of the T-28 tank

23. Firing point with a turret of the KV-1 tank

24. Defensive-offensive armored sliders

Moskovsky district

25. Tanks "T-34-85" of the memorial "Pulkovsky Rubezh"

Nevsky district

26. Tank "T-34-85" on the territory of the plant "Zvezda"

27. Firing point with a turret of the KV-1 tank

Petrogradskiy district

28. The cruiser "Aurora"

29. "Three-inch" of the late 19th century in the Artillery Museum

30. Cannons of the 1930s in the Artillery Museum

31. Artillery 1941-1945 in the Artillery Museum

32. Historical instruments in the Peter and Paul Fortress

Frunze district

33. Firing point with a turret of the KV-1 tank

Katyusha (BM-13)

Avro lancaster

U-boat (submarine)

the plane Hawker Hurricane

North American P-51 Mustang

Aircraft carriers

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