When the Katyushas appeared in the Second World War. Katyusha - a unique combat vehicle of the USSR (interesting). What is SAM

In the protocol of interrogation of German prisoners of war, it was noted that "two captured soldiers in the village of Popkovo went crazy from the fire of rocket launchers", and the captured corporal stated that "there were many cases of insanity in the village of Popkovo from the artillery cannonade of the Soviet troops."

T34 Sherman Calliope (USA) Multiple launch rocket system (1943). It had 60 guides for 114 mm M8 rockets. Mounted on the Sherman tank, guidance was carried out by turning the turret and raising and lowering the barrel (through the rod)

One of the most famous and popular symbols of the weapons of the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War is the BM-8 and BM-13 multiple launch rocket systems, affectionately nicknamed "Katyusha" by the people. The development of rocket projectiles in the USSR was carried out from the beginning of the 1930s, and even then the possibilities of their salvo launch were considered. In 1933, the RNII, the Reactive Research Institute, was established. One of the results of his work was the creation and adoption by aviation in 1937-1938 of 82- and 132-mm rockets. By this time, considerations had already been expressed about the advisability of using rockets in ground forces Oh. However, due to the low accuracy of their use, the effectiveness of their use could only be achieved when firing simultaneously with a large number of shells. The Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) at the beginning of 1937, and then in 1938, set the institute the task of developing a multiply charged launcher for firing volley fire with 132-mm rockets. Initially, the installation was planned to be used for firing rockets in order to conduct chemical warfare.

In April 1939, a multiply charged launcher was designed according to a fundamentally new scheme with a longitudinal arrangement of guides. Initially, it received the name "mechanized installation" (MU-2), and after the SKB of the Kompressor plant was finalized and put into service in 1941, it was given the name "BM-13 combat vehicle". The rocket launcher itself consisted of 16 groove-type rocket guides. The location of the guides along the chassis of the vehicle and the installation of jacks increased the stability of the launcher and increased the accuracy of fire. Rocket loading was carried out from the rear end of the rails, which made it possible to significantly speed up the reloading process. All 16 shells could be fired in 7 to 10 seconds.

The beginning of the formation of guards mortar units was laid by the decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of June 21, 1941 on the deployment of mass production of M-13 shells, M-13 launchers and the beginning of the formation of units rocket artillery. The first separate battery, which received seven BM-13 installations, was commanded by Captain I.A. Flerov. The successful operations of rocket artillery batteries contributed to the rapid growth of this young type of weapon. Already on August 8, 1941, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin, the formation of the first eight regiments of rocket artillery began, which was completed by September 12. Until the end of September, the ninth regiment was created.

tactical unit

The main tactical unit of the Guards mortar units was the guards mortar regiment. Organizationally, it consisted of three divisions of rocket launchers M-8 or M-13, an anti-aircraft division, as well as service units. In total, the regiment had 1414 people, 36 combat vehicles, twelve 37-mm anti-aircraft guns, 9 DShK anti-aircraft machine guns and 18 light machine guns. However, the difficult situation on the fronts in the reduction in the release of anti-aircraft artillery guns led to the fact that in 1941 some parts of the rocket artillery in reality did not have an anti-aircraft artillery battalion. The transition to a full-time organization based on a regiment ensured an increase in the density of fire compared to a structure based on individual batteries or divisions. A volley of one regiment of M-13 rocket launchers consisted of 576, and a regiment of M-8 rocket launchers - of 1296 rockets.

The elitism and importance of batteries, divisions and regiments of rocket artillery of the Red Army was emphasized by the fact that immediately upon formation they were given the honorary title of Guards. For this reason, and also in order to maintain secrecy, the Soviet rocket artillery received its official name - “Guards mortar units”.

milestone in the history of Soviet field rocket artillery was GKO Resolution No. 642-ss of September 8, 1941. According to this resolution, the Guards mortar units were separated from the Main Artillery Directorate. At the same time, the post of commander of the Guards mortar units was introduced, who was supposed to report directly to the Headquarters of the High Command (SGVK). The first commander of the Guards mortar units (GMCH) was the military engineer of the 1st rank V.V. Aborenkov.

First experience

The first use of Katyushas took place on July 14, 1941. The battery of Captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov fired two volleys from seven launchers at the Orsha railway station, where a large number of German echelons with troops, equipment, ammunition, and fuel had accumulated. As a result of battery fire, the railway junction was wiped off the face of the earth, the enemy suffered heavy losses in manpower and equipment.

T34 Sherman Calliope (USA) - multiple launch rocket system (1943). It had 60 guides for 114 mm M8 rockets. It was mounted on a Sherman tank, guidance was carried out by turning the turret and raising and lowering the barrel (through traction).

On August 8, Katyushas were involved in the Kiev direction. This is evidenced by the following lines of a secret report to Malenkov, a member of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks: “Today at dawn, new means known to you were used in the Kiev UR. They hit the enemy to a depth of 8 kilometers. The setup is extremely efficient. The command of the sector where the installation was located reported that after several turns of the circle, the enemy completely stopped pressing on the sector from which the installation was operating. Our infantry boldly and confidently went forward. The same document states that the use of the new weapon caused an initially mixed reaction from Soviet soldiers who had never seen anything like it before. “I am transmitting as the Red Army soldiers said: “We hear a roar, then a piercing howl and a large trail of fire. Panic arose among some of our Red Army soldiers, and then the commanders explained where they were shooting from and where ... this caused literally the jubilation of the fighters. Very good review gunners give ... ”The appearance of the Katyusha came as a complete surprise to the leadership of the Wehrmacht. Initially, the use of Soviet rocket launchers BM-8 and BM-13 was perceived by the Germans as a concentration of fire from a large number of artillery. One of the first mentions of the BM-13 rocket launchers can be found in the diary of the head of the German ground forces, Franz Halder, only on August 14, 1941, when he made the following entry: “The Russians have an automatic multi-barreled flamethrower gun ... The shot is fired by electricity. During the shot, smoke is generated ... When capturing such guns, report immediately. Two weeks later, a directive appeared entitled "Russian gun throwing rocket-like projectiles." It said: “Troops report the use by the Russians of a new type of weapon that fires rockets. From one installation within 3 - 5 seconds can be produced big number shots ... Every appearance of these guns must be reported to the general, commander of the chemical troops under the high command, on the same day.

V German troops by 22 June 1941 there were also rocket-propelled mortars. By this time, the chemical troops of the Wehrmacht had four regiments of six-barreled chemical mortars of 150 mm caliber (Nebelwerfer 41), and the fifth was under formation. The regiment of German chemical mortars organizationally consisted of three divisions of three batteries. For the first time, these mortars were used at the very beginning of the war near Brest, as mentioned in his writings by the historian Paul Karel.

There is nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow

By the autumn of 1941, the main part of rocket artillery was concentrated in the troops of the Western Front and the Moscow Defense Zone. Near Moscow there were 33 divisions out of 59 that were at that time in the Red Army. For comparison: the Leningrad Front had five divisions, the South-Western - nine, the South - six, and the rest - one or two divisions each. In the Battle of Moscow, all armies were reinforced by three or four divisions, and only the 16th Army had seven divisions.

Soviet leadership attached great importance to the use of Katyushas in the battle of Moscow. In the directive of the Headquarters of the All-Russian Supreme Command on October 1, 1941, “To the commanders of the troops of the fronts and armies on the procedure for using rocket artillery”, in particular, the following was noted: “Parts of the active Red Army for Lately received new powerful weapons in the form of combat vehicles M-8 and M-13, which are the best means of destroying (suppressing) enemy manpower, its tanks, motor parts and fire weapons. The sudden, massive and well-prepared fire of the M-8 and M-13 divisions provides an exceptionally good defeat of the enemy and at the same time has a strong moral shock to his manpower, leading to a loss of combat capability. This is especially true in this moment when the enemy infantry has much more tanks than we do, when our infantry most of all needs powerful support from the M-8 and M-13, which can be successfully opposed to enemy tanks.

A battalion of rocket artillery under the command of Captain Karsanov left a bright mark on the defense of Moscow. For example, on November 11, 1941, this division supported the attack of its infantry on Skirmanovo. After the volleys of the division, this settlement was taken almost without resistance. When examining the area in which volleys were fired, 17 wrecked tanks, more than 20 mortars and several guns abandoned by the enemy in a panic were found. During November 22 and 23, the same division, without infantry cover, repelled repeated enemy attacks. Despite the fire of submachine gunners, Captain Karsanov's division did not retreat until it had completed its combat mission.

At the beginning of the counter-offensive near Moscow, not only the infantry and military equipment of the enemy, but also fortified defense lines, using which the Wehrmacht leadership sought to detain the Soviet troops, became objects of fire for the Katyushas. The BM-8 and BM-13 rocket launchers fully justified themselves in these new conditions. For example, the 31st separate mortar division under the command of political instructor Orekhov spent 2.5 divisional volleys to destroy the German garrison in the village of Popkovo. On the same day, the village was taken by Soviet troops with little or no resistance.

Defending Stalingrad

In repelling the enemy's continuous attacks on Stalingrad, the Guards mortar units made a significant contribution. Sudden volleys of rocket launchers devastated the ranks of the advancing German troops, burned them military equipment. In the midst of fierce fighting, many Guards mortar regiments fired 20 to 30 volleys a day. Remarkable examples of combat work were shown by the 19th Guards Mortar Regiment. In just one day of the battle, he fired 30 volleys. The combat rocket launchers of the regiment were located along with the advanced units of our infantry and destroyed a large number of German and Romanian soldiers and officers. Rocket artillery was greatly loved by the defenders of Stalingrad and, above all, by the infantry. The military glory of the regiments of Vorobyov, Parnovsky, Chernyak and Erokhin thundered on the entire front.

In the photo above - Katyusha BM-13 on the ZiS-6 chassis was a launcher consisting of rail guides (from 14 to 48). The BM-31-12 installation (“Andryusha”, photo below) was a constructive development of the Katyusha. It was based on the Studebaker chassis and fired 300-mm rockets from guides not of a rail type, but of a honeycomb type.

IN AND. Chuikov wrote in his memoirs that he would never forget the Katyusha regiment under the command of Colonel Erokhin. On July 26, on the right bank of the Don, Erokhin's regiment participated in repelling the offensive of the 51st Army Corps german army. In early August, this regiment entered the southern operational group of troops. In the first days of September, during German tank attacks on the Chervlenaya River near the village of Tsibenko, the regiment again fired a salvo of 82-millimeter Katyushas at the main enemy forces in the most dangerous place. The 62nd Army fought street battles from September 14 to the end of January 1943, and Colonel Yerokhin's Katyusha regiment constantly received combat missions Commander V.I. Chuikov. In this regiment, the guide frames (rails) for the shells were mounted on a T-60 tracked base, which gave these installations good maneuverability in any terrain. Being in Stalingrad itself and having chosen positions behind the steep bank of the Volga, the regiment was invulnerable to enemy artillery fire. Erokhin quickly brought his own combat installations on caterpillar tracks to firing positions, gave a volley and with the same speed again went into cover.

In the initial period of the war, the effectiveness of rocket launchers was reduced due to the insufficient number of shells.
In particular, in a conversation between Marshal Shaposhnikov of the USSR and General of the Army G.K. Zhukov, the latter stated the following: “volleys for R.S. (rockets - O.A.) it takes at least 20 to be enough for two days of battle, and now we give negligible. If there were more of them, I vouch that it would be possible to shoot the enemy with only RSs. In the words of Zhukov, there is a clear overestimation of the capabilities of the Katyushas, ​​which had their drawbacks. One of them was mentioned in a letter to GKO member G.M. This shortcoming was especially clearly revealed during the retreat of our troops, when, due to the threat of the capture of this latest secret equipment, the Katyusha crews were forced to blow up their rocket launchers.

Kursk Bulge. Attention tanks!

On the eve of the Battle of Kursk, Soviet troops, including rocket artillery, were intensively preparing for the upcoming battles with German armored vehicles. Katyushas drove their front wheels into dug recesses to give the guides a minimum elevation angle, and the shells, leaving parallel to the ground, could hit tanks. Experimental shootings were carried out on plywood models of tanks. In training, rockets smashed targets to pieces. However, this method also had many opponents: after all, the warhead of the M-13 shells was high-explosive fragmentation, and not armor-piercing. It was necessary to check the effectiveness of Katyushas against tanks already during the battles. Despite the fact that rocket launchers were not designed to fight against tanks, in some cases, Katyushas successfully coped with this task. Let us give one example from a secret report addressed personally to I.V. Stalin: “July 5-7, the guards mortar units, repelling enemy attacks and supporting their infantry, carried out: 9 regimental, 96 divisional, 109 battery and 16 platoon volleys against enemy infantry and tanks. As a result, according to incomplete data, up to 15 infantry battalions were destroyed and dispersed, 25 vehicles were burned and knocked out, 16 artillery and mortar batteries were suppressed, and 48 enemy attacks were repulsed. During the period July 5-7, 1943, 5,547 M-8 shells and 12,000 M-13 shells were used up. Particularly noteworthy is the combat work on the Voronezh Front of the 415th Guards Mortar Regiment (regiment commander Lieutenant Colonel Ganyushkin), who on July 6 defeated the crossing across the Sev River. Donets in the Mikhailovka area and destroyed up to one company of infantry and on July 7, participating in the battle with enemy tanks, firing direct fire, knocked out and destroyed 27 tanks ... "

In general, the use of Katyushas against tanks, despite individual episodes, turned out to be ineffective due to the large dispersion of shells. In addition, as noted earlier, the warhead of the M-13 shells was high-explosive fragmentation, and not armor-piercing. Therefore, even with a direct hit, the rocket was not able to penetrate the frontal armor of the Tigers and Panthers. Despite these circumstances, the Katyushas still inflicted significant damage on the tanks. The fact is that when a rocket projectile hit the frontal armor, the tank crew often failed due to severe shell shock. In addition, as a result of Katyusha fire, the tracks of the tanks were interrupted, the turrets jammed, and if fragments hit the engine part or gas tanks, a fire could start.

Katyushas were successfully used until the very end of the Great Patriotic War, having earned the love and respect of Soviet soldiers and officers and the hatred of Wehrmacht military personnel. During the war years, the BM-8 and BM-13 rocket launchers were mounted on various vehicles, tanks, tractors, installed on the armored platforms of armored trains, combat boats, etc. The "brothers" of the Katyusha were also created and participated in the battles - launchers of heavy rockets M-30 and M-31 caliber 300 mm, as well as launchers BM-31-12 caliber 300 mm. Rocket artillery firmly took its place in the Red Army and rightfully became one of the symbols of victory.

Katyusha - a unique combat vehicle of the USSR unparalleled in the world. It was developed during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, the unofficial name of the barrelless systems of field rocket artillery (BM-8, BM-13, BM-31 and others). Such devices have been actively used Armed Forces USSR during World War II. The popularity of the nickname turned out to be so great that post-war MLRS on automobile chassis, in particular BM-14 and BM-21 Grad, were often called Katyushas in colloquial speech.

"Katyusha" BM-13-16 on the ZIS-6 chassis

The fate of the developers:

On November 2, 1937, as a result of a “war of denunciations” within the institute, the director of RNII-3 I. T. Kleymenov and the chief engineer G. E. Langemak were arrested. On January 10 and 11, 1938, respectively, they were shot at the Kommunarka NKVD training ground.
Rehabilitated in 1955.
By decree of the President of the USSR M. S. Gorbachev of June 21, 1991, I. T. Kleymenov, G. E. Langemak, V. N. Luzhin, B. S. Petropavlovsky, B. M. Slonimer and N. I. Tikhomirov were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

BM-31-12 on the ZIS-12 chassis in the Museum on Sapun Mountain, Sevastopol

BM-13N on a Studebaker US6 chassis (with lowered exhaust protection armor plates) at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow

Origin of the name Katyusha

It is known why the BM-13 installations began to be called "guards mortars" at one time. The BM-13 installations were not actually mortars, but the command sought to keep their design secret for as long as possible. When the fighters and commanders asked the representative of the GAU to name the “true” name of the combat installation at the firing range, he advised: “Call the installation as an ordinary artillery piece. It's important to maintain secrecy."

There is no single version of why BM-13s began to be called "Katyushas". There are several assumptions:
1. By the name of Blanter's song, which became popular before the war, to the words of Isakovsky "Katyusha". The version is convincing, since for the first time the battery fired on July 14, 1941 (on the 23rd day of the war) at the concentration of Nazis on the Market Square of the city of Rudnya, Smolensk Region. She shot from a high steep mountain - the association with a high steep bank in the song immediately arose among the fighters. Finally, the former sergeant of the headquarters company of the 217th separate communications battalion of the 144th rifle division of the 20th army, Andrei Sapronov, is now alive, now a military historian who gave her this name. The Red Army soldier Kashirin, having arrived with him after the shelling of Rudny on the battery, exclaimed in surprise: “This is a song!” “Katyusha,” Andrey Sapronov answered (from the memoirs of A. Sapronov in the newspaper Rossiya No. 23 of June 21-27, 2001 and in Parliamentary Newspaper No. 80 of May 5, 2005). Through the communication center of the headquarters company, the news about the miracle weapon named "Katyusha" within a day became the property of the entire 20th Army, and through its command - of the whole country. On July 13, 2011, the veteran and “godfather” of Katyusha turned 90 years old.

2. There is also a version that the name is associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Kalinin plant (according to another source, the Comintern plant). And the front-line soldiers liked to give nicknames to weapons. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed "Mother", the ML-20 howitzer gun - "Emelka". Yes, and BM-13 at first was sometimes called "Raisa Sergeevna", thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).

3. The third version suggests that this is how the girls from the Moscow Kompressor plant, who worked at the assembly, dubbed these cars.
Another exotic version. The guides on which the shells were mounted were called ramps. The forty-two-kilogram projectile was lifted by two fighters harnessed to the straps, and the third usually helped them, pushing the projectile so that it exactly lay on the guides, he also informed the holders that the projectile had risen, rolled, rolled onto the guides. It was he who, allegedly, was called "Katyusha" (the role of those who held the projectile and rolled up was constantly changing, since the calculation of the BM-13, in contrast to cannon artillery, was not explicitly divided into loader, pointer, etc.)

4. It should also be noted that the installations were so classified that it was even forbidden to use the commands “plee”, “fire”, “volley”, instead of them they sounded “sing” or “play” (to start it was necessary to turn the handle of the electric coil very quickly) , which, perhaps, was also associated with the song "Katyusha". And for our infantry, the volley of Katyushas was the most pleasant music.

5. There is an assumption that initially the nickname "Katyusha" had a front-line bomber equipped with rockets - an analogue of the M-13. And the nickname jumped from an airplane to a rocket launcher through shells.

In the German troops, these machines were called "Stalin's organs" because of the external resemblance of the rocket launcher to the pipe system of this musical instrument and the powerful stunning roar that was produced when the rockets were launched.

During the battles for Poznan and Berlin, the M-30 and M-31 single launchers received the nickname "Russian faustpatron" from the Germans, although these shells were not used as an anti-tank weapon. With "dagger" (from a distance of 100-200 meters) launches of these shells, the guardsmen broke through any walls.

BM-13-16 on the chassis of the STZ-5-NATI tractor (Novomoskovsk)

Soldiers loading the Katyusha

If Hitler's oracles had looked more closely at the signs of fate, then July 14, 1941 would certainly have become a landmark day for them. It was then that in the area of ​​​​the Orsha railway junction and the crossing of the Orshitsa River, Soviet troops for the first time used BM-13 combat vehicles, which received the affectionate name "Katyusha" in the army environment. The result of two volleys on the accumulation of enemy forces was stunning for the enemy. The losses of the Germans fell under the column "unacceptable".

Here are excerpts from the directive to the troops of the Nazi high military command: "The Russians have an automatic multi-barreled flamethrower gun ... The shot is fired by electricity ... During the shot, smoke is generated ..." The obvious helplessness of the wording testified to the complete ignorance of the German generals regarding the device and specifications a new Soviet weapon - a rocket-propelled mortar.

A vivid example of the effectiveness of the Guards mortar units, and their basis was the "Katyusha", can serve as a line from the memoirs of Marshal Zhukov: "Rockets by their actions produced complete devastation. I looked at the areas that were being shelled, and saw the complete destruction of defensive structures ... "

The Germans developed a special plan to capture new Soviet weapons and ammunition. In the late autumn of 1941, they managed to do this. The "captured" mortar was really "multi-barreled" and fired 16 rocket mines. His firepower several times more effective than the mortar, which was in service with the fascist army. Hitler's command decided to create an equivalent weapon.

The Germans did not immediately realize that the Soviet mortar they captured was truly unique phenomenon, opening a new page in the development of artillery, the era of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).

We must pay tribute to its creators - scientists, engineers, technicians and workers of the Moscow Reactive Research Institute (RNII) and related enterprises: V. Aborenkov, V. Artemiev, V. Bessonov, V. Galkovsky, I. Gvai, I. Kleimenov, A. Kostikov, G. Langemak, V. Luzhin, A. Tikhomirov, L. Schwartz, D. Shitov.

The main difference between BM-13 and similar German weapons was an unusually bold and unexpected concept: mortars could reliably hit all targets of a given square with relatively inaccurate rocket-propelled mines. This was achieved precisely due to the salvo nature of the fire, since each point of the shelled area necessarily fell into the affected area of ​​one of the shells. German designers, realizing the brilliant "know-how" of Soviet engineers, decided to reproduce, if not in the form of a copy, then using the main technical ideas.

Copy "Katyusha" as a combat vehicle was, in principle, possible. Insurmountable difficulties began when trying to design, work out and establish mass production of similar rockets. It turned out that German gunpowder could not burn in the chamber of a rocket engine as stably and steadily as Soviet ones. Analogues designed by the Germans Soviet ammunition behaved unpredictably: either they sluggishly descended from the guides to immediately fall to the ground, or they started flying at breakneck speed and exploded in the air from an excessive increase in pressure inside the chamber. Only a few units made it to the target.

The point turned out to be that for effective nitroglycerin powders, which were used in Katyusha shells, our chemists achieved a spread in the values ​​of the so-called heat of explosive transformation no higher than 40 conventional units, and the smaller the spread, the more stable the powder burns. Similar German gunpowder had a spread of this parameter even in one batch above 100 units. This led to unstable operation of rocket engines.

The Germans did not know that ammunition for the Katyusha was the fruit of more than a decade of activity of the RNII and several large Soviet research teams, which included the best Soviet powder factories, outstanding Soviet chemists A. Bakaev, D. Galperin, V. Karkina, G. Konovalova, B Pashkov, A. Sporius, B. Fomin, F. Khritinin and many others. They not only developed the most complex recipes for rocket powders, but also found simple and effective ways their mass, continuous and cheap production.

At a time when the production of Guards rocket launchers and projectiles for them was unfolding at an unprecedented pace at Soviet factories according to ready-made drawings and literally daily increased, the Germans only had to conduct research and design work according to MLRS. But history didn't give them time for that.

It all started with the development of black powder rockets in 1921. N.I. took part in the work on the project. Tikhomirov, V.A. Artemyev from the gas dynamic laboratory.

By 1933, the work was almost completed and official tests began. To launch them, multiply charged aviation and single-shot ground launchers were used. These shells were prototypes of those later used on the Katyushas. The development team of the Reactive Institute was engaged in finalization.

In 1937-38, rockets of this type were adopted by the air forces of the Soviet Union. They were used on the I-15, I-16, I-153 fighters, and later on the Il-2 attack aircraft.

From 1938 to 1941, the Jet Institute was working on the creation of a multi-charge launcher mounted on the basis of truck. In March 1941, ground tests of installations were carried out, which received the name BM-13 - Fighting Machine 132 mm shells.

The combat vehicles were equipped with high-explosive fragmentation shells of 132 mm caliber called M-13, which were put into mass production just a few days before the start of the war. On June 26, 1941, the assembly of the first two serial BM-13s based on the ZIS-6 was completed in Voronezh. On June 28, the installations were tested at a training ground near Moscow and were placed at the disposal of the army.

An experimental battery of seven vehicles under the command of Captain I. Flerov first took part in the battles on July 14, 1941 for the city of Rudnya, occupied by the Germans the day before. Two days later, the same unit fired at the Orsha railway station and the crossing over the Orshitsa River.

The production of BM-13 was established at the plant. Comintern in Voronezh, as well as at the Moscow Compressor. The production of shells was organized at the Moscow plant. Vladimir Ilyich. During the war, several modifications of the rocket launcher and shells for it were developed.

A year later, in 1942, shells with a caliber of 310 mm were developed. In April 1944, a self-propelled unit with 12 guides was created for them, which was mounted on the chassis of a truck.

origin of name

In order to maintain secrecy, the management strongly recommended calling the BM-13 installation whatever you like, so as not to disclose the details of its characteristics and purpose. For this reason, the soldiers at first called the BM-13 "guards mortar".

As for the affectionate "Katyusha", there are many versions regarding the appearance of such a name for a mortar installation.

One of the versions says that the mortar installation was called "Katyusha" after the name of Matvey Blanter's popular song before the war to the words of Mikhail Isakovsky "Katyusha". The version is very convincing because during the shelling of Rudnya, the installations were located on one of the local hills.

The other version is somewhat more prosaic, but no less soulful. There was an unspoken tradition in the army to give weapons affectionate nicknames. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed "Mother", the ML-20 howitzer gun was called "Emelka". Initially, the BM-13 was called "Raisa Sergeevna" for some time, thus deciphering the abbreviation RS - a rocket.

The installations were such a closely guarded military secret that during the fighting it was strictly forbidden to use traditional commands like "fire", "volley" or "plee". They were replaced by the commands "play" and "sing": to start it was necessary to turn the handle of the generator very quickly.

Well, another version is quite simple: unknown Soldier wrote on the installation the name of his beloved girl - Katyusha. The nickname stuck.

Tactical and technical characteristics

Chief designer A.V. Kostikov

• Number of guides - 16
• Guide length - 5 meters
• Weight in camping equipment without shells - 5 tons
• Transition from traveling to combat position - 2 - 3 minutes
• Time to load the installation - 5 - 8 minutes
• Volley duration - 4 - 6 seconds
• Projectile type - jet, high-explosive fragmentation
• Caliber - 132 mm
• Maximum projectile speed - 355 m / s
• Range - 8470 meters

The Soviet multiple launch rocket system "Katyusha" is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Great Patriotic War. In terms of popularity, the legendary Katyusha is not much inferior to the T-34 tank or the PPSh assault rifle. Until now, it is not known for certain where this name came from (there are numerous versions), the Germans called these installations "Stalin's organs" and were terribly afraid of them.

"Katyusha" is the collective name of several rocket launchers from the times of the Great Patriotic War. Soviet propaganda presented them as exclusively domestic "know-how", which was not true. Work in this direction was carried out in many countries and the famous German six-barreled mortars are also MLRS, however, of a slightly different design. Rocket artillery was also used by the Americans and the British.

Nevertheless, the Katyusha became the most efficient and most mass-produced vehicle of its kind in World War II. BM-13 is a real weapon of Victory. She took part in all significant battles on Eastern Front, clearing the way for infantry formations. The first volley of Katyushas was fired in the summer of 1941, and four years later, BM-13 installations were already shelling besieged Berlin.

A bit of history of the BM-13 "Katyusha"

Several reasons contributed to the revival of interest in rocket weapons: firstly, more advanced types of gunpowder were invented, which made it possible to significantly increase the range of rockets; secondly, rockets were perfect as weapons for combat aircraft; and thirdly, rockets could be used to deliver poisonous substances.

The last reason was the most important: based on the experience of the First World War, the military had little doubt that the next conflict would certainly not do without war gases.

In the USSR, the creation missile weapons began with the experiments of two enthusiasts - Artemiev and Tikhomirov. In 1927, smokeless pyroxylin-TNT gunpowder was created, and in 1928, the first rocket was developed that managed to fly 1300 meters. At the same time, the targeted development of missile weapons for aviation began.

In 1933, experimental samples of aviation rockets of two calibers appeared: RS-82 and RS-132. The main drawback of the new weapon, which did not suit the military at all, was their low accuracy. The shells had a small tail, which did not go beyond its caliber, and a pipe was used as guides, which was very convenient. However, to improve the accuracy of the missiles, their plumage had to be increased and new guides had to be developed.

In addition, pyroxylin-TNT gunpowder was not very well suited for the mass production of this type of weapon, so it was decided to use tubular nitroglycerin gunpowder.

In 1937, they tested new missiles with increased plumage and new open rail-type guides. Innovations significantly improved the accuracy of fire and increased the range of the rocket. In 1938, the RS-82 and RS-132 rockets were put into service and began to be mass-produced.

In the same year, the designers were given a new task: to create a reactive system for the ground forces, based on a 132 mm caliber rocket.

In 1939, the 132-mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile M-13 was ready, it had a more powerful warhead and an increased flight range. It was possible to achieve such results by lengthening the ammunition.

In the same year, the first MU-1 rocket launcher was also manufactured. Eight short guides were installed across the truck, sixteen rockets were attached to them in pairs. This design turned out to be very unsuccessful, during the volley the car swayed strongly, which led to a significant decrease in the accuracy of the battle.

In September 1939, tests began on a new rocket launcher, the MU-2. The three-axle truck ZiS-6 served as the basis for it, this vehicle provided the combat complex with high maneuverability, allowing you to quickly change positions after each salvo. Now guides for missiles were located along the car. In one volley (about 10 seconds), the MU-2 fired sixteen shells, the weight of the installation with ammunition was 8.33 tons, and the firing range exceeded eight kilometers.

With this design of the guides, the rocking of the car during the salvo became minimal, in addition, two jacks were installed in the rear of the car.

In 1940, state tests of the MU-2 were carried out, and it was accepted into service under the designation "BM-13 rocket launcher".

The day before the start of the war (June 21, 1941), the USSR government decided to mass-produce BM-13 combat systems, ammunition for them, and form special units for their use.

The very first experience of using the BM-13 at the front showed their high efficiency and contributed to the active production of this type of weapon. During the war, Katyusha was produced by several factories, and mass production of ammunition for them was launched.

Artillery units armed with BM-13 installations were considered elite, immediately after the formation they received the name of the guards. The reactive systems BM-8, BM-13 and others were officially called "guards mortars".

The use of BM-13 "Katyusha"

First combat use rocket launchers took place in mid-July 1941. Orsha, a large junction station in Belarus, was occupied by the Germans. It accumulated a large amount of military equipment and manpower of the enemy. It was for this purpose that the battery of rocket launchers (seven units) of Captain Flerov fired two volleys.

As a result of the actions of the artillerymen, the railway junction was practically wiped off the face of the earth, the Nazis suffered severe losses in people and equipment.

"Katyusha" was used in other sectors of the front. New soviet weapons was a very unpleasant surprise for the German command. The pyrotechnic effect of the use of shells had a particularly strong psychological impact on the Wehrmacht soldiers: after the Katyusha salvo, literally everything that could burn was on fire. This effect was achieved through the use of TNT checkers in the shells, which, during the explosion, formed thousands of burning fragments.

Rocket artillery was actively used in the battle near Moscow, Katyushas destroyed the enemy near Stalingrad, they were tried to be used as anti-tank weapons on the Kursk salient. To do this, special recesses were made under the front wheels of the car, so the Katyusha could fire direct fire. However, the use of the BM-13 against tanks was less effective, since the M-13 rocket was high-explosive fragmentation, and not armor-piercing. In addition, "Katyusha" has never been distinguished by high accuracy of fire. But if her shell hit the tank, everything was destroyed attachments cars, the tower often jammed, and the crew received a severe shell shock.

Rocket launchers were used with great success until the Victory itself, they took part in the storming of Berlin and other operations of the final stage of the war.

In addition to the famous BM-13 MLRS, there was also the BM-8 rocket launcher, which used 82 mm caliber rockets, and over time, heavy rocket systems appeared that launched 310 mm caliber rockets.

During the Berlin operation soviet soldiers actively used the experience of street fighting, which they received during the capture of Poznan and Königsberg. It consisted in firing single heavy rockets M-31, M-13 and M-20 direct fire. Special assault groups were created, which included an electrical engineer. The rocket was launched from machine guns, wooden caps, or simply from any flat surface. The hit of such a projectile could well destroy the house or guaranteed to suppress the enemy's firing point.

During the war years, about 1400 BM-8 installations, 3400 BM-13 and 100 BM-31 installations were lost.

However, the history of the BM-13 did not end there: in the early 60s, the USSR supplied these installations to Afghanistan, where they were actively used by government troops.

Device BM-13 "Katyusha"

The main advantage of the BM-13 rocket launcher is its extreme simplicity both in production and in use. The artillery part of the installation consists of eight guides, a frame on which they are located, swivel and lifting mechanisms, sights and electrical equipment.

The guides were a five-meter I-beam with special overlays. In the breech of each of the guides, a locking device and an electric fuse were installed, with which a shot was fired.

The guides were mounted on a swivel frame, which, with the help of the simplest lifting and turning mechanisms, provided vertical and horizontal aiming.

Each Katyusha was equipped with an artillery sight.

The crew of the car (BM-13) consisted of 5-7 people.

The M-13 rocket projectile consisted of two parts: a combat and a jet powder engine. Warhead containing explosives and contact fuse, very reminiscent of the warhead of a conventional artillery high-explosive fragmentation projectile.

The powder engine of the M-13 projectile consisted of a chamber with a powder charge, a nozzle, a special grid, stabilizers and a fuse.

The main problem faced by the developers missile systems(and not only in the USSR), the accuracy of the accuracy of the accuracy of rockets became low. To stabilize their flight, the designers went in two ways. German rockets of six-barreled mortars rotated in flight due to obliquely located nozzles, and flat stabilizers were installed on Soviet PCs. To give the projectile greater accuracy, it was necessary to increase its initial speed; for this, the guides on the BM-13 received a greater length.

The German method of stabilization made it possible to reduce the dimensions of both the projectile itself and the weapon from which it was fired. However, this significantly reduced the firing range. Although, it should be said that the German six-barreled mortars were more accurate than the Katyushas.

The Soviet system was simpler and allowed firing at considerable distances. Later, the installations began to use spiral guides, which further increased the accuracy.

Modifications of "Katyusha"

During the war years, numerous modifications of both rocket launchers and ammunition for them were created. Here are just a few of them:

BM-13-SN - this installation had spiral guides that gave the projectile a rotational motion, which significantly increased its accuracy.

BM-8-48 - this rocket launcher used 82 mm caliber shells and had 48 guides.

BM-31-12 - this rocket launcher used 310 mm caliber projectiles for firing.

310 mm caliber rockets were originally used for firing from the ground, only then did a self-propelled gun appear.

The first systems were created on the basis of the ZiS-6 car, then they were most often installed on cars received under Lend-Lease. It must be said that with the beginning of Lend-Lease, only foreign vehicles were used to create rocket launchers.

In addition, rocket launchers (from M-8 shells) were installed on motorcycles, snowmobiles, and armored boats. Guides were installed on railway platforms, tanks T-40, T-60, KV-1.

To understand how mass weapons there were Katyushas, ​​it’s enough to give two figures: from 1941 to the end of 1944, Soviet industry manufactured 30 thousand launchers various kinds and 12 million shells for them.

During the war years, several types of 132 mm caliber rockets were developed. The main areas of modernization were to increase the accuracy of fire, increase the range of the projectile and its power.

Advantages and disadvantages of the BM-13 Katyusha rocket launcher

The main advantage of rocket launchers was the large number of shells they fired in one salvo. If several MLRS were working on the same area at once, then the destructive effect increased due to the interference of shock waves.

Easy to use. The Katyushas were distinguished by their extremely simple design, and the sights of this installation were also simple.

Low cost and ease of manufacture. During the war, the production of rocket launchers was established at dozens of factories. The production of ammunition for these complexes did not present any particular difficulties. Especially eloquent is the comparison of the cost of the BM-13 and a conventional artillery gun of a similar caliber.

Installation mobility. The time of one BM-13 volley is approximately 10 seconds, after the volley the vehicle left the firing line, without being exposed to enemy return fire.

However, this weapon also had disadvantages, the main one was the low accuracy of fire due to the large dispersion of shells. This problem was partially solved by the BM-13SN, but it has not been finally solved for modern MLRS either.

Insufficient high-explosive action of M-13 shells. "Katyusha" was not very effective against long-term defensive fortifications and armored vehicles.

Short firing range compared to cannon artillery.

Large consumption of gunpowder in the manufacture of rockets.

Strong smoke during the salvo, which served as an unmasking factor.

The high center of gravity of the BM-13 installations led to frequent rollovers of the vehicle during the march.

Specifications "Katyusha"

Characteristics of the combat vehicle

Characteristics of the M-13 rocket

Video about MLRS "Katyusha"

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Katyusha - appeared during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, the unofficial name of the barrelless systems of field rocket artillery (BM-8, BM-13, BM-31 and others). Such installations were actively used by the Armed Forces of the USSR during the Second World War. The popularity of the nickname turned out to be so great that post-war MLRS on automobile chassis, in particular BM-14 and BM-21 Grad, were often called Katyushas in colloquial speech.

Back in 1921, N. I. Tikhomirov and V. A. Artemyev, employees of the Gas Dynamics Laboratory, began to develop rockets for aircraft.

In 1929-1933, B. S. Petropavlovsky, with the participation of other employees of the GDL, carried out official tests of rockets of various calibers and purposes using multiply charged and single-shot aircraft and ground launchers.

In 1937-1938, rockets developed by the RNII (GDL together with GIRD in October 1933 constituted the newly organized RNII) under the leadership of G. E. Langemak were adopted by the RKKVF. RS-82 rockets of 82 mm caliber were installed on I-15, I-16, I-153 fighters. In the summer of 1939, RS-82 on I-16 and I-153 were successfully used in battles with Japanese troops on the Khalkhin Gol River.

In 1939-1941, employees of the RNII I. I. Gvai, V. N. Galkovsky, A. P. Pavlenko, A. S. Popov and others created a multiply charged launcher mounted on a truck.

In March 1941, ground tests of installations were successfully carried out, which received the designation BM-13 (combat vehicle with 132 mm caliber shells). Rocket RS-132 caliber 132 mm and a launcher based on a truck ZIS-6 BM-13 were put into service on June 21, 1941; it was this type of combat vehicles that first received the nickname "Katyusha". During the Great Patriotic War, a significant number of variants of RS shells and launchers for them were created; in total, Soviet industry during the war years produced more than 10,000 rocket artillery combat vehicles
It is known why the BM-13 installations began to be called "guards mortars" at one time. The BM-13 installations were not actually mortars, but the command sought to keep their design secret for as long as possible:
When the fighters and commanders asked the representative of the GAU to name the “true” name of the combat installation at the firing range, he advised: “Call the installation as an ordinary artillery piece. It's important to maintain secrecy."
There is no single version of why BM-13s began to be called "Katyushas". There are several assumptions:
By the name of Blanter's song, which became popular before the war, to the words of Isakovsky "Katyusha". The version is convincing, since for the first time the battery of Captain Flerov fired at the enemy on July 14, 1941 at 10 o'clock in the morning, firing a volley at the Market Square of the city of Rudnya. This was the first combat use of "Katyusha", confirmed in the historical literature. They fired installations from a high steep mountain - the association with a high steep coast in the song immediately arose among the fighters. Finally, the former sergeant of the headquarters company of the 217th separate communications battalion of the 144th rifle division of the 20th army, Andrei Sapronov, is now alive, now a military historian who gave her this name. The Red Army soldier Kashirin, having arrived with him after the shelling of Rudny on the battery, exclaimed in surprise: “This is a song!” “Katyusha,” Andrey Sapronov answered (from the memoirs of A. Sapronov in the newspaper Rossiya No. 23 of June 21-27, 2001 and in Parliamentary Newspaper No. 80 of May 5, 2005).
What couplets were not invented at the front to the tune of their favorite song!
There were battles at sea and on land,
Shots rumbled all around -
Singing songs "Katyusha"
Near Kaluga, Tula and Orel.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
Let Fritz remember the Russian "Katyusha",
Let him hear her sing:
Shakes souls out of enemies
And gives his courage!
Through the communication center of the headquarters company, the news about the miracle weapon named "Katyusha" within a day became the property of the entire 20th Army, and through its command - of the whole country. On July 13, 2012, the veteran and “godfather” of Katyusha turned 91 years old, and on February 26, 2013 he died. On his desk, he left his last work - the chapter on the first Katyusha volley for the multi-volume history of the Great Patriotic War, which is being prepared for publication.
There is also a version that the name is associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Kalinin plant (according to another source, the Comintern plant). And the front-line soldiers liked to give nicknames to weapons. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed "Mother", the ML-20 howitzer gun - "Emelka". Yes, and BM-13 at first was sometimes called "Raisa Sergeevna", thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).
The third version suggests that this is how the girls from the Moscow Kompressor plant, who worked at the assembly, dubbed these cars. [source not specified 284 days]
Another exotic version. The guides on which the shells were mounted were called ramps. The forty-two-kilogram projectile was lifted by two fighters harnessed to the straps, and the third usually helped them, pushing the projectile so that it exactly lay on the guides, he also informed the holders that the projectile had risen, rolled, rolled onto the guides. It was supposedly that they called him “Katyusha” (the role of those who held the projectile and rolled up was constantly changing, since the calculation of the BM-13, unlike barrel artillery, was not explicitly divided into loader, pointer, etc.) [source not 284 days specified]
It should also be noted that the installations were so secret that it was even forbidden to use the commands “plea”, “fire”, “volley”, instead of them they sounded “sing” or “play” (to start it was necessary to turn the handle of the generator very quickly), which , perhaps, was also associated with the song "Katyusha". And for our infantry, the Katyusha volley was the most pleasant music. [Source not specified 284 days]
There is an assumption that initially the nickname "Katyusha" had a front-line bomber equipped with rockets - an analogue of the M-13. And the nickname jumped from the plane to the rocket launcher through shells. [source not specified 284 days]
An experienced squadron of SV bombers (commander Doyar) in the battles at Khalkhin Gol was armed with RS-132 rockets. Bombers SB (high-speed bomber) were sometimes called "Katyusha". It seems that this name appeared during civil war in Spain in the 1930s.
In the German troops, these machines were called "Stalin's organs" because of the external resemblance of the rocket launcher to the pipe system of this musical instrument and the powerful stunning roar that was produced when the missiles were launched. [Source not specified 284 days]
During the battles for Poznan and Berlin, the M-30 and M-31 single launchers received the nickname "Russian faustpatron" from the Germans, although these shells were not used as an anti-tank weapon. With "dagger" (from a distance of 100-200 meters) launches of these shells, the guardsmen broke through any walls.