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Military equipment of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945

Plan

Introduction

1. Aviation

2. Tanks and self-propelled guns

3. Armored vehicles

4. Other military equipment

Literature

Introduction

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

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

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

Soviet industry in 1942 - 1944 produced over 2 thousand tanks monthly, while German industry only in May 1944 reached a maximum of 1,450 tanks; field artillery guns in the Soviet Union were produced more than 2 times, and mortars were 5 times more than in Germany. The secret of this "economic miracle" lies in the fact that in fulfilling the tense plans of the war economy, the workers, peasants, and the intelligentsia displayed massive labor heroism. Following the slogan “Everything for the front! Everything for Victory! ”, Regardless of any hardships, the home front workers did everything to provide the army with perfect weapons, to dress, shoe and feed the soldiers, to ensure the uninterrupted operation of transport and the entire national economy. The Soviet military industry surpassed the German fascist not only in quantity, but also in quality of the main types of weapons and equipment. Soviet scientists and designers have radically improved many technological processes, tirelessly created and improved military equipment and weapons. For example, the T-34 medium tank, which has undergone several modifications, is rightfully considered the best tank of the Great Patriotic War.

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

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

After watching various films about the war, hearing in the media about the approaching 65th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, I wondered what kind of military equipment helped our people to defeat Nazi Germany.

1. Aviation

In the creative competition of design bureaus that developed new fighters in the late thirties, the team headed by A.S. Yakovlev achieved great success. The experienced I-26 fighter created by him passed the tests and under the brand name Yak-1 was accepted into mass production. In terms of its aerobatic and combat qualities, the Yak-1 was among the best front-line fighters.

During the Great Patriotic War, it was modified several times. On its basis, more advanced fighters Yak-1M and Yak-3 were created. Yak-1M - single-seat fighter, development of Yak-1. Created in 1943 in two copies: prototype No. 1 and a backup. The Yak-1M was the lightest and most maneuverable fighter in the world for its time.

Constructors: Lavochkin, Gorbunov, Gudkov - LaGG

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

It was a cantilever low-wing aircraft with smooth lines and a retractable landing gear with a tailwheel; it was unique among fighters of the time because it had an all-wood construction, with the exception of the steering surfaces that had a metal frame and linen; the fuselage, empennage and wings had a wooden load-bearing structure, to which diagonal strips of plywood were attached using phenol-formaldehyde rubber.

More than 6,500 LaGG-3s were built, with later versions having a retractable tail wheel and the ability to carry dumped fuel tanks. The armament included a 20 mm cannon that fired through the propeller hub, two 12.7 mm (0.5 inch) machine guns, and underwing mounts for unguided rockets or light bombs.

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

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

In their own way appearance and flight performance I-16 differed sharply from most of its serial contemporaries.

The I-16 was created as a high-speed fighter, in which the goal of achieving maximum maneuverability for air combat was simultaneously pursued. For this, the center of gravity in flight was aligned with the center of pressure by approximately 31% of the MAR. It was believed that in this case the aircraft would be more maneuverable. In fact, it turned out that the I-16 became practically not stable enough, especially on planning, demanded a lot of attention from the pilot, reacted to the slightest movement of the handle. And along with this, there was, perhaps, no plane that would make such a great impression on contemporaries with its speed qualities. The small I-16 embodied the idea of a high-speed aircraft, which, moreover, performed very effectively aerobatics, and favorably differed from any biplane. After each modification, the aircraft's speed, ceiling and armament increased.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

During the tests of the "weave" there were several accidents. The right engine of Stefanovsky's plane failed, and he hardly landed the car at the maintenance area, miraculously "jumping" over the hangar and the goats drawn up around it. The second plane, "understudy", on which A.M. Khripkov and P.I. Perevalov flew, also suffered an accident. After takeoff, a fire broke out on it, and the pilot, blinded by the smoke, sat down on the first landing site, crushing the people who were there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The front was in dire need of modern bombers.

From the autumn of 1941, the Pe-2 was already actively used on all fronts, as well as in the naval aviation of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets. The formation of new units was carried out at an accelerated pace. For this, the most experienced pilots were attracted, including test pilots of the Air Force Research Institute, from which a separate Pe-2 (410th) aircraft regiment was formed. During the counter-offensive near Moscow, Pe-2s already accounted for about a quarter of the bombers concentrated for the operation. and one Pe-3, i.e. about 8%.

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

In the course of the "battles, the tactics of Soviet dive bombers also changed. At the end Battle of Stalingrad strike groups of 30 -70 aircraft were already used instead of the previous "triplets" and "nines". The famous Polbinsk "turntable" was born here - a gigantic inclined wheel of dozens of dive bombers, covering each other from the tail and alternately delivering well-aimed strikes. In the conditions of street battles, the Pe-2 operated from low altitudes with extreme precision.

However, experienced pilots were still in short supply. The bombs were dropped mainly from horizontal flight, the young pilots did not fly well on instruments.

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

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

Since 1943, the Pe-2 took first place in the number of aircraft of this type in bomber aviation. In 1944, the Pe-2 took part in almost all major offensive operations. Soviet army... In February, 9 Pe-2s destroyed the bridge across the Dnieper near Rogachov with direct hits. The Germans pressed to the shore were destroyed by Soviet troops. At the beginning of the Korsun-Shevchenko operation, the 202nd Air Division struck powerful strikes at the airfields in Uman and Khristinovka. In March 1944, the Pe-2 of the 36th regiment destroyed the German crossings on the Dniester river. Dive bombers proved to be very effective in the mountainous conditions of the Carpathians. 548 Pe-2s took part in aviation training before the offensive in Belarus. June 29, 1944 Pe-2 destroyed the bridge across the Berezina - the only way out of the Belarusian "boiler".

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

In 1944, the average bombing accuracy compared to 1943 increased by 11%. The already well-mastered Pe-2 made a significant contribution here.

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

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

The production of the Pe-2 ceased in the winter of 1945-1946.

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

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

In October 1940, a diesel engine was chosen as the standard power plant. The bombing of Berlin in August 1941 revealed that they were also unreliable. It was decided to stop using diesel engines. By that time, the designation TB-7 had been changed to Pe-8, and by the end of serial production in October 1941, a total of 79 such aircraft had been built; by the end of 1942, ASh-82FN engines were installed on about 48 of the total number of aircraft. One aircraft with AM-35A engines made a magnificent flight with intermediate landings from Moscow to Washington and back from May 19 to June 13, 1942. The surviving aircraft were used extensively in 1942-43. for close support, and from February 1943 to deliver bombs weighing 5000 kg for precise attacks on special targets. After the war, in 1952, two Pe-8s played a key role in the founding of the Arctic station, making non-stop flights with a range of 5000 km (3107 miles).

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

In July 1941, it was decided to launch "103U" into series. However, in the conditions of the outbreak of war and the large-scale evacuation of aviation enterprises, it was not possible to organize the production of AM-37 engines. Therefore, the designers had to remake the plane for other engines. They were M-82 A.D. Shvedkov, which have just begun mass production. Aircraft of this type have been used on the fronts since 1944. Production of this type of bombers continued for several years after the war, until they were replaced by jet bombers. A total of 2,547 aircraft were built.

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

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

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

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

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

The team of the design bureau, headed by S.A. Lavochkin, in December 1941 completed the modification of the serially built LaGG-Z fighter under the ASh-82 radial engine. The alterations were relatively small, the dimensions and design of the aircraft were preserved, but due to the larger midsection of the new engine, a second, non-working skin was added to the sides of the fuselage.

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

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

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

As for the La-5, it quickly gained recognition. High level flight speeds, good climb rate and throttle response, combined with better vertical maneuverability than the LaGG-Z, led to a sharp qualitative leap in the transition from LaGG-Z to La-5. The air-cooled motor had greater survivability than the liquid-cooled motor, and at the same time served as a kind of protection for the pilot from fire from the front hemisphere. Using this property, the pilots who flew on the La-5 boldly went into frontal attacks, imposing on the enemy a favorable battle tactics.

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

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

La-5 fighters from the first days of their appearance at front-line airfields proved themselves to be excellent in battles with the German fascist invaders. The pilots liked the maneuverability of the La-5, their ease of control, powerful armament, a tenacious star-shaped engine that protected well from fire from the front, and a fairly high speed. Our pilots won many brilliant victories on these machines.

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

The La-7, which was put into serial production in the last year of the war, became one of the main front-line fighters. On this plane, I.N. Kozhedub, awarded three gold stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union, won most of his victories.

2. Tanks and self-propelled guns

Tank T-60 was created in 1941 as a result of a deep modernization of the T-40 tank, carried out under the leadership of N.A. Astrova in the conditions of the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. Compared to the T-40, it had enhanced armor protection and more powerful armament - a 20-mm cannon instead of a large-caliber machine gun. This serial tank was the first to use a device for heating the engine coolant in winter. The modernization achieved an improvement in the main combat characteristics while simplifying the design of the tank, but at the same time the combat capabilities were narrowed - buoyancy was eliminated. Like the T-40 tank, the T-60 chassis uses four rubberized road wheels per side, three support rollers, a drive wheel located in front and a rear idler wheel. Individual torsion bar suspension.

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

Self-propelled installation ISU-152

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

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

The ISU-152 self-propelled gun based on the IS-2 tank was no different from the ISU-122 except for the artillery system. It was equipped with a 152-mm piston-breeched 152-mm howitzer-gun of the 1937 model, the rate of fire of which was 2.3 rounds per minute.

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

Self-propelled installation ISU-122

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

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

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

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

Heavy Soviet self-propelled artillery units played a huge role in achieving victory. They proved to be excellent during street battles in Berlin and during the assault on the powerful fortifications of Konigsberg.

In the 50s, the ISU self-propelled guns that remained in service with the Soviet Army, like the IS-2 tanks, were modernized. All in all, the Soviet industry produced more than 2,400 ISU-122 and more than 2,800 ISU-152.

In 1945, on the basis of the IS-3 tank, another heavy self-propelled gun was designed, which received the same name as the machine developed in 1943 - the ISU-152. A feature of this machine was that a rational angle of inclination was given to the general frontal plate, and the lower side plates of the hull had opposite angles of inclination. Combat and control divisions were combined. The mechanic was located in the conning tower and monitored through a periscopic observation device. A target designation system specially created for this vehicle connected the commander with the gunner and driver. However, with many advantages, the large angle of inclination of the wheelhouse walls, the significant recoil of the cannon-howitzer barrel and the combination of the compartments significantly hampered the work of the crew. Therefore, the ISU-152 of the 1945 model was not accepted into service. The car was made in a single copy.

Self-propelled gun SU-152

In the fall of 1942, at the Chelyabinsk Kirov plant, designers headed by L. S, Troyanov created a self-propelled gun SU-152 (KV-14) on the basis of the KB-1s heavy tank, designed to fire at troop concentrations, long-term strongholds and armored vehicles.

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

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

Self-propelled gun SU-122

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

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

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

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

Self-propelled gun SU-85

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

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

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

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

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

In 1944, the IS-2 was upgraded.

IS-2 tanks entered service with individual heavy tank regiments, which were given the name "guards" during formation. In early 1945, several separate Guards heavy tank brigades were formed, each consisting of three heavy tank regiments. The IS-2 was first used in the Korsun-Shevchenko operation, and then took part in all operations of the final period of the Great Patriotic War.

The last tank created during the Great Patriotic War was the heavy IS-3 (object 703). It was developed in 1944-1945 at the experimental plant number 100 in Chelyabinsk under the leadership of the leading designer MF Balzhi. Serial production began in May 1945, during which 1,170 combat vehicles were produced.

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

Tank KV

In accordance with the decree of the USSR Defense Committee at the end of 1938, at the Kirov plant in Leningrad, the design of a new heavy tank with anti-cannon armor began, which was named SMK ("Sergei Mironovich Kirov"). Another heavy tank, called the T-100, was developed by the Kirov Leningrad Experimental Machine Building Plant (No. 185).

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

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

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

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

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

The appearance of the KV-85 allowed the situation to be somewhat mitigated. But these machines were mastered with a delay, they were released a little, and they could not make a significant contribution to the fight against German heavy tanks. A more serious adversary for the Tigers could be the KV-122, a serial KV-85 armed in an experimental manner with a 122-mm D-25T cannon. But at this time, the first tanks of the IS series had already begun to leave the ChKZ workshops. These vehicles, which at first glance continued the KB line, were completely new tanks, which in their combat qualities were far superior to the enemy's heavy tanks.

During the period from 1940 to 1943, the Leningrad Kirov and Chelyabinsk Kirov plants produced 4,775 KB tanks of all modifications. They were in service with tank brigades of a mixed organization, and then were consolidated into separate breakthrough tank regiments. Heavy tanks KB took part in the hostilities of the Great Patriotic War until its final stage.

Tank T-34

The first prototype of the T-34 was manufactured by Plant No. 183 in January 1940, the second in February. In the same month, factory tests began, which were interrupted on March 12, when both vehicles left for Moscow. On March 17, in the Kremlin, on Ivanovskaya Square, tanks were demonstrated to J.V. Stalin. After the demonstration, the cars went further - along the route Minsk - Kiev - Kharkov.

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

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

Tanks minesweepers and bridgelayers were produced in small quantities. The commander's version of the "thirty-four" was also produced, hallmark which was the presence of the radio station RSB-1.

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

military equipment patriotic war

3. Armored vehicles

Armored car BA-10

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

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

Since 1939, the production of the modernized BA-10M model began, which differed from the base vehicle by reinforced frontal projection armor protection, improved steering, external location of gas tanks and a new radio station. 8 t.

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

...

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 widespread 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. He 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 in service with the German naval forces.

Germany, not having a sufficiently strong fleet capable of withstanding 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.

The M4 Sherman is a WWII American medium tank. 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, a large number of various modifications (one of which the Sherman Crab is the strangest tank), self-propelled artillery units (ACS) and engineering equipment were built on the basis of the M4 Sherman tank. 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 most influential military equipment During World War II, the P-51 Mustang is an American long-range single-seat fighter developed in the early 1940s. It is considered the best fighter of the United States Air Force 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 the 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.

-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 her specifications, 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 were 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-propelled mortars on armored chassis. From 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 does not represent any serious significance.

the USSR

The data obtained fit well into the well-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 character, 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. Last but 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 effort in the design of bridgelayers and ARVs in conditions when the production of the main weapon - tanks - is not debugged.

Ammunition transporter TP-26

At the same time, in the USSR, they 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, and 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 an armored personnel carrier 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 suffered defeat in WWI, Germany did not lose its design school and did not lose its technological superiority. Recall that in the USSR there was nothing to lose, tanks were not produced in the Russian Empire. Therefore, the Germans did not need to overcome the path from an agrarian state to an industrial one in a wild haste.

Having started preparing 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, already, traditionally, the Germans are excellent at. 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 scale 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, that 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 went like a steam roller throughout Europe. Such a keen attitude to support technique, which also contributes to the achievement of victory, can only be admirable.

Actually, the first seeds of future defeat were laid in this weapon system. Germans - they are Germans in everything. 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.

Already in the first year of the war, the blitzkrieg mechanism malfunctioned. The Russian open spaces were absolutely indifferent to the perfectly oiled, but small number of German equipment. A different scope was required here. And although the Red Army suffered defeat after defeat, it became difficult for the Germans to maneuver with the modest forces that they had. Losses in the protracted conflict grew, and already in 1942 it became obvious that it was impossible to produce high-quality German equipment in the quantities necessary to make up for 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.

Technique

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" - equipment engaged in the destruction of the enemy by direct fire in the forward echelons of troops. These are tanks and self-propelled guns. It should be 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 to 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 is towed (for example, the 152-mm howitzer MSTA-B) and self-propelled (MSTA-S). It was a novelty at the time, and the Germans were among the first to implement the idea. self-propelled artillery covered with armor. The USSR limited itself only 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 BM-8-24 jet systems were produced 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 SPAAGs 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 located 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 for transporting infantry in the frontline zone and protecting it from shrapnel of artillery shells at 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 cars 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, 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 made 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 booking is needed primarily to protect against accidental shrapnel 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.

The Germans produced about 700 units of repair and recovery vehicles, plus about 200 were 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 technology, 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. It is not possible to establish their exact number, since all of them are made 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 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 artillerymen. V 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, made several of these vehicles based on the Pz IV, Pz II and Pz I. However, neither the Soviet ST-26s, nor the German bridgelayers 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 widespread 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 the quality / quantity ratio.

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 eventually gave the USSR an advantage over 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 in the end did not help Germany in any way to 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 inclination 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 able to turn 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 by numbers and not by skill. Such statements should be stopped immediately. Not a single, even the most talented commander, will give up quantitative superiority over the enemy, even if he can fight in times fewer troops. Quantitative superiority gives the commander the broadest possibilities for planning a battle and does not at all mean an inability to conduct a battle with 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 succeed the best way, but on the Soviet side it is excellent. 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 of the times of 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 site) 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 editions 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" of 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 distributing our wall newspapers. We are grateful to the "Book of Memory" project, the Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering 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 is 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 defeated Nazi Germany, driving the enemy out 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 systematize all the monuments dedicated to the events of the Second World War of 1939-1945 in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. The post-war monuments remain behind the scenes: the T-80 tank on the Oil Road, the “rocket train” at the Museum of Railway Technology, the S-189 submarine on the Lieutenant Schmidt embankment, the MIG-19 aircraft in the Aviator park , the submarine "Triton-2M" 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 displays 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, subsequently 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 is 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 Of the White Sea... For the courage and courage shown during the wiring during the war years, over 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 of 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 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 at that time. 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 two of its bow 180-mm turrets and propellers as a memorial to the feat of the seamen of the Baltic Fleet. 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 erected 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, such 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" (jet system salvo fire on the basis of the 6-wheeled 4-ton off-road truck "ZIS-6") - a monument to the military and labor glory of the Karl Marx Machine-Building Association, on the territory of which it is installed. At the enterprise, which traditionally produced spinning machines for cotton and wool, with the beginning of the war 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 car 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 local air defense school 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 gun, on a separate granite pedestal, there 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 there is an IS-2 tank, 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 Kirovsky 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, the IS-2s were modernized and were in service with the Soviet and Russian armies until 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 ones) of the KV-85 tank was installed in 1951 at the initiative of the tank designer Joseph Kotin. "Tank-winner" is part of the "Kirovsky Val" memorial, which is part of the "Green Belt of Glory of Leningrad". 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. The index "85" means the caliber of the gun 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 for an easel machine gun of the "Maxim" system of the 1910-1930 model. 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 the 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. There are marks on it from being hit by fragments of an artillery shell. The inscriptions on the stone, also brought from Sinyavino, read: "A 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 guns 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 Obukhov plant in 1914 on a "Zhuravl" -type polygon machine. Four such cannons formed one of the batteries of the Krasnaya Gorka fort during the Great Patriotic War. Two similar former Russian guns are today in Finland, and only one has survived in Russia - this. The text on the 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 test site 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 to the north-east 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 model 1939 "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. It is acting military unit, but the passage to the memorial is free. On a 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: an incomparable epic of human courage, fortitude 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 former base Litke, torpedo boats were based in the war. The boat's armament is clearly visible - two 450 mm torpedo tubes and a twin aft 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 reference the newspaper “Kronstadtsky Vestnik”: “During the Great Patriotic War, the Baltic boats of the brigades of torpedo boats took part in the hostilities of surface ships in the water area of the shallow Gulf of Finland, which was all strewn with mines. 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 demining operations in the fairways. In memory of the courage and dedication of the sailors-boats, this sign is installed ”. 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 "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 took part 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. The 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. The text on the 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. 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 semi-caponier # 1 (call sign - "Elephant") of the Front line of the Karelian fortified area ("KaUR"), built to protect the old Soviet-Finnish border. 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 Beloostrov 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 the 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 Engineering Troops: Fortifications" in the chapter "Using an inverted tank hull for a machine gun blockhouse." Museum and Exhibition Complex "Sestroretsk Border".

23. The firing point with the 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 exhibited 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 such 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 it 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." So we christened this structure that day - "defensive-offensive armored slider." Under this name, she became widely known 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" is installed on the territory of the machine-building plant "Zvezda", which until recently bore the name of K.E. Voroshilov. A bronze plaque is fixed on the pedestal: "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 oldest enterprise in the country - 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 6,000 T-34 tanks in Omsk and more than 10,000 tank engines in Barnaul. In the shops of the plant in besieged Leningrad, tanks were repaired, mines and armor shields were produced. The monument was opened in 1975. Address: Babushkina street, 123, on the territory of JSC "Zvezda".

27. The firing point with the 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 in 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 bunker to its original appearance. " The memorial was restored in 2013. Address: Rybatskoye, Murzinskaya street, not far from the intersection with Obukhovskoy oborony avenue.

Petrogradskiy district

28. 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 heroically fought 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 withdrawn 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 gun, model 1898, in the outdoor exhibition of 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 prominent Russian artillery scientists, a completely new weapon was developed at the Putilov factory in St. Petersburg. So, for the first time in these guns, a high-speed 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 cannon were confirmed on the fields of the Russo-Japanese War (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 of 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 cannons of the 1936 and 1939 models, 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 Fedor Petrov). There is also a cannon (122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model of the year), 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, excellent samples were made using the high-speed method, taking into account the experience of the combat use of artillery. 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 model 1943 D-1. It's hard to imagine, but it took less than three weeks to create it, and it was in service for more than thirty years. It is adjacent to the first powerful 100-, 122- and 152-mm self-propelled artillery mounts - a thunderstorm of 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 everything german tanks... A special place among the guns of the war years is occupied by the 76-mm divisional gun 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 curious 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. Almost all anti-aircraft guns created and in service in the pre-war and war years are displayed in the courtyard of the museum. These are the 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 themselves well 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 "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 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,” reads the information plate. Every Saturday (late May to October) there is a divorce ceremony five minutes before noon honor guard... Howitzer "ML-20" takes pride of place among the best designs of barreled artillery. These are the guns that were installed on the "Hypericum" - powerful self-propelled artillery installations. Address: Peter and Paul Fortress.

Frunze district

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

Photo: kupsilla.ru, Denis Chaliapin

Covered with earth and construction waste the firing point in the summer of 2014 was accidentally discovered by a local resident. Historians became interested in the find, secured the status of the monument and raised money for its restoration. An exact copy of the turret of the KV-1 heavy tank was made, which was 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.

A sharp leap in the development of weapons and military equipment took place during the Second World War. “The impact of scientific and technological advances on the nature of this war was enormous and multifaceted. Simply put, until 1918, military operations were conducted in two dimensions (on land and at sea) within easy visibility with weapons of short range and destructive power. During the war 1939-1945. gigantic changes have taken place - a third dimension (air), the ability to "see" the enemy at a distance (radar), the spaces in which battles were fought, the power of weapons have been added. To this must be added all kinds of countermeasures. The most big influence for military operations in the war of 1939-1945. rendered air power. It revolutionized the strategy and tactics of war on land and at sea. "

In fig. 89 shows aircraft from the period of the Second World War.

In service with aviation different countries consisted of bombs weighing from 1 kg to 9 thousand kg, small-caliber automatic cannons (20-47 mm), large-caliber machine guns (11.35-13.2 mm),

rockets.

Rice. 89.

Soviet aircraft: 1 - MiG-3 fighter; 2 - La-5 fighter;

3 - Yak-3 fighter; 4 - Pe-2 frontal dive bomber; 5 - front-line bomber Tu-2; 6 - Il-2 attack aircraft; 7 - long-range Il-4 bomber; 8 - long-range bomber Pe-2 (TB-7). Foreign aircraft: 9 - Me-109E fighter (Germany); 10 - dive bomber Ju-87 (Germany); 11 - bomber Ju-88 (Germany); 12 - Spitfire fighter (Great Britain); 13 - "Ercobra" fighter (USA); 14 - bomber "Mosquito" (Great Britain); 15 - strategic bomber "Lancaster" (Great Britain); 16 - B-29 strategic bomber (USA).

Tanks played the most important role in World War II (Fig. 90). German fascist Germany entered the Second world war armed with the following tanks: light T-1 and T-II, medium T-W and T-IV.

However, already at the beginning of World War II, Soviet T-34 and KV tanks showed complete superiority over Nazi tanks. In 1942, the Hitlerite command modernized medium tanks - a 50-mm cannon was installed on the T-Sh instead of a 37-mm one, and the T-IV received a long-barreled 75-mm cannon instead of a short-barreled one, and the armor thickness increased. In 1943, heavy tanks, the T-V Panther and the T-VI Tiger, entered service with the Nazi army. However, these tanks were inferior to the Soviet T-34 in maneuverability, and the IS-2 in weapon power.

During the Great Patriotic War, the famous T-34 was the main Soviet tank. During the war, it was repeatedly modernized - in 1942 the thickness of the armor was increased, the design was simplified, the commander's cupola was introduced, the four-speed gearbox was replaced by a five-speed one, and the capacity of the fuel tanks was increased. In the second half of 1943, the T-34-85 with an 85-mm cannon entered service. In the autumn of 1941, the KV tank was replaced by the KV-1C tank, whose speed increased from 35 to 42 km / h by reducing its mass due to armor. In the summer of 1943, a more powerful 85mm cannon in a cast turret was installed on this tank - the new vehicle was named KV-85. In 1943, a new heavy tank IS-1 was created, armed with an 85mm cannon. Already in December of this year, a 122 mm cannon was installed on the tank. The new tank, the IS-2, and its further modification, the IS-3, were rightfully considered the most powerful tanks of the Second World War. Light tanks in the USSR, as in other countries, did not receive much development. On the basis of the T-40 amphibious tank with machine-gun armament, by September 1941, the T-60 light tank with a 20-mm cannon and reinforced armor was created. On the basis of the T-60 tank, at the beginning of 1942, the T-70 tank was developed, armed with a 45-mm cannon. However, in the second half of the war, light tanks proved to be ineffective, and in 1943 their production ceased.

Rice. 90.

1 - heavy tank KV-2 (USSR); 2 - heavy tank IS-2 (USSR);
3 - medium tank T-34 (USSR); 4 - heavy tank T-V I "Tiger" (Germany); 5 - heavy tank T-V "Panther" (Germany);
6 - medium tank "Sherman" (USA); 7 - Lokast light tank (USA);
8 - infantry tank (UK).

In the development of tanks of the main belligerent armies, medium tanks were most widespread. However, since 1943, there has been a tendency to create new types of heavy tanks and increase their production. Medium and heavy tanks of the Second World War were single-turreted, with anti-cannon armor, armed with 50-122 mm cannons.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Soviet troops fired the first salvo from combat vehicles of rocket artillery ("Katyusha") (Fig. 91). During the Second World War, reactive weapons were also used by the fascist German, British and American armies. In 1943, the first large-caliber breech-loading 160-mm mortar entered service with the Soviet troops. Self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS) became widespread in World War II (Fig. 92): in the Soviet Army with 76, 85, 100, 122 and 152 mm guns; in the fascist German army - 75-150 mm; in the British and American armies - 75-203 mm.

Rice. 91.

Rice. 92.

1 - SU-100 (USSR); 2 - 88-mm self-propelled anti-tank artillery installation "Ferdinand" (Germany); 3 - English 76-mm self-propelled artillery installation "Archer"; 4 - American 155-mm self-propelled artillery mount M41.

Small arms (especially machine guns and submachine guns), flamethrowers of various types, incendiary ammunition, cumulative and sub-caliber projectiles, and mine explosive weapons were further developed during the Second World War.

During the Second World War, ships of various classes were used in the struggle at sea and ocean theaters (Fig. 93). At the same time, aircraft carriers and submarines became the main striking force of the fleet. Anti-submarine defense ships (sloops, corvettes, frigates, etc.) have undergone significant development. Many landing ships (ships) were built. During the war years, a large number of destroyers were built, but they only in some cases carried out torpedo attacks, and were mainly used for anti-aircraft defense and anti-aircraft defense. The main types of naval weapons were various artillery systems, improved torpedoes, mines and depth charges. Of great importance for increasing the combat effectiveness of ships was the widespread use of radar and hydroacoustic equipment.

Rice. 93.

1 - cruiser "Kirov" (USSR); 2 - ship of the line (Great Britain);
3 battleship Bismarck (Germany); 4 - battleship Yamato (Japan); 5 - liner "Wilhelm Gustloff" (Germany), torpedoed by the Soviet submarine S-13 under the command of A.I. Marinesco; 6 - liner "Queen Mary" (Great Britain);
7 - submarine of the "Sh" type (USSR); 8 - American ships.

In 1944, the fascist German army used guided V-1 projectiles and V-2 ballistic missiles.

B.L. Montgomery. A brief history of military battles. - M .: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004 .-- P. 446.

Military equipment and weapons of the wwii. Soviet technology of the second world war. Full turn of the tower, seconds

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

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