At the arms show military equipment and fortifications of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War, a fairly complete collection of Soviet armored vehicles of the war period, English and American armored vehicles supplied to the Soviet Union in 1941-1945 under Lend-Lease, as well as armored vehicles of our main opponents during the war years - Germany and Japan .

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

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

During the first five-year plans in the Soviet Union, the necessary production base for the mass production of tanks was created. Already in 1931, the factories gave the Red Army 740 vehicles. For comparison: in 1930, the troops received only 170 tanks, and in 1932 - 3121 vehicles, including 1032 T-26 light tanks, 396 BT-2 light fast tanks and 1693 T-27 tankettes. No other country built such a number of tanks at that time. And this pace was practically maintained until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

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

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

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

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

The development of tanks, engines, weapons in the USSR was carried out by design teams led by N.N. Kozyreva (T-27), N.N. Barykova (T-26 and T-28), A.O. Firsova (BT), N.A. Astrov (T-37), O.M. Ivanova (T-35), M.I. Koshkin and A.A. Morozova (T-34), Zh.Ya. Kotin (KV and IS-2), M.F. Balzhi (IS-3), I.Ya. Trashutin and K. Chelpan (V-2 diesel engine), V.G. Grabina (tank guns, V.A. Degtyarev (tank machine guns), E.I. Maron and V.A. Agntsev (tank sights).

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

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

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

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

On June 13, 1941, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General N.F. Vatutin in the "Information on the deployment of the Armed Forces of the USSR in case of war in the West" noted: "In total, there are 303 divisions in the USSR: rifle divisions - 198, tank divisions - 61, motorized divisions - 31 ..." Thus, instead of 42 previous tank divisions brigades and six motorized divisions in the Red Army a week before the start of the war, there were 92nd tank and motorized divisions. However, due to such a rapid reorganization of the troops, less than half of the formed corps received the necessary weapons and military equipment in full. In the tank units, there was an acute shortage of tank commanders and technical specialists, since the commanders who came from rifle and cavalry formations had no practical experience in the combat use of tank troops and the operation of armored vehicles.

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

In the battles of the first period of the Great Patriotic War with Wehrmacht strike groups, units of the Red Army lost a large amount of their military equipment. Only in 1941, during the Baltic defensive operation (June 22 - July 9), 2523 tanks were lost; in Belorusskaya (June 22 - July 9) - 4799 cars; in Western Ukraine (June 22 - July 6) - 4381 tanks. Compensation for losses became one of the main tasks of Soviet tank builders.

During the course of the war, the relative number of light tanks in the active army was continuously decreasing, although in 1941-1942 their output increased in quantitative terms. This was explained by the need to supply the troops with the largest possible number of combat vehicles in a short time, and it was relatively easy to establish the production of light tanks.

At the same time, they were modernized, and first of all, armor was strengthened.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The number of Soviet tanks participating in operations was constantly increasing: 780 tanks participated in the Moscow battle (1941-1942), 979 tanks participated in the Stalingrad battle (1942-1943), 5200 tanks participated in the Belarusian strategic offensive operation (1944), and 5200 tanks participated in the Berlin operation (1945) - 6250 tanks and self-propelled guns. According to the chief General Staff Red Army General of the Army A.I. Antonova, “... the second half of the war was marked by the predominance of our tanks and self-propelled artillery on the battlefields. This allowed us to carry out operational maneuvers on a huge scale, to surround large enemy groupings, to pursue him until complete destruction.

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

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

Along with the mass production of armored vehicles during the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army received tanks and self-propelled guns that came from Great Britain, Canada and the USA under Lend-Lease. The transportation of armored vehicles was carried out mainly along three routes: the northern one - across the Atlantic and the Barents Sea, the southern one - across the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Iran, to the east - across the Pacific Ocean. The first transport with tanks arrived in the USSR from Great Britain in September 1941. And by the beginning of 1942, the Red Army received 750 British and 180 American tanks. Many of them were used in the battle near Moscow in the winter of 1941-1942. In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War for the Soviet Union, according to Western sources, 3805 tanks were shipped to Great Britain, including 2394 Valentine, 1084 Matilda, 301 Churchill, 20 Tetrarch, 6 Cromwell. To these should be added 25 Valentine bridge tanks. Canada provided the USSR with 1,388 Valentine tanks. In the United States, 7172 tanks were loaded on ships under Lend-Lease, including 1676 light MZA1, 7 light M5 and M24, 1386 medium MZAZ, 4102 medium M4A2, one M26, as well as 707 anti-tank self-propelled guns (mainly M10 and M18), 1100 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns (M15, M16 and M 17), and 6666 armored personnel carriers. However, not all of these machines took part in the hostilities. So, under the blows of the German fleet and aviation, along with the ships of the Arctic convoys, 860 American and 615 British tanks were sent to the seabed. With a fairly high degree of certainty, we can say that 18,566 armored vehicles were delivered to the USSR during the four years of the war, of which: 10,395 tanks, 6,242 armored personnel carriers, 1,802 self-propelled guns and 127 armored vehicles, which were used in units, formations and training units of the Red Army.

Soviet tankers during the Great Patriotic War showed examples of the effective use of armored weapons, although the enemy was strong and had very powerful military equipment. The motherland duly noted the feat of Soviet tankers: in their ranks - 1150 Heroes Soviet Union(including 16 - twice Heroes), and more than 250,000 - were awarded orders and medals. On July 1, 1946, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the professional holiday "Tankman's Day" was established - to commemorate the great merits of armored and mechanized troops in defeating the enemy during the Great Patriotic War, as well as for the merits of tank builders in equipping the country's Armed Forces with armored vehicles. It is deeply symbolic that the legendary T-34 tank was often installed on the pedestals of monuments in honor of the liberation of Soviet cities from Nazi captivity, and many of the Soviet tanks of that time took their place of honor in many domestic museums.

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

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

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

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

All tanks that entered service with the Wehrmacht received the letter abbreviation Pz. Krfw. (short for Panzegkampfwagen - armored fighting vehicle) and serial number. Modifications were designated by letters of the Latin alphabet and the abbreviation Ausf. - (abbr. Ausfuhrung - model, option). Command tanks were designated Рz.Bf.Wg. (Panzerbefehlswagen). Simultaneously with this type of designation, a through system was also used for all Wehrmacht mobile vehicles. According to the through system, most of the Wehrmacht armored vehicles (with some exceptions) received the designation Sd. Kfz. (abbr. Sonderkraftfahrzeug - special purpose vehicle) and serial number.

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

The first mass-produced German tank was the light Pz. Krfw. I, which entered the troops in 1934. The following year, the second light tank Pz appeared. Krfw. II. These machines were tested in combat conditions during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939.

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

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

On September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht tank fleet in combat, training units and bases consisted of 3195 vehicles. There were about 2800 of them in the active army.

German losses in armored vehicles during the Polish campaign were small (198 destroyed and 361 damaged) and were quickly replenished by industry. As a result of the September (1939) battles, Guderian demanded to strengthen the armor and firepower of tanks and increase the production of Pz. Krfw. W and Rz. Krfw. IV. By the beginning of the campaign in France (May 10, 1940), 5 German tank corps had 2580 tanks. The British and French tanks were superior to the enemy in terms of armor and armament, but the German tank troops had higher training and combat experience, and were also better controlled. They were used massively, while the allies fought tank battles in small groups, sometimes not having close interaction either with each other or with the infantry. The victory went to the German shock groups.

To attack the Soviet Union, the German command, consisting of 17 tank divisions, concentrated 3582 tanks and self-propelled guns. These included 1698 light tanks: 180 Rz. Krfw. I; 746 Rz. Krfw. II; 149 Rz. 35(t); 623 Rz. 38(t) and 1404 medium tanks: 965 Рz. Krfw. III; 439 Rz. Krfw. IV, as well as 250 assault guns. The troops had another 230 command tanks that did not have cannon weapons. The fighting on the Soviet-German front revealed a number of technical shortcomings of German tanks. Their cross-country ability and mobility on the ground turned out to be low. In terms of armament and armor, they were significantly inferior to the Soviet T-34 and KV. It became clear to the Wehrmacht command that the troops needed stronger vehicles. While the development of new medium and heavy tanks was underway, the re-equipment of the Pz began. Krfw. IV (a long-barreled 75-mm cannon was installed with simultaneous strengthening of its armor). This temporarily equalized it with Soviet tanks in terms of armament and armor. But according to the rest of the data, the T-34 retained its superiority.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With the outbreak of war in Europe, the production of tanks in Japan was gaining momentum: in 1940, 1023 vehicles were manufactured, in 1941 - 1024. Taking into account the country's insular position, the Japanese military leadership did not seek to build up its tank and troops. In the manual for training troops published in 1935, it was noted: "The main purpose of tanks is to fight in close cooperation with the infantry." From a tactical point of view, tanks were considered only as a means of supporting infantry and were reduced to small units. Their main tasks were considered to be: combating firing points and field artillery and making passages for infantry in barriers. Tanks could be sent on “close raids” beyond the front line of the enemy’s defense to a depth of no more than 600 m. At the same time, having violated his defense system, they had to return to their infantry and support its attack. The most maneuverable type of fighting was "deep raids" with cavalry, motorized infantry in vehicles, sappers and field artillery. In defense, tanks were used to carry out frequent counterattacks (mostly at night) or to fire from an ambush. The fight against enemy tanks was allowed only when absolutely necessary. In November 1941, according to the operational plan of the headquarters, the main forces of the fleet and aviation were involved in the capture of the Philippine Islands, Malaya, Burma and other territories, and 11 infantry divisions and only 9 tank regiments were allocated from the ground forces.

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

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

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

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

Osinnikov Roman

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

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

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

Sturmovik Il - 16

Sturmovik Il - 2 Sturmovik Il - 10

Pe-8 bomber Pe-2 bomber

Tu-2 bomber

Fighter Yak-3 Yak-7 Yak-9

Fighter La-5 Fighter La-7

Tank ISU - 152

Tank ISU - 122

Tank SU - 85

Tank SU - 122

Tank SU - 152

Tank T - 34

Armored car BA-10 Armored car BA-64

Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-31

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-36

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-24

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM - 13N

Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-13

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

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Military equipment of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.

Plan.

1. Introduction

2. Aviation

3. Tanks and self-propelled guns

4. Armored vehicles

5. Other military equipment

Introduction

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

On the territory of the Soviet Union, a significant number of national military formations with a total number of 550 thousand people, for 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 cadres.

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

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

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

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

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

Aviation

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

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

Constructors: Lavochkin, Gorbunov, Gudkov - LaGG

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

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

Over 6,500 LaGG-3s were built, with later variants having retractable tailwheels and the ability to carry drop fuel tanks. Armament included a 20 mm cannon firing through a 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. The LaGG-3 with the Sh-37 cannon was called the "tank destroyer".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

During the Great Patriotic War Pe-2 was the most 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 Ar-2 A.A. became the first dive bomber. Arkhangelsky, which was a modernization of the Security Council. The Ar-2 bomber was developed almost in parallel with the future Pe-2, but was put into mass production faster, since it was based on a well-developed aircraft. However, the design of S B is already quite outdated, so the prospects further development Ar-2s were practically absent. A little later, a small series (five pieces) of the SPB N.N. Polikarpov, which surpassed the Ar-2 in terms of armament and flight characteristics. Since numerous accidents occurred during flight tests, after a long refinement of this machine, work was stopped.

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

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

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

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

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

On the afternoon of June 22, 1941, 17 Pe-2 aircraft of the 5th Bomber Aviation Regiment bombed the Galatsky Bridge across the Prut River. This high-speed and quite maneuverable aircraft could operate during the day in conditions of enemy air superiority. So, on October 5, 1941, the crew of Art. lieutenant Gorslikhin took the fight with nine German 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, fell into a heavy snowfall on the way to Moscow, lost orientation and crashed into a hill near Arzamas. The place of the chief designer was briefly taken by A.M.Izakson, and then he was replaced by A.I.Putilov.

The front badly needed modern bombers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 machine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tanks and self-propelled guns

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

However, in the face of a shortage of tanks, the main advantage of the T-60 was the ease of production at automobile plants with the widespread use of automotive components and mechanisms. The tank was produced simultaneously at four factories. In 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 gun ISU-152

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

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

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

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

Self-propelled gun ISU-122

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Self-propelled gun SU-152

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

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

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

Self-propelled gun SU-122

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

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

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

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

Self-propelled gun SU-85

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

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

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

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

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

In 1944, the IS-2 was upgraded.

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

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

IS-3 tanks, contrary to popular belief, were not used in the hostilities of the Second World War, but on September 7, 1945, one tank regiment, which was armed with these combat vehicles, took part in the parade of the Red Army 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 decision of the USSR Defense Committee, at the end of 1938, at the Kirov Plant in Leningrad, the design of a new heavy tank with anti-cannon armor, called SMK ("Sergey Mironovich Kirov"), began. The development of another heavy tank, called the T-100, was carried out by the Leningrad Experimental Machine Building Plant named after Kirov (No. 185).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tank T-34

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

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

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

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

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

armored vehicles

Armored car BA-10

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

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

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

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

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

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

Armored car BA-64

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other military equipment

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-36

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

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

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

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

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

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-8-24

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

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

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

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

Launcher M-30

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fighting vehicle of rocket artillery BM-13N

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-13

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

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

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

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

During the tests, an important feature of volley fire with rockets was revealed: when several shells are simultaneously burst in a limited area, shock waves act from different directions, the addition of which, that is, oncoming strikes, significantly increases the destructive effect of each projectile.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Literature

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

Technique of the USSR

Tank of the USSR: T-34 (or "thirty-four")

The tank was put into service on December 19, 1939. This is the only tank in the world that retained its combat capability and was in mass production until the end of the Great Patriotic War. The T-34 tank deservedly enjoyed the love of soldiers and officers of the Red Army, was the best vehicle in the world tank fleet. He played a decisive role in the battles near Moscow, Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge, near Berlin and other military operations.

Soviet technology Second World War

Tank of the USSR: IS - 2 "Joseph Stalin"

IS-2 is a Soviet heavy tank of the Great Patriotic War period. The abbreviation IS means "Joseph Stalin" - the official name of the serial Soviet heavy tanks produced in 1943-1953. Index 2 corresponds to the second serial model of the tank of this family. During the Great Patriotic War, along with the designation IS-2, the name IS-122 was used on an equal footing, in this case, the index 122 means the caliber of the main armament of the vehicle.

Weapons of the USSR: 76-mm divisional gun model 1942
ZIS-3 became the most massive Soviet artillery gun produced during the Great Patriotic War. Due to its outstanding combat, operational and technological qualities, this weapon is recognized by experts as one of the best weapons of the Second World War. IN postwar period The 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.

Military equipment of the USSR: Katyusha
Katyusha is the unofficial collective name for the BM-8 (82 mm), BM-13 (132 mm) and BM-31 (310 mm) rocket artillery combat vehicles. Such installations were actively used by the USSR during World War II.

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

Tank "Panther" Ausf. G/Panzerkampfwagen V Panther

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

Armored personnel carrier OT-810

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

Tank Maus / Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus"

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

Mortar Karl Gerat "Adam"

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

Tank T-30

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

Tank T-34

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

Armored car BA-3

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

SU-100

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

Panzer IV tank

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

Tank LT vz.38/ Pz. Kpfw.38

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

TANK KV-2

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

Tank T-26

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

Tank T-38

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

Tank T-60

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

Tank MS 1

The small escort tank, the first mass-produced Soviet tank of its own design, was based on the French FT-17 tank. There is only one such tank in the world on the move.

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

Tank T-70

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

Tank BT-7

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

Katyusha BM-13 (ZIL-157)

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

Tank IS-2

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

TANK IS-3

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

GAZ AA

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

ZIS 42

Already the first months of the Great Patriotic War showed that the Red Army really lacked fast and passable artillery tractors, and such a tractor was developed. ZIS 42 was created on the basis of the ZIS-5V truck. Of more than 6,000 of these unique machines, only one has been restored by enthusiasts.

Willys MB

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

GAZ MM

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

GAZ-67

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

ZIS-5

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

Studebaker "Katyusha" (Studebaker) BM-13M

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

M4 Sherman "Sherman"

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

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

Charity wall newspapers educational project"Briefly and clearly about the most interesting" (website website) are intended for schoolchildren, parents and teachers of St. Petersburg. They are delivered free of charge to most educational institutions, as well as to a number of hospitals, orphanages and other institutions in the city. The publications of the project do not contain any advertising (only logos of the founders), politically and religiously neutral, written in easy language, well illustrated. They are conceived as an information "slowdown" of students, the awakening of cognitive activity and the desire to read. Authors and publishers, without claiming to be academically complete in the presentation of the material, publish Interesting Facts, illustrations, interviews with well-known figures of science and culture and hope thereby to increase the interest of schoolchildren in educational process. Please send comments and suggestions to: [email protected].. We thank the Department of Education of the Administration of the Kirovsky District of St. Petersburg and everyone who selflessly helps in distributing our wall newspapers. We thank the project "Book of Memory", the Military History Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps, the Museum and Exhibition Complex "Sestroretsky Frontier" and Sergey Sharov for the materials provided in the issue. Many thanks to Alexei Shvarev 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 freeing the peoples of Europe. These combat vehicles (and some of them remained in single copies) are worthy of being carefully preserved, studied, remembered and proud of them. 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. Post-war monuments have remained “behind the scenes” of the newspaper: the T-80 tank on the Oil Road, the “rocket train” in the Museum of Railway Engineering, the S-189 submarine on the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment, the MIG-19 aircraft in the Aviators’ Park , the Triton-2M submarine in Kronstadt and some others. And we plan to devote a separate newspaper to the military equipment installed on pedestals in the Leningrad Region. Also in a separate issue we will talk about the extensive collection of the Artillery Museum on Kronverksky Island.

Admiralteisky district

1. 305 mm railway artillery mount

Photo: Vitaly V. Kuzmin

The Museum of Railway Technology at the former Varshavsky railway station exhibits many unique exhibits. One of the most interesting is a huge weapon. The explanatory plate says: “Railway artillery installation TM-3-12. Gun caliber - 305 mm. The maximum firing range is 30 km. Rate of fire - 2 shots per minute. Weight - 340 tons. Built at the Nikolaev State Plant in 1938. In total, 3 installations of this type were built, while guns dismantled from the battleship Empress Maria were used. 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 arrived at 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 Engineering.

2. Railway armored platform

This 22-ton armored platform was made in 1935. During the Great Patriotic War, 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 Engineering.

Vasileostrovskiy district

3. Icebreaker "Krasin"

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

The icebreaker "Krasin" (until 1927 - "Svyatogor") was built in 1916 in England by order of the Russian government. For several decades, it 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 airship Italia, which crashed off the coast of Svalbard. After that, "Krasin" became known throughout the world. During the Second World War, the famous icebreaker acquired naval artillery and paved the way for the "polar convoys". That was the name of the caravans of ships with military and civilian cargo that our allies (USA and Great Britain) sent to the USSR. Dozens of ships led "Krasin" through the ice of the Kara Sea, the Laptev Sea and the White Sea. Over 300 Krasinsk residents received government awards for courage and bravery shown during the escort during the war years. Since 2004, the icebreaker has been a branch of the Museum of the World Ocean. Address: Lieutenant Schmidt embankment near the 23rd line of Vasilyevsky Island.

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

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

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

5. Torpedo boat project "Komsomolets"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Leonid Maslov

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

6. Submarine "Narodovolets"

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

This diesel-electric torpedo submarine was built at the Baltic Shipyard No. 189 in Leningrad in 1929. At first, 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 sunk by her were a transport with a cargo of coal and a sea ferry. 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 the heroic submariners, scientists, designers and shipbuilders of the Great Patriotic War. The Submarine Museum opened in 1994. Address: Shkiperskiy protok, 10.

Vyborgsky district

7. "Katyusha"

This legendary Katyusha (multiple launch rocket system based on a 6-wheeled 4-ton ZIS-6 off-road truck) is a monument to the military and labor glory of the Karl Marx Machine-Building Association, on whose territory it was installed. At the enterprise, which traditionally produced spinning machines for cotton and wool, with the beginning of the war they began to make ammunition and weapons, including Katyushas. On a granite pedestal there is an inscription: "To you who left here for the front, to you who remained to forge the weapons 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 Courage Square

Photo: lenww2.ru, Olga Isaeva

A memorial composition consisting of the legendary ZIS-3 cannon of the 1942 model and four anti-tank "hedgehogs". The flowers on the pedestal are planted in the form of the inscription "Remember". The 76-mm ZIS-3 divisional gun became the most massive Soviet artillery gun produced during the Great Patriotic War (a total of 103,000 guns were fired). This gun is also recognized by experts as one of the best guns of the entire Second World War due to its outstanding qualities, economy and simplicity. In the post-war period, the 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. The memorial was opened in 2011. Address: Courage Square.

Kalininsky district

9. Cannon "ZIS-3" on Metallistov Avenue

Photo: lenww2.ru, Olga Isaeva

During the war years, in the building of the North-West Regional Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief), there was a school of MPVO (local air defense) and artillery courses. In honor of this, a 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon was installed on a granite slab in the park in front of the building, which participated in the defense of Leningrad. Eight stars are drawn on the shield of the gun - 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 during the Siege and the Victory salute. Address: Metallistov Avenue, 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 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. "IS-2" was the most powerful and most armored of the Soviet serial tanks of the war period and one of the strongest tanks at that time in the world. These tanks have been produced since 1943 at the Chelyabinsk Kirov plant, created in the shortest possible time on the basis of equipment evacuated from Leningrad. Tanks of this type played a big role in the battles of 1944-1945, especially distinguishing themselves 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 army up until 1995. The memorial was opened in 1952. Address: Stachek Avenue, 47.

11. KV-85 tank 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. Index "85" means the caliber of the gun in millimeters. Shells fired from standard German anti-tank guns bounced off him, leaving no damage to his armor. It was produced only in August-October 1943. A total of 148 machines of this type were manufactured. The forerunner 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" was installed - a machine-gun armored turret for the Maxim heavy machine gun of the 1910-1930 model. The tower was found by search engines on the Karelian Isthmus near the Yatka River. Armor thickness - 3 centimeters, weight about 500 kilograms. Such machine-gun armored turrets 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 administration of the Kirovsky district. Address: Korabelnaya street, in the square at the intersection with Kronstadtskaya 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 Workers of the Izhora Plants". The armored tower had lain in the Sinyavino swamps for more than 50 years and was found by the Zvezda search team. It has marks from artillery shell fragments. The inscriptions on the stone, also brought from Sinyavino, read: “A low bow to all the creators of the armor of Russia at the Izhora factories” and “The memorial sign“ To the armored workers of the Izhora factories ”was installed in the year of the 100th anniversary of the birth of M.I. Koshkin, the general designer of the tank“ T-34"". Mikhail Koshkin insisted that the turret of his famous tank should also be made of heavy-duty armor cast using the Izhora technology. The memorial was erected in 1998. Address: Kolpino, at the intersection of Proletarskaya Street and Tankistov Street.

Krasnogvardeisky district

14. 406-mm gun at the Rzhev range

The barrel length of this unique B-37 cannon is 16 meters, a two-meter projectile for it weighs more than a ton, and the firing range is 45 kilometers. A plate is attached to the armored turret: “406-mm gun mount of the Navy of the USSR. This gun of the Red Banner NIMAP (Scientific and 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 nodes of resistance, destroyed military equipment and manpower of the enemy, supported the actions of the Red Army units of the Leningrad Front and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet in the Nevsky, Kolpinsky, Uritsko-Pushkinsky, Krasnoselsky and Karelian directions. Clarification from the NIMAP website: “In January 1944, during the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad, 33 shells were fired at the enemy from this gun. One of the shells hit the building of power plant 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 equip four Sovetsky Soyuz-type battleships 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 not be built.

15. 305-mm gun at the Rzhev range

Photo: aroundspb.ru, Sergey Sharov

This naval cannon was made at the Obukhov plant in 1914 on a Zhuravl-type proving ground. Four of these guns were one of the batteries of the Krasnaya Gorka fort during the Great Patriotic War. Two such former Russian guns are today in Finland, and only one has survived in Russia - this. Text on the memorial plaque: "From August 29, 1941 to June 10, 1944, a 305-mm naval gun mount fired on Nazi troops during the defense of Leningrad." The most powerful weapon ever mass-produced on ships of the Russian or Soviet navy. The Rzhev test site called "experimental artillery battery" was established more than a century and a half ago with the aim of testing new types of guns. 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) today occupies a significant area northeast of St. Petersburg. This is where the unique artillery pieces who participated in the defense of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. So far, the territory of the landfill is closed to the public, but the issue of assigning the status of monuments of history and culture of the Russian Federation to these famous guns is being discussed.

16. Anti-aircraft gun "52-K"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Alexey Sedelnikov

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

Krasnoselsky district

17. Aircraft, tank and anti-aircraft guns in the village of Khvoyny

Photo: lenww2.ru, Alexey Sedelnikov

The village of Khvoyny is a "piece" of the Krasnoselsky district of St. Petersburg, surrounded on all sides by the territory of the Gatchinsky district of the Leningrad region. This is the current military unit, but the passage to the memorial is free. On a stele with a bas-relief depicting besieged Leningrad, a quote from the speech of L.I. Brezhnev (the leader of the USSR in 1966-1982) when Leningrad was awarded the "Gold Star of the Hero": 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 wars on earth. Nearby on the site there is a T-34/85 tank (1944) with the inscription "For the Motherland", a 130-mm anti-aircraft gun KS-30 (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 project "Komsomolets"

Photo: wikipedia.org, Vasyatka1

Post-war torpedo boat of the Komsomolets project, similar to the one installed in Gavan. Here, in the area of ​​the former Litke base, torpedo boats were based during the war. The armament of the boat is clearly visible - two 450-mm torpedo tubes and aft twin installation of 14.5-mm machine guns. "To sailors-katerniks of the Baltic" - it is written on the plate. A square was laid out around the monument, lindens were planted. Historical reference of the newspaper "Kronstadt Vestnik": "During the Great Patriotic War, in the fighting of surface ships in the waters of the shallow Gulf of Finland, which was completely littered with mines, the Baltic boat crews of torpedo boat brigades mainly participated. They were fearless and daring, and their attacks inflicted great damage on the enemy. And many commanders of these small but formidable ships became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Both during the war and decades after it, trawling brigades, which included special flat-bottomed boats - minesweepers, worked in the Gulf of Finland stuffed with mines. More than ten such ships and more than a hundred sailors perished in the course of operations to clear the fairways. In memory of the courage and dedication of boat sailors, this sign is established. The memorial was opened in 2009. Address: Kronstadt, Gidrostroiteley street, 10.

19. Artillery installation of the battleship "Gangut"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Oleg Ivanov

76-mm two-gun artillery mount 81-K of the battleship "Gangut" (after 1925 the battleship was called the "October Revolution"). "Gangut" was laid down in 1909 at the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg under the leadership of the outstanding Russian shipbuilder A.N. Krylov. He took part in the First World War. During the Great Patriotic War, he participated in the defense of Leningrad, was damaged by German artillery fire and aviation. Since 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 installation of foreman of the 1st class Ivan Tambasov." The monument was opened in 1957. Address: Kronstadt, Kommunisticheskaya street, intersection with Obvodny Canal. Nearby are two anchors of the famous battleship.

20. Cutting the submarine "Narodovolets"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Leonid Kharitonov

Part of the fencing of the cabin of a diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Narodovolets (D-2) series. Text on the memorial plaque: “The firstborn of the Soviet submarine shipbuilding. Laid down in 1927 in Leningrad. Entered service in 1931. From 1933 to 1939 she was part of the Northern Military Flotilla. From 1941 to 1945, she conducted active military operations against the fascist invaders at the KBF (Red Banner Baltic Fleet). During the war, she sank 5 enemy ships with a total displacement of 40,000 tons. It is located in the closed territory of the 123rd Red Banner Submarine Brigade.

resort area

21. Artillery semi-caponier "Elephant"

Photo: lenww2.ru, Olga Isaeva

Caponier (from the French word "deepening") - a defensive structure for conducting flank (side) fire in both directions. Accordingly, the semi-caponier is designed to fire at the enemy in only one direction along the fortress wall. In the photo - artillery semi-caponier No. 1 (call sign - "Elephant") of the Forward Line of the Karelian fortified area ("KaUR"), built to protect the old Soviet-Finnish border. Caponier is the main exhibit of the Sestroretsky Frontier Museum and Exhibition Complex. During the Great Patriotic War, the "Elephant" shot through the lowland from the Kurort to Beloostrov, the approaches to the Sestra River and the railway bridge with artillery fire. The interior of the semi-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 Izhora tower already known to us, an observation tower of the 1938 model, firing points based on the towers of the tanks T-28, KV -1", "T-70", "BT-2", Finnish machine-gun armored cap, gouges, hedgehogs, barriers and other interesting exhibits. Address: Sestroretsky Frontier Museum and Exhibition Complex, Sestroretsk, not far from the intersection of the Primorskoye Highway with the Kurort-Beloostrov railway.

22. Firing point from the body of the tank "T-28"

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-turreted T-28 medium tank, produced in 1933–1940 at the Kirov Plant in Leningrad. The tank was turned over, put on wooden foundation and covered with earth. The entrance was through the removed grille. This procedure was described in the book "Manual for Engineers: Fortifications" in the chapter "Using an inverted tank hull to set up a machine-gun blockhouse." Museum and Exhibition Complex "Sestroretsky Frontier".

23. Firing point with the tower of the tank "KV-1"

Photo: Sergey Sharov

This is a copy of the turret 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 turrets of KV tanks were intended to strengthen the anti-tank defense of fortified areas. Museum and Exhibition Complex "Sestroretsky Frontier".

24. Defensive-offensive armor sliders

Photo: Sergey Sharov

Two armored sliders are on display at the Sestroretsky Frontier Museum and Exhibition Complex. It is known about one of them that he was armed with a casemate artillery mount based on a 76-mm tank gun of the 1938 model of the year and had the call sign "Halva" (in the photo he is in the background). In the book of B.V. 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. Somehow they brought a front-line machine gunner to the Izhora plant to check the newly made squat structure of armor plates. The machine gunner climbed under the cap, 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 thing and put it right on the trench.” “Or maybe weld a 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 it!” “And that’s true,” the machine gunner rejoiced. “It will be kind of like a slider for us: both for defense and for the offensive.” That is how 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 "Sestroretsky Frontier".

Moskovsky district

25. T-34-85 tanks of the Pulkovsky Frontier memorial

Photo: lenww2.ru, Alexey Sedelnikov

The Pulkovsky Frontier memorial is included in the Green Belt of Glory. It was here that in 1941-1944 the front line of the defense of Leningrad passed. The memorial includes a mosaic panel dedicated to the combat 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 tail numbers 112 and 113. The T-34-85 is a Soviet medium tank of the Great Patriotic War period, put into service in 1944 and forming the basis of tank troops Soviet army up until the mid 1950s. The installation of a more powerful 85-mm gun significantly increased the combat effectiveness of the tank compared to its predecessor, the T-34-76. The memorial was opened in 1967. Address: 20th kilometer of Pulkovskoye Highway.

Nevsky district

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

Photo: lenww2.ru, Olga Isaeva

The T-34-85 tank was installed on the territory of the Zvezda machine-building plant, which until recently bore the name of K.E. Voroshilov. A bronze plaque was 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 Obukhovsky 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, evacuated factory workers created almost 6,000 T-34 tanks in Omsk and more than 10,000 tank engines in Barnaul. In the workshops of the plant in besieged Leningrad tanks were repaired, mines and armored shields were produced. The monument was opened in 1975. Address: Babushkina street, 123, on the territory of OAO Zvezda.

27. Firing point with the tower of the tank "KV-1"

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

Petrogradsky district

28. Cruiser "Aurora"

Photo: wikipedia.org, George Shuklin

Avrora, a cruiser of the 1st rank 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 the name of the ship "Aurora" (the Roman goddess of dawn) 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 (along with part of the crew) became part of the Duderhof battery, which heroically fought against German tanks. Monuments and memorials included in the "Green Belt of Glory" were erected on the positions of the guns of the Aurora battery. Since 1948, the Aurora has been permanently moored 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 XIX century in the Artillery Museum

Photo: VIMAIViVS

3-inch (76-mm) experimental rapid-fire field gun model 1898 in the outdoor display of the Artillery Museum. This is one of the first famous "three-inch", famous as one of the best guns of its time. Previously, guns were loaded from the muzzle, which was long and inefficient. Thanks to the efforts of outstanding Russian artillery scientists, a completely new gun was developed at the Putilov plant in St. Petersburg. So, for the first time in these guns, a quick-acting piston valve with locking, impact and ejection mechanisms and a fuse, an elastic carriage and opener, a recoil brake and a protractor were used for the first time. The excellent qualities of the new gun were confirmed on the fields of the Russian-Japanese (1904-1905) and the First World War (1914-1918). After modernization in 1930, these guns were actively used throughout the Great Patriotic War, being effective tool fighting German light tanks. Address: Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

30. Guns of the 1930s in the Artillery Museum

Photo: Sergey Sharov

305 mm howitzer model 1939 (foreground) and 210 mm gun model 1939. These powerful guns were created by the famous Soviet designer Ilya Ivanov. The collection of cannons from the 1930s of the Artillery Museum is of particular interest - with these guns, so familiar to us from war films, the Red Army entered the Great Patriotic War. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that they were created in record time. Among the guns of the same period, it should be noted the famous divisional (76-mm guns of the model of 1936 and 1939, chief designer Vasily Grabin), and corps, army guns (107-mm gun of the model of 1940 and 152-mm howitzer-gun of the model of 1937, chief designer Fedor Petrov). There is also a gun here (a 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model), which was in service with our country until the 1980s. Address: Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers 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 of the 1943 model D-1. It is hard to imagine, but it took less than three weeks to create it, and it was in service for more than thirty years. 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, Engineers and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

Photo: Sergey Sharov

The 57-mm anti-tank gun of the 1943 model "ZIS-2" (left) is the most powerful weapon of this caliber during the Great Patriotic War. This gun had the ability to penetrate 145 mm 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 (in the center). It became more compact and as much as 400 kg lighter, and also significantly surpassed its predecessor of the 1939 model in all other respects. In it, for the first time, a muzzle brake was used for divisional guns - a special device that made it possible to reduce the recoil of the barrel. Guns of this design were cheap to manufacture (three times cheaper than before). They were very maneuverable and reliable. All this has found clear confirmation in combat conditions. The formidable and beautiful cannon earned respect even from enemies. Wolff, Hitler's artillery consultant, thought it was the best gun of World War II, "one of the most ingenious designs in the history of cannon artillery." Address: Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

Photo: Sergey Sharov

It will be interesting to know that 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 manpower. Its rate of fire is 600 rounds per minute. In the courtyard of the museum, almost all anti-aircraft guns, created and in service in the pre-war and war years. These are 25- and 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft guns of the model of 1940 and 1939 and an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the model of 1939, which proved themselves well during the Great Patriotic War. Address: Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

Photo: pomnite-nas.ru, Dmitry Panov

Heavy self-propelled artillery mount based on the IS tank - ISU-152 model 1943. The main armament of the self-propelled gun was a 152-mm howitzer-gun "ML-20", firepower 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, the ISU-152 underwent modernization and was in service with the Soviet army for a long time. The development of the ISU-152 was led by 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, Engineers and Signal Corps, Kronverksky Island.

32. Historical tools in the Peter and Paul Fortress

Photo: website, Georgy Popov

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

Frunze district

33. Firing point with the tower of the tank "KV-1"

Photo: kupsilla.ru, Denis Chaliapin

In the summer of 2014, a firing point covered with earth and construction debris was accidentally discovered by a local resident. Historians became interested in the find, achieved the assignment of the status of a monument to the fortification 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 bunker was part of the Izhora defensive line built in 1943. Local historian Denis Chaliapin of Kupchinsky commented on the opening of the monument: “The tank tower, installed on a concrete casemate (which in itself is the rarest case) on one of the central thoroughfares of the city, will definitely 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 the house 30.