All Soviet tanks of World War 2. Tanks of the USSR of the Great Patriotic War: characteristics and photos. Stalingrad after the fighting near the station building

Before the October Socialist Revolution, there were no tanks in the Russian army. In 1917, there were only 13 armored divisions in it, in addition, there were several scooter battalions and companies and 7 armored trains.

The Red Army in the battles with the invaders, starting from 1919, captured among the trophies and tanks, mainly of British and French production. They were repaired and, as the crews were trained, they were used in battles against the White Guards and invaders. At the factories of Soviet Russia from November 1918 to March 1921, 75 armored trains, 102 armored platforms and over 280 armored vehicles were manufactured.

The first Soviet tank Domestic tank building began to develop during the Civil War. On the instructions of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, in an incredibly difficult period for the country, Sormovo workers and engineers produced a batch of light tanks (15 vehicles) similar to the captured French Renault tank. The first Soviet tank that came out of the gates of the Sormovo plant on August 31, 1920, was named "Freedom Fighter Comrade Lenin".

During the Civil War, more than 80 armored detachments and 11 autotank detachments were formed. From Soviet-made tanks, the seventh auto-tank detachment was formed, which, in particular, participated on February 23, 1922 in the parade on Red Square.

The initial stage of Soviet tank building was characterized to a large extent by copying the designs of foreign tanks. But already at that time, a critical approach to borrowing foreign ideas appeared. It is no coincidence that the first Soviet tank carried all the main features of the "classic" tank that have survived to this day. These include the placement of cannon armament in a rotating turret, the location of the fighting compartment in the middle part of the tank, and the engine-transmission compartment in the rear, a relatively low caterpillar bypass with a rear drive wheel and elastic suspension elements in the undercarriage of the tank.

In 1927, the armored units of the Red Army were represented by only one tank regiment and six armored divisions, not counting armored trains. They were armed with a small number of foreign tanks: 45 Ricardo, 12 Taylor and 33 Renault. By that time, 54 Soviet-made armored vehicles, created on the basis of the AMO F-15 truck, had entered service.

At the same time, the first steps were taken in the creation of self-propelled artillery. So, in 1925, a 76-mm anti-aircraft gun was placed on a caterpillar tractor.
Established in 1924 in Moscow, the Technical Bureau of the Main Directorate of the Military Industry of the Supreme Economic Council, which was headed by engineer S.P. Shukalov, among other works in the field of artillery and tank equipment, completed the project of the T-16 light tank. For the first time, original technical ideas and constructive solutions of Soviet tank builders were embodied in it. In particular, the air-cooled carburetor engine was combined in a single unit with a gearbox and a turning mechanism, the unit was located across the hull.

In the summer of 1925, the project was transferred to the Bolshevik plant for the final development of technical documentation and the manufacture of a prototype tank. According to the results of testing this sample, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR on July 6, 1927 accepted the tank under the brand name MS-1 ("small escort") into service with the Red Army. Since November 1927, the modified version of the T-18 was put into production. By May 1, 1929, the Bolshevik plant produced the first 30 MS-1 tanks. These were the first mass-produced tanks of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Within three years, four industrial series of tanks were produced.

The next sample of the "maneuverable" tank T-24, designed in 1928, was made in Kharkov and soon put into production. Thus, the end of the 20s was marked by the deployment of serial production of tanks of domestic design.

The industrialization of the country, begun in accordance with the first five-year plan, ensured the systematic deployment of tank building as a branch of engineering. This was facilitated by the adoption by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on July 15, 1929 of the resolution On the state of defense of the USSR "and the subsequent decision of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. In accordance with this decision, it was envisaged to organize the production of tankettes, small, medium, large (heavy) and bridge tanks.

Tank design bureaus were created at a number of factories. The aircraft engine department of the Bolshevik plant was transformed into a tank department. The backbone of the department was made up of designers transferred from Moscow. The leading role in the design of new tanks, which was previously carried out by the Moscow bureau, from the end of 1929 was taken over by an experienced design and engineering department (OKMO), headed by N.V. Barykov.

The well-known party and state leaders K.E. Voroshilov, S.M. Kirov, G.K. Ordzhonikidze.
As the design and development of the production of the first Soviet tanks, tank builders were trained. It was in the late 20s - early 30s that N.A., who later became famous, came to tank building. Astrov, N.A. Kucherenko, S.N. Makhonin, A.A. Morozov, L.S. Troyanov and others. The period of the first half of the 1930s was characterized by the formation of a tank armament system, the functional division of tanks according to the specifics of their use, which was determined by their design features and combat characteristics. In a short time, the T-27 tankette, the T-37 small amphibious tank, the T-26 light infantry tank, and the BT light high-speed wheeled-tracked tank were structurally finalized and put into serial production (modifications BT-2, BT-5, BT -7 and BT-7M), the T-28 medium three-turret tank and the T-35 heavy five-turret tank.

The armor of small and light tanks was designed to protect against rifle and machine-gun fire, and medium and heavy tanks - from artillery fire from small-caliber guns. Characteristic features of tankettes and small amphibious tanks were the use of an automobile engine and a number of components (gearboxes, rear axle elements) of serial vehicles.

Serial production of the T-26 tank began in 1931. This tank was subjected to structural modifications during production, 23 modifications were produced. The vast majority of T-26 tanks were armed with 45 mm guns. In 1938-1940, tanks were equipped with a TOP-1 telescopic stabilized sight, which made it possible to increase the accuracy of aimed fire from a tank on the move. Tanks armed with flamethrowers were issued, some of the tanks were equipped with anti-aircraft machine guns, as well as radio stations. On the basis of the T-26 tank, armored personnel carriers for the transport of infantry and cargo (shells, fuel), armored tractors and bridge layers were designed.

The T-26 tank was relatively slow-moving and was intended mainly to support and escort infantry. In total, by 1941, about 11 thousand tanks were manufactured. For the exemplary fulfillment of the government's task to strengthen the country's defense capability, the plant named after. Voroshilov in April 1940 was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

The production of the BT wheeled-tracked tank was launched at the Kharkov plant. This tank was characterized primarily by high maneuverability due to the use of a wheeled-caterpillar propulsion unit. A powerful aircraft engine was installed on the tank, which ensured a high power density. The speed of the tank on wheels reached 80 kilometers per hour, and on tracks - about 50. The armament was similar to that of the T-26 tank. Over the years of production, more than 8 thousand BT tanks of various series were transferred to the armored forces of the Red Army. In 1935 the plant was awarded the Order of Lenin.

The T-28 medium tank was put into production at the Krasny Putilovets plant and was mass-produced since 1933. This tank is designed to overcome the heavily fortified defensive lines of the enemy and was in service with separate tank brigades.

The heavy tank T-35 had the largest mass of all tanks produced in the Soviet Union at that time. The tank was produced in small batches, and if the mass of the prototype was 42 tons, then by the end of the production period - 1939, it increased to 55 tons. The tank's armament was located in five rotating towers - one circular rotation and four with limited sectors of fire. This tank was considered a reserve tank of the High Command and was supposed to be used when breaking through especially strong and fortified defensive lines in advance.

Common to the T-28 and T-35 tanks was the use of a powerful aircraft engine M-17, the main armament was a 76-mm gun. The working projects of the tanks were carried out at OKMO under the direction of O.M. Ivanova. Separate units of the tanks were unified.

Conscious of the threat of an armed attack on our country by the aggressive capitalist powers, our Party and the Soviet government showed constant concern for the growth of the might of the Red Army. If in 1930 tanks were manufactured 170 units, then in 1931 - 740, in 1932 more than 3 thousand, in 1933 more than 3.5 thousand, about the same number were produced annually in 1934 and 1935.

In addition to tanks, considerable attention was paid to the development of other types of weapons adjacent to tanks. In 1931, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR decided to develop self-propelled artillery mounts for mechanized and motorized formations of the Red Army. Among them, self-propelled anti-aircraft installations, installations with dynamo-reactive guns, self-propelled guns on tractor chassis were considered. A lot of work on the creation of self-propelled artillery installations in the first half of the 30s was carried out at OKMO of the Voroshilov plant and at the Bolshevik plant. In 1931 - 1939, self-propelled artillery mounts of the closed type SU-1 and AT-1, the semi-closed type SU-5 ("small triplex"), the open type SU-6, SU-14, etc. were built. The main developments were carried out under the leadership of P.N. Syachintov. The progress of the work was observed by the secretary of the Leningrad Regional Party Committee S.M. Kirov and Deputy People's Commissar of Defense M.N. Tukhachevsky.

Domestic self-propelled artillery mounts, created at the initial stage of the formation of a new type of weapon, were distinguished by an original design solution, while wide unification of their chassis with base tanks was ensured. Thus, for the first time in world practice, a whole system of self-propelled artillery vehicles was created in the USSR, starting with light ones designed for direct support of tanks and infantry, their escort and fire cover from air attacks, and up to heavy installations designed to suppress enemy pockets resistance, places of concentration of manpower and equipment, destruction of fortifications, etc.

After 1937, work on the creation of self-propelled artillery installations was significantly reduced. The main attention in the ground forces was given to tanks. In the initial period of the Great Patriotic War, self-propelled artillery was practically absent in the arsenal of the Red Army.

The mid-30s in the domestic tank building was associated with work to improve the designs of serial tanks. At a pilot plant in Kharkov, a group of designers, using the ideas of the inventor N.F. Tsyganov, on the basis of the BT-5 tank, an experimental BT-IS tank was designed and manufactured. This tank was equipped with a drive to six out of eight rollers, the front rollers were controllable. The tank had high mobility and increased propulsion survivability. In the conditions of army workshops A.F. Kravtsov created a number of interesting devices that increase the mobility and maneuverability of the T-26 and BT tanks. Moreover, BT tanks with the help of various types of pontoons got the opportunity to overcome water obstacles afloat and even dive under water for a hidden approach to the shore occupied by the enemy. Devices were also created with the help of which the T-27 tankettes could be transported by air on an external sling under a transport aircraft and dropped from a low altitude to the ground.

A large program of research and development work in the prewar period was carried out by the Kirov Leningrad Experimental Machine Building Plant (established in 1933 on the basis of OKMO). There, along with the manufacture and testing of new combat vehicles (self-propelled artillery, wheeled-tracked tanks, etc.), work was also carried out in the development of fundamentally new schemes and design solutions for undercarriage units (caterpillars with a rubber-metal hinge, torsion bar suspension, etc. .), creation of equipment for underwater driving of tanks when overcoming water obstacles, etc. These works were carried out under the guidance of N.V. Barykov by a group of capable designers and researchers, including G.V. Gudkov, M.P. Siegel, F.A. Mostov, G.N. Moskvin, V.M. Simsky, L.S. Troyanov, N.V. Zeitz. With participation in experimental work at the Kirov plant, the labor path in tank building of famous designers M.I. Koshkin, I.S. Bushnev, I.V. Gavalova, A.E. Sulina and others. Already in the mid-30s, the most distinguished tank builders were awarded state awards.

At all stages of experimental development, from issuing tasks to making decisions on the work performed, the leading role belonged to the leadership of the Directorate of Motorization and Mechanization (since 1934 - Armored Directorate) of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army I.A. Khalepsky, G.G. Bokis, I.A. Lebedev.

Of great importance for the development of tank science were the works and studies of V.I. Zaslavsky, A.S. Antonova, A.I. Blagonravova, N.I. Gruzdev, M.K. Christie and other scientists.
Three types of gasoline engines were installed on tanks in the first half of the 1930s: on small tanks and tankettes - of an automobile type, on the T-26 tank - a special air-cooled tank, and on BT, T-28 and T-35 tanks - aviation, adapted to installation in tanks. But cars with gasoline engines were characterized by increased fire hazard and high fuel consumption, which reduced the cruising range of tanks. The reliability of the engines was low, and the cost was significant.

On the agenda was the question of creating a special tank engine, adapted to work on heavier fuel - diesel. By the beginning of the 1930s, special diesel engines found some use in the practice of the world aircraft industry. In the Central Institute of Aviation Motors, established in 1930, a department of oil engines was created, which was headed by A.D. Charomsky. The main task of the department is the creation of aviation diesel engines that provide high fuel efficiency with a minimum weight and sufficient power for aviation. At the same time, work was launched in a similar direction at the Ukrainian Research Institute of Internal Combustion Engines, headed by Ya.M. Mayer. The Kharkov plant, which mastered the production of the BT tank, was also involved in the work on the creation of an aviation diesel engine. The main design solutions for the BD-2 engine were laid by the designers Ya.E. Wichman and others in the engine department headed by K.F. Chelpan. The first experimental models of the engine were assembled in 1934.

Work on a high-speed twelve-cylinder diesel engine at the Kharkov plant was eventually directed towards the creation of a tank version. Unlike aviation, it had to have specific features: the ability to work mainly in variable modes, with an unsteady load and frequent access to maximum speeds, in the presence of dust, increased resistance in the way of air inlet and exhaust gases.

CIAM staff T.P. Chupakhin, M.P. Poddubny and some others were of great help to the Kharkiv residents in finalizing the design of the diesel engine. In December 1936, the V-2 engine was tested in the BT-7 tank.

In 1939, the new engine passed 100-hour state tests and was accepted for serial production in December. The organization of diesel production at the plant was headed by Deputy Chief Engineer S.N. Makhonin. In 1939, the diesel production of the Kharkov plant was separated into an independent plant, equipped with first-class equipment for that time. D.E. was appointed director of the plant. Kochetkov, chief designer T.P. Chupakhin, head of the design department I.Ya. Trashutin. The first serial V-2 engines were installed in BT-7M tanks and Voroshilovets artillery tractors. Soon, V-2 diesels began to be installed in a new generation of tanks - KB and T-34. By this time, and later, the design bureau was widely working on the creation of various modifications of diesel engines of various capacities, including six-cylinder ones for the T-50 tank. For the development of the design of the V-2 diesel engine, T.P. was awarded the Stalin Prize. Chupakhin.

In connection with the emerging strengthening of anti-tank artillery in 1936, work began on the creation of the world's first tanks with anti-cannon armor. This work was started by the designers of the Leningrad Pilot Machine Building Plant named after Kirov.

The first Soviet tank with anti-shell armor was the T-46-5, built in 1938 at the Kirov plant. It was created as a "small tank with heavy armor". The project provided for the creation of a single-turret 22-ton tank with armor up to 60 mm thick. A cast turret was installed on a tank for the first time in the USSR. The armor plates of the hull were mainly connected by electric welding. Following the first one, the heavy twin-turreted T-100 tank was designed and built by the summer of 1939 at the same plant. A 45-mm cannon was installed in the front lower turret, and a 76-mm cannon was installed in the main turret, located on a turret box above the front turret. The movement of the tank was provided by a powerful aircraft carburetor engine. The thickness of the main armor reached 60 mm, the mass of the tank was 58 tons, the crew consisted of six people. A self-propelled artillery mount was also created on the basis of the T-100 tank. The main layout work was carried out by a group of designers led by E.Sh. Palea.

Beginning in 1937, the Kirov plant in Leningrad and the plant in Kharkov began to design promising tanks with anti-shell armor. In August 1938, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks considered the issue of developing tank building. The USSR Defense Committee gave the task by July 1939 to create models of tanks with enhanced armor protection.

The developers of new grades of materials and technology for the production of sheet armor contributed to the successful solution of the task, and foundry workers, welders and other specialists were also involved in the creation of thick-armored tanks. As a result of research and experimental work in laboratories and manufacturers of tank armored hulls, a technology was developed and mastered for the production of armor of medium and high hardness, which was subsequently used to manufacture armored hulls and turrets of new KB and T-34 tanks. At the same time, thick-armored turrets were cast for experimental tanks and experimental research. D.Ya. Badyagin, I.I. Bragin, V.B. Buslov, A.S. Zavyalov, G.F. Zasetsky, L.A. Kanevsky, G.I. Kapyrin, A.T. Larin, B.C. Nitsenko, N.I. Perov, S.I. Sahin, S.I. Smolensky, N.V. Schmidt and others.

In May 1938, at a meeting of the USSR Defense Committee, the project of the A-20 wheeled-tracked tank was considered, and wishes were also expressed there to develop and manufacture a similar, but better armored tracked tank A-32, submitted for consideration at the initiative of the chief designer of the Kharkov plant M.I. Koshkin.

At the end of 1938, the projects of the A-20 and A-32 tanks were considered by the Main Military Council. After the messages made by M.I. Koshkin and A.A. Morozov about the design features of both tanks, the projects were approved and the construction of prototypes was allowed for subsequent presentation to the state commission.

By the middle of 1939, prototypes of the A-20 and A-32 tanks were made. The labor intensity of manufacturing the A-20 tank was about twice as high as the labor intensity of manufacturing the A-32 tank. During sea trials, both samples showed practically equivalent results, sufficient reliability and operability of mechanisms and devices.

The maximum speed of both tanks on tracks was the same - 65 kilometers per hour. The average speeds of the tanks were also approximately equal, and the operational speeds of the A-20 tank on wheels and tracks did not differ significantly. In other words, from the point of view of movement speeds, the advantages of the A-20 tank over the "purely" tracked version were absent. Field tests of two prototypes revealed their compliance with the tactical and technical requirements. The prototypes of the A-20 and A-32 tanks turned out to be superior in strength and reliability to all previously produced samples.

It was decided that the A-32 tank, as having a margin for increasing mass, should be protected with more powerful armor, respectively increasing the strength of individual parts and changing the gear ratios. Therefore, soon the A-32 tank, made with a mass of 19 tons, was weighted to 24 tons and in the fall of 1939 successfully passed additional tests. At the same time, documentation was being developed for a tank with an armor thickness of 45 mm.

In August 1939, at a meeting of the Main Military Council, it was decided to continue to abandon the wheeled-caterpillar mover as complex, unreliable and occupying a significant volume. The presence of such a combined propulsion unit made it difficult to solve the main problem of that time - strengthening the armor protection of tanks.

In December 1939, the Defense Committee decided to manufacture the T-34 medium tank, which was a heavier and improved version of the A-32 prototype tank (weight about 26 tons, 76 mm cannon, V-2 diesel engine, speed 55 km / h ).

In 1940, two T-34 tanks of the first production made a run along the route Kharkov - Moscow. After they were shown in the Kremlin to the leaders of the party and government on March 31, 1940, it was decided to start producing new tanks for the Red Army.

In the process of preparing the technical documentation of the T-34 tank for mass production, the plant carried out a technological refinement of the design. During this period, designers headed by M.I. Koshkin and A.A. Morozov, together with the technologists of the plant, headed by S.B. Ratinov and A.N. Chinov did a lot of work, which made it possible to significantly simplify and reduce the cost of production of the T-34 tank, bringing its manufacturability to a level not achieved at that time in any other similar machine.
Significant work on the release of drawing and technical documentation for the mass production of tanks was carried out under the leadership of the head of the design bureau N.A. Kucherenko.

In the middle of 1940, the first mass-produced tanks left the factory shop. The joint work of designers and technologists on the creation of the T-34 tank is a vivid example of the real provision of mass production of tanks at their low cost.

Great assistance to the plant during its reconstruction and preparation of new production was provided by the Kharkov party bodies and, in particular, by the first secretary of the regional party committee A.A. Epishev. An important role in the mobilization of workers to solve new problems belonged to the party organization of the plant, headed by the party organizer of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) S.A. Skachkov. The rapid and successful development of the production of T-34 tanks in 1940 would have been unthinkable without great concrete assistance from the People's Commissariat of Medium Machine Building (Head of the Main Directorate and at the same time Deputy People's Commissar A.A. Goreglyad, People's Commissar until October 1940 I.A. Likhachev, and from October - V.A. Malyshev). The practice of combat use of T-34 tanks has shown that on the ground in the conditions of operations in the spring-autumn period of the year and especially in winter, only tracked vehicles can provide tactical mobility.

Two theories of tank development that coexisted in the 1930s: with powerful armament and protection achieved by reducing speed and maneuverability, and the opposite one: with the maximum possible mobility by reducing the power of fire and protection, were resolutely rejected. The T-34 tank was based on a new theory of a harmonious combination of the maximum possible indicators of fire power, protection and mobility. And the high manufacturability of the tank in production, the simplicity and reliability of the design provided him with a reputation as a classic, the best tank of its time. For the development of the design of a new medium tank in April 1942, A.A. Morozov, M.I. Koshkin (posthumously) and N.A. Kucherenko were awarded the Stalin Prize.

Work in the prewar years on new medium tanks was not limited to the development and production of the T-34 tank. A group of designers headed by A.A. Morozov, continued to search for further ways to improve medium tanks. This was all the more necessary, since the T-34 tanks of the first production were found to have certain design flaws: imperfection of observation devices and insufficient visibility of the terrain, inconvenience in using the ammunition rack, unreliability of the main clutch, fragility of the undercarriage units, insufficient communication range and reliability of the tank radio station, tightness fighting compartment, mainly towers. Soon, a significant part of the detected shortcomings was eliminated. In 1940, it was planned to produce more than 600 T-34 tanks, but the plant put into service only 115 vehicles.

In 1941, the plant started working at full capacity, before the start of the Great Patriotic War it produced 1225 T-34 tanks.

Since 1938, heavy tanks with projectile armor have been developed in parallel at the Kirov Leningrad Pilot Machine Building Plant and at the Kirov Plant. Several options for the placement of weapons were developed; the first option - the T-100 tank and the second option, named after Sergei Mironovich Kirov - SMK, were similar in many respects. Work on the SMK tank, carried out at the Kirov Plant (head of the design bureau Zh.Ya. Kotin), revealed certain difficulties associated with the rational solution of armor protection with a strict limit on the mass of the tank to 55 tons. In addition to the SMK tank, a project was developed for a heavy single-turret tank with shortened body. The work on the SMK tank was carried out by a group led by A.S. Ermolaev, and over the second option - a single-tower, named KB in honor of Klim Voroshilov - a group of N.L. Dukhov. N.V. was directly involved in the layout work. Zeitz.

The characteristic features of the KB tank were a significant thickness of the frontal and side armor - 75 mm and low (for a heavy tank) pressure on the ground. An individual suspension of road wheels with a torsion elastic element was used on the tank. The mass of the tank reached 47.5 tons, the V-2 diesel engine, the speed was 35 km/h.

The creation of the KB tank played an important role in the development of not only domestic, but also world tank technology. The first sample of the KB tank was made in September 1939 and during the military conflict on the Karelian Isthmus was sent there (as well as the experimental SMK, T-100, SU-100U and SU-14-2 vehicles) to participate in the breakthrough of the Mannerheim line. Thanks to good armor and higher mobility compared to other heavy vehicles, the KB tank showed its undeniable advantages. As a result, the heavy breakthrough tank KV, like the T-34, was accepted for production and service with the Red Army in December 1939.

At the same time, during the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line, the urgent need to use an even more powerful gun than the 76-mm gun with which the KV tank was armed was revealed. At the beginning of 1940, a 152-mm howitzer was urgently installed in an oversized turret to destroy enemy pillboxes. Four samples of such a KV-2 tank were built at the final stage of the battles and showed high combat effectiveness. Factory testers took part in the testing of KB tanks: A.I. Estratov, drivers K.I. Kovsh, V.M. Lyashko and others.

For outstanding success in creating and mastering the production of new machines, the team of the Kirov Plant was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1939, and in 1940 the Order of the Red Banner. For the development of the design of a new type of tank Zh.Ya. Kotin was awarded the Stalin Prize.

During 1940, the Kirov Plant produced 246 KB tanks. Under the leadership of Zh.Ya. Kotin in 1940 - 1941, work continued to further strengthen the armor and armament of a heavy tank, and prototype vehicles were built. However, before the start of the war, the creation of more powerful tanks was not completed.

At all stages of development, testing and organization of production at the KB tank plant, this work was under constant control from the Leningrad Regional Committee and the City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, great support was provided by A.A. Zhdanov and A.A. Kuznetsov. M.I. came to the plant on this occasion. Kalinin and K.E. Voroshilov. An important mobilizing role was played by the Kirov Communists, headed by party organizer M.D. Kozin. The plant was provided with the necessary assistance and support in fulfilling the responsible task of the Motherland.
As the main armament of the KB and T-34 tanks, at first it was supposed to use the L-11 artillery system of 76.2 mm caliber, created in the second half of the 30s. It differed from those previously installed in the T-28 and T-35 tanks by higher ballistic characteristics and increased armor penetration.

In 1941, for installation in the T-34 tank, the production of the F-32 and then F-34 tank guns was launched, and for installation in the KB, the ZIS-5 guns, developed under the direction of V.G. Grabin.

According to the views that existed in the period of the 30s on the functional division of tanks in battle and operation, the necessary addition. light, medium and heavy tanks were small amphibious tanks. They were mainly used for reconnaissance and outposts. The line of development of small tanks after the T-37A was continued by the T-38 tanks (entered service in 1936) and in the prewar years completed by the T-40 light tanks (designer N.A. Astrov).

To enhance the power of fire on the T-40 tank, twin 12, 7- and 7.62-mm machine guns were installed. The tank was floating, equipped with a propeller. For the first time, torsion bars were installed as an elastic suspension element on a light tank.

The extensive work done on the eve of the war to create new tanks was combined with the development of new military-theoretical provisions that provided for the widespread use of tanks in combat and operations. The new Soviet tanks not only far exceeded the characteristics of their contemporary foreign tanks, but also the level of development of anti-tank weapons of a potential enemy. A large role in the assessment of newly created samples of domestic armored vehicles was assigned to the ABTUKA Scientific Testing Ground. There, a lot of work was continuously carried out on testing and research of experimental, modernized and serial tanks. All activities of the tank industry were carried out under constant control by the customer: the Armored Directorate of the Red Army, which since 1937 was headed by D.G. Pavlov, and then Ya.N. Fedorenko.

The tank industry on the eve of the war was a powerful branch of Soviet engineering, the brainchild of the pre-war five-year plans. The defense industry of the Soviet Union at an increasing pace ensured the continuous supply of first-class weapons to the Soviet Army. During the period from 1939 to June 1941, more than 7.5 thousand tanks were manufactured. In 1940 alone, 2794 of them were manufactured. But relatively few tanks of new types were built in the same year (246 KB and 115 T-34). The army's need for new KB and T-34 tanks was estimated at 16.6 thousand vehicles. In order to ensure the rearmament of the Red Army with new tanks in a short time, tractor factories were involved in their production, but it was not possible to complete the preparation of production for the start of the war. Only the Stalingrad Tractor Plant in the first half of 1941 gave the army the first batch of vehicles.

On the eve of the perfidious attack of fascist Germany on the USSR, the Red Army had 1861 KB and T-34 tanks, including 1475 vehicles in the western military districts (508 KB and 967 T-34). There were several times more tanks T-37A, T-38, T-26, BT-5, BT-7, T-28 and others. The share of new types of tanks was only 18.2%. The average staffing of troops with all types of combat vehicles reached only 53%. Of the tanks in service, a significant number needed major and medium repairs. However, in the middle of 1941, the volume of production of new types of tanks (KB and T-34) was already 89%.

The surprise factor of the attack on our country played a significant role in the nature of hostilities at the initial stage of the war. As a result of the treacherous attack on the USSR, the fascist German troops, equipped with a large number of off-road vehicles and armored personnel carriers, with 4,000 tanks concentrated in four tank groups, managed to achieve significant success in a number of narrow sectors of the Soviet-German front. However, in a number of areas, Soviet tankers, showing stamina and mass heroism, managed to stop the advance of the fascist tank troops and even deliver strong counterattacks. Well-organized actions of individual tank units and mechanized formations, armed with new Soviet tanks, managed not only to delay the enemy, but also to throw him back.

German generals later admitted that in the oncoming battles, the German tank forces felt the crushing power of the new Soviet tanks, in front of which German tank weapons and anti-tank artillery were powerless. Soviet tanks KB and T-34 hit at a distance of more than one and a half thousand meters, while German tanks could hit Soviet tanks from a distance of no more than 500 m, and even then when firing at the side or stern. Unfortunately, the new heavy and medium tanks KB and T-34 have not yet been properly mastered everywhere. The personnel called up from the reserve did not have the opportunity to prepare well for the specifics of the combat use of the new materiel.

From the very first days of the war, the question arose of repairing damaged new types of tanks and of appropriately equipping mobile repair shops. To repair and restore the T-34 and KB tanks, brigades formed at the tank manufacturing plants urgently left for the combat areas. They were made up of skilled workers and craftsmen and made a significant contribution to the repair business, although apart from light machine and repair equipment and a limited number of spare parts, there was nothing else in the "letochki".

The situation developing at the front already in the first weeks of the war made the country's tank industry face the need for a significant increase in the scale of production of combat vehicles.
On June 24-25, 1941, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks considered the urgent needs of the tank industry. A report on this issue was made by Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, People's Commissar of Heavy Engineering V.A. Malyshev. The adopted resolution set as a priority the task of creating a powerful base for tank building in the Volga region and the Urals, and provided for a number of measures aimed at expanding the production of KB, T-34, T-50 tanks, artillery tractors and tank diesel engines. GKO Resolution No. 1 of July 1 was aimed at taking concrete measures to increase the production of tanks. The program for the production of KB and T-34 tanks at the Kirov and Kharkov plants and at the Stalingrad Tractor Plant (STZ) was increased. The Krasnoye Sormovo plant was involved in the production of T-34 tanks.

The management of the production of tanks during the war was carried out by the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry, formed on September 11, 1941, headed by V.A. Malyshev.

The initial plans for the armament of the Red Army were to expand the production of the T-50 light tank, developed on the eve of the war at the Voroshilov plant and having satisfactory characteristics for that time: a mass of 14.5 tons with an armor thickness of up to 37 mm, a 45-mm cannon, a powerful diesel engine, allowing to reach speeds of up to 50 km / h (chief designer S.A. Ginzburg). But its release by the summer of 1941 in Leningrad had not yet been established. The development of the production of a six-cylinder engine, modifications of the V-2 diesel engine was also delayed. Under these conditions, they considered it necessary to urgently launch preparations for the production of T-50 tanks in other regions of the country, in particular in Moscow. For the production of components and assemblies, the drawings of the T-50 tank were urgently sent to a number of factories of various departments. The T-40 small tanks, which had previously been manufactured at the Moscow plant, and the army's need for them was small, were supposed to be discontinued. However, the tank was not difficult to manufacture due to the use of automotive components, so a simplified non-floating modification was created on the basis of the T-40 tank - the T-30 tank with a 20-mm ShVAK rapid-fire cannon, but still with thin bulletproof armor. Given the impossibility of a quick transition to the production of the T-50 tank, which is much more complex and laborious than the T-30, the chief designer of the plant, N.A. Astrov in an extremely short time (two weeks) designed a more powerful light tank T-60 with 35 mm thick frontal armor, which was quickly manufactured.

Soon, a decision was made to master the production of T-60 light tanks at factories in Kirov, GAZ and others. For the creation of designs for new types of light tanks, N.A. Astrov was awarded the Stalin Prize.

High combat characteristics of the T-34 medium tank (weight 28.5 tons, crew of four, armor thickness 45 - 52 mm, powerful diesel engine, maximum speed 55 km / h), combined with the optimal design, high manufacturability and low cost put forward this tank to the first place in the armament structure of the armored forces. For the production of T-34 tanks, the Krasnoye Sormovo plant was rebuilt. Already on the ninth day of the war, V.A. arrived at the plant. Malyshev. Soon the reconstruction of the old and the construction of new shops began, the construction was carried out around the clock. Plant Director D.V. Mikhalev, chief engineer G.I. Kuzmin, secretary of the party committee S.D. Nesterov and other production commanders did not leave the factory for several days, organizing the production of military equipment. The Gorky regional and city party and Soviet bodies provided great assistance to the plant, since broad inter-factory cooperation was envisaged. In October 1941, the plant produced the first T-34 tanks and produced 173 vehicles by the end of the year.

In the difficult summer-autumn period of 1941, the production of T-34 tanks at the STZ was launched at an increasing pace (factory director B.Ya. Dulkin, chief engineer A.N. Demyanovich). At the same time, the plant continued to produce STZ-NATI caterpillar tractors and STZ-5 artillery tractors. In addition to this, the production of V-2 diesel engines was launched at the plant with the participation of Kharkiv residents from November 1941.

The supply of the plant with metal, fuel, raw materials and other materials, as well as components, was seriously disrupted. It was urgent to establish relationships with new suppliers. A lot of work to find substitutes for scarce components and to simplify the design of the tank during this period was carried out, in particular, by the designers of the plant (chief designer N.D. Werner). In October 1941, Deputy People's Commissar A.A. arrived at the plant. Goreglyad, who soon took over the management of the plant as a director. Such an organization of plant management was necessary due to the fact that during a very difficult period of battles on the Soviet-German front, during the battle for Moscow, STZ was the only major manufacturer of T-34 tanks.

As of December 1, 1941, 1,731 tanks remained in the active army, of which 1,214 were light. Therefore, the value of a thousand tanks manufactured by Stalingraders in the second half of 1941 can hardly be overestimated.
In a difficult period for the country, ardent patriotism, selfless selflessness and devotion of the Soviet people to the ideals of communism, loyalty to the Motherland and the cause of the Leninist party manifested itself with particular force. The hard work of Kharkiv and Leningrad residents was noted by the government. For exemplary fulfillment of the task of producing tanks and tank engines in September 1941, a large group of workers and engineering and technical workers of the plants was awarded orders and medals of the USSR, the Order of Lenin was awarded to the Kharkov Diesel Plant, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor was awarded to the director of the Kirov Plant I.M. .Zaltsman and chief designer - Zh.Ya. Kotin. But the further functioning of these plants in connection with the approach of the fronts to Kharkov and Leningrad became impossible. In just one month, by October 19, 1941, the tank production of the Kharkov plant was completely curtailed and sent to the Urals, which soon made it possible to deploy in a new place the production of military equipment necessary for our army to fight the Nazi invaders. The Ural Tank Plant was created there. Plant Director Yu.E. Maksarev, Deputy Chief Technologist I.V. Okunev was in the workshops almost all the time, promptly solving numerous issues. Chief designer A.A. Morozov, his deputy N.A. Kucherenko, designers M.I. Tarshinov, Ya.I. Baran, V.G. Matyukhin, A.Ya. Mitnick and the others did not go home for days. The factory party organization headed by the party organizer of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and deputy secretary of the party committee K.D. Petukhov. By the end of the year, partly using the finished units, parts and blanks brought in, the plant manufactured and handed over the first 25 T-34 tanks to the Red Army.

The Leningrad Kirov Plant, having manufactured 451 heavy KB tanks since July 1941, was forced to stop their production in October under the blockade of the city. By decision of the State Defense Committee of October 6, 1941, a mass evacuation of workers, engineering and technical personnel, employees of the tank production of the Kirov Plant and their families to the Urals was launched.

The restructuring of the production of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ) for the production of heavy tanks was carried out starting from the first days of the war. S.N. was appointed the chief engineer of the plant. Makhonin, at the end of June, N.L. arrived at ChTZ from Leningrad. Spirits, who assumed the position of chief designer of the plant's tank production. Tank builders soon began to arrive at the plant. The merger of two famous teams - Leningraders and Uralians - made it possible to create a powerful center for the production of heavy tanks, the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ). It also included a team of Kharkov engine builders and units of a number of other plants evacuated from the central regions of the country. I.M. became the director of the plant. Zaltsman, who was soon appointed deputy people's commissar.

The plant, which united in its ranks the teams of large machine-building enterprises, from October 1941 became the only manufacturer of heavy tanks. Work at the plant since July 1941, like at most other enterprises of the defense industry, was carried out around the clock, in two shifts. The working day of most categories of workers and engineering and technical workers lasted 11 hours. During the tense period of the war, work at the plant went on continuously, without days off.

The Chelyabinsk plant for some time continued to produce S-65 diesel tractors used in the army to tow heavy field artillery systems. In parallel, the production of a high-speed modification, the C-2 artillery tractor, was launched.

To establish the production of heavy tanks at the plant, thousands of machine tools of the reduced tractor production were urgently moved, new workshops and sections were organized. At the same time, new buildings were erected, and extensions were made to the old ones. In a short time, hundreds of fixtures, stamps, models were designed and manufactured, and special tools were created. In the forging industry, in connection with the development of the production of tanks, it was necessary to significantly change the technology for forging blanks. Tank parts were much larger than tractor parts, steel grades also differed significantly from tractor steel grades. This affected the heating temperature, the entire heat treatment process.

The installation of a 15-ton hammer, which is necessary for hot stamping of blanks for crankshafts of tank engines, resulted in a serious problem. It was necessary to mount a heavy hammer without stopping the workshop. The concrete foundation under the hammer with a depth of 20 meters, according to the project of the civil engineer N.F. Bausov, was poured into a pit dug by the caisson method, in the conditions of the current production. The lower chabot was soon installed on the foundation and finalized on the spot by the method proposed by engineer A.I. Gurvich. Thus, one of the many serious problems of establishing the production of heavy tanks and engines for them was solved.

At a very alarming moment for the Motherland, however, as well as in the subsequent period, one could see a massive manifestation of the high consciousness and responsibility of the Urals-Kirovites, their high labor impulse, which made it possible to start production of powerful military equipment that our army needed in the shortest possible time. This is a considerable merit of the factory party organization (party organizer of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks at the plant M.D. Kozin), who managed to rally and direct the factory team to solve the most important tasks for the country's defense. By the end of the year, the plant gave the Red Army more than 500 KV tanks.

To establish serial production of V-2 diesel engines at ChKZ, it was necessary to master the processing of many high-precision parts, the casting of high-precision shaped castings from light alloys, new thermochemical processes, and the assembly and debugging of fuel equipment. Engineers of the evacuated Kharkov plant and, above all, ChKZ chief designer for diesel engines, I.Ya. Trashutin and Deputy Chief Engineer Ya.I. Nevyazhsky. Serial production of tank diesel engines in Chelyabinsk began in December. The production of diesel engines was also mastered at the plant in Sverdlovsk (director D.E. Kochetkov, chief designer T.P. Chupakhin). Soon, work was launched on the design and construction of a motor plant in Altai.

When expanding the production of tanks in the east of the country, numerous difficulties arose everywhere, courageously overcome by the workers of the rear.

Factories evacuated from the West often came to new places with an incomplete staff. Cadre workers were partially drafted into the army. The equipment was dismantled in a hurry, it was not always possible to load everything necessary and safely deliver it to a new place. Plants had to be located either on the already developed territories of existing plants, or starting with the construction of temporary and then capital structures. At the same time, it was necessary to urgently train new personnel, train women and youth in working professions, and retrain workers in the necessary specialties.

In the first days after the start of the war, it was decided to create a powerful base for the production of armor plates for tank corps in the eastern regions of the country. Miners, miners, blast furnace workers, workers of many other professions, on whose labor the successful operation of the tank industry depended, worked with great effort.

People's Commissar for the Tank Industry V.A. Malyshev spent a lot of time at the factories of the industry, solving a lot of primary issues and problems, establishing contacts with other industries to supply factories with everything necessary, organizing the construction of production facilities and residential premises. The headquarters of the industry - the People's Commissariat of the tank industry at the end of 1941 was in Chelyabinsk. Chelyabinsk also housed an industry design institute (director A.I. Solin, chief engineer N.F. Zubkov), which laid the brunt of the design and organization of construction and installation work at the reconstructed and newly created tank, armored hull and engine-building plants of the people's commissariat .

At one of the largest factories in the country, the Ural Heavy Machine Building Plant (Uralmash), the production of hulls and turrets of heavy KV tanks was launched. The work was mainly concentrated in the newly created armor production. Uralmash workers mastered the technology of processing and welding of armored steel for the first time. Additional difficulties arose due to the fact that the plant before the war produced single products, was not adapted to mass production. Therefore, much attention was paid to the manufacture of specialized equipment. Milling machines were adapted for boring work, gear-cutting machines were often used as carousels. A giant press was adapted to straighten armor plates. Cardinal changes were made to the work of thermal shops. Almost all shops have undergone redevelopment.

The restructuring of the plant was carried out at an accelerated pace. People didn't leave the factory for days. A lot of effort and energy was given to the restructuring of the plant by director B.G. Muzrukov and party organizer of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks M.L. Medvedev. In a matter of days, more than 500 machines were moved and strengthened on new foundations. Despite the measures taken in August 1941, the plant was able to produce only five armored hulls of KB tanks, and even then they were made from blanks brought to the plant. In September, the situation with the manufacture of armored hulls improved. At the end of the month, Uralmash began to produce products in accordance with the approved schedule.

In the context of the continued expansion of the production of heavy and medium tanks and the urgent need for them (each assembled vehicle was registered and I.V. Stalin was reported on the daily delivery of vehicles), mastering the large-scale production of light tanks using automotive units became of great importance. Evacuated to Kirov, a significant part of the Kolomna Locomotive Plant in a new location in unsuitable premises began to produce T-60 light tanks. The newly formed plant (director E.E. Rubinchik) needed a significant replenishment of machine equipment, and the majority of workers and engineering workers were not prepared for the production of tanks. In a matter of days, a new production technology was developed, equipment was installed. In January 1942, the production of tanks was mastered. Track tracks were sent from Stalingrad, components and assemblies of the engine installation and power transmission - from Gorky. For the successful fulfillment of the government task to master the production of tanks, the plant was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

In the first days of the war, the question arose of transferring the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ), which belonged to the system of the People's Commissariat of Medium Machine Building (People's Commissar S.A. Akopov), to the manufacture of defense products. Gorky residents were to switch to the production of light tanks, tank engines, armored vehicles, mortars and other military equipment as soon as possible. At the same time, the production of trucks necessary for the transportation of military and national economic goods continued. In accordance with the developed schedule, the enterprise was restructured, the placement of equipment in the shops was changed. The issues of ensuring the supply of bearings, electrical equipment and other necessary products to the automobile plant were resolved.

At GAZ, during the period of perestroika, they mastered new technological processes, established the manufacture of rubber products, and rolled metal. In order to reduce the complexity of manufacturing products, in some cases, riveting was replaced by welding, forging - by casting, machining - by stamping. The plant, one of the first in the domestic industry, mastered automatic submerged arc welding.
The automobile plant began to master the T-60 tank, which had just been developed at the Moscow plant. During the evacuation of the plant on October 15, 1941, one of the first samples of the tank under its own power covered the path from Moscow to Gorky in just 14 hours.

During the battle for Moscow, enemy air raids began on Gorky, high-explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped on the car plant, but work did not stop. The plant continued to give the front T-60 tanks. Until the end of 1941, 1320 light tanks were produced, which played a significant role in the counteroffensive of our army, which threw back the Nazi troops from Moscow. For the exemplary performance of the task of producing defense products in December 1941, GAZ was awarded the Order of Lenin. Orders and medals were awarded to a large group of car manufacturers. The orders of Lenin were awarded to the blacksmith I.I. Kardashin, plant director I.K. Loskutov, locksmith A.I. Lyakhov.

In the second half of 1941, 4.8 thousand tanks were manufactured. Including light over 40%, medium 39%, the rest - severe. In general, the plan for the release of tanks was only 61.7% completed.

During 1942, the expansion of the production of tanks at the plants of the industry continued. The production of T-34 tanks, which were manufactured by several factories, quickly increased. The necessary changes were made to the T-34 in order to simplify the design of the tank, improve combat performance and reliability. The main design developments were carried out in the head design bureau headed by A.A. Morozov.

At armored hull factories, automatic welding of armor under a layer of flux became widespread already in the first half of 1942. At Uralmash, in order to reduce the laboriousness of manufacturing KB tank hulls, significant changes were made to the technical documentation, approved by the chief designer of the tank Zh.Ya. Kotin, who reduced the labor costs for the machining of hulls by four times. Back in 1941, the movement of front-line brigades began at the plant. The first such brigade was the brigade of M.V. Popova, who bore the hulls of the KV tank. Initially, this operation took 18 hours. Soon, the borers improved the technology for processing armored hulls. As a result, the hulls began to be bored in 5.5 hours. An example of the maximum reduction in the time spent on performing an operation was shown by a nineteen-year-old Komsomol member A.A. Lopatinskaya. She completed the shift task by 300%, soon Anya Lopatinskaya led the front-line Komsomol girls' brigade.

In March 1942, Uralmash received a new task - to start an expanded production of armored hulls for the T-34 tank, while the production of KB tank hulls was reduced. As a result of shock work, the plan for the second quarter of 1942 was overfulfilled. In July, the plant was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for exemplary fulfillment of the task for the production of tank armored hulls. Among the awarded 150 employees of the plant; orders of Lenin were awarded to the head of production D.E. Vasiliev, director B.G. Muzrukov, steelmaker D.D. Sidorovsky and others. Steelmaker Ibragim Valeev was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1943 for high performance in the smelting of high-quality steels.

By the middle of 1942, production lines were already operating at the plant, set up for the manufacture of homogeneous parts of hull production, high-speed automatic welding was widely used. For the production of the towers of the T-34 tank, they were stamped on a ten-thousand-ton press. It was a very bold decision. In total, 2670 towers were made by stamping.

In the spring of 1942, a patriotic movement of thousand's workers developed at the factories of the industry - workers who fulfilled production standards by 1000% or more. Such labor productivity was achieved through a set of measures: the maximum rationalization of the movements of the worker, the use of high-performance equipment, the maximum use of machine power, the choice of optimal processing modes, the use of special tools, the combination of operations, etc. Modeler Anatoly Chugunov was the first at Uralmash to achieve an unprecedented output of -1900%.

The first thousand-man at the Ural Tank Plant was the turner G.P. Nikitin. His achievement was soon repeated by the turner-toolmaker A.E. Panferov. Thousand blacksmiths A.A. Kovalenko, M.I. Lyapin and V.I. Mikhalev. In May, whole brigades of thousands of men, led by S.M. Pinaev, V.G. Seleznev and others. The most distinguished brigades were awarded the honorary title of Guards. The first such brigade was the Komsomol youth team, led by Tanya Brevnova. The Komsomol-youth brigade of female blacksmiths Sima Uzdemir, who worked on a three-ton hammer, fulfilled two norms daily. Soon the brigade of V.M. Volozhanina and others. During all the years of the war, the front-line guard brigades carried the honor of the plant high, won first places in the All-Union competition of front-line brigades. For the successful development of the production of T-34 tanks, the Ural Tank Plant (Director Yu.E. Maksarev, Chief Engineer L.I. Korduner) was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, orders and medals were awarded to a large group of workers and engineering and technical workers of the plant.

The entire year of 1942 passed at the plant under the sign of a continuous increase in the production of tanks; in the fourth quarter, 4.75 times more tanks were manufactured than in the first. The introduction of automatic welding of tank hulls under a flux layer increased labor productivity by about 8 times. E.O. was directly involved in debugging the new technological process. Paton. The assembly of tanks was carried out on a conveyor, numerous production lines functioned. The technology of casting towers from armored steel into raw molds using machine molding was very effective. This method, developed and implemented by engineers I.I. Bragin and I.V. Gorbunov, gave significant cost savings and made it possible to increase the production of towers to 30-32 units per day (in December 1941, 5-6 units were manufactured per day).

For the successes achieved, the plant was repeatedly recognized as the winner of the socialist competition among the plants of the tank industry, it was awarded the challenge Red Banner of the State Defense Committee, and in 1943 the plant was awarded another order - the Red Banner. Among those awarded the Order of Lenin were the director of the plant, Yu.E. Maksarev, chief designer A.A. Morozov, master K.I. Kartsev, foreman of machine operators V.M. Volozhanin, blacksmith A.A. Kovalenko and others.

The Krasnoye Sormovo plant continued to gain momentum in the production of T-34 tanks. By the end of 1941, new workshops were built, several thousand dies and fixtures were manufactured, as well as measuring and cutting tools. Already at the end of October, the Komsomol youth brigade, headed by molder Nikolai Shcherbina, became famous at the plant. Ivan Chernotalov's brigade worked hard in the reinforcement shop. One of the oldest regular workers of the plant A.I. Khramushev headed the front-line molding team, which ensured high-quality casting of tank turrets, and S.I. Komarov - a team of punchers. Khramushev and Komarov were subsequently awarded the Orders of Lenin.

In January 1942, there were 132 front-line brigades at the plant, in March - 213 and in May - 546 front-line brigades. Much attention at the plant was paid to training young workers and improving their skills. Veterans of the plant provided invaluable assistance in this matter.

In May 1942, the management of the plant was updated, E.E. Rubinchik was appointed director, A.I. Andreev. For the successes achieved in increasing the production of tanks, the Krasnoye Sormovo plant was awarded the Order of Lenin in January 1943. At the same time, the work of 260 advanced workers of the plant was awarded with high state awards.

For the exemplary performance of government assignments for the production of T-34 tanks and STZ tank engines in February 1942, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (director K.A. Zadorozhny). Orders and medals were awarded to the work of 248 workers of the tractor plant and allied plants. In the summer of 1942, the front came close to Stalingrad. The plant received an order to remove twice the number of tanks from the assembly line by the end of August. From the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry, the fulfillment of this task was provided by the First Deputy People's Commissar A.A. Goreglyad, V.A. was appointed as the authorized representative of the State Defense Committee for Stalingrad. Malyshev. To complete the task, it was allowed to use the hulls and motors of wrecked tanks from the repair fund of the military department. As a result of the heroic work of the Stalingraders, who were constantly bombed and then shelled, the industrial potential of the city was used to the maximum extent for defense purposes. In only 20 days of August 1942, the STZ gave the army 240 T-34 tanks, after which their production practically ceased, only repair and restoration work continued. Many workers of the tractor plant at that time were evacuated to the eastern regions of the country.

In 1942 ChKZ was steadily gaining momentum in the production of heavy KV tanks. The movement of Stakhanovites-thousanders at the plant was started by the turner G.P. Exlacs. He was followed by Anna Pashnina, a milling operator, the youngest of the Kirovites to be awarded the Order of Lenin. She organized and led the first front-line brigade of machine tool girls at the plant. Each of the young workers mastered several specialties, learned how to adjust the machines herself. On the initiative of the master V.D. Bakhteev, a new form of competition was born, in which the results of the work were noted not at the end of the shift, but every hour. Samples of labor heroism were shown by the blacksmith G.V. Arzamastsev and shop manager I.S. Belostotsky, tank test drivers P.I. Barov and K.I. Ladle, turner V.V. Gusev and steelmaker A.I. Platonov, chief engineer S.N. Makhonin, heads of shops N.P. Bogdanov and F.S. Bulgakov, heads of design teams N.L. Dukhov and I.Ya. Trashutin and others. In July 1942, the State Defense Committee instructed the plant to organize the mass production of T-34 tanks without stopping the production of heavy tanks. The line of the main conveyor, on which tractors were previously assembled, was overhauled to produce new products. Numerous organizational and technical issues were urgently resolved during the pre-production. Significant assistance was provided by the leading specialists of the Ural Tank Plant Ya.I. Baran, V.M. Doroshenko, N.F. Melnikov and others. On August 5, the first manufactured components and parts began to arrive at the assembly, and on August 22, the first T-34 tank rolled off the assembly line of the plant.

Design work on heavy, medium and light tanks continued into 1942. The KB heavy tank was a breakthrough tank; it easily overcame the enemy's anti-tank defenses. The characteristics of the KB tank were significantly higher than those of the most powerful German tanks T-III and T-IV, used in the initial period of the war. The KB tank was invulnerable to the fire of most enemy anti-tank weapons, it was not harmed by the shelling from the main weapon of German tanks. Even bombing from the air, except for a direct hit by air bombs, was not terrible for him. But already in 1942, the KB tank began to gradually lose its advantages. On the battlefield, the enemy began to use self-propelled artillery mounts armed with powerful cannons. Sub-caliber armor-piercing shells were introduced, which significantly increased the power of tank weapons and anti-tank artillery. Artillery systems appeared with a higher muzzle velocity.

In the ChKZ design bureau under the leadership of the chief designer Zh.Ya. Kotin in the winter of 1941-1942, work was launched on the design of promising modifications of the heavy tank: KV-7, KV-8, and KV-9. In the KV-7 tank, instead of a circular rotation turret, the installation of twin and even triple guns in a fixed armored cabin was used. The fire control system provided for salvo fire, as well as single firing from each gun separately. An ATO-41 flamethrower was installed in the turret of the KV-8 tank, which ensured the ejection of a combustible mixture at a distance of up to 100 m. In January 1942, after prototypes were shown to members of the government in Moscow, the KV-8 tank was accepted for production. In the tower, in order to free up space for the flamethrower equipment, the 76-mm cannon had to be replaced with a 45-mm one. The KV-9 tank differed from the main KB tank in the presence of a 122-mm howitzer gun designed by F.F. Petrov.

In the spring of 1942, to replace the KB tank, the design of a new tank began, which had the properties of a heavy medium tank with the mass. This formulation of the problem was dictated by the revealed advantages of the T-34 tank compared to the KV. The T-34 tank had a lower manufacturing complexity, was more transportable and had higher mobility. In terms of armament and armor protection, the T-34 tank was almost equivalent to the KV heavy tank.

The main layout work on the new tank, which received the designation KV-13, was carried out by N.V. Tseyts. Due to the dense layout of components and assemblies, it was supposed to reduce the dimensions and weight of the new tank compared to the serial KV. But this work was temporarily stopped. In order to improve the characteristics of the serial tank without stopping production, it was decided to partially modernize the KB. So, the mass of the car body was somewhat reduced by reducing the thickness of the sides and lowering the silhouette, in addition, the tracks were lightened. Many units and assemblies of the tank were also modernized. As a result, the mass of the tank decreased by about 5 tons, and the speed increased from 34 to 43 km/h. The new modification of the KV-1S tank was equipped with improved transmission and running gear units. In the counteroffensive at Stalingrad, the KV-1S tanks played a prominent role.

In 1943, for this work, a group of workers from the Kirov Plant N.L. Dukhov, A.S. Ermolaev, L.E. Sychev, N.M. Sinev, E.P. Dedov, A.F. Lesokhin, G.A. Mikhailov, A.N. Sterkin, N.F. Shashmurin, as well as A.I. Blagonravov were awarded the Stalin Prize.

Tanks T-34 (left) and T-43 Designers of the Ural Tank Plant under the leadership of A.A. Morozov, in addition to work on improving the serial T-34 tank, in the summer of 1942, they began working on a new T-43 tank, which was characterized by enhanced armor, the introduction of a torsion bar suspension, etc. However, work was also temporarily suspended.

The T-60 light tank was a relatively weakly armed infantry close escort tank. To solve independent tasks, units armed with a light tank needed a more powerful tank. Therefore, at GAZ, the chief designer for tanks N.A. Astrov with the participation of automotive designers headed by A.A. Lipgart, in a short time developed the design of a new light tank weighing 9.2 tons, which received the T-70 brand. It was armed with a 45 mm cannon, frontal armor was 45 mm thick, the maximum speed was 45 km/h, and the crew of the tank was two people. Two 6-cylinder automobile engines were installed on the tank, connected in series into a single power unit. The first prototype of the T-70 tank was made in December 1941. This tank was approved by the government and already in the first half of 1942, GAZ switched to serial production of the new tank. The creation of the T-70 tank was awarded the Stalin Prize.

The experience accumulated during 1941-1942 in the combat operations of our armored forces allowed us to draw some conclusions. Weak interaction in the battle of tanks with infantry, artillery and aircraft was revealed. Tank commanders made poor use of the terrain for a covert approach to the enemy, rarely used the radio to call artillery fire during the battle and as a means of control. The identified shortcomings served as the basis for the development of instructions for the tactical and operational use of the tank units of the Red Army, and also required improvements in the design of the tanks.

In order to eliminate the noted shortcomings, changes were made to the design of the tanks. So, a new radio station was installed on the T-34 tank, and a commander's cupola was constructed from the tank to improve observation conditions. Some T-34 tanks were additionally armed with an ATO-41 flamethrower. Radio stations were installed on T-70 command tanks. To increase the cruising range of tanks, additional external fuel tanks were installed on a number of vehicles.

In order to streamline control over the improvement of combat properties and ensure the reliability of combat vehicles in 1942, the Main Inspectorate for Quality was established in the People's Commissariat for Tank Industry. Representatives of the inspection were at the fronts, seconded to tank units and formations. They informed the chief designers about the quality, combat and operational characteristics of the tanks. The functions of the employees also included assisting the troops in training personnel in the features of operating new models, in evacuating, repairing and restoring armored vehicles.

In October 1942, the State Defense Committee decided to begin work on the creation of two types of self-propelled artillery mounts: armored like the T-34 medium tank, with a 122-mm howitzer, designed to support and escort tanks, and lightly armored, with a 76-mm gun, designed for direct infantry fire support.

At the end of October 1942, Zh.Ya. arrived at Uralmash. Kotin, who was simultaneously the chief designer of the Kirov Plant and the deputy people's commissar of the tank industry. After getting acquainted with the production of the T-34 tank and a comprehensive analysis of the proposals, it was decided to take the chassis of the T-34 tank and the oscillating part of the M-30 field divisional howitzer as the basis for a new self-propelled artillery mount. The general layout of the installation, which received the SU-122 brand, was assigned to N.V. Kurin. Designers V.A. put a lot of work and creative efforts into the creation of the SU-122. Vishnyakov, G.F. Ksyunin, A.D. Nekhlyudov, GV Sokolov and others. High-speed design was used to complete the work on time, close cooperation with technologists and production workers was established. In December 1942, the first batch of SU-122s was manufactured and demonstrated to the leaders of the party and government. By the decision of the State Defense Committee, it was adopted by the Red Army.

Soon 25 self-propelled guns were handed over to the crews formed and trained in the Urals, and the echelon with the SU-122 was sent to the Volkhov Front. For the creation of a new type of artillery weapons in 1943, the Stalin Prize was awarded to the chief designer L.I. Gorlitsky, N.V. Kurin and others. A group of workers and engineering and technical workers of the plant was awarded high state awards.

At the plant in Kirov (director K.K. Yakovlev), in 1942, the SU-12 (SU-76) self-propelled artillery mount was designed and manufactured, armed with a 76-mm ZIS-Z gun designed by V.G. Grabin. In the design of the chassis, mainly the components of the T-60 light tank were used. However, the first batch of vehicles had design flaws, as a result of which, in 1943, a modified modification with a reconfigured transmission and a power unit borrowed from the T-70 tank went into mass production. The new self-propelled unit was given the SU-76M brand. Its weight reached 10.5 tons, armor thickness up to 35 mm, maximum speed 41 km/h. Subsequently, for the development of the design of this installation, the Stalin Prize was awarded to the chief engineer of the plant L.L. Terentyev and the chief designer M.N. Shchukin. In the spring of 1943, the plant was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

In 1942, in the Volga region, in the Urals and in the eastern regions of the country, a number of tank, armored hull and engine-building plants and industries functioned. In 1942, the tank industry produced about 24.7 thousand tanks, including experimental ones. More than 24.4 thousand military vehicles were transferred to the army. Of this amount, 10% were KB heavy tanks, over 50% were T-34 medium tanks, and about 40% were T-60 and T-70 light tanks. But in the tank fleet of the Red Army, light tanks still prevailed (more than 60%).

In January 1943, at one of the armored hull factories of the tank industry, a Komsomol youth brigade of electric welders headed by E.P. Agarkov. A month later, she won the championship among the factory brigades, and in March 1943 she was recognized as the best in the socialist competition. In total, there were 15 people in Agarkov's brigade, 13 of them were girls.

In November 1944, E.P. Agarkov proposed to unite the teams of welders and fitters into one integrated team. As a result, a single flow was created for the installation and welding of armored towers, a senior foreman, three shift foremen, four foremen and eight workers were released. The optimal organization of labor, combined with the advanced training of workers and the partial introduction of automatic welding, made it possible to increase output by 2.5 times at a lower cost of manual labor.

The value of E.P. Agarkov was huge. In 1944 alone, more than 6,000 people were released through the enlargement of production groups in the tank industry. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR E.P. Agarkov was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1943. In 1946 he was awarded the Stalin Prize. High state awards were awarded to members of the brigade E.P. Agarkov, the order of Lenin was also received by the brigadier F. T. Serokurov.

The improvement of technological processes was carried out with the direct participation of specialists from research institutes. A great contribution to the development of the production of armored hulls and towers was made by specialists from the research institute headed by the Stalin Prize laureate A.S. Zavyalov. Under the guidance of Professor V.P. Vologdin at ChKZ for the first time in the domestic engineering industry, a technology for surface hardening of parts with high-frequency currents was developed and introduced into production. The application of the innovation reduced the time spent on heat treatment by 30-40 times, while saving high-alloy steel while increasing the wear resistance of parts. In 1943, as a result of the application of the new technology, the plant saved over 25 million rubles. For the development of the high-frequency hardening method, V.P. Vologdin was awarded the Stalin Prize. In 1943, a new transmission with a planetary turning mechanism of a fundamentally new type was designed and manufactured for heavy tanks. For this development, the Stalin Prize was awarded to G.I. Zaichik, M.A. Kreynes, M.K. Christie and K.G. Levin.

In February 1943, the Main Directorate for the Repair of Tanks (GURT) was created in the system of the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry, which was headed by the First Deputy People's Commissar A.A. Goreglyad.
The factories of the industry, together with the army repair units, did a lot of work to return damaged combat vehicles to service. At the same time, it was often possible to modernize older tanks. The work of the repair services of the army and industry can hardly be overestimated. The release of repaired tanks during the war continuously increased. From March 1944, the repair and restoration of tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts were entrusted to the People's Commissariat of Defense. Part of the repair plants of the Narkomtankoprom was transferred to the army. But the production of spare parts for army repair units was still mainly carried out by the factories of the tank industry.

In total, 430 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns were repaired during the war years, that is, each tank manufactured by the industry was repaired and restored on average more than four times.
Since among the trophies of the Red Army there were a significant number of serviceable and combat-ready German tanks T-III and T-IV, on their basis a team of designers led by G.I. Kashtanov, domestic self-propelled artillery mounts SU-76I and SU-122I with a 76-mm cannon and a 122-mm howitzer were developed. They were made. About 1.2 thousand.

The widespread use by the Red Army in battles against the Nazi invaders of tanks with high combat characteristics forced the tank industry of Nazi Germany to hastily develop and organize the production of tanks of new designs, such as the Panther and Tiger, as well as self-propelled guns Ferdinand. At the same time, the German industry modernized the produced tanks, increased the power of weapons by installing guns of a larger caliber or with a longer barrel to increase the muzzle velocity of the projectile. After the defeat near Moscow, and then near Stalingrad, the Nazi command relied on the use of new and modernized tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts armed with 75-, 88- and 128-mm guns, protected by thick armor.

In order to maintain superiority over German armored vehicles, the domestic tank industry continued to develop new tanks in 1943, modernized self-propelled artillery mounts, and increased the production of heavy and medium vehicles. At the same time, the factories of the industry began to pay more attention to improving the quality of combat vehicles.

Self-propelled artillery mount SU-152 At the end of November 1942, the ChKZ design bureau began developing the design of a heavy self-propelled artillery mount armed with a powerful 152-mm ML-20S howitzer gun. Almost the entire staff of the design bureau took part in this work, headed by L.S. Troyanov.

The production of working drawings of the new self-propelled guns, which received the SU-152 brand, began in December 1942, and on January 25, 1943, a prototype was assembled in record time. By February 7, the tests of the first sample were successfully completed, and the machine was put into service. Before the beginning of March, the first batch of vehicles was manufactured in the amount of 35 units and entered the configuration of heavy self-propelled artillery regiments. In July 1943, only one of these regiments, which took part in the battles on the Kursk Bulge, destroyed about two dozen German Tiger tanks and Ferdinand heavy self-propelled guns.

Initially, self-propelled artillery was subordinate to the chief of artillery of the Red Army, technical support and repair of self-propelled guns were carried out through the Main Artillery Directorate. From April 1943, units of self-propelled artillery came under the command of the commander of the BTiMV Ya.N. Fedorenko. This contributed to closer interaction between tanks and self-propelled guns, simplified the maintenance and repair of self-propelled guns, and the training of military specialists.

The SU-152 development team was awarded the Stalin Prize. Among them were the tank builders Zh.Ya. Kotin, S.N. Makhonin, L.S. Troyanov and the creators of the artillery system S.P. Gurenko and F.F. Petrov.
The next, after the SU-152, the big initiative work of the ChKZ designers was the development of a new heavy tank IS (Joseph Stalin). Separate components of the undercarriage and caterpillar of the KV tank were transferred to the new tank without significant redesign. The design of the hull and turret of the tank, the installation of instruments and weapons were solved in a new way, the original planetary-type turning mechanism developed by A.I. Blagonravov.

The work largely took into account the experience of developing the KV-13 tank, and a shortened undercarriage was retained. The prototypes of the tank were made in two versions: with a 76-mm cannon and with a 122-mm howitzer cannon. The appearance on the Soviet-German front in January 1943 of the first samples of the German heavy tank "Tiger" set the plant the task of in every possible way to speed up the development of a new heavy tank and increase the power of its weapons. Therefore, an 85-mm experimental long-barreled gun designed by V.G. was installed on the third prototype. Grabin.

Forced tests of the new tank revealed both the strengths of the vehicle's design and individual shortcomings. An active role in testing the new tank was played by the master drivers of ChKZ and the Experimental Plant under it, including P.I. Petrov, awarded the Order of Lenin. To improve the mileage of the tank on soils with low bearing capacity, the bearing surface of the caterpillar was lengthened, the undercarriage was strengthened by adding a sixth roller. A new gun of the D-5T type, designed by F.F. Petrov. The tank received the IS brand (IS-1). However, the tank was not yet ready for mass production.

In the summer of 1943, in the midst of work on a new heavy tank, there were changes in the leadership of the People's Commissariat and ChKZ. V.A. again became the People's Commissar of the tank industry. Malyshev, and I.M. Saltsman, who for one year was People's Commissar. At that time, the director of the plant was A.A. Goreglyad and then M.A. Dlugach. For a long time, the chief engineer of the plant, S.N., acted as director. Makhonin.
After the Battle of Kursk, it was necessary to strengthen the armament of Soviet tanks in a short time. As a result, it was decided to develop a modification of the KV-1S heavy tank by installing a new turret with an 85-mm gun on the tank chassis. In August 1943, such a KV-85 tank began to be manufactured.

In May 1943, Uralmash created the second modification of a self-propelled artillery mount based on the T-34 tank with a powerful 85-mm D-5S gun. The installation under the brand name SU-85 was accepted for serial production and for service in August 1943. By the end of the month, 150 machines of this type were manufactured. Acting directly in the battle formations of tanks, these self-propelled guns provided continuous fire support for our troops, hitting the armor of all types of German tanks. In the period preceding the battles of 165 on the Kursk Bulge, German aviation undertook a massive bombing attack on Gorky's military-industrial facilities. As a result, GAZ suffered significant damage: the water supply system was destroyed, the power supply was cut off. For fifteen consecutive nights, the bombing of the plant continued. Many car factory workers were killed and wounded. But the plant continued the production of military equipment, people showed examples of selflessness and labor heroism. Having eliminated the damage, the plant completed the program by 127% already in July (Director I.K. Loskutov, Chief Engineer K.V. Vlasov).

Since the combat properties of the T-70 tank could not be considered as high as at the end of 1941, it was discontinued in 1943. Instead, a new light tank T-80 was designed, adapted for fighting in the city (cannon elevation angle up to 65 degrees). The armor of the sides, bottom and roof was strengthened in the tank, the crew was increased to three people. But for installation in a tank, forced engines were needed, but they could not be created in a short time. GAZ from the second half of 1943 began to master the production of SU-76M, which soon went into the army in large numbers (daily production of up to 38 vehicles).

Simultaneously with the production of tanks and self-propelled guns, GAZ produced the BA-64 light armored car, created on the chassis of the GAZ-64 off-road passenger car (lead designer V.A. Grachev). In 1943, the track width was increased on the base car, which increased the stability of the car. On the basis of the GAZ-67B model, the production of the BA-64B armored car equipped with bulletproof tires was launched. The body of the machine was made of bulletproof armor with rational angles of inclination of the sheets. The modification of the armored car was adapted for movement on a railway track thanks to additional wheels with flanges. For the creation of this machine, V.A. Grachev was awarded the Stalin Prize.

The new heavy tank of the Kirov plant IS-1 entered production at the end of 1943, and soon the production of another, much better armed tank began. The D-25T gun installed in the new tank, developed under the direction of F.F. Petrov, was much more powerful than the 85-mm D-5 gun installed in the IS-1 tank (its muzzle energy is 2.7 times greater). This made it possible to finally consolidate the superiority of Soviet heavy tanks over German ones. The new tank received the IS-2 brand, and a large-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun DShK was installed on its turret. After successfully completed state tests, the new tank was delivered to a training ground near Moscow, where a shot was fired from the D-25T cannon at the frontal armor of the German Panther tank. The shell pierced the frontal armor of the Panther, hit the rear hull plate and, tearing it off, threw it back several meters.

Already at the end of 1943, the first serial IS-2 tanks were manufactured, the production of the ISU-152 began on the chassis of the IS tank with a 152-mm howitzer gun. A significant part of the promising design developments in the field of heavy tanks was carried out at the Pilot Plant under the leadership of Zh.Ya. Kotin. For the development of the design of the IS tank and the artillery self-propelled gun based on it, the Stalin Prize was awarded to Zh.Ya. Kotin, A.S. Ermolaev, E.P. Dedov, K.N. Ilyin, G.N. Moskvin, G.N. Rybin, N.F. Shashmurin and others.

A special page in the history of tank building in the Urals is the history of the formation in February-April 1943 of the Special Volunteer Tank Corps. Tanks, equipment, uniforms and ammunition were purchased and donated to the army with the workers' own savings. All weapons were manufactured at factories in excess of the plan. More than 100 thousand applications were submitted to the military registration and enlistment offices of the Urals from volunteers who wanted to become soldiers of this corps. The corps entered the battle during the Oryol operation on July 27, 1943 as the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps as part of the 4th Tank Army.

In the battles against the Nazis, the Urals showed examples of selfless courage and heroism. Over one and a half thousand tankers of the corps were awarded orders and medals, and 22 of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

For exceptional services to the state in organizing the production of armored vehicles and skillful leadership of teams in 1943, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor was awarded to the directors of the factories D.E. Kochetkov, Yu.E. Maksarev and B.G. Muzrukov and chief designer A.A. Morozov.
In total, in 1943, the domestic industry produced more than 20 thousand tanks of various types and 4.1 thousand self-propelled guns. Of the total number of tanks, about 4% were heavy, 79% were medium, the rest were light, and self-propelled guns were 49% light, 34% medium and 17% heavy.

The Ural Tank Plant was still the leader in the production of the most massive T-34 tank. The Stalin Prize for the modernization of the T-34, the improvement of its production technology, with significant savings in materials, labor and cost reduction were awarded to the plant director Yu.E. Maksarev, chief engineer L.I. Korduner, engineers Ya.I. Baran, I.I. Atopov, N.I. Proskuryakov and others.
At all stages of testing modernized and newly created experimental tanks, a large role was assigned to tank testers, including driver mechanics. Among the best tank drivers in the industry were F.V. Zakharchenko, I.V. Kuznetsov, N.F. Nosik and others.

The team of designers of the Ural Tank Plant, led by A.A. Morozov, in March 1943, began testing a prototype medium tank T-43, the design of which assumed the widespread use of components and parts of the serial T-34 tank. But a number of characteristics of the T-43 tank deteriorated (pressure increased, cruising range decreased), in addition, the transition to the production of the T-43 tank instead of the T-34 would inevitably lead to a reduction in the production of tanks and their delivery to the army. Therefore, soon the team of designers launched work to strengthen the armament of the T-34 tank and create a new medium tank T-44.

The work of artillery designers on the creation of tank guns with calibers of more than 76 mm was carried out starting in 1940. By the summer of 1943, various experimental tank guns of 85 mm caliber were manufactured. Guns designed by F.F. Petrov brand D-5 in versions for the tank and self-propelled guns since August 1943 were mass-produced, and the guns of the plant (director A.S. Elyan) LB-1 and TsAKB - S-50 and S-53 still needed fine-tuning. At the Krasnoye Sormovo plant, these guns were installed in experimental T-34 tanks. One of the options for installing an 85-mm gun in the T-34 tank was taken as the basis (developers V.V. Krylov and others). At the Ural Tank Plant, following the Sormovichi, a second option was developed for installing a gun in a new turret with an extended shoulder strap. At the end of 1943, all three experimental guns installed in the tanks were put to the test. According to their results, the ZIS-S-53 gun was accepted for production and installation in the serial T-34-85 tank.

The People's Commissar for Tank Industry V.A. Malyshev, People's Commissar for Armaments D.F. Ustinov, commander of the armored and mechanized troops Ya. N. Fedorenko, head of the Main Artillery Directorate N.D. Yakovlev. They provided the plant with great assistance in the manufacture and testing of prototypes of the T-34-85 tank. In January 1944, this tank was put into service. For the development of the 85-mm gun for the T-34 tank, the Stalin Prize was awarded to I.I. Ivanov, A.I. Savin, G.I. Sergeev.

The mass of the T-34-85 tank reached 32 tons, the crew - five people, the armor of the hull was 45 mm, and the turret - up to 90 mm, a powerful diesel engine allowed a maximum speed of 55 km / h.
Since the situation at the front required saturation of the tank troops with combat vehicles capable of fighting the new German heavy tanks, a lot of work was done at ChKZ in 1944 to expand the mass production of heavy IS tanks, and the production of T-34 tanks was discontinued. The cost of the tank was steadily decreasing and at the same time its reliability was increasing, and the service life was increasing.
The service life of IS tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts based on it before the first medium repair was increased to 1200 km, and from the start of operation to overhaul - up to 3000 km (500 hours).

During the war years, the design bureau for engine building under the leadership of I.Ya. Trashutina made a number of changes to the design of the V-2 diesel engine. So, thanks to the loop oil supply, wear has significantly decreased and the durability of the crankshaft has increased. A reinforced crankshaft and cylinder liners, a higher flow oil pump, new design connecting rods, an improved piston and oil filter, etc. were created. As a result, the engine life was significantly increased. An all-mode speed controller was introduced into the V-2-34M engine instead of a dual-mode one. The V-2-IS engine, unlike previous modifications, was equipped with an inertial starter in addition to the starters of the previous types, a more powerful generator and a number of other components.

For a radical improvement in technology and success in the production of heavy tanks and engines, the Stalin Prize was awarded to director I.M. Zaltsman, chief engineer S.N. Makhonin, chief technologist S.A. Khait, tank engineers A.Yu. Bozhko, A.I. Glazunov, engine engineers I.Ya. Trashutin, Ya.E. Vikhman, M.A. Meksin, P.E. Sablev and others. In 1945, the design bureau for diesel engines of the Kirov Plant was awarded the Order of Lenin.

For the successes achieved in the production of military equipment, ChKZ was awarded the Order of the Red Star in August 1944, and the Pilot Plant, headed by Zh.Ya. Kotin, for special merits in the creation of new models of heavy tanks and self-propelled artillery - the Order of Lenin. In 1944, two more self-propelled artillery mounts with 122-mm guns, ISU-122 and ISU-122-2, were put into production at ChKZ.
The last major work of the design bureaus of the Experimental Plant and ChKZ was the creation of the third modification of the IS tank, later called the IS-Z. The original design of the hull and turret made it possible to significantly increase the armor protection of the IS-Z compared to the IS-2.

In the deep autumn of 1944, sea trials of the new tank began. After inspecting the new vehicles by representatives of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky tanks were sent to the testing ground, which were successfully completed by the beginning of 1945. The decision to start production of the IS-Z tank soon followed.

For a radical improvement in the design of a heavy tank and the creation of a new tank, the Stalin Prize was awarded to a group of designers from the Kirov and Experimental Plants: N.L. Dukhov, L.S. Troyanov, M.F. Balzhi, G.V. Kruchenykh, V.I. Torotko, orders and medals were awarded to several hundred tank builders. In 1945, ChKZ was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class.

At the beginning of 1944, all factories that produced T-34 tanks switched to the production of a new modification of the T-34-85 tank. In May 1944, another modification of the T-34-85 tank with an ATO-42 flamethrower was put into service. By this time, the development of the design of the new T-44 medium tank was almost completely completed. The new tank was characterized by more powerful armor protection than the T-34, a simplified hull shape, and the absence of a hatch - a driver's manhole in the upper front plate, which greatly increased its projectile resistance. More advanced gearboxes and turning mechanisms used in a newly arranged power plant with a transverse engine, a new torsion bar suspension of the rollers ensured an increase in the tank's mobility. The entire experience of the combat use of the T-34 tank was used to develop the design of a new medium tank. Subsequently, the T-44 tank was repeatedly modernized, tractors and engineering vehicles were created on its basis.

For the development of the design of the new tank and the fundamental improvement of the existing medium tank, the Stalin Prize was awarded to A.A. Morozov, M.I. Tarshinov, N.A. Kucherenko, A.A. Moloshtanov, B.A. Chernyak and Ya.I. Baran. The Order of Lenin was awarded to the design bureau of the Ural Tank Plant. The T-34 tank (including the T-34-85) was a reliable and easy to manufacture machine. In terms of combat qualities, he had no equal in either domestic or foreign armored vehicles.

By 1945, the life of the T-34 tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts based on it before the first medium repair was brought to 1500 km, and from the beginning of operation to the overhaul was 3500 km (600 hours).

In 1944, Uralmash switched to the production of a new SU-100 self-propelled gun, which was equipped with a powerful 100 mm D-10S cannon, which exceeded the characteristics of the new tank and anti-tank guns of the Nazi army. The self-propelled unit was equipped with two sights - telescopic articulated for direct fire and panorama - for firing from closed positions. For the development of self-propelled artillery mounts, the Stalin Prize was awarded to L.I. Gorlitsky, A.A. Kizima, S.I. Samoilov, A.N. Bulashev, V.N. Sidorenko.

For a long time, GAZ was practically the only supplier to the front of wheeled armored vehicles and light tracked artillery self-propelled guns SU-76M. In 1945, the period of operation of the SU-76M before the first medium repair was increased to 1800 km, and from the beginning of operation to the overhaul it was 4000 km (650 hours).
The year 1944 was ending in an atmosphere of general labor upsurge, caused by the major successes of the Soviet Armed Forces in expelling the Nazi invaders from the territory of our Motherland. The lofty spirit of socialist competition, mass patriotism, and the desire to hasten the defeat of the hated invaders raised the workers of the industry to labor exploits. The creative initiative of the masses was skillfully directed and supported by the party organizations of the tank factories. Komsomol organizations were actively working, leading the patriotic movement of young workers, engineers and technicians. At the head of the largest factory party organizations were energetic and experienced party organizers of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.

By the beginning of 1945 they were in the industry. achieved excellent results. The labor intensity of manufacturing the T-34 tank compared to the pre-war level was reduced by 2.4 times, heavy by 2.3 times, the armored hull of a medium tank by almost 5 times, diesel by 2.5 times. In the tank industry, output per worker more than doubled between 1940 and 1944.

For exceptional services in organizing the work of the tank industry and the production of first-class military equipment in 1944, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor was awarded to People's Commissar V.A. Malyshev.
During 1944, the tank industry produced 29 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts, including self-propelled guns-12 thousand.

Having entered the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, the domestic tank industry could rightly be proud of the great successes achieved by the workers of the industry. New Soviet tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts, which were continuously supplied to the Red Army, thanks to their excellent combat characteristics, made it possible to raise the Soviet military art to a higher level. The outstanding victories of the Red Army on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War and major successes in the work of industry were the result of the enormous organizational activity of our Party, the selflessness and courage of the soldiers at the front, and the labor prowess of the home front workers.

This made it possible by 1945 to switch part of the production capacities and material resources of the tank industry to the production of civilian products necessary to restore the national economy destroyed by the war.

The release of military equipment in 1945 was still carried out mainly in the eastern regions of the country. Only the Ural Tank Plant in the first quarter of 1945 gave the front 2.1 thousand T-34-85 tanks. In May, the plant reported to the State Defense Committee on the production of the 35,000th tank.

In the first quarter of 1945, the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant produced about 1.5 thousand IS tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts. In total, during the war years, this plant put into production 13 types of heavy tanks and artillery self-propelled guns, 6 types of diesel engines, manufactured 18 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery installations and 45.5 thousand diesel engines of various modifications.

The most massive tank of the period of the Great Patriotic War was the famous "thirty-four". More than 50 thousand of them were produced. In addition, about 6 thousand self-propelled artillery installations were created on the basis of the T-34.

For the great contribution of tank builders to the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, the following factories were awarded: the Order of Lenin to the engine plant in Altai, the Order of the Red Banner to the Uralmash plant, the orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree to the factories - Ural Tank, Krasnoe Sormovo, Gorky Automobile, Stalingrad Tractor and some others.

The achievements of tank builders during the war years were equated to battles won at the front. Many industry leaders were awarded high military ranks and military orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov. The title of Hero of Socialist Labor in 1945 was awarded to the First Deputy People's Commissar A.A. Goreglyad and chief designer N.L. Dukhov.

Worthy of good mention are the names of many innovators in production, shock workers of the war years, designers and technologists, assemblers and testers, machine operators and foundry workers, workers and specialists in many other professions. Their labor contribution worthily entered the heroic annals of the Patriotic War. The work of more than 9 thousand tank builders during the war was marked by high government awards.
Designers of tank factories during the war years developed and manufactured more than 80 prototypes of new combat vehicles.

During the war years, the tank industry produced about 100,000 tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts. Counting the production of tanks from the second half of 1941 to the end of the first half of 1945, the Soviet tank industry manufactured and handed over to the Red Army about 97,700 tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts.

In commemoration of the outstanding role of the armored and mechanized troops of the Red Army during the past war, the huge contribution of the tank industry to the provision of the Soviet troops with first-class equipment, which honorably fulfilled their duty to the Motherland, in 1946 a nationwide holiday was established Tanker Day.

After the victorious end of the Great Patriotic War, the enterprises of the tank industry received the task of mastering the production of products necessary for the restoration of the national economy and to meet the priority needs of the Soviet people. Factories that produced tanks during the war years switched to the production of civilian products.

At the end of the thirties, on the eve of the start of the Second World War, the tank forces of the USSR had no equal. The Soviet Union had a colossal superiority over all potential opponents in the number of pieces of equipment, and with the advent of the T-34 in 1940, Soviet superiority began to be of a qualitative nature. At the time of the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, the Soviet tank fleet already numbered over 20,000 vehicles. True, the bulk of these tanks were light combat vehicles armed with 45-mm guns, which could hardly fight with the main medium tanks of Germany "Panzer III" of later modifications. For example, the most massive tank of the Red Army in the prewar years, the T-26, armed with a 45mm cannon, could effectively penetrate the armor of the "triples" only from extremely close distances of less than 300m, while the German tank easily hit 15mm of bulletproof armor "T-26" with distances up to 1000m. All Wehrmacht tanks, with the exception of the "Pz.I" and "Pz.II", could quite effectively resist the "twenty-sixth". The rest of the characteristics of the T-26, which was produced from the beginning of the 30s to the beginning of the 40s, were also rather mediocre. It is worth mentioning the BT-7 light tanks, which had simply amazing speed for that time and carried the same 45-mm gun as the T-26, the combat value of which was slightly higher than that of the "twenty-sixth" only for due to good speed and dynamics, which allowed the tank to quickly maneuver on the battlefield. Their armor was also weak and was penetrated by the main German tanks from long distances. Thus, by 1941, most of the tank fleet of the USSR was equipped with obsolete equipment, although the total number of tanks of the USSR surpassed Germany several times. The latter also did not give a decisive advantage at the beginning of the war, since far from all the "armada" of Soviet equipment was located in the western border districts, and those combat vehicles that were located there were dispersed throughout the territory, while German armored vehicles advanced in narrow areas front, securing a numerical superiority and destroying Soviet troops in parts. However, back to the mid-30s - it was then that the tanks of the Soviet Union received their baptism of fire - there was a civil war in Spain, where they fought on the side of the Republican troops (see Soviet T-26 tanks and the civil war in Spain) against the fascist rebels of General Francisco Franco, quite successfully showing himself in battles with German tanks and Italian wedges. Later, Soviet tanks also successfully resisted the Japanese aggressors in the Far East in battles near Lake Khasan and in the area of ​​the Khalkin-Gol River. Soviet tanks in the battle with the Francoist rebels and Japanese troops showed that they are definitely worth reckoning with. In terms of their tactical and technical characteristics, new Soviet tanks, such as the T-34 and KV, at the beginning of the war, of course, surpassed all models of German equipment, but still they were dissolved in the mass of older equipment. In general, by 1941, Soviet tank troops were numerous, but poorly balanced formations, and in the Western border districts, where the battle of the first weeks of the war unfolded, there were no more than 12 thousand. tanks, against 5 and a half thousand tanks of Germany and its allies. At the same time, the Soviet forces experienced an acute shortage of manpower, while the Germans had no problems with infantry - there were twice as many of them as in the Soviet troops located near the border. It is worth emphasizing that speaking of the superiority of Soviet tanks at the beginning of the war, we mean precisely the technical part and a number of basic combat characteristics that determine whether tank units are able to withstand similar enemy combat vehicles. For example, in terms of armament and armor, the new Soviet tanks of the second half of the 30s and early 40s clearly surpassed all the armored vehicles available to the Germans in 1941. However, it is not enough to have tanks with good tactical and technical characteristics, it is important to be able to use them as a means of warfare. In this sense, the German tank forces at the beginning of the war were stronger. At the time they crossed the Soviet border, the Panzer III was the main striking force of the German troops, and at the beginning of the war, the Germans already had modifications of these F and H tanks, which surpassed the masses of light Soviet armored vehicles in terms of tactical and technical characteristics. Of course, the German tank forces also included such tanks as "Panzer I" or "Panzer II", which were definitely inferior to almost everyone
Soviet vehicles, but the role of the main tank still belonged to the "troika". The defeat of the Soviet tank divisions and mechanized corps deployed along the western border was so swift that later it gave rise to many rumors that the German tanks "many times outnumbered and were much better than the Soviet ones." The last statement is incorrect only because the KV and T-34 were listed as part of the Soviet tank group, which had no equal in 1941, and as for numerical superiority, on the contrary, it was the USSR that outnumbered Germany in the number of tanks, but if we take into account not all the equipment dispersed throughout the vast territory of the USSR, but only the tank forces of the troops of the western border districts, then it turns out that this is not a "multiple", but only a twofold superiority. Scattered along the entire border, Soviet tank units, which, moreover, did not have such impressive infantry support as the German tank forces, were forced to meet an avalanche of well-directed and concentrated strikes of large masses of German armored vehicles in narrow sections of the front. The formal numerical superiority of Soviet tanks in such conditions no longer mattered. The Germans quickly broke through the weak front line of the Soviet defense and occupied huge areas in the deep Soviet rear and held them with their motorized infantry, disorganizing the entire Soviet defense system. Our tanks in the first weeks of the war most often attacked the enemy without aviation, artillery and infantry support. Even if they managed to carry out a successful counterattack, they could not hold the captured positions without the help of the infantry. The superiority in manpower of Germany over the troops of the western border districts made itself felt. In addition, Germany, as already mentioned, at the beginning of the war clearly surpassed the USSR in mastery of tank units, in organizing interaction between tanks and other branches of the armed forces, and in good operational leadership of mobile formations. This is not even surprising, given that the German command had the experience of two large and swift military operations (the defeat of Poland and France), in which effective methods of tank groups, the interaction of tanks with infantry, aviation and artillery were worked out. The Soviet command did not have such experience, therefore, at the beginning of the war, it was obviously weaker in terms of the art of managing tank formations. Let's add to this the lack of combat experience of many tank crews, superimposed on the mistakes and miscalculations of the Soviet command. As the war progresses, experience, knowledge and skills will be acquired, and Soviet combat vehicles will become a truly formidable weapon in the capable hands of tankers and commanders of tank units. The prediction of the German tank commander Melentin, who predicted that the Russians, who created such a wonderful instrument as tanks, would never learn to play it, would not come true. They learned to play very well - and the brilliant operations of the Red Army against the Wehrmacht in the second half of the war are vivid and indisputable confirmation of this.

The technical superiority of the USSR in the prewar years and during the war

Soviet tanks at the initial stage of the Second World War were superior in combat characteristics to all their potential opponents. In the arsenal of the Soviet tank forces at the beginning of the war there were such vehicles, which at that time had no analogues. These were medium tanks "T-34", as well as heavy tanks "KV-1" and "KV-2". They had sufficiently powerful weapons and were able to hit any German tank of that period at a long distance of fire combat, while remaining invulnerable to the fire of the bulk of the German guns of that period. German tankers
they could not oppose the good armor of Soviet combat vehicles. The main regular 37mm cannon of the Germans did not allow to confidently hit the "T-34" or "KV" in the frontal projection from medium and long distances, and this forced the Germans to often use heavy anti-aircraft guns FlaK caliber 88mm in the early stages of the war to fight Soviet tanks. In addition to the T-34 and KV, the USSR possessed a large number of light combat vehicles, especially in the Soviet army there were T-26 tanks. The armor of the T-26 and BT-7 tanks, which were common in the Soviet army in the early 40s, left much to be desired, but many of them carried a 45mm gun that could successfully hit all German tanks at the beginning of the war, which means under certain conditions and competent use, this technique could withstand German tanks. In the second half of the war, Soviet designers carried out a comprehensive modernization of the "thirty-four", the T-34-85 tank appeared, as well as new heavy tanks "IS". Excellent vehicle dynamics and powerful weapons did their job: "IS" successfully hit its main opponents at long distances, while remaining slightly vulnerable to enemy return fire. Thus, Soviet tanks during the Second World War somehow surpassed their German opponents in the quality of combat vehicles, and at the final stage of the war they also had a decisive numerical superiority over a demoralized enemy.

IS-2 (USSR).
The IS-2 ("Joseph Stalin") was the first Soviet tank to break into Berlin on April 24, 1945. A projectile fired from the powerful 122 mm gun of this heavy tank pierced through the German PzKpfw V Panther.

T-34 (USSR).
The legendary T-34 is the most recognizable Soviet tank. Almost all experts agree that the T-34 was the best tank that had a serious impact on the outcome of the war and the further development of tank building. This was recognized by the enemies. In early October 1941, General Guderian stated that the T-34 was no match for the best German tanks. Less than a month later, he recognized the clear advantage of the T-34 over the main tank Pz.IV.
The T-34 was produced from 1940 to 1958, more than 84,000 T-34s were produced.

Tiger I (“Tiger”, Germany).
After the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union, it quickly became clear that the main tank of the Wehrmacht PzKpfw IV was much inferior to the Soviet “thirty-fours”. The Henschel-Werke concern and the designer Ferdinand Porsche worked on the creation of a new heavy tank at the same time. The choice of the German military leadership fell on Henschel-Werke, and the first "Tigers" appeared on the Eastern Front on August 29, 1942 at the Mga station near Leningrad. Along with the advantages (a tank could hit a target at a distance of up to 4 km), the Tigers also had major drawbacks: they were very heavy, clumsy and difficult to repair. In addition, the Tiger I was twice as expensive as any tank of those times and cost 800,000 Reichsmarks.

Panther (“Panther”, Germany).
This combat vehicle was developed by MAN in 1941-1942. For the first time, the Wehrmacht used Panthers during the Battle of Kursk: 200 tanks were received by the 39th Tank Regiment. After a few days of fighting, 31 Panthers were irretrievably lost, and 131 tanks needed to be repaired. The superiority of the Panthers was evident only in frontal tank battles; Soviet anti-tank artillery burned the Panthers no worse than the rest.

M3 Lee (USA).
On the Eastern Front, American Lee tanks received under Lend-Lease appeared in the middle of 1942, but did not cause much enthusiasm. From the Soviet crews, he received the sad nickname "mass grave for six": the armor did not save from the powerful tank and anti-tank guns of the Wehrmacht.

M4 Sherman (USA).
The Soviet tankers "Sherman" had the nickname "emcha" (from M4). Several dozen Shermans participated in the Battle of Kursk. The tankers took the American tanks well. Since the spring of 1944, Shermans have taken part in almost all battles on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. In general, the Shermans were not much inferior to the T-34s. From February 1942 to July 1945, 49,234 tanks were produced.

When tanks appeared during the First World War, it became clear that it would no longer be possible to fight the battles as before. Old-fashioned tactical schemes and tricks completely refused to work against mechanical "animals" equipped with machine guns and cannons. But the "finest hour" of steel monsters fell on the next war - the Second World War. That the Germans, that the allies were well aware that the key to success is hidden precisely in powerful tracked vehicles. Therefore, crazy money was allocated for the constant modernization of tanks. Thanks to this, metal "predators" have evolved at a rapid pace.

This Soviet tank gained legendary status as soon as it appeared on the battlefield. The metal beast was equipped with a diesel engine for 500 "horses", "advanced" armor, a 76 mm F-34 gun and wide tracks. This configuration allowed the T-34 to become the best tank of its time.

Another advantage of the combat vehicle was the simplicity and manufacturability of its design. Thanks to this, it was possible to establish mass production of the tank in the shortest possible time. Already by the summer of 1942, about 15 thousand T-34s were produced. In total, during the production of the USSR, more than 84 thousand "thirty-fourths" in various modifications were created.

In total, about 84 thousand T-34s were produced

The main problem of the tank was its transmission. The fact is that she, along with the power unit, were in a special compartment located in the stern. Thanks to this technical solution, the cardan shaft turned out to be unnecessary. The leading role was assigned to control rods, the length of which was about 5 meters. Accordingly, it was difficult for the driver to manage them. And if a person coped with difficulties, then the metal sometimes gave slack - the traction was simply torn. Therefore, T-34s often went into battle in one gear, switched on in advance.

Tank evolution developed rapidly. Opponents constantly brought to the "ring" more and more advanced fighters. IS-2 was a worthy answer to the USSR. The heavy breakthrough tank was equipped with a 122 mm howitzer. If a shell from this gun hit a building, then, in fact, only ruins remained from it.

In addition to the howitzer, the arsenal of the IS-2 included a 12.7 mm DShK machine gun located on the turret. The bullets fired from this weapon pierced even the thickest brickwork. Therefore, the enemies had practically no chance to hide from the formidable metal monster. Another important advantage of the tank is its armor. It reached 120 mm.

Shot IS-2 turned the building into ruins

There were, of course, and without minuses. The main thing is the fuel tanks in the control room. If the enemy managed to break through the armor, then the crew of the Soviet tank had practically no chance of escaping. The driver was the worst. After all, he did not have his own hatch.

"Tiger" was created with one goal - to crush any enemy and turn him into a stampede. Hitler himself personally ordered that the new tank be covered with a frontal armor plate 100 millimeters thick. And the stern and sides of the "Tiger" were covered with armor of 80 millimeters. The main "trump card" of the combat vehicle was the weapon - this is the 88 mm KwK 36 cannon, created on the basis of the "anti-aircraft gun". The gun was distinguished by a sequence of hits and also a record rate of fire. Even in combat conditions, the KwK 36 could “spit” shells as many as 8 times in a minute.

In addition, the "Tiger" was another of the fastest tanks of the time. It was set in motion by the Maybakhovsky power unit with 700 hp. He was accompanied by an 8-speed hydromechanical gearbox. And along the chassis, the tank could accelerate to 45 km / h.

"Tiger" cost 800,000 Reichsmarks

It is curious that in the technical memo that lay in each "Tiger", there was an inscription: "The tank costs 800,000 Reichsmarks. Take care of him!". Goebbels believed that the tankers would be proud to be entrusted with such an expensive toy. But the reality was often different. The soldiers were terrified that something might happen to the tank.

Before colliding with the Germans, the heavy tank went through a baptism of fire in the war with the Finns. The monster weighing 45 tons was an invincible enemy until the very end of 1941. Tank protection was 75 millimeters of steel. Frontal armor plates were located so well that the shell resistance terrified the Germans. Still would! After all, their 37 mm anti-tank guns could not penetrate the KV-1 even from a minimum distance. As for 50 mm guns, then the limit is 500 meters. And a Soviet tank, equipped with a long-barreled 76 mm F-34 gun, could knock out the enemy from a distance of about one and a half kilometers.

Weak transmission - the main "sore" KV-1

But, unfortunately, the tank also had shortcomings. The main problem was the "raw" design, which was hastily put into production. The real "Achilles heel" of the KV-1 was the transmission. Due to the heavy loads associated with the weight of the combat vehicle, it broke too often. Therefore, during retreats, tanks had to be abandoned or destroyed. Since it was unrealistic to repair them in combat conditions.

Nevertheless, the Germans managed to snatch several KV-1s. But they didn't let them in. Constant breakdowns and the lack of necessary spare parts quickly put an end to captured cars.

The German "Panther" weighing 44 tons was superior to the T-34 in mobility. On the highway, this "predator" could accelerate to almost 60 km / h. He was armed with a 75 mm KwK 42 cannon, in which the barrel length was 70 calibers. The "Panther" could "spit" with an armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile flying a kilometer in the first second. Thanks to this, the German car could knock out almost any enemy tank at a distance exceeding a couple of kilometers.

"Panther" could penetrate the armor of the tank at a distance of over 2 kilometers

If the forehead of the "Panther" was protected by an armor plate with a thickness of 60 to 80 mm, then the armor on the sides was thinner. Therefore, Soviet tanks tried to hit the "beast" in that weak spot.

In total, Germany managed to create about 6 thousand Panthers. One more thing is curious: in March 1945, hundreds of these tanks, equipped with night vision devices, launched an attack on Soviet troops near Balaton. But even this technical trick did not help.

Analyzing the reasons for the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, one can consider many factors, proving its regularity and inevitability. However, in addition to moral superiority, the mass heroism of soldiers and officers, the feat of home front workers, attention should also be paid to such an important component of overall success as the technical support of the troops. Tanks were the main striking force of the ground forces during the Second World War. The USSR was armed with unsurpassed models of armored vehicles already at the end of the thirties. No country in the world could achieve such a technological level for a long time.

First tanks

The basic ideas of tank building were formed painfully, the search for optimal layout schemes, criteria for the sufficiency of protection and the ratio of maneuverability to firepower was accompanied by many mistakes and insights. It was important to find the best suspension for the road wheels, the correct location of the drive wheels, calculate the gearbox, and choose the appropriate caliber for the turret guns. The first tanks of the USSR were produced abroad, more precisely, in France, by Renault. They were renamed in honor of the "freedom fighters comrades Lenin and Trotsky", and there were only two of them. There could be no experience of mass construction of tanks in Soviet Russia, and before the revolution this issue was not given sufficient attention. In fairness, it should be remembered that in the 1920s and 1930s, discussions continued between theorists of strategy about the primary importance of cavalry during deep invasion operations and in defense, not only in our country, but also abroad. abroad. You had to start almost from scratch.

20s

Blaming pre-war cavalry supporters for illiteracy and retrograde thinking has long been considered a win-win. These, of course, included Budyonny and Voroshilov, while Tukhachevsky, Blucher, Uborevich, and even Yakir, who suffered from Stalin, were just as schematically classified as “progressives”. In fact, the supporters of the "equestrian" theory, of course, had their own, and quite weighty arguments. In the early 30s, armored vehicles were, to put it mildly, imperfect. The armor is bulletproof, otherwise the low-power carburettor car engine could not move the car from its place. The armament was also in most cases at the level of the famous "cart-Rostovite". There was a logistical problem in the delivery of fuels and lubricants, a car is not a horse, you cannot feed it with grass. And yet, already in the twenties, the first tanks of the USSR appeared. Photos of these samples today are not impressive, and technical characteristics too. In most cases, they copied foreign analogues and did not stand out in any way.

Something had to be started. The starting point can be considered the T-18, which became the first mass-produced Soviet tank. It was produced in 1928-1931, 9 hundred copies were built. All the tanks of the USSR and Russia can be considered descendants of this "grandfather" of Soviet tank building. The same Renault-17 served as the basis for its creation. The work of designers was complicated by the need to "reinvent the wheel", since not all parts and assemblies were preserved after the Civil War. The tank was light, the armament consisted of one machine gun. Until the conflict on Lake Khasan, he remained in the service, and the main value of this machine is that it laid the foundation for the Soviet tank building school.

Wheeled-caterpillar concept

The middle of the 30s was marked by the flourishing of the wheel-tracked concept. Its essence was briefly reduced to the fact that in the upcoming offensive operations, speed would be a priority success factor, and cars moving along European highways like cars would be able to achieve it. But good roads still need to be reached, having overcome the chronic Russian impassability. Caterpillars could also be needed in order to cross fortified areas, trenches and ditches. The enemy should not be underestimated, he would certainly use all known methods of defense.

This is how the idea of ​​​​a hybrid undercarriage arose, providing for the possibility of carrying out the initial stage of the offensive on tracks, then dropping them, and then developing success using actually wheeled tanks. The USSR was preparing for an offensive fleeting war on foreign territory, accompanied by minor losses, with the support of the insurgent proletariat of the liberated countries.

T-29

The T-29 became the first personification of the wheel-tracked concept. Theoretically, he absorbed all the most advanced technical ideas of his time, even going beyond them. The caliber of the turret gun was unthinkable for the mid-30s, it was as much as 76 mm, had a slightly larger size than the previous T-28 model, and with 30 mm armor thickness it could move quite quickly, no worse than the light tanks of the USSR of that time . The machine was let down by the complexity of production and low reliability, it remained experimental, but its role should not be underestimated.

Grotte's Mysterious Machine

The uninitiated in the intricacies of the history of tanks may consider the name of this Soviet model foreign. In a sense, it is.

In parallel with the T-28 and T-29, work was underway in the USSR to implement another secret project. Having become a communist, the German designer Edvard Grotte created his car in our country, using unusual and even revolutionary approaches. Some of his achievements were later used by Soviet engineers (welded technologies, for example), while others of his ideas were not continued (spiral suspension rollers and multi-tiered placement of weapons). Alas, the tank of the German engineer Grotte suffered from excessive complexity, was expensive to manufacture and unreliable.

Multi-tower SMK

The first heavy tanks of the USSR were named after the murdered leader of the Leningrad Bolsheviks, Sergei Mironovich Kirov. On the basis of the already tested design of the T-35, a means of breaking through the layered fortifications of the enemy was created. The mass of the vehicle was 55 tons, it was armed with two guns (caliber 76 and 45 mm) placed in individual towers. The original scheme assumed five-tower equipment, but the weight went off scale, and it was simplified. SMK - the most unusual tanks of the USSR. Their photos give an idea that the maneuverability of these machines leaves much to be desired. Their silhouette is immortalized on the obverse of the medal "For Courage". In the Great Patriotic War, this caterpillar artillery battery practically did not have to fight, but the experience of the Finnish campaign revealed the general constructive conceptual depravity of the multi-tower scheme.

Fleet

All light tanks of the USSR of the Second World War are considered obsolete, even taking into account the fact that their age in 1941 was measured over a period of several years. Their armor was modest, their armament was insufficient, at least, post-war historians claimed so. The BT series turned out to be of little use for the defense of the country, this is true. However, this does not detract from their technical merits. The 45-mm gun was enough to destroy any German tank in the initial period of hostilities. The machines of this series showed themselves perfectly during offensive operations at Khalkhin Gol in very difficult conditions. It was on them that the main ideas were tested, according to which all subsequent tanks of the USSR were built, including the rear location of the transmission unit, inclined armor and an indispensable diesel engine. The speed of the machines justified the name of the series (BT-2 - BT-7), it reached 50 or more km / h (on tracks), and exceeded 70 km / h on wheels.

floating

When mastering vast territories, the armed forces of any country face the problem of forcing numerous water barriers. Usually it is solved by landing and holding a bridgehead by them for the time necessary to establish a pontoon crossing. The capture of bridges can be considered an ideal case, but the retreating enemy, which is quite logical, seeks to destroy them before leaving. Immediately before the war, our designers created amphibious tanks. The USSR of the Second World War, according to the official historical version, did not expect, but prepared the Red Army to overcome numerous rivers and other bodies of water. T-38 and T-37 were built in large series (by 1938 there were over a thousand of them), and in 1939 the T-40 was added to them. They were of little use for defense, the armament was rather weak (7.62 or 12.7 mm machine gun), so at the initial stage of the war, almost all vehicles were lost. By the way, the German Wehrmacht did not have amphibious tanks at all.

Main tank T-34

The most famous and mass-produced tanks of the USSR in 1941-1945 are the “thirty-fours”. The designers of the warring countries failed to create the best car anyway. And it's not about the extra-thick protection or the unique caliber of the gun. The main advantage of this tank was its amazing survivability, mobility, the ability to repel projectiles, and manufacturability. All this was achieved thanks to the correct layout of the nodes. The designers lowered the silhouette by placing the drive rollers at the rear and removing the cardan shaft. The mass of armor has decreased, driving performance has improved. Modification of 1944 received a cast hexagonal turret and a gun with a caliber increased to 85 mm. A lot has been said and written about this tank, it deserves it, even despite the shortcomings, without which, however, not a single piece of equipment can do.

T-44

The T-44 became a further development of the T-34 concept. This machine was distinguished by an even more perfect layout, in particular, the diesel engine was placed in it coaxially with the drive rollers, perpendicular to the longitudinal line of the armored hull. This solution made it possible to reduce the length (as well as the mass), improve habitability, move the driver's hatch to a horizontal plane in front of the turret, and solve a number of other design problems. KhTZ produced 190 copies of the T-44 until May 1945. After the advent of modern T-54 tanks, the chassis of the "forty-fours" managed to serve as tractors, various auxiliary equipment was mounted on them. The film career of the T-44 is also noteworthy: for the filming of feature films, they were often "made up" under the German "Panthers".

"Klims" - the heaviest tanks - 1941

The USSR was preparing to crush the enemy's fortifications on foreign territory. By the end of 1938, in parallel with the aforementioned QMS, the Kirov Plant began to design a unique single-turret KV machine. A year later, the first copies were tested in quite combat conditions in Karelia. According to the established plan, in 1940 more than two hundred copies rolled off the assembly line, and in 1941 they were supposed to produce 1200 pieces. Weight - 47.5 tons, speed - 34 km / h, turret gun caliber - 76 mm. Not a single army in the world had such a machine. Its main purpose is to break into a layered defense equipped with powerful anti-tank weapons. Other WWII tanks also appeared at its base. By the beginning of hostilities, the USSR already had a well-thought-out and perfect technological chain that made it possible to use the successful KV undercarriage in combination with various types of towers and various artillery weapons (KV-1 KV-2, KV-3, etc.). Such a maneuverable heavy tank was not able to create the industry of Nazi Germany. However, the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition did not succeed either.

IS - Stalin in metal

In order to name a tank after the leader, one had to have courage, but even with it, caution was not superfluous. However, at the Kirov Plant there were owners of both advantages. Without a doubt, these were the most powerful and invulnerable tanks of the USSR. The Second World War had already swung its monstrous pendulum to the West, the Soviet Army went on the offensive, but the enemy was still strong and tried to turn the tide of hostilities in his favor, releasing more and more new monsters with extended trunks of long-range guns onto the battlefields. In 1943, tests of the IS-1 were completed, which were a deeply modernized version of the KV. This machine had a relatively small caliber, like the latest T-34 model (85 mm). The IS-2 was a further development of this series (caliber 122 mm), and for the IS-3 they came up with a new form of the reflective surface of the frontal armor, nicknamed the "pike nose".

After the war, many outstanding tanks were created, which are still considered the best in the world. The basis of science and practice in the production of armored vehicles was laid by WWII tanks. The USSR became the leading tank building power. This tradition continues in the new Russia.