Weapon of Victory: Katyusha multiple launch rocket system (3 photos). Katyusha - weapon of victory
Katyusha (BM-13): Our weapon of retaliation
Initially barrelless reactive artillery systems in the Red Army were not intended for ground battles. They literally descended from heaven to earth.
The 82 mm caliber rocket was adopted by the Red Army Air Force back in 1933. They were installed on fighters designed by Polikarpov I-15, I-16 and I-153. In 1939, they underwent a baptism of fire during the fighting at Khalkhin Gol, where they showed themselves well when firing at groups of enemy aircraft.
In the same year, employees of the Rocket Research Institute began work on a mobile ground launcher that could fire rockets at ground targets. At the same time, the caliber of rockets was increased to 132 mm.
In March 1941, they successfully conducted field tests of a new weapon system, and the decision to mass-produce combat vehicles with RS-132 rockets, called BM-13, was made the day before the start of the war - June 21, 1941.
How was it organized?
The BM-13 combat vehicle was a chassis of a three-axle ZIS-6 vehicle, on which a rotary truss was installed with a package of guides and a guidance mechanism. For aiming, a swivel and lifting mechanism and an artillery sight were provided. At the rear of the combat vehicle were two jacks, which ensured its greater stability when firing.
The launch of rocket projectiles was carried out by a handle electric coil connected to battery and contacts on the guides. When the handle was turned, the contacts closed in turn, and in the next of the shells the starting squib was fired.
Undermining the explosive of the warhead of the projectile was carried out from two sides (the length of the detonator was only slightly less than the length of the cavity for explosives). And when two waves of detonation met, the gas pressure of the explosion at the meeting point increased sharply. As a result, the fragments of the body had a much greater acceleration, heated up to 600-800 ° C and had a good igniting effect. In addition to the hull, a part of the rocket chamber was also torn, heated from the gunpowder burning inside, this increased shrapnel action 1.5-2 times compared to artillery shells similar caliber. That is why the legend arose that Katyusha rockets were equipped with a “thermite charge”. The "termite" charge, indeed, was tested in the weighty 1942 of the year in the besieged Leningrad, but it turned out to be redundant - after the volley of "Katyushas" and so everything was burning around. And the joint use of dozens of missiles at the same time also created the interference of explosive waves, which further enhanced the damaging effect.
Baptism of fire near Orsha
The first volley was fired by a battery of Soviet rocket launchers (as they began to call a new type of military equipment for greater secrecy) consisting of seven BM-13 combat installations in mid-July 1941. It happened near Orsha. An experienced battery under the command of Captain Flerov launched a fire attack on the Orsha railway station, where an accumulation of enemy military equipment and manpower was noticed.
At 15:15 on July 14, 1941, heavy fire was opened on enemy echelons. The entire station turned into a huge fiery cloud in the blink of an eye. On the same day, in his diary, the head of the German General Staff General Halder wrote: “On July 14 near Orsha, the Russians used a hitherto unknown weapon. A fiery flurry of shells burned down the Orsha railway station, all trains with personnel and military equipment of the arrived military units. The metal melted, the earth burned.
The morale effect of the use of rocket-propelled mortars was overwhelming. The enemy lost more than an infantry battalion and a huge amount of military equipment and weapons at the Orsha station. And the battery of Captain Flerov dealt another blow on the same day - this time at the enemy crossing across the Orshitsa River.
The Wehrmacht command, having studied the information received from eyewitnesses to the use of new Russian weapons, was forced to issue a special instruction to its troops, which stated: “There are reports from the front about the use by the Russians of a new type of weapon that fires rockets. A large number of shots can be fired from one installation within 3-5 seconds. Every appearance of these guns must be reported on the same day to the general, commander of the chemical troops, at the high command.. A real hunt began for Captain Flerov's battery. In October 1941, she ended up in the Spas-Demensky "cauldron" and was ambushed. Out of 160 people, only 46 managed to get out. The battery commander himself died, having previously made sure that all the combat vehicles were blown up and would not fall into the hands of the enemy intact.
On land and sea...
In addition to the BM-13, in the Special Design Bureau of the Voronezh Plant named after. Comintern, which produced these combat installations, new options for placing rockets were developed. For example, given the extremely low cross-country ability of the ZIS-6 vehicle, a variant was developed for installing rocket guides on the chassis of the STZ-5 NATI caterpillar tractor. In addition, an 82 mm caliber rocket was also used. For him, guides were developed and manufactured, which were later installed on the chassis of a ZIS-6 car (36 guides) and on the chassis of light tanks T-40 and T-60 (24 guides).
A 16-round mount for RS-132 shells and a 48-round mount for RS-82 shells for armored trains were developed. In the autumn of 1942, during the hostilities in the Caucasus, 8-round mountain pack launchers of RS-82 shells were manufactured for use in mountainous conditions. Later, they were installed on the American Willis all-terrain vehicles, which arrived in the USSR under Lend-Lease.
Special launchers for 82 mm and 132 mm caliber rockets were made for their subsequent installation on warships - torpedo boats and armored boats.
The launchers themselves received the popular nickname "Katyusha", under which they entered the history of the Great Patriotic War. Why "Katyusha"? There are many versions of this. The most reliable - due to the fact that the first BM-13 had the letter "K" - as information that the product was produced at the plant. Comintern in Voronezh. By the way, the cruising boats of the Soviet Navy, which had the letter index "K", received the same nickname. In total, during the war, 36 launcher designs were developed and produced.
And the Wehrmacht soldiers nicknamed the BM-13 "Stalin's organs." Apparently, the roar of rockets reminded the Germans of the sounds of a church organ. From this "music" they were clearly uncomfortable.
And since the spring of 1942, guides with rockets began to be installed on British and American all-wheel drive chassis imported into the USSR under Lend-Lease. Nevertheless, the ZIS-6 turned out to be a vehicle with low cross-country ability and carrying capacity. The three-axle all-wheel drive American truck Studebakker US6 turned out to be the most suitable for installing rocket launchers. Combat vehicles began to be produced on its chassis. At the same time, they received the name BM-13N (“normalized”).
During the entire period of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet industry produced more than ten thousand rocket artillery combat vehicles.
Relatives of "Katyusha"
For all their merits, the high-explosive fragmentation rockets RS-82 and RS-132 had one drawback - large dispersion and low efficiency when exposed to enemy manpower located in field shelters and trenches. To correct this shortcoming, special 300 mm caliber rockets were made.
Among the people they received the nickname "Andryusha". They were launched from a launching machine (“frame”) made of wood. The launch was carried out using a sapper blasting machine.
For the first time, "andryushas" were used in Stalingrad. The new weapons were easy to make, but they took a long time to set up and aim at. In addition, the short range of M-30 rockets made them dangerous for their own calculations.
Therefore, in 1943, an improved rocket projectile began to enter the troops, which, with the same power, had a greater firing range. The M-31 projectile could hit manpower on an area of 2,000 square meters or form a funnel 2-2.5 m deep and 7-8 m in diameter. But the time to prepare a salvo with new projectiles was significant - one and a half to two hours.
Such shells were used in 1944-1945 during the assault on enemy fortifications and during street battles. One hit of an M-31 rocket projectile was enough to destroy an enemy bunker or firing point equipped in a residential building.
Fiery sword "god of war"
By May 1945, the rocket artillery units had about three thousand combat vehicles of the most different types and many "frames" with M-31 shells. Not a single Soviet offensive since Battle of Stalingrad, did not start without artillery preparation using Katyushas. Volleys of combat installations became the very “fiery sword” with which our infantry and tanks made their way through enemy fortified positions.
During the war, BM-13 installations were sometimes used for direct fire at enemy tanks and firing points. To do this, the rear wheels of the combat vehicle drove onto some kind of elevation so that its guides would take a horizontal position. Of course, the accuracy of such firing was rather low, but a direct hit by a 132-mm rocket projectile blew any enemy tank to pieces, a close explosion knocked over the enemy’s military equipment, and heavy hot fragments reliably disabled it.
After the war Soviet designers military vehicles continued to work on the "Katyusha" and "Andryusha". Only now they began to be called not guards mortars, but systems salvo fire. In the USSR, such powerful SZOs as Grad, Uragan and Smerch were designed and built. At the same time, the losses of the enemy, who fell under the volley of the Hurricanes or Tornadoes battery, are comparable to the losses from the use of tactical nuclear weapons with a capacity of up to 20 kilotons, that is, with an explosion atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Fighting vehicle BM-13 on the chassis of a three-axle vehicle
Projectile caliber - 132 mm.
Projectile weight - 42.5 kg.
The mass of the warhead is 21.3 kg.
The maximum projectile flight speed is 355 m / s.
Number of guides - 16.
The maximum firing range is 8470 m.
The loading time of the installation is 3-5 minutes.
The duration of a full salvo is 7-10 seconds.
Guards mortar BM-13 Katyusha on the Studebaker chassis
1. Launcher
2. Rockets
3. Car on which the unit was mounted
Guide package
Armored shields of the cabin
marching support
lifting frame
Launcher Battery
scope bracket
swing frame
Lifting handle
The launchers were mounted on the chassis of the ZIS-6, Ford-Marmont, Jimmy International, Austin vehicles and on the STZ-5 tracked tractors Largest number"Katyusha" was mounted on all-wheel drive three-axle Studebaker vehicles.
Projectile M-13
01. Fuse retaining ring
02. Fuse GVMZ
03. Checker detonator
04. Bursting charge
05. Head part
06. Igniter
07. Chamber bottom
08. Guide pin
09. Powder rocket charge
10. Missile part
11. Grate
12. Critical section of the nozzle
13. Nozzle
14. Stabilizer
Few survived
About efficiency combat use"Katyushas" during the attack on the enemy's fortified center can serve as an example of the defeat of the Tolkachev defensive center during our counteroffensive near Kursk in July 1943.
The village of Tolkachevo was turned by the Germans into a heavily fortified center of resistance with a large number of dugouts and bunkers in 5-12 runs, with a developed network of trenches and communications. The approaches to the village were heavily mined and covered with barbed wire.
A significant part of the bunkers was destroyed by volleys of rocket artillery, the trenches, together with the enemy infantry in them, were filled up, the fire system was completely suppressed. Of the entire garrison of the knot, which numbered 450-500 people, only 28 survived. The Tolkachev knot was taken by our units without any resistance.
Supreme Command Reserve
By decision of the Headquarters, in January 1945, the formation of twenty guards mortar regiments was begun - this is how the units that were armed with the BM-13 began to be called.
The Guards Mortar Regiment (Gv.MP) of the Artillery Reserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK) in the state consisted of a command and three divisions of a three-battery composition. Each battery had four combat vehicles. So the salvo is only one division of 12 BM-13-16 PIP vehicles (Stavka directive No. 002490 forbade the use of rocket artillery in an amount less than a division) could be compared in strength with a volley of 12 heavy howitzer regiments of the RVGK (48 howitzers of 152 mm caliber per regiment) or 18 heavy howitzer brigades of the RVGK (32 152 mm howitzers per brigade).
the art of making weapons
From: ,
... Among the age-old trees and high banks, it carries its own through the Smolensk region clear waters river Ugra. Quiet rustle of grass, unique aroma blooming garden, a girl looking into the distance from a steep bank with hope and longing - perhaps just such a picture once appeared to the eyes of the young poet Mikhail Isakovsky, and the lines immediately came to mind:
“... Apple and pear trees blossomed,
Mists floated over the river.
Katyusha went ashore,
On the high bank, on the steep ... "
The written quatrain almost suffered the fate of the "long box". And do not introduce journalist Vasily Reginin to the editorial office of the Pravda newspaper on a spring day Mikhail Vasilyevich Isakovsky with the composer Matvey Isaakovich Blanter, we probably would not have become the owners of a world-famous masterpiece. Remembering the started "Katyusha" and giving the written lines, Mikhail Vasilyevich doubted that something good could come of it. Blanter treated them differently. 2 years before that, in 1936, Matvey Isaakovich became the head of the State Jazz Orchestra of the USSR, where the then unknown jazzman was appointed musical director Viktor Nikolaevich Knushevitsky. And Blanter wanted the song "Katyusha" to be performed at the first concert of this musical group. Having left for Yalta, where Isakovsky was resting, Blanter insisted on writing a continuation of the poem as soon as possible. Since premonitions of an imminent war were anxiously in the air, and the Red Army was already at war in Spain and near Lake Khasan, the turbulent border situation could not be ignored even in a deeply lyrical song.
“... Oh you, a song, a girl’s song,
You fly after the clear sun
And a fighter on the far frontier
Say hello from Katyusha ... "
Here the phrase "on the far frontier" is interpreted by researchers in different ways. It was assumed that the song refers to the western border of our country, namely with Poland. After all, the girl’s song flies “following the clear sun” - that is, from the East to the West, since it was from that side that a big war was expected. However, opponents of this theory, based on the line “I went out, started a song about the steppe gray eagle”, believe that the mentioned steppe eagle is predatory bird, the nesting area of \u200b\u200bwhich covers South-Eastern and South-Western Siberia, Front, Middle and Central Asia to the western parts of China, northwestern, central and southern parts of Africa and India. And, given the turbulent days on the border near Lake Khasan, there is a correlation just with our Far Eastern borders.
It is difficult to say what kind of borderland Mikhail Isakovsky meant, but the song was completed in just a few days. For the first time "Katyusha" sounded on November 27, 1938 in the Hall of Columns in Moscow. Together with the orchestra conducted by Viktor Knushevitsky, it was performed by Valentina Alekseevna Batishcheva, a jazz singer who performed with jazz orchestras in the foyer of cinemas and on the stage of the Moscow restaurant, then the largest in the capital. The officer corps, which filled the hall, called the song for an encore three times. But there is also an opinion that the first performance happened a little earlier, and even then, by accident: at the last rehearsal of the new State Jazz orchestra, there was Lidia Ruslanova. And she could not resist, performing the song a few hours later from memory at a concert in the same Hall of Columns.
Meanwhile, the song faster than the wind spread throughout the country: it was picked up by Lidia Ruslanova, Georgy Vinogradov, Vera Krasovitskaya, and after them professional and amateur groups; it was sung in cities and villages, at demonstrations and in the home circle.
And then came the War. And sounded "Katyusha" already with different intonations and in a different context. Katyusha became both a nurse, a fighter, and a soldier waiting with victory, and a partisan.
Strong impression "Katyusha" produced not only for our fighters, but also for the Nazis. Especially in the performance of the most formidable artillery weapons Red Army - mobile rocket launchers BM-8 and BM-13. The first volley from it on July 14, 1941 was fired by the battery of Captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov, who posthumously received the Star of the Hero for those battles only in 1995. This happened near the Belarusian city of Orsha, very close to the Smolensk homeland of the song. “Greetings from Katyusha,” the soldiers said. And the greeting was so hot, and the song image was so bright that the girl's name instantly replaced the official abbreviation. And here is an excerpt from the memoirs of a soldier who fought near Leningrad, when the enemy was only 700-800 meters away: “In clear weather, the sounds of harmonicas were heard from there, on which the Germans loved to play, the song“ Mine Gretchen ”was heard. And once, at a late hour, a voice was heard, amplified by a megaphone: “Rus Ivan, sing Katyusha!”. The Germans seem to remember this song well, because we often sang it.
There is one more important fact, which also apparently influenced the appearance of the "name" of these mortars. The used rockets with incendiary filling were marked "CAT" - "Kostikova automatic thermite". It is noteworthy that in July 1941, when the Katyusha was first used by Flerov’s battery, rocket mortars did not yet bear the nickname Katyusha. But already in September 1941, when the 8th separate guards rocket mortar division was sent to Odessa, the rocket mortars already had the nickname "Katyusha". It was not difficult for the new name to take root, since the appearance of weapons in combat units coincided with the growing popularity of the song "Katyusha ".
And here interesting story that happened with this version of the song on the motive "Katyusha":
Our The Cherry Orchard in bloom again
And the fog floats over the river.
Katya Ivanova came out
On a high bank, on a steep one.
Came out - firmly decided
Take revenge on the enemy for your homeland,
How much will, how much strength is enough,
Not sparing youth in battle.
Military pilot and local historian Nikolai Semenovich Sakhno from Krasnodar Territory discovered that Katya Ivanova had quite real prototype- a brave, proud girl from the village of Medvedovskaya, in the Kuban. Having volunteered for the front, Katya immediately ended up near Stalingrad, where she was both a nurse and a machine gunner. And as part of the communication company of the aviation regiment, she passed her heroic battle path from the Volga banks to the Balkans. She was awarded military awards and was awarded with thanks from the command.
Once a local history teacher visited the Eremenko couple. Remembering for a warm friendly conversation fiery years, it suddenly turned out that Ekaterina Andreevna had carefully kept the handwritten text of the song about Katya Ivanova from the war, and on the yellowed sheet there was a postscript of their author, a tank officer, that these poems were just about her!
And the song itself during the war and after it became performed and loved also abroad. For example, in Italy it is known in two versions: "Katarina", as well as "Fischia il vento"("The wind is blowing"), which became the anthem of the fighters of the Resistance movement in Italy and France.
"Katyusha" sounded even in the Vatican, where, after the liberation of Rome, partisans came to meet with the Pope. Katyusha is also well known in other countries: in the post-war years it was popular in Japan, in Tokyo even one cafe is named after Katyusha. The song reached Japan, Korea, China and the USA. This is probably the most famous Russian Song in the whole world.
On May 9, 1949, in the Smolensk village of Vskhody, a new club was opened, where Katyusha was the birthday girl at the celebration, and a memorial stone was installed on the bank of the Ugra just on the steep bank. In 1985, the Katyusha Song Museum was opened.
Under the command of Captain I. A. Flerov, the station in the city of Orsha was literally wiped off the face of the earth along with the German echelons with troops and equipment on it. The first samples of rockets launched from a mobile carrier (vehicles based on the ZIS-5 truck) were tested at Soviet training grounds from the end of 1938. On June 21, 1941, they were demonstrated to leaders Soviet government, and just a few hours before the start of the Great Patriotic War, it was decided to urgently deploy the mass production of rockets and a launcher, which received the official name "BM-13".
It was truly a weapon of unprecedented power - the range of the projectile reached eight and a half kilometers, and the temperature at the epicenter of the explosion was one and a half thousand degrees. The Germans repeatedly tried to capture a sample of Russian miracle technology, but the Katyusha crews strictly observed the rule - they could not fall into the hands of the enemy. In a critical case, the machines were equipped with a self-destruct mechanism. From those legendary installations comes, in fact, the entire history of Russian rocket technology. And rockets for "Katyushas" were developed by Vladimir Andreevich Artemyev.
He was born in 1885 in St. Petersburg in the family of a military man, graduated from a St. Petersburg gymnasium and volunteered for the Russo-Japanese War. For courage and courage, he was promoted to junior non-commissioned officer and awarded the St. George Cross, then he graduated from the Alekseevsky cadet school. At the beginning of 1920, Artemiev met N.I. Tikhomirov and became his closest assistant, but in 1922, in the wake of general suspicion of the former officers of the tsarist army, he was imprisoned in a concentration camp. Returning from Solovki, he continued to improve rockets, work on which he began back in the twenties and interrupted due to his arrest. During the Great Patriotic War, he made many valuable inventions in the field of military equipment.
After the war, V. A. Artemiev, being the chief designer of a number of research and design institutes, created new models of rocket shells, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and the Red Star, and was a laureate of the Stalin Prizes. Died September 11, 1962 in Moscow. His name is on the map of the Moon: one of the craters on its surface is named in memory of the creator of the Katyusha.
"Katyusha" is the unofficial collective name for the BM-8 (82 mm), BM-13 (132 mm) and BM-31 (310 mm) rocket artillery combat vehicles. Such installations were actively used by the USSR during World War II.
After the 82-mm air-to-air missiles RS-82 (1937) and the 132-mm air-to-ground missiles RS-132 (1938) were adopted by aviation, the Main Artillery Directorate set before the projectile developer - Reactive Research Institute - the task of creating a reactive field multiple launch rocket system based on RS-132 shells. An updated tactical and technical assignment was issued to the institute in June 1938.
In accordance with this task, by the summer of 1939, the institute developed a new 132-mm high-explosive projectile, which later received the official name M-13. Compared to the aviation RS-132, this projectile had a longer flight range and a much more powerful warhead. The increase in flight range was achieved by increasing the amount of propellant, for this it was necessary to lengthen the rocket and head parts of the rocket projectile by 48 cm. The M-13 projectile had slightly better aerodynamic characteristics than the RS-132, which made it possible to obtain higher accuracy.
A self-propelled multiply charged launcher was also developed for the projectile. Its first version was created on the basis of the ZIS-5 truck and was designated MU-1 (mechanized installation, first sample). Conducted in the period from December 1938 to February 1939, field tests of the installation showed that it did not fully meet the requirements. Taking into account the test results, the Reactive Research Institute developed a new launcher MU-2, which in September 1939 was accepted by the Main Artillery Directorate for field tests. Based on the results of field tests that ended in November 1939, the Institute was ordered five launchers for military testing. Another installation was ordered by the Artillery Directorate Navy for use in the coastal defense system.
On June 21, 1941, the installation was demonstrated to the leaders of the CPSU (6) and the Soviet government, and on the same day, just a few hours before the start of World War II, it was decided to urgently deploy the mass production of M-13 rockets and the launcher, which received the official name is BM-13 (combat vehicle 13).
The production of BM-13 installations was organized at the Voronezh plant. Comintern and at the Moscow plant "Compressor". One of the main enterprises for the production of rockets was the Moscow plant. Vladimir Ilyich.
During the war, the production of launchers was urgently deployed at several enterprises with different production capabilities, in connection with this, more or less significant changes were made to the design of the installation. Thus, up to ten varieties of the BM-13 launcher were used in the troops, which made it difficult to train personnel and adversely affected the operation of military equipment. For these reasons, a unified (normalized) BM-13N launcher was developed and put into service in April 1943, during the creation of which the designers critically analyzed all the parts and assemblies in order to increase the manufacturability of their production and reduce the cost, as a result of which all the nodes received independent indexes and became universal.
The composition of the BM-13 "Katyusha" includes the following weapons:
Combat vehicle (BM) MU-2 (MU-1);
Rockets.
Rocket M-13:
The M-13 projectile (see diagram) consists of a warhead and a powder jet engine. The head part in its design resembles an artillery high-explosive fragmentation projectile and is equipped with an explosive charge, which is detonated using a contact fuse and an additional detonator. The jet engine has a combustion chamber in which a propellant charge is placed in the form of cylindrical pieces with an axial channel. Pirozapals are used to ignite the powder charge. The gases formed during the combustion of powder pellets flow through the nozzle, in front of which there is a diaphragm that prevents the pellets from being ejected through the nozzle. Stabilization of the projectile in flight is provided by a tail stabilizer with four feathers welded from stamped steel halves. (This method of stabilization provides lower accuracy compared to stabilization of rotation around the longitudinal axis, however, it allows you to get a longer range of the projectile. In addition, the use of a feathered stabilizer greatly simplifies the technology for the production of rockets).
The flight range of the M-13 projectile reached 8470 m, but at the same time there was a very significant dispersion. According to the firing tables of 1942, with a firing range of 3000 m, the lateral deviation was 51 m, and in range - 257 m.
In 1943, a modernized version of the rocket was developed, which received the designation M-13-UK (improved accuracy). To increase the accuracy of fire of the M-13-UK projectile, 12 tangentially located holes are made in the front centering thickening of the rocket part, through which, during the operation of the rocket engine, a part of the powder gases comes out, causing the projectile to rotate. Although the range of the projectile was somewhat reduced (up to 7.9 km), the improvement in accuracy led to a decrease in the dispersion area and to an increase in the density of fire by 3 times compared to the M-13 projectiles. The adoption of the M-13-UK projectile into service in April 1944 contributed to a sharp increase in the firing capabilities of rocket artillery.
Launcher MLRS "Katyusha":
A self-propelled multiply charged launcher was developed for the projectile. Its first version - MU-1 based on the ZIS-5 truck - had 24 guides mounted on a special frame in a transverse position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Its design made it possible to launch rockets only perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and jets of hot gases damaged the elements of the installation and the body of the ZIS-5. Security was also not ensured when controlling fire from the driver's cab. The launcher swayed strongly, which worsened the accuracy of firing rockets. Loading the launcher from the front of the rails was inconvenient and time consuming. The ZIS-5 car had limited cross-country ability.
A more advanced MU-2 launcher (see diagram) based on a ZIS-6 off-road truck had 16 guides located along the axis of the vehicle. Each two guides were connected, forming a single structure, called "spark". A new unit was introduced into the design of the installation - a subframe. The subframe made it possible to assemble the entire artillery part of the launcher (as a single unit) on it, and not on the chassis, as it was before. Once assembled, the artillery unit was relatively easy to mount on the chassis of any brand of car with minimal modification of the latter. The created design made it possible to reduce the complexity, manufacturing time and cost of launchers. The weight of the artillery unit was reduced by 250 kg, the cost - by more than 20 percent. Both the combat and operational qualities of the installation were significantly increased. Due to the introduction of reservations for the gas tank, gas pipeline, side and rear walls of the driver's cab, the survivability of launchers in battle was increased. The firing sector was increased, the stability of the launcher in stowed position, improved lifting and swivel mechanisms made it possible to increase the speed of targeting the installation. Before launch, the MU-2 combat vehicle was jacked up similarly to the MU-1. The forces swinging the launcher, due to the location of the guides along the chassis of the car, were applied along its axis to two jacks located near the center of gravity, so the rocking became minimal. Loading in the installation was carried out from the breech, that is, from the rear end of the guides. It was more convenient and allowed to significantly speed up the operation. The MU-2 installation had swivel and lifting mechanisms of the simplest design, a bracket for mounting a sight with a conventional artillery panorama and a large metal fuel tank mounted at the rear of the cab. The cockpit windows were covered with armored folding shields. Opposite the seat of the commander of the combat vehicle on the front panel was mounted a small rectangular box with a turntable, reminiscent of a telephone dial, and a handle for turning the dial. This device was called the "fire control panel" (PUO). From it came a harness to a special battery and to each guide.
Launcher BM-13 "Katyusha" on the chassis Studebaker (6x4)
With one turn of the PUO handle, the electrical circuit was closed, the squib placed in front of the rocket chamber of the projectile was fired, the reactive charge was ignited and a shot was fired. The rate of fire was determined by the rate of rotation of the PUO handle. All 16 shells could be fired in 7-10 seconds. The time for transferring the MU-2 launcher from traveling to combat position was 2-3 minutes, the angle of vertical fire was in the range from 4 ° to 45 °, the angle of horizontal fire was 20 °.
The design of the launcher allowed it to move in a charged state at a fairly high speed (up to 40 km / h) and quickly deploy to a firing position, which contributed to sudden strikes against the enemy.
A significant factor that increased the tactical mobility of rocket artillery units armed with BM-13N launchers was the fact that a powerful American Studebaker US 6x6 truck, which was supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease, was used as a base for the launcher. This car had an increased cross-country ability, provided by a powerful engine, three driven axles (6x6 wheel formula), a demultiplier, a winch for self-pulling, a high location of all parts and mechanisms that are sensitive to water. With the creation of this launcher, the development of the BM-13 serial combat vehicle was finally completed. In this form, she fought until the end of the war.
Testing and operation
The first battery of field rocket artillery, sent to the front on the night of July 1-2, 1941, under the command of Captain I.A. Flerov, was armed with seven installations manufactured by the Reactive Research Institute. With its first salvo at 15:15 on July 14, 1941, the battery wiped out the Orsha railway junction, along with the German trains with troops and military equipment on it.
The exceptional effectiveness of the actions of the battery of Captain I. A. Flerov and the seven more such batteries formed after it contributed to the rapid increase in the pace of production of jet weapons. Already in the autumn of 1941, 45 divisions of three-battery composition with four launchers in the battery operated on the fronts. For their armament in 1941, 593 BM-13 installations were manufactured. As military equipment arrived from industry, the formation of rocket artillery regiments began, consisting of three divisions armed with BM-13 launchers and an anti-aircraft division. The regiment had 1414 personnel, 36 BM-13 launchers and 12 anti-aircraft 37-mm guns. The volley of the regiment was 576 shells of 132mm caliber. At the same time, the living force Combat vehicles the enemy was destroyed on an area of over 100 hectares. Officially, the regiments were called Guards Mortar Artillery Regiments of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command.
Municipal educational institution
"Average comprehensive school" with. Podielsk
"Katyusha" - the weapon of Victory
Artist: Adrian Korolev
5th grade student
Head: history teacher
Padalko Valentina Alexandrovna
Podielsk
2013
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...3
1. The first battle of “Katyusha”…………………………………………………………..4
2. Creation of "Katyusha"…………………….………...…………………………4-5
3. Why is it called “Katyusha”…………………………………………………..5
4. “Katyushas” at the front …….…………………………………………………….5-6
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….......7
Sources…………………………..…………………………………………….....7
Applications……………………………………………………………………..8-9
Introduction
Relevance of the topic:
The best German gunsmiths were thrown to unravel the mystery of the Katyusha. The German scientists working on the captured Russian rockets could not understand the principle of the terrible fire effect. They never managed to solve the "mystery of the Katyusha" until the very end of the war.Rocket launcher "Katyusha" is bright symbol Victory.
Object of study: the history of the jet mortar - "Katyusha"
Subject of study: the creation and participation in the Great Patriotic War of rocket launchers "Katyusha".
Purpose of the study: learn about rocket launchers"Katyusha"
Research objectives:
1. Study and analyze information on the research topic.
2. To issue the results of the study in the form of a presentation and research work.
To solve these problems, the followingresearch methods:
Analysis, generalization;
1. The first battle of "Katyusha"
For the first time during the war, Katyushas entered the battle on July 14, 1941. The battery of Captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov destroyed several echelons with fuel, ammunition and armored vehicles at the Orsha station with one salvo. The station literally ceased to exist. Later, Captain Flerov died after his unit was surrounded. The fighters of the jet battery blew up the cars and began to break out of the "cauldron". The captain was seriously injured and died. However, then in 1941 he wrote in a report: "A continuous sea of \u200b\u200bfire."This first fight showed high efficiency new weapons. "Katyusha" for all subsequent years of the war became a thunderstorm for the enemy.
The effect for the German troops stationed there, who had just captured the Orsha station, turned out to be simply stunning - it seemed to them that a monstrous tornado had covered it, leaving death and fire in its wake. The vaunted Nazi warriors, marching victoriously inland Soviet territory, tore off their insignia, threw down their weapons and fled to the rear - away from the terrible Russian miracle weapon. That morning, near Orsha, the Germans lost up to an infantry battalion.
Almost immediately, the fascist leadership began the hunt for the Russian miracle weapon. Hitler demanded that his army be equipped with such "automatic multi-barreled flamethrower guns" as soon as possible.
Which latest weapons terrified the enemy?
2. Creation of Katyusha
Rockets for "Katyusha" were developed by Vladimir Andreevich Artemyev. In 1938-1941, A. S. Popov and others created a multiply charged launcher mounted on a truck.On December 25, 1939, the M-13 rocket projectile and launcher, later called the Combat Vehicle 13 (BM-13), were approved by the Red Army Artillery Directorate.BM-13 was put into service on June 21, 1941; it was this type of combat vehicles that first received the nickname "Katyusha".BM-13 was loaded with 16 rockets of 132 mm caliber. The volley was carried out within 15-20 seconds. Firing range - 8-8.5 km. The speed of the BM-13 on a good road reached 50-60 km / h. In an hour, one combat vehicle could make 10 volleys and fire 160 shells.The crew consisted of 5 - 7 people: gun commander - 1; gunner - 1; driver - 1; loader - 2-4.
After examining the samples missile weapons The Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin decided to launch mass production of M-13 rockets and the BM-13 launcher and to begin the formation of missile military units.For three s an extra year produced almost 30 thousand Katyushas and 12 million rockets
3. Why is it called "Katyusha"
There is no single version of why BM-13s became known as Katyushas. There are several assumptions. Here is one of them - by the name of Blanter's song, which became popular before the war, to the words of Isakovsky "Katyusha". Reporting to the headquarters on the fulfillment of Flerov's combat mission, the signalman Sapronov said: "Katyusha sang perfectly." The meaning of the newly invented code word was understood at the battalion headquarters, and this word went first to the division headquarters, and then to the army headquarters. So after the first combat use, the name "Katyusha" was assigned to the BM-13-16 installation.
H The most probable of them is associated with the factory mark "K" of the manufacturer of the first combat vehicles BM-13 (Voronezh plant named after the Comintern).
4.Katyusha at the front
The legendary Katyushas took part in all major operations during the Great Patriotic War.
Rocket artillery was used to reinforce rifle divisions, which significantly increased their firepower and increased stability in combat.
In September 1943, 6,000 rockets were used up in a strip of a whole front - 250 kilometers during artillery preparation.
At the end of July, near the village of Mechetinskaya, combat vehicles collided with the main forces of the 1st German tank army Colonel General Ewald Kleist. Intelligence reported that a column of tanks and motorized infantry was moving. When motorcyclists appeared, cars and tanks followed them, the column was covered with battery volleys to the full depth, the wrecked and smoking cars stopped, tanks flew at them like blind men and caught fire themselves. The advance of the enemy along this road was suspended. Captain Puzik's group destroyed 15 enemy tanks and 35 vehicles in two days of fighting.
Volleys "Katyusha" heralded the start of the counteroffensive Soviet troops near Stalingrad.
In 1945, during the offensive, the Soviet command pulled together an average of 15-20 rocket artillery combat vehicles per kilometer of the front. Traditionally, Katyushas completed the artillery attack: rocket launchers fired a volley when the infantry was already on the attack. Often, after several volleys of Katyushas, the infantrymen entered the deserted locality or into enemy positions without encountering any resistance.
Katyushas were successfully used until the very end of World War II, earning love and respect Soviet soldiers and officers and the hatred of the Nazis.She became one of the symbols of victory.
Conclusion.
Findings.
Thus, doing research work on this topic, we learned that during the Great Patriotic War the most advanced weapons were used - rocket launchers - "Katyusha";
It was this type of combat vehicles that first received the nickname "Katyusha";
They became for the entire time of the war a formidable weapon for the enemy.
Research results.
The collected material can be used in history lessons and extracurricular activities.
Sources.
1.Katyusha (weapon) -http://ru.wikipedia.org/
2. Combat rocket launchers "Katyusha" -http://ria.ru/
3. Katyusha - http://opoccuu.com/avto-katusha.htm
Appendix
Vladimir Andreevich Artemiev - designer of the BM-13 (combat vehicle 13)
One of the first installations of "Katyusha"
Fighting vehicle rocket artillery BM-8
Rockets BM-8
The commander of the battery "Katyusha" captain I.A. Flerov.
The forerunners of modern rocket launchers can be considered guns from China. The shells could cover a distance of 1.6 km, releasing a huge number of arrows at the target. In the West, such devices appeared only after 400 years.
The history of the creation of rocket weapons
The first rockets appeared solely due to the advent of gunpowder, which was invented in China. Alchemists discovered this element by accident when they were making an elixir for eternal life. In the 11th century, powder bombs were first used, which were directed to the target from catapults. It was the first weapon whose mechanism resembles rocket launchers.
The rockets, created in China in 1400, were as similar as possible to modern guns. The range of their flight was more than 1.5 km. They were two rockets equipped with engines. Before falling, a huge number of arrows flew out of them. After China, such weapons appeared in India, then came to England.
General Congreve in 1799, based on them, develops a new type of gunpowder shells. They were immediately taken into service in the British army. Then there were huge guns, which fired rockets at a distance of 1.6 km.
Even earlier, in 1516, grassroots Zaporozhye Cossacks near Belgorod, during the destruction of the Tatar horde of the Crimean Khan Melik-Girey, even more innovative rocket launchers were used. Thanks to the new weapons, they were able to defeat the Tatar army, which was much larger than the Cossacks. Unfortunately, the Cossacks took the secret of their development with them, dying in subsequent battles.
Achievements of A. Zasiadko
A big breakthrough in the creation of launchers was made by Alexander Dmitrievich Zasyadko. It was he who invented and successfully brought to life the first RCDs - multiple rocket launchers. From one such design, at least 6 missiles could be fired almost simultaneously. The units were light in weight, which made it possible to carry them to any convenient place. Zasyadko's designs were highly appreciated by Grand Duke Konstantin, the tsar's brother. In his report to Alexander I, he petitions for Colonel Zasyadko to be promoted to the rank of major general.
Development of rocket launchers in the XIX-XX centuries.
In the 19th century, N.I. Tikhomirov and V.A. Artemiev. The first launch of such a rocket was made in the USSR in 1928. The shells could cover a distance of 5-6 km.
Thanks to the contribution of the Russian professor K.E. Tsiolkovsky, scientists from the RNII I.I. Gvaya, V.N. Galkovsky, A.P. Pavlenko and A.S. Popov in 1938-1941, a multi-discharge rocket launcher RS-M13 and the BM-13 installation appeared. At the same time, Russian scientists are creating rockets. These rockets - "eres" - will become the main part of the Katyusha, which does not yet exist. Over its creation will work for a few more years.
Installation "Katyusha"
As it turned out, five days before the German attack on the USSR, the group of L.E. Schwartz demonstrated in the Moscow region a new weapon called "Katyusha". The rocket launcher at that time was called BM-13. The tests were carried out on June 17, 1941 at the Sofrinsky training ground with the participation of the Chief of the General Staff G.K. Zhukov, people's commissars of defense, ammunition and weapons, and other representatives of the Red Army. On July 1, this military equipment left Moscow for the front. And two weeks later, Katyusha visited the first baptism of fire. Hitler was shocked to learn about the effectiveness of this rocket launcher.
The Germans were afraid of this weapon and tried in every possible way to capture or destroy it. Attempts by designers to recreate the same gun in Germany did not bring success. The shells did not pick up speed, had a chaotic flight path and did not hit the target. Soviet-made gunpowder was clearly of a different quality; decades were spent on its development. German counterparts could not replace it, which led to the unstable operation of ammunition.
Making it powerful weapon opened new page in the history of the development of artillery weapons. Terrible "Katyusha" began to wear honorary title"weapon of victory"
Development features
The BM-13 rocket launchers consist of a six-wheeled four-wheel drive truck and a special design. Behind the cockpit was a system for launching missiles on a platform installed in the same place. A special lift using hydraulics raised the front of the unit at an angle of 45 degrees. Initially, there was no provision for moving the platform to the right or left. Therefore, in order to aim at the target, it was necessary to deploy the entire truck completely. 16 rockets fired from the installation flew along a free trajectory to the location of the enemy. The crew made adjustments already during firing. So far more modern modifications of this weapon are used by the army of some countries.
The BM-13 was replaced by the jet-powered BM-14 in the 1950s.
Missile launchers "Grad"
The next modification of the system under consideration was Grad. The rocket launcher was created for the same purposes as previous similar samples. Only tasks for developers have become more complicated. The firing range was to be at least 20 km.
The development of new shells was taken up by NII 147, which had not created before similar weapons. In 1958, under the leadership of A.N. Ganichev, with the support of the State Committee for Defense Technology, work began on the development of a rocket for a new modification of the installation. To create used the technology of manufacturing artillery shells. The hulls were created using the hot drawing method. The stabilization of the projectile occurred due to the tail and rotation.
After numerous experiments in Grad rockets, for the first time they used plumage of four curved blades, which opened at launch. Thus, A.N. Ganichev was able to ensure that the rocket fit perfectly into the tubular guide, and during the flight its stabilization system turned out to be ideal for a firing range of 20 km. The main creators were NII-147, NII-6, GSKB-47, SKB-203.
The tests were carried out at the Rzhevka training ground near Leningrad on March 1, 1962. And a year later, on March 28, 1963, the Grad was adopted by the country. The rocket launcher was launched into mass production on January 29, 1964.
The composition of the "Grad"
SZO BM 21 includes the following elements:
Rocket launcher, which is mounted on the stern of the chassis of the car "Ural-375D";
Fire control system and 9T254 transport-loading vehicle based on ZIL-131;
40 three-meter guides in the form of pipes mounted on a base that rotates in a horizontal plane and points vertically.
Guidance is carried out manually or by means of an electric drive. The unit is charged manually. The car can move charged. Shooting is carried out in one gulp or single shots. With a volley of 40 shells, manpower is affected in an area of 1046 square meters. m.
Shells for "Grad"
Can be used for shooting Various types rocket projectiles. They differ in firing range, mass, target. They are used to destroy manpower, armored vehicles, mortar batteries, airplanes and helicopters at airfields, mining, installing smoke screens, creating radio interference, and poisoning with a chemical.
There are a huge number of modifications to the Grad system. All of them are in service in various countries of the world.
Long-range MLRS "Hurricane"
Simultaneously with the development of the Grad, the Soviet Union was engaged in the creation of a long-range jet. All of them were rated positively, but were not powerful enough and had their drawbacks.
At the end of 1968, the development of a long-range 220-mm SZO began. Initially, it was called "Grad-3". In full new system was taken into development after the decision of the ministries of defense industry of the USSR of March 31, 1969. At the Perm gun factory No. 172 in February 1972, a prototype of the Uragan MLRS was manufactured. The rocket launcher was put into service on March 18, 1975. After 15 years, 10 rocket artillery regiments of the Uragan MLRS and one rocket artillery brigade were stationed in the Soviet Union.
In 2001, so many Uragan systems were in service in the countries of the former USSR:
Russia - 800;
Kazakhstan - 50;
Moldova - 15;
Tajikistan - 12;
Turkmenistan - 54;
Uzbekistan - 48;
Ukraine - 139.
The shells for the Hurricanes are very similar to the ammunition for the Grads. The same components are 9M27 rocket parts and 9X164 powder charges. To reduce the range, brake rings are also put on them. Their length is 4832-5178 mm, and their weight is 271-280 kg. A funnel in medium-density soil has a diameter of 8 meters and a depth of 3 meters. The firing range is 10-35 km. Shrapnel from shells at a distance of 10 m can penetrate a 6 mm steel barrier.
What is the purpose of the Hurricane systems? The rocket launcher is designed to destroy manpower, armored vehicles, artillery units, tactical missiles, anti-aircraft systems, helicopters in parking lots, communication centers, military-industrial facilities.
The most accurate MLRS "Smerch"
The uniqueness of the system lies in the combination of indicators such as power, range and accuracy. The world's first MLRS with guided rotating projectiles is rocket launcher"Smerch", which still has no analogues in the world. Its missiles are capable of reaching a target that is 70 km from the gun itself. The new MLRS was put into service in the USSR on November 19, 1987.
In 2001, Uragan systems were located in the following countries (former USSR):
Russia - 300 cars;
Belarus - 48 cars;
Ukraine - 94 cars.
The projectile has a length of 7600 mm. Its weight is 800 kg. All varieties have a huge destructive and damaging effect. Losses from batteries "Hurricane" and "Smerch" are equated to the actions of tactical nuclear weapons. At the same time, the world does not consider their use as so dangerous. They equate to weapons such as guns or tanks.
Reliable and powerful Topol
In 1975, the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering began to develop a mobile system capable of launching a rocket from various places. Such a complex was the Topol rocket launcher. It was the answer of the Soviet Union to the appearance of controlled American intercontinental vehicles (they were adopted by the USA in 1959).
The first tests took place on December 23, 1983. During a series of launches, the rocket proved to be a reliable and powerful weapon.
In 1999, 360 Topol complexes were located in ten position areas.
Every year, Russia launches one Topol rocket. Since the creation of the complex, about 50 tests have been carried out. All of them passed without any problems. This indicates the highest reliability of the equipment.
To destroy small targets in the Soviet Union, the Tochka-U divisional rocket launcher was developed. Work on the creation of this weapon began on March 4, 1968, according to the Decree of the Council of Ministers. The contractor was Kolomna Design Bureau. Chief designer - S.P. Invincible. The TsNII AG was responsible for the missile control system. The launcher was produced in Volgograd.
What is SAM
Set of various combat and technical means, which are connected together to combat the means of attacking the enemy from air and space, is called anti-aircraft missile system(ZRK).
They are distinguished by the place of military operations, by mobility, by the method of movement and guidance, by range. These include the Buk missile launcher, as well as the Igla, Osa and others. What is the difference between this type of construction? The anti-aircraft missile launcher includes means for reconnaissance and transportation, automatic tracking of an air target, a launcher for anti-aircraft guided missiles, devices for controlling the missile and its tracking, and means for controlling equipment.