Soviet heavy tanks of the kv. History of creation External fuel tanks of the tank kv 1

The Soviet heavy tank KV-1 became a symbol of the victory of the Soviet Union in World War II along with the T-34. When he first appeared on the battlefield, he perplexed the Germans, being completely invulnerable to their weapons.

The Achilles' heel of the steel monster was its unreliability, caused by hasty production without proper quality control. Nevertheless, this tank made German technology almost helpless in an instant, forced them to rush to develop a new one and gave impetus to Soviet tank building.

History of creation

At the end of 1938, the design bureau of the Kirov Plant in Leningrad began developing a heavy tank protected by anti-cannon armor. Initially, it was planned to create a multi-turreted machine with three turrets, as was customary at that time in world practice.

As a result, a multi-tower SMK appeared, named after Sergei Mironovich Kirov. On its basis, A.S. Ermolaev and N.L. Spirits created an experimental tank with one turret, smaller weight and dimensions. It turned out to be cheaper and easier to manufacture than the QMS, while being more secure and faster.

In August 1939, the first tank, called the KV in honor of Klim Voroshilov, left the gates of the Leningrad Kirov Plant. The name remained so until the creation of the KV-2, after which the KV was renamed the KV-1.

Design and layout

The classic layout with one turret made the new vehicle lighter and smaller compared to multi-turreted heavy tanks from other countries. At the same time, armor protection turned out to be tough only for German anti-aircraft 8.8 guns used as anti-tank guns.

The KV became an innovative tank, combining in its design a classic layout, an individual torsion bar suspension, a diesel engine and anti-cannon armor. Separately, the above solutions were used on domestic and foreign tanks, but they were never combined all together.

Hull and tower

The hull of the Soviet tank consisted of rolled armor plates connected by welding. Armor sheets 75, 40, 30, 20 mm thick were used. All vertical plates had a thickness of 75 millimeters, the frontal ones were located at an angle to increase the reduced thickness of the armor.

The tower was also made using welded technology. From the inside, her shoulder strap was marked in thousandths, which made it possible to point the gun in a horizontal plane for firing from a closed position.

After its appearance, the KV-1 turned out to be invulnerable to all German guns with the exception of 8.8 cm anti-aircraft guns. After reports of the first losses caused by armor penetration in the second half of 1941, the engineers decided to experiment and installed 25 mm thick armor screens on the turrets and sides . Modernization brought the mass to 50 tons, which is why it was abandoned in August 1941.

In front of the hull were a driver and a radio operator gunner. Above the latter was a round hatch.

Additionally, an emergency hatch for the crew and small hatches for access to ammunition, fuel tanks and some components were placed in the bottom of the hull.

The commander, gunner and loader were located inside the tower, a round hatch was located above the commander.

Armament

Moving away from the concept of a two-turreted tank, the developers combined anti-tank and anti-personnel weapons in one tower.

To combat enemy equipment, a 76.2 mm L-11 cannon was installed. Later it was replaced by the F-32, then by the ZIS-5.

To combat enemy manpower, the KV received a 7.62 mm DT-29 machine gun. One of them is paired with a gun and is located in the gun mantlet, the other is in a ball mount. An anti-aircraft machine gun was also provided, but most of the tanks did not receive them.

Engine, transmission, chassis

The tank was powered by a V-2K diesel engine developing 500 hp. Later, the power was increased by 100 hp.

Mechanical transmission has become one of the main drawbacks. Very low reliability, moreover, there are frequent cases when new equipment, just released from the factory, already turned out to be defective.

6 road wheels on each side received an individual torsion bar suspension, the course of which was limited by special limiters acting on the balancers.

From above, each caterpillar rested on three support rollers. Initially, they were rubberized, later, due to a lack of rubber, they became all-metal.

The mobility of the HF turned out to be clearly insufficient, the car developed 34 km / h on the highway, noticeably less off-road due to the power density of 11.6 hp / t.

Later, a lightweight KV-1S appeared, designed to correct the shortcomings of the KV-1 in the form of low reliability and poor mobility.

Modifications

Following the KV, tanks began to appear, created on the basis of solutions worked out on it. In addition, the designers tried to reduce the number of critical flaws.

• The KV-2 is a heavy tank from 1940 with a huge turret, memorable only for its appearance. Armed with a 152 mm M-10 howitzer, designed to destroy enemy engineering structures such as pillboxes. The howitzer easily broke through the armor of all German tanks.
• T-150 - a prototype of 1940 with armor increased to 90 mm.
• KV-220 - a prototype of 1940 with armor increased to 100 mm.
• KV-8 - a flamethrower tank of 1941, equipped with an ATO-41 or ATO-42 flamethrower, placed in place of a ball mount for a course machine gun. Instead of the usual 76 mm cannon, he received a 45 mm cannon.
• KV-1S - a 1942 tank weighing 42.5 tons with reduced armor thickness and better mobility.
• KV-1K - a tank of 1942 with missile weapons in the form of the KARST-1 system.

Combat use

In 1941, the Soviet troops suffered defeat after defeat, suffered huge losses and retreated. However, the Klim Voroshilov tanks were an unpleasant surprise for the German troops, who were practically unable to hit them.

The invulnerability of Soviet heavy tanks allowed experienced and courageous crews to perform miracles. The most famous battle can be called the one that took place on August 19, 1941. Then 5 KV were able to destroy 40 enemy tanks with their fire, and 3 more with a ram. The company was commanded by Z. G. Kolobanov, together with his crew, he destroyed 22 tanks, while his tank received 156 hits from enemy cannons.

At the same time, extreme unreliability, poor mobility and blindness of the crew, caused by poor visibility, were noted, which forced Soviet designers to create new tanks. With the advent of the German heavy Tiger tanks, the KV armor suddenly lost its invincibility and the slow, clumsy, half-blind tank turned into an easy target, often unable even to snap back.

Epilogue

Not only Russians, but also Germans highly appreciated the characteristics of the KV at the time of its appearance. The tank became the ancestor of single-turreted heavy tanks with a classic layout, both well-protected and armed.

Obviously, domination could not continue throughout the war as more advanced equipment appeared, but the KV-1 made a significant contribution to the victory in the Great Patriotic War and deservedly stands next to the T-34 in the list of legendary equipment.

Not a single army in the world was in service heavy tanks. With one exception. The Red Army had them.

Why do we need heavy tanks

War is, first of all, work, hard, dirty and very dangerous. A soldier spends most of his time digging the ground. The more he extracts the soil, the higher his chances of surviving. There are other types of work that are no less laborious, and each of them requires its own tool. A heavy bomber is not suitable for delivering bombing strikes on individual point targets - an attack aircraft is needed. To destroy the industrial potential of the enemy, a fighter should not be used, strategic bombers are required here, and there should be many of them. Light tanks are needed for deep and rapid raids, bypassing enemy defenses and creating “cauldrons” in which significant military formations, deprived of supplies and communications, will not be able to survive for a long time. If we draw analogies with a working tool, then they perform the functions of a blade, flexible and convenient. But there are situations when something more powerful is required, but sharpness does not matter much (a cleaver, for example, or an ax). Heavy tanks are needed when it is impossible to take or bypass fortified positions with a quick swoop, and a methodical breach, a strong frontal blow, all-destroying and merciless, is required.

In December 1939, there were heavy and bloody battles in Karelia. Terrible crackling frost, waist-deep snow, swamps under it, and not freezing. If to weather conditions add mines, the detection of which is very problematic; the work of snipers; unexpectedly emerging secret firing points, protected by thick reinforced concrete; the polar night, which has a depressing effect on the psyche; the inability to make a fire and generally keep warm; boulders, hidden, again, under the snow, and much, much more, it becomes clear "why it took so long to fiddle with some little Finland there." For the first time, heavy tanks played an important role in the difficult task of breaking through the Mannerheim Line. The USSR, represented by the Stalinist leadership, decided to create a super-powerful armored fist before other countries. Experimental models, in particular the QMS, took part in the Finnish War. On December 17, trying to overcome the Hottinen fortified area, one of them, at the disposal of the 20th brigade, blew up on the crew. The crew suffered no losses, but was forced to leave the car. It was one of the first cases of the use of new weapons.

In the military industry, nothing is done just like that. It is difficult to imagine a situation in which I. V. Stalin calls the designers of armored vehicles and, puffing on his pipe, says to them: “Make me a heavy tank. I really want this. I have such a whim ... ". In this case, no state will have enough funds to carry out the most urgent tasks of protecting its borders. No, all the tasks that the Kremlin assigned to specialists were justified.

Designing a combat vehicle that meets modern requirements for assault weapons began at the beginning of 1939, following the decision of the State Defense Committee adopted in December 1938. According to the USSR, combat operations in the event of a probable (and expected) war should have been deployed on the territory of the enemy in the face of his stubborn opposition at the initial stage. This nature of the conflict required certain technical means, in connection with this, the designers were given the appropriate technical specifications. It was understood that through wide gaps in defensive lines move forward large connections, equipped with light high-speed tanks of the BT class, capable of moving on roads with high speed. In this likely scenario, assuming complete air supremacy, victory was guaranteed with minimal casualties.

Start of design work

The design of the SMK tank was supervised by Zh. Ya. Kotin, general designer of the Leningrad plant named after Kirov. The name immortalizes the memory of the recently murdered leader, the head of the party organization "cradle of the revolution". Another machine was developed under the leadership of A. S. Ermolaev at the neighboring plant number 185, it was called the T-100. The design idea of ​​those years was multidirectional, in particular, one of the main directions was considered a multi-tower scheme, in which the sector of fire could be circular. The weight of the SMK turned out to be too large, and instead of three towers, they decided to install two on it in order to improve driving performance and armor.

However, soon after the start of design work, a group of graduate trainees VAMM (Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization) named after. Stalin, led by N. F. Shashmurin, proposed to go further: remove another tower (which young specialists considered redundant), install a diesel engine instead of a carburetor engine, and reduce the undercarriage by two rollers. In essence, the team intuitively came to a scheme that became classic for many decades, ahead of all foreign colleagues who accepted this idea only in the fifties.

So born soviet tank KV-1.

From blueprints to metal

The lead designer N. L. Dukhov was entrusted with finishing the single-turret tank. Today, no one needs to be reminded that it was dangerous to procrastinate in the Stalin years. Any delay could cause a job change to a less prestigious one, in a padded jacket and with a saw or an ax. The chief designer of the KV tank, comrade Dukhov, coped with the task. By August, heavy tanks KV and SMK were ready and presented to the state commission, and in September, the Kubinka training ground shook from the roar of engines during the demonstration of new models. Their acceptance into service took place just as quickly, a “liberation campaign” against Finland was already underway, and this equipment was urgently needed. Designers were also interested in the effectiveness of the application of developments. Tank "Klim Voroshilov" went into battle.

How the KV-2 appeared

The Mannerheim Line was heavily fortified. Unlike the French Maginot, it rested on the edges of the coast (in the west to the Gulf of Finland, in the east to Ladoga), and it was impossible to bypass it. The fortifications were built competently, with a high degree of autonomy and all the infrastructure necessary for defense. In general, the heavy KV tank performed well, but the 76 mm guns were clearly not enough to destroy reinforced concrete structures covered with a layer of soil. Something more efficient was needed, for example, a 152-mm howitzer, which was already in service, although a powerful tractor tractor was needed to transport it. The Leningrad designers were given a new task: to combine two important elements, a huge cannon and a tracked undercarriage, and at the same time provide reliable protection for the crew with gun crew. This is how the KV-2 appeared, a hammer tank designed to crush any fortifications.

During the interwar period

The Finnish war, although it was bloody, ended quickly, but despite this, the production of heavy vehicles, including the siege type, continued. Since February 1940, the tank in two versions was launched from the series at the LKZ (Leningrad Kirov Plant), and starting from June at the ChTZ (Chelyabinsk Plant, called Tractor Plant). Enthusiasm in those years was extremely high, the first Ural-assembled HFs left the shop soon, and a separate building was built to increase capacity, the dimensions of which suggested very large possibilities. The design teams did not stop work either, continuing to improve technical indicators and eliminate the shortcomings identified during the hostilities. In the autumn of the fortieth, two new samples were to appear with armor reinforced to 90 mm with more powerful artillery weapons(85 mm, a caliber that tankers from other countries of the world could not even dream of). By the end of the year, another giant was planned, this time with 100 mm protection. These machines were secret developments, they were called objects 220, 221 and 222. So that no one would know ...

Comparison with a potential adversary

In 1941, it was planned to produce 1200 heavy vehicles, in particular KV-1 - 400, KV-2 - 100 (it had a very specific function, and the need for it was lower), and KV-3 - as many as 500 pieces. And this is only in Leningrad! ChTZ was supposed to give another 200 units. In 1949, the KV-1 heavy tank and the KV-2 super-heavy tank were also produced, and in considerable numbers (243). In total, there were 636 of them in service with the Red Army. Is this a lot or a little? Soviet historians, explaining the causes of the disaster in the summer of 1941, expressed the opinion that we did not have enough. At the same time, they forgot to mention that the Wehrmacht crossed the border of the USSR, having at its disposal a little more than three thousand tanks, and all of them, without exception, were light. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to call them new. The European blitzkrieg was, of course, a fun ride, but the engine doesn't care, it wears out even when driving on a very good autobahn. The vehicles captured in France and Czechoslovakia also could not be compared even with our light BTs. Romania, an ally of Nazi Germany, even had Renault-17s in service (17 is the year of manufacture, 1917), there were 2 of them in the USSR, they were in museums.

And yet, it's time to remember that not only heavy tanks were produced in the Soviet Union. There were also medium, T-34, the best in the world, and they were built very actively. And light, they were produced in unprecedented numbers. And in terms of armament, and in terms of armor protection, and in terms of the characteristics of engines (mainly, by the way, diesel, V-2, which no one else in the world could repeat during the entire war), they surpassed Wehrmacht equipment. The Soviet KV tank, as of mid-1941, had no analogues at all.

Design

At the time of the creation of the first prototypes, the capabilities of Soviet tank factories made it possible to use the most advanced technologies. There was no talk of any riveted joints, the body was made by welding. The same applied to the gun turret, which was further improved using the all-cast method. The thickness of the armor plates was 75 mm. The modification capabilities of the design made it possible to further increase the protection to 105 mm due to the installation of additional armored screens on the bolts, but in 1941 not a single German side gun could hit the KV-1 tank without it.

The general scheme was classic for Soviet armored vehicles of the second half of the thirties (later adopted as a model by engineers around the world): a rear transmission that excludes a cardan shaft, inclined armor, a powerful diesel engine and a 76 mm caliber gun (L-11, F-32, and later ZIS -five).

Chassis

The V-2K engine was the heart of this machine, its power was 500 horsepower at a rotation speed of 1800 rpm. The multi-plate friction transmission had design flaws, it often failed, because it was not designed for the efforts required to change the speed of such a heavy vehicle as the KV tank (its mass exceeded 47 tons), especially in the first two gears (there were 5 in total).

The basis of the undercarriage was a torsion individual suspension of relatively small road wheels (there were six of them on each side). The sagging of the tracks was eliminated by additional supporting rollers, three for each. Until 1942, they were covered with rubber to reduce noise, but due to a shortage of materials, this "luxury" had to be abandoned. The caterpillars were made wide (700 mm) to reduce the specific load on the ground.

Armament

The experience of operating against a desperate enemy, ready to go against a tank with a bottle, set a new requirement - the possibility of creating a barrage of fire. To solve this problem, the car was equipped with three machine-gun points, one of which was directed backwards to protect the engine compartment. Another machine gun was a turret, he covered from an attack from the air. The free internal space was ergonomically filled with ammunition, quite sufficient for a long exhausting battle (135 shells and 2770 cartridges). The accuracy of shooting was provided by optical equipment, which consisted of sights (TOD-6 telescopic, PT-6 periscopic). The commander's panorama provided the opportunity for a good overview. According to the combat schedule, there were five people in the tank, they could communicate using an intercom, external communication was provided by a 71-TK-3 or YuR radio.

An almost 48-ton colossus could reach speeds of up to 34 km / h and had a motor resource of 250 km. This is a lot.

At the beginning of the great war

It is well known that the war began in extremely unfavorable conditions for the USSR. On the one hand, various intelligence sources warned about the Nazi strike, on the other hand, it was extremely illogical. If the headquarters knew about the concentration of German troops, it was no secret for it that the Wehrmacht was not ready for military operations against the Soviet Union, which consisted in the absence of warm uniforms and frost-resistant fuel and lubricants. Nevertheless, Hitler ordered an attack on our borders, and a huge amount of Soviet military supplies were destroyed or captured by the aggressor. The KV tank caused a real shock, both among the German command and among the soldiers on the Eastern Front. The very presence of such a monster in the enemy, despite the successful advance deep into the USSR, caused a vague feeling of their own technological backwardness. With amazement, the Germans examined the huge self-propelled howitzers KV-2, and learned that in neighboring areas one KV-1 tank held back the superior forces of the advancing battalions. Another issue was the poor effectiveness of these monsters in defensive battles. If during an offensive it is necessary to “smoke out” the enemy from the trenches, then the hinged trajectory of the projectile is just what you need. The fire falls on the heads of soldiers sitting in shelters directly from the sky, and there is nowhere to hide. But when repelling an attack, a flat trajectory is needed to mow the advancing chains and smash equipment. Both the light and the heaviest tanks turned out to be useless. The USSR was not ready for defense.

The military specialists of the Wehrmacht, of course, understood what the captured equipment was intended for. Its study, in addition to understanding the power of the Soviet defense industry, made it possible to draw other conclusions. The KV tank also confirmed Stalin's intention to strike at Germany. Photos of damaged armored siege guns were also used by Goebbels propaganda as proof of the aggressive intentions of the Bolsheviks. The Wehrmacht used some of the captured vehicles for their own needs.

Light armored vehicles and other types of offensive equipment were soon taken out of production as unnecessary in the current situation. The same fate befell the armored 152-mm howitzers. It seemed that such a fate would befall all Klima Voroshilovs. But history decreed otherwise. Despite the fact that the tanks of the KV series were inferior to the T-34 in almost all respects, their production continued even in besieged Leningrad. For obvious reasons, it was impossible to restructure the technological cycle here, and the front demanded armored vehicles, so the production of vehicles was not only not curtailed, but even increased by connecting the Metal and Izhora plants. The same was done in "Tankograd" of the city of Chelyabinsk. Difficulties arose with the V-2 engines: the main production facilities were located in Kharkov before the war, and the Nazis occupied it. They got out of this difficulty by installing M-17 gasoline engines, which, of course, reduced the combat capabilities of the equipment.

"S" stands for "fast"

Despite the fact that the modern nature of hostilities meant the abandonment of low-speed armored vehicles, the history of the KV-1 tank did not end. With many shortcomings of this car, it also had obvious advantages, such as good protection and high cross-country ability. The low speed characteristic of siege equipment forced attempts to adapt the characteristics of the Klimov to the conditions of modern maneuverable combat. This is how the KV-1S tank appeared, the mass of which decreased to 42.5 tons. Such “lightness” was achieved by thinning the armor, narrowing the tracks and reducing the ammunition load to 94 shells (later 114). The front-line soldiers' claims to the gearbox were also taken into account, it was replaced with a more advanced one. The medium tank still didn’t work out, the T-34 weighed a little over 30 tons, and with the same power plant it was much more maneuverable. And the letter "C" added to the name meant "high-speed".

Other modifications

In August 1942, the unit received a new model of armored vehicles, the KV-85 tank. It was a deep modification of the same KV-1S, the difference was in the caliber of the turret gun (for the DT-5 gun, as their names make clear, it was 85 mm), reducing the crew size to four people (the radio operator turned out to be unnecessary), cutting ammunition while maintaining the same chassis. The tower was made by casting.

There were other attempts to use the successful sides of the HF. On their basis were built self-propelled guns, caterpillar "armored trains" were created, armed with two or more guns of different calibers (KV-7), 122-mm howitzers U-11. After the victory near Moscow, it became clear that a counteroffensive was inevitable, and samples of offensive weapons were again required. The KV-8 tank was outwardly very similar to the prototype, and even its silhouette was imitated by a special decoration depicting an artillery barrel, but it was a flamethrower. A cannon was also installed in the tower, a modest “forty-five” for those times.

And there were other types of auxiliary equipment based on the chassis of the KV: evacuators from the battlefield of damaged vehicles and tractors.

KV and "Tiger"

The fate of the KV tank was historically not very successful. In the first half of the war, it was in little demand, a completely different technique was needed, and by the time the Soviet troops went on a decisive offensive, it was outdated. New heavy IS tanks appeared, the characteristics of which were as correlated with the qualities of the KV, just as the political weight of Joseph Stalin surpassed the influence in the Politburo of the “first red officer”.

At the turn of 1942 and 1943, the Germans had a "Tiger". This vehicle was extremely clumsy and heavy, its undercarriage was even less reliable than that of the KV, but the 88-mm cannon gave it the ability to hit heavily armored targets at distances that did not allow return fire. In February 1943, 10 KV-1s were killed in one day near Leningrad, at which three Tigers fired with impunity from afar. Since 1943, their production has been curtailed.

Nevertheless, the KV tanks made their contribution to the cause of the Victory, and many monuments erected in honor of our tankers in many cities through which the fiery shaft of battles swept through serve as confirmation of this. The once formidable machines remind us of the feat of the victors who forged the sword and selflessly brought our bright holiday closer.

The second day of Operation Barbarossa is over. In the northern direction, the 4th Panzer Group of General Gepner, which was part of the Army Group North, reached the Dubyssa River. Late in the evening of June 23, 1941, the advanced units of the 6th Panzer Division quickly captured the bridgehead on the eastern bank of the river.

On June 25, 1941, the following entry appeared in the combat diary of the 11th Tank Regiment: "In the morningThe II battalion of the regiment, together with von Seckendorff's battle group, moved forward in a column. During the day, the column was attacked several times by units of the Soviet 2nd Panzer Division. As it turned out, Soviet 52-ton tanks are completely insensitive to the fire of our 10.5-see howitzers. Even a few hits of 150-mm shells did not harm the enemy. Nevertheless, the attacks of our PzKpfw IV tanks inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, which allowed our units to advance 3 km east of Dubyssy. The bridgehead captured by the Raus battle group remained with us. In the afternoon, the reinforced company and headquarters of the 65th tank battalion advanced to the crossroads northeast of Raseiniai. Meanwhile, a Soviet heavy tank blocked the road, cutting off the Routh battle group from the main body. It was not possible to destroy the tank during the night. A battery of 88-mm anti-aircraft guns advanced to fight the tank. However, 88 mm guns proved no more effective than 105 mm howitzers. An attempt by sappers to underminetank with the help of a landmine also failed.

Somewhat earlier, from the side of Keidan, the Soviet 2nd Panzer Division attacked the Germans, with the goal of not only stopping, but also destroying the enemy. Under Raseiniai and over Dubyssa broke out tank battle, which lasted two days. For the first time, the Germans encountered Soviet KB and T-34 tanks paving the way for the lighter and more numerous T-26 and BT.

A German tanker from the crew of the PzKpfw IV (1st Panzer Regiment of the 1st Panzer Division, operating on the left flank of the 6th Panzer Division) spoke about the battle over Dubyssa: “KV-1 and KV-2, which we met for the first time, outwardly differed greatly. Our companies opened fire from a distance of 800 meters, but to no avail. We approached, and soon we were separated by 50-100 meters. We fired point-blank, but our armor-piercing shells simply ricocheted. We circled around the enemy tanks, firing from a distance of 60-30 meters with special armor-piercing shells PzGr 40. By sunset, more than 180 vehicles were burning on the battlefield.

On the bridgehead occupied by the 6th Panzer Division, several dozen prisoners were taken. The commander of the German detachment ordered the prisoners to be escorted to the location of the division headquarters, in Raseiniai. The prisoners were loaded onto a truck, a village and several escorts were put into the body. But less than an hour later, the truck driver returned and reported that halfway between the river and Raseiniai, a gigantic Soviet tank had fired at the truck. The truck caught fire. The prisoners, taking advantage of the confusion of the convoy, fled. It looked like the only road supplying the bridgehead had been cut. Of course, one tank did not mean anything yet, but others could come up. The night passed quietly, and the reconnaissance sent out in the morning found the tank in its original place. Around noon, a radiogram from the headquarters was received at the bridgehead stating that twelve trucks with ammunition and food had been sent to them.

Soon, several powerful explosions were heard from the direction of Raseiniai. This Soviet tank knocked out the first and last car of the column. Burnt cars blocked the road. Within minutes, the entire column was reduced to a heap of flaming debris.

The commander of the 6th Panzer Division, Major General Landgraf, ordered that the mysterious tank be neutralized immediately. The commander of one of the companies of 50-mm anti-tank guns was ordered to approach and burn the tank. Using the folds of the terrain, four half-track tractors approached the tank. The tractors stopped 600 meters from the tank. Artillerymen on their hands rolled out cannons on fighting positions. The tank stood in the undergrowth and was silent. The battery commander thought that the crew had abandoned the tank, but nevertheless urged them to open fire on the vehicle. The first three rounds hit the target. The tank was still silent.

Let's just make sure to hit a few more hits and roll up! ordered the battery commander.

Artillerymen opened rapid fire, no longer observing any rules of camouflage. All guns of the battery fired. After the eighth hit: the tank returned fire. It was so unexpected that the Germans were simply taken aback. Around the unmasked German guns, the earth rose in fountains. Smoke shrouded the positions, and powerful explosions shook the air. In total, the tank fired three shots. When the ground settled and the smoke cleared, the astonished Germans discovered that two battery guns were simply nowhere to be found, and the rest were disabled. The surviving gunners immediately left the battlefield.

Since the 50th Pak 38 guns could not knock out a Soviet tank, General Landgraf decided to use 88-mm Flak 36 anti-aircraft guns. At noon, one 88-mm gun from the 298th anti-aircraft battalion was delivered to the scene by a half-track tractor. At 900 meters from the tank, the gun was unhooked from the tractor and they began to roll it out to the firing position. Suddenly, the tank began to turn the turret. The first 152-mm projectile exploded 2 meters from the gun, and with the second shot, the Soviet tankers smashed the anti-aircraft gun to smithereens. The anti-aircraft gunners who survived the explosions were killed by machine-gun fire.

Evening came. General Landgraf walked around the headquarters in a rage. The units of the division holding the bridgehead were firing the last ammunition. In the morning, the soldiers did not have a crumb in their mouths. Seeing no way out of this situation. The landgrave ordered simply to destroy the tank with a high-explosive charge. At about one in the morning, a platoon of sappers from the 57th sapper began to implement their plan. Half an hour later there was a dull explosion, after which machine guns immediately started talking. However, the machine guns quickly fell silent.

The landgrave smoked nervously, waiting for a report. Another half an hour passed before the sappers returned. The commander reported that the charge was too weak. The explosion only tore off the caterpillar of the tank.

So three attempts to destroy a Soviet tank ended in complete failure. The colossus continued to stand in the woods, ready to open fire at any moment. What the hell is a tank? The Germans racked their brains trying to determine its type. None of the tanks they knew could withstand a 50 mm anti-tank gun, let alone an 88 mm anti-aircraft gun. Landgraf tried to ask for help from aviation, but the corps commander, after listening to the story of the commander of the 6th Panzer Division, refused to allocate a squadron of dive bombers to destroy a single tank. Then the Landgrave decided on a desperate step. He ordered the 11th Panzer Regiment to make a diversionary attack, hoping to bring up another 88 mm gun under the guise. There was no other way to destroy the damned tank, except to wait until the tank crew died of hunger and thirst.

On the morning of June 25, a Soviet tank was attacked by several dozen German PzKpfw 35(t) tanks. The German vehicles fanned out and opened heavy fire, distracting the attention of the Soviet tankers, while another 88-mm anti-aircraft gun was brought up from the direction of Raseiniai. Only after the first shot did the tank crew notice the danger. The turret began to turn in the direction of the German gun when the anti-aircraft gunners scored two more hits. Taught by bitter experience, the Germans scored several more hits, after which silence reigned.

German soldiers ran towards the silent tank. Only two holes were visible in the armor of the Soviet tank. Five other shells only pierced the armor. 50-mm shells left only eight pockmarks. A land mine, blown up at night, broke the caterpillar, tore off part of the wing and slightly damaged the gun barrel. 37-mm shells did not leave any marks on the armor! The soldiers climbed onto the armor and tried to open the hatches. Suddenly, the tower began to turn, the soldiers fell like peas to the ground. Two Germans were not taken aback and threw a hand grenade into the breach of the armor. There was a muffled explosion, after which the tank fell silent completely. When, finally, it was possible to open the hatches, the remains of six Soviet tankers were found inside the tank, which for 48 hours held back the advance of an entire Wehrmacht tank division!

Where did this tank come from? Who were the members of his crew? Why didn't they break through to their own? These and many other questions will forever remain a mystery. However, we can say with full confidence what kind of tank it was, the armor of which withstood hits of various-caliber shells, an explosion of a sapper landmine, and did not even immediately succumb to the "eighty-eighth". It was a Soviet heavy tank KV-2.

The above episode is taken from the combat diary of the 6th Panzer Division and the diaries of its units. Reports of battles with the tank arrived at the headquarters of the corps and the Army Group, and also reached the Chief of Staff of the OKH, Colonel-General Franz Halder, who wrote in his diary on June 24, 1941: “New Russian heavy tanks appeared on the front of the Army Group North, who are most likely armed with an 80 mm cannon, or even a 150 mm caliber, which, however, is unlikely.

But the very next day, when new updated reports arrived (probably specialists from the 3rd Panzer Group examined the tank), Halder was forced to agree with reality. He wrote: “Scattered information is being received about new Russian tanks: weight 52 tons, forehead armor 37 cm (?), sides 8 cm, armament 152 mm cannon and three machine guns, crew 5 people, speed 30 km / h, cruising range 100 km. Opportunities for combat: 50mm cannons penetrate the armor under the turret, 88mm cannons probably also penetrate the side armor (not known for sure).”

Confusion and nervousness reigned in the OKW. All new and new information about the fact that the Red Army has weapons, the existence of which the German command did not assume. It turned out that the Russians not only have a huge number of tanks. Many Russian tanks were fundamentally superior to German tanks in terms of their tactical and technical data. The staff officers sent to the units to verify these incredible facts brought bad news and often contradicted each other. On July 4, General von Thoma reported to Halder: “To fight the giant Soviet tanks, we successfully use 100-mm guns and 88-mm anti-aircraft guns. Unusually heavy fighting is going on. The Russians do not surrender!

Two days later, on July 6, General Ott reported encouraging data. In his opinion, the morale in the units began to grow: “Fortunately, the opinion is spreading that Soviet tanks can be fought. Some units report that Soviet crews abandon their tanks at the first danger, but others report that Russian tankers prefer to burn down with the vehicle.

On July 11, Colonel Oksner, who inspected the tank groups of Guderian and Hoth, reported: “The enemy command skillfully leads the troops. The Russians are fighting with desperation and fanaticism: German troops are suffering significant losses in manpower and equipment, fatigue is growing.

The next day, and in a conversation with the Chief of the General Staff, General Brand noted: “Only one tank was found with armor 130 mm thick, in all other cases the armor thickness does not exceed 70 mm. Most often, such tanks have to be fought with a 100-mm cannon. The 88 mm anti-aircraft gun is noticeably worse. With the help of a 105-mm howitzer, firing an armor-piercing projectile from a distance of 40 m, it was possible to disable one 50-ton tank. Soviet driver-mechanics are poorly trained. Russian tanks often lose tracks. Soviet crews can't stand artillery fire."

Already the first days of the war in Russia showed the German command the need to equip the Wehrmacht with new anti-tank weapons. The German infantry, which was practically defenseless, suffered especially hard from Russian tanks.

"Klim Voroshilov": CREATION, TESTING AND FIRST BATTLE

At a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, held on December 9, 1939, the fate of heavy multi-turreted SMK and T-100 tanks was decided. J.Ya. Kotin reported on the possibility of creating another version of the heavy tank, also carrying thick armor, but with only one turret. In his report, Kotin mentioned the benefits of switching to a single-turret scheme, in particular, improved maneuverability. Although some military men did not like Kotin's idea, Stalin showed favor. As a result, LKZ received the task to build, in addition to the two-turret SMK, a single-turret tank. When the prototypes were ready, comparative tests were carried out. Since October 1938, trainees from the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization in Moscow worked in SKB-2 Kotin. Trainees were looked after by engineers L.E. Sychev and N.F. Shashmurin. Using the QMS project, they shortened the hull and equipped the car with a new V-2 diesel engine. B. Pavlov and V.L. worked on the project. Sinozhersky (general composition and armament), G. Turchaninov (chassis), L.N. Pereverzev (engine and steering), SM. Kasavin, L. Shpuntov (transmission),

Kasavin recalled: “October 17, 1938, our group began work in the Design Bureau: "We received an assignment from Kotin to make a graduation project - a single-turret version of the SMK tank."

In February 1939, the trainees successfully defended their diplomas at the Academy and were assigned to the SKK-2. On March 15, they were again included in the team working on a single-turret tank. In January 1939, the technical requirements for a single-turret heavy tank were formulated at ABTU, which were later approved by the Defense Committee,

On February 27, 1939, the LKZ received an official government order for the construction of a prototype single-turret heavy tank, which was named KB in honor of People's Commissar of Defense Kliment Voroshilov. The chief designer of the project was originally A.S. Ermolaev, but soon he was replaced by engineer N.L. Spirits. Separate parts of the project were developed by: K.I. Kuzmin, S.V. Mitskevich (building), F.A. Moryshkin (transmission), A.D. Gladkov (planetary final drive), V.A. Kozlovsky, M.I. Kreslavsky (transmission), G.A. Seregin, N.V. Zeitz (torsion bar suspension), L.E. Sychev (chassis), P.N. Moskvin, G.Ya. Andandonsky, S.F. Fedorenko, F.G. Korobko, A.S. Shnendman (weapons). In addition, the design team included E.P. Dedov, P.S. Tarapatyak, V.I. Tarotko and the aforementioned trainees of the Academy. The technical design of the KB tank was prepared within a month.

Kasavin wrote: “The biggest difference between our graduation project and the KB tank project was the replacement of the planetary gearbox with a conventional 5-speed gearbox designed by I.V. Alekseev and proposed by N.L. Dukhov.

In accordance with the project, a completely new V-2 diesel engine with a capacity of 500 hp, developed in Kharkov, was installed on the tank. In April 1939, the state commission, headed by the deputy head of the ABTU B.M. Korobkop, examined and approved a full-size wooden model of the tank. In May, the Defense Committee finally approved the technical requirements for the tank, and the designers began to create working documentation. In the experimental workshop of the LKZ, preparations began for the assembly of prototypes of the QMS and KV. In the summer, Dukhov came to Kharkov to take in a modified V-2K engine, which developed a power of 600 hp. at 2000 rpm.

In August 1939, both cars were ready. The first problems appeared already during the factory tests. The KB prototype, driven by driver Konstantin Kovsh, lost its course. The gearbox failed, unable to withstand even 100 km of run, although the gearbox withstood 2500 km of run on bench tests. After a short test, the tank was sent to the Kubinka training ground, where on September 20 a demonstration of new types of tanks took place.

A. Vetrov, who was present at the demonstration, recalled: “The QMS had not yet reached the end of the barrier line, when the KV entered its initial positions. Despite its 47.5 tons, KB crossed the trench with relative ease, which the SMK overcame with great difficulty. Then the tank easily took the counterscarp and a deep hole, which earned the applause of the audience. I looked at the podium. Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov smiled, stroking his mustache. A little behind the people's commissar stood his son, a military engineer of the III rank P.K. Voroshilov, who was talking animatedly with commander D.G. Pavlov and commandant of the test site.

During the events described, the tank was driven by the driver P.I. Petrov, who spoke about the demonstration in his own way: “I had difficulty overcoming obstacles at KB: the engine was unstable. When I crossed the river, water flooded the fighting compartment, but fortunately the engine did not stall and I was able to bring the car to the opposite bank. There, in accordance with the test program, I broke several pine trees (I still feel sorry for these trees) and with difficulty climbed the mountain. The engine worked at maximum speed, it was not always possible to change gears. I have already left the shore in jerks, actively working with the onboard clutches. Then I overcame the rails dug into the ground and again drove into the forest.

Then the tests of the KB prototype continued at the training ground near Leningrad. By that time, the unstable operation of the engine was already known, as well as defects in the brakes, planetary final drives and gearbox. Partially, the problems were solved, but the gearbox remained the same. Engine designer I.Ya. Trashutin (Kharkov), as well as E.A. Kulchitsky (Kubinka). Kulchitsky personally towed the old armored hull, trying to subject the undercarriage of the tank to extreme loads. In early December 1939, it was decided to send the prototypes of the SMK, T-100 and KB to Finland. The KB went to the front along with a crew of six: commander G.F. Kachekhin, driver, military equipment II rank I.P. Golovachev, driver K. Kovsh, minder and at the same time charging A.I. Estratov (LKZ), as well as radio operator A. Smirnov and loader N. Kuznetsov (RKKA).

By railway all three tanks were delivered to the Chernaya Rechka station, from where the vehicles moved on their own through Teriyoki (now Zelenogorsk) and Raivola to the location of the 20th brigade of heavy tanks.

The KB tank received its baptism of fire in the battles described above on December 17 and 19, 1939 in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bLake Summajärvi. One of the crew members, minder A.I. Estratov, described the episode of the battle as follows: “Turning to the left, we moved along the anti-tank ditch, exposing the starboard side to the enemy’s pillbox fire. We are driving, and the shells are hitting the side like a hammer. Commander, Lieutenant Kachekhin orders:

- Look for targets! We must shoot!

And at that moment the driver Kovsh noticed something similar to a samovar pipe. Kachehin says:

- At the observation post - FIRE!

My duties as a member of the crew did not allow me to take a breath: controlling the operation of the engine, loading the gun, monitoring the situation. I look, some poles are standing aside, and smoke is rising from behind them. And then from the other side we get a hit. I reported this to the tank commander, and we sent five shells there. The poles were scattered and a camouflaged firing position became visible.

Suddenly our cannon vibrated. We looked around without leaving the tank - everything seems to be fine. Let's go further. Suddenly our tank was engulfed in a sheaf of sparks. Stopped, waited, moved forward again.

During the battle, the engine stalled once, but Kovshov was able to fix the problem. On the way back, the KB towed the damaged T-28 and dragged the tank to their own. After the battle, it turned out that the gun barrel was pierced through, and 43 marks from armor-piercing shells were counted on the armor of the turret and hull. Several tracked tracks were also damaged, a shell pierced one track roller, and one external fuel tank was torn off. The blows blew off the fuel pump, held only by two bolts.

Already on December 19, 1939, the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars, after reviewing the preliminary test results, recommended that the KB tank be put into service, subject to the elimination of the identified shortcomings. At the same time, LKZ received an order to begin preparations for the serial production of a new tank and produce 50 vehicles in the coming year.

March 17, 1940 KB demonstrated in the Kremlin, along with others best models tanks. After the return of the KB prototype to the LKZ, a special commission began work. The commission included Major N.N. Kovalev, military engineers III rank P.K. Voroshilov and M.Ts. Kaulin, captain I.I. Kolotushkin. New episode tests were carried out at a training ground near Leningrad in the Krasnoye Selo area. Two KB-1s (one prototype and first production vehicle) and one KB-2 were tested. KB Kasavina (driver K. Kovsh) covered 1915.8 km in 14 days (from June 14 to June 27, 1940) at an average speed of 20 km / h.

Kasavin recalled: “The main drawback of the tank was the insufficient reliability of the chassis. Road wheels, especially the front ones, often failed. During the tests, we changed three rollers on the left side and two rollers on the starboard side, as well as two tracks. I also had to change 5 pairs of sheaves, as well as several other details. The engine and gearbox were erratic."

The technical problems associated with the design of the KB caused serious concern in the NPO and the NKTM (People's Commissariat for Heavy Engineering), A new commission was formed, which operated in September-October 1940. The commission confirmed that the KV-1 (KV-76, as it was called at the time), which was being tested between September 26 and October 28, “did not pass the warranty mileage of 2000 km due to numerous accidents in the gearbox, onboard clutches and caterpillar tracks. At the gearbox, damage affected the shafts and gears of 2-4 gears. The gearbox failed twice. Shortcomings of the engine cooling system were noticed: the water temperature reached 107 degrees, and the oil temperature reached 110 degrees, that is, water and oil boiled.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE DESIGN OF KV

The first attempt to modernize the KB was made shortly after the first battles in Finland. The command and the Military Council of the Front demanded to increase the thickness of the bottom and strengthen many nodes. A proposal was also made to equip the tank with a minesweeper and an evacuation winch. Then the tank received a simplified technological tower, the sides, forehead and rear wall of which were flat slabs. The torsion bars were arranged differently, the ground clearance was reduced, and simplified mounted fuel tanks of a smaller volume were installed on the wings. During serial production, the tank received a course machine gun mounted in a ball mount. The course machine gun was serviced by a radio operator. The crew of the tank was reduced to five people, abandoning the minder. It quickly became clear that the L-11 gun was not powerful enough and too unreliable. Therefore, in KB V.G. Grabin at the Artillery Plant No. 92 ordered the F-32 tank gun. The design of the F-32 was a development of the F-22 tank gun, which was tested on the BT-7 tank. After experimental firing, the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) recommended the F-32 for installation on tanks, but this was unexpectedly opposed by ABTU. New shootings were carried out, and again the L-11 did not show itself. By the decision of the Defense Committee of January 26, 1940, the F-32 cannon was finally put into service. By decision of the Council of People's Commissars / Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks No. 1288-495-SS of July 17, 1940, the LKZ received an order to produce 130 F-32 guns by the end of the year in order to install them on serial KVs.

June 13, 1940 People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal S.K. Timoshenko made a proposal to produce two versions of the KB tank: one with a 76.2 mm L-11 cannon and the other with a 152 mm M-10 howitzer. “To date, 13 KB tanks of the first type have been produced, 130 of these vehicles will be built by the end of the year: This gun does not meet the requirements placed on it and must be replaced. As an option, I propose a 76-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1931 model, capable of penetrating armor 80 mm thick at distances of 1000-500 m, as well as having a successful design and sufficient rate of fire.

Probably, as a result of these proposals, Grabin's design bureau created the 85-mm F-39 tank gun, which was based on the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model. The gun fired projectiles weighing 9.2 kg with an initial velocity of 800 m/s. For testing, the gun was installed on the chassis of the T-28 tank, as well as on one experimental KV-2. Then the 85-mm gun was installed on one KV-1, which received a new gun mantlet. On August 9, 1940, it was ordered to manufacture four experimental KV-1 towers, made using different technologies. The production of towers began at Plant No. 78 (in the Urals) on March 13, 1941. Compared to the previous welded turret, the cast turret had thicker armor (90-95 mm) and was heavier (about 7 tons). In October 1940, a cast hull for the KV-1 was made as an experiment.

On the basis of government Decrees of April 6 and July 1, 1941, the production of KB-1 tanks with enhanced armor (screens) was organized at the LKZ. The screens were plates 30 mm thick, attached to the sides of the hull and turret with bolts. Due to the screens, the total thickness of the armor reached 105 mm. Tanks that had already been sent to units were supposed to receive screens before January 1, 1942. Shielding further increased the weight of the tank.

Simultaneously, the KB-1 was rearmed again. Grabin created new model 76.2 mm F-34 cannon, which was supposed to be installed on the T-34 medium tank. It was decided that a heavy tank should carry heavier weapons, so the ZiS-5 gun was created for the KV-1, 63.5% of the details of which coincided with the F-34, and 4% with the F-22USV field gun. The ZiS-5 cannon was put into service and put into production in the middle of 1941.

OPTIONS, PROJECTS

Already at that time, a night vision device operating in the infrared range was being developed for the driver. By order of the Defense Committee No. 5808 dated June 25, 1940, Plant No. 211 was supposed to deliver ten such devices by October 15, 1940, but the order was not fulfilled.

Even before the start of the war with Germany, in accordance with previous assignments, a project for a tracked armored recovery vehicle (Object 214) based on the KV was prepared at the LKZ. The mass of the vehicle reached 30 tons, the armament consisted of two 7.62 mm DT machine guns. The BREM was equipped with a winch, towing cables and other devices for evacuating damaged tanks from the battlefield. The chief engineer of the project was N.V. Khalkiopov, who was assisted by S.M. Kasavin. The project did not materialize in metal, because after the end of the war with Finland, ABTU quickly lost interest in the tow truck.

In 1940, SKB-2 at LKZ began work on a new heavy self-propelled gun SU-212 (Object 212), which had some components of the KB tank (engine, transmission, running gear), but a completely different hull and new layout (engine in front, fighting compartment at the rear). The characteristics of the Object 212 were as follows: weight 50 tons, crew 5 people, armament 152 mm naval gun and three 7.62 mm machine guns, 47 rounds of ammunition, armor 60-20 mm thick. The possibility of installing a 203-mm B-4 howitzer on the chassis was envisaged. In 1941, work began on the SU-212 hull, but after the start of the war, the project was curtailed.

In 1941, another project began: to equip the KB with an electric transmission (probably even a prototype was built).

SERIAL PRODUCTION KV

The first order called for the production of 50 KB tanks by the end of 1940. On February 4, 1940, by order of the Defense Committee, the LKZ undertook to produce nine tanks of the installation series by March 25, and not by the end of May, as previously thought. In fact, by April 1, only five tanks were ready (a prototype with a small turret and 4 KB with a large turret), of which three were located on the Karelian Isthmus.

On May 28, 1940, on the recommendation of the Defense Committee, the Council of People's Commissars adopted the Decree "On the expansion of the program for the production of KB tanks for 1940." The new plan called for the production of 230 KB tanks in 1940 (130 with a 76.2-mm cannon and 100 with 152-mm howitzers. L KZ was able to exceed this plan by building 243 tanks (141 KV-1 and 102 KV-2). tanks unfolded slowly and the vast majority of vehicles were built in the last months of 1940.

Acceptance of tanks by the military was slow. After the assembly was completed, the plant's drivers made a control march 30 km long. One of the oldest employees of the LKZ N.P. Efimov recalled: “It used to happen that a new car would come from the assembly, but the gears would not turn on! All flaws and shortcomings had to be eliminated in the control department. After the factory OTK accepted the tank and handed it over to the military, the car made another march about 50 km long. After that, the tank was washed, painted, fully equipped and handed over to the crew. The first KBs were numbered "0", "1U", "2U", "3U".

The plan for the production of KB tanks for 1941, adopted by the NKTM on January 2, 1941, provided for the construction of 600 KV tanks. In the first quarter, 352 tanks were built, in the second quarter it was planned to produce 215 vehicles (115 KV-1 and 100 KV-2). But on March 15, 1941, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted a resolution "On the release of KB tanks in 1941." The first paragraph of the decree determined that in 1941 1200 KV tanks should be produced. Including LKZ was supposed to produce 1000 tanks (400 KV-1, 100 KV-2 and 500 KV-3), and another 200 KV-1 was planned to be built at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ). After the start of the war, the program was revised and expanded. In Leningrad, many subcontractors were connected to the LKZ (for example, the Metal Plant, which produced final drives, welded towers, and later assembled hulls). From the beginning of the year to the end of June 1941, 393 KB were built at LKZ (in just two years, 636 tanks: 434 KB-1 and 202 KV-2), and in July-August LKZ produced 492 KB tanks, after which the plant curtailed production and was evacuated to the east. Thus, in 1941, 885 tanks were built in Leningrad (some sources report 848 tanks).

"Dreadnought" KV-2

The prototype, tested on the Karelian Isthmus, perfectly held the hits of armor-piercing shells and turned out to be quite reliable, and all the breakdowns could be repaired on the spot. However, the Finnish defense consisted of numerous dugouts and pillboxes, which required several hits of heavy shells to suppress them. Commander of the Soviet 7th Army, Divisional Commander K.A. Meretskov recalled:

“After five days of preparation, we began the assault. Unfortunately, without success. Again, the lack of funds for breaking the fortifications affected. Our tanks did not have large-caliber guns and could not suppress pillboxes on their own. IN best case , the tanks simply closed the loopholes with their hulls. The 76.2 mm caliber gun turned out to be completely ineffective in the fight against concrete fortifications. To combat pillboxes, artillery of 152-203 mm caliber should have been used. Therefore, the idea was born to arm the tanks with heavy guns. Commander of the North-Western Front, Commander S.K. Timoshenko turned directly to the leadership of the LKZ with a request to create a KB armed with a large-caliber gun, the shells of which could effectively suppress fortifications, both wood-and-earth and concrete. At the end of December 1939, the plant received an order from the first secretary of the Leningrad City Committee A.A. Zhdanov, to create a similar tank in the shortest possible time. Hectic work began at the LKZ. The designers of SKB-2 from the Duzov group worked on the tank. The armament of the tank was designed by the AOKO Design Bureau team under the guidance of engineer N.V. Chicken. It was decided to arm the tank with a 152-mm M-10 howitzer of the 1938 model, mounted in a large turret. The mass of the tower was 12 tons. It housed four crew members and separate loading shots. The tank version of the howitzer received the designation M-10S of the 1940 model. The tank howitzer had a slightly shortened barrel and reduced recoil. Concrete-piercing projectiles weighing 40 kg developed an initial velocity of 530 m/s, and armor-piercing projectiles weighing 51 kg had an initial velocity of 436 m/s. Sighting range was 4800 m. At the end of January, the prototype "KB with a large turret" or simply "dreadnought" (the designation KV-2 appeared a few months later) was ready for testing, primarily fire. The tests were carried out at the factory site, Engineer Kurin recorded the impressions of those days: “Before the first firing, we were all very worried. As far as we knew, no one in the world had ever mounted a gun of this caliber and power on a tank. Some were skeptical about our project. It was assumed that the tank could roll over after the first shot, they said that the turret would not withstand the rollback, and the engine and chassis could fail from shaking. The day of the main test arrived. The tank is on the range, the turret is rotated 90 degrees to a position where capsizing is most likely. The command sounds: "Fire!" A shot is fired. We all come out of hiding. The tank is in place. We approach the tank. The driver starts the engine the first time and drives a few meters. Everything is fine. Only from the muzzle cut off the cover, which we put in order to protect the bore from the fire of the Finnish snipers-"cuckoos".

On February 4, 1940, based on the test results, the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars ordered the construction of a trial series of 9 KB tanks (with large and small turrets) until March 25, 1940. In fact, by April 1, only 5 vehicles were built, of which three took part in the Finnish campaign. In mid-February, the newly built "dreadnoughts" were equipped with crews, which consisted partly of LKZ employees, and partly of regular tankers. The commander of the first tank was Lieutenant N. Petin (who had previously participated in the testing of the SMK tank), and an employee of the LKZ named Lyashko was appointed as the driver of the vehicle. Lieutenant Glushak became the commander of the second car, and we have no data on the crew of the third car. On March 5, 1940, the tanks went to the front and became part of the 20th brigade. All three tanks fought continuous battles that lasted almost a week, K.A. Meretskov recalled: “When breaking through the front in the Summa region, for the first time, heavy KB tanks armed with large-caliber guns were used. The tanks passed through the area of ​​the Finnish fortifications without the slightest harm to themselves, despite numerous direct hits. We have at our disposal almost invulnerable tank. Since then I have loved KB and have always tried to have them at my disposal".

The commander of one of the tanks, Lieutenant Glushak recalled the events of those days: “The fortifications of the Mannerheim Line were solid. Large granite gouges stood in three rows. To make a passage 6-8 meters wide, we had to fire concrete-piercing shells five times. While we were clearing the gouges, the enemy fired at us quickly. We quickly located the bunker and suppressed it with two shots. After the battle, we counted 48 hit marks on the armor, but not a single shell penetrated the armor.

A few days after the armistice, on March 17, 1940, in the Kremlin, Stalin and other leaders of the state were shown the latest models of armored vehicles, including both KV. The show had a positive effect on future fate tank KV-2. On May 28, the Council of People's Commissars ordered the serial production of these tanks to begin at the LKZ. By the end of the year, the plant was supposed to build a hundred KV-2s (the plan was 102% completed).

Simultaneously with the deployment of mass production, comprehensive tests of the KV tanks began. Three vehicles participated in the tests, including one KV-2. The tests were taken by a special state commission, which consisted mainly of officers of technical services. Tests were carried out in the summer at the LKZ test site. Although it was planned to meet within 8-10 days, the tests dragged on for almost a month and a half. Several weaknesses of the tank were found: insufficient reliability of the torsion bars, unstable engine operation, and serious transmission flaws.

In this regard, the KV-2 was noticeably inferior to the KB-1, as it was almost 10 tons heavier. In the period from June 10 to July 29, 1940, the KV-2 covered 2565 km, the average daily mileage barely reached 52 km. Here is a fragment of the commission's report: “During the tests of a tank with a large turret, the air filter failed after 1.5 hours of operation, so the engine ran out of service after 20 hours. Damaged gearbox, side clutches, tracks. But despite all the identified shortcomings, Marshal S.K. Timoshenko, who replaced Voroshilov as People's Commissar of Defense in June, proposed arming the KV-2 tank with a 107-mm M-60 cannon, which pierced armor more than 100 mm thick at distances up to 1000 m. KV-2 to serial production. The serial tank was noticeably different from the prototypes and trial series vehicles. First of all, the tank received a simplified turret, more technologically advanced and adapted for mass production. As a result, the dimensions of the tower have changed, the design of the gun mask has become different. A DT machine gun was mounted in the rear wall of the turret in a ball mount. As a result of alterations, the mass of the tank was reduced by 2 tons. The tank received standard external fuel tanks, a new radio station and an intercom system for four crew members.

The production plan for 1941, approved by the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars on March 15, 1941, provided for the production of 1000 KB tanks at the LKZ, including 100 KV-2. Before the start of the war with Germany, 202 KV-2 tanks were built (according to some sources, 200 or 232).

In the tank units of the Red Army, the KV-2 vehicles appeared at the end of 1940. On September 15, only the first four experimental vehicles were listed, but in early December the number of KV-2s reached 24, most of which were in parts of the Baltic Military District. KV-2s were used as support tanks and heavy self-propelled guns. The small number of tanks forced them to be transferred to the command of the mechanized corps. Much less often, KV-2 tanks operated at the divisional or regimental levels. During operation, it turned out that the tank had difficulty rotating the turret, especially if the tank was not standing horizontally. The aiming speed of the gun on the target was also too low, and the overloaded vehicle could not withstand the loads provided for by operational standards.

Despite all the shortcomings, the KV-2 tank was considered one of the most effective tanks of the Red Army. Already on the third day of the war, in a conversation with the commander of the 5th Army of the North-Western Front, General Potapov, the Chief of the General Staff, General G.K. Zhukov asked: "How do your KB tanks and others work?" Potapov replied: “We have thirty large KV tanks. But none of them has ammunition.” Zhukov: “The 152-mm guns of the KB tank can use rounds 09-30. I order you to immediately replenish ammunition with concrete-piercing ammunition 09-30 and throw the tanks into battle. They will crush the enemy."

G. Penezhko, an officer of one of the units of the 8th mechanized corps, testifies to the effectiveness of the KV-2 tanks in battles with German tanks. Here is a fragment of his memoirs concerning the battle near Dubno in early July 1941: “A few KBs appeared from behind the forest. One of the tanks stopped on a hill. The gun in the giant turret was turned in our direction. There was a thunder of a shot. Where a German tank had been a second ago, now lay a mangled pile of armor. Slowly the tower turned to the right. The tank took up another fascist. A shot, an explosion, the turret of a German tank was torn off its shoulder strap, and the hull was ripped apart at the seams.

Already in the first days of the war, the KB-2 tank turned out to be an unpleasant surprise for the Nazis. But the KV-2s were few in number and were quickly lost. The Red Army lost the overwhelming number of KV-2 tanks due to technical malfunctions, the Nazis managed to knock out only a few vehicles. Almost all KV-2s were lost during the first six months of fighting. By the beginning of 1942, only a few remained. Despite this, in the German key tables, manuals and other specialized literature, the KV-2 tanks still appeared long time. In German terminology, the tank was designated as Patizerkampfwagen KW II 754(r). The tank was characterized as follows: “A heavy tank designed to support a tank attack, like an assault gun. It has thick armor and a very high firepower, although it is used mainly in positional warfare. According to the enemy, the chassis of the tank is overloaded.” Captured copies were delivered to Germany, although for the trophy and repair and evacuation services it cost a lot of effort. Towing huge tanks (not to mention the fact that some vehicles had to be pulled out of the swamp) was incredibly difficult, since the German army at that time did not have regular means to tow 52-ton vehicles. One captured KV-2, delivered to the Reich, was demonstrated at the Victory Exhibition, and also made demonstration tours through the streets of the city. Other machines were taken to the training ground in Kummersdorf, where they were subjected to extensive tests. Test experience was used to create the "tiger". One of the captured KV-2s was shot, testing the effectiveness of armor-piercing shells of guns of various calibers.

The KV-2, equipped with a commander's cupola borrowed from a PzKpfw III or IV, operated as part of the 66th Special Purpose Tank Company, which was preparing for Operation Herkules, the landing on Malta.

It should be noted that in the primer of the tanker "Tigerfibel", published on the initiative of Guderian for the crews of the "tigers", there was a special supplement Panzer-Beschusstafel, dated February 15, 1943. The appendix shows which sections of the armor of which tanks should be fired from the 83-mm cannon to achieve a confident hit on the target, the KV-2 also appears.

EXPERIMENTAL MACHINES BASED ON KV-2

In 1940, one of the experimental KV-2s served at the Novoe Sormovo Artillery Plant No. 92 in Gorky to test the prototype of the 85-mm F-39 tank gun, created in V.G. Grabin. Then a prototype of the 107-mm F-42 gun was installed on the same tank. The tank successfully passed factory tests, but at that time there was no question of re-equipping the tank. Finally, an improved version of the 107 mm ZiS-6 cannon appeared, which was intended for the KV-4/KV-5 tanks. The ZiS-6 prototype was installed on the same machine, and on May 14, 1941, the first firing was carried out.

On the basis of the decision of the Defense Committee No. 6505 of July 15, 1940, until December 1, 1940, an electromagnetic mine sweep should have been created. On October 15, 1940, the technical design of the trawl was considered, which the LKZ designers installed on the KV-2 (Object 218). The trawl has been tested, but data on test results are not available. There are rumors that a flamethrower tank was being developed on the basis of the KV-2.

The only copy of the KV-2 tank, located in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces in Moscow, has survived to this day.

LENINGRAD MONSTERS

After the end of the Finnish campaign in LKZ, they began to create new tanks of the KV series. It was then that the problem of re-equipping the tank arose in full growth, since the heavy KB had to carry a more powerful gun than the average T-34. One of the supporters of re-equipping the KB with an 85-mm gun was V.G. Grabin. In turn, S.K. Timoshenko insisted that the KB-1 be armed with a 76.2 mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1931 model, and the KV-2 with a 107 mm M-60 gun.

During numerous meetings at the highest level on May 5, 1940, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted a secret resolution on the creation of a new KV tank before the end of the year. On the basis of this decision, in June, ABTU developed and transferred to the LKZ the terms of reference and performance requirements for the new tank, which was given the designation KV-3.

At the same time, Grabin, on his own initiative, designed a new 85-mm cannon and even made its prototype. Trial firing of the new cannon, known as the F-39, was successful. In the summer, Grabin began designing the 107 mm F-42 gun. The new gun fired projectiles weighing 16.6 kg, which had an initial velocity of 680 m/s. At that time it was a magnificent gun, but no one was interested in it. Grabin recalled: “The designers of the heavy tank refused to even consider the possibility of installing a 107-mm gun on the tank. We prepared all fitting drawings in a month, and after another two months, the experimental gun was already installed on the KV-2, which was sent to us by Gorokhov and P.K. Voroshilov. For us, the spacious KV-2 turret was not the best way to test the gun. But there was no other choice, so the clumsy hulk, armed with our cannon, went to the training ground. The tests went quickly and successfully. Most of the firing was conducted by Gorokhov himself. Particularly good results were obtained by firing at the embrasure of the pillbox and at anti-tank barriers..

TANK KV-3

Even in our time, many moments in the history of the tank remain unclear and controversial. In June 1940, the Kotin SKB-2 LKZ began work on the KV-3. However, at least three or four different tanks were hidden under this designation, namely: Object 220 (often also called KV-220 or T-220), Object 222 (there is no information about Object 221), and also Object 223. Object 220 was a new super-heavy tank weighing 63 tons, with armor up to 100 mm thick. The tank could be armed with a long-barreled gun of 85 or 107 mm caliber (both guns of the Grabin system).

Object 222 (sometimes referred to as T-150) was a KV-1 with armor increased to 90 mm and equipped with a commander's cupola with a machine gun. The mass of the tank is 51 tons. Two prototypes were built (one of which may have had a chassis extended by one wheel pair), According to N.F. Shashmurin, the lead engineer of the project was L.N. Pereverzev.

The third tank - Object 223 - probably only existed on paper. It worked out the technical solutions of various units for the new tank.

On July 17, 1940, after reviewing the preliminary draft of Kotin, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted Resolution No. 1288-495-SS, in which the LKZ ordered to submit two KB tanks with 90-mm armor by November 1. One tank was to be armed with a 76.2 mm F-32 cannon, and the other with an 85 mm cannon. By December 1, two more prototypes should have been submitted, but already with 100 mm armor. By the same decree, Plant No. 92 was ordered to deliver two 85-mm tank guns to the LKZ by September 15, 1940.

Paying great attention to the development of a new tank, Kotin formed several working groups dealing with individual nodes. Leading engineer L.E. became responsible for the project as a whole. Sychev, and later this position was taken by V.P. Pavlov. The armament group was A.S. Shneidman, G.Yu. Andandonsky and F.G. Korobko. K.I. was responsible for the corps. Kuzmin, N.V. Khalikopov, V.L. Yakovlev. V.I. Tarotko, S.F. Fedorenko, E.P. Dedov, S.V. Mitskevich, N.I. Strukov, as well as Alekseev, Spiridonov and Fedorchuk. When creating the transmission, Kotin showed particular care, creating in parallel the planetary and conventional gearboxes. As it turned out later, the chief of SKB-2 had a good instinct. V.P. worked on a planetary gearbox controlled by servomechanisms. Pavlov, V.L. Sinozhersky, L.N. Pereverzev and S.M. Kasavin. The latter recalled: “Our group worked on the checkpoint. We have reached the stage of working drawings. Unfortunately, the war began and we were unable to complete the work to which we devoted a lot of effort and energy. For its time, our transmission represented a step forward, as it was distinguished by reliability and had excellent dynamics. ”

Conventional gearbox designed by L.E. Sychev and F.A. Moryshkin, collapsed during bench tests. Since the planetary gearbox was not yet ready, it was decided to install the Shashmurin gearbox on the tank. As Kasavin recalled: “The KV-3 tank (Object 220) with that gearbox successfully passed all the tests and was recommended for serial production before the war.”

It was not possible to fully resolve the issue with the weapons of the Object 220. Grabin recalled that in the spring of 1940, a group of designers of the F-39 cannon, headed by P. Muravyov, asked Kotin for details regarding the attachment of the gun. The drawings of the gun and the fighting compartment were coordinated. Grabin recalls: “Then we sent the cannon to the tank factory. Muravyov and I went there a little later. In order to determine the location of the gun in the fighting compartment and assess the conditions for the crew, the gun was installed in a full-size wooden model of the tank. The camouflage-painted layout looked very much like a real tank. Our cannon gave the layout a formidable and impressive look. We suggested installing a cannon on the KV-1 and showed a photo of the T-28 armed with our cannon: it did not help. The designers firmly stood their ground and claimed that the experimental tank had already been sent to the series.

As follows from all the materials, Kotin was strongly opposed to installing an 85-mm cannon on the KV-1, probably wanting to reserve it for the new KV-3. However, after some time, the F-39 cannon was still installed on the KV-1. Although the trial firing ended successfully, as Grabin recalled, neither ABTU nor GAU were interested in the results of the firing.

The next problem facing the creators of the KV-3 was the problem of choosing an engine. The standard V-2K, whose serial production was relatively recently organized at Plant No. 75 in Kharkov, hardly developed 600 hp, which was clearly not enough for a new tank. Therefore, by order of LKZ, a forced version of the V-2KF engine was created at the Kharkov plant, developing 850 hp. However, the V-2KF needed to be improved, and also suffered from excessive "voracity". Several copies of the new engine were delivered to the LKZ. Soon, the LKZ engine shop mastered the production of the M-40 aircraft engine with a power of 1200 hp. It was decided to create on the basis of the M-40 a tank diesel engine with sufficient power.

In November 1940, the assembly of two prototypes began, and in early December both machines were ready. December 5, 1940 at the Leningrad artillery range (NIAP) began testing the first prototype. The machine had a welded tower, composed of cast, rolled and stamped parts. In March 1941, a cast tower appeared, the production of which was entrusted to the Izhora plant, which collaborated with the Moscow Sickle and Hammer plant. Probably the second prototype was supposed to get a new tower. The KV-3 prototype passed the entire test cycle and received a positive assessment. Object 222 was also tested, but it was recognized as unsuccessful. Even boosted to 700 hp. the engine hardly pulled the bulk of 51 tons, and the old gearbox turned out to be completely untenable.

From this point on, the fate of Object 220 becomes even more confusing. Until now, the official date for the completion of official tests, as well as the adoption of the tank for service and recommendations for serial production, is still unknown. On March 15, 1941, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted a resolution "On the release of KB tanks in 1941", but there is a question of a different version of the KV-3. Paragraph 1 of the program refers to the production of 500 KV-3 tanks armed with a 76.2 mm cannon but with 90 mm thick armor. Paragraph 20 says: “To prepare the serial production of the KV-3, oblige Narkomtyazhmash, comrade. Efremov and director of LKZ comrade. Zaltsman until May 1, 1941 to release the first copy of the tank, and then, together with the NPO, until May 15, test and approve the drawings and technical requirements necessary for serial production. Since the production of 850-horsepower engines and 85-mm guns had not yet been launched by the time the decision was adopted, by a separate order, the NKTM postponed the start of production of the KV-3 to June, limiting the size of the first series to 100 vehicles.

Additional problems were caused by the intrigues of Marshal G.I. Kulik. At his request, it was decided to arm new tank 107-mm cannon, and work began on the KV-4 and KV-5 tanks, which had a mass of about 100 tons and a 107 mm caliber gun.

On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Many plans had to be radically revised. Already on June 25, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted new secret decrees "On the production of armor and KB tanks", as well as "On increasing the production of KB, T-34 and T-50 tanks, artillery tractors and tank diesel engines in the III and IV quarters ". The text of the decrees is still not known, but the logic of subsequent events suggests what was said there. Probably, it was then that it was decided to continue the production of KB-1 at LKZ, and the KV-3 (Object 220) was planned to be put into production at ChTZ from July 1. This decision was approved on July 1 by the State Defense Committee (GKO).

On July 4, 1941, one copy (KV-3 Object 220 No. 2) as a model was hastily delivered from Leningrad to ChTZ. The tank, along with full technical documentation, was transported on two 60-ton four-axle platforms (on one hull, on the other a turret with a gun). The platforms were attached to the first evacuation echelon, which was also ridden by some designers (including Spirits, Shashmurin and others). The transport arrived in Chelyabinsk on July 12, 1941.

Meanwhile, the situation at the front was taking an unfavorable turn and required the most rapid and decisive action. Preparations for the release of the KV-3 at ChTZ would take several months. While Dukhov was watching the unloading of the echelon, a new order came from the people's commissar of the tank industry V.A. Malysheva: “No KV-3! Release only KV-1!

CM. Kasavin, known to us for his objectivity, also remarks: “If the KV-3 were put into production, then we would have nothing to deliver it to the front, since the heaviest railway platforms had a carrying capacity of 55 tons. In the course of serial production, the mass of CV, which amounted to 63 tons, would have increased even more as a result of the rougher processing inherent in mass production.

Nevertheless, the KV-3 nevertheless took part in the Great Patriotic War. Already in August 1941, representatives of the LKZ were summoned to Smolny, where the headquarters of the defense of Leningrad was located. Here they received an order from Voroshilov to put on alert all the available experimental machines and prototypes located at the plant. As later recalled the head of the military-technical control department of the LKZ A.F. Shpitanov, there were about two dozen such machines at the plant. Tanks with crews were assembled as part of a special tank detachment, which was supposed to defend the Kirov region. The detachment also included the second prototype of the KV-3 (Object 220), which remained in Leningrad. The car, which was driven by the driver V.I. Ignatiev (LKZ), put in a firing position near the bridge over the Krasnenkaya River on the Peterhof Highway in the area of ​​​​the Krasnenkoe cemetery, not far from the LKZ. The task of the tank was to contain a possible enemy attack from Ligovo. According to some sources, the tank was armed with a naval 85 mm gun, other sources report that the tank was armed with an 85 mm anti-aircraft gun. We do not have any specific information about the battles on this sector of the front. It is only known that in 1951, a KV-85 tank of the 1943 model was erected on this site as a monument, which remains there to this day.

Another experimental tank, which had the inscription "For the Motherland" on board, was part of the 1st battalion of the 124th tank brigade of Colonel A.G. Homeland (the brigade was mainly equipped with KV-1 tanks with the M-17 carburetor engine). Not a single German gun could penetrate the armor of the tank, so the tank crew lost their caution and began to embark on adventures. In August 1941, an unescorted tank went into battle with the aim of occupying the bridge across the Tosno River in Ivanovskoye. Here the tank came under heavy fire. german cannon. The Germans were unable to penetrate the armor, but the shell tore off the turret. The crew died. Perhaps it was also a KV-3 tank.

SUPER-HEAVY TANK KV-4/KV-5

The development of the KB series did not stop with the advent of the KV-3. In March 1941, Marshal Grigory Ivanovich Kulik, deputy people's commissar of defense and head of the GAU, started the so-called "107 mm caliber scam."

According to the latest reports Soviet intelligence the panzerwaffe quickly switched to new tanks with thick armor and 100-mm guns (probably, this was a "misinformation" deliberately launched by the Germans); thus, all Soviet anti-tank artillery of 37-76 mm caliber became practically useless. Kulik obtained from Stalin an order to stop the production of guns of caliber less than 76.2 mm and to start production of heavier guns as soon as possible, including for tanks.

At a meeting held on April 4 and 5, 1941 in Zhdanov's office, representatives of the army and industry spoke out against the rearmament of the KB and against the creation of new models. However, the issue had already been resolved in advance and Grabin received an order to design a 107 mm tank gun. Grabin recalled: “Zhdanov asked me: - Comrade Grabin, when can you give a gun? “Within forty-five days,” I replied. There was a laugh. Everyone laughed, including Zhdanov. But I insisted that the project be set at 45 days, which was difficult for me, but completely unrealistic for a heavy tank.”

The decision of the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on this issue was adopted on April 6, 1941. The People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry received an order that also applied to the LKZ: in accordance with the tactical, technical and characteristics approved by the NPO and the GABTU, design a super-heavy KV-4 tank with an extended chassis, 125-130 mm thick armor and a 107 mm ZiS-6 gun. The completed technical project should have been submitted before June 15, 1941, and the first prototype should have been ready by September 1.

In addition, SKB-2 was instructed to create a project for another super-heavy KV-5 tank. The tank was supposed to have armor 150-170 mm thick, an engine with a capacity of 1200 hp, and a width of no more than 420 cm. The mass of the tank reached 100 tons! By August 1, the project and layout should have been submitted, and by September 1, the documentation should have been completed. By October 10, Izhora Plant was obliged to deliver the hull and turret of the new gun to the LKZ.

The head of the LKZ engine department was instructed to develop a diesel engine with a capacity of 1200 l.s. based on aircraft engines M-40 and M-50. The Kharkov Diesel Plant received a similar task. In turn, they demanded from Grabin a new 107-mm ZiS-6 tank gun, which had an initial projectile velocity of 800 m / s, and was compatible in terms of ammunition with the M-60 field gun of the same caliber.

Only Grabin coped with the task. Using the nodes of the F-39 and F-42 guns, he quickly created the ZiS-6 gun. On May 14, 1941, a day ahead of schedule, the new gun installed on the KV-2 fired its first shot. To facilitate the work of the loader, who had to fire very heavy shots, the gun was equipped with a mechanical rammer. Factory tests of the ZiS-6 passed without any complaints, and subsequent field tests only confirmed the combat effectiveness of the gun. At the end of May, at the Novoe Sormovo plant, they began to prepare for the serial production of a new gun. The first serial copies were handed over to the military selection committee on June 23, 1941.

Grabin writes: “The release of the ZiS-6 grew day by day, but there was still no new tank for which the gun was intended. Even after the start of the war, the Kirov Plant did not deliver us a single new tank. The lack of a tank forced us to limit production, and then completely stop production. It is difficult and embarrassing to write about this: in those days when everything that could shoot, even museum exhibits, was sent to the front, about 800 artillery barrels were sent to the open-hearth shop for remelting.

Returning to the super-heavy KB tanks, we can say that Kotin did not seem to have any intention of creating the KV-4. In May-June, SKB-2 held an internal competition for a preliminary design of the KV-4 tank (according to the internal nomenclature Object 224). Until July 15, 1941, 21 projects were submitted. The first place was taken by Spirits, the second - by Shashmurin, the third - by Kasavin. All three projects assumed a tank weight of 80-100 tons, armament 1x107 and 1x45, 4-5 machine guns and a flamethrower, armor 125-130 mm, M-40 engine with a power of 1200 hp.

It can be assumed that the KV-5 project (Object 225), developed in parallel, was supposed to be implemented using technical solutions found during the competition. First of all, it was planned to use the projects of experienced designers, including I.V. Tsoyts. Kotin accepted the first drawings of technical documentation on June 22, 1941. On this day, the drawings of some tank units were signed. On July 31, the preliminary design was approved by the designer Sakharov, the chief designer S.V. Mitskevich, group leader K.I. Kuzmin, senior machine engineer N.V. Zeitz. On August 22, the chief designer of the LKZ approved the drawings of the hull and turret. Probably, at the Izhora plant, they began to manufacture the turret and hull, but the work soon had to be interrupted. Leningrad was under the threat of encirclement, and most of LKZ workers were evacuated to Chelyabinsk.

Thus ended the story of the creation of the Leningrad monsters. Here it would be appropriate to mention the first Soviet heavy tank of the IS series, work on which also began in 1940. It was supposed to arm the tank with a 152.4-mm cannon and several machine guns, while the mass of the tank was estimated at 105 tons. The thickness of the hull armor would reach 100 mm, and the tower - 110 mm. In the design of the tank chassis, it was planned to use suspension parts of the KB tank and a modified V-2 diesel engine with an increased number of cylinders. In order to reduce the length of the hull, the transmission of the original design was supposed to be placed vertically in the stern of the tank.

During the war, there was no way to engage in the production of such giants, in addition, Stalin categorically forbade designers to design new tanks. All efforts were concentrated on the improvement and technological simplification of existing models. But immediately after the war, Kotin continued his interrupted work and designed the super-heavy tank IS-7.

DEVICE KV-1

The general scheme of the KV-1 tank was traditional. The main components of the tank were the hull (which contained the main mechanisms of the tank and two crew members), the turret (with a cannon and places for three tankers), the undercarriage and attachments.

The hull was assembled from flat rolled homogeneous armor plates, interconnected by welding. Only a few body parts were bent. Machines of some series had reinforced frontal armor. For tanks produced before the middle of 1941, the forehead and sides of the hull were 75 mm thick, and the bottom and roof were made of sheets 40-30 mm thick. Later, the frontal (and partly side) armor was increased to 105 mm.

The tower was originally made from rolled armor plates, connected by welding. The thickness of the armor did not exceed 75 mm (only in the mask area did the thickness reach 90 mm). Later, the thickness of the walls of the tower was reinforced with screens up to 95 mm (and even up to 120 mm). Then the production of towers welded from armor plates of increased thickness was launched.

The internal volume of the hull (width 1850 mm, height 1100 mm) was divided into four parts: control post, fighting compartment, engine compartment, transmission compartment.

Control post

The control post was located in the bow of the hull. Cylinders with compressed air were placed along the frontal armor, designed for emergency starting of the engine. The tank controls were also located there: the main clutch pedal, gas pedal, gear lever (scene), steering clutch control levers, instrumentation and electrical equipment (speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, temperature gauge in the cooling system, ammeter and voltmeter, etc.). In addition, there were places for the driver and gunner-radio operator, as well as a DT course machine gun in a ball mount (firing sector 30 degrees, declination / elevation angle -5 + 15 degrees) and a 71-TK-3 radio station. Above the driver's seat there was a hatch, which was used by both the driver himself and the radio operator gunner. This hatch had exactly the same design as the hatch on the tower and above the transmission. Near the place of the gunner-radio operator were four batteries 6-STE-144 (12 V, 144 Ah each, 24 V 244 Ah in total). On board hung a rack for spare drums for a DT machine gun and one spare machine gun.

In the center of the frontal armor plate there was a driver's viewing device, which was closed with an armored cover. The observation slot was closed with a block of armored glass (triplex). A little to the right, a fixed periscope was displayed through the roof. To the right of the driver's seat in the bottom was an emergency hatch through which the crew could leave the tank under enemy fire.

fighting compartment

The fighting compartment was located in the central part of the body. From above, the fighting compartment was covered by a tower. The diameter of the base of the tower was 1530 mm. Two fuel tanks were located along one port, a fuel and oil tank along the other. Through the roof of the hull, filling necks were displayed, and through the bottom - drain pipes.

The turret contained weapons (a cannon and two machine guns), folding seats for the crew, optical equipment, and part of the ammunition load. In the turret, the seats were occupied by the tank commander (simultaneously acting as a loader), a gunner (or, using the terminology of that time, a turret gunner), as well as a junior driver who serviced the machine gun in the rear niche of the turret, helped the tank commander load the gun and, if necessary, change driver mechanic.

The turret contained a 76.2 mm cannon and 2-3 DT machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber. The gun was mounted in front of the tower in a closed mask. One DT machine gun was paired with the cannon, which was located to the right of the cannon. To the left at the base of the tower was a mechanism for rotating the tower, which had a manual and electric drive. The rotation of the tower was carried out by an electric motor MB-20 with a power of 1350 watts. The rotation mechanism had three speeds. At the fastest speed, the tower turned 10-12 degrees per second (later only 5 degrees), that is, the tower made a full revolution in 70 seconds. The gunner could rotate the turret with the help of a flywheel located at the left hand.

Another turret machine gun was mounted in a ball mount in the rear niche. The installation provided a horizontal sector of fire of 30 degrees and a declination / elevation angle of -15 + 15 degrees. To the left and right of the machine gun on the wall were racks with spare machine gun drums.

The third DT machine gun with a special P-40 sight could be installed on the roof of the tower near the hatch to protect the tank from enemy aircraft. This machine gun was not installed on every tank in 1941-1942.

Along the sides of the niche were placed grips for several shots of "first" readiness. The rest of the ammunition was stored along the sides of the hull, as well as in 44 containers of two shells on the floor of the fighting compartment. From above, the containers were covered with rubber mats.

The sides of the tower had viewing slots covered with triplex tabs. Under the cracks were placed round loopholes, closed with plugs.

On the roof of the tower there was an exhaust hole, closed with an armored cap. Later, the hood was equipped with a fan, thanks to which the hood worked more efficiently. Optical instruments were covered with armored caps from the outside. The tank was equipped with a PT-1 or PT-6 (later PT-4-7 or PT-4-17) periscope sight with an illuminated scale. The sights had a reticle in 200 m increments, calibrated to 3600 m for armor-piercing ammunition, up to 2100 m for high-explosive fragmentation ammunition and up to 1000 m for a coaxial machine gun. Telescopic sight TOD-6 (later 9T-7, 10T-7 and 10T-43) or improved TMF (TMFD, TMFD-7 and TMFT) had a 2.5-fold increase. Side view was provided by fixed periscopes and viewing slots.

The commander / loader observed the battlefield through the PTK observation periscope (modified PT-4-7), which had a 2.5-fold increase and a field of view of 26 degrees, an onboard periscope and a viewing slot.

The junior driver could observe the battlefield through a machine gun sight, as well as through two fixed rear-facing periscopes.

Fixed periscopes on the roof of the tower did not provide all-round visibility.

Inside the tower, in front of the right wall, there was a switchboard and a TPU intercom telephone. On the left was the TPU gunner. The electrical wiring in the tower was connected to the onboard network using a special rotating contact.

The prototypes and the first production tanks were armed with a 76.2 mm L-11 gun of the 1939 model, which had a barrel length of 30.5 calibers. The gun had a semi-automatic vertical wedge-shaped lock. The recoil device was located above the muzzle. The angle of declination / elevation is -7 + 25 degrees, the practical rate of fire is 6-8 rounds per minute, the sight is calibrated to 3600 m, the theoretical range is 12000 m, the initial velocity of the projectile is 612-630 m / s.

From the middle of 1940, the tank received a 76.2 mm F-32 gun of the 1940 model. The gun had the same barrel length (30.5 caliber) and a similar lock, but the recoil device was located under the barrel (hydraulic recoil device on the right, hydropneumatic knurler on the left). The declination angle was reduced to -5 degrees. The ammunition is standard, the muzzle velocity is slightly higher than that of the L-11.

In 1941, another 76.2 mm ZiS-5 gun of the 1941 model appeared. The barrel length of the ZiS-5 was 41.5 calibers, and the muzzle velocity of the projectile was 662-680 m/s. Declination / elevation angles like the F-32. During the war, instead of the ZiS-5, the KV-1 tanks were sometimes equipped with the F-34 gun, which was not much different from it.

All three types of guns used the same standard ammunition (ballistics given for ZiS-5/F-34):

Armor-piercing BR-350A (weight 6.30 kg) with a tracer and a small bursting charge (0.15 kg). Fuse MD-5. Initial speed 662 m/s. At distances of 100, 500 and 1000 m, the projectile pierced armor with a thickness of 70, 65 and 54 mm, respectively.

High-explosive fragmentation OF-350 (weight 6.20 kg), explosive charge weight 0.64 kg, double-acting KTM-1 fuse, muzzle velocity 680 m/s.

Shrapnel Sh-350A filled with T-6 bullets.

Cumulative BP-353A (weight 3.94 kg, muzzle velocity 325 m/s). At distances up to 1000 m, the projectile pierced armor 75 mm thick.

Sub-caliber EP-350P (weight 3.02 kg, muzzle velocity 940 m/s). At a distance of 100 m, it pierced armor 90-100 mm thick, but at long distances its effectiveness coincided with a conventional armor-piercing projectile.

Engine department

Behind the fighting compartment was the engine compartment. A thin steel fire bulkhead ran between the compartments. At the bottom of the compartment, on a special metal frame, was a V-2 K diesel engine with a rated power of 550 hp. at 1950 rpm, operating power 500 hp at 1900 rpm and a maximum power of 600 hp. at 2000 rpm. The engine had a 100-hour warranty, but in combat conditions it was necessary to repair more often. To the left and right of the engine were radiators of the cooling system and oil coolers. The roof of the engine compartment was bolted. The roof had an access hatch, two air intakes covered with a mesh and adjustable shutters, a hatch for the cooling system neck, and two exhaust pipes.

transmission compartment

At the rear of the hull was the transmission compartment, also fenced off by a bulkhead. There was a fan of the engine cooling system (attached to the diesel flywheel) and the main clutch. The gearbox was on a frame at the bottom of the compartment. From above, two SMT-4628 electric starters with a capacity of 6 hp were attached to the box. (later they were replaced by one 15-oil starter). The gearbox provided 5 gears forward and one reverse, had no synchronization. Gear ratios: 1st (low) gear 4.86, 1st gear 2.6, 2nd gear 1.6, 3rd gear 1.05, 4th gear 0.584, reverse gear 3.24. With the engine operating mode, the tank developed the following speed: 1st (lower) gear 3.7 km / h, 1st gear 6.8 km / h, 2nd gear 11.2 km / h, 3rd gear 16 .9 km/h, 4th gear 30.4 km/h, reverse 5.5 km/h. From the gearbox, the torque was transmitted through two multi-disk dry clutches with floating belt brakes to the onboard planetary gears. Gear housings were attached to the side of the hull. The gearbox, as well as the final drive housings, had filler and drain holes, which were closed with screws. At the stern there was a large "pocket" - the air intake of the transmission compartment, taken by the net. The bulkheads had doors that provided the driver with access to the engine and transmission.

Chassis

The design of the undercarriage provided the heavy tank with sufficient mobility and the ability to move off-road, on different soils (soft, hard, sandy, marshy), in deep snow. No less important was the ability of the tank to overcome natural and artificial obstacles.

The undercarriage consisted of two main components: the caterpillar mechanism and the suspension. The tank rested on 12 road wheels (six on each side) rolling along the tracks. The caterpillars rotated with the help of drive gears at the stern of the tank. The tension of the tracks was provided by guide wheels equipped with a tension mechanism. For the KV-1, twin road wheels with a diameter of 590 mm and a width of 2x110 mm were developed. If on lighter tanks the track rollers had a rubber band, which played the role of a shock absorber and reduced noise, then on KB, where the specific pressure on the roller reached 200 kg / sq. cm, it was not possible to use rubber bands. To solve the problem, the designers created rather complex rollers that had an internal shock absorber. Such rollers were not only more technologically advanced, but also material-saving.

After the start of the war, due to a sharp increase in production, as well as due to a shortage of imported rubber, instead of rollers with internal shock absorption, all-metal cast rollers with a diameter of 600 mm began to be installed on tanks. There were several options for rollers that differed from each other in the pattern of reinforcing ribs.

The support rollers of pre-war tanks had a rubber bandage, after the start of the war they were replaced with all-metal cast ones.

The all-metal tracks of the KB tank had an unusual width for that time of 700 mm with a pitch of 163 mm. Each caterpillar consisted of single-pin tracks with one central ridge passing between the halves of the track roller and preventing the caterpillar from slipping. The large width of the tracks, combined with a significant long bearing part, led to an unusually low ground pressure for such a heavy tank - only 0.7 kg / sq. cm. Thanks to this, KB tanks could pass where lighter tanks got stuck. A suspension was developed specifically for the tank. Each track roller was independently suspended on a pendulum to its own torsion bar laid across the bottom of the tank. The torsion bar suspension had its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, the torsion bars were well protected, on the other hand, they occupied valuable internal volume of the tank and were very difficult to change. The travel of the road wheels was about 300 mm, which softened the movement over potholes well and ensured smooth movement.

Additional and attachments

Almost all equipment was located outside the tank. These were: electric lamps (running searchlight, stern brake light), klaxon.

Tanks of the pre-war series were quite fully equipped with various tools, which were stored in four capacious boxes located on the wings. Tanks of the military series were equipped with poorer ones, respectively, the number of tool boxes was reduced to two, installing hinged fuel tanks in the vacated places. On the wings were also thick steel towing cables, tightly attached at one end to the towing earrings on the frontal armor. The second end of the cables was fixed on board. In addition, entrenching tools (shovels, picks, crowbars, etc.), as well as spare tracked tracks, were attached to the wings. It should be noted that official documents did not regulate the composition of attachments, as well as the layout of its placement. In parts, each crew equipped their tank in accordance with the needs and capabilities of the moment.

GENERAL ASSESSMENT OF TANKS KV

The KB tank was undoubtedly one of the best tanks of the 2nd World War, having no equal until the beginning of 1942. Thick armor made the vehicle virtually invulnerable, and the cannon made it possible to effectively deal with any enemy armored vehicles. However, the design of the tank suffered from numerous shortcomings, which all together had a noticeable effect on the combat value of individual vehicles and tank units.

Despite the excellent ballistics of the ZiS-5 / F-34 cannon, its combat capabilities were not fully used due to rather primitive sights. Observation devices were even more primitive, which, moreover, did not provide a circular view. Although the turret was spacious enough to accommodate three crew members (tank commander and gunner positions were 680 mm wide, a size unheard of in European tanks), the overall layout of the turret was ill-conceived, and the duties of the tankers were poorly divided. The tank commander, in addition to his main tasks, had to play the role of a loader and maintain a machine gun coaxial with a cannon. The tank commander's seat did not have all-round visibility, which made it difficult to select a target. Only the KB-1s tank was the first to receive a commander's cupola. The third crew member (junior driver) during the battle had no other duties except for the maintenance of the stern machine gun, which was used extremely rarely. When firing from a cannon, his seat had to be folded, and the driver himself had to stand behind the back of the tank commander, which made it difficult for the latter to act.

But the main drawback of the KB tank was an insufficiently powerful engine and an unreliable transmission. The gearbox was the real Achilles' heel of the tank. The problem was solved only at the end of 1942, when the KB-1s appeared. But by that time, the armament of the tank no longer met the new requirements of the battlefield, which ultimately forced Soviet designers to create a completely new heavy tank.

The gearbox had gears with straight teeth, there was no synchronization. As a result, it was very difficult to change gears, and disabling all clutches did little to help. As a result, the driver tried to shift gears as little as possible. On a bad road, the tank moved in second gear, and on the highway - in third. Obviously, this led to an overload of the transmission elements: shafts burst, bearings crumbled, teeth broke. Most often burned third gear. To this should be added a chronic shortage of spare parts, as well as frequent marriage (once a whole series of tanks received gearboxes in which the gears were mistakenly made of steel of a different grade).

The controls required enormous physical effort from the driver, the tanker quickly got tired (it was this circumstance that forced the inclusion of another driver in the crew). Final drives did not allow accurate control of a multi-ton tank, the minimum turning radius was 9.5 m. The onboard clutches often overheated and failed. Similar shortcomings were noted in the operation of the main clutch, especially if the driver did not have much experience in driving KV tanks.

Another serious drawback of the tank's design is the small number of hatches. Probably, their number was reduced in order to give the armor more strength. But in practice, this turned out to be an inconvenience for the crew. The tankers who were in the tower had the worst of all, since there was only one rather narrow hatch for three people. It was almost impossible to leave the car quickly (for example, in case of fire).

Despite all these shortcomings, in the first year of the war, the KB tank earned recognition not only from the enemy, but also from the allies. The tank was demonstrated to various foreign delegations, and in 1942, on the orders of Stalin, one KB was handed over to the British and Americans.

The British tested the tank at the Bovington test site, the results of which were compiled by an extensive report. The tank is currently on display at the Tank Museum.

The Americans also tested the tank at their own Aberdeen Proving Ground. A piece was cut from the armor of the tank for laboratory examination. For the same purpose, the tank was partially dismantled. The tank is currently in the collection of the Aberdeen Proving Ground Tank Museum.

PROJECT AND ARMOR COMPETITION

Before the start of the war, the Red Army was feverishly rearming. Rearmament also took place in the tank troops. On January 1, 1940, there were 196 tanks in all tank units, but by June 22, the combat units of the Red Army already had 639 KV tanks. There were 508 tanks in the western military districts. It should be noted that at that time not a single army in the world had such powerful tanks, not to mention the number of such vehicles. According to the staffing table, the mechanized corps was supposed to have 126 heavy KB tanks, 63 tanks in each tank division. In divisions, heavy tanks were either assembled in one tank battalion for each regiment, thereby forming a powerful armored fist (31 tanks - three companies of 10 vehicles each, plus the tank of the battalion commander), or they were distributed one company to each tank battalion. In the summer of 1941, due to widespread retreat and heavy losses, the formation of small tank units began: separate battalions and brigades, which included small units of heavy tanks (usually companies of 5-7 vehicles). Larger pieces were rare. Only in the second half of 1942 did they again begin to form large units: separate regiments and brigades of heavy tanks.

As the experience of the very first battles of June 1941 showed, KB tanks outnumbered all types of German tanks and were practically invulnerable to the fire of enemy tank and anti-tank guns. The KB tanks often demonstrated their superiority in the most convincing way. Here is an example. In August 1941, the forces of the Army Group North advanced on Leningrad. On August 19, in the Krasnogvardeisky (Gatchina) area, on the approaches to the city, the Germans were met by five KV-1s from the company of Senior Lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov. This company was the main force of the 1st Panzer Division of General V.N. Baranov. The company commander put his tank between the houses of the Voiskovitsy state farm, securing a view in the direction of a narrow highway that passed through a swampy meadow and was lost in a nearby forest. Nearby, four other vehicles were camouflaged, commanded by Lieutenants Fedor Sergeev, Maxim Evdokimenko, Degtyar and Lastochkin.

As soon as the tankers had time to disguise their vehicles, a "frame" (reconnaissance Heinkel) appeared. The German circled over the positions and flew away. German motorcyclists appeared from the forest. They moved cautiously, stopping every few hundred meters, now and then watering the roadside bushes with machine guns. The Soviet tanks were silent. Kolobaiov decided to let the scouts through, expecting a more worthy target. We didn't have to wait long. A German tank drove out of the forest, followed by another, the tenth: a whole column. At least forty cars, Kolobanov estimated.

German tanks - mostly PzKpfw II and PzKpfw III - moved slowly. All the hatches were open, the tankers sat on the armor, buttons unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up. They did not expect danger, as they were sure that the enemy had long since left the area. Kolobanov waited until the entire column emerged from the forest. Looking through the scope, one might have thought that the German tanks were at arm's length. Only after letting the enemy point blank did the senior lieutenant give the order to open fire. The crew (gunner Andrei Usov, driver Nikolai Nikiforov, gunner-radio operator Pavel Kiselkov, loader Nikolai Rodinkov) carried out the command. KB was beaten for sure, using their invulnerability.

The first shot rang out. Usov did not disappoint - with the first shot he set fire to the lead car. With the next shot, Usov knocked out the last tank of the column. The Germans were pinned down and could not maneuver. They returned fire, but the 37 and 50 mm rounds ricocheted off the armor of the Soviet tank, sparking. Some German tanks tried to turn off the road, but immediately got stuck in the mud. Now gunner-radio operator Kiselkov stepped into action, who mowed down German tankers from a machine gun, who were trying to get out of burning and bogged down vehicles. Flames and black smoke billowed into the sky. During the battle, Kolobanov's crew burned 22 German tanks. Other crews also distinguished themselves under Voiskovitsy. The crew of Sergeev knocked out 8 enemy tanks, and the crew of Lieutenant Evdokimov - 5 (the lieutenant himself died in this battle). Lastochkin and Degtyar burned 4 cars each.

The only gun capable of penetrating the armor of the KB was the German 88 mm Flak 36 anti-aircraft gun. G. Penezhko recalled the last battle of the units of the 34th tank brigade of the 8th mechanized corps near Dubno: “Vasiliev leads three heavy KV tanks in the center of the formation. His car goes first, followed by a tank with the division flag. I look through the periscope and see fountains of earth and German tanks. Wherever I turn the periscope, I see German tanks everywhere. They took us in a semicircle from north to south. The division commander commands "Forward!" and his tank, breaking formation, pulls ahead. Sparks are pouring from the turret and sides of the commander's tank. Shell after shell hits the tank, but I fly away! from him as from the wall of peas. One of the German tanks was in the way of Vasiliev. He did not even waste a shell, but simply rammed an enemy vehicle. The tower of the German flew off his shoulder straps. Vasiliev's tank is ahead again. The colonel opens the hatch and sticks his head out, giving us commands with flags. Suddenly, sparks are pouring from the tower to the left and right almost simultaneously. The tank loses speed and stops. Flames suddenly burst from the open hatch. I do not believe the optics of the periscope, I open the hatch and look into my eyes. KB is on, no one is shown from the hatch. Suddenly, a tank lights up, moving next to the standard-bearing tank. What happened? Why did the tank suddenly catch fire? I turn the periscope to the side of Vasiliev's tank. Several long barreled cannons are visible on the hill near the village. "Anti-aircraft guns!" - thought flickers. Here are just some of the guns that could penetrate the armor of the KB!

In the second half of 1941, the Germans were forced to use almost all of their 88-mm anti-aircraft guns to fight the Soviet KB and T-34 tanks, since the Luftwaffe aircraft dominated the air. A new ammunition was adopted: the Panzergranate 40 sub-caliber shot, capable of penetrating very thick armor.

Describing the battles of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade near the village of Skirmanovo, during the Battle of Moscow, Mikhail Katukov recalled: “Among other trophies were two heavy guns. Their shields had the silhouette of a KB tank and the inscription "Shoot only at KB!". The shells of these guns had unusual shape. Outside, the projectile was made of soft metal, and an unusually hard core was placed inside it: It was with these shells, which were later called sub-caliber, that the Germans pierced the armor of our KVs. We sent the captured gun along with ammunition to Moscow, to the Main Artillery Directorate, and the new sights found on German tanks to the Main Armored Directorate.

In addition to development sub-caliber shells the Germans were looking for other means of dealing with Soviet tanks. Known order of the German command, signed during the battle of Moscow: “The fact that the enemy is using heavy tanks, against which our tanks are powerless, makes us look for a way out of this situation. The fight against Soviet heavy tanks is now the task of all types of artillery without exception. Every German soldier who damages a Soviet tank will receive a reward, and every German soldier who knocks out a 24-ton tank (T-34) will receive an eight-day vacation. For the destruction of a 52-ton tank (KV-2), a fourteen-day vacation is prescribed..

In order for field artillery to successfully fight KB tanks, cumulative ammunition was developed for the guns. For the first time, cumulative ammunition was used during the Spanish Civil War, but then their capabilities were underestimated. Until December 1941, Hitler did not allow the use of cumulative shells, wanting to keep a military secret. However, under the influence of a severe defeat near Moscow, on December 22, the Fuhrer still had to give permission. The Chief of Staff of the OKH, Colonel General Halder wrote in his diary under the date December 28, 1941: Army Group Center. On the southern flank, the attack of enemy tanks, even heavy ones. HEAT Ammunition now uses forward units. Thanks to them, the prospect of our defense looks promising.”

The use of new ammunition by the Germans led to the fact that by the beginning of 1942, the KB had lost its former superiority and popularity among the soldiers. Disturbing news began to come from the front. From the units they signaled that the maneuverability and maneuverability of the tanks had noticeably fallen. The maximum speed was considered insufficient. Complaints were received from parts about poor build quality, frequent accidents and breakdowns. Some complaints were taken into account. When it turned out that the tank units were suffering significant losses from German aircraft, the thickness of the turret roof was increased on the tanks. The bottom of the tank was also reinforced to protect the crew from explosions of anti-tank mines. Tanks began to receive 7-ton cast towers with thickened armor. As a result, by the beginning of 1942, the mass of serial tanks reached almost 50 tons, which led to an increase in engine, transmission and chassis breakdowns. But, despite all efforts, until recently impenetrable armor now did not protect the tank from German artillery.

Examining the situation at the front, representatives of the General Staff reported on the use by the enemy of new means of fighting tanks. On June 8, 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Strogiy reported to the General Staff that during the fighting on May 8-11 on the Kerch Peninsula (where units of the Red Army tried unsuccessfully and with heavy losses for themselves to counterattack), the Germans used new ammunition that penetrated the frontal armor of the KV. Strict wrote: "I believe that the ability to penetrate the armor of the KB, the Germans only recently appeared."

Organizational problems also came to light. Since the autumn of 1941, separate parts of the KV tanks did not exist. Tank units had a mixed composition: light, medium and heavy tanks different types. General Rotmistrov was critical of this practice: “The difficulty was that while moving on the roads, medium and light tanks developed approximately the same speed, but off-road, light tanks quickly lagged behind. The heavy tanks were also constantly lagging behind, and what was worse, bridges often collapsed under the heavy tanks, making it impossible for the entire unit to move. In conditions of maneuverable combat, only T-34 medium tanks usually had to act, since it was very difficult for light tanks to fight enemy tanks, and heavy KB remained in the rear. In addition, in combat, it is extremely difficult to coordinate the actions of mixed companies, since KB, T-34 and T-60 were equipped with different types of radio stations.

Already in the middle of 1942, the commanders of many units reported on similar experiences gained during the fighting.

Ivan Yakubovsky writes: “I remember a conversation about our armored vehicles with Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov. It was at the end of April 1942 in a camp near Kazan. Regarding our KB, I told Voroshilov that this machine was probably not finished enough and causes a lot of trouble on the battlefield because of its unreliability.

Katukov, who took command of one of the first newly formed tank corps, recalled: “I entered the office after Stalin. Shaking my hand, the Commander-in-Chief said:

- Sit down, smoke: Tell me in order, how are you doing, how does your corps operate at the front, how do our tanks show themselves?

I spoke about the latest events on the Bryansk front, about the actions of infantry and tanks. Stalin, pacing around the office, asked a new question:

- What do you think, are our tanks good or not? Just answer honestly, without evasion,

I replied that the T-34 lived up to all the hopes placed on it and proved its worth in combat. But the heavy KB tanks - the soldiers do not like them.

- Why? Stalin asked.

- KB, Comrade Stalin, are too heavy, which means clumsy. Obstacles are hard to overcome. They often damage bridges and, in general, cause a lot of trouble. Their armament is the same as that of the "thirty-four" - a 76-mm cannon. And the question arises: why is it better than a medium tank? If KB had been armed with a more powerful cannon, then everything would have looked different. Then it would still be possible to put up with its severity and other design flaws.

However, opposite opinions were also expressed. For example, Colonel Ivan Vovchenko, commander of the 3rd Guards Brigade of Heavy Tanks of the 1st Tank Corps of General Rotmistrov, after examining his KB, made in the spring of 1942 by Zh.Ya. Kotin and I.Yu. Trashutin, said: “In the hands of experienced tankers, the KB tank goes through marches and battles for 5000 engine hours. Tanks without repair pass three thousand kilometers. this is almost three times more than the values ​​provided for by operating standards. On these tanks, without repair, you can get to Berlin - this is the best tank in the world! So report to Moscow - I said to the designers at parting.

The Commander-in-Chief listened attentively without interrupting. When I expressed my opinion about all the tanks that were in our arsenal, silence reigned. Then Stalin began to convince me that my dislike for heavy tanks was unfounded, that they were good vehicles, and that the soldiers simply could not appreciate them. Listening to Stalin, I realized that he wanted to understand exactly the strengths and weaknesses of our tanks.

I backed up my words with several examples, confirming that KB did not live up to the hopes placed on them. And asked again:

- Let the designers arm the tanks with a heavier gun, then they will be able to help us a lot.

From the fact that Stalin so thoroughly asked me the tactical and technical merits of our tanks, it was easy to guess that his questions were directly related to the unsuccessful battles of the summer of 1942. Stalin tried to find the reason for the failure.”

The day after the start of the war with Germany, the director of the LKZ I. Zaltsman and the chief designer Zh.Ya. Kotin were summoned to Moscow for a meeting of the Politburo and the Council of People's Commissars, dedicated to the production of tanks in war conditions. The meeting began on June 24, 1941 and lasted two days. June 25 decided to increase the production of tanks. The decision was formulated in two decrees: "On the production of steel armor and KB tanks" and "On increasing the production of KB, T-34 and T-50 tanks, artillery tractors and tank engines in the II and III quarters of 1941." In accordance with the adopted resolutions, LKZ was supposed to increase the production of KV tanks as soon as possible. In view of the proximity of Leningrad to the border and the possibility of losing the city, it was also decided to organize the production of tanks in the Urals at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. On the same day, Zaltsman and Kotin flew to Chelyabinsk on a special plane piloted by the famous Grizodubova.

The Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ) was built in the early 30s and produced caterpillar tractors (the so-called "Stalinists", modeled after the American Caterpillar "a), which could be used both in the national economy and in the army. From the very At the beginning it was assumed that over time the plant would also master the production of tanks.In 1940, in accordance with the strategic plans for duplicating the Leningrad plants in the Urals, it was decided that ChTZ would start producing KV tanks.

Decree of the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks No. 1073-421-SS of June 19, 1940 identified organizational problems and set deadlines. The resolution read: “In the third quarter of this year, the Izhora plant will send 5 hulls and KV towers to ChTZ. One of these kits should be handed over to factory No. 78 in the Urals, where the production of hulls and turrets for KB is being organized. LKZ was supposed to transfer to ChTZ ten complete sets of technical documentation for KB tanks, as well as the necessary spare parts for assembling experimental tanks in Chelyabinsk. By the end of the year, it was planned to build 5 KB tanks of the installation series at ChTZ, but in reality it was not possible to assemble a single vehicle. The assembly of the first tank began only on December 31, 1940, and ended on January 10, 1941. By this time, the construction of an assembly shop for heavy tanks had just begun.

As we remember, a few days before the start of the war, it was decided to re-profile ChTZ, starting the production of KV-3 tanks there. However, the war changed all plans, and the plant continued to produce KV-1 tanks.

In July, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant named after. I.V. Stalin, trains began to arrive with various equipment and machine tools, as well as people evacuated from territories threatened by occupation. In September, significant production capacities of the LKZ were evacuated to Chelyabinsk, as well as almost the entire Plant No. 75 sh of Kharkov, which produced V-2 diesels.

On October 6, 1941, People's Commissar for the Tank Industry V.A. Malyshev named the resulting industrial complex the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ). The management of the complex was entrusted to I. Zaltsman, who at the same time served as deputy people's commissar of the tank industry. Makhonin was the chief engineer, and Kozin was the party organizer. Of course, Zh.Ya. was appointed to the position of chief designer. Kotin. The complex received all-Union fame as Tankograd.

By October 1941, steelmakers had mastered the production of steel armor in 185-ton open-hearth furnaces. By that time, a rolling mill evacuated from Mariupol was launched, for which a separate workshop was built. Ural plant of heavy engineering S. Ordzhonikidze (Uralmash) in Sverdlovsk mastered the production of hulls, turrets and road wheels for tanks of various types, including the KV.

On October 22, 1941, ChTZ gave the first KB tanks, assembled mainly from parts delivered from Leningrad. Tankograd began to breathe and, despite numerous difficulties, began to increase the production of tanks.

The design of the tank was simplified as much as possible. Despite this, the production of heavy tanks was not easy. First of all, there were no engines. The diesel engines evacuated from Kharkov quickly ran out, and the production of new ones has not yet been established. At the suggestion of A.F. Shpitanov, it was decided to produce a series of one hundred tanks with M-17 carburetor engines, previously installed on the T-28. Such engines were delivered to Chelyabinsk along with other property evacuated from Leningrad. "Modernized" in this way, the KB tanks were part of several tank brigades and participated in the battle of Moscow. According to the factory archive, 511 KB tanks were assembled at ChKZ by the end of 1941. Military series vehicles differed from pre-war tanks. A simplified design, rough finish and other technological features led to the fact that the mass of the tank sometimes reached 50 tons.

By the beginning of 1942, Tankograd was unable to reach the desired level of production. In August 1942, without slowing down, the plant ceased production of the KB-1 and switched to the production of the KB-1c. According to official figures, 2553 KB-1 and KV-1s tanks were built in 1942. The production of tanks increased, and the design was simplified, so the cost of the tank dropped noticeably. If in 1941 the price of one KB was 635,000 rubles, then in 1942 KB cost the state 295,000 rubles, and in 1943 the price dropped to 225,000 rubles.

It should be noted that in the summer of 1942, when the Germans approached Stalingrad, the production of T-34 tanks was transferred from the Stalingrad Tractor Plant to ChKZ. In Chelyabinsk, KB-34 was formed, headed by L.E. Sychev. Tankograd produced the first T-34s in August 1942. In April 1944, the production of thirty-fours at ChKZ was curtailed, in total Tankograd gave the front 5094 medium tanks. KB-34 made several important changes to the design of the T-34, which were approved by the Main Design Bureau in Nizhny Tagil. Some of the technical solutions proposed for the T-34 were also applied to the KV.

In March 1943, ChKZ began producing self-propelled guns SU-152. The release of all modifications of the KB was stopped in September-October 1943 in connection with the deployment of the production of a new heavy tank IS, as well as the ISU self-propelled gun created on its basis.

1942 - A YEAR OF SEARCH

At the end of 1941, after serial production of KB tanks was launched in the Urals, the designers from SKB-2 began to create promising modifications, trying to improve the two main characteristics of the tank: insufficient armament and poor maneuverability. As a result of searches in 1942, many options appeared, of which only a few were adopted and put into production.

Heavy tank KV-6/KV-7

One of the first models with enhanced armament and armor was not a tank, but a heavy self-propelled gun. Not having a heavier gun, the designers wanted to increase the firepower of the vehicle at any cost. Therefore, it was decided to double and even triple the number of gun barrels. The main designer of the self-propelled gun was G.N. Moskvin, the weapons group consisted of L.I. Gorlitsky and N.V. Kurin from the artillery department of the Uralmash plant. The project as a whole was supervised by L.E. Sychev. The first version of the KV-6 (Object 226) was armed with one 76.2-mm ZiS-5 cannon and two 45-mm cannons of the 1938 model, mounted on the sides of the main gun in one mask. This gun system was named "Uralmash" U-13. Cannons could be fired in one gulp or one at a time. Declination / elevation angle -5 + 15 degrees, firing sector 7.5 degrees. The ammunition load for the 76.2 mm gun was 93 rounds, and for the 45 mm guns - 100 rounds per barrel. Additional armament consisted of three 7.62 mm DT machine guns. The course machine gun in a ball mount was in the frontal armor, like a serial tank. The second machine gun was located on the rear wall of the superstructure, and the third - in a rotating commander's cupola on the roof of the cabin. Ammunition for machine guns was 3590 rounds. The mass of the tank was 45 tons, the crew was 6 people.

The second version of the machine was called KV-7 (Object 227). It differed from the KV-6 in that it was armed with two 76.2 mm ZiS-5 guns (U-14 mount). Ammunition was 150 shots.

Work on self-propelled guns began in November 1941, and on December 29 the assembly of both prototypes was completed, and the vehicles were sent to Moscow (along with the KV-8 tank). In Moscow, the prototypes were examined by K.E. Voroshilov, head of the GABTU Yu. Fedorenko, head of the GAU N.N. Ravens and other dignitaries. The firing ended unsatisfactorily. Stalin, who was informed of the results, asked the question: “Why three guns? Let it be one, but good! The leader's disapproval meant the end of the project. Nevertheless, already in March 1942, Gorlitsky developed a project for a heavy self-propelled gun U-18, which was a KV-7 control system armed with a 152-mm ML-20 howitzer. In parallel, work was underway on the SU U-19, armed with a 203-mm howitzer.

Heavy tank KV-8

The fate of another project developed at the same time, the KV-8 flamethrower tank (Object 228) armed with an ATO-41 flamethrower of the I.A. Aristov. The piston-action flamethrower was mounted in the turret next to the gun. Since a conventional cannon did not fit next to a flamethrower, instead of the ZiS-5, the tank received a 45-mm cannon of the 1938 model. The barrel of the gun was closed with a false barrel imitating the 76.2 mm caliber. Ammunition for the gun was 88 shots. Additional armament of the tank consisted of four machine guns (including one anti-aircraft gun) with 3400 rounds of ammunition.

After the shot, the flamethrower was charged automatically, since the ignition mixture was under a pressure of 4.0-4.5 kg / sq. cm). At the time of the shot, the mixture was ignited by an electric candle. The ignition mixture (60% fuel oil and 40% kerosene) was stored in a tank with a capacity of 960 liters, which was enough for 92 shots (about 10 liters per shot). The interval between two shots from a flamethrower was 3-10 seconds. The range is 60-65 m, and when using a mixture of a special composition - up to 90-100 m.

The KV-8 tank, together with the KV-6 / KV-7 self-propelled guns, was delivered in December 1941 to Moscow. Unlike self-propelled guns, the tank passed the test and was put into service. In 1942, 42 of these tanks were produced, which were armed with several companies in separate battalions of flamethrower tanks (the rest of the companies were equipped with OT-34 flamethrower tanks based on the T-34).

Heavy tank KV-9

The KV-9 tank was the fruit of another attempt to strengthen the armament of the tank. The Goritsky Design Bureau chose the U-11 122-mm howitzer as a weapon, a variant of the common 122-mm M-30 howitzer of the 1938 model. Work on the tank began in November 1941 (Object 229) in cooperation with Uralmash. The tank prototype was approved and recommended for mass production. They released a limited edition of 10 cars. As conceived by the designers, it was supposed to be a universal tank capable of fighting both fortifications and enemy tanks. The mass of the tank was 47 tons, the crew was reduced to 4 people. The thickness of the frontal armor was increased to 135 mm, and the thickness of the roof of the cast tower reached 40 mm. The declination/elevation angle was -4+19.5 degrees. The tank was equipped with a TMFD telescopic sight and a periscope sight. Ammunition 48 shots of separate loading. Ammunition for 3 machine guns 2646 rounds.

Special modifications of KV-1

For serial KV-1 tanks, special devices were developed that could improve the combat value of the tank. The KV-1K tank (Object 230?) was created, which was a conventional KV-1, on the wings of which there were guides for RS-82 missiles. Two missiles were placed in boxes, installed two on each wing. Missiles could be launched while the tank was moving.

The KB-12 tank (Object 232), equipped with tanks for chemical reagents, was created in a similar way. The tank could be used to set up smoke screens, as well as to spray combat agents. The weight of the tank has increased by 3 tons. Chief designer S.F. Fedorenko called this tank a "chemical tank".

Tank KV-13 (Object 233 and 234)

In April 1942, the team, headed directly by Kotin, began to create a new tank "with a medium mass, but heavy parameters", which became known as the KV-13 (Object 233 or 234). Some called the KV-13 "universal tank" and even "main line tank", but these names appeared much later. The tactical and technical requirements for the tank were formulated at the beginning of 1942 at the GABTU, N.V. Zeitz. After the sudden death of Zeitz in July 1942, the project was headed by N.F. Shashmurin.

Many components for the KB-13 were redesigned, primarily for the transmission). The tank was lighter and smaller, which made it possible to optimize the configuration of the hull, the armor thickness of which in some places reached 120 mm. One prototype designers A.S. Ermolaev and A. Blagonravov equipped with an experimental planetary turning device, for which they later received government awards.

In total, several prototypes were built, differing in the undercarriage (some had KB tracks installed, on others - T-34 tracks), turrets (Object 233 received a new turret, but with the old ZiS-5 cannon, and Object 234 received the turret of the KV-9 tank with 122 mm D-9 howitzer).

All variants of the KB-13 were distinguished by their high speed and thick armor (most of the parts were cast). The armament remained the same. Work on the KV-13 went almost in parallel with work on the KB-1s. Shashmurin, who was an opponent of the KV-13 project, recalled: “We did a trial run of about 50 km. Route: Chelyabinsk-Kopeysk and back. Road: bumpy, not paved. Crew: N.F. Shashmurin is a deputy chief designer, Kovsh is a driving master, Rozov is a representative of the military selection committee. Kovsh was driving in one direction. The tank went well, only cracks appeared on a pair of road wheels. Back I myself led the tank, trying to move at top speed. We returned to the factory with the road wheels completely destroyed. A scandal broke out, I had serious troubles. But the fate of the KV-13 was not decided in his favor.

Some of the technical solutions tested on the KV-13 were later used in the design of the IS heavy tank.

"Thinner" KV-1s and its fate

In the spring of 1942, the Red Army carried out several offensive operations (near Kharkov and Voronezh, on the Kerch Peninsula). In all cases, the offensive failed and resulted in heavy losses. Attention was drawn to the heavy losses among the KB tanks, which until recently unconditionally dominated the battlefield. In June 1942, a special meeting of the GKO was held, in which representatives of industry and designers took part. During the meeting, the KV tank was also discussed. As V.G. recalled, Grabin and the famous aircraft designer A.S. Yakovlev, “many speakers demanded to reduce the weight of the tank. Stalin summarized: the tank is too heavy, many bridges cannot withstand its mass, it is necessary to move around, which leads to a lot of time. It is unacceptable. We do not need such a tank. It should reduce its weight. If this is not possible, withdraw from service.

Based on the GKO order of June 5, 1942, main task designers began to reduce the mass of the tank, while increasing its maneuverability and reliability. The only way to complete the task was to radically lighten the tank's armor. On tanks of some series, the thickness of the frontal armor was reduced to 75 mm. Reduced the size of the body (primarily height) and changed its configuration. A new cast lightweight turret was created, which had a rational layout (the tank commander's seat was moved to the rear left corner of the turret, where the commander's turret was first installed. However, there was no hatch in the commander's turret, as a result of which three tankers had to climb and leave the tower through one narrow hatch. The armament of the tank remained the same.

Work on the KB-1s was led by N.L. Spirits, but the actual chief designer was N.F. Shashmurin, who designed a new four-speed gearbox with a demultiplier that doubled the number of speeds. The gearbox radically improved the driving performance of the tank, and most importantly, the reliability of the new gearbox was an order of magnitude higher than the old one. In addition, the design of the main clutch has changed, the engine cooling system has been improved. Lighter track rollers were installed on the tank, as well as lighter narrower tracks. With the help of such radical measures, the mass of the tank was reduced by 5 tons, and the maximum speed was increased from the theoretical 34 km/h to the practical 43 km/h. In addition, many technological changes were made to the design of the KB-1c, aimed at saving scarce grades of steel and imported materials, as well as simplifying the release of the tank.

In mid-July 1942, successful testing of the first prototypes of the KV-lc tank (s - high-speed) began. On August 20, 1942, the KV-1s was put into service. By that time, the tank had proved its ability to cover the required distance without an accident. But the tests continued. As P.K., responsible for testing, reported. Voroshilov, in the period from June 28 to August 26, 1942, car No. 15002 (the second prototype of three 15001-15003) traveled 2027 km. Comparative tests were carried out with the participation of two serial KB (no. 10033 and 1102). Serial production of KB-1s tanks continued at ChKZ from August 1942 to September 1943, a total of 1106 vehicles were produced. The KB-1c was produced in several modifications, including the modification of the KV-8s flamethrower tank, as well as the SU-152 self-propelled gun. Based on the KB-1s, several experimental samples were created, including the KV-85 tank, which was even produced in a limited series.

Simultaneously with the adoption of a new modification of the heavy tank, the reorganization of tank units began. They began to form separate regiments of heavy tanks, numbering 21 KV tanks each. The regiments were in the reserve of the Supreme High Command, they reinforced individual formations for the duration of operations. The KB-1s tanks were baptized by fire near Stalingrad, and then participated in the Battle of Kursk. During the 400-km forced march, the 5th Tank Army near Prokhorovka, KB-1s proved to be even more reliable than T-34s. But the meeting near Prokhorovka with the German "tigers" and "panthers" clearly showed that the tank needed not only a new gearbox, but also a new gun.

Heavy tank KV-8s

The KV-8s tank was a modification of the KV-8 flamethrower tank based on the KV-lc tank. The mass of the tank is 43 tons. Armament: 45 mm cannon and improved ATO-42 flamethrower. The machine gun coaxial with the cannon was removed, and the crew was increased to 5 people. Ammunition for the gun 114 rounds, for machine guns 3000 rounds. The capacity of the tank for the incendiary mixture was reduced to 600 liters, which was enough for 60 shots. In 1943, a small series of 25 such machines was produced, which were used in some of the final operations of the Great Patriotic War. There is information that in 1945 five KB-8s tanks were handed over to the Polish officer school of tank troops.

Attempts to strengthen the armament of the KB tank were made back in December 1941, when L.I. Gorlitsky at Uralmash developed the U-12-KV-1 project, armed with an anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model of the year (52-K). For unknown reasons, the project was not implemented in metal. The next attempt was made only in 1943. At the end of 1942, V. G. Grabin, acting chief designer of the Central Artillery Design Bureau (TsAKB) in Moscow, designed a new S-31 tank gun of 85 mm caliber. The S-31 gun was a modification of the S-18 gun, which was mounted on SU-85 self-propelled guns. The gun was installed in a standard KB-1s turret after minimal modification. The crew was reduced to 4 people. Tests in Kubinka (tank No. 30751-51, Object 231) showed that two people were not enough to service the gun, in addition, it turned out that the new gun was still "raw". As a result, the tank was not accepted into service.

Heavy tank KV-85 (Object 239)

The third attempt to strengthen the armament of the KB-1s tank was more successful. This time, the gun was installed in a new turret with a larger base diameter, for which the shoulder strap bearing had to be slightly altered. The tower was intended for the still unfinished IS tank. An 85-mm gun D-5T-85 of the F.F. system was installed in the tower. Petrov (Artillery Plant No. 9, Sverdlovsk). By that time, the gun had passed all the tests and was put into service in August 1943. The gun had a 52-caliber barrel and a semi-automatic vertical wedge-shaped lock. Rate of fire up to 8 rounds per minute. The standard ammunition for the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model was suitable for the gun; armor-piercing - weight 9.2 kg, initial speed 792 m / s; high-explosive fragmentation - weight 9.5 kg, initial speed 795 m / s, range 3800 m, maximum range 13600 m. Compared to the serial KB-1s, the thickness of the hull armor was reduced to 75 mm, the cutting of the armor plates has changed. The gunner-radio operator was expelled from the crew, in his place was placed part of the ammunition and an additional fuel tank. The course machine gun was rigidly fixed. The machine gun was serviced by a driver, the trigger button was mounted in the right control lever. The radio station was moved to the tower to the place of the tank commander.

The KV-85 tank was adopted as a transitional type. Release began in September 1943. A series of 130 (according to other sources 148) pieces was released. Tanks were equipped with several separate tank regiments. Nothing is known about the combat use of the KV-85. Several machines fell into the hands of the Nazis, who tested them at the Kummersdorf training ground in late 1943 - early 1944. A photo and description of the KV-85 appeared in the Panzer-Erkennungstafel 1. Uebersichtstafel der wichtigsten Panzerfahrzeuge in Sovietrussland (Anlage zu H.Div.469/2a) identification table, published on February 1, 1944.

Two copies of the KV-85 have survived to this day. The KV-lc prototype with the S-31 cannon is in the collection of the tank museum in Kubinka, and the KV-85 stands as a monument in St. Petersburg.

Heavy tank KV-122

Trying to further increase the firepower of the KV-85 tank, Dukhov suggested arming the vehicle with a 100-mm S-34 cannon of the Grabin system, and then settled on a 122-mm D-25T cannon of the Petrov system. This was the last attempt to modernize the obsolete tank. An IS-2 tank turret with a 122-mm gun was installed on the KV-85 chassis. Although, in principle, such an alteration did not cause any problems, the project was rejected, since the IS-2 had already been put into production.

PERFORMANCE AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KV-1 TANK

Cars of the first series.

Weight 43.5-44 tons, crew 5 people. Dimensions: length 668-675 cm, width 332-335 cm, height 271 cm, ground clearance 44-45 cm.

Armament: 1 76.2 mm cannon (first L-11 model 1939, then F-32 model 1940), coaxial with a DT machine gun. The tower rotated 360 degrees (manual and electric drive, rotation speed 10-12 degrees / s), declination / elevation angle -7 + 25 degrees. Two DT machine guns (forward and in the rear wall of the tower). Ammunition 111 shots of 7.62 mm caliber, 3024 cartridges (48 drums) for machine guns, 26 F-1 hand grenades.

Optics: TOD-6 telescopic sight (later 9T-7, 10T-7 or 10T-43), PT-6 periscope sight, 1 PT-K tank commander's survey sight, 5 fixed periscopes, 3 observation slits.

The armor is welded and riveted from rolled plates and cast parts. Armor thickness: forehead and sides of the hull 75 mm, stern 60-75 mm, roof 30 mm, bottom 40 mm. The tower is welded: the mantlet of the gun is 90 mm, the forehead, sides and rear wall are 75 mm, the roof is 40 mm. Cast tower: forehead, sides and rear wall 95 mm.

Engine: four-stroke, 12-cylinder, V-shaped V-2K liquid-cooled diesel engine. cylinder diameter 150 mm, piston stroke 180-187 mm, compression ratio 15-15.8, volume 38880 cm3, maximum power 600 hp. at 2000 rpm Fuel: diesel fuel, fuel tank capacity 600-615 liters, fuel consumption 195-200 liters per 100 km on the highway, and 320 liters per 100 km on rough terrain. Transmission: main clutch dry, multi-plate. The gearbox is mechanical, 5 gears forward and 1 reverse. Steering: onboard clutches with band brakes. Final drives of planetary type. Chassis: 6 pairs of dual road wheels (in 1941, rollers with internal shock absorption were replaced with cast all-metal rollers), independently suspended on pendulums to torsion bars. 3 pairs of double support rollers. Driving wheels at the back, guides at the front. Caterpillars are all-metal, single-pin, single-ridge, width 700 mm, pitch 163 mm, reference length 441-460 cm, gauge 260-263 cm. Wiring: single-core, 24 V. Communication: radio station 71-TK-3, internal telephone TPU-4. Specific power 13.8-13.6 hp / t, maximum speed on the highway 35 km / h, cruising range on the highway 225-250 km, cross-country up to 150 km, turning radius 9.5 m. specific ground pressure 0.7 kg / sq. cm, slope up to 36 degrees, ditch 280 cm, wall 120 cm, ford 160 cm.

Late series cars had thicker armor and other weapons. Weight 47.5 tons (tanks with a reinforced cast turret and a reinforced hull weighed up to 50 tons). Total length 690 cm. Armament: 76.2 mm ZiS-5 (F-34) gun model 1941 and 3-4 DT machine guns. Declination/elevation angle -5:+25 deg. The standard armament of the crew included one PPSh. The speed of rotation of the tower is 5 degrees / s. Ammunition: 114 rounds of 76.2 mm caliber, 300 rounds for PPSh. Optics: in principle the same, but new sights were used: periscope PT-4-7 or PT-4-13 and telescopic TMF (TMFD, TMFD-TMFP). Armor: forehead and partially sides 95-105 mm, turret (cast) 95 mm (according to German data, reinforced armor for some tanks produced in 1942 had a thickness of 120 mm). Communication: radio station, internal telephone TPU-4bis. Driving performance: specific power of 12.6 hp / t and less, speed did not exceed 28 km / h. Specific ground pressure 0.8 kg/sq.cm.

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KV-2 TANK

Weight 52 (54) tons, crew 6 people.

Dimensions: full length 680 (702) cm, body length 675 cm, width 332 (335) cm, height 325-328 (345) cm, ground clearance 43 (40) cm.

Armament: 152-mm howitzer M-10S model 1940, coaxial machine gun DT. Declination/elevation angle -5:+12 deg. The tower drive is manual and electric, the maximum rotation speed is 10 degrees / s. 2 DT machine guns (one forward, the other in the rear wall of the tower). Ammunition 36 rounds of 152 mm caliber, 2475-3087 (3402) rounds, F-1 grenades.

Optics: telescopic sight T-5 or TOD-9, 2 periscope sights PT-5 or PT-9 and PTK, 5 fixed periscopes, 3 viewing slots.

Armor: welded and partially riveted from rolled and cast parts. Thickness: forehead and sides of the hull 75 mm, rear hull 60-75 mm, roof 30 mm, bottom 40 mm, gun mantlet up to 110 mm, forehead, sides and rear wall of the turret 75 mm, roof 35 mm.

Engine: V-2K diesel. Transmission, chassis, electrical equipment, communications as in KV-1. Specific power 11.5 hp / t, maximum speed 32-35 km / h, cruising range on the highway 225 km, cross-country up to 150 km. Specific ground pressure 0.84 kg/sq.cm.

(The material was prepared for the site "Wars of the XX century" © http: //site on the book "Tornado. Army series. KV is a Soviet heavy tank.When copying an article, please do not forget to link to the source page of the Wars of the XX Century website).

". In addition, this tank is a turning point and an important milestone in the development of domestic tank building, and the world too. The KV became a stage in the development of the famous Leningrad school of tank building, which throughout its history has created many excellent vehicles. Many of the design solutions used on modifications of the KV tank were applied in later Soviet vehicles.

The history of the creation of the KV tank began at the end of 1938 with a decree of the USSR Defense Committee, which prescribed design bureau Leningrad Kirov Plant to start creating a heavy tank, with anti-ballistic armor and powerful weapons. The Kirov Plant was not the only enterprise that worked on the creation of a heavy tank for the Red Army. In the same Leningrad, plant No. 185 received a similar task. In general, it should be noted that at that time the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bbuilding a powerful tank with anti-shell armor was in the air, and the leadership of the USSR perfectly understood the need to create such a machine.

In the middle and at the end of the 30s, multi-turreted tanks were "in vogue". It was believed that by installing many towers on a tank, one could seriously increase its combat power. According to this scheme, the T-28 and T-35 were mass-produced in the USSR, the PzKpfw NbFz V was created in Germany, and the Vickers “Independent” was created in England. This share has not passed and promising heavy tanks. Initially, the future KV was supposed to be made according to a multi-tower scheme and install three towers. This tank at the drawing stage was called SMK (S.M. Kirov). At the same time, a group of young specialists working at the Kirov Plant created a heavy single-turret tank with a diesel engine on the basis of the SKM. The tank turned out to be very successful and at the end of 1939 was adopted by the Red Army. The new car received the proud name of KV (Klim Voroshilov).

Tank characteristics

The Soviet KV-1 tank had a classic layout. The control compartment was at the front of the vehicle, followed by the fighting compartment, then the engine compartment and the transmission compartment. The crew of the KV-1 tank consisted of five people: tank commander, driver, gunner, loader and machine gunner.

The hull of the tank consisted of rolled armor, the thickness of which reached 75 mm. The tank was armed with a 76 mm cannon. Initially, the L-11 gun was installed on the machine, then the F-32, and after several months of the war, the ZIS-5 gun. The tank also had several machine guns: coaxial, course and stern. On some machines, an anti-aircraft machine gun was also installed. KV-1 had a diesel engine with a power of 600 hp. The mass of the tank was 47.5 tons. Below are brief technical characteristics of the tank.

common data
Crew, people		5
Length, mm		6675
Width, mm		3320
Height, mm		2710
Clearance, mm		450
Reservation / angle of inclination, mm / hail:
forehead of the body (top sheet)		75/30
hull side		75/0
feed (top sheet)		60/50
forehead of the tower		75/20
gun mask		90
Speed, km/h:
road average		25
Maximum		34
Power reserve, km		225
Armament
gun		cannon L-11/F-32/F-34
Caliber, mm		76
Ammunition, shells L-11 / F-32, ZiS-5,		111/114
machine guns		DT
Quantity, pcs		4
Power point
Engine		diesel V-2K, V-shaped
Number of cylinders		12
Power, hp		600
Fuel used		diesel DT, gas oil grade "E"
Tank capacity, l:		600-615
Transmission
Main clutch	multi-disk, dry
Gearbox
Type		three-way, with a transverse shaft arrangement
Number of gears, forward / backward		5/1

Immediately after the creation of the KV-1 tank was supposed to go to the test, but it turned out differently. It was at this time that the Soviet-Finnish war began and the car was sent to the front instead of a training ground. Together with the KV, the T-100 and SMK were sent to the Karelian Isthmus. As part of the 20th tank brigade, experimental vehicles entered the battle and took part in the assault on the Mannerheim Line. The QMS was blown up by a landmine, and the KV showed its best side and received laudatory reviews. True, it turned out that the 76-mm gun was not suitable for destroying long-term fortifications.

In 1941, they planned to produce several hundred units of the KV-1, as well as the KV-2 (a tank with a 152-mm howitzer mounted on it) and the KV-3 tank, which had even thicker armor and more weight. Drawings of even heavier machines appeared. The assembly of HF took place at several factories. At the same time, no one was involved in the refinement weaknesses KV-1, and there were enough of them: an unsuccessful gearbox, an unusable air filter, poor visibility from the tank. Well, gigantomania and the pursuit of quantity at the expense of quality will play a cruel joke on Soviet gunsmiths more than once.

Tank KV-1 in the Great Patriotic War

A fairly large number of KV-1 tanks were in service with units of the western districts, so these vehicles entered the battle from the very first day of the war. The Russian tank caused a real shock to the Nazis, the Wehrmacht had nothing similar at that time. Not a single German anti-tank gun took the armor of the Russian KV-1, not a single German tank could do anything with the Russian giant. Only an 88-mm anti-aircraft gun, which the Nazis often used as an anti-tank gun, could cope with the KV-1.

At the end of 41, the main assembly of KV tanks was transferred to the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant.

But most of the losses of these tanks at the beginning of the war were precisely due to breakdowns and malfunctions. Crews simply abandoned their tanks and left. The weak points of the KV-1 were in the first place: the poor quality of components and assemblies, poor visibility from the tank, an unsuccessful gearbox, and especially a lot of complaints about the air filter. Tankers often could not get to the battlefield. But even more depressing was the picture of the training of tank crews. The tankers had practically no experience in driving their tanks.

Well-trained tankers, who knew the characteristics of their vehicle, performed real feats on them. So, for example, a tank company (5 vehicles) of Lieutenant Kolobanov destroyed 22 enemy tanks in an hour without suffering any losses. Russian tankers on the KV often simply crushed German tanks, and there are many descriptions of such feats, both in Soviet and German documents.

Disadvantages of the tank and attempts to eliminate them

But if we talk about the shortcomings of the KV-1 tank, then the main one is not the engine or the air filter. This tank was simply not needed. At the beginning of the war, he had no worthy opponents. Not a single German anti-tank gun or tank penetrated his armor, but they also did not take the armor of the T-34. And a howitzer or an 88-mm anti-aircraft gun easily disabled both tanks. Both the KV and T-34 were armed with the same 76-mm guns, but the "thirty-four" was more mobile, and it was cheaper. The KV-1 tank is a huge slow tank that moved over rough terrain not much faster than a pedestrian, so it was easier to hit it than the T-34.

So it was until 43, when the Germans began to mass-produce "Tigers" and "Panthers". At this point, the KV-1 tank was instantly obsolete. The long-barreled guns of the German tanks pierced the armor of the KV at such distances that the gun of the latter did not threaten the enemy. You can also add that the KV tank was able to "kill" any road, few bridges could withstand the weight of this giant.

In 1942, the KV-1S (high-speed) was released. It was made in the same way. On this tank, armor protection was reduced, thereby reducing the weight of the vehicle, and some of the problems of the KV-1 were eliminated. The undercarriage of the car was improved, visibility was improved, there were fewer problems with the gearbox. The speed characteristics of the tank have become better. In 1943, another modification of the tank saw the light - the KV-85, armed with an 85-mm cannon. But they managed to release this car only in a small series (less than 150 pieces) and it did not play an important role in the history of the war.

Video about KV-1

In the period from 1940 to 1944, 4775 KV tanks of various modifications were produced. These machines played an important role, especially in the initial phase of the war. Unfortunately, this tank went into production without eliminating the defects that were identified at the stage of factory tests. In the war, these shortcomings had to be paid with blood. On the basis of the KV tank, a heavy IS tank was created, which became a more advanced machine and could withstand the German Tigers and Panthers on equal terms.

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Soviet heavy tank of World War II. Usually called simply "KV": the tank was created under this name, and only later, after the appearance of the KV-2 tank, the KV of the first sample retrospectively received a digital index. Produced from August 1939 to August 1942. Participated in the war with Finland and the Great Patriotic War.

History of creation

The need to develop and create a heavy tank carrying anti-cannon armor was well understood in the USSR. Based on domestic military theory, such tanks were simply necessary to break through the enemy’s front and ensure a breakthrough or overcome fortified areas. Most of the armies of the developed countries of the world had their own theories and practices of overcoming the powerful fortified positions of the enemy; experience in this matter was acquired during the First World War. Such modern fortified lines as, for example, the Maginot Line or the Mannerheim Line were considered even theoretically impregnable. There was even an erroneous opinion that the KV tank was created during the Finnish campaign specifically to break through the Finnish long-term fortifications (the Mannerheim line). In fact, the tank began to be created at the end of 1938, when it became completely clear that the concept of a multi-turreted heavy tank like the T-35 was a dead end. It was obvious that having a large number of towers was not an advantage. And the gigantic dimensions of the tank only make it heavier and do not allow the use of sufficiently thick armor. The initiator of the design of the tank was the head of the ABTU of the Red Army commander D. G. Pavlov.

At the end of the 1930s, attempts were made to create a tank of reduced (compared to the T-35) size, but with thicker armor. However, the designers did not dare to completely abandon the use of several towers: it was assumed that one gun would fight infantry and suppress firing points, and the second must be anti-tank - to fight armored vehicles.

The new tanks designed under this concept (SMK and T-100) were double-turreted, armed with 76 mm and 45 mm guns. And only as an experiment, they also created a smaller version of the QMS - with one tower. Due to this, the length of the machine was reduced (by two road wheels), which had a positive effect on the dynamic characteristics. Unlike its predecessor, the KV (as the experimental tank was called) was equipped with a diesel engine. The first copy of the tank was built at the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ) in August 1939. Initially, the chief designer of the tank was A. S. Ermolaev, then - N. L. Dukhov.

On November 30, 1939, the Soviet-Finnish war began. The military did not miss the chance to put the new heavy tanks to the test. The day before the start of the war (November 29, 1939), the SMK, T-100 and KV were sent to the front. They were handed over to the 20th heavy tank brigade armed with T-28 medium tanks.

The KV tank took its first battle on December 17 during the breakthrough of the Khottinensky fortified area of ​​the Mannerheim line.

KV crew in the first battle:

Lieutenant Kachekhin (commander)
-AND. Golovachev military engineer 2nd rank (driver)
- Lieutenant Polyakov (gunner)
-TO. Ladle (driver, tester of the Kirov plant)
-BUT. I. Estratov (mechanic / loader, tester of the Kirov plant)
-P. I. Vasiliev (transmission operator / radio operator, tester at the Kirov Plant)
The tank passed the battle test with honor: not a single enemy anti-tank gun could hit it. The military was upset only by the fact that the 76-mm L-11 gun was not strong enough to deal with pillboxes. For this purpose, a new KV-2 tank, armed with a 152-mm howitzer, had to be designed.

On the recommendation of the GABTU, by a joint resolution of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of December 19, 1939 (already a day after the tests), the KV tank was put into service. As for the SMK and T-100 tanks, they also showed themselves quite well (however, the SMK was blown up by a mine at the very beginning of hostilities), but they were never accepted into service, since they were equipped with higher firepower less thick armor, had significant size and weight, as well as worse dynamic characteristics.

Production

Serial production of KV tanks started in February 1940 at the Kirov Plant. In accordance with the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks dated June 19, 1940, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ) was also ordered to begin production of KV. On December 31, 1940, the first KV was built at ChTZ. At the same time, the plant started the construction of a special building for the assembly of HF.

In 1941, it was planned to produce 1200 KV tanks of all modifications. Of these, at the Kirov Plant - 1000 pcs. (400 KV-1, 100 KV-2, 500 KV-3) and another 200 KV-1 at ChTZ. However, only a few tanks were built at ChTZ before the start of the war. In total, 243 KV-1 and KV-2 were produced in 1940 (including 104 KV-2), and in the first half of 1941 - 393 (including 100 KV-2).

After the start of the war and the mobilization of industry, the production of tanks at the Kirov plant increased significantly. The production of KV tanks was given priority, so the Leningrad Izhora and Metal Plants, as well as other plants, joined the production of many components and assemblies for heavy tanks.

But already starting from July 1941, the evacuation of the LKZ to Chelyabinsk began. The plant is located on the territory of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. On October 6, 1941, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant was renamed the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant of the People's Commissariat of Tank Industry. This plant, which received the unofficial name "Tankograd", became the main manufacturer of heavy tanks and self-propelled guns during the Great Patriotic War.

Despite the difficulties associated with the evacuation and deployment of the plant in a new location, in the second half of 1941, the front received 933 KV tanks, in 1942, 2553 of them were already produced (including KV-1s and KV-8).

In addition, in besieged Leningrad, at factory No. 371 in 1942, at least 67 more KV-1s armed with both F-32 and ZIS-5 guns were built from unused backlogs of hulls and turrets and units supplied from ChKZ. Since these machines were only for the needs of the Leningrad Front, cut off from " big land”, then they were not included in the reports of the GABTU. The total production of KV tanks, therefore, today can be estimated at 3539 tanks.

tank design

For 1940, the serial KV-1 was a truly innovative design that embodied the most advanced ideas of that time: an individual torsion bar suspension, reliable bulletproof armor, a diesel engine and one powerful universal gun in a classic layout. Although individually solutions from this set were quite often implemented earlier on other foreign and domestic tanks, the KV-1 was the first combat vehicle to embody their combination. Some experts consider the KV tank to be a milestone in world tank building, which had a significant impact on the design of subsequent heavy tanks in other countries. The classic layout on a serial Soviet heavy tank was used for the first time, which allowed the KV-1 to obtain the highest level of security and a large modernization potential within this concept in comparison with the previous serial model of the T-35 heavy tank and experimental SMK and T-100 vehicles (all - multi-tower type). The basis of the classic layout is the division of the armored hull from bow to stern into the control compartment, the fighting compartment and the engine-transmission compartment. The driver and gunner-radio operator were located in the control compartment, three other crew members were placed in the fighting compartment, which combined the middle part of the armored hull and the turret. The gun, ammunition for it and part of the fuel tanks were also located there. The engine and transmission were equipped in the stern of the machine.

Armored corps and turret

The armored hull of the tank was welded from rolled armor plates 75, 40, 30 and 20 mm thick. Equal-strength armor protection (armor plates with a thickness other than 75 mm were used only for horizontal armor of the vehicle), anti-cannon. The armor plates of the frontal part of the machine were mounted at rational angles of inclination. The serial KV tower was produced in three versions: cast, welded with a rectangular niche and welded with a rounded niche. The thickness of the armor for welded turrets was 75 mm, for cast ones - 95 mm, since cast armor was less durable. In 1941, the welded turrets and side armor plates of some tanks were additionally reinforced - 25-mm armor screens were bolted onto them, and there was an air gap between the main armor and the screen, that is, this version of the KV-1 actually received spaced armor. It is not entirely clear why this was done. The Germans began to create heavy tanks only in 1941 (a heavy tank in the German theory of blitzkrieg did not find its application), therefore, for 1941, even the standard KV-1 armor was, in principle, redundant (KV armor was not affected by regular 37-mm and 50-mm anti-tank guns Wehrmacht, but still could be pierced by 88-mm, 105-mm and 150-mm guns). Some sources erroneously indicate that the tanks were produced with rolled armor 100 mm or more thick - in fact, this figure corresponds to the sum of the thickness of the tank's main armor and screens.

The decision to install "screens" was made at the end of June 1941, after the first reports of losses from German anti-aircraft guns, but already in August this program was discontinued, since the chassis could not withstand the mass of the vehicle, which increased to 50 tons. This problem was later partially solved by the installation of reinforced cast road wheels. Shielded tanks were operated on the North-Western and Leningrad fronts.

The frontal part of the turret with an embrasure for the gun, formed by the intersection of four spheres, was cast separately and welded with the rest of the turret armor. The gun mask was a cylindrical segment of bent rolled armor plates and had three holes - for a cannon, a coaxial machine gun and a sight. The tower was mounted on a shoulder strap with a diameter of 1535 mm in the armored roof of the fighting compartment and was fixed with grips to avoid stalling in case of a strong roll or capsizing of the tank. The shoulder strap of the tower was marked in thousandths for firing from closed positions.

The driver was located in the center in front of the armored hull of the tank, to the left of him was workplace arrow-radio operator. Three crew members were housed in the turret: the gunner and loader's jobs were equipped to the left of the gun, and the tank commander's to the right. The landing and exit of the crew was carried out through two round hatches: one in the tower above the workplace of the commander and one on the roof of the hull above the workplace of the gunner-radio operator. The hull was also equipped with a bottom hatch for emergency evacuation by the crew of the tank and a number of hatches, hatches and technological openings for loading ammunition, access to fuel tank fillers, other units and assemblies of the vehicle.

Armament

On the tanks of the first issues, the L-11 cannon of 76.2 mm caliber was equipped with 111 rounds of ammunition (according to other information - 135 or 116). It is interesting that the original project also provided for a 45 mm 20K cannon paired with it, although the armor penetration of the 76 mm L-11 tank gun was practically in no way inferior to the anti-tank 20K. Apparently, strong stereotypes about the need to have a 45 mm anti-tank gun along with a 76 mm were explained by its higher rate of fire and large ammunition load. But already on the prototype, aimed at the Karelian Isthmus, the 45-mm cannon was dismantled and a DT-29 machine gun was installed instead. Subsequently, the L-11 cannon was replaced with a 76-mm F-32 gun with similar ballistics, and in the fall of 1941, with a ZIS-5 gun with a longer barrel length of 41.6 calibers.

The ZIS-5 gun was mounted on trunnions in the turret and was fully balanced. The turret itself with the ZIS-5 gun was also balanced: its center of mass was located on the geometric axis of rotation. The ZIS-5 gun had vertical aiming angles from -5 to +25 degrees, with a fixed position of the tower, it could be aimed in a small sector of horizontal aiming (the so-called "jewelry" aiming). The shot was carried out by means of a manual mechanical descent.

The ammunition load of the gun was 111 rounds of unitary loading. The shots were stacked in the turret and along both sides of the fighting compartment.

Three 7.62-mm DT-29 machine guns were mounted on the KV-1 tank: coaxial with a gun, as well as course and stern in ball mounts. Ammunition for all diesel engines was 2772 rounds. These machine guns were mounted in such a way that, if necessary, they could be removed from the mounts and used outside the tank. Also, for self-defense, the crew had several F-1 hand grenades and was sometimes equipped with a pistol for firing flares. On every fifth KV, an anti-aircraft turret for diesel fuel was installed, however, in practice, anti-aircraft machine guns were rarely installed.

Engine

The KV-1 was equipped with a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder V-2K diesel engine with a capacity of 500 hp. from. (382 kW) at 1800 rpm, subsequently, due to a general increase in the mass of the tank after the installation of heavier cast towers, screens and the elimination of shavings from the edges of the armor plates, the engine power was increased to 600 hp. from. (441 kW). The engine was started by a ST-700 starter with a capacity of 15 liters. from. (11 kW) or compressed air from two tanks with a capacity of 5 liters in the fighting compartment of the vehicle. The KV-1 had a dense layout, in which the main fuel tanks with a volume of 600-615 liters were located both in the combat and in the engine compartment. In the second half of 1941, due to the shortage of V-2K diesel engines, which were produced at that time only at plant No. 12-cylinder carburetor engines M-17T with a capacity of 500 liters. from. In the spring of 1942, a decree was issued on the conversion of all KV-1 tanks with M-17T engines back into service with V-2K diesel engines - the evacuated plant No. 75 set up their production in sufficient quantities at a new location.

Transmission

The KV-1 tank was equipped with a mechanical transmission, which included:

Multi-disc main friction clutch of dry friction "steel according to Ferodo";
- five-speed tractor-type gearbox;
-two multi-plate friction clutches with "steel on steel" friction;
-two onboard planetary gears;
- tape floating brakes.
All transmission control drives are mechanical. When used in the army, the greatest number of complaints and complaints against the manufacturer were caused precisely by defects and the extremely unreliable operation of the transmission group, especially for overloaded wartime KV tanks. Almost all authoritative printed sources recognize the low reliability of the transmission as a whole as one of the most significant shortcomings of the KV series tanks and vehicles based on it.

Chassis

Suspension of the machine - individual torsion bar with internal shock absorption for each of the 6 stamped dual-slope road wheels of small diameter on each side. Opposite each track roller, suspension balancers were welded to the armored hull. Drive wheels with removable lantern gears were located at the rear, and sloths at the front. The upper branch of the caterpillar was supported by three small rubber stamped support rollers on each side. In 1941, the technology for the production of track and support rollers was transferred to casting, the latter lost their rubber tires due to the general shortage of rubber at that time. Caterpillar tension mechanism - screw; each caterpillar consisted of 86-90 single-ridge tracks with a width of 700 mm and a pitch of 160 mm.

electrical equipment

The electrical wiring in the KV-1 tank was single-wire, the armored hull of the vehicle served as the second wire. The exception was the emergency lighting circuit, which was two-wire. The sources of electricity (operating voltage 24 V) were a GT-4563A generator with a RRA-24 relay-regulator with a power of 1 kW and four 6-STE-128 batteries connected in series with a total capacity of 256 Ah. Electricity consumers included:

Turret slewing electric motor;
- external and internal lighting of the machine, illumination devices for sights and scales of measuring instruments;
- an external sound signal and an alarm circuit from the landing party to the crew of the vehicle;
- instrumentation (ammeter and voltmeter);
- means of communication - a radio station and a tank intercom;
-electrics of the motor group - starter ST-700, starting relay RS-371 or RS-400, etc.

Means of observation and sights

The general visibility of the KV-1 tank back in 1940 was assessed in a memorandum to L. Mekhlis from military engineer Kalivoda as extremely unsatisfactory. The commander of the machine had the only viewing device in the tower - the PTK panorama. The driver in battle carried out observation through a viewing device with a triplex, which was equipped with an armored shutter. This viewing device was mounted in an armored plug hatch on the frontal armor plate along the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle. In a calm environment, this plug hatch moved forward, providing the driver with a more convenient direct view from his workplace.

For firing, the KV-1 was equipped with two gun sights - a telescopic TOD-6 for direct fire and a periscope PT-6 for firing from closed positions. The head of the periscope sight was protected by a special armor cap. To ensure the possibility of fire in the dark, the scales of the sights had illumination devices. Forward and aft DT machine guns could be equipped with a PU sight from a sniper rifle with a threefold increase.

Means of communication

The means of communication included the radio station 71-TK-3, later 10R or 10RK-26. On a number of tanks, 9R aviation radio stations were equipped from shortages. The KV-1 tank was equipped with an internal intercom TPU-4-Bis for 4 subscribers.

Radio stations 10R or 10RK were a set of a transmitter, receiver and umformers (single-arm motor-generators) for their power supply, connected to the on-board electrical network with a voltage of 24 V.

10P simplex tube shortwave radio station operating in the frequency range from 3.75 to 6 MHz (respectively, wavelengths from 80 to 50 m). In the parking lot, the communication range in the telephone (voice) mode reached 20-25 km, while in motion it slightly decreased. A longer communication range could be obtained in the telegraph mode, when information was transmitted by a telegraph key using Morse code or another discrete coding system. Frequency stabilization was carried out by a removable quartz resonator, there was no smooth frequency adjustment. 10P allowed communication on two fixed frequencies; to change them, another quartz resonator of 15 pairs was used in the radio set.

The 10RK radio station was a technological improvement of the previous 10R model, it became easier and cheaper to manufacture. This model has the ability to smoothly select the operating frequency, the number of quartz resonators has been reduced to 16. The characteristics of the communication range have not undergone significant changes.

The tank intercom TPU-4-Bis made it possible to negotiate between members of the tank crew even in a very noisy environment and connect a headset (head phones and throat phones) to a radio station for external communication.

TTX KV-1 arr. 1940

Classification: heavy tank
- Combat weight, t: 47.5
-Layout scheme: classic
- Crew, people: 5

Dimensions:

Case length, mm: 6675
- Hull width, mm: 3320
-Height, mm: 2710
-Clearance, mm: 450

Booking:

Armor type: steel rolled homogeneous
- Forehead of the hull (top), mm / city: 75 / 30 degrees.
- Forehead of the hull (middle), mm / city: 60 / 70 degrees.
- Forehead of the hull (bottom), mm / city: 75 / 25 degrees
- Hull board, mm / city: 75 / 0 city
- Hull feed (top), mm / city: 60 / 50 degrees.
- Hull feed (bottom), mm / city: 75 / 0-90 degrees.
- Bottom, mm: 30-40
- Hull roof, mm: 30-40
- Forehead of the tower, mm / city: 75 / 20 degrees.
- Gun mantlet, mm/deg.: 90
- Tower board, mm/deg.: 75 / 15 deg.
- Tower feed, mm / city: 75 / 15 degrees
- Tower roof, mm: 40

Armament:

Gun caliber and brand: 76 mm L-11, F-32, F-34, ZIS-5
- Gun type: rifled
- Barrel length, calibers: 41.6 (for ZIS-5)
-gun ammunition: 90 or 114 (depending on modification)
- VN angles, deg.:? 7 ... + 25 deg.
-Sights: telescopic TOD-6, periscopic PT-6
-Machine guns: 3 x DT

Mobility:

Engine type: V-shaped 12-cylinder four-stroke liquid-cooled diesel
- Engine power, l. p.: 600
-Speed ​​on the highway, km / h: 34
- Cruising on the highway, km: 150-225
-Cruising range over rough terrain, km: 90-180
- Specific power, l. s./t: 11.6
- Suspension type: torsion bar
- Specific ground pressure, kg/sq.cm: 0.77