Anti-aircraft air defense systems of the Red Army. Development of air defense of troops in the Great Patriotic War Stalingrad brigade air defense region

Reorganization of the country's air defense structure in 1941-1942.

In conditions of a general retreat, it was necessary to repeatedly regroup air defense forces and means to protect the country's new installations that found themselves within the reach of enemy aircraft.

The first period of the war - 1941 (June-December)

With the beginning of the war, the Southwestern and Southern fronts were formed.

The directive of July 23, 1941 temporarily closed the air defense zones: Northern, Northwestern, Kiev and Southern. The commanders of these air defense zones were appointed to the positions of air defense chiefs of front troops or their deputies. The headquarters of the air defense zones were temporarily integrated into the air defense directorates of the fronts.

STATE DEFENSE COMMITTEE.
DECISION No. GKO-233ss
dated July 22, 1941

To organize air defense of the most important industrial and economic facilities and points of the USSR, it is urgent to provide cover:

9. Power plants:

a) Zuevka - one division consisting of 4 76-mm guns and 8 MZA guns, (ZuGRES, Donbass);
b) Shterovka - one division consisting of 4 76-mm guns and 8 MZA guns, (near Kharkov).

10. Industrial points of the Donbass region:

a) Lugansk;
b) Makeevka;
c) Stalino.

Cover each point with one division of 12 76-mm guns and 4 MZA guns.

234 back - ZuGRES 4 76-mm guns and 8 MZA guns (as of 09/30/41, 1 76-mm gun model 1915).
235 back - ShterGRES 4 76 mm guns and 8 MZA guns (as of September 30, 1941, 4 76 mm guns model 1915).
80 return – Lugansk. The division was formed in Lugansk on August 2, 1941, and from October 27, 1941, it was redeployed to the Lozhki junction under the command of the Stalingrad divisional air defense region. As of 09/30/41, 8 - 37 mm MZA.

To provide cover from air strikes for Kyiv and the troops of the Southwestern Front defending it, as well as for crossings across the Dnieper, significant forces and means of the country's air defense were brought in: more than 300 anti-aircraft artillery pieces, 110 fighter aircraft, more than 120 anti-aircraft machine guns, 81 barrage balloons and about 300 VNOS posts.

On November 9, 1941, the State Defense Committee (GKO) decided to introduce the post of Deputy People's Commissar of Defense for Air Defense (also commander of the country's Air Defense Forces).

To ensure centralized control of these forces, the Kiev Air Defense District was created, under the command of which were the 3rd Air Defense Division, the 36th Fighter Aviation Division and military anti-aircraft artillery units allocated for the defense of Kiev. Artillery Major General V.G. Pozdnyakov, who was also the commander of the 3rd Air Defense Division, was appointed commander of the air defense region troops.

Air defense formations and units that were part of the Kiev, Kharkov and Southern air defense zones, together with the troops of the fronts, retreated in three directions to Voronezh, to the region of Rostov-on-Don, Stalingrad and Crimea.

On November 9, 1941, the State Defense Committee (GKO) decided to introduce the post of Deputy People's Commissar of Defense for Air Defense (also commander of the country's Air Defense Forces). Under him, a headquarters was created, heads of air defense troops and services were appointed. All formations and air defense units of the country were subordinate to the commander of the country's Air Defense Forces, except for the air defense forces and means covering Leningrad.

Retreating air defense brigade areas are disbanded, change their name to a new location, or turn to recruiting new air defense formations.

Names	Periods of occurrence into the current one army	Subsequent reorganization and transformations
Rivne air defense brigade district	22.06.41-25.10.41	Disbanded
Stanislavsky air defense brigade district	22.06.41-15.07.41	Renamed to Kanevsky Br. air defense district
Kanevsky air defense brigade district Renamed from Stanislavsky Br. air defense district	15.07.41-21.08.41	Renamed to Lubensky bro. air defense district
Lubensky air defense brigade district Renamed from Kanevsky Br. air defense district	21.08.41-21.09.41	Renamed to Belgorodsky Br. air defense district (I)
Tarnopol brigade air defense district	22.06.41-02.05.41	Disbanded
Chisinau air defense brigade district	22.06.41-24.11.41	Disbanded
Zaporozhye brigade air defense region	22.06.41-23.12.41	Tasked with manning the Stalingrad Division. air defense district
Pervomaisky air defense brigade district	22.06.41-24.11.41	Reformed into Grozny Division. air defense district (I)
Vinnitsa air defense brigade district	22.06.41-10.09.41	Reformed into the Reserve Air Defense Brigade of the Southern Fleet
Reserve Air Defense Brigade SF Reformed from Vinnytsia bro. air defense district	10.09.41-03.11.41	Reformed into Stalingrad Br. air defense district
Stalingrad brigade air defense region Reformed from the Reserve Air Defense Brigade of the Southern Fleet	03.11.41-24.11.41	Reformed into the Stalingrad Division. air defense district
Voronezh air defense brigade district	01.07.41-20.11.41	Disbanded
Donbass brigade air defense region	22.06.41-01.08.42	Disbanded
Zhytomyr air defense brigade district	22.06.41-14.07.41	Renamed to Ostersky bro. air defense district
Oster brigade air defense district Renamed from Zhytomyr bro. air defense district	14.07.41-23.08.41	Renamed to Sumy bro. air defense district
Sumy brigade air defense district Renamed from Ostersky bro. air defense district	23.08.41-06.10.41	Renamed to Belgorodsky Br. air defense district (II)
Konotop air defense brigade district	22.06.41-25.09.41	Renamed to Kupyansky Br. air defense district
Kupyansky air defense brigade district Renamed from Konotop bro. air defense district	25.09.41-02.11.41	Renamed to Rossoshansky bro. air defense district
Rossoshansky air defense brigade district Renamed from Kupyansky Br. air defense district	02.11.41-01.12.41	Disbanded
Novorossiysk air defense brigade district	25.06.41-04.11.41	Renamed to Krasnodar bro. air defense district
Krasnodar air defense brigade district Renamed from Novorossiysk Br. air defense district	04.11.41-09.12.41	Reformed into Krasnodar Division. air defense district

Instead of the air defense zones that existed in the European part of the USSR, corps air defense areas and new divisional air defense areas were created:

• Voronezh-Borisoglebsky (11/20/41)
• Groznensky (24.11.41)
• Krasnodar (09.12.41)
• Stalingrad (04/26/42)

Formations and units of fighter aviation intended for the country's air defense were operationally subordinate to the commander of the country's Air Defense Forces, and locally - to the commanders of the corresponding air defense areas.

In accordance with the order of the People's Commissar of Defense dated January 22, 1942, all fighter aircraft allocated for air defense purposes became part of the Air Defense Forces. To support combat operations of fighter aircraft, 56 airfield service battalions were allocated. IN organizationally this meant the creation of a new independent branch of the military - air defense fighter aviation.

Order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 056
on changes in the subordination and support of corps and divisions
and individual air defense fighter aviation regiments of the country's territory

1. Corps, divisions and individual regiments of fighter aviation allocated for air defense of the country's territory are completely subordinate to the commander of the air defense forces of the country's territory.

2. The Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force and the district military councils are left with the responsibility of providing the indicated units with all types of food and technical supplies.

3. The commander of the Red Army Air Force to allocate 56 airfield service battalions to provide air defense fighter aviation units and subordinate them to the commanders of the corresponding aviation corps, divisions and individual regiments.

4. Introduce additionally the post of chief of staff, logistics and personnel departments and a transport aviation detachment into the composition of the Air Defense Fighter Aviation Directorate of the country's territory.

At the beginning of 1942, new formations of the country's Air Defense Forces were created; The Ural and Rostov air defense divisional areas were additionally deployed. The Stalingrad divisional area was transformed into a corps air defense area.

Air defense troops in the summer and autumn of 1942

May 1942 - Beginning. Air Defense Directorate of the South-Western Fleet Troops, Major General of Artillery R. A. Dzivin, Military Commissar of the South-Western Fleet Military Commissar, Battalion Commissar Bednov P. I.

In the summer and autumn of 1942, the main enemy group was deployed on the southern wing, where there were 97 divisions (900 thousand people, 1.2 thousand tanks and assault guns, more than 17 thousand guns and mortars), supported by 1640 combat aircraft. These enemy forces were opposed by Soviet troops, who had approximately the same number of personnel and tanks, but were significantly inferior to the enemy in aircraft and guns. Thus, the 4th Air Fleet of Nazi Germany, operating in the Stalingrad direction, had 1,200 aircraft by July 17, while the 8th Air Army of the Stalingrad Front and the 102nd Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division had only 539 aircraft.

Enemy aviation concentrated its main efforts on the battlefield to support the advance of ground forces in the main directions and mass action against strongholds of the defense of Soviet troops on the front of Sevastopol, Voronezh, Rostov, Stalingrad.

The main task of the country's Air Defense Forces was to protect the most important administrative, political and economic centers of the USSR from air strikes. Significant forces were brought in to cover front-line communications and front-line rear facilities, as well as areas where strategic reserves were concentrated. To strengthen air defense on the southern flank, in the summer of 1942, the Astrakhan divisional air defense region was created, with the task of defending Astrakhan, the lower reaches of the Volga and the Astrakhan-Verkhniy Baskunchak railway. The anti-aircraft artillery defense of Baku and Krasnovodsk was strengthened.

The technical equipment of the country's Air Defense Forces has improved due to the entry into service of units of Yak-7 fighters, 85-mm anti-aircraft guns and radar stations.

The new offensive of the fascist German troops in the south in the summer of 1942 began with a blow in the Voronezh direction. The offensive of the troops was supported by the 4th Air Fleet, which had about 700-800 aircraft. Before the start of the offensive, enemy aircraft conducted intensive reconnaissance in the areas of Gryazi, Voronezh, Liski and Povorino, as well as railway lines in the sections of Marmyzhi-Kastornaya-Voronezh-Gryazi, Kupyansk-Valuyki-Liski-Povorino, Liski-Voronezh.

The air defense of Voronezh, the railway junctions of Povorino, Liski, Valuyki, Kupyansk, Kastornaya, Gryazi and front-line communications was carried out by the troops of the Voronezh-Borisoglebsk air defense region (commanded by Colonel P.E. Khoroshilov). This air defense area included: the newly formed 3rd Air Defense Division, which defended Voronezh itself; 4th Air Defense Division and individual units covering railway facilities. The 101st Fighter Aviation Division was operatively subordinate to the commander of the air defense area. By the beginning of the offensive of the Nazi troops, these formations included 300 anti-aircraft guns, 3 anti-aircraft armored trains, 150 anti-aircraft machine guns, 50 fighter aircraft and 80 anti-aircraft searchlights.

The direct defense of Voronezh was carried out by the newly formed 3rd Air Defense Division (division commander Colonel N. S. Sitnikov) and the 101st Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division (division commander Colonel N. I. Shvedov).

Medium-caliber anti-aircraft artillery was located in two combat sectors: the western - the head of the sector, the commander of the 254th anti-aircraft artillery regiment, Lieutenant Colonel V. M. Shuyakov, and the eastern - the head of the sector, the commander of the 183rd anti-aircraft artillery regiment, Major S. Ya. Belavenets.

The 101st Fighter Aviation Division, armed with 47 fighters, repelled enemy air raids on the approaches to Voronezh.

Reconnaissance of enemy air and warning of air defense troops was carried out by the 4th VNOS regiment, which was part of the divisional area, under the command of Major N. M. Krivitsky. It had a forward line of observation posts at the line of Marmyzhi, Gubkino, Korocha at a distance of 125 - 130 km from Voronezh ().

On June 28, 1942, German aviation began an air operation within the boundaries of the Voronezh-Borisoglebsk air defense region. From June 28 to the end of July 1942, units of the 101st Air Division carried out 2,413 sorties and conducted 68 air battles, in which they shot down 47 enemy aircraft. The fire of anti-aircraft artillery units of the 3rd Air Defense Division during June-July 1942 destroyed 127 aircraft, 46 tanks, more than 20 guns and mortars and a lot of enemy manpower.

Having met stubborn resistance, the Nazi troops turned south and began to advance along the right bank of the Don. From the second half of July 1942, defensive battles began on the distant approaches to Stalingrad.

By mid-August 1942, the enemy had concentrated over 1,400 aircraft in the Stalingrad direction, including about 800 bombers. The combat operations of the fascist German aviation were in the nature of an air operation.

The air defense of Stalingrad was carried out by the troops of the Stalingrad Corps Air Defense District (commanded by Colonel E. A. Rainin) and the 102nd Fighter Aviation Division operationally subordinate to him (commanded by Colonel I. I. Krasnoyurchenko, from October 1942 - Colonel I. G. Puntus) . These formations included about 60 fighter aircraft, 566 anti-aircraft guns (440 medium and 126 small caliber), 470 anti-aircraft machine guns, 81 barrage balloons, 165 anti-aircraft searchlights, 50 field guns (76 mm caliber), 220 anti-tank rifles.

Organization of air defense of Stalingrad

The city's air defense system was organized as follows.

The 102nd Fighter Aviation Division had its main task to ensure the interception and destruction of enemy air on the distant approaches to the city.

In addition to Stalingrad, the 102nd Fighter Aviation Division covered Astrakhan, railways and waterways within the air defense region, as well as troops of the Stalingrad Front, escorted bombers, and carried out assault strikes against enemy ground forces. The units of the 102nd Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division were staffed with young flight personnel and had an insufficient level of combat training. Therefore, in the first battles the division suffered heavy losses. Already from mid-August 1942, the division began to wage an effective fight against the air enemy. During July-December 1942, they destroyed 329 fascist aircraft.

Anti-aircraft artillery was supposed to provide all-round defense of the city and destroy enemy aircraft on the immediate approaches to Stalingrad and above it. Seven combat sectors were created to control anti-aircraft artillery fire. In each sector there were combat formations of one medium-caliber anti-aircraft artillery regiment with the means assigned to it. Small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns were used to cover the most important targets from low-altitude and dive attacks. They were located directly next to these objects and on the roofs of buildings.

The fascist German command began an air operation against Stalingrad at the end of August.

On August 23, 1942, enemy aircraft launched one of the largest massive raids on Stalingrad. During the day, about 2,000 enemy aircraft sorties were recorded within the boundaries of the Stalingrad air defense corps region.

During the day on August 23, units of the Stalingrad Air Defense Corps District, in cooperation with fighter aircraft of the 8th Air Army, destroyed up to 120 enemy aircraft. The troops of the Stalingrad Corps Air Defense District conducted combat operations in close cooperation with the military air defense of the fronts.

However, due to the great superiority of the enemy in forces, it was not possible to protect the city from massive air strikes.

In August 1942, the Astrakhan divisional air defense region was created with the task of protecting Astrakhan, objects located in the lower reaches of the Volga, as well as the Astrakhan-Baskunchak railway. The same decision, to improve the defense of Baku and the oil industrial facilities of Absheron, provided for the formation of two new anti-aircraft artillery regiments of 100 guns each and one 60-gun regiment.
The air defense fighter aviation regiments were transferred to a three-squadron staff. At the same time, the three-aircraft flight was replaced by a flight of 4 aircraft, which was divided into two pairs. Three flights made up a squadron. Such an organization justified itself throughout the subsequent course of the war. The tactics of fighter aircraft also changed.

Order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 0442
on the combat use of army air defense regiments in armies

To more successfully counter massive enemy air strikes on the battle formations of our troops, two army air defense regiments (12 37-mm anti-aircraft guns, 12 heavy machine guns and 8 quad 7.62 mm anti-aircraft machine gun installations each) are assigned to the four armies of the Southwestern Front. .

The regiments are subordinate to the deputy chiefs of artillery of the armies for air defense.

The combat mission of army air defense regiments is to cover the most vulnerable groupings and combat formations of ground troops from the air. Regiments must cover ground troops in areas of active enemy aviation operations.

Army air defense regiments must be used in battle, as a rule, in large numbers, with high mobility, and must maneuver widely within the boundaries of armies in order to timely counter enemy aircraft and defeat them.

While in the battle formations of their troops, air defense regiments must always be ready to fire with flat fire at ground targets (machine-gun companies - to repel attacks by enemy infantry and anti-aircraft batteries - to repel attacks of enemy tanks and manpower).

People's Commissar of Defense I. Stalin

From July to December 1942, troops of the Stalingrad Air Defense Corps District destroyed over 600 enemy aircraft, which amounted to almost 50% of all aircraft concentrated by the enemy at the start of the air operation in the Stalingrad direction.

List of Directorates, military formations and air defense units that took part in the defense of Stalingrad from 07/12/42 to 11/18/42.

• Directorate of the Red Banner Stalingrad Corps Air Defense District;
• Anti-aircraft artillery regiments - 73rd Guards, 748, 1077, 1079, 1080, 1082, 1083, 1088, 1078th ZAP Air Defense;
• 43rd Searchlight Regiment;
• Dept. anti-aircraft artillery divisions - 82, 106, 188, 267, 284, 296, 93rd;
• Dept. anti-aircraft machine gun battalions - 15th, 16th;
• Dept. anti-aircraft machine gun companies - 123, 791;
• Dept. air defense platoons - 938, 939, 941, 944th;
• 10th separate battalion VNOS and 19th, 70th;
• Separate VNOS platoons - 105, 106th;
• Dept. anti-aircraft armored air defense trains - 72, 122, 126, 132, 137, 141, 142, 136, 181;
• 63rd separate communications battalion;
• 296th department anti-aircraft artillery division;
• 44th separate VNOS battalion (air surveillance and warning);
• 6th separate barrage balloon division;
• Art workshop of the building district.

Air defense troops in 1943

During the winter campaign of 1942-43, enemy aviation operated most intensively within the borders of the Stalingrad and Voronezh-Borisoglebsk air defense regions, which covered communications and other important objects during the counteroffensive of Soviet troops that unfolded near Stalingrad. The main efforts of the fascist German aviation were directed towards communications.

In 1943, compared to 1942, in the country's Air Defense Forces the number of fighter aircraft increased by 1.6 times, medium-caliber anti-aircraft guns - by 1.4, small-caliber anti-aircraft guns - by 4.7, large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns - by 5.8 times. The growth in technical equipment of the country's Air Defense Forces made it possible to create a number of new formations and increase the depth of the air defense system in the European part of the USSR to 1100-1500 km.

During the counteroffensive near Stalingrad, the country's air defense troops covered the battle formations of the troops of the Southwestern, Don and Stalingrad fronts, as well as their communications and the most important rear facilities of these fronts.

A significant role in the fight against German aviation operating in the North Caucasus was played by the troops of the Transcaucasian air defense zone (commander, artillery lieutenant general P. E. Gudymenko) and the Rostov corps air defense region (commander, artillery major general N. V. Markov), who covered communications and other important objects of the Southern and Transcaucasian fronts.

With the beginning of the offensive of the troops of the Transcaucasian Front, units of the Transcaucasian air defense zone were regrouped to organize the defense of facilities and communications in the territory being liberated from the enemy.

The Bataysk and Rostov railway junctions, as well as the railway bridge across the Don near Rostov, were subjected to fierce enemy air strikes.

In the summer of 1943, the main military events unfolded in the Kursk region, where the enemy intended to launch two counter strikes with the aim of encircling and destroying the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts occupying the Kursk bridgehead.

The German air fleets concentrated in this area had over 2,000 aircraft, including 1,200 bombers. This accounted for almost 70% of the enemy aircraft fleet operating at that time on the Soviet-German front.

Exclusively important acquired air defense of front-line communications, especially railways. Of the 670 bombing raids carried out by the Nazi Air Force in July 1943, 469 (69%) were on large railway stations, bridges and trains along the route. The main efforts were concentrated on the defense of railway junctions.

The forces of the Voronezh-Borisoglebsk Air Defense Division Region (commanded by Major General of Artillery N.K. Vasilkov) and the 101st Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division (commanded by Colonel A.T. Kostenko) ensured the defense of the most important communications facilities directly on the Kursk salient. A large role was given to anti-aircraft armored trains, which were used to independently cover railway stations and bridges, cover objects during the regrouping of anti-aircraft artillery, and escort trains en route.

The enemy air operation began on March 1 and lasted until July 4, 1943. At the beginning of the operation, fascist German aviation carried out systematic raids in small groups of aircraft, bombing large railway junctions and bridges on the railway lines: Uzlovaya-Elets-Kastornaya-Valuyki-Kupyansk; Ryazhsk-Michurinsk-Gryazi-Liski-Millerovo and on the highways departing from them to the front line: Gryazi-Elets-Verkhovye; Voronezh-Kastornaya-Kursk-Lgov; Liski-Valuiki-Kupyansk. The Voronezh-Kastornaya-Kursk highway was especially heavily affected. Having failed to achieve significant results, the enemy began to launch massive echeloned raids from mid-April. During April-June 1943, 10,283 enemy aircraft sorties were observed, which accounted for 30.3% of the total number of enemy aircraft sorties for the specified period within the operational boundaries of all associations and formations of the country's Air Defense Forces. The Kursk railway junction was subjected to the most severe attacks. About 900 enemy aircraft took part in only two massive raids (June 2 and 3) on this object.

To counter the advance of our army, the enemy sharply increased the intensity of air strikes against front-line communications. Of the 896 bombing raids of Nazi aviation in July-September 1943, 867 were launched against railway facilities and river crossings.

By the fall of 1943, having defeated the Nazi armies near Kursk, in Left-Bank Ukraine and in the Donbass, Soviet troops crossed the Dnieper and captured operational bridgeheads in the Kiev region, southeast of Kremenchug and in the Dnepropetrovsk region.

The uninterrupted operation of crossings across the Dnieper was one of the conditions that allowed our troops to successfully develop offensive operations in Right Bank Ukraine. The crossings in the areas of Kyiv, Perevolochnaya, Ulyanovka, Sukhachevka and Kushugumovka were especially important. These crossings were covered by troops of the Kyiv (11/17/43) and Donbass (10/5/43) corps and Kharkov (1/3/43) divisional air defense regions.

At least one anti-aircraft artillery regiment was allocated to cover each crossing area. The largest grouping of the country's Air Defense Forces was focused on protecting crossings in the Kiev area: 150 fighter aircraft, over 350 anti-aircraft guns, 72 anti-aircraft machine guns and other means of the Kyiv Air Defense Corps Region. In addition, the 9th Chemical Brigade of the 1st Ukrainian Front was operatively subordinate to him, providing camouflage of crossings with smoke during enemy air raids.

The order of the commander of the troops of the Belorussian Front dated November 31, 1943 stated:

“Parts of the Kursk air defense corps district (06.10.43 renamed from the Voronezh air defense district corps) of artillery major general N.K. Vasilkov together with the attached 9th air defense fighter aviation corps of General S.G. Korol during April -November 1943 acted to cover the front's communications. During this entire 8-month period, units of the specified air defense area successfully completed the assigned combat mission. Enemy air raids were skillfully repulsed by anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aircraft with heavy losses for the enemy. This happened in May - June when repelling massive enemy air raids on Kursk. In the same way, all raids on railway bridges and stations Kastornaya, Kshen, Cheremisovo, Shchigry and others were repulsed, always with a great defeat for enemy aircraft. This ensured an uninterrupted supply of the front troops with everything necessary for combat and life.
The successful offensive of the front forces required their increased supply. Hundreds of trains went to the front. They arrived safely at the front thanks to skillful maneuvering of air defense systems and their successful operation.”

Air defense troops in 1944-45.

By the beginning of January 1944, the largest grouping of forces and means of the country's air defense forces in the front-line zone was created in the South-Western direction, where the main blow was delivered. In the offensive zones of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts and the Separate Primorsky Army, four corps air defense regions (Kursk, Donbass, Kiev, Kharkov air defense corps regions) and two fighter aviation corps (9th, 10th IAK) operated.

These formations contained more than 50% of the anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aircraft available in the front-line air defense formations.

In order to timely organize the defense of facilities in the territory liberated from the enemy and improve the management of forces and means of the country's Air Defense Forces in the South-Western direction, in the second half of January 1944, two new corps air defense regions were formed as part of the Western Air Defense Front - Odessa and Lvov.

In the Crimean operation, an important role was played by air defense of crossings across the Kerch Strait and Sivash, as well as areas where our strike forces were concentrated.

During the strategic offensive of the Soviet Army in the winter of 1944, the main blow was delivered in the South-Western theater of military operations. The fascist German command concentrated against the advancing Ukrainian fronts the bulk of its aviation operating on the Soviet-German front - 1200-1450 aircraft, 53-56% of all combat aircraft with the main task of countering the advance of Soviet troops. Air strikes on our communications were considered by the Nazi command as one of the main tasks. To this end, in January-April 1944, the German Air Force conducted an air operation against front-line communications in the South-Western direction.

Massive raids were carried out on the most important railway junctions: Darnitsa, Kazyatyn, Fastov, Zaporozhye, Sarny, Shepetivka, Rivne and Znamenka. Important railway bridges were also subjected to massive air strikes.

The air defense of communications in the South-Western direction in the winter campaign of 1944 was carried out by troops of the Kyiv, Kursk, Kharkov, Donbass, Lvov and Odessa air defense regions. To cover the railway facilities of the south, over 2,000 anti-aircraft guns, about 450 fighter aircraft, 1,650 anti-aircraft machine guns and 300 anti-aircraft searchlights were concentrated, which amounted to over 50% of all the forces and means of the country's air defense forces operating in the front line. These forces primarily covered the most important railway junctions and bridges, and on the main highways - all stations.

During the winter campaign, troops of the Kiev (commander Major General of Artillery N.K. Vasilkov) and Lvov (commander Major General of Artillery I. S. Smirnov) corps air defense districts defended the most important railway lines of Ukraine. Within the boundaries of these formations, enemy aircraft conducted intensive reconnaissance and bombing. Only within the borders of the Kyiv air defense corps region during January - May, about 2,300 sorties of German aviation were noted.

The troops of the Kyiv Air Defense Corps District defended 14 railway junctions, 18 bridges, 3 crossings, 10 railway stations and 3 long-range aviation airfields. 10 railway junctions, which were of particular importance, were each covered by three or four divisions of medium and small caliber anti-aircraft artillery, one or two anti-aircraft machine gun companies, and one anti-aircraft searchlight company. The remaining objects were usually defended by one battery of small-caliber artillery and one or two platoons of anti-aircraft machine guns.
In the Lvov air defense corps region, over 50% of all anti-aircraft forces and assets and 60% of fighter aircraft were concentrated to cover the 8 most important objects out of 35 defended.

Air cover was provided by fighter forces on duty at airfields in the areas of Kursk, Belopole, Nezhin, and Kyiv. In addition, mobile anti-aircraft artillery groups escorting trains and several maneuverable anti-aircraft machine-gun units operated along the railway lines.

To strengthen the defense of objects in the Kiev direction, four anti-aircraft artillery regiments, six separate anti-aircraft artillery divisions and ten separate units with a total of about 600 guns and over 100 anti-aircraft machine guns were transferred from the Eastern Air Defense Front to the Western Air Defense Front.

Anti-aircraft armored trains played a large role in organizing the cover of important communications facilities during the winter campaign of 1944.
To guide fighters to air targets in the southern part of Left Bank Ukraine and Donbass, radio stations were deployed in the areas of Lozovaya, Dnepropetrovsk, Chaplino, Zaporozhye, Melitopol, Pologi, Krasnoarmeysk. A continuous radar detection and guidance field was created over a wide area.

The air surveillance system was strengthened.

In mid-March 1944, VNOS battalions were deployed in the areas of Proskurov, Rivne, Zhitomir, Vinnitsa, Pervomaisk, Nikolaev. VNOS battalions intended for deployment in Kovel, Ternopol, Odessa and Simferopol were also pulled up to their areas. Priority attention was paid to organizing warnings for fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft weapons covering the most important railway facilities. As a rule, company, battalion and main VNOS posts had direct connections with fighter aviation and anti-aircraft artillery units defending these objects.

Large forces and assets of the country's air defense forces were mobilized to provide cover from air strikes to the areas of formation and deployment of strategic reserves. For example, to defend the deployment points of the Dnieper military flotilla in March 1944, 620 anti-aircraft artillery guns and 340 anti-aircraft machine guns of the Western Air Defense Front were concentrated in the Kyiv-Zaporozhye sector. More than 200 anti-aircraft guns and 150 anti-aircraft machine guns of this air defense front in February - March provided cover for the concentration and unloading points of the 1st Ukrainian Front troops in the Zhitomir-Berdichev-Kazatyn areas.

In order to improve the management of the forces and means of the country's Air Defense Forces, by decision of the State Defense Committee of March 29, 1944, the Western and Eastern Fronts, as well as the Transcaucasian Air Defense Zone, were reorganized. On their basis, three air defense fronts were created: Northern, Southern and Transcaucasian.

ORDER ON STRENGTHENING AIR DEFENSE OF IMPORTANT RAILWAY BRIDGES,
NODES AND STATIONS OF THE FRONT-LINE

In order to strengthen the air defense of the most important railway bridges, junctions and stations of the front line of the Southern and left flank of the Northern air defense fronts, I order:

1. By 20.6.44, form four anti-aircraft artillery regiments according to state number 050/74, consisting of 60 40-mm guns each.
2. By 20.6.44, introduce two additional 40-mm guns into the anti-aircraft batteries of small-caliber artillery covering the most important railway bridges, junctions and stations.
Platoons of MZA batteries should have three guns, in connection with which the necessary changes must be made to the staff Nos. 050/45, 050/121, 050/110, 050/111, 050/114, 050/115, 050/117, 050/118, 050/119, 050/38, 050/39 and 050/40.
3. By 06/15/44, form 56 batteries of gun guidance stations (SON-2) according to staff No. 050/135, numbering 41 people each.
4. On June 25, 1944, report to the commander of the artillery of the Red Army for approval of the plan for the use of the formed anti-aircraft units.
5. By 10.6.44, the Chief of the Glavupraforma of the Red Army, for staffing the formed units and servicing the additionally introduced guns in the MZA batteries, to place at the disposal of the Red Army artillery commander 13,425 privates and sergeants fit for combat service.
6. For the same purpose, the Chief of Logistics of the Red Army should allocate 700 trucks to the commander of the spacecraft artillery until 1.7.44.

People's Commissar of Defense
Marshal Soviet Union I. STALIN

F. 4, op. 11, no. 77, l. 432-433. Script.

In July 1944, front-line formations of air defense troops repelled a series of massive air raids on railway junctions. In the following months until the end of 1944, only single reconnaissance aircraft were flown within the boundaries of air defense formations.

To strengthen the defense of railway junctions and other important objects in the zone of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts, in May-June 1944, two fighter aviation divisions and more than forty anti-aircraft artillery units were deployed from the rear areas of the Southern Air Defense Front.

By the end of 1944, all medium-caliber anti-aircraft artillery regiments received gun-guided radar stations, and searchlight units received radio searchlight stations. The composition of small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery batteries was increased from 4 to 6 guns. The staff of all fighter aviation regiments included detection and guidance radar stations; by January 1, 1945, the strength of the units was 75%.

In December 1944, on the basis of the Northern and Southern Air Defense Fronts, three fronts were formed - the Western, South-Western and Central Air Defense Fronts. The last of them was intended for the defense of deep rear facilities. The commanders of the air defense fronts were appointed: Western - Colonel General of Artillery D. A. Zhuravlev, Central - Colonel General M. S. Gromadin, Southwestern - Colonel General of Artillery G. S. Zashikhin.

The disaggregation of air defense fronts was intended to increase the efficiency of command and control of air defense troops in the conditions of the general strategic offensive of the Soviet Army and to ensure close interaction of front-line air defense formations with the fronts of ground forces. After this reorganization, the country’s Air Defense Forces became composed of four air defense fronts, which covered the most important strategic air directions.

The main efforts of the front-line formations of the country's Air Defense Forces in the 1945 campaign were directed to cover railway and water communications and other important objects in the front-line zone.

Sources

1. Anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft missile forces of air defense, Part one. Moscow - 1982
2. Lists of formations, units and institutions of the Soviet Army with the dates for their entry into the active army. List No. 11
3. Svetlishin N.A. Air defense forces of the country in the Great Patriotic War. - M: Science, 1979
4. International Military Forum
5. The country's air defense forces. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1968.

Air defense is a special set of measures that are aimed at repelling any air threat. As a rule, this is an enemy air attack. The Russian air defense system is divided into the following types:

• Military air defense. This is a special type of Russian NE. The air defense troops of the Russian Ground Forces are the largest type of air defense in Russia;
• Object air defense, which since 1998 has become part of the Russian Air Force, and since 2009-2010 has been an aerospace defense brigade;
• Shipborne air defense system or naval air defense system. Air defense missiles, which are armed with ship-based air defense systems (for example, the Storm air defense system), are capable of not only protecting ships from enemy air attacks, but also hitting surface ships.

Air Defense Day was introduced in the USSR on February 20, 1975, as a special holiday for military personnel who were involved in the country's air defense. Then Air Defense Day was celebrated on April 11. Since 1980, Air Defense Day in the USSR began to be celebrated every second Sunday in April.

In 2006, by a special Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 31, Air Defense Day was officially declared a memorable day. The holiday is also celebrated every second Sunday in April.

The history of the appearance of air defense troops in Russia

The need for anti-aircraft artillery was realized at the end of the 19th century. In 1891, the first firing at aerial targets took place, using balloons and aerostats. The artillery showed that it could quite successfully cope with stationary air targets, although shooting at moving targets was unsuccessful.

In 1908-1909, experimental firing at moving targets took place, as a result of which it was decided that in order to successfully combat aviation, it was necessary to create a special gun designed for firing at moving air targets.

In 1914, the Putilov plant produced four 76 mm cannons, which were intended to combat enemy aircraft. These guns were transported on special trucks. Despite this, before the outbreak of the First World War, Russia turned out to be completely unprepared for combat with an air enemy. Already in the fall of 1914, the command had to urgently form special artillery units, the main task of which was to fight enemy aircraft.

In the USSR, the first air defense units, consisting of searchlight companies and machine gun installations, first took part in a military parade on May 1, 1929. By the 1930 parade, the air defense troops were replenished with anti-aircraft artillery, which was transported in cars:

• 76 mm anti-aircraft guns;
• Machine gun installations;
• Floodlight installations;
• Sound detection installations.

Air defense troops during World War II

Second World War demonstrated how important aviation is. The ability to launch rapid air strikes has become one of the keys to the success of military operations. The state of the USSR air defense before the start of the Second World War was far from perfect and was completely unsuitable for repelling massive raids by German aviation. Although before the start of the Second World War the Soviet command devoted a lot of time and money to the development of air defense systems, these troops turned out to be completely unprepared to repel modern German aircraft.

The entire first half of the Second World War was characterized by huge losses of Soviet troops precisely because of enemy air raids. Ground troops The USSR did not have the necessary air defense system at all. The defense of the corps from air attacks was carried out by a regular number of air defense weapons, which were represented along 1 km of the front by the following fire weapons:

• 2 anti-aircraft guns;
• 1 heavy machine gun;
• 3 anti-aircraft quad installations.

In addition to the fact that these guns were clearly not enough, there was a huge need for fighter aircraft at the front. The air surveillance, warning and communications system was in its infancy and was completely unable to cope with the tasks assigned to them. For a long time, the troops did not even have their own means of this type. To carry out these functions, it was planned to strengthen the armies with VNOS radio companies. These companies did not correspond at all technical development German aviation, since they could detect enemy aircraft only visually. Such detection was possible only at a distance of 10-12 km, and modern German aircraft covered a similar distance in 1-2 minutes.

Before the start of the Second World War, the domestic theory of the development of air defense troops did not place any serious emphasis on the development of this group of troops. Based on the dogmas of this theory, air defense troops, no matter how highly developed they are, are not able to provide complete protection of the front from enemy air raids. In any case, small enemy groups will still be able to reach and destroy the target. That is why the USSR command did not pay serious attention to air defense troops, and the construction of air defense was based on the fact that air defense systems would distract the enemy, allowing aviation to enter the battle.

In any case, the fighter aviation of the USSR in the first years of the war was not able to give any serious rebuff to enemy aircraft, which is why German pilots in those years organized a real entertaining “hunt” for ground targets.

Realizing their mistakes, the Soviet command concentrated its efforts on developing air defense systems, placing special emphasis on improving fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery.

Development of air defense after the end of the Second World War

In 1946 it began new era in the development of air defense forces - they created a new department whose task was to test anti-aircraft missiles. Throughout the 1947-1950s, this department, which was located at the Kapustin Yar test site, tested German anti-aircraft missiles, while simultaneously overseeing the development of Soviet-made anti-aircraft missiles. Until 1957, this committee was involved in testing anti-aircraft guns. guided missiles domestic development.

In 1951, testing of anti-aircraft missiles became so large-scale that it was necessary to create a special testing ground for anti-aircraft missiles. This test site was established on June 6, 1951. Rocket testers from all over the country were sent to this test site as personnel.

The first launch of a guided anti-aircraft missile took place at this test site in 1951. In 1955, the USSR's first anti-aircraft missile system, the S-25 Berkut, was adopted by the Air Defense Forces, which remained in service until the 90s.

In the period from 1957 to 1961, a new mobile anti-aircraft missile system, the S-75, was developed and put into service. This air defense system for 30 years it remained the main weapon of the Soviet air defense forces. Subsequently, the S-75 air defense system received many modifications and was supplied as military assistance friendly countries. It was the S-75 anti-aircraft missile system that shot down an American U-2 plane in 1960 near Sverdlovsk. During the Vietnam War, the S-75 air defense system, which was supplied as military aid to Vietnam, shot down many American aircraft. According to the roughest estimates, this air defense system destroyed more than 1,300 American aircraft of various systems.

In 1961, a new short-range anti-aircraft missile system, the S-125, was put into service. This air defense system has proven to be so effective that it is still in service with Russian air defense systems. During the Arab-Israeli wars, the C-125 complex was able to destroy several dozen supersonic aircraft belonging to the United States and Israel.

The Great Patriotic War showed that air defense systems have enormous prospects. The development of air defense in the second half of the 20th century was carried out in the right direction, which was repeatedly proven during numerous Arab-Israeli conflicts. The tactics of using air defense systems were now based on completely different principles. The new air defense systems had the following characteristics:

• Mobility of anti-aircraft missile systems;
• The suddenness of their use, for which they were carefully disguised;
• General survivability and maintainability of air defense systems.

Today, the basis of the Ground Forces' air defense systems is Russian Federation are the following complexes and systems:

• S-300V. This system capable of effectively protecting troops not only from enemy aircraft, but also from ballistic missiles. This system could fire two types of missiles, one of which was surface-to-surface;
• "Buk-M1". This complex was developed in the 90s, and was put into service in 1998;
• "Tor-M1". This system is able to independently control the designated airspace;
• "OSA-AKM". This SAM system is very mobile;
• "Tunguska-M1", which was put into service in 2003.

All these systems are developments of famous Russian designers and not only incorporate all best qualities their predecessors, but also equipped with modern electronics. These complexes effectively protect troops from all types of air attacks, thereby providing reliable cover for the army.

At various military exhibitions, domestic anti-aircraft missile systems They are not only not inferior to their foreign analogues, but also superior to them in a number of parameters, ranging from range to power.

The main prospects for the modern development of air defense troops of the Ground Forces

The main areas towards which the development of modern air defense forces is directed are:

• Change and reorganization of all structures related in one way or another to air defense. The main objective of the reorganization is the maximum use of all resources and combat power missile weapons, which is now entering service. Another task of paramount importance is to establish maximum interaction between air defense troops and other groups of troops of the Russian Army;
• Development of new generation weapons and military equipment that will be able to fight not only existing means air attack, but also with the latest developments in the field of hypersonic technologies;
• Change and improvement of the personnel training system. Particular attention should be paid to changing the training program, because it has not changed for many years, although new air defense systems have long been adopted for service.

The priority continues to be the planned development of the latest air defense models, the modernization of older models and the complete replacement of outdated air defense systems. In general, the modern air defense system is developing in accordance with the words of the famous Marshal Zhukov, who said that only a powerful military air defense system is capable of repelling sudden enemy attacks, thereby making it possible Armed forces engage in full-scale combat.

Modern air defense systems and air defense systems in the Russian air defense forces

One of the main air defense systems in service with air defense forces is the S-300V system. This system is capable of hitting air targets at a distance of up to 100 km. Already in 2014, the S-300V air defense system began to be gradually replaced by a new system, which was called the S-300V4. The new system is improved in all respects; it is an improved modification of the S-300B, differing from it in its increased range, more reliable design, which has improved protection against radio interference. The new system is capable of more effectively combating all types of air targets that appear within its range.

The next most popular system is the Buk air defense system. Since 2008, a modification of the complex called Buk-M2 has been entering service with the air defense forces. This air defense system can simultaneously hit up to 24 targets, and the range of destruction of targets reaches 200 km. Since 2016, the Buk-M3 complex has been put into service, which is a model made on the basis of the Buk-M2 and seriously modified.

Another popular air defense system is the TOR complex. In 2011, a new modification of the air defense system began to enter service, called “TOR-M2U”. This modification has the following differences from the base model:

• She can conduct reconnaissance on the move;
• Fire at 4 air targets at once, thereby ensuring an all-angle defeat.

The newest modification is called “Thor-2”. Unlike previous models of the TOP family, this modification has a doubled ammo capacity and is capable of firing on the move, ensuring complete safety of troops on the march.

In addition, Russian air defense systems also have man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems. The ease of training and use of this type of weapon makes it a serious problem for enemy air forces. Since 2014, the air defense units of the Ground Forces began to receive new Verba MANPADS. Their use is justified when it is necessary to operate in conditions of powerful optical interference, which complicate the operation of powerful automatic air defense systems.

Currently, the share of modern air defense systems in the air defense forces is about 40 percent. The latest Russian air defense systems have no analogues in the world, and are capable of providing complete protection against sudden air attacks.

And today they rightfully remain at the forefront of the defense of the Fatherland

Every year on the second Sunday of April, the entire country, its Armed Forces, veterans military service celebrate Air Defense Forces Day. This holiday was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 20, 1975 in honor of the great merits of the Air Defense Forces in the Great Patriotic War and their performance of particularly important tasks in peacetime.

Domestic air defense has a long and very difficult history. Its beginning can be considered the decision taken by the Russian military command in December 1914 to deploy anti-aircraft (then called air) defense of the capital - St. Petersburg and the imperial residence in Tsarskoe Selo. In subsequent years, the air defense of Odessa and a number of other cities was created.

At the same time, the basic principles of such defense were formulated even then, which are still relevant today: integrated use various means, including ground (anti-aircraft) and air (aviation); concentration of the main forces on the defense of the most important objects; circular construction of the defense of objects with its strengthening at the most dangerous directions; the creation of an reconnaissance system in the form of a network of observation points (in the defense of St. Petersburg and Odessa, these points were combined into “radio telegraph air defense”).

The beginning of the creation of air defense in the USSR should be considered 1924–1925, when, under the leadership of M. V. Frunze, the country began to carry out military reform. During the reform, it was developed strategically completely correct understanding the enormous prospects for military aviation and the scale of its threat in future wars. And most importantly, the organization of active combat against enemy military aviation was recognized as important and necessary.

For this purpose, it was proposed to create, based on anti-aircraft (anti-aircraft) weapons, special troops air defense (since August 1924 the term “air defense” began to be used). These troops were to be used in cooperation with Air Force fighter aircraft.

Here we should pay attention to one more important aspect: already in those years, the authors of the military reform understood that the rapidly developing military aviation would sharply increase the depth of the armed struggle zone, covering not only the front, but also the rear of the country; Accordingly, air defense troops must solve the problem of repelling air strikes both against active troops and against facilities and communications in the rear. Thus, for the first time, the need to create and develop military air defense and air defense of the country was stated.

After the sudden death of M.V. Frunze, the military reform was essentially curtailed. The development and understanding of conceptual provisions in the field of air defense construction was also not completed. At the same time, some of the developments were put into practice.

In 1925, the Red Army Headquarters developed proposals for organizing the air defense of the USSR and creating governing bodies for it in the center and locally. In the same year, a directive from the Red Army Headquarters announced that the Red Army Headquarters was beginning to organize the country's air defense. The directive formulated the tasks of the country's air defense in peacetime and war time, their difference from tasks in the front zone.

The creation of the country's radar field began with the radar of the P-35/37 family
Photo: Alexey MATVEEV

In 1927, a department was created at the Red Army Headquarters, which in 1930 was transformed into the 6th Air Defense Directorate of the Red Army Headquarters. Taking into account the increasing importance of air defense, in May 1932 the 6th Directorate was reorganized into the Red Army Air Defense Directorate, directly subordinate to the People's Commissar of Defense. At the same time, despite the official division of air defense into military air defense and national air defense, all local air defense troops were subordinate to the commanders of the military districts.

The basis of the air defense troops were formations and units of anti-aircraft artillery. They also included units and units of anti-aircraft machine guns, anti-aircraft searchlights, air barrage balloons, air surveillance, warning and communications troops (VNOS). The fighter aircraft of the Air Forces of the military districts were not included in the air defense forces and were involved in the fight against the air enemy on the basis of interaction.

Since the early 1930s. The process of significant build-up of air defense forces and means within the border military districts began. In 1932, the first anti-aircraft artillery divisions were formed. In 1937, air defense corps were formed for the defense of Moscow, Leningrad and Baku, and divisions and separate brigades Air defense.

In February 1941, 4 months before the start of the war, the entire border territory of the country was divided into air defense zones, the boundaries of responsibility of which coincided with the boundaries of military districts. In total, 13 air defense zones of the country's territory (air defense CU) were created. In 9 CU air defense zones with large spatial dimensions, CU air defense brigade areas were created. 36 such areas were formed. As part of a number of air defense areas, air defense points were allocated - separate objects covered by units and subunits of anti-aircraft artillery.

Assistant commanders of military districts were appointed commanders of CU air defense zones. The exception was the Central (Moscow) and Northern (Leningrad) air defense zones of the TS, where the commanders of the 1st and 2nd air defense corps were appointed commanders, respectively. The commanders of the air defense zones found themselves in dual subordination - to the military districts and the Main Air Defense Directorate of the Red Army (the latter was formed in 1940 on the basis of the Red Army Air Defense Directorate). Practice has shown that such dual leadership is ineffective.

In recent pre-war years Air defense troops were intensively equipped with new weapons and equipment. Anti-aircraft artillery units began to receive 37-mm automatic and 85-mm anti-aircraft guns, anti-aircraft artillery fire control devices - PUAZO-2 and PUAZO-3. Since 1939, the VNOS service began to receive the first domestic detection radars RUS-1 and RUS-2.

The industry mass-produced spotlights, sound detectors and barrage balloons. Since 1940, the Yak-1 and MiG-3 fighters began to enter service with fighter aviation, and since 1941, the LaGG-3.

However, there was not enough time to sufficiently rearm the air defense troops.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War shortcomings in the organization of the country's air defense became acutely apparent, when all air defense forces were subordinated to the fronts. Already in the first months of the war, the five main air defense zones of the CU - Northern, Northwestern, Western, Kiev and Southern, which, according to the military leadership, constituted the first echelon of air defense, actually ceased to exist.

Bolshoye Savino airfield (Perm). MiG-31 interceptor fighter
Photo: Leonid YAKUTIN

German aviation, bypassing scattered groups of anti-aircraft artillery, penetrated 500–600 kilometers into the interior of the country with almost impunity and bombed defenseless industrial and communications facilities.

In this regard, the General Staff of the Red Army even issued a special directive dated July 9, 1941, which ordered “to release the commanders of the air defense zones - assistant commanders of the front troops for air defense from the direct leadership of the air defense of the front troops and turn them to perform direct duties in the air defense zones.”

The directive could not change the state of affairs, since it did not change anything in the air defense organization itself. And only after the crushing raids of German aviation on defense facilities in the city of Voronezh, far behind the front line in August 1941, did I. V. Stalin intervene in the affairs of air defense.

As a result, on November 9, 1941, the USSR State Defense Committee issued Decree No. 874 “On strengthening and strengthening the air defense of the country’s territory.” This document, modest in name, sets out for the first time the fundamentally new organization of air defense of the CU and its structure.

The country's pre-war air defense organization, subordinate to military districts (fronts), was completely rejected. The country's air defense troops were withdrawn from their subordination and for the first time transformed into an independent branch of the Red Army, subordinate to the People's Commissar of Defense and headed by the commander of the TS Air Defense Forces - Deputy People's Commissar of Defense for Air Defense. Major General M. S. Gromadin was appointed the first commander of the CU air defense forces.

Somewhat later, the TS was transferred from the Air Force to operational subordination to the Air Defense Forces, and in January 1942, 39 fighter aviation regiments were added to the staff, more than 1,500 aircraft in total. Now, along with defense tasks individual objects The air defense troops of the CU could solve the problems of covering regions of the country. Operational structure new system The air defense of the CU was not tied to the borders of fronts and military districts, but was determined by the location of covered objects and communications.

A classic example of organizing effective air defense of a large administrative and industrial center was the Moscow air defense system. It included the 1st Air Defense Corps (commander - Major General of Artillery D. A. Zhuravlev) and the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps, operationally subordinate to it (commander - Colonel I. D. Klimov).

By the beginning of the massive air raids on Moscow (July 22, 1941), this group consisted of more than 600 fighters and 1000 anti-aircraft guns, about 350 anti-aircraft machine guns, over 600 anti-aircraft searchlights, 124 air barrage balloon posts, 612 VNOS posts. The Moscow air defense system was built on the principle of all-round defense, its depth was 200–250 kilometers.

During the war years, the German Luftwaffe carried out 141 raids on Moscow, a total of about 8,600 sorties. According to official data, 234 aircraft (less than 3%) broke through to the city, almost 1,400 aircraft were shot down. These successes are largely explained by the massive use of air defense forces and means and the effective organization of defense: no capital, including London and Berlin, had such a concentration of air defense forces during the Second World War.

Unfortunately, the history of domestic air defense also knows less brilliant examples. Thus, during three massive German air raids on the automobile plant named after. Molotov in Gorky in June 1943, the plant suffered enormous damage, despite the very strong grouping of the Gorky divisional air defense region. The most important defense enterprise was actually put out of action, and its restoration took more than three months and almost 35 thousand workers.

Subsequently, during the war, the CU air defense troops underwent organizational changes, which were objectively dictated by an increase in their combat strength and changes at the front. In April 1942, the Moscow Air Defense Front was formed, and air defense armies were formed in Leningrad and somewhat later in Baku. This is how the first operational formations of air defense forces appeared. The transition of the Red Army to broad offensive operations significantly changed the nature of the combat use of air defense troops. In June 1943, the Office of the Commander of the Air Defense Forces of the CU was abolished, and in its place two air defense fronts were created: Western and Eastern. The air defense troops covering Moscow were reorganized into the Special Moscow Air Defense Army.

On-load tap-changer S-300PM and NVO at one of the sites of the Ashuluk training ground
Photo: Georgy DANILOV

By the end of the war, all formations that carried out air defense in the rear of the country were consolidated into the Central Air Defense Front with headquarters in Moscow. Advanced formations and units of air defense troops formed the Western and Southwestern air defense fronts. In the Far East in March 1945, on the eve of the start of military operations against Japan, three air defense armies were created: Primorskaya, Priamurskaya and Transbaikalskaya, which became part of the fronts.

In general, during the Great Patriotic War, air defense troops solved a number of the most important operational-strategic and operational tasks, saved many large administrative and industrial centers, hundreds of industrial enterprises and military groups from destruction and destruction. Anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aviation were organizationally established as branches of the air defense forces. The VNOS Service has received great development. Operational formations and operational-tactical air defense formations, formations and units of military branches were created. For merits in the performance of military duty, over 80 thousand soldiers and officers of the air defense forces were awarded orders and medals, 92 soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

With the end of World War II, humanity, alas, did not receive peace and tranquility. Former allies in the anti-Hitler coalition once again found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades. A long-term political and military confrontation between two world systems began, called cold war. Many people associate its beginning with the famous speech of W. Churchill on March 5, 1946 in the American city of Fulton (Missouri).

Then the British Prime Minister for the first time voiced the term “Iron Curtain”, which divided Europe, and called for relations with the USSR to be built exclusively from a position of strength. At the same time, the United States already had nuclear weapons and the means of its delivery - strategic aviation, which created a real air threat not only to the groupings of the Soviet Armed Forces, but also to the economic potential of the country, including the strategic rear.

In this regard, despite the general reduction of the Armed Forces and the dire post-war economic situation of the country, the Supreme Military Council made a strategic decision in July 1946 to deploy TS air defense throughout the country, even where it was not present during the war. Somewhat earlier, in February 1946, the position of commander of the CU air defense forces was reintroduced, who was now directly subordinate to the artillery commander. The command of the CU Air Defense Forces was instructed to develop a plan for strengthening air defense in the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia, as well as its creation in Central Asia.

In terms of organizing the country's air defense, the ambitions of the branches of the Armed Forces again intensified: the air defense forces proposed to increase the number of air defense districts and create an air defense of the country by analogy with the military air defense of the CU, the Ground Forces proposed returning to the pre-war organization, dividing the country's air defense forces into military districts, the Air Force proposed include air defense troops in their composition.

In 1948, an “intermediate option” was adopted: the country’s territory was divided into a border strip and an internal territory; in the border zone, responsibility for air defense was assigned to military districts, in the interior - to the country's air defense troops, in which, instead of the four air defense districts that existed in the first post-war years, 12 air defense regions were created.

On April 4, 1949, a military-political union of 11 European states and the United States was created - the NATO bloc (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). With the creation of this structure, general political and military tension in Europe and the world as a whole increased, as well as the intensity and scale of provocative and reconnaissance flights of NATO aircraft in the airspace of the USSR.

At the same time, the reorganized air defense system of the CU turned out to be unable to effectively counteract air intruders who had already reached the areas of Leningrad, Minsk, and Kyiv.

A whole series of organizational transformations of the CU Air Defense Forces began. Trying to bring an organized element to the fragmentation of air defense, the so-called border air defense zones (BPZ) were formed in the border districts and fleets. The organization and leadership of air defense continued to be entrusted to military districts and fleets. Having not received the expected result, the military leadership created an “air defense of the border line” (BOPL) on the basis of air defense.

At the same time, the leadership of the VOPL was transferred to the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force (the first deputy commander-in-chief of the Air Force was also the commander of the VOPL troops). Direct responsibility for air defense in the military districts (that is, in military districts) was transferred from the commanders of the military districts to the commanders air armies Air Force.

However, the remaining fragmentation of air defense essentially did not change anything. Violations of air borders continued to become more frequent, and the depth of incursions by foreign aircraft had already reached the Moscow region.

It soon became clear that the VOPL headed by the Air Force was a redundant and essentially useless structure. Therefore, in June 1953, the VOPL command under the Air Force Commander-in-Chief was disbanded. One part of the VOPL forces was transferred to military districts and fleets, the other to the CU air defense forces. At the same time, overall responsibility for the entire air defense of the country, including within the boundaries of military districts, was assigned to the commander of the CU air defense forces.

Such a unification of all air defense forces of the CU was of a very conditional nature, since in the border areas the forces and assets were still part of the military districts and fleets. The interaction between them was weak. This was soon confirmed. On April 29, 1954, three American B-47 strategic bombers violated the state border from Baltic Sea, penetrated as far as Novgorod, Smolensk and Kyiv and left with impunity to the west. 10 days later, on the eve of Victory Day, a new daring border violation followed.

These outrageous pre-holiday incidents did not go unnoticed by the country's top political leadership. During an urgent inspection, serious shortcomings were revealed in the organization of the country's entire air defense, which were based on the fragmentation of the air defense forces.

On May 27, 1954, a special resolution was issued by the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR “On unpunished flights of foreign aircraft over the territory of the USSR.” The same decree announced a new air defense organization for the CU. Taking into account the rapid development of military aviation, a significant increase in its combat capabilities, as well as the ever-increasing scale of violations of the USSR airspace by NATO aircraft, it was considered expedient to deploy the TS air defense troops from a branch of the military into a branch of the Armed Forces - the country's air defense troops. It included all the main air defense forces and established the boundaries of responsibility along the state border of the country. Only military air defense units of ground formations remained in the military districts, and naval assets remained in the fleets. In the country's Air Defense Forces, the generally accepted army military structures created back in 1944 were restored: air defense formations (districts, armies) and air defense formations (corps, divisions). The fighter aviation of the military districts was quickly subordinated to the new structures of the country's Air Defense Forces.

Simultaneously with the above-mentioned resolution of the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers, a resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers was adopted “On providing the country’s Air Defense Forces with new equipment.” This resolution turned out to be very timely, since last years There has been a noticeable lag in the development of air defense weapons and the development of military aviation.

Marshal of the Soviet Union L.A. Govorov was appointed the first commander-in-chief of the country's Air Defense Forces. However, soon after his death, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.S. Biryuzov became commander-in-chief. An experienced military leader and thoughtful organizer, he made a great contribution to the formation and development of a new type of Armed Forces. It was under him that the foundations of the operational art and tactics of the Air Defense Forces were formed and many of the fundamental principles of the integrated organization of the fight against the air enemy, which are still relevant today, were implemented.

On the initiative of S. S. Biryuzov and under his leadership, military science was essentially re-created and in 1957 institutionalized in the Air Defense Forces by uniting disparate scientific units of the military branches into the first unified comprehensive research institute of the Armed Forces Research Institute in the Armed Forces of the USSR -2 Air Defense (later - the 2nd Central Research Institute of Moscow Region, and currently - the Air Defense Research Center of the 4th Central Research Institute of Defense of the Russian Federation).

In connection with the massive rearmament of troops to a fundamentally new technology The need for highly qualified commanders and military engineers has sharply increased. Therefore, on the initiative of S.S. Biryuzov in the mid-1950s. a number of new senior military officers were created educational institutions Air defense.

Since 1956, the Military Air Defense Academy began training personnel in Kalinin (now Tver). Today it is the Military Academy of Aerospace Defense, which has become a forge of military command and engineering personnel for the air defense forces (AED) not only of our country, but also of a number of countries near and far abroad.

1950s - truly revolutionary in terms of the development of air defense weapons, the creation of fundamentally new models. It was during this period that the formation of anti-aircraft guns took place. missile forces, jet fighter aircraft, radio engineering troops.

In August 1950, a decision was made to create an anti-aircraft missile defense system for Moscow. The project was called "Berkut". The lead developer of the system was the specially created Design Bureau No. 1 (KB-1), the future renowned NPO Almaz, known throughout the world for its anti-aircraft guided missile systems. The development leader was A. A. Raspletin. The air defense system consisted of 10 A-100 all-round radars and two rings around Moscow of stationary sector multi-channel air defense systems (56 in total), each consisting of a B-200 guidance radar and B-300 vertical launch anti-aircraft guided missiles. The air defense system was created in a fantastic way short term- in less than five years. And this despite the fact that all its elements were developed practically from scratch, and the volume of capital construction was truly enormous. Already in May 1955, the Moscow S-25 air defense system was put into service and served for three decades.

In 1957, the first transportable (that is, non-stationary) air defense systems began to enter service with the country's Air Defense Forces medium range S-75. These complexes, like no other, were widely used in real combat operations, including in Vietnam and the Middle East. In Vietnam, in 1972 alone - the last year of the war - 421 American aircraft were destroyed by S-75 systems, including 51 B-52s. Such losses were one of the decisive factors that forced the Americans to withdraw from Vietnam. The modernized S-75 air defense systems are still in service in a number of countries near and far abroad.

In 1961, the development of the S-125 transportable short-range air defense system was completed, the main specialization of which was combating low-altitude targets. For the first time, the V-600P solid-fuel missile defense system was developed for the air defense system. The export version of the air defense system (Pechora) was supplied to 35 countries. The air defense system received its first baptism of fire in 1970 in Egypt. Then there were Syria and Libya. In March 1999, an American F-117A stealth aircraft was shot down in the skies over Yugoslavia by an S-125 air defense missile.

In June 1958, a government decree was adopted on the development of the S-200 long-range air defense system. By January 1960, its preliminary design was already ready. For the first time in domestic practice, the air defense system implemented the principle of homing missiles at a target. When creating the air defense system, the developers encountered a number of technical difficulties, many of which had to be resolved during field and government tests. The S-200 air defense system was adopted in February 1967.

Thus, within 10 years, a well-thought-out set of types of anti-aircraft weapons was created in the USSR missile weapons, which made it possible to build effective anti-aircraft missile defense systems for various objects and regions of the country.

Fighter aviation was developing at an impressive pace. The first mass-produced domestic jet fighter of the 1st generation was the MiG-15. The first air regiments with MiG-15 fighters were formed back in 1949. The debut of large-scale combat use of these aircraft was the war in the skies of Korea (November 1950 - July 1953), where our MiGs were in no way inferior to the latest American F-86 Saber fighters. : in total, Soviet pilots shot down about 1,100 enemy aircraft, their losses amounted to 335 fighters.

Replaced the 1st generation fighters MiG-15, MiG-17, Yak-25 in the late 1950s - early 1960s. 2nd generation fighters and aircraft interception systems came - Su-9 (1959), Su-11-98 (1961), Su-15-98, Tu-128-S4 and Yak-28 (1965). ARKP Su-15-98 long time formed the basis of the fighter aviation of the country's Air Defense Forces.

In June 1954, the formation of radio-technical air defense troops was completed. By this time, the domestic industry had mastered the production of a fairly wide range of radar equipment. Some of the first mass-produced radars of the post-war period were the P-20 “Periscope” mobile two-coordinate centimeter range radar, the P-8 “Volga” m-band early warning radar (1950) and the PRV-10 “Konus” radio altimeter.

In 1955–1956 The troops began to receive the P-15 Tropa meter-range standby radar for detecting low-altitude targets and the P-12 Yenisei radar. The P-12 radar was the first to use SDC coherent-compensation equipment. This radar gradually replaced almost all previously created meter range radars.

Somewhat later, in 1959, the Oborona-14 mobile early warning radar was put into service, and in 1961, the Altai radar, consisting of four radio altimeters and two rangefinders. In the same year, the PRV-11 “Vershina” centimeter-range radio altimeter began to be supplied to the troops. The latest modifications of this radio altimeter are still in service with the RTV Air Force of Russia and a number of CIS countries.

Gradually for combat control troops began to use automation equipment. The first automated control system (ACS) adopted for service was the Vozdukh-1 warning, control and guidance system for fighter aircraft. Operational level command posts began to be equipped with the Almaz-2 automation equipment complex (CAS).

In the context of the new organizational structure of the country's Air Defense Forces and equipping them with new weapons with sharply increased combat capabilities, the ideology and principles of organizing air defense have changed. It was considered advisable in a number of regions of the country to move from the object-based to the zonal (zonal-object) principle of organizing defense. In the border (coastal) areas, air defense missile systems were advanced to the 1st echelon of defense with the creation of anti-aircraft missile defense zones. Fighter aviation formed the basis of the 2nd echelon, but with the ability to operate in air defense zones if necessary.

Created in the 1960s. The air defense system was mainly focused on the Western, Southwestern and Southern strategic directions, where the main US and NATO air attack forces were concentrated. Subsequently, with the growth of the capabilities of US strategic aviation and its equipping with strategic cruise missiles, the Northern direction became potentially dangerous. In this regard, work began on organizing air defense in this direction (the “Shield” system) based on the long-range interception ARKP.

Changed organizational structure the country's Air Defense Forces themselves. By 1960, the operational unit was enlarged. Instead of 20 air defense associations and formations, 13 were left: two air defense districts, five air defense armies and six air defense corps, whose areas of responsibility covered the entire country. Soon changes were carried out at the operational-tactical and tactical levels. Instead of corps and divisions of military branches, air defense formations (corps, divisions) of mixed composition were created, in which the military branches (air defense, air defense, RTV) were represented by regimental structures.

The relatively calm and very productive development of the country's Air Defense Forces under the leadership of Marshal S. S. Biryuzov and then Marshal P. F. Batitsky ended in 1978. The Chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces N. V. Ogarkov put forward the idea of ​​​​creating the so-called Unified Air Defense System of the country and the Armed Forces. The commander-in-chief of the country's Air Defense Forces, P. F. Batitsky, sharply opposed it, but the highest political and military leadership (L. I. Brezhnev and D. F. Ustinov) supported N. V. Ogarkov. As a result, Batitsky resigned from the post of commander in chief, and in December 1979 a decision was made by the Defense Council, according to which the air defense system essentially returned to the pre-war organization.

The country's territory was again divided into border and interior regions. In the border areas, the Baku Air Defense District and five separate air defense armies (Minsk, Leningrad, Kyiv, Arkhangelsk, Khabarovsk) were disbanded. The air defense corps and divisions that were part of them were again subordinated to military districts. The fighter aviation regiments from these formations were withdrawn and transferred to the air forces of the military districts. As a result, the unity of command and control of air defense forces and means was violated and the country's unified air defense system actually ceased to exist.

At the end of 1982, after the death of L. I. Brezhnev, P. F. Batitsky managed to attract the attention of the new Secretary General Yu. V. Andropov on the so-called reform of the country's Air Defense Forces. As a result, a commission of the CPSU Central Committee was created, which, after two years of work, concluded that the reorganization of N.V. Ogarkov was incorrect and “The country’s air defense troops should be returned to their previous state.”

The corresponding resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR was adopted on January 24, 1986. In the border areas, five former air defense formations were restored, returning them to the direct subordination of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces. Instead of the Baku Air Defense District, a separate air defense army was formed with headquarters in Tbilisi.

At the same time, dual command over the Air Defense Forces remained: they were operationally subordinate to the commander-in-chief of the troops of the directions (soon abolished), and in fact, to the military districts.

Despite organizational fluctuations, in the 1970s–1980s. There was a dynamic process of equipping the Air Defense Forces with new weapons and military equipment.

Since 1979, the Air Defense Forces began to receive fundamentally new S-300P air defense systems (the main developer is NPO Almaz). Currently, modifications of this system (S-300PS, S-300PM) form the basis of the air defense missile system's armament. On the basis of this air defense system, the Moscow S-50 air defense system was created, which replaced the previously existing S-25 system.

Fighter aircraft continued to develop. In the 1970s industry has mastered mass production 3rd generation fighter-interceptors - MiG-23P and MiG-25PD, and in the early 80s, 4th generation fighters - MiG-31 (1981), MiG-29 (1983) and Su-27 ( 1984).

The MiG-31 long-range fighter was for the first time equipped with a phased array radar and had high capabilities for detecting and destroying cruise missiles. It was considered as the main element of the above-mentioned air defense system in the Northern direction “Shield”. 4th generation aircraft currently form the basis of the Air Force's armament.

The radio engineering troops have almost completely renewed their fleet of radar equipment. During the period under review, RTV received radars and radars ST-68U(UM), “Casta 2-1” and “Casta 2-2”, “Periscope-VM”, “Oborona-14S”, P-18, P-37 , “Sky” and “Sky-U”, “Desna-M”, “Adversary-G”, “Gamma-S1”, K-66(M).

Electronic warfare units were equipped with new equipment.

Given the high dynamics of combat operations of air defense forces, the military leadership paid great attention to the development of automation equipment for combat control and equipping troops with them. At the same time, the process of comprehensively equipping the KSA control points of the operational, operational-tactical and tactical command levels was underway. The command posts of the operational control level were equipped with Almaz-type satellites. ACS “Luch-1” and “Luch-2” were introduced into the operational-tactical control level. The command posts of formations and units of the military branches were equipped with KSAs of the types “Senezh”, “Vector-2”, “Baikal”, “Rubezh-1”, “Niva”, AKUP-1.

In the 1970s The forces and means of missile and space defense (RKO) were included in the country's Air Defense Forces. The RKO system combined the missile attack warning system (MAWS), the space control system (SCCS), anti-missile defense (ABM) and anti-space defense (ASD) systems.

The early warning system officially entered combat duty in 1976 as part of a command post, six early warning nodes (Dnepr radar) and the US-K space echelon. In 1978, the modernized A-135M Moscow missile defense system, consisting of the Don-2N radar, a command and control center and two types of interceptor missiles, was put into service. In November 1978, the PKO IS-M complex was put into service. A few years earlier, the space control center began to function.

The further history of the country's Air Defense Forces is inextricably linked with the history of the formation and development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Unfortunately, its beginning was far from joyful. Already in 1992, the reform of the Armed Forces was announced.

The reform was carried out in the absence of a coherent military ideology to ensure the military security of the state as a whole and a clear understanding of the rational appearance of the RF Armed Forces (“Concept national security RF" and the Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation were adopted only at the beginning of 2000).

As a result, the main result of the reform of the Air Defense Forces was a sharp reduction in combat personnel and the amount of funding for their maintenance. The troops practically stopped receiving new weapons, and the level of combat training dropped to a dangerous level.

In July 1997, a large-scale reorganization of the country's air defense took place. In accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Air Defense Forces were liquidated as a branch of the Armed Forces. The air defense forces from their composition were transferred to the Air Force, and the RKO forces to the Strategic Missile Forces (later to the newly formed Space Forces). Among military specialists, debates about the benefits and harms of these transformations are still ongoing.

At the same time, life does not stand still. As Russia's economic position strengthened, its Armed Forces also strengthened. Considerable attention began to be paid to the country's air defense.

Military science played a significant role in the development and strengthening of air defense. With her active participation in the early 2000s. a draft “Concept of Aerospace Defense of the Russian Federation” was developed, which was approved by the board of the Ministry of Defense in November 2002. Subsequently, the concept was approved by the President of the Russian Federation and became one of the fundamental documents regarding the development of the country's aerospace defense. At the same time, a system design for the aerospace defense of the Russian Federation was developed, and a little later, a preliminary technical design for an integrated aerospace defense system in Moscow and the Central Industrial Region.

A large amount of research was carried out to identify and streamline the most important objects of the Armed Forces, economy and infrastructure in the interests of improving the organization of their air defense. Active Scientific research in the field of development of the unified air defense system of the CIS, formed in 1996.

In 2010–2011 There have been significant changes in the organization of the air defense (VKO) of the country. To date, air defense forces and means within the Air Force are concentrated in four Air Force and Air Defense Commands, each of which is operationally subordinate to the corresponding military district (in accordance with the new military-administrative division of the country, from December 1, 2010, four military districts function in the Russian Federation - Western , Southern, Central and Eastern). Previously existing air defense corps and divisions were transformed into aerospace defense brigades. Fighter aircraft have been consolidated into air bases.

The Aerospace Defense Forces were formed on the basis of the Space Forces. They include the Space Command (air defense and space reconnaissance systems) and the Air Defense-Missile Defense Command, which provides aerospace defense of Moscow and the Central Industrial Region. It includes the Moscow missile defense system and three air defense brigades. On December 1, 2011, the Aerospace Defense Forces began combat duty.

In recent years, the process of re-equipment of air defense troops with new equipment has significantly intensified. The latest S-400 air defense systems, Pantsir air defense systems, and 4+ generation fighters began to arrive in the troops. The latest radar technology is being supplied to the radio engineering troops. Control systems are being equipped with increasingly intelligent and fast-acting automation systems. The country's leadership announced impressive amounts of funding for the Armed Forces planned for the period until 2020. The implementation of these plans will significantly increase the pace of rearmament of troops and will ensure a significant increase in their combat capabilities.

The experience of local wars and armed conflicts in recent decades convincingly demonstrates the steady increase in the role of aviation in modern warfare. Outer space is also becoming more potentially dangerous. In these conditions, issues of improving means and methods of countering potential threats from the air and from space are becoming increasingly relevant.

The modern aerospace defense system of the Russian Federation is designed to provide a solution to the entire range of combat tasks in aerospace:

• warning of air, missile and space attacks, reconnaissance of the air and space situation and notification of troops about it;
• protection of the state border of the Russian Federation in the airspace and control of the use of airspace;
• repelling aggression in the aerospace sphere, air and missile defense of the most important government and military control facilities, key facilities of the Armed Forces, economy and infrastructure.

The air defense troops have come a glorious and difficult path. There were ups and downs, moments of glory and years of disappointment, high achievements and failures. And today they rightfully remain at the forefront of the defense of the Fatherland, strengthening and increasing the military glory of our grandfathers and fathers.

Boris Leonidovich ZARETSKY
Candidate of Military Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Military Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Air Defense Research Center (Tver)

Yuri Timofeevich ALEKHIN
Candidate of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Academy of Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Air Defense Research Center (Tver)

Sergey Glebovich KUTSENKO
senior researcher at the Air Defense Research Center (Tver)

Air Defense Forces during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)Teacher: Sergey Mavrin
Valerievich
Performed by: Vernokhaeva A.N. and
Tkachenko A. Yu.
"A" stream. 12th group of the Faculty of Medicine.
year 2012

Air defense - a set of measures to ensure protection
(defense) from enemy air attack weapons
April 8 Day of Air Defense Forces (Day of Air Defense Forces)
In April 1942, the Moscow Air Defense Front was formed, and in Leningrad and
Baku has created an air defense army. The first operational units appeared
Air Defense Forces.
In June 1943, the Office of the Commander of the Territory Air Defense Forces
the country was disbanded. After the reorganizations, by April
In 1944, the Western and Eastern Fronts were created, as well as
Transcaucasian air defense zone, which in the same year were reorganized into
Northern, Southern and Transcaucasian air defense fronts.
The air defense troops defending Moscow were reorganized into the Special
Moscow Air Defense Army. In the Far East in March 1945 there were
Three air defense armies were created: Primorskaya, Priamurskaya, Transbaikalskaya.

On November 9, 1941, the position of Commander of the Air Defense Forces of the country was introduced and Major General Gromadin was appointed to it.

The war caught the air defense troops during the period of their rearmament. The anti-aircraft artillery still had few new 37-mm automatic and 85-mm anti-aircraft guns. IN

YAK-1
MIG-3

At the beginning of massive fascist air raids, these formations included over 600 fighters, more than 1,000 medium and small guns.

Gas transport for aerostat

The air defense troops defending Moscow destroyed 738 enemy aircraft. In addition, the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps carried out assault strikes,

balloon - a lighter-than-air aircraft that uses the lifting force of gas (or heated air) enclosed in a shell to fly

Widely used for protection
cities, industrial areas,
factories, government buildings
naval bases, etc. from
air attacks.
For precision bombing aircraft
forced to stoop low and
fly directly over
object. It is in such
places, directly above the roofs of buildings,
over bridges, over factories
pipes and launched balloons
barriers, preventing enemy
bombers to hit
object a barrage of fire.

The action of the barrage balloons was designed to damage aircraft in the event of a collision with cables, shells, or suspended on trams.

Observation balloon

By type of filling, balloons are divided into:
gas - charliers,
thermal - hot air balloons,
combined - rosiers.
The height of the balloon “hovering”
was calculated very accurately.
The enemy plane could not fly up
under a balloon: when bombing with
such a low height car would
just covered with a blast wave from
own bombs. What if the plane
dropped bombs from above, they
destroyed the balloon (it also absorbed
and fragments), which is soft
collapsed on or near an object
him. Even when the balloon was hanging on
high altitude high, the pilot is not
could fly under him: they interfered
cables holding the air
giant.

devices for cutting cables of barrage balloons

the Germans tried very hard to protect their own
airplanes from “attacks” of balloons. On
The bombers were equipped with paravanes.
A paravane is a triangle of cables,
connecting the nose of the aircraft (extended
with a special pole) and the ends of its wings.
The balloon cable simply slipped off
aircraft without clinging to the propellers or
other protruding parts.
There were other solutions. On the wings
installed blades for cutting cables
(they helped, frankly speaking, weakly), but
airplanes were equipped with squibs for
setting fire to balloons.

Balloon ready to launch
barriers in front of the Bolshoi
theater in Moscow

In addition to trucks, Katyushas were also equipped with water transport - armored boats and specialized vessels to support naval landings

Katyusha
unofficial Soviet collective name for domestic military
BM-13 rocket launchers (rocket artillery vehicles.)
1941 - the first salvo of the famous Katyushas thundered. In 1921, developers N.I. Tikhomirov, V.A.
Artemiev
-

Another, exotic version. The guides on which the projectiles were mounted were called ramps. We'll lift a forty-two-kilogram projectile

Another option is that the name is associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Kalinin plant (according to another source

"Night Witches"

46th Guards Taman Red Banner Order of Suvorov 3rd
degree night bomber aviation regiment (46th Guards NBP)
- women's aviation regiment as part of the USSR Air Force during
Great Patriotic War.
During the war years, 23 servicemen of the regiment were awarded the rank
Hero of the Soviet Union

Sebrova Irina Fedorovna Guard senior lieutenant 1004 combat missions.

Guard senior lieutenant Natalya Fedorovna Meklin - 980 combat missions. Awarded on February 23, 1945.

Aronova Raisa Ermolaevna Guard senior lieutenant 960 combat missions. Awarded May 15, 1946.

During the war, they were organizationally formed as a branch of the air defense forces, anti-aircraft
artillery and fighter aircraft.
During the Second World War, the Air Defense Forces successfully completed their tasks. They
ensured the defense of industry and communications, allowing a breakthrough to
objects only individual aircraft, as a result of which there were
short-term shutdowns of enterprises and disruptions in train traffic
on certain sections of railways.
Carrying out their tasks, the Air Defense Forces of the country destroyed 7313
aircraft of fascist German aviation, of which 4168 by IA forces and
3145 anti-aircraft artillery, machine-gun fire and barrage balloons.
Over 80,000 soldiers, sergeants, officers and generals of the Air Defense Forces were
awarded orders and medals, and 92 soldiers were awarded high ranks
Hero of the Soviet Union and 1 - twice.

AIR DEFENSE FORCES DURING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR (1941-1945) Teacher: Performed by: Vernokhaeva A. N. and Tkachenko A. Yu.

Air defense - a set of measures to ensure protection (defense) from enemy air attacks. April 8 is Air Defense Forces Day (Air Defense Forces Day)

The war caught the air defense troops during the period of their rearmament. There were still few new 37 mm automatic and 85 mm anti-aircraft guns in the anti-aircraft artillery. The troops did not have enough high-speed Yak-1 and MIG-3 fighters; 46% of the aircraft fleet were obsolete aircraft. Measures began to be taken at an accelerated pace to equip the troops with new equipment. Yak-1 MIG-3

At the beginning of massive fascist air raids, these formations included over 600 fighters, more than 1,000 medium and small caliber guns, about 350 machine guns, 124 air barrage balloon posts, 612 VNOS posts, 600 anti-aircraft searchlights Gas transport for the balloon

a balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft that uses for flight the lifting force of a gas enclosed in a shell (or heated air) with a density lower than the density of the surrounding air; balloons were widely used to protect cities, industrial areas, factories, government buildings, naval bases and other objects from air attack. For accurate bombing, aircraft are forced to descend quite low and fly directly over the object. It was in such places, right above the roofs of buildings, above bridges, above factory chimneys, that barrage balloons were launched, preventing enemy bombers from bringing down a barrage of fire on the object. The height of the balloon’s “hovering” was calculated very accurately. The enemy plane could not fly under the balloon: when bombing from such a low altitude, the car would simply be covered by the blast wave from its own bombs. And if the plane dropped bombs from above, they destroyed the balloon (it also absorbed fragments), which softly fell on the object or next to it. Even when the balloon was hanging high at a great altitude, the pilot could not fly under it: the cables holding the air giant were in the way.

The action of barrage balloons was designed to damage aircraft when they collided with cables, shells, or explosive charges suspended on cables. This forced enemy aircraft to fly at high altitudes and made targeted dive bombing difficult.

According to the type of filling, balloons are divided into: gas - charliers, thermal - hot air balloons, combined - rosieres. Anti-aircraft guns were almost always in short supply - especially in cities subject to constant bombing. In addition, barrage balloons were a powerful weapon when combined with anti-aircraft guns. They rose most often at night, when the anti-aircraft guns were “blind”. During the day, while the enemy pilot was trying to fly around or shoot the balloon, the plane was tracked and shot from ground guns.

Katyusha is an unofficial Soviet collective name for domestic rocket artillery combat vehicles. 1941 - the first salvo of the famous “Katyusha” thundered. Based on the name of Blanter’s song, which became popular before the war, based on the words of Isakovsky “Katyusha”. The version is convincing, since the battery fired for the first time on July 14, 1941 (on the 23rd day of the war). She was shooting from a high steep mountain with direct fire - an association with a high steep bank in the song. Red Army soldier Kashirin, arriving at the battery after the shelling of Rudnya, exclaimed in surprise: “What a song!” “Katyusha,” answered Andrei Sapronov (from the memoirs of A. Sapronov in the Rossiya newspaper). Through the communications center of the headquarters company, the news about a miracle weapon called “Katyusha” within 24 hours became the property of the entire 20th Army, and through its command - the entire country. By the abbreviation “KAT” - there is a version that this is what the rangers called the BM-13 - “Kostikovsky automatic thermal” after the name of the project manager, Andrei Kostikov (however, given the secrecy of the project, the possibility of exchanging information between rangers and front-line soldiers is doubtful). Another option is that the name is associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Kalinin plant (according to another source, the Comintern plant). And front-line soldiers loved to give nicknames to their weapons. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed “Mother”, the ML-20 howitzer gun was nicknamed “Emelka”. Yes, and BM 13 was sometimes called “Raisa Sergeevna” at first, thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).

Another, exotic version. The guides on which the projectiles were mounted were called ramps. The forty-two-kilogram projectile was lifted by two fighters harnessed to the straps, and the third usually helped them, pushing the projectile so that it lay exactly on the guides, and he also informed those holding it that the projectile had risen and rolled and rolled onto the guides. It should also be noted that the installations were so secret that it was even forbidden to use the commands “pli”, “fire”, “volley”, instead they sounded “sing” or “play” (to start it was necessary to turn the handle of the electric coil very quickly), that , may also have been associated with the song “Katyusha”. And for our infantry, a salvo of Katyusha rockets was the most pleasant music.

Many bombers were equipped with devices for cutting the cables of barrage balloons. The Germans tried very hard to protect their own planes from the “attacks” of balloons. In particular, so-called paravanes were installed on bombers. The paravane was a triangle of cables connecting the nose of the aircraft (extended with a special pole) and the ends of its wings. Thus, the balloon cable simply slid off the plane without catching on the propellers or other protruding parts. However, only a very skilled pilot could keep the plane in the air after such a collision. Besides paravanes, there were other solutions. Blades were installed on the wings for cutting cables (to put it bluntly, they were of little help), and the planes were equipped with squibs for setting fire to balloons.

“Night Witches” 46th Guards Taman Red Banner Order of Suvorov 3rd degree night bomber aviation regiment (46th Guards nbap) - a women's aviation regiment as part of the USSR Air Force during the Great Patriotic War. During the war years, 23 servicemen of the regiment were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union

The air defense troops defending Moscow destroyed 738 enemy aircraft. In addition, the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps, carrying out assault strikes, destroyed 567 aircraft at enemy airfields. In total, the Air Defense Forces destroyed 1,305 aircraft, and 450 tanks and 5,000 vehicles were destroyed in battles with ground enemies.

On November 9, 1941, the position of Commander of the Air Defense Forces of the country was introduced and Major General Gromadin was appointed to it.

To improve the interaction of air defense forces and means, in January 1942, fighter aviation was subordinated to the air defense command. In April 1942, the Moscow Air Defense Front was formed, and air defense armies were created in Leningrad and Baku. The first operational formations of the Air Defense Forces appeared.

In June 1943, the Office of the Commander of the Air Defense Forces of the country was disbanded. After the reorganizations, by April 1944, the Western and Eastern Fronts were created, as well as the Transcaucasian Air Defense Zone, which in the same year were reorganized into the Northern, Southern and Transcaucasian Air Defense Fronts. The air defense troops defending Moscow were reorganized into the Special Moscow Air Defense Army. In the Far East, in March 1945, three air defense armies were created: Primorskaya, Priamurskaya, Transbaikalskaya.

During the war, anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aviation were organizationally formed as branches of the air defense forces. During the Second World War, the Air Defense Forces successfully completed their tasks. They ensured the defense of industry and communications, allowing only individual aircraft to break through to objects, as a result of which there were short-term shutdowns of enterprises and disruptions in the movement of trains on certain sections of the railways.

Carrying out their tasks, the Air Defense Forces of the country destroyed 7,313 Nazi aviation aircraft, of which 4,168 by IA forces and 3,145 by anti-aircraft artillery, machine-gun fire and barrage balloons. Over 80,000 soldiers, sergeants, officers and generals of the Air Defense Forces were awarded orders and medals, and 92 soldiers were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union and 1 twice. For successful fighting 11 formations and units of the Air Defense Forces were awarded honorary titles and 29 guards titles.