Red Army artillery in 1941. Artillery guns of victory

The anti-tank artillery of the Red Army was divided into military and RGK. Military anti-tank artillery was first introduced into the rifle troops in the early 30s of the last century as a “separate anti-tank battery” as part of a rifle division. Due to the lack of material, the batteries were fully introduced into the rifle units in 1936. In 1938 year, a separate anti-tank division was introduced into the structure of the rifle division. The composition of subunits and units of anti-tank artillery in various divisions of the Red Army as of June 11, 1441 is given in table No. 11 (data as of June 11, 1941, the work does not discuss the use of anti-tank weapons in the anti-tank system batteries of regimental artillery, batteries of divisional 76-mm cannons of artillery regiments, individual anti-aircraft artillery battalions of divisions).
Studying the experience of the combat use of Wehrmacht armored forces in 1939-1940, Soviet military experts came to the conclusion that attacks by enemy tanks could only be countered by massing anti-tank firepower. A separate RGK cannon artillery regiment, armed with 76-mm F-11 cannons and 85-mm anti-aircraft guns, was chosen as an experimental organizational form of this massing. A total of four such regiments were formed in KOVO and ZapOVO. These were the first anti-tank artillery units of the RGK. But based on the results of the regiments’ activities, a brigade was designated as the new structure of the anti-tank defense military unit.
On October 14, 1940, the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR addressed the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks with proposals for carrying out NEW organizational events in the Red Army in the first half of 1941. In particular it was proposed:

To form 20 machine-gun and artillery motorized brigades with powerful cannon and machine-gun weapons, designed to fight and counter enemy tank and mechanized forces. The deployment of E brigades should be:
A). LVO-5 brigades.
b). PribOVO - 4 brigades.
V). ZAPOVO - 3 brigades.
G). KOVO - 5 brigades,
d). ZabNO - 1st brigade.
With). Far Eastern Fleet - 2 brigades...”
It was proposed to use three artillery regiments of the fortified areas of KOVO and OdVO, as well as all four separate artillery regiments armed with 76-mm cannons and 85-mm anti-aircraft guns, created temporarily to strengthen the troops of KOVO and ZapOVO, to form brigades.
Permission to form was received, and on November 4, 1940, by the directives of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, the formation of 20 machine-gun and artillery motorized brigades began as part of the Autonomous Armored Forces of the Red Army with a deadline for staffing the brigades personnel and educational material unit on January 1, 1941. The receipt of material and equipment was to occur gradually as it was received from industry. Soon the phrase “machine-gun and artillery” was abolished, and the brigades began to be called “motorized,” causing confusion in some publications on the history of the pre-war Red Army, where they were called “motorized rifle.” brigades were formed according to wartime regulations No. 05/100-05/112 (Diagram 1).

In total, the brigade was supposed to have: 6199 people, 17 T-26 tanks, 19 armored vehicles, machine guns: D11 - 56, easel - 156, anti-aircraft large-caliber - 48. mortars: 50 mm -90.82 mm - 28, 107 mm - 1 2. guns: 45 mm anti-tank - 30.76 mm F-22 - 42.37 mm automatic anti-aircraft - 12, 76 mm or 85 mm anti-aircraft - 36, tractors - 82. vehicles - 545.

The following were asked to form brigades: the 4th (KOVO) and 5th (ZapOVO) cannon artillery regiments. 48th reserve artillery regiment of the OdVO, 191st rifle regiment of the Grodekovsky UR Far Eastern Front. Motorized brigades were formed in the following military districts (fronts): LVO - 1. 4.7, 10th; PribOVO - 2, % 8, 11th, ZapOVO - 3, 9, 13, 14th, KOVO - 6, 15, 18, 20, 22nd, OdVO -12th and on the Far Eastern Front - 16 and 23 -I.
Considering the structure of a motorized brigade, one can notice the main drawback - the 76 and 85 mm anti-aircraft guns were not entirely suitable for anti-tank defense purposes due to their weight and size characteristics and the lack of an armor shield. In addition, the divisions armed with these guns did not have anti-aircraft artillery fire control devices and rangefinders, which did not allow them to be used for air defense purposes.

As often happened in the domestic Armed Forces, without having time to be equipped and trained, in February-March 1941 all brigades were disbanded, equipment and personnel were not used for new formations - rifle divisions 6,000-strong personnel and motorized divisions of mechanized corps. For example, in the Leningrad Military District on the basis of the 4th brigade, by July 1, 1941, the 237th Infantry Division was formed, from the 10th Brigade - the 177th Infantry Division, in the OdVO on the basis of the 12th Brigade - the 218th Motorized Division 18- th mechanized corps. in PribOVO on the basis of the 11th brigade - the 188th Infantry Division.

At the beginning of 1911, the head of the GAU of the Red Army, Marshal of the Soviet Union G. Kulik, reported to the leadership of the Red Army intelligence data that the German army was rapidly rearming its troops with tanks with armor of increased thickness, in the fight against which all our 45-mm caliber artillery would be ineffective. The intelligence received most likely referred to captured French tanks B-1 bis. having armor 60 mm thick. Just in the spring of 19-11 a large number of These vehicles were re-equipped with flamethrowers and, according to the K-2 index, entered service with individual Wehrmacht tank battalions.

Be that as it may, the leaders of the People's Commissariat of Defense took this information quite seriously. As a result, just before the war, production of 45 mm anti-tank and 76 mm divisional guns was stopped, and instead, preparations were hastily made for the production of 107 mm guns.

In addition, on April 23, 1911, by resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the SNKSSSR No. 1112-459ss “On new formations in the Red Army,” it was planned to form ten anti-tank artillery brigades of the RUK by June 1, 1941, consisting of:
- Brigade management:
- 2 artillery regiments:
- Staff battery;
- Mines of the sapper battalion;
- Motor transport battalion.

According to the staff, the brigade had 5,322 people, 48 76-mm guns of the 1936 model (F-22), 48 85-mm anti-aircraft guns, 24 107-mm M-6O guns, 16 - 37-mm anti-aircraft guns. 12 heavy machine guns, 93 DT light machine guns. 584 trucks.
123 special vehicles, 11 passenger cars and 165 tractors (diagram 2).

Brigades were formed in Kievskoe (1. 2, 3.4 and 5th). Western (6th, 7th, 8th) and Baltic (9th and 10th) Special Military Districts. All brigades were created at the ball of the 6,000-strong rifle divisions formed in February - April 1941, N* 4/120. The brigade directorates were formed from the headquarters of the division artillery chiefs, the remaining units and subunits from howitzer and light artillery regiments of integral anti-aircraft artillery divisions, separate communications battalions, separate engineer battalions, and automobile delivery companies for divisions. The missing personnel came from other parts of KOVO. ZanOVO and PriboVO. The brigades, complete with vehicles and tractors, were to be closed in the second half of 1941.

For example, in ZapOVO, all brigades were formed on the basis of three rifle divisions that arrived in the district in the first half of May 1941 from the Moscow (22-4 and 231st Infantry Division) and Siberian (201st Infantry Division) military districts.

Commanders and chiefs of artillery of rifle and mechanized corps or divisions were promoted to the positions of brigade commanders. For example, the commander of the 1st anti-tank artillery brigade was appointed the chief of artillery of the 2nd mechanized corps of the OdVO, Major General of Artillery K. Moskalenko, and the commander of the 1st brigade was the chief of artillery of the 160th rifle division of the Moscow Military District, Colonel M. Nedelin. It is interesting that both of these brigade commanders later served as the first and second Commanders-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces.

It was believed that an anti-tank artillery brigade was capable of creating on a front 5-6 km wide a density of 20-25 anti-tank guns per 1 km of front and, in cooperation with other branches of the military, repelling an attack by one or two tank divisions enemy.
Apparently, the presence of ten anti-tank defense brigades seemed insufficient, therefore, in order to strengthen the anti-tank capabilities of the troops, the directive of the General Staff of the Red Army of May 16, 1941, 50 tank regiments and several separate reconnaissance battalions of the newly formed mechanized corps, before they received tanks by July 1, 1941, were to arm themselves with 76- mm and 45 mm DT cannons and machine guns at the rate of: for a tank REGIMENT 18 45-MM and 24 76-MM cannons and 14 machine guns, for a reconnaissance battalion 18 45-mm guns.

An inspection of the progress of implementation of the directives of the Soviet Union, carried out by the General Staff of the Red Army at the beginning of June 19 11, showed that the staffing of the brigades with personnel, vehicles and other equipment of the Main Military Administration was carried out slowly. On June 11, 1941, the brigades had from 30 to 78% of the regular number of guns. So. in the 6th iptabr RGK there were only about 11% of the number of vehicles assigned to it according to the state and there were no tractors at all. The 11th RGK iptabr, due to the lack of traction means, could use only 3 divisions from 11. In the 636th artillery regiment of the 9th RGK iptabr, with 68 guns, there were only 15 tractors and vehicles.

The very first battles with Wehrmacht tank formations revealed something new. mental illness soldiers of the Red Army - a disease called "tank fear". Numerous stories from retreating soldiers about the power and numbers German tanks, capable in a short time, suddenly, of producing envelopments - “pincers” * and encirclements - * boilers*, made an indelible impression on those leading to the front.

In the last decade of June, the Headquarters of the Main Command made a decision on the formation of separate anti-tank artillery regiments of the RGK according to state No. 04/133 (wartime) total number 1,551 people without a junior command school, 107 mm gun and air defense divisions. On June 30, 1941, according to the directives of the General Staff of the Red Army, the formation of such regiments began in Orlovsky (753rd ap. ready for the morning of July 7. 761st ap. ready for July 7, 7b5th ap. ready for August 15) and Kharkov ("64th operational readiness deadline by August 15) military districts. Difficulties with staffing with materiel led to the fact that in order to speed up the formation of the Red Army General Staff directives No. 71/org and 72/org dated July 18, 1911, all four The regiment was reorganized according to a paid crew consisting of five 4-gun battalions of 85-mm anti-aircraft guns.They received the name "anti-tank artillery regiments".

Units were sent to form anti-tank artillery regiments air defense, which had 76- and 85-mm anti-aircraft guns. Thus, the 509th anti-aircraft artillery regiment (commander - Major V.A. Gerasimov) met the beginning of the war as part of the 4th air defense division in Lvov. The regiment's batteries on the outskirts of the city destroyed at least 11 enemy aircraft. After numerous battles, the regiment concentrated on July 7, 1941 in the Ignatopol camps near Korosten. where on July 8 it was reorganized into the 509th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment (since 1942 - the 3rd Guards Artillery Regiment of the VET).

By GOKO Decree No. 172ss of July 16, 1941 “On the Mozhaisk Defense Line,” the commander of the Moscow Military District, Lieutenant General P. Artemyev, was allowed to remove 200 85-mm guns from the Moscow air defense and form them into 10 lightweight artillery (anti-tank) regiments (five batteries each in each regiment) The minimum readiness period for these regiments (No. 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876. 877, 878.879, 880) was set at July 18-20.

GOKO Resolution No. 735ss of October 5, 1941 “On the formation of 24 VET regiments. armed with 85 mm and 37 mm anti-aircraft guns - to strengthen the anti-tank defense of the army of the Western Front, it was ordered to form 4 anti-tank artillery regiments at the expense of the 1st air defense corps, which covered the capital from the air. Each regiment consisted of 8 - 85 mm and 8 - 37 mm anti-aircraft guns, the readiness date was set on October 6. In addition, according to the same decree, another 20 NTO artillery regiments of the same composition were formed in the Moscow Military District, but with the possibility of replacing 37-mm anti-aircraft guns with 45-mm anti-tank guns. The readiness date for the first six regiments was set on the 8th. the next four on the 10th and the remaining ten by October 15th.
In the Leningrad Direction, to strengthen and support ground forces, the 2nd Air Defense Corps on July 5, 1941 allocated 100 anti-aircraft guns with the best crews and sent them to anti-tank defense. By order of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front, on August 11, 115. 189. 194 and 351st anti-aircraft artillery regiments additionally formed four anti-tank divisions and sent them to anti-tank defense in the Southern fortified area.

All further formations of VET regiments were carried out in 4 or 6 batteries. The number of batteries in a regiment was determined mainly by the availability of material at the time of formation, as well as the desire to experimentally determine the most advantageous form of organizing the regiment. It was believed that a regiment of such composition was maneuverable, easily controlled, and was simpler in terms of equipment and personnel due to its small number.

In total, in 1941, according to some sources - 72, according to others - at least 90 NTO artillery regiments were rationed and sent to the front. In addition, in the Leningrad Military District in July 1941, the 14th VET artillery brigade of two field compositions was formed, which also took part in combat operations on the Northern (later Leningrad) Front.

The experience of the first battles showed. that the anti-tank brigades of the RGK are a powerful tool fighting tanks. At the same time, they also revealed disadvantages - the difficulty of managing units and subdivisions, cumbersomeness organizational structure. Numerous command levels (brigade - regiment - division - battery) did not allow information to be quickly and timely conveyed to the executors, processed in a short time, and decisions made in a timely manner. The maneuverable nature of the slaughterhouses gave rise to rapid changes in the situation and the balance of forces and means in individual sectors of the front. The success of repelling enemy tank attacks largely depended on the continuous control of units and brigade subunits on the speed
their maneuver into threatened areas and timely opening of fire.

The brigade organization of anti-tank artillery made it difficult to meet these requirements. Regiments of anti-tank brigades, as a rule, operated separately and often at a considerable distance from one another, which not only made it difficult for the brigade commander to control them, but sometimes even completely eliminated it. At the same time, it was very difficult for the regiment commander to control the actions of the six divisions. The brigades, having taken the first blows from German tanks, disappeared in the crucible of fighting in the first year of the war: the 1st - in September as part of the 5th Army of the Southwestern Front, the 2nd - in August as part of the 12th Army of the Southern Front, 3rd - in August as part of the 6th Army of the Southern Front, 1st - in November as part of the 18th Army of the Southern Front, 5th - in October as part of the 40th Army of the Southwestern Front, 6th, 7th and 8th - in June-July as part of the Western Front. 9th - in September as part of the 11th Army of the North-Western Front and 10th in October as part of the North-Western Front.

In the military anti-tank artillery, due to the large losses of 45-mm guns, which quadrupled the income from industry, as well as the formation of a significant number of new rifle and cavalry divisions, it was decided to reduce the number of 45-mm guns in the rifle divisions. On July 29, 19-11, the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR approved the new staff of rifle division No. 04/600 (wartime), to which newly formed divisions and divisions recovering from battles were transferred. Therefore, the payment was completely excluded - a platoon of 45-mm guns of a rifle battalion and a separate artillery battalion of 45-mm guns of a rifle division. In total, the rifle division had 18 45-mm guns instead of 54 according to the pre-war staff. In the cavalry, in July 1941, a new staff of light cavalry division No. 07/3 (wartime) was introduced, according to which the number of cavalry regiments was reduced to three, and 45 mm guns in each regiment to two. Thus, the cavalry division had only 6 45-mm guns instead of 16 according to the pre-war staff. According to such units, 81 cavalry divisions were formed there in 1911.

To some extent, the decrease in the number of anti-tank guns was compensated by the start of production in October and the arrival at the front in November of Simonov and Degtyarev anti-tank guns. However, at first the design of anti-tank rifles was fraught with great problems. It got to the point that on August 10, 1941, by GOKO Resolution No. 453ss, the German 7.92-mm anti-tank rifle was launched into production at the Tula Arms Plant, and by GOKO Resolution No. 661ss of September 11, the 7.92-caliber anti-tank cartridge was adopted by the Red Army. mm.

The staff of the separate rifle brigade No. 04/730 (wartime) dated October 15, 1941 included a separate anti-tank division of three batteries (12-57 anti-tank guns of the 1941 model (ZIS-2)). On December 6, 1941, the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR approved the next staff of the rifle division No. 04/750 (wartime), in which a company of anti-tank rifles (27 anti-tank rifles), a battery of 45-mm guns (6 guns) were introduced into the rifle regiment, and the division was also restored separate anti-tank division (12 - 57 mm guns, 8 anti-tank guns).In total, according to the new staff, the division had 12 - 57 mm, 18 -45 mm guns and 89 anti-tank guns.
On January 1, 1942, in the active army and in the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters there were: one artillery brigade. 57 artillery regiments and two separate anti-tank artillery battalions. They were on the following fronts:
- Leningradsky - 14 Abr VET, 1.2. 3.4. 5, 6,7, b90ap PTO;
- Volkhovsky - 884 ap VET;
- Northwestern - 171.698, 759 ap PTO);
- Kalininsky - 873 ap. 213 OADN VET;
- Western - 289. 296, 304, 316. 483. 509. 533, 540. 551. 593. 600. 610. 6-I, 694, 703, 766. 768.863.868,869.871,989,992 ap, 275 oadn VET:
- Bryansk - 569.1002 ap PTO;
- South-West - 338. 582, 591, 595, 651. 738,760. 76-1 ap PTO,
- South - 186.521.530.558.665.727.754. 756 ap PTO:
- 7th Separate Army - 514 ap VET; Reserve Rates of the Higher Civil Code - 702.765 an IITO.

More than 30 VET regiments were lost in the first year of the war. The previous numbers of disbanded or reformed VET artillery regiments are known - 18.24, 39.79,117.121.197.367.395.421.452.453,455. 525, 559. 598. 603, 689, 696, 697. 699. 700, 704, 753. 758, 761, 872, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 879, 880. 885th and Major Bogdanov’s regiment Leningrad sky front.

For the skillful fighting by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 4 of January 8, 1942, five artillery regiments of the NTO of the Western and one regiment of the South-Western fronts were transformed into guards; 289, 296, 509, 760, 304, 871st respectively in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Guards.

The release of the required number of 76-mm F-22USV cannons made it possible to replace 85-mm anti-aircraft guns in anti-tank artillery units. By GOKO Decree No. GOKO-1530SS dated April 3, 1942 - On the replacement and removal of 85 mm anti-aircraft guns from anti-tank regiments of the fronts* during April 1942, 272 guns were withdrawn from the fronts:
- Western - 98,
- Kalininsky-20,
- Northwestern - 6,
- Volkhovsky - 10.
- Krymsky - 8,
- Yuzhny-80.
- South-West-42.
- 7th Separate Army - 8.

All these guns were transferred to the Moscow Air Defense Corps, and in return they will receive the same number of USV guns from industry in April. A little later, a new resolution of the State Defense Committee No. 1541 dated April 5, 1942 “On strengthening the air defense of the mountains. To strengthen the air defense of the capital, Moscow was required to transfer another 100 85-mm anti-aircraft guns in April, and another 80 guns in May 1942, at the expense of the anti-tank artillery regiments of the fronts.

On April 3, 1942, by GOKO resolution No. 1531ss, the formation of 20 artillery regiments of the RGK (20 76-mm F-22USV guns in each) began with a readiness period of April 25 (10 regiments) and May 10, 1942.
By GOKO Decree No. GOKO-1607ss of April 16, 1942 “On the organization, staffing and armament of a fighter brigade,” new combined arms anti-tank formations began to be formed - separate fighter brigades (onbr). According to the approved organization of the brig, it included:
A). Brigade control (with a communications platoon and a motorcycle platoon);
b). Two anti-tank battalions (72 1GGR each);
V). Anti-tank artillery regiment (four batteries of 76-mm ZIS-3 cannons (the People's Commissariat of Defense in the draft resolution proposed F-22USV guns, but with the hand and red pencil of I.V. Stalin in the text of the Resolution -USV- was corrected to *ZIS-3*-
Note authors), three batteries of 45-mm guns, one battery of 37-mm anti-aircraft guns):
G). Separate engineering mine battalion;
d). Separate tank battalion (21 T-34 tanks, 11 T-60 or T-70 tanks);
e). Separate company machine gunners (100 people);
and). Separate mortar division (8 -82 mm and 4 - 120 mm mortars).

In total, the fighter brigade had 1~9S people. 453 submachine guns, 10 light machine guns. 144 anti-tank rifles. 4 37 mm anti-aircraft guns. 12-45 mm anti-tank guns, 16 - 76 mm ZIS-3 guns, 8-82 mm and 4 120 mm mortars, 33 tanks, 193 cars and 22 motorcycles.

The resolution ordered the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR to form 25 fighter brigades with a deadline of the first five by May 5. ten by 20 May and ten by 28 June 1942. In the Red Army, separate fighter brigades were maintained according to states No. 0 4/270 - 04/276 (wartime).

The next decree No. GOKO-1901 ss dated June 8, 1942 introduced a new organization of anti-tank formations. The twelve formed fighter brigades were combined into four fighter divisions (ID) of three brigades each. The divisions were formed:
- in the Moscow Military District - 1st and 2nd; in the Volga Military District - 3rd;
- in the Ural Military District - 4th. Fighter divisions were supposed
use: 1st - on the South-Western, 2nd - on the Bryansk, 3rd - on the Western and 4th - on the Kalinin fronts.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Data source: quote from the magazine "Front-line illustration for 2003-5" "Anti-tank artillery of the Red Army"

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The history and heroes of the elite type of troops born during the Great Patriotic War

The fighters of these units were envied and, at the same time, sympathized with. “The barrel is long, life is short”, “Double salary - triple death!”, “Farewell, Motherland!” - all these nicknames, hinting at high mortality, went to soldiers and officers who fought in the anti-tank artillery (IPTA) of the Red Army.

The crew of senior sergeant A. Golovalov's anti-tank gun fires at German tanks. In recent battles, the crew destroyed 2 enemy tanks and 6 firing points (battery of senior lieutenant A. Medvedev). The explosion on the right is a return shot from a German tank.

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Keep up with the tanks

The very concept of anti-tank artillery as a separate type This type of troops appeared shortly before the Second World War. During the First World War, the fight against slow-moving tanks was quite successfully carried out by conventional field guns, for which armor-piercing shells were quickly developed. In addition, the armor of tanks until the early 1930s remained mainly bulletproof and only with the approach of a new world war began to increase. Accordingly, specific means of combating this type of weapon were required, which became anti-tank artillery.

In the USSR, the first experience in creating special anti-tank guns occurred at the very beginning of the 1930s. In 1931, a 37-mm anti-tank gun appeared, which was a licensed copy of a German gun intended for the same purpose. A year later, a Soviet semi-automatic 45 mm cannon was installed on the carriage of this gun, and thus the 45 mm anti-tank gun of the 1932 model, the 19-K, appeared. Five years later it was modernized, eventually receiving a 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model - 53-K. It was this that became the most popular domestic anti-tank weapon - the famous “forty-five”.

Crew of the M-42 anti-tank gun in battle. Photo: warphoto.ru

These guns were the main means of fighting tanks in the Red Army in the pre-war period. Since 1938, it was with them that anti-tank batteries, platoons and divisions were armed, which until the fall of 1940 were part of rifle, mountain rifle, motorized rifle, motorized and cavalry battalions, regiments and divisions. For example, the anti-tank defense of a pre-war state rifle battalion was provided by a platoon of 45 mm guns - that is, two guns; rifle and motorized rifle regiments - a “forty-five” battery, that is, six guns. And since 1938, the rifle and motorized divisions had a separate anti-tank division - 18 45 mm caliber guns.

Soviet artillerymen are preparing to open fire from a 45 mm anti-tank gun. Karelian Front.

But the way the fighting of World War II began to unfold, which began on September 1, 1939 with the German invasion of Poland, quickly showed that anti-tank defense at the divisional level may not be sufficient. And then the idea arose to create anti-tank artillery brigades of the Reserve of the High Command. Each such brigade would be a formidable force: the standard armament of the 5,322-man unit consisted of 48 76 mm caliber guns, 24 107 mm caliber guns, as well as 48 85 mm anti-aircraft guns and another 16 37 mm anti-aircraft guns. At the same time, the brigades did not actually have anti-tank guns, but non-specialized field guns, which received standard armor-piercing shells, more or less successfully coped with their tasks.

Alas, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the country did not have time to complete the formation of the RGK anti-tank brigades. But even underformed, these units, placed at the disposal of the army and front-line command, made it possible to maneuver them much more effectively than anti-tank units in the staff of rifle divisions. And although the beginning of the war led to catastrophic losses in the entire Red Army, including in artillery units, due to this the necessary experience was accumulated, which quite soon led to the emergence of specialized anti-tank units.

Birth artillery special forces

It quickly became clear that standard divisional anti-tank weapons were not capable of seriously resisting Wehrmacht tank wedges, and the lack of anti-tank guns of the required caliber forced light field guns to be rolled out for direct fire. At the same time, their crews, as a rule, did not have the necessary preparation, which means that they sometimes did not act effectively enough even in conditions favorable to them. In addition, due to the evacuation of artillery factories and massive losses in the first months of war, the shortage of main guns in the Red Army became catastrophic, so they had to be managed much more carefully.

Soviet artillerymen roll 45mm M-42 anti-tank guns as they follow the ranks of advancing infantry on the Central Front.

In such conditions, the only correct decision was the formation of special reserve anti-tank units, which could not only be placed on the defensive along the front of divisions and armies, but could be maneuvered, thrown into specific tank-dangerous directions. The experience of the first war months spoke about the same thing. And as a result, by January 1, 1942, the command of the active army and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command had at their disposal one anti-tank artillery brigade operating on the Leningrad Front, 57 anti-tank artillery regiments and two separate anti-tank artillery divisions. Moreover, they actually existed, that is, they actively participated in the battles. Suffice it to say that following the battles of the autumn of 1941, five anti-tank regiments were awarded the “Guards” title, which had just been introduced in the Red Army.

Soviet artillerymen with a 45-mm anti-tank gun in December 1941. Photo: Museum engineering troops and artillery, St. Petersburg

Three months later, on April 3, 1942, a decree of the State Defense Committee was issued, introducing the concept of a fighter brigade, the main task of which was to fight Wehrmacht tanks. True, its staff was forced to be much more modest than that of a similar pre-war unit. The command of such a brigade had three times fewer people at its disposal - 1,795 soldiers and commanders versus 5,322, 16 76 mm guns versus 48 in the pre-war staff, and four 37-mm anti-aircraft guns instead of sixteen. True, twelve 45-mm cannons and 144 anti-tank rifles appeared on the list of standard weapons (they were armed with two infantry battalions that were part of the brigade). In addition, in order to create new brigades, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief ordered within a week to review the lists of personnel of all branches of the military and “withdraw all junior and private personnel who had previously served in artillery units.” It was these soldiers who, having undergone short retraining in reserve artillery brigades, formed the backbone of the anti-tank brigades. But they still had to be staffed with fighters who had no combat experience.

Crossing of an artillery crew and a 45-mm 53-K anti-tank gun across the river. The crossing is carried out on a pontoon of A-3 landing boats

By the beginning of June 1942, twelve newly formed fighter brigades were already operating in the Red Army, which, in addition to artillery units, also included a mortar division, an engineering mine battalion and a company of machine gunners. And on June 8, a new GKO resolution appeared, which reduced these brigades into four fighter divisions: the situation at the front required the creation of more powerful anti-tank fists capable of stopping German tank wedges. Less than a month later, in the midst of the summer offensive of the Germans, who were quickly advancing into the Caucasus and the Volga, the famous order No. 0528 “On the renaming of anti-tank artillery units and subunits into anti-tank artillery units and establishing advantages for the commanding and rank and file of these units” was issued.

Pushkar elite

The appearance of the order was preceded by a lot of preparatory work, which concerned not only calculations, but also how many guns and what caliber the new units should have and what advantages their composition would enjoy. It was absolutely clear that the soldiers and commanders of such units, who would have to risk their lives every day in the most dangerous sectors of the defense, needed a powerful not only material, but also moral incentive. They did not assign the title of guards to the new units upon formation, as was done with the Katyusha rocket mortar units, but decided to leave the well-established word “fighter” and add “anti-tank” to it, emphasizing the special significance and purpose of the new units. The same effect, as far as can be judged now, was also intended for the introduction of a special sleeve insignia for all soldiers and officers of the anti-tank artillery - a black diamond with crossed golden trunks of stylized Shuvalov “unicorns”.

All this was spelled out in the order in separate paragraphs. The same separate clauses prescribed special financial conditions for new units, as well as standards for the return to service of wounded soldiers and commanders. Thus, the commanding personnel of these units and subunits were given one-and-a-half salaries, and juniors and privates were given double salaries. For each destroyed tank, the gun crew also received a cash bonus: the commander and gunner - 500 rubles each, the rest of the crew - 200 rubles. It is noteworthy that initially other amounts appeared in the text of the document: 1000 and 300 rubles, respectively, but Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin, who signed the order, personally reduced the prices. As for the norms for returning to service, the entire commanding staff of anti-tank fighter units, up to the division commander, had to be kept under special registration, and at the same time, the entire staff, after treatment in hospitals, had to be returned only to the specified units. This did not guarantee that the soldier or officer would return to the same battalion or division in which he fought before being wounded, but he could not end up in any other units other than anti-tank fighters.

The new order instantly turned the anti-tank fighters into the elite artillery of the Red Army. But this elitism was confirmed by a high price. The level of losses in anti-tank fighter units was noticeably higher than in other artillery units. It is no coincidence that anti-tank units became the only subtype of artillery where the same order No. 0528 introduced the position of deputy gunner: in battle, crews that rolled out their guns to unequipped positions in front of the front of the defending infantry and fired direct fire often died earlier than their equipment.

From battalions to divisions

New artillery units quickly gained combat experience, which spread just as quickly: the number of anti-tank fighter units grew. On January 1, 1943, the Red Army's anti-tank destroyer artillery consisted of two fighter divisions, 15 fighter brigades, two heavy anti-tank destroyer regiments, 168 anti-tank destroyer regiments and one anti-tank destroyer division.

An anti-tank artillery unit on the march.

And for the Battle of Kursk, Soviet anti-tank artillery received a new structure. Order of the People's Commissariat of Defense No. 0063 of April 10, 1943 introduced in each army, primarily the Western, Bryansk, Central, Voronezh, Southwestern and Southern fronts, at least one anti-tank fighter regiment of the wartime army staff: six 76-mm batteries guns, that is, 24 guns in total.

By the same order, one anti-tank artillery brigade of 1,215 people was organizationally introduced into the Western, Bryansk, Central, Voronezh, South-Western and Southern Fronts, which included a fighter-anti-tank regiment of 76-mm guns - a total of 10 batteries, or 40 guns, and a regiment of 45-mm guns, armed with 20 guns.

Guards artillerymen roll a 45-mm 53-K anti-tank gun (model 1937) into a prepared trench. Kursk direction.

The relatively calm time that separated the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad from the beginning of the battle on the Kursk Bulge was used to the fullest by the command of the Red Army to fully reorganize, re-equip and further train the anti-tank destroyer units. No one doubted that the coming battle would largely rely on mass application tanks, especially new German vehicles, and it was necessary to be prepared for this.

Soviet artillerymen with a 45-mm M-42 anti-tank gun. In the background is a T-34-85 tank.

History has shown that the anti-tank destroyer units had time to prepare. The battle on the Kursk Bulge became the main test of the artillery elite's strength - and it passed it with honor. And the invaluable experience, for which, alas, the fighters and commanders of anti-tank fighter units had to pay a very high price, was soon comprehended and used. It was after the Battle of Kursk that the legendary, but, unfortunately, already too weak for the armor of the new German tanks, the “magpies” began to be gradually removed from these units, replacing them with 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank guns, and where these guns were not enough, to the well-proven divisional 76-mm ZIS-3 guns. By the way, it was the versatility of this gun, which showed itself well both as a divisional gun and as an anti-tank gun, along with the simplicity of design and manufacture that allowed it to become the most popular artillery gun in the world in the entire history of artillery!

Masters of "fire bags"

In an ambush is a “forty-five”, a 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model (53-K).

The last major change in the structure and tactics of using anti-tank artillery was the complete reorganization of all fighter divisions and brigades into anti-tank artillery brigades. By January 1, 1944, there were as many as fifty such brigades in the anti-tank artillery, and in addition to them there were another 141 anti-tank artillery regiments. The main weapons of these units were the same 76-mm ZIS-3 cannons, which the domestic industry produced at incredible speed. In addition to them, the brigades and regiments were armed with 57 mm ZIS-2 and a number of “forty-five” and 107 mm guns.

Soviet artillerymen from units of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps fire at the enemy from a camouflaged position. In the foreground: 45-mm anti-tank gun 53-K (model 1937), in the background: 76-mm regimental gun (model 1927). Bryansk front.

By this time, the fundamental tactics for the combat use of anti-tank units had been completely worked out. Developed and tested before Battle of Kursk The system of anti-tank areas and anti-tank strong points was rethought and refined. The number of anti-tank guns in the troops became more than sufficient, there were enough experienced personnel to use them, and the fight against Wehrmacht tanks was made as flexible and effective as possible. Now Soviet anti-tank defense was built on the principle of “fire bags” arranged along the routes of movement of German tank units. Anti-tank guns were placed in groups of 6-8 guns (that is, two batteries) at a distance of fifty meters from each other and were camouflaged with the utmost care. And they opened fire not when the first line of enemy tanks was in the zone of confident destruction, but only after virtually all the attacking tanks had entered it.

Unidentified Soviet female privates from a fighter-anti-tank artillery unit (IPTA).

Such “fire bags,” taking into account the characteristics of anti-tank artillery guns, were effective only at medium and short combat distances, which means that the risk for artillerymen increased many times over. It was necessary to show not only remarkable restraint, watching as German tanks passed almost nearby, it was necessary to guess the moment when to open fire, and fire it as quickly as the capabilities of the equipment and the strength of the crews allowed. And at the same time, be ready to change position at any moment as soon as it came under fire or the tanks went beyond the distance of sure destruction. And in battle this had to be done, as a rule, literally by hand: most often there was simply no time to adjust the horses or vehicles, and the process of loading and unloading the gun took too much time - much more than the conditions of the battle with the advancing tanks allowed.

A crew of Soviet artillerymen fires from a 45-mm anti-tank gun, model 1937 (53-K), at a German tank on a village street. The crew number hands the loader a 45-mm sub-caliber projectile.

Heroes with a black diamond on their sleeve

Knowing all this, you are no longer surprised at the number of heroes among the fighters and commanders of anti-tank units. Among them were real artillery snipers. Such as, for example, the commander of the gun of the 322nd Guards Anti-Tank Fighter Regiment, Senior Sergeant Zakir Asfandiyarov, who has almost three dozen fascist tanks, and ten of them (including six Tigers!) he knocked out in one battle. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Or, say, the gunner of the 493rd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, Sergeant Stepan Khoptyar. He fought from the very first days of the war, fought all the way to the Volga, and then to the Oder, where in one battle he destroyed four German tanks, and in just a few days in January 1945, nine tanks and several armored personnel carriers. The country appreciated this feat: in April of the victorious forty-fifth, Khoptyar was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Hero of the Soviet Union, gun commander of the 322nd Guards Fighter-Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment of the Guard, senior sergeant Zakir Lutfurakhmanovich Asfandiyarov (1918-1977) and Hero of the Soviet Union, gunner of the 322nd Guards Fighter-Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment of the Guard, sergeant Veniamin Mikhailovich Permyakov (192 4—1990) reading the letter. In the background, Soviet artillerymen at the 76-mm ZiS-3 divisional gun.

Z.L. Asfandiyarov at the front of the Great Patriotic War since September 1941. He particularly distinguished himself during the liberation of Ukraine.
On January 25, 1944, in the battles for the village of Tsibulev (now the village of Monastyrischensky district, Cherkasy region), a gun under the command of Guard Senior Sergeant Zakir Asfandiyarov was attacked by eight tanks and twelve armored personnel carriers with enemy infantry. Having brought the enemy attacking column within direct shot range, the gun crew opened targeted sniper fire and burned all eight enemy tanks, of which four were Tiger tanks. Guard senior sergeant Asfandiyarov himself destroyed one officer and ten soldiers with fire from his personal weapon. When the gun failed, the brave guardsman switched to the gun of a neighboring unit, whose crew was out of order and, repelling a new massive enemy attack, destroyed two Tiger tanks and up to sixty Nazi soldiers and officers. In just one battle, Guard Senior Sergeant Asfandiyarov’s crew destroyed ten enemy tanks, six of them “tiger” types and over one hundred and fifty enemy soldiers and officers.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 2386) was awarded to Asfandiyarov Zakir Lutfurakhmanovich by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 1, 1944.

V.M. Permyakov was drafted into the Red Army in August 1942. At the artillery school he became a gunner. Since July 1943, at the front, he fought in the 322nd Guards Anti-Tank Fighter Regiment as a gunner. He received his baptism of fire at the Kursk Bulge. In the first battle, he burned three German tanks, was wounded, but did not leave his combat post. For courage and perseverance in battle, accuracy in defeating tanks, Sergeant Permyakov was awarded the Order of Lenin. He particularly distinguished himself in the battles for the liberation of Ukraine in January 1944.
On January 25, 1944, in an area at a fork in the road near the villages of Ivakhny and Tsibulev, now the Monastyryshchensky district of the Cherkasy region, the crew of the guard of Senior Sergeant Asfandiyarov, whose gunner was Sergeant Permyakov, was among the first to meet the attack of enemy tanks and armored personnel carriers with infantry. Reflecting the first onslaught, Permyakov destroyed 8 tanks with precise fire, of which four were Tiger tanks. When the enemy landing force approached the artillery positions, they entered into hand-to-hand combat. He was wounded, but did not leave the battlefield. Having repulsed the attack of the machine gunners, he returned to the gun. When the gun failed, the guards switched to the gun of a neighboring unit, whose crew had failed and, repelling a new massive enemy attack, destroyed two more Tiger tanks and up to sixty Nazi soldiers and officers. During a raid by enemy bombers, the gun was destroyed. Permyakov, wounded and shell-shocked, was sent to the rear unconscious. On July 1, 1944, Guard Sergeant Permyakov Veniamin Mikhailovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 2385).

Lieutenant General Pavel Ivanovich Batov presents the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal to the commander of the anti-tank gun, Sergeant Ivan Spitsyn. Mozyr direction.

Ivan Yakovlevich Spitsin has been at the front since August 1942. He distinguished himself on October 15, 1943 during the crossing of the Dnieper. Sergeant Spitsin's crew destroyed three enemy machine guns with direct fire. Having crossed to the bridgehead, the artillerymen fired at the enemy until a direct hit destroyed the gun. The artillerymen joined the infantry, during the battle they captured enemy positions along with cannons and began to destroy the enemy with their own guns.

On October 30, 1943, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism displayed, Sergeant Ivan Yakovlevich Spitsin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 1641).

But even against the background of these and hundreds of other heroes from among the soldiers and officers of the anti-tank artillery, the feat of the only two-time Hero of the Soviet Union, Vasily Petrov, stands out. Drafted into the army in 1939, he graduated from the Sumy Artillery School right before the war, and met the Great Patriotic War as a lieutenant, platoon commander of the 92nd separate artillery division in Novograd-Volynsky in Ukraine.

Captain Vasily Petrov earned his first “Golden Star” of Hero of the Soviet Union after crossing the Dnieper in September 1943. By that time, he was already deputy commander of the 1850th anti-tank artillery regiment, and on his chest he wore two Orders of the Red Star and a medal “For Courage” - and three stripes for wounds. The decree conferring the highest degree of distinction on Petrov was signed on the 24th and published on December 29, 1943. By that time, the thirty-year-old captain was already in the hospital, having lost both arms in one of the last battles. And if not for the legendary order No. 0528, which ordered the return of the wounded to anti-tank units, the newly minted Hero would hardly have had a chance to continue fighting. But Petrov, always distinguished by his firmness and tenacity (sometimes dissatisfied subordinates and superiors said it was stubbornness), achieved his goal. And at the very end of 1944 he returned to his regiment, which by that time had already become known as the 248th Guards Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment.

With this guard regiment, Major Vasily Petrov reached the Oder, crossed it and distinguished himself by holding a bridgehead on the west bank, and then participating in the development of the offensive on Dresden. And this did not go unnoticed: by decree of June 27, 1945, for the spring exploits on the Oder, artillery major Vasily Petrov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time. By this time, the regiment of the legendary major had already been disbanded, but Vasily Petrov himself remained in service. And he remained in it until his death - and he died in 2003!

After the war, Vasily Petrov managed to graduate from Lvov State University and the Military Academy, received a candidate of military sciences degree, rose to the rank of lieutenant general of artillery, which he received in 1977, and served as deputy chief missile forces and artillery of the Carpathian Military District. As the grandson of one of General Petrov’s colleagues recalls, from time to time, going for a walk in the Carpathians, the middle-aged military leader managed to literally drive his adjutants, who could not keep up with him, on the way up...

Memory is stronger than time

The post-war fate of anti-tank artillery completely repeated the fate of all the Armed Forces of the USSR, changing in accordance with the changing challenges of the time. Since September 1946, the personnel of units and subunits of anti-tank artillery, as well as anti-tank rifle units, stopped receiving increased salaries. Right to special sleeve badge, of which the anti-tank crews were so proud, survived ten years longer. But it also disappeared over time: the next order to introduce a new uniform for the Soviet army canceled this patch.

The need for specialized anti-tank artillery units gradually disappeared. Anti-tank guided missiles replaced guns, and units armed with these weapons appeared in motorized rifle units. In the mid-1970s, the word “fighter” disappeared from the name of anti-tank fighter units, and twenty years later, along with the Soviet army, the last two dozen anti-tank artillery regiments and brigades disappeared. But whatever the post-war history of Soviet anti-tank artillery, it will never cancel the courage and those exploits with which the fighters and commanders of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army glorified their branch of the army during the Great Patriotic War.

Active work on the creation of self-propelled artillery units began in the USSR in the early 30s of the 20th century, although their design had been carried out since 1920. At the end of 1933, the Directorate of Mechanization and Motorization of the Red Army, together with the Main Artillery Directorate, developed recommendations for the inclusion of self-propelled artillery units into the developed “System of artillery weapons of the Red Army for the second five-year plan 1933 - 1938.” New system weapons, approved by the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR on January 11, 1934, determined the widespread development and introduction of self-propelled artillery into the troops, and serial production of self-propelled guns was planned to begin in 1935.

The main work on the creation of self-propelled guns was carried out at factories No. 174 named after. Voroshilov and No. 185 named after. Kirov under the leadership of talented designers P. Syachintov and S. Ginzburg. But despite the fact that in 1934 - 1937. A large number of prototypes of self-propelled guns for various purposes were manufactured, but they practically never entered service. And after P. Syachintov was repressed at the end of 1936, work on the creation of self-propelled artillery was almost completely curtailed. However, before June 1941, the Red Army received a number of self-propelled artillery units for various purposes.

The first to enter the army were the SU-1-12 (or SU-12), developed at the Kirov plant in Leningrad. They were a 76-mm regimental gun mod. 1927, installed on GAZ-ALA or Moreland trucks (the latter were purchased in the early 30s from the USA for the needs of the Red Army). The gun had an armor shield and an armor plate on the rear of the cabin. Total in 1934 - 1935 The Kirov plant produced 99 of these vehicles, which were supplied to the artillery divisions of some mechanized brigades. SU-1-12 were used in battles near Lake Khasan in 1938, on the Khalkhin Gol River in 1939 and during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939 - 1940. The experience of their operation has shown that they have poor terrain maneuverability and low survivability on the battlefield. By June 1941, most of the SU-1-12 was badly worn out and required repair.

In 1935, the reconnaissance battalions of the Red Army began to receive the Kurchevsky self-propelled gun (SPK) - a 76-mm recoilless (in the terminology of that time - dynamo-reactive) weapon on the GAZ-TK chassis (a three-axle version of the GAZ-A passenger car). The 76-mm recoilless rifle was developed by the inventor Kurchevsky among a large range of guns of a similar design with a caliber from 37 to 305 mm. Despite the fact that some of Kurchevsky's guns were produced in large quantities - up to several thousand pieces - they had a lot of design flaws. After Kurchevsky was repressed in 1937, all work on dynamo-reactive guns was stopped. Until 1937, 23 SPKs were transferred to the Red Army units. Two such installations took part in the Soviet-Finnish war, where they were lost. By June 1941, the troops had about 20 SPK, most of which were faulty.

The only serial pre-war self-propelled artillery unit on a tank chassis was the SU-5. It was developed in 1934 - 1935. at plant No. 185 named after. Kirov as part of the so-called “small triplex” program. The latter was a single base created on the chassis of the T-26 tank, with three different artillery systems (76-mm cannon model 1902/30, 122-mm howitzer model 1910/30 and 152-mm mortar model 1902/30). 1931). After the production and testing of three self-propelled guns, designated SU-5-1, SU-5-2 and SU-5-3, respectively, the SU-5-2 (with a 122 mm howitzer) was adopted into service with the Red Army. In 1935, an initial batch of 24 SU-5-2s was produced, which entered service with tank units of the Red Army. The SU-5 was used in combat operations near Lake Khasan in 1938 and during the Polish campaign in September 1939. They turned out to be quite effective vehicles, but had a small transportable ammunition load. By June 1941, all 30 SU-5s were in service, but most of them (with the exception of those located on Far East) were lost in the first weeks of the war.

In addition to the SU-5, the tank units of the Red Army had another vehicle in service that could be classified as self-propelled artillery on a tank base. We are talking about the BT-7A (artillery) tank, developed at the Kharkov plant No. 183 named after. Comintern in 1934, the BT-7A was intended for artillery support of linear tanks on the battlefield, combating enemy fire weapons and fortifications. It differed from the BT-7 linear tank by installing a larger turret with a 76-mm KT-27 gun. Total in 1935 - 1937 Red Army units received 155 BT-7A. These vehicles were used in battles on the Khalkhin Gol River in 1939 and during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939 - 1940. During these conflicts, the BT-7A, but reviews from the command of tank units, proved themselves to be the most the best side as an effective means of supporting tanks and infantry on the battlefield. As of June 1, 1941, the Red Army had 117 BT-7A tanks.

In addition to self-propelled guns, by the beginning of the war the Red Army also had self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. First of all, these are 76-mm 3K anti-aircraft guns mounted on YAG-K trucks produced by the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant. In 1933 - 1934 The troops received 61 such installations, which by the beginning of the war were part of units of the Moscow Military District. In addition, there were about 2,000 anti-aircraft machine gun installations (ZPU) - quad Maxima machine guns installed in the back of a GAZ-AAA car.

Thus, by June 1941, the Red Army had about 2,300 self-propelled artillery units for various purposes. Moreover, most of them were cars with weapons installed on them without any armor protection. In addition, it should be borne in mind that ordinary civilian trucks, which had very low cross-country ability on country roads, not to mention rough terrain, were used as a base for them. Therefore, these vehicles could not be used to directly support troops on the battlefield. There were only 145 full-fledged self-propelled guns on a tank chassis (28 SU-5 and 117 BT-7A). In the very first weeks of the war (June - July 1941), most of them were lost.

During the very first battles of the Great Patriotic War, the question arose about the need to quickly develop an anti-tank self-propelled artillery unit capable of quickly changing positions and fighting German tank units, which were significantly superior in mobility to units of the Red Army. On July 15, 1941, at plant No. 92 in Gorky, the ZIS-30 self-propelled gun was urgently developed, which was a 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun mounted on the chassis of the Komsomolets armored tractor. Due to the lack of tractors, the production of which was discontinued in August, it was necessary to search for and seize Komsomolets from military units, repair them and only after that install guns on them. As a result of this, production of the ZIS-30 began in mid-September and ended on October 15. During this time, the Red Army received 101 installations. They entered service with anti-tank batteries of motorized rifle battalions of tank brigades and were used only in battles near Moscow as part of the Western, Bryansk and right wing of the Southwestern Fronts.

Due to large losses in tanks in the summer of 1941, the leadership of the Red Army adopted a decree “On shielding light tanks and armoring tractors.” Among other measures, it was prescribed that armored tractors would be manufactured at the Kharkov Tractor Plant under the designation KhTZ-16. The HTZ-16 project was developed at the Scientific Automotive and Tractor Institute (NATI) in July. KhTZ-16 was a slightly modernized chassis of the STZ-3 agricultural tractor with an armored hull made of 15 mm armor installed on it. The tractor's armament consisted of a 45-mm tank gun mod. 1932, installed in the front hull plate and having limited firing angles. Thus. KhTZ-16 was anti-tank self-propelled gun, although in documents of that time it was referred to as an “armored tractor”. The production volume of KhTZ-16 was planned to be quite large - when Kharkov was delivered in October 1941, KhTZ had 803 chassis ready for armor. But due to problems with the supply of armor plates, the plant produced from 50 to 60 (according to various sources) KhTZ-16, which were used in the battles of the autumn - winter of 1941, and some, judging by the photographs, “survived” until the spring of 1942 .

In the summer - autumn of 1941, work on the creation of self-propelled guns was actively carried out at enterprises in Leningrad, primarily at the Izhora, Kirov, Voroshilov and Kirov factories. Thus, in August, 15 self-propelled guns were manufactured with the installation of a 76-mm regimental gun mod. 1927 on the chassis of the T-26 tank with the turret removed. The cannon was installed behind the shield and had a circular fire. These vehicles, designated according to documents as T-26-self-propelled guns, entered service with tank brigades of the Leningrad Front and operated quite successfully until 1944.

Anti-aircraft guns were also manufactured on the basis of the T-26. For example, in early September, the 124th Tank Brigade received “two T-26 tanks with 37-mm anti-aircraft guns installed on them.” These vehicles operated as part of the brigade until the summer of 1943.

In July and August, the Izhora plant produced several dozen ZIS-5 armored trucks (the cabin and sides of the cargo platform were fully protected by armor). The vehicle, which mainly entered service with the divisions of the Leningrad People's Militia Army (LANO), was armed with a machine gun in the front of the cab and a 45-mm anti-tank gun mod. 1932, which rolled into the body and could fire forward in the direction of travel. It was intended to use these “brontasaurs” primarily to fight German tanks from ambushes. Judging by the photographs, some vehicles were still used by the troops during the lifting of the siege of Leningrad in the winter of 1944.

In addition, the Kirov plant produced several self-propelled guns of the SU-1-12 type with the installation of a 76-mm regimental gun behind a shield on the chassis of ZIS-5 trucks.

All self-propelled guns created in the first months of the war had a large number of design flaws due to the fact that they were created hastily using the means and materials at hand. Naturally, what to talk about serial production machines created under such conditions were out of the question.

On March 3, 1942, the People's Commissar of the Tank Industry signed an order to create a special bureau of self-propelled artillery. The special bureau was supposed to as soon as possible develop a single chassis for self-propelled guns using units of the T-60 tank and cars. Based on the chassis, it was planned to create a 76-mm assault self-propelled support gun and a 37-mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.

On April 14-15, 1942, a plenum of the Artillery Committee of the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) was held with the participation of representatives from the troops, industry and the People's Commissariat of Armaments (NKV) of the USSR, at which the creation of self-propelled artillery was discussed. In its decision, the plenum recommended the creation of infantry support self-propelled guns with a 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon and a 122-mm M-30 howitzer, as well as self-propelled guns with a 152-mm ML-20 howitzer gun to combat fortifications and a 37-mm anti-aircraft gun to combat air targets.

The decision of the plenum of the GAU Artillery Committee was approved by the State Defense Committee and in June 1942, the People's Commissariat of Tank Industry (NKTP) together with the NKV developed a “self-propelled artillery system for arming the Red Army.” At the same time, the NKV led the development and production of the artillery part of the self-propelled guns, and the NKTP was engaged in the design of the chassis. The general coordination of work on the self-propelled guns was carried out by the special bureau of the NKTP, headed by the talented designer S. Ginzburg.

In the summer of 1942, the first samples of self-propelled guns went out for testing. It was a 37-mm anti-aircraft and 76-mm assault self-propelled gun from plant No. 37 NKTP. Both vehicles were manufactured on a single chassis, which was created using components from the T-60 and T-70 tanks. Testing of the vehicles ended successfully, and in June 1942 the State Defense Committee ordered the preparation of serial production of self-propelled guns after eliminating the identified deficiencies. However, the beginning of the German offensive on Stalingrad required an urgent increase in the production of tanks and work on the creation of self-propelled guns was curtailed.

In addition, at plant No. 592 NKN (in Mytishchi near Moscow) the design of the self-propelled guns of the 122-mm M-30 howitzer on the chassis of the captured German StuG III was carried out. The prototype, designated the assault self-propelled howitzer “artshturm” or SG-122A, was released for testing only in September.

On October 19, 1942, the State Defense Committee, by its resolution No. 2429ss, decided to prepare mass production of assault and anti-aircraft self-propelled guns of 37 - 122 mm caliber. The leading enterprises for assault self-propelled guns were Plant No. 38 named after. Kuibyshev (Kirov) and GAZ named after. Molotov (Gorky), the 122-mm self-propelled howitzer was developed by Uralmashzavod and plant No. 592 NKV. The design deadlines were set quite strict - by December 1 it was required to report to the State Defense Committee on the results of testing new models of self-propelled guns.

And in November, the first prototypes of assault and anti-aircraft self-propelled guns entered testing. These were the SU-11 (anti-aircraft) and SU-12 (assault) from plant No. 38, as well as the GAZ-71 (assault) and GAZ-72 (anti-aircraft) from the Gorky Automobile Plant. When creating them, an already proven layout scheme was used, proposed back in the summer of 1942 by the special bureau of the self-propelled guns PKTP - two paired parallel engines in the front of the vehicle and a fighting compartment in the stern. The armament of the vehicles consisted of a 76-mm ZIS-3 divisional gun (assault self-propelled guns) and a 37-mm 31K gun (anti-aircraft self-propelled guns).

On November 19, the commission that conducted the tests drew up a conclusion on testing samples of self-propelled guns from plant No. 38 and GAZ. In it, the GAZ-71 and GAZ-72 were characterized as vehicles that did not meet the requirements for them and it was recommended to adopt the self-propelled guns of plant No. 38.

At the same time, self-propelled samples of the 122-mm howitzer M-30 were tested: U-35 Uralmashzavod, created on the chassis of the T-34 tank and SG-122 of plant No. 592 NKV, developed on the basis of the captured Pz.Kpfw tank. III (the last sample was an improved version of ST-122A).

On December 9, 1942, testing of the SU-11, SU-12, SG-122 and U-35 began at the Gorokhovets training ground. As a result, the government commission that conducted the tests recommended adopting the SU-76 (SU-12) and SU-122 (U-35) self-propelled guns into service with the troops. The SU-11 did not withstand testing due to the unsuccessful layout of the fighting compartment, unfinished sight installation and shortcomings of a number of other mechanisms. The SG-122 was abandoned due to its captured base (at that time the number of captured tanks was not yet large enough).

Even before the completion of tests of prototype self-propelled guns, by decree of the State Defense Committee of November 25, 1942, the Department of Mechanical Traction and Self-Propelled Artillery was created in the system of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army. The responsibilities of the new department included control over the production, supply and repair of self-propelled artillery units. On December 2, 1942, the State Defense Committee decided to launch the production of self-propelled artillery systems SU-12 and SU-122 for arming the Red Army.

At the end of December 1942, the People's Commissar of Defense, by directives No. 112467ss and 11210ss, demanded the formation of 30 self-propelled artillery regiments of the Reserve Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, armed with new types of installations. Already by January 1, 1943, the first batch of 25 SU-76s and the same number of SU-122s was sent to the newly formed self-propelled artillery training center.

But already on January 19, in connection with the beginning of the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad, the first two formed self-propelled artillery regiments (1433rd and 1434th), by decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, were sent to the Volkhov Front. In March, two new self-propelled artillery regiments were sent to the Western Front - the 1485th and 1487th.

Already the first experience in the combat use of self-propelled artillery showed that it is capable of providing significant support with artillery fire to advancing infantry and tank units. A memo from the chief of staff of the artillery of the Red Army to GKO member V. Molotov dated April 6, 1943 said: “Experience has shown that self-propelled guns are needed, since no other type of artillery has given such an effect in continuous accompaniment of attacks by infantry and tanks and interaction with them in close combat. The material damage caused to the enemy by self-propelled guns and the results of the battle compensate for the losses.".

At the same time, the results of the first combat use of self-propelled guns revealed major shortcomings in their design. For example, in the SU-122 there were frequent breakdowns of the travel gun mounting stop and the lifting mechanism. In addition, the unsuccessful layout of the self-propelled gun’s fighting compartment greatly tired the gun’s crew during operation, and insufficient visibility made it difficult for the vehicle to operate during combat. But most of the SU-122’s shortcomings were eliminated quite quickly. The situation with the SU-76 was much more complicated.

During the first battles, most of the SU-76s failed due to breakdowns of gearboxes and main shafts. It was not possible to solve the problem by simply strengthening the design of the shafts and gears of the gearboxes - such self-propelled guns failed just as often.

It soon became clear that the cause of the accidents was the parallel installation of two twin engines operating on a common shaft. This scheme led to the occurrence of resonant torsional vibrations on the shaft and its rapid breakdown, since the maximum value of the resonant frequency occurred during the most loaded operating mode of the engines (this corresponded to the movement of the self-propelled gun in second gear through snow and mud). It became clear that eliminating this design defect would take time. Therefore, on March 21, 1943, production of the SU-12 was suspended.

To compensate for the reduced production of SU-76s, which were urgently needed by the front, on February 3, plant No. 37 was given an order to produce 200 self-propelled guns based on the captured Pz.Kpfw tank. III. By that time, according to trophy services, after the end Battle of Stalingrad, about 300 German tanks and self-propelled guns were delivered to repair plants. Using the experience of work on the SG-122, plant No. 37 in a short time developed, tested and put into production the SU-76I (“foreign”) self-propelled gun, created on the basis of the Pz.Kpfw sneaker. III and armed with a 76-mm F-34 cannon, adapted for installation in self-propelled guns. In total, until December 1945, the Red Army received 201 SU-76I. after which their production was discontinued.

Meanwhile, Plant No. 38 hastily worked to eliminate the shortcomings of the SU-76 (SU-12). In April, the SU-12M was created. differed from the SU-12 by the presence of additional elastic couplings between the engines, gearboxes and main gears. These measures made it possible to sharply reduce the accident rate of the SU-76, and from May they were sent to the troops.

Technical difficulties in eliminating design flaws in the chassis and insufficient elaboration of the issues of technical operation of self-propelled artillery mounts were the reason for the appearance of the State Defense Committee decree of April 24, 1943, which addressed issues of factory acceptance of self-propelled guns. The formation of self-propelled artillery units was transferred from the GAU KA to the jurisdiction of the Commander of the armored and mechanized forces of the Red Army. All further work on creating new and improving existing models of self-propelled guns was carried out through the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army (GBTU KA).

In May 1913, Plant No. 38 produced a modernized model of a self-propelled artillery mount under the symbol SU-15. In it, the layout of the engine and transmission compartment was made like a T-70 tank: the engines were placed in series one after another, and the crankshafts were connected to each other. The self-propelled gun had only one gearbox, and the roof over the fighting compartment was dismantled to improve the working conditions of the crew (on the SU-12 there were cases when crews died due to poor ventilation of the fighting compartment). Tests of the unit, which received the army designation SU-76M, showed quite satisfactory operation of the transmission, and from June 1943 the vehicle was put into mass production. In the fall of 1943, GAZ and plant No. 40 (created on the basis of plant No. 592 NKV) joined the production of the SU-76M. Production of this machine lasted until November 1945.

By Decree of the State Defense Committee No. 2692 of January 4, 1943, plant No. 100 NKTP (Chelyabinsk) and plant No. 172 NKV (Molotov) were ordered to design and manufacture a prototype of a self-propelled artillery mount based on the KB-1C gun within 25 days. 152 mm ML-20 howitzer gun. Despite a number of difficulties, the task was completed on time, and by February 7, tests of the prototype, which received the factory designation KB-14, were completed at the Chebarkul test site. By decree of the State Defense Committee of February 14, the KB-14 installation under the symbol SU-152 was adopted by the Red Army and put into mass production. The first SU-152 regiments took part in the battles on the Kursk Bulge in the summer of 1943.

To combat the new German tanks "Tiger", captured at the beginning of 1943 near Leningrad, the State Defense Committee, by resolution No. 3289 of May 5, 1943, ordered the NKTP and NKV to produce a prototype of a medium self-propelled artillery mount with an 85-mm cannon based on the T tank -34, intended for direct escort of medium tanks in their battle formations.

The development of the new self-propelled guns was entrusted to Uralmashzavod, and the guns for it were assigned to the design bureau of plant No. 9 and the Central Artillery Design Bureau (TsAKB). At the beginning of August 1943, two samples of installations were tested at the Gorokhovets artillery range - with the 85-mm D-5S gun from plant No. 9 and the S-18 TsAKB. The D-5S gun turned out to be more successful, and GKO decree No. 3892 of August 7, 1943 new car was adopted by the Red Army under the designation SU-85. In the same month, serial production of the SU-85 began, and production of the SU-122 was discontinued.

In connection with the adoption of the new IS heavy tank into service by the Red Army in the fall of 1943 and the discontinuation of the KB-1C, plant No. 100 developed on the basis of the new heavy tank A 152-mm self-propelled artillery mount, which was put into service under the designation ISU-152 and put into mass production in November, with the simultaneous cessation of production of the SU-152.

Some design changes were made to the design of the ISU-152, based on the results of experience in the combat use of SU-152 self-propelled artillery mounts.

Due to the fact that the program for the production of ISU-152 self-propelled artillery mounts was not provided with the required number of 152-mm ML-20S howitzer guns, in 1944, in parallel with the ISU-152, the production of ISU-122 mounts, armed with a 122-mm cannon, was carried out A-19. Subsequently, the A-19 cannon was replaced by a 122-mm D-25S cannon mod. 1943 (similar to the installed IS-2 gun) and the installation received the name ISU-122S.

In connection with the armament of the T-34 tank with an 85-mm gun in the fall of 1943 and the need to strengthen the armament of medium self-propelled artillery mounts, the State Defense Committee, by Decree No. 4851ss of December 27, 1943, ordered the TsAKB to develop a project for installing a 100-mm gun on the basis of the existing medium self-propelled gun. SU-85 artillery mount.

Plant No. 9, on its own initiative, got involved in this work earlier deadline designed, tested and presented to Uralmashzavod a 100-mm D-10S cannon for installation in a self-propelled gun. On February 15, 1944, Uralmashplant produced two prototype SU-100 installations, one of which was armed with a D-10S cannon designed by plant No. 9, and the second with a 100-mm S-34 cannon developed by TsAKB. After carrying out factory tests of the samples by firing and running, on March 9 the plant presented the self-propelled guns to the state commission for field testing. The best results were shown by a self-propelled artillery mount with a D-10S cannon designed by plant No. 9, which in July 1944 was adopted by the Red Army under the designation SU-100. However, due to problems with organizing the serial production of D-10S guns, production of the SU-100 began only in September 1944. Until that time, Uralmashplant produced the SU-85M, which differed from the SU-85 in the use of a new armored hull design (with a commander's cupola or more thick armor) developed for the SU-100.

It should be said that based on the experience of the summer battles, which showed that not all serial self-propelled artillery units of the Red Army can successfully fight new German tanks and heavy self-propelled guns. In December 1943, the State Defense Committee proposed that the GBTU KA and NKV design, manufacture, and by April 1944 submit for testing self-propelled artillery mounts with high-power guns of the following types:
- with an 85-mm cannon having an initial projectile speed of 1050 m/s;
- with a 122-mm cannon having an initial projectile speed of 1000 m/s;
- with a 130-mm cannon having an initial projectile speed of 900 m/s;
- with a 152-mm cannon having an initial projectile speed of 880 m/s.

All of these guns, except for the 85-mm cannon, were supposed to penetrate armor up to 200 mm at ranges of 1500 - 2000 m. Tests of these installations took place in the summer of 1944 - spring of 1945, but not a single one of these guns was put into service.

Along with domestically produced self-propelled guns, American units supplied to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program were also actively used in Red Army units.

The first to arrive at the end of 1943 were the T-18 self-propelled artillery mounts (and in Soviet documents they are referred to as the SU-57). The T-48 was a 57 mm cannon mounted on an M3 half-track armored personnel carrier. The order for the production of these machines was given by Great Britain, but due to the weakness of the weapons, some of the machines were transferred to the Soviet Union. The SU-57 was not popular in the Red Army: the vehicle had large dimensions, weak armor protection and weapons. However, when used correctly, these self-propelled guns could act quite effectively.

In 1944, the Red Army received two anti-aircraft self-propelled guns: self-propelled guns M15 and M17. The first represented a combined installation of a 37-mm M1A2 automatic cannon and two 12.7-mm Browning M2 machine guns on an M3 half-track armored personnel carrier. The M17 differed from the M15 in its base (M5 armored personnel carrier) and armament - it had four 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine guns. The M15 and M17 were the only self-propelled anti-aircraft guns in service with the Red Army during the war. They turned out to be effective means protecting tank formations on the march from air attack, and were also successfully used for battles in cities, firing at the upper floors of buildings.

In 1944, a small batch of M10 Wolverine (Wolverine) anti-tank self-propelled guns, created on the basis of the medium American M4A2 tank, arrived from the United States. The M10's armament consisted of a 76-mm M7 cannon mounted in a circular rotating turret open at the top. During the battles, the M10 proved to be a powerful anti-tank weapon. They could successfully fight heavy German tanks.

Captured German self-propelled guns were also used in the Red Army. However, their number was small and hardly exceeded 80 units. The most frequently used assault guns were StuG III, called “artillery assaults” in our army.

Soviet artillerymen made a great contribution to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. No wonder they say that artillery is the “God of War.” For many people, the symbols of the Great Patriotic War remain the legendary guns - the "forty-five", a 45-mm gun of the 1937 model, with which the Red Army entered the war, and the most popular Soviet cannon of the war - the 76-mm divisional gun of the 1942 model ZIS-3 . During the war, this weapon was produced in a huge series - more than 100 thousand units.

The legendary "forty-five"

The battlefield is shrouded in clouds of smoke, flashes of fire and the sound of explosions all around. An armada of German tanks is slowly moving towards our positions. They are opposed by only one surviving artilleryman, who personally loads and aims his forty-five at the tanks.

A similar plot can very often be found in Soviet films and books; it was supposed to show the superiority of the spirit of a simple Soviet soldier, who, with the help of practically “scrap metal,” managed to stop the high-tech German horde. In fact, the 45-mm anti-tank gun was far from a useless weapon, especially on initial stage war. When used wisely, this weapon has repeatedly demonstrated all its best qualities.

The history of the creation of this legendary gun dates back to the 30s of the last century, when the first anti-tank gun was adopted by the Red Army - a 37-mm gun of the 1930 model. This gun was a licensed version of the German 37-mm gun 3.7-cm PaK 35/36, created by Rheinmetall engineers. In the Soviet Union, this gun was produced at plant No. 8 in Podlipki, the gun received the designation 1-K.

At the same time, almost immediately the USSR started thinking about improving the weapon. Two ways were considered: either increase the power of the 37-mm gun by introducing new ammunition, or switch to new caliber- 45 mm. The second way was considered promising. Already at the end of 1931, the designers of Plant No. 8 installed a new 45 mm caliber barrel into the casing of the 37-mm anti-tank gun of the 1930 model, while slightly strengthening the gun carriage. This is how the 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1932 model was born, its factory index was 19K.

As the main ammunition for the new gun, it was decided to use a unitary shot from a 47-mm French cannon, the projectile of which, or rather not even the projectile itself, but its sealing belt, was simply ground from 47 mm to 46 mm in diameter. At the time of its creation, this anti-tank weapon was the most powerful in the world. But even despite this, the GAU demanded modernization in order to reduce the weight of the gun and increase armor penetration to 45-55 mm at ranges of 1000-1300 meters. On November 7, 1936, it was also decided to transfer 45 mm anti-tank guns from wooden wheels to metal wheels filled with sponge rubber from the GAZ-A car.

By the beginning of 1937, the 45-mm gun of the 1932 model had new wheels installed and the gun went into production. In addition, the gun received an improved sight, a new semi-automatic mechanism, a push-button release, a more reliable shield mount, suspension, better balancing of the swinging part - all these innovations made the 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model (53K) meet all the requirements of the time.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was this weapon that formed the basis of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army. As of June 22, 1941, 16,621 such guns were in service. In total, during the war years, 37,354 45-mm anti-tank guns were produced in the USSR.

The gun was intended to combat enemy armored vehicles (tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers). For its time and at the start of the war, its armor penetration was quite adequate. At a distance of 500 meters, an armor-piercing projectile penetrated 43 mm armor. This was enough to fight German tanks of those years, most of which had more bulletproof armor.

Moreover, already during the war in 1942, the gun was modernized and its anti-tank capabilities increased. The 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1942 model, designated M-42, was created by modernizing its 1937 predecessor. The work was carried out at plant No. 172 in Motovilikha (Perm).

Basically, the modernization consisted of lengthening the gun barrel, as well as strengthening the propellant charge and a number of technical measures that were aimed at simplifying the mass production of the gun. At the same time, the thickness of the gun shield armor increased from 4.5 mm to 7 mm to better protect the crew from armor-piercing bullets. As a result of modernization, the muzzle velocity of the projectile was raised from 760 m/s to 870 m/s. When using caliber armor-piercing shells, the armor penetration of the new gun at a distance of 500 meters increased to 61 mm.

The M-42 anti-tank gun was able to fight all medium German tanks of 1942. Moreover, throughout the entire first period of the Great Patriotic War, it was the forty-fives that remained the basis of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army. During the Battle of Stalingrad, these guns accounted for 43% of all guns in service with anti-tank fighter regiments.

But with the appearance in 1943 of new German tanks, primarily the Tiger and Panther, as well as the modernized version of the Pz Kpfw IV Ausf H, which had a frontal armor thickness of 80 mm, Soviet anti-tank artillery was again faced with the need to increase firepower.

The problem was partially solved by restarting production of the 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun. But despite this and thanks to well-established production, production of the M-42 continued. This gun could fight Pz Kpfw IV Ausf H and Panther tanks by firing at the side, and such fire could be counted on due to the high mobility of the gun. As a result, it was left in production and service. A total of 10,843 such guns were manufactured from 1942 to 1945.

Model 1942 divisional gun ZIS-3

The second Soviet weapon, no less legendary than the forty-five, was the 1942 model ZIS-3 divisional gun, which today can be found on many pedestals. It is worth noting that by the time the Great Patriotic War began, the Red Army was armed with both rather outdated field guns of the 1900/02, 1902/26 and 1902/30 models, as well as fairly modern guns: 76.2-mm divisional guns of the 1936 model ( F-22) and a 76.2-mm divisional gun of the 1939 model (USV).

Moreover, work on the ZIS-3 began before the war. The design of the new gun was carried out by the famous designer Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin. He began work on the gun at the end of 1940 after his 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun successfully passed tests. Like most anti-tank guns, it was quite compact and had a lightweight and durable carriage, which was quite suitable for the development of a divisional gun.

At the same time, a technologically advanced barrel with good ballistic characteristics had already been created for the 76.2 mm F-22 and USV divisional guns. So the designers practically only had to put the existing barrel on the ZIS-2 gun carriage, equipping the barrel with a muzzle brake to reduce the load on the gun carriage. In parallel with the design process of the divisional gun, issues related to its production technology were resolved, and the production of many parts was tested using stamping, casting, and welding. Compared to the USV gun, labor costs were reduced by 3 times, and the cost of one gun fell by more than a third.

The ZIS-3 was a weapon of a modern design at that time. The gun barrel was a monoblock with a breech and a muzzle brake (absorbed approximately 30% of the recoil energy). A semi-automatic wedge shutter was used. The trigger was lever or push-button (on guns of different production series). The barrel life of guns in the first series reached up to 5,000 rounds, but for most guns it did not exceed 2,000 rounds.

Already in the battles of 1941, the ZIS-3 gun showed all its advantages over the heavy and inconvenient F-22 and USV guns for gunners. This allowed Grabin to personally present his gun to Stalin and receive from him official permission to launch the gun into mass production; moreover, the gun was already being produced and actively used in the army.

At the beginning of February 1942, formal tests of the gun took place, which lasted only 5 days. Based on the test results, the ZIS-3 gun was put into service on February 12, 1942 with official name"76-mm divisional gun model 1942." For the first time in the world, the production of the ZIS-3 gun was carried out using the in-line method with a sharp increase in productivity. On May 9, 1945, the Volga Plant reported to the party and government about the production of the 100,000th 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon, increasing their production during the war years by almost 20 times. A in total, more than 103 thousand of these guns were manufactured during the war years.

The ZIS-3 gun could use the entire range of 76 mm cannon shells available, including a variety of old Russian and imported grenades. Thus, the 53-OF-350 steel high-explosive fragmentation grenade, when the fuse was set to fragmentation action, created approximately 870 lethal fragments, the effective radius of destruction of manpower was 15 meters. When the fuse was set to high explosive at a distance of 7.5 km, the grenade could penetrate a 75 cm thick brick wall or a 2 m thick earthen embankment.

The use of the 53-BR-354P sub-caliber projectile ensured penetration of 105 mm of armor at a distance of 300 meters, and at a distance of 500 meters - 90 mm. First of all, sub-caliber shells were sent to support anti-tank destroyer units. Since the end of 1944, the troops also received the 53-BP-350A cumulative projectile, which could penetrate armor up to 75-90 mm thick at an impact angle of 45 degrees.

At the time of adoption, the 76-mm divisional gun of the 1942 model fully met all the requirements facing it: firepower, mobility, unpretentiousness in everyday operation and manufacturability. The ZIS-3 gun was a typical example of a weapon of the Russian school of design: technologically uncomplicated, cheap, powerful, reliable, absolutely unpretentious and easy to operate.

During the war years, these guns were produced using the in-line method using any more or less trained workforce without loss of quality of the finished samples. He easily mastered the guns and could keep the personnel of the units in order. For those conditions in which Soviet Union ended up in 1941-1942, the ZIS-3 gun was almost ideal solution not only from the point of view of combat use, but also from the point of view of industrial production. Throughout the war years, the ZIS-3 was successfully used both against tanks and against infantry and enemy fortifications, which is what made it so universal and widespread.

122-mm howitzer model 1938 M-30

The 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model M-30 became the most popular Soviet howitzer of the Great Patriotic War. This weapon was mass-produced from 1939 to 1955 and was, and still is, in service with some countries. This howitzer took part in almost all significant wars and local conflicts of the 20th century.

According to a number of artillery successes, the M-30 can easily be considered one of the best examples of Soviet cannon artillery from the middle of the last century. The presence of such a howitzer in the artillery units of the Red Army made an invaluable contribution to victory in the war. In total, during the production of the M-30, 19,266 howitzers of this type were assembled.

The howitzer was developed in 1938 by the Motovilikha Plants Design Bureau (Perm), the project was led by Fedor Fedorovich Petrov. Serial production of the howitzer began in 1939 at three factories at once, including Motovilikha Plants (Perm) and at the Uralmash artillery plant (Sverdlovsk, since 1942 artillery plant No. 9 with OKB-9). The howitzer was in mass production until 1955, which most clearly characterizes the success of the project.

In general, the M-30 howitzer had a classic design: a reliable, durable two-frame carriage, a rigidly fixed shield with a liftable central sheet, and a 23-caliber barrel that did not have a muzzle brake. The M-30 howitzer was equipped with the same carriage as the 152-mm D-1 howitzer. Large-diameter wheels received solid slopes; they were filled with spongy rubber. At the same time, the M-30 modification, which was produced in Bulgaria after the war, had wheels of a different design. Each 122nd howitzer had two openers different types- for hard and soft soil.

The 122 mm M-30 howitzer was, of course, a very successful weapon. The group of its creators under the leadership of F. F. Petrov managed to very harmoniously combine simplicity and reliability in one model of artillery weapons. The howitzer was very easy to master by personnel, which was in many ways characteristic of howitzers of the era of the First World War, but at the same time it had big amount new design solutions that made it possible to increase the fire capabilities and mobility of the howitzer. As a result, the Soviet divisional artillery received a powerful and modern howitzer, which was able to operate as part of highly mobile tank and mechanized units of the Red Army. The wide distribution of this 122-mm howitzer in various armies of the world and excellent reviews from artillerymen only confirm this.

The weapon was appreciated even by the Germans, who at the initial stage of the war managed to capture several hundred M-30 howitzers. They adopted the weapon under the designation heavy howitzer 12.2 cm s.F.H.396(r), actively using them on the Eastern and Western Fronts. Starting in 1943, for this howitzer, as well as some other samples of Soviet barrel artillery of the same caliber, the Germans even launched full-fledged mass production of shells. So in 1943 they fired 424 thousand rounds, in 1944 and 1945 - 696.7 thousand and 133 thousand rounds, respectively.

The main type of ammunition for the 122-mm M-30 howitzer in the Red Army was a fairly effective fragmentation projectile, which weighed 21.76 kg. The howitzer could fire these shells at a range of up to 11,800 meters. Theoretically, the 53-BP-460A armor-piercing cumulative projectile could be used to combat armored targets, which, at an angle of impact with armor of 90°, would penetrate armor up to 160 mm thick. Sighting range firing at a moving tank was up to 400 meters. But naturally this would be an extreme case.

The M-30 was intended primarily for firing from closed positions against openly located and entrenched enemy personnel and equipment. The howitzer was successfully used to destroy enemy field fortifications (dugouts, bunkers, trenches) and to make passages in wire fences when it was impossible to use mortars for these purposes.

Moreover, the barrage of M-30 howitzer batteries with high-explosive fragmentation shells posed some threat to German armored vehicles. The fragments formed when 122-mm shells exploded were able to penetrate armor up to 20 mm thick, which was quite enough to destroy the sides of enemy light tanks and armored personnel carriers. For vehicles with thicker armor, fragments of howitzer shells could damage the gun, sights, and chassis elements.

Cumulative projectiles for this howitzer appeared only in 1943. But in their absence, the artillerymen were instructed to fire at the tanks with high-explosive fragmentation shells, having previously set the fuse to high-explosive action. Very often, in the event of a direct hit on a tank (especially for light and medium tanks), it became fatal for the armored vehicle and its crew, up to the point where the turret was torn off the shoulder strap, which automatically rendered the tank incapable of combat.