Soviet tanks and armored vehicles. Soviet tanks and armored vehicles

Many samples of military equipment and weapons used during the Great Patriotic War passed it from beginning to end, which indicates the success of their design and the most complete compliance with tactical and technical requirements (TTT). However, a number of products of the Soviet defense industry, with which the Red Army entered into a confrontation with the German troops, did not live up to its completion due to either obsolescence or inconsistency with these most notorious TTTs. But the same fate was shared by some combat vehicles created during the war, including the T-60 light tank.

Counteroffer

In May 1941, Moscow Plant No. 37 was given the task of mastering the serial production of the new generation T-50 light tank, which shocked the management of the enterprise, whose modest production capabilities clearly did not correspond to the new facility. Suffice it to say that the T-50 had a complex eight-speed planetary gearbox, and gear-cutting production has always been a weak point at this plant. At the same time, the workers of plant number 37 came to the conclusion that it was possible to create a new light tank for direct infantry escort. At the same time, it was supposed to use a used engine-transmission installation and the running gear of the T-40 amphibious tank. The hull was supposed to have a more rational shape, reduced dimensions and enhanced armor.

Convinced of the expediency and advantages of such a solution, the chief designer N.A. Astrov, together with the senior military representative of the enterprise, Lieutenant Colonel V.P. Okunev, wrote a letter to I.V. mastering the production of a new tank. The letter was dropped in the evening in due course. mailbox at the Nikolsky Gates of the Kremlin, at night Stalin read it, and in the morning the deputy chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR V. A. Malyshev arrived at the plant, who was instructed to deal with the new machine. He examined the model of the tank with interest, approved it, discussed technical and production problems with the designers and advised replacing the DShK machine gun with a much more powerful 20-mm ShVAK automatic cannon, well mastered in aviation.

Already in the evening of July 17, 1941, the Decree of the State Defense Committee No. 179 "On the production of T-60 light tanks at the plant No. 37 of Narkomsredmash" was signed. It should be noted that this resolution was not about the classic "sixties", but about the T-60 (030), outwardly identical to the T-40 except for the aft hull plate and better known under the unofficial designation T-30.

For the T-60 (already in version 060), designer A.V. Bogachev designed a fundamentally new, more durable all-welded hull with a significantly smaller reserved volume than the T-40 and a low silhouette - only 1360 mm high, with large frontal tilt angles and stern sheets made of rolled homogeneous armor. The smaller dimensions of the hull made it possible to bring the thickness of all frontal sheets to 15-20 millimeters, and then with the help of shielding to 20-35 millimeters, onboard - up to 15 millimeters (later up to 25), stern - up to 13 millimeters (then in some places up to 25). The driver was located in the middle in the wheelhouse protruding forward with a frontal shield that folds down in a non-combat situation and an upper landing hatch. The driver's viewing device - a quick-change triplex mirror glass block with a thickness of 36 millimeters - was located in the frontal shield (initially and on the sides of the cabin) behind a narrow slot covered by an armored shutter. At the bottom, six to ten millimeters thick, there was an emergency hatch.

The new tower, 375 mm high, designed by Yu. P. Yudovich, had a cone-shaped octahedral shape. It was welded from flat armor plates 25 mm thick, located at large angles of inclination, which significantly increased its resistance to shelling. The thickness of the front zygomatic armor plates and armament mask subsequently reached 35 millimeters. In the roof there was a large commander's hatch with a round cover. In the side faces of the tower to the right and left of the shooter, narrow slots were made, equipped with two viewing devices of the "triplex" type. The tower was shifted to the port side.

On the second prototype T-60 (060), instead of the DShK, a rapid-fire 20-mm ShVAK-tank cannon with a barrel length of 82.4 calibers was installed, created on the basis of the wing and turret versions of the ShVAK-20 air gun. The finalization of the gun, including the results of front-line use, continued in parallel with the development of its production. Therefore, it was officially put into service only on December 1, and on January 1, 1942, it received the designation TNSh-1 (tank Nudelman - Shpitalny) or TNSh-20, as it was later called.

For ease of aiming, the gun was placed in the turret with a significant offset from its axis to the right, which made it necessary to introduce amendments to the readings of the TMFP-1 telescopic sight. The tabular range of a direct shot reached 2500 meters, the aiming range - 700, the rate of fire - up to 750 shots / min, the mass of a second salvo with armor-piercing shells - 1,208 kilograms. The gun had a belt feed with a capacity of 754 rounds (13 boxes). The ammunition included fragmentation tracer and fragmentation incendiary shells and armor-piercing incendiary shells with a tungsten carbide core and a high initial velocity Vo = 815 m / s, which made it possible to effectively hit light and medium armored targets, as well as machine-gun points, anti-tank guns and manpower of the enemy. The subsequent introduction of a sub-caliber armor-piercing incendiary projectile increased armor penetration to 35 millimeters. As a result, the T-60 could fight at short distances with German medium tanks Pz.III and Pz.IV of early versions when firing into the side, and at distances up to 1000 meters - with armored personnel carriers and light self-propelled guns.

To the left of the gun, in one installation paired with it, there was a DT machine gun with an ammunition load of 1008 rounds (16 disks, later 15).

Manufacturers

On September 15, 1941, Moscow Plant No. 37 produced the first serial T-60, but due to the evacuation that followed soon, production was stopped on October 26. In total, 245 T-60 tanks were made in Moscow. Instead of the originally planned Tashkent, the enterprise was sent to Sverdlovsk, where it soon started working. new tank new plant No. 37. Assembled on it since December 15, 1941, mainly from parts brought from Moscow, the first two dozen T-30s and T-60s passed on January 1, 1942 along the Sverdlovsk streets. In total, until September 1942, 1144 T-60s were built in the Urals, after which plant No. 37 was redesigned for the manufacture of components and assemblies for the T-34, as well as ammunition.

The workshops of the Kolomna Machine-Building Plant named after Kuibyshev were involved in the production of armored hulls of the T-60 tank. In October 1941, some of them, including those that produced T-60 tank hulls for plant No. 37, were evacuated to Kirov, to the site of the May 1 NKPS machine-building plant there. A new plant No. 38 was created here, and already in January 1942, the first T-60s came out of its gates. Since February, the 38th began their planned production, at the same time supplying the rest of the enterprises with cast tracks for caterpillars, which were previously made only by STZ. During the first quarter, 241 cars were manufactured, by June - another 535 units.

Plant No. 264 (Krasnoarmeisky Shipbuilding Plant in the city of Sarepta near Stalingrad, which previously produced river armored boats) was also involved in the production of the T-60. He received the technical documentation for the tank in a timely manner, but in the future he drove the car on his own, without resorting to the help of the parent company, however, without trying to modernize it. On September 16, 1941, the workers of the evacuated KhTZ, familiar with tank building, joined the factory team, who, while still in Kharkov, began to master the production of the T-60. They arrived at the 264th with a stock of tools, templates, dies and tank blanks already prepared, so the first armored hull was welded by September 29th. Transmission and chassis units were supposed to be supplied by STZ (factory No. 76). Loaded with the manufacture of T-34s and V-2 diesel engines, besides being their only manufacturer at the end of 1941, the Stalingrad enterprise and factory No. attention. Nevertheless, in December it was possible to assemble the first 52 cars. In total, up to June 1942, 830 T-60s were produced here. A significant part of them participated in the Battle of Stalingrad, especially in its initial phase.

GAZ became the head and largest plant for the production of the T-60, where on October 16, 1941 permanent job N. A. Astrov arrived with a small group of Moscow colleagues to provide design support for production. Soon he was appointed deputy chief designer of the enterprise for tank building, and in early 1942 he received the Stalin Prize for the creation of the T-40 and T-60.

In a short time, GAZ completed the production of non-standard technological equipment and, on October 26, began the mass production of T-60 tanks. Armored hulls for them began to be supplied in increasing quantities by the Vyksa Crushing and Grinding Equipment Plant (DRO) No. 177, and later by the Murom Locomotive Repair Plant named after. Dzerzhinsky No. 176 with its powerful boiler production, technologically similar to the tank corps, and, finally, the oldest armored plant No. 178 in the city of Kulebaki. Then they were joined by a part of the Podolsk Plant No. 180 evacuated to Saratov on the territory of the local locomotive repair plant. And yet there was a chronic shortage of armored hulls, which held back the expansion of mass production of the T-60. Therefore, soon their welding was additionally organized at GAZ. In September, only three T-60 tanks were manufactured in Gorky. But already in October - 215, in November - 471. Until the end of 1941, 1323 cars were produced here.

In 1942, despite the creation and adoption of a more combat-ready light tank T-70, parallel production of the T-60 was maintained at GAZ until April (in total for 1942 - 1639 vehicles), at the Sverdlovsk plant No. 37 - until August , at plant number 38 - until July. In 1942, 4164 tanks were made at all factories. Plant No. 37 delivered the last 55 vehicles already at the beginning of 1943 (until February). In total, since 1941, 5839 T-60s have been produced, the army has received 5796 vehicles.

Baptism of fire

The first mass use of the T-60 refers to the battle for Moscow. They were available in almost all tank brigades and individual tank battalions that defended the capital. On November 7, 1941, 48 T-60s from the 33rd Tank Brigade took part in the parade on Red Square. These were Moscow-made tanks, the Gorky T-60s first entered the battle near Moscow only on December 13th.

T-60s began to arrive on the Leningrad Front in the spring of 1942, when 60 vehicles with crews were allocated to form the 61st Tank Brigade. Their delivery to the besieged city is not without interest. Tanks decided to be transported on barges with coal. It was not bad in terms of disguise. Barges carried fuel to Leningrad, became familiar to the enemy, and not every time they were actively hunted. In addition, coal as ballast provided river vessels with the necessary stability.

They loaded combat vehicles from the pier above the Volkhov hydroelectric power station. Log decks were laid on the coal, tanks were placed on them, and barges set sail from the shore. Enemy aviation did not manage to detect the movement of our military unit.

The baptism of fire of the 61st Tank Brigade fell on January 12, 1943 - the first day of the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad. Moreover, the brigade, like the 86th and 118th tank battalions, which also had light tanks in service, operated in the first echelon of the 67th Army and crossed the Neva on the ice. Units equipped with medium and heavy tanks entered the battle only on the second day of the offensive, after a bridgehead two or three kilometers deep had been captured, and sappers had strengthened the ice.

T-60s also fought on the Southern Front, especially actively in the spring of 1942 in the Crimea, participated in the Kharkov operation and in the defense of Stalingrad. T-60s made up a significant part of the combat vehicles of the 1st Tank Corps (commander - Major General M.E. Katukov), together with other formations of the Bryansk Front, which repelled the German offensive in the Voronezh direction in the summer of 1942.

By the beginning of the counter-offensive of the Stalingrad, Don and South-Western fronts on November 19, 1942, quite a few combat vehicles of this type remained in the tank brigades. Underarmored and underarmored, the T-60 had very low stability on the battlefield, becoming easy prey for enemy medium and heavy tanks. In fairness, it must be admitted that the tankers were not particularly fond of these lightly armored and lightly armed vehicles with fire hazardous gasoline engines, calling them BM-2 - a mass grave for two.

The last major operation in which the T-60 was used was the lifting of the blockade of Leningrad in January 1944. So, among the 88 vehicles of the 1st Tank Brigade of the Leningrad Front there were 21 T-60s, in the 220th Tank Brigade there were 18 of them, and in the 124th Tank Regiment of the Volkhov Front, by the beginning of the operation on January 16, 1944, there were only 10 combat vehicles: two T-34s, two T-70s, five T-60s and even one T-40.

On the basis of the T-60, the BM-8-24 rocket launcher (1941) was produced, and prototypes of a tank with a 37-mm ZIS-19 gun, a 37-mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (1942), 76.2-mm a self-propelled artillery mount, a T-60-3 anti-aircraft tank with two twin 12.7 mm DShK machine guns (1942) and an OSU-76 self-propelled artillery mount (1944). All these vehicles were not very successful, since the T-60 tank was clearly not suitable for use as a base for self-propelled guns.

Why were these cars made?

Usually, the T-60 is compared with its "colleague" in armament - the German light tank Pz.II. This is all the more interesting because these machines met in real combat. Analyzing the data of these tanks, we can say that the Soviet tank builders managed to achieve almost the same level of protection as the German machine, which, with a smaller mass and dimensions, significantly increased the invulnerability of the T-60. The dynamic characteristics of both machines are almost similar. Despite the high specific power, the Pz.II was not faster than the "sixties". Formally, the armament parameters were also the same: both tanks were equipped with 20-mm cannons with similar ballistic characteristics. The initial speed of the armor-piercing projectile of the Pz.II gun was 780 m/s, T-60 - 815 m/s, which theoretically allowed them to hit the same targets.

In fact, everything was not so simple: the Soviet TNSh-20 gun could not fire single shots, but the German KwK 30, as well as the KwK 38, could, which significantly increased the accuracy of shooting. Even when firing in short bursts, the T-60 cannon was recoiled to the side, which did not allow effective shelling of infantry or group targets (for example, a cluster of vehicles). The "Two" turned out to be more effective on the battlefield and due to the size of the crew, which consisted of three people and also had much best review from the tank than the crew of the T-60. An important advantage was the presence of a radio station. As a result, the Pz.II as a cutting edge vehicle was significantly superior to the "sixty". This advantage was even more felt when using tanks for reconnaissance, where the inconspicuous, but "blind" and "dumb" T-60 was practically useless. The situation was no better when using the T-60 as an infantry escort tank: too weak armor of the "sixty" was easily hit by almost all anti-tank weapons and heavy infantry of the Wehrmacht.

As a result, we can conclude that the T-60 tank was completely unnecessary for the Red Army, since it did not correspond to any TTT (if they were developed for it at all). These vehicles, rarely surviving a single attack, are often referred to as suicide tanks. Nearly six thousand T-60s literally burned down in the crucible of war. Moreover, they burned down almost without a trace: there are relatively few front-line photographs of these machines left, little is stored in the archives and documents about them combat use. Only a few tanks of this type have survived to this day.

The question naturally arises: why were they released at all? The motivation of Plant No. 37 is understandable, but why did the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command agree with this motivation? The latter circumstance can be explained by the desire to make up for the huge losses in tanks - on the one hand, and the greatly overestimated size of the German tank fleet - on the other. To imagine that the Germans, having five times fewer tanks than the Red Army, achieve success thanks to a well-thought-out organizational structure of tank formations, well-established interaction with other branches of the military, good controllability and advanced tactics for using them, apparently, it is simply not possible at Headquarters. could. Alas, at that time we could not oppose anything but a quantitative superiority to this.

Well, if not the T-60, then what? Yes, what the Red Army sorely lacked throughout the war - armored personnel carriers! Imagine something resembling a T-60 chassis, but without a turret, but, say, with a pivot or turret (which is better) installation of a DT or DShK machine gun and an anti-tank rifle in addition, capable of carrying at least four to five infantrymen. This is how the Lend-Lease tracked armored personnel carriers "Universal" were equipped, which were valued by fighters worth their weight in gold. And we received only two thousand of them. If instead of the T-60, as, indeed, the T-70 that followed them, 14 thousand tracked armored personnel carriers entered the troops, then really, they would be much more useful.

But history has no subjunctive mood. What was, was, and nothing can be changed. And do not resurrect the crews of mass graves for two. Eternal memory to them, eternal glory to them!

Not everyone knows that for the first time the idea of ​​a tracked vehicle appeared in Russia, back in 1878. In May 1915, tests began on Porokhovshchikov's armored vehicle called the Vezdekhod. Frankly speaking, she looked a little like a tank. Despite the armor and a rotating machine gun turret, the vehicle was propelled by a single wide track and steered by wheels on the sides. Permeability was excellent.

In the same year, tests of an extremely unusual Soviet tank designed by Lebedenko began. It looked like a gigantic gun carriage with huge wheels that propelled it. The designer believed that the tank could easily overcome trenches, pits, trees and other obstacles, however, this did not happen. The giant got stuck right on the test, after which it stood for many years, waiting to be sent for scrap.

Stagnation

It seemed that the tanks of the USSR would take the lead in the world, but this did not happen. The First World War passed without domestic cars, in civil war foreign ones were used. In 1918, there was a clear realization of the need for the development and production of domestic tanks. The captured French Reno-FTs shown at the parade in Moscow were copied at the Krasnoye Sormovo factory, creating the first sample on August 31, 1920 under the name Tank M.

In 1925, the production of the MS-1 began, which was distinguished by its low price and copied from the Fiat-3000. Other models have also been developed. Higher price, more difficult to manufacture, but did not have significant advantages.

The vicious time of imitation began, when foreign models were taken as the basis of Soviet tanks. Vickers Mk became T-26, Carden Loyd Mk VI became T-27, Vickers Medium Mark III became T-28, Independent became T-35.

A series of high-speed BTs was created on the basis of the Christie tank. They had excellent mobility due to the possibility of wheel travel, but were extremely unreliable.

Tanks of the USSR of World War II

Second world war The USSR entered with a huge tank army, which turned out to be powerless against a much smaller, but experienced, organized and modern German one.

But imitation stopped and truly unique Soviet tanks began to appear. The heavy KV was practically invulnerable and could single-handedly hold back numerous enemy forces, but mobility and reliability left much to be desired. The T-34, which appeared later, became a revolution in tank building, combining mobility, firepower and sloped armor. At the same time, the tank was cheap and easy to manufacture. Yes, at first there were many shortcomings, the disgusting quality of the nodes, and towards the end of the war there was not enough firepower and armor, but manufacturability, mass character and a combination of characteristics left all competitors far behind.

The heavy IS-2s that appeared at the end of the war fought on equal terms with the best examples of Wehrmacht equipment, and the IS-3, which did not have time to fight, was head and shoulders above all contemporaries. The decline of heavy tanks was approaching, but in the USSR they managed to create the IS-7 and Object 279, which surprise even now.

First in the world

The T-54 was born, which later became the T-55 - the most massive post-war tank, which was in service with more than 30 countries.

In 1964, the T-64 was released, which became the ancestor of modern MBTs and the world's first tank with multilayer composite armor. The loading mechanism provided an amazing rate of fire and a very tight layout that made the silhouette extremely low.

1974 gave the world the T-72, the second largest modern tank after the T-55, which is still in service today.

In 1976, the T-80 was created - the world's first serial MBT with a gas turbine power plant, which has excellent mobility and good armor.

Also, projects and experimental machines constantly appeared, the ideas of which are relevant in our time. For example, the Kharkiv Boxer, aka the Hammer, who received an uninhabited tower with a 152 mm cannon.

The tanks of the USSR during their development received pronounced features that make it possible to distinguish them from the equipment of all other countries. Maximum manufacturability and simplicity, sharply differentiated armor, low silhouette, high mobility, automatic loader and the ability to fire guided missiles through the barrel of the main gun.

All this made Soviet tanks extremely popular in many countries and, as a result, frequent participants in hostilities.

There are two periods in the post-war organizational development of the USSR Armed Forces. The first period - from the end of the Great Patriotic War before the introduction of nuclear weapons into the Armed Forces (1953). At that time, the armament of the army and navy was based on conventional means of destruction, which were used in the last war. The second period began in 1954 and lasted until 1990.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union focused its main efforts on the restoration National economy. Consistently implementing the Leninist policy of peace, the USSR carried out a significant reduction in its Armed Forces. However, the imperialist states, led by the United States, launched active activities to prevent the further strengthening of the world socialist system and increase their influence in the world. The United States of America launched the production of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery to targets.

In this situation, the Communist Party and the Soviet government took appropriate measures to strengthen the defense capability of the Soviet state and its Armed Forces.

For the preservation of peace and the strengthening of socialism, the elimination of the US monopoly in the field of nuclear weapons was of particular importance. In August 1949, an experimental explosion was carried out in the USSR atomic bomb, and in August 1953 a hydrogen bomb was tested. At the same time, the means of delivering nuclear weapons to the target were being developed. In 1947, the first launch of the R-1 guided ballistic missile was made, and three years later the more advanced R-2 missile was tested.

The improvement of conventional means of armed struggle also continued. The combat and maneuvering capabilities of artillery have increased significantly. A new 85-mm anti-tank, 122, 130, 152-mm guns, a 240-mm mortar, BM-14, BM-24 and BMD-20 rocket launchers entered service. The new systems had an increased power of fire, greater range and armor penetration, better accuracy, and a higher degree of automation of loading and guidance. The new 100-mm and 57-mm automatic anti-aircraft guns included in the complexes ensured effective combat against air targets flying at sonic and supersonic speeds.

Armored vehicles have been greatly developed. The medium tank T-54, heavy tanks IS-4, T-10, light amphibious tank PT-76, armored personnel carriers BTR-40, BTR-152, BTR-50 were adopted. The improvement of tanks was characterized by an increase in firepower, armor protection, power reserve, overhaul run and improvement in other operational characteristics. The creation of domestic armored personnel carriers significantly increased the capabilities of motorized infantry in joint operations with tanks.

Rifle units were armed with hand-held and mounted anti-tank grenade launchers, which ensured effective combat against tanks at ranges up to 300 m (RPG-1, RPG-2 and SG-82). In 1949, a set of new small arms was adopted, which included a Simonov self-loading carbine, a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a Degtyarev light machine gun. The heavy machine guns in the rifle companies were replaced by the RP-46 company machine guns, which had a much lighter weight. The Goryunov heavy machine gun was modernized.

The engineering troops were equipped earthmoving machines. Trenchers KG-65 and PLT-60, excavators, bulldozers, graders made it possible to mechanize the excavation of trenches, trenches, shelters, increased the possibilities of equipping roads and laying column tracks. Floating vehicles BAV, MAV, transporters K-61, self-propelled ferries GSP provided landing crossing of infantry, artillery, tanks. The troops began to receive minelayers and new mine-clearing equipment, which made it possible to mechanize the installation of minefields and speed up the making of passages in enemy barriers.

Fundamental changes took place in Soviet military aviation, where piston aircraft were replaced by jet and turboprop aircraft. Immediately after the war, the MiG-9 and Yak-15 jet fighters entered the Air Force, then they were replaced by the MiG-15 and MiG-17, La-15, Yak-17, Yak-23 and other fighters, the speed of which reached the speed of sound and even exceeded her. In addition to rapid-fire cannons, rocket weapons were installed on jet vehicles.

In 1949, serial production of the Il-28 front-line bomber began, which surpassed front-line piston bombers in speed and range by 2 times, and bomb load - 3 times. In long-range aviation, the Tu-16 jet bomber replaced the Tu-4 piston bomber. His maximum speed approached 1000 km/h. Aviation equipment electronic systems provided flights in all weather conditions, day and night. Military transport aviation had Il-12 and Il-14 aircraft. The introduction of Mi-1 and Mi-4 helicopters into the troops has begun.

In the early 1950s, the Air Defense Forces of the country received a new all-weather fighter-interceptor Yak-25, anti-aircraft guided missile systems, powerful radar stations detection and guidance with a range of hundreds of kilometers. which increased the ability to combat enemy air targets.

The Navy was replenished with new surface ships - cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats, landing craft. Warships had high seaworthiness and maneuverability, powerful artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, mine and torpedo weapons and advanced navigation and control devices in battle. The construction of nuclear submarines began, marking the beginning of a new stage in the development of the fleet. The artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons previously built ships. Naval aviation developed, which received long-range naval jet bombers - carriers of aircraft missiles.

The development of weapons and military equipment in the second period.

By the beginning of 1954, the Armed Forces received nuclear weapons. In September of the same year, the first major military exercise was held in the Soviet Union with a real explosion of an atomic bomb.

At first, the only carrier of nuclear weapons was bomber aircraft. However, subsequently, missiles of various classes became the main carrier. The combination of nuclear weapons with missiles led to the emergence of a fundamentally new, nuclear missile weapon, which by the beginning of the 60s had entered service with all branches of the Armed Forces.

Based on the combat purpose and the nature of the tasks being solved, strategic (intercontinental and medium-range), operational-tactical and tactical, as well as air, sea and anti-aircraft missiles were distinguished. They had nuclear charges of various capacities: small - a few kilotons, medium - several tens of kilotons, and large - over 100 kilotons. Thermonuclear weapons of enormous power were also created. Intercontinental missiles could cover thousands of kilometers in a short time and hit a target anywhere in the world. Medium-range missiles solved tasks at a shorter distance. Operational-tactical and tactical missiles made it possible to hit targets from tens to many hundreds of kilometers. Nuclear missile weapons have become the main means of defeating the enemy.

The combat capabilities of conventional weapons have increased significantly. The T-54 medium tank and the T-10 heavy tank were improved. Medium tanks T-55, T-62, T-72 entered service. Later, due to the alignment of the combat characteristics of the medium and heavy tanks, the production of the latter was discontinued.

The units received amphibious armored personnel carriers BTR-50P, BTR-60P, BRDM, which increased the maneuverability and combat capabilities of motorized rifle troops. From the 60s, infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-1, BMD-1) began to replace them. They were not only transport, but also combat equipment of motorized rifle and airborne units, had anti-tank and anti-personnel weapons and could successfully conduct combat operations in any situation.

The artillery received a 100-mm anti-tank gun, a 122-mm howitzer, 122-mm and 152-mm self-propelled howitzers, BM-21 rocket launchers and other artillery systems.

Updated small arms. In the 60s, a new set of weapons was adopted, including the AKM assault rifle, RPK, PK, PKS machine guns and the SVD sniper self-loading rifle, and in the 70s - a 5.45 mm assault rifle and a Kalashnikov light machine gun. Air defense systems of the Ground Forces received rapid development. The engineering troops were equipped with high-performance track-laying machines (BAT, PKT), rubble-clearing machines (MTU, KMM, TMM). New floating vehicles (PTS, GSP) ensured the crossing of tanks and artillery while overcoming water obstacles on the move.

The aviation units received the advanced MiG-19, MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighters, the Su-7b fighter-bomber, the new bomber and other supersonic combat aircraft, which had powerful weapons based on missiles. Warplanes with variable sweep wing and vertical takeoff and landings did not require complex runway equipment and increased the duration of the flight in subsonic modes. The speed and carrying capacity of helicopters have increased. Combat helicopters were created, which became a powerful highly mobile fire weapon. Aircraft and airfield equipment the latest means automation, telemechanics, radar, qualitatively new weapons allowed aviation to perform combat missions at any time of the day and in various weather conditions.

The air defense forces of the country received perfect anti-aircraft missile systems, all-weather supersonic interceptor fighters. This significantly increased their effectiveness in the fight against enemy air attack, especially in difficult meteorological conditions and at night.

Profound changes have taken place in the Navy. The basis of its combat power began to be nuclear submarines and naval missile-carrying aircraft. Nuclear power plants provided submarines with greater navigation autonomy and unlimited range. In 1955, a ballistic missile was launched for the first time from a Soviet submarine.

Until now, the secret behind seven seals. Despite the fact that our military decided not to take it into service, almost nothing is officially known about this combat vehicle. Is it only that her crew is in front of the hull, in a well-protected capsule, and the weapons are remote. Also, until recently, few people knew that the roots go back to the distant 50 years.

Tank with a concentrated crew arrangement

Back in 1959, VNII-100 began developing tanks with uninhabited fighting compartments and with the crew placed in front of the hull, in an isolated capsule.

The 36-ton tank, according to the creators, was supposed to be armed with a 115-mm U-5TS Molot gun, which was equipped with a muzzle brake and an ejector.

The highlight of the project was the so-called "concentrated" arrangement of the crew in an isolated capsule: the driver and gunner sit shoulder to shoulder in front of the hull, and the commander sits behind them in the center. I remind you once again that these are studies of 1959!

The fighting compartment was uninhabited, and its entire space was occupied by a fully mechanized ammunition rack, in which the original design solutions managed to increase the ammunition load to 40 rounds. An additional 10 shells were hidden in special racks under the fighting compartment.

The characteristics of armor protection were excellent for that period, for example, the armor plate of the frontal part of the hull had a thickness of up to 150 mm (the reduced thickness corresponded to as much as 350 mm).

Safe radius from the epicenter nuclear explosion with a capacity of 30 kilotons was 800 meters. It was planned that an engine would be installed on the tank, which would allow it to develop up to 70 km / h.

rocket tank

Somewhat later, in 1961, in the same VNII-100, another combat vehicle was developed with a crew of two in an isolated capsule.

According to the then fashionable trends, the 32-ton tank had to be armed missile weapons. In total, the ammunition load should have consisted of 35 pieces of 160-mm shells. three types:
- guided missiles;
- unguided rockets with drop-down plumage;
- unguided turbojet projectiles.

With its design, the shape of the hull, the tank was planned to be optimized for combat operations in the conditions of the massive use of nuclear weapons. It could operate at a distance of 770 meters from the epicenter of a 30 kiloton nuclear bomb explosion.

If the very idea of ​​​​creating a tank armed exclusively with rocket projectiles turned out to be a dead end, then it turned out that the tank “with a concentrated arrangement of the crew” was ahead of the possibilities of domestic tank building in its design for many years. At the end of the 50s, there were no technical possibilities for creating effective observation and aiming devices for the crew in the capsule, and therefore the developments remained only on paper.

Kharkov tank "Object 450"

Some historians of tank building in the "relatives" of the T-95 tank also record the Kharkov "Object 450", also known as the T-74, which appeared in the 70s. But it is worth looking at the presented diagram of the internal layout of the vehicle (which, by the way, is published for the first time), then you can understand that if these tanks have some kind of relationship (remote weapons), then they are very, very distant.

The crew of the "Object 450" is directly under the rendered fighting compartment, and not in front, like the T-95. Big differences in the placement of ammunition.

The development of the "Object 450" also failed. Despite the boldness of the idea, the capabilities of the industry did not allow the creation of a capable instrumentation complex and a fire control system.

Another distant relative of the T-95 is the Boxer tank, which appeared in Kharkov in the late 80s, also known as the Hammer, but it did not have a single capsule for the entire crew.

Object 120 "Taran"

Around the same time, in 1960, an anti-tank self-propelled gun, which received the designation Object 120 "Taran", began to be tested in the Urals. What do a 27-ton self-propelled gun and the latest Russian main battle tank have in common? The fact is that the most powerful 152-mm guns were used on both machines. And if the gun of the "Object 195" will be a secret behind seven seals for a long time, then the gun of the "Taran" has long been declassified, but even now it cannot but arouse admiration.

It is worth noting that almost immediately after the Second World War in the USSR, work began on 152-mm guns for promising tanks and self-propelled guns. So designed in the second half of the 40s, the 4K3 heavy tank was supposed to be armed with such a gun, which received the designation M-51. But, unfortunately, this tank remained on paper, although the gun itself was successfully tested.

In 1948, another 152-mm gun under the designation M-53 was installed on the SU-152P self-propelled gun. The tests carried out revealed some design flaws, but no improvements were made, since it was decided not to accept this self-propelled guns into service.

Another attempt to create a powerful self-propelled gun with a 152-mm gun was the work on the Object 268. This 50-ton combat vehicle was created in 1956 on the chassis of the T-10 heavy tank.

The 152-mm M-64 gun was placed in the armored cabin, the initial speed of its projectile was 720 meters per second. And here again, failure: the work did not progress further than the manufacture of one prototype.

And now the designers of UZTM had to make a combat vehicle, the equal of which had not been seen for more than a quarter of a century.

The designers of the Perm Plant No. 172 developed the 152-mm M-69 gun with an initial speed of 1710 m / s, which at a distance of 3.5 km was capable of penetrating almost 300 mm of armor normally. Automated drum loading, which ensured a high rate of fire, plus excellent accuracy made this vehicle a very dangerous enemy for all modern tanks in those years.

Yes, the self-propelled guns had relatively thin armor, only 30 mm, but the "Taran" would simply not let the enemy tanks at a distance from which they could cause him some harm.

By the way, years later, an anti-tank self-propelled gun was created in China, which in design was very close to the Soviet one. But the Chinese Type 89 was inferior in terms of firepower to the machine created in 1960. Once again, one has to regret that the "Taran" only remained in the form of an exhibit of the tank museum in Kubinka.

The next time the idea to arm a combat vehicle with a 152-mm gun arose only in the 80s - work began on the creation of a new generation combat vehicle in the USSR. In addition, given the introduction of new main battle tanks into service with NATO countries, in the same years they again decided to make self-propelled guns - armored vehicle fighters with 152-mm guns.

Soviet light tank T-60

The difficult situation that prevailed in the initial period of the war in the tank industry in connection with its relocation to the east slowed down the pace of production of new types of tanks, which the defending troops needed. Light tanks, however, were produced. Now they began to be used not only for reconnaissance, communications and security, but also for escorting rifle units in battle. During the battles it became clear. that the armor and armament of light tanks are insufficient.

Soviet light tank T-60. Soviet light tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

Design: the new machine was entrusted to the design team of the Moscow plant No. 37, headed by N.A. Astrov, who had experience in creating a light amphibious tank T-40. Before the start of the war, the plant produced 181 T-40 tanks, but soon an order came to start production of the T-50 tank. This machine was developed using the advanced ideas of Soviet tank building. For its manufacture, a radical reorganization of the plant was required. It was clear to the chief designer that any attempt to fulfill the order would only lead to a waste of effort, time and money. In this difficult environment, N.A. Astrov assumed full responsibility for the decision to initiate the development of a new tank model, which could be produced in large quantities by the plant. In just a few days, the designers developed drawings of the new machine. The layout, engine and many components of the T-40 undercarriage were saved.

But the reservation of the car was strengthened. The frontal part of the tank was formed from several sheets 25 and 15 mm thick. The frontal sheet had an angle of inclination greater than that of the famous T-34. The armament was left the same - one 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine gun and one 7.62 mm DT tank machine gun.

Soviet light tank T-60. Soviet light tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

The factory workers built a prototype of the new tank very quickly. This became possible thanks to the right design solution and the mastered production technology. The initiative machine of plant No. 37 was liked by the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V.A. Malyshev. He proposed to replace the DShK machine gun with a rapid-fire automatic 20-mm gun. Very soon, measures were taken to adapt the ShVAK aircraft gun for installation in a tank. At first it was called ShVAK-T (SHVAK-tankoaaya), but soon the official name TNSh-20 appeared.

Second prototype tank with a TNSh-20 gun was demonstrated to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin. After getting acquainted with the new machine, its capabilities, it was decided to conduct tests. Immediately after their successful completion, the new tank, which received the T-60 index, was launched into mass production.

Soviet light tank T-60. Soviet light tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

Serial production of the T-60 proceeded at a rapid pace. For some time, they were produced by the plant in parallel with the T-40 (by the way, on which the TNSh-20 gun was installed). During mass production, changes were made, the most important of which was an increase in the thickness of the front plates to 35 mm. On November 7, 1941, several tanks parade through Red Square.

Video: Soviet light tank T-60

During the heavy summer fighting, the Red Army lost a large number of tanks, but the simple and technologically advanced T-60 was the vehicle that could help in this difficult situation. Further serial production was personally monitored by the Supreme Commander. New vehicles could make up for losses and provide a minimum supply of army tanks.

Soviet light tank T-60. Soviet light tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

The use of automotive units in the design of the T-60 reduced the cost of production, increased the reliability and maintainability of the tank. The problem of supplying troops with spare parts was also simplified.
Plant N-37 was prepared for evacuation to the Urals. It was decided to organize the production of the T-60 at the Gorky Automobile Plant. Chief designer N.A. Astrov personally overtook the tank from Moscow to Gorky, while carrying out sea trials. Chief Engineer KB GAZ A.A. Lipgart and N.A. Astrov adjusted the design of the tank, taking into account the peculiarities of its production at GAZ. At the beginning of 1942, the assembled tanks were sent to the front.

DESIGN T-60

The hull was welded from rolled armor plates with a thickness of 10 to 35 mm, connected by welding and riveting. The sheets were installed at more rational angles of inclination. The top sheets of the hull, above the engine and under the turret are removable. The front sheet has a hatch with a cover for access to the main gear with side clutches and power plant units. The driver's cabin is equipped with a viewing device, front and top hatches with covers. The inclined aft sheet had a hatch on the left with a cover for access to the main gear and engine control mechanism.

In the right hatch, under the grid, a cooling system radiator and blinds are installed. The tower is multifaceted, welded, shifted to the left from the longitudinal axis of the tank. In its roof there was a hatch for landing the commander of the machine. A TNSh-20 cannon and a coaxial DT machine gun were installed in the turret embrasure, thanks to which the tank was able to fight enemy light tanks. Sights - optical and mechanical. All tanks were equipped with a TPU-2 intercom. For external communication, the tank had a radio station, viewing devices were mounted on the sides of the tower, there were holes with plugs used when firing from personal weapons.

Video: Soviet light tank T-60

The GAZ-202 engine is a carburetor in-line 6-cylinder with a power of 85 hp. It was located to the right of the axis of the machine. Due to problems with the production of this engine, other models of GAZ engines with a power of 70.50 and even 40 hp were also installed on the tank. Although the dynamic characteristics of the tank changed significantly from this, it made it possible to continue launching the tank without stopping production.

Video: Soviet light tank T-60

The undercarriage consisted of four support single-row spoked rollers on board (after modernization, the rollers were replaced with stamped ones) and a steering wheel. The upper branch of the caterpillar is supported by three rollers. All rollers are rubber-coated. Front drive wheels, toothed rims - removable, caterpillar - fine-linked. The suspension of the tank is individual, torsion bar. because of various models engine, varying thickness of armor and the manufacture of other parts, the total mass of the tank was from 5.8 to 6.4 tons. The tank crew consisted of two people - a driver and a commander, who also performed the functions of an operator of small arms.

Soviet light tank T-60. Soviet light tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

The use in the car of a number of components from serial cars produced by the domestic industry, and the used running gear of the T-40 tank made it possible to quickly establish the production of T-60 tanks and produce them in in large numbers. Cars began to be assembled at car factories
countries and from September 1941 to the autumn of 1942 produced 6045 tanks, cheap and simple in production, distinguished by good maneuverability and good maneuverability D. 0 For the creation of the T-60 tank, chief designer N.A. Astrov was awarded the USSR State Prize

MODIFICATIONS T-60

On the basis of the T-60, the BM-8-24 multiple launch rocket system was created and mass-produced. She had 12 guides for launching 24 rockets with a caliber of 82 mm.
In some units, an anti-aircraft gun with two 12.7 mm machine guns was mounted.
At the end of 1941, the design bureau of O.K. Antonov also developed an original project called "KT" (tank wings). The idea of ​​the project was that for the transfer of tanks by air during the airborne operation, a wing box and a glider control system in flight were attached to the tanks.

Soviet light tank T-60. Soviet light tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

Video: Soviet light tank T-60

The glider-tank was supposed to be delivered to the front line by a towing aircraft to the place from where, silently planning, it flew over the front line. The glider was controlled by a driver. After landing, the wings and tail unit were dismantled. In the autumn of 1942, an air train consisting of a TB-3 towing aircraft (commander P.A. Eremeev) and a KT glider (pilot S.N. Anokhin) successfully took off. The large mass and low streamlining of the KT did not allow it to gain sufficient height.

Soviet light tank T-60. Soviet light tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

When trying to increase the speed, the temperature of the water in the engine cooling system of the TB-3 aircraft began to rise. With a speed of 140 km / h and a height of only 40 m, the air train was forced to unhook the glider in the area of ​​​​the Bykovo airfield. Thanks to the skill of test pilot S.N. Anokhin, who was sitting behind the levers of the "winged" T-60, the glider successfully landed. After landing, he started the tank engine and, without dropping his wings, moved to the side command post airfield. Seeing unusual apparatus, the flight director of the airfield on combat alert raised the calculation of the anti-aircraft battery. When Anokhin got out of the tank, he was detained by the Red Army. The incident was resolved only with the arrival of the emergency rescue team of the Flight Test Institute. Tests have shown that in order to lift such a glider to the required height, a more powerful aircraft, such as the Pe-8, is needed. However, all these bombers performed their main task, and the project had to be abandoned.

COMBAT USE OF THE T-60 TANK

The T-60 was baptized by fire in the autumn of 1941 near Moscow. These small machines honestly and to the end fulfilled their duty to protect the capital. In severe winter conditions, their good performance and mobility were of great help in the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops. For the first time, tank engines were equipped with a preheater. The growth in the production of T-60s in 1942 made it possible to begin the formation of tank units. The tank corps, which had 100 tanks according to the state, was supposed to have 40 T-60 tanks. From the middle of 1942, the number of vehicles in the corps was increased to 150 tanks with a ratio of 30 KB tanks, 60 T-34 tanks and 60 T-60 tanks.
By the summer of 1942, the T-60 was objectively weaker than most of the tanks opposing it. Its armor turned out to be weak against the new long-barreled enemy guns of 50 and 75 mm caliber. They were dangerous even for heavy KB tanks, so the crews' attitude towards the tank was not very good, it was often called -BM-2- (mass grave for two), but some tankers considered the T-60 to be their favorite vehicle. They often
assigned them sonorous names -Eagle-. -Terrible", and small maneuverable vehicles were worthy of their names. It was a very suitable tank for fighting enemy infantry.

Video: Soviet light tank T-60

Low noise, high mobility and heavy fire from an automatic cannon and machine gun made it a formidable enemy of German infantrymen. The next episode is out. During the battle, German T-3 tanks cut off the "sixty" of the company commander. The 20 mm gun was unable to penetrate the armor of the German T-3. The lieutenant, the commander of the vehicle, maneuvering, brought the Germans, carried away by the pursuit, under the fire of their batteries. Continuing to fight, he received information on the radio that the tankers of his company had driven the German infantrymen into a deep ditch and those, stubbornly resisting, did not let our infantry in, and the steep walls of the ditch did not make it possible to go down. There was no time for reflection: having dug in, the enemy could call for reinforcements, and then it would be more difficult to knock him out of there. The lieutenant gives the command "forward", and the driver knew his job. At full throttle, the light "sixty" pushed off the cliff, collapsed to the bottom of the pit and rushed, point-blank shooting from the cannon and machine gun of the confused enemy soldiers. Approached rifle units completed the rout ...

Video: Soviet light tank T-60

There are cases when one or two tanks thwarted the attacks of enemy infantry up to a battalion. If required. T-60s entered into unequal duels with enemy heavy tanks. The crew, applying all their skills, showing coherence and courage, using the maneuverability of the "sixties", lured enemy tanks under the fire of anti-tank guns or rifles. In the instructions for the crews of that time, it was indicated that when meeting with a stronger enemy, one should constantly fire from a cannon and a machine gun at the observation devices of an enemy tank and maneuver at the highest speed. This made the German tankers panic because of the sounds of shells ricocheting off the armor, broken observation devices, thereby forcing them to fire inaccurately.

Video: Soviet light tank T-60

T-60s were delivered to besieged Leningrad on river boats, they were camouflaged, completely filled with coal or sand, in order to attract the attention of fascist aviation. T-60 tanks were also used in amphibious assaults. A difficult situation in the summer of 1942 developed in the Novorossiysk region. The landed amphibious assault needed the support of people, equipment and ammunition. Among other units, a separate tank battalion in the amount of 36 T-60 tanks was landed from specially equipped motorboats. which greatly facilitated the position of the paratroopers who fought in the encirclement. But these tanks made the most significant contribution to the cause of victory in the Battle of Stalingrad and in lifting the blockade of Leningrad. They successfully operated in a wooded wetland.

Soviet light tank T-60. Soviet light tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

In 1943, the T-60s began to serve as command vehicles in the units that fought on the SU-76M, in reconnaissance, and also as tractors for anti-tank guns. A certain number of vehicles participated in the defeat of the Kwantung Army on Far East. The Nazis called the T-60 "indestructible locusts! They recognized their worthy place among Soviet tanks. Some were transferred to allied Romania, where a self-propelled unit was developed on their basis open type TASAM. She was armed with the Soviet 76.2 mm ZIS-3 gun. The Germans used captured tanks as tractors.

Video: Soviet light tank T-60

Soviet light tank T-60. Soviet light tanks of the Great Patriotic War.

After the war, all the surviving T-60s were very quickly decommissioned, and only one vehicle has survived to this day, which is located in the Museum of Armored Vehicles in Kubinka near Moscow.

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