Katyusha mortar launcher. Katyusha is a weapon of victory. Shells for "Grad"

"Katyusha" - popular name combat vehicles rocket artillery BM-8 (with 82 mm shells), BM-13 (132 mm) and BM-31 (310 mm) during the Great Patriotic War. There are several versions of the origin of this name, the most likely of which is associated with the factory mark “K” of the manufacturer of the first BM-13 combat vehicles (Voronezh Comintern Plant), as well as with the popular song of the same name at that time (music by Matvey Blanter, lyrics by Mikhail Isakovsky).
(Military encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing House. Moscow. in 8 volumes -2004 ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)

The BM-13 received its baptism of fire on July 14, 1941, when the battery fired the first salvo from all installations railway station Orsha, where it was concentrated a large number of enemy manpower and military equipment. As a result of a powerful fire strike by 112 rockets simultaneously, a fire glow rose above the station: enemy trains were burning, ammunition was exploding. Another hour and a half later, Flerov’s battery fired a second salvo, this time at the crossing of the Orshitsa River, on the outskirts of which a lot of German equipment and manpower had accumulated. As a result, the enemy's crossing was disrupted and he was unable to develop his success in this direction.

The first experience of using the new missile weapon showed its high combat effectiveness, which was one of the reasons for its rapid commissioning and equipping the Ground Forces with it.

The restructuring of industry associated with the production of missile weapons was carried out in short time, a large number of enterprises were involved in its production (already in July-August 1941 - 214 factories), which ensured the supply of this military equipment to the troops. In August-September 1941 it was deployed mass production BM-8 combat installations with 82-mm rockets.

Simultaneously with the deployment of production, work continued to create new and improve existing models of missiles and launchers.

On July 30, 1941, a special design bureau (SKB) began work at the Moscow Kompressor plant - the main design bureau for launchers, and the plant itself became the main enterprise for their production. This SKB, under the leadership of the head and chief designer Vladimir Barmin, during the war years developed 78 samples of launchers of various types, mounted on cars, tractors, tanks, railway platforms, river and sea ships. Thirty-six of them were put into service, mastered by industry and used in combat.

Much attention was paid to the production of rockets, the creation of new ones and the improvement of existing models. The 82-mm M-8 rocket was modernized, and powerful high-explosive rockets were created: 132-mm M-20, 300-mm M-30 and M-31; increased range - M-13 DD and improved accuracy - M-13 UK and M-31 UK.

With the beginning of the war, special troops were created within the Armed Forces of the USSR for the combat use of missile weapons. These were rocket troops, but during the war they were called guards mortar units (GMC), and subsequently - rocket artillery. The first organizational form of the MMC was separate batteries and divisions.

By the end of the war, rocket artillery had 40 separate divisions (38 M-13 and 2 M-8), 115 regiments (96 M-13 and 19 M-8), 40 separate brigades(27 M-31 and 13 M-31-12) and 7 divisions - a total of 519 divisions with over 3,000 combat vehicles.

The legendary Katyushas took part in all major operations during the war.

The fate of the first separate experimental battery was cut short at the beginning of October 1941. After a baptism of fire near Orsha, the battery successfully operated in battles near Rudnya, Smolensk, Yelnya, Roslavl and Spas-Demensk. Over the course of three months of hostilities, Flerov’s battery not only inflicted considerable material damage on the Germans, it also contributed to raising the morale of our soldiers and officers, exhausted by continuous retreats.

The Nazis staged a real hunt for new weapons. But the battery did not stay long in one place - after firing a salvo, it immediately changed position. The tactical technique - salvo - change of position - was widely used by Katyusha units during the war.

At the beginning of October 1941, as part of a group of troops on the Western Front, the battery found itself in the rear of the Nazi troops. While moving to the front line from the rear on the night of October 7, she was ambushed by the enemy near the village of Bogatyr, Smolensk region. Most of the battery personnel and Ivan Flerov were killed, having shot all the ammunition and blown up the combat vehicles. Only 46 soldiers managed to escape from the encirclement. The legendary battalion commander and the rest of the soldiers, who had fulfilled their duty to the end with honor, were considered “missing in action.” And only when it was possible to discover documents from one of the Wehrmacht army headquarters, which reported what actually happened on the night of October 6-7, 1941 near the Smolensk village of Bogatyr, Captain Flerov was excluded from the lists of missing persons.

For heroism, Ivan Flerov was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, in 1963, and in 1995 he was awarded the title of Hero Russian Federation posthumously.

In honor of the battery’s feat, a monument was built in the city of Orsha and an obelisk near the city of Rudnya.

Katyusha is an unofficial name for barrelless field rocket artillery systems (BM-8, BM-13, BM-31 and others), which appeared during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. Such installations were actively used by the Armed Forces of the USSR during the Second World War. The popularity of the nickname turned out to be so great that post-war MLRS on automobile chassis, in particular BM-14 and BM-21 Grad, were often referred to colloquially as “Katyushas”.

Back in 1921, employees of the Gas Dynamics Laboratory N.I. Tikhomirov and V.A. Artemyev began developing rockets for aircraft.

In 1929-1933, B. S. Petropavlovsky, with the participation of other GDL employees, conducted official tests of rockets of various calibers and purposes using multi-shot and single-shot aircraft and ground launchers.

In 1937-1938, rockets developed by the RNII (GDL together with the GIRD in October 1933 formed the newly organized RNII) under the leadership of G. E. Langemak were adopted by the RKKVF. RS-82 rockets of 82 mm caliber were installed on I-15, I-16, and I-153 fighters. In the summer of 1939, RS-82 on I-16 and I-153 were successfully used in battles with Japanese troops on the Khalkhin Gol River.

In 1939-1941, RNII employees I. I. Gvai, V. N. Galkovsky, A. P. Pavlenko, A. S. Popov and others created a multi-charge launcher mounted on a truck.

In March 1941, field tests of the installations, designated BM-13 ( fighting machine with 132 mm caliber shells). The RS-132 132 mm rocket and a launcher based on the ZIS-6 BM-13 truck were put into service on June 21, 1941; It was this type of combat vehicle that first received the nickname “Katyusha”. During the Great Patriotic War, a significant number of variants of RS shells and launchers for them were created; In total, Soviet industry produced more than 10,000 rocket artillery combat vehicles during the war years
It is known why BM-13 installations began to be called “guards mortars” at one time. The BM-13 installations were not actually mortars, but the command sought to keep their design secret for as long as possible:
When, at a firing range, soldiers and commanders asked a GAU representative to name the “true” name of the combat installation, he advised: “Call the installation as an ordinary artillery piece. This is important for maintaining secrecy."
There is no single version of why the BM-13 began to be called “Katyusha”. There are several assumptions:
Based on the title of Blanter’s song “Katyusha”, which became popular before the war, based on the words of Isakovsky. The version is convincing, since for the first time Captain Flerov’s battery fired at the enemy on July 14, 1941 at 10 o’clock in the morning, firing a salvo at the Market Square of the city of Rudnya. This was the first combat use“Katyusha”, confirmed in historical literature. The installations were shooting from a high, steep mountain - the association with the high, steep bank in the song immediately arose among the fighters. The former sergeant of the 217th Headquarters Company is finally alive. separate battalion communications of the 144th Infantry Division of the 20th Army Andrei Sapronov, now a military historian, who gave it this name. Red Army soldier Kashirin, having arrived with him at the battery after the shelling of Rudnya, exclaimed in surprise: “What a song!” “Katyusha,” answered Andrei Sapronov (from the memoirs of A. Sapronov in the Rossiya newspaper No. 23 of June 21-27, 2001 and in the Parliamentary Gazette No. 80 of May 5, 2005).
What kind of verses they didn’t come up with at the front based on their favorite song!
There were battles at sea and on land,
Shots roared all around -
Sang songs "Katyusha"
Near Kaluga, Tula and Orel.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
Let the Fritz remember the Russian Katyusha,
Let him hear her sing:
Shakes out the souls of enemies,
And it gives courage to its own!
Through the communications center of the headquarters company, the news about a miracle weapon called “Katyusha” within 24 hours became the property of the entire 20th Army, and through its command - the entire country. On July 13, 2012, the veteran and “godfather” of Katyusha turned 91, and on February 26, 2013 he passed away. He left his on the desk last job- a chapter about the first salvo of Katyusha rockets for the upcoming multi-volume history of the Great Patriotic War.
There is also a version that the name is associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Kalinin plant (according to another source, by the Comintern plant). And front-line soldiers loved to give nicknames to their weapons. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed “Mother”, the ML-20 howitzer gun was nicknamed “Emelka”. Yes, and the BM-13 was at first sometimes called “Raisa Sergeevna,” thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).
The third version suggests that this is how the girls from the Moscow Kompressor plant, who worked on the assembly, dubbed these cars. [source not specified 284 days]
Another, exotic version. The guides on which the projectiles were mounted were called ramps. The forty-two-kilogram projectile was lifted by two fighters harnessed to the straps, and the third usually helped them, pushing the projectile so that it lay exactly on the guides, and he also informed those holding that the projectile stood up, rolled, and rolled onto the guides. It was allegedly called “Katyusha” (the role of those holding the projectile and the one rolling it was constantly changing, since the crew of the BM-13, unlike cannon artillery, was not explicitly divided into loader, aimer, etc.) [source not 284 days indicated]
It should also be noted that the installations were so secret that it was even forbidden to use the commands “fire”, “fire”, “volley”, instead they were sounded “sing” or “play” (to start it was necessary to turn the handle of the electric generator very quickly), that , may also have been related to the song “Katyusha”. And for our infantry, a salvo of Katyusha rockets was the most pleasant music. [source not specified 284 days]
There is an assumption that the original nickname “Katyusha” was frontline bomber, equipped with rockets - an analogue of the M-13. And the nickname jumped from an airplane to a rocket launcher via shells. [source not specified 284 days]
An experienced squadron of SV bombers (commander Doyar) in the battles on Khalkhin Gol was armed with RS-132 missiles. SB (fast bomber) bombers were sometimes called "Katyusha". It seems that this name appeared during civil war in Spain in the 1930s.
In the German troops, these vehicles were called “Stalin’s organs” because external resemblance a rocket launcher with a pipe system of this musical instrument and a powerful stunning roar that was produced when launching rockets. [source not specified 284 days]
During the battles for Poznan and Berlin, the M-30 and M-31 single-launch installations received the nickname “Russian Faustpatron” from the Germans, although these shells were not used as an anti-tank weapon. With “dagger” (from a distance of 100-200 meters) launches of these shells, the guards broke through any walls.

Soviet rocket system volley fire"Katyusha" is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Great Patriotic War. In terms of popularity, the legendary Katyusha is not much inferior to the T-34 tank or the PPSh assault rifle. It is still not known for certain where this name came from (there are numerous versions), but the Germans called these installations “Stalinist organs” and were terribly afraid of them.

"Katyusha" is a collective name for several rocket launchers times of the Great Patriotic War. Soviet propaganda presented them as exclusively domestic “know-how,” which was not true. Work in this direction was carried out in many countries, and the famous German six-barreled mortars are also MLRS, albeit of a slightly different design. The Americans and the British also used rocket artillery.

However, the Katyusha became the most effective and most mass-produced vehicle of its class during World War II. BM-13 is a real weapon of Victory. She took part in all significant battles on the Eastern Front, clearing the way for infantry formations. The first Katyusha salvo was fired in the summer of 1941, and four years later the BM-13 installations were already shelling besieged Berlin.

A little history of the BM-13 Katyusha

Several reasons contributed to the revival of interest in rocket weapons: firstly, more advanced types of gunpowder were invented, which made it possible to significantly increase the flight range of rockets; secondly, the missiles were perfect as weapons for combat aircraft; and thirdly, rockets could be used to deliver toxic substances.

The last reason was the most important: based on the experience of the First World War, the military had little doubt that the next conflict would definitely not happen without military gases.

In the USSR, the creation of rocket weapons began with the experiments of two enthusiasts - Artemyev and Tikhomirov. In 1927, smokeless pyroxylin-TNT gunpowder was created, and in 1928, the first rocket was developed that managed to fly 1,300 meters. At the same time, the targeted development of missile weapons for aviation began.

In 1933, experimental samples of aircraft rockets of two calibers appeared: RS-82 and RS-132. The main drawback of the new weapons, which the military did not like at all, was their low accuracy. The shells had a small tail that did not exceed its caliber, and a pipe was used as a guide, which was very convenient. However, to improve the accuracy of the missiles, their empennage had to be increased and new guides had to be developed.

In addition, pyroxylin-TNT gunpowder was not very suitable for mass production this type of weapon, so it was decided to use tubular nitroglycerin powder.

In 1937, new missiles with enlarged tails and new open rail-type guides were tested. Innovations significantly improved the accuracy of fire and increased the missile's flight range. In 1938, the RS-82 and RS-132 missiles were put into service and began to be mass-produced.

In the same year, the designers were given a new task: to create a rocket system for the ground forces, using a 132 mm caliber rocket as a basis.

In 1939, the 132 mm was ready high-explosive fragmentation projectile M-13, it had a more powerful warhead and an increased flight range. Such results were achieved by lengthening the ammunition.

In the same year, the first MU-1 rocket launcher was manufactured. Eight short guides were installed across the truck, and sixteen missiles were attached to them in pairs. This design turned out to be very unsuccessful; during the salvo, the vehicle swayed strongly, which led to a significant decrease in the accuracy of the battle.

In September 1939, testing began on a new rocket launcher, the MU-2. The basis for it was the three-axle ZiS-6 truck, this vehicle provided combat complex high cross-country ability, made it possible to quickly change positions after each salvo. Now the guides for the missiles were located along the car. In one salvo (about 10 seconds), the MU-2 fired sixteen shells, the weight of the installation with ammunition was 8.33 tons, the firing range exceeded eight kilometers.

With this design of the guides, the rocking of the car during a salvo became minimal, in addition, two jacks were installed in the rear of the car.

In 1940, state tests of the MU-2 were carried out, and it was put into service under the designation “BM-13 rocket mortar”.

The day before the start of the war (June 21, 1941), the USSR government decided on the serial production of BM-13 combat systems, ammunition for them, and the formation special units for their use.

The first experience of using the BM-13 at the front showed them high efficiency and contributed to the active production of this type of weapon. During the war, “Katyusha” was produced by several factories, and mass production of ammunition for them was established.

Artillery units armed with BM-13 installations were considered elite, and immediately after their formation they received the name Guards. The BM-8, BM-13 and other rocket systems were officially called “Guards mortars.”

Application of BM-13 "Katyusha"

The first combat use of rocket launchers took place in mid-July 1941. The Germans occupied Orsha, a large junction station in Belarus. A large amount of enemy military equipment and manpower had accumulated on it. It was for this purpose that the battery of rocket launchers (seven units) of Captain Flerov fired two salvos.

As a result of the actions of the artillerymen, the railway junction was practically wiped off the face of the earth, and the Nazis suffered severe losses in people and equipment.

"Katyusha" was also used in other sectors of the front. New soviet weapons became a very unpleasant surprise for the German command. The pyrotechnic effect of the use of shells had a particularly strong psychological impact on Wehrmacht soldiers: after a Katyusha salvo, literally everything that could burn burned. This effect was achieved through the use of TNT blocks in the shells, which upon explosion formed thousands of burning fragments.

Rocket artillery was actively used in the battle of Moscow, Katyushas destroyed the enemy at Stalingrad, they tried to use them as anti-tank weapons on the Kursk Bulge. To do this, special recesses were made under the front wheels of the vehicle, so the Katyusha could fire directly. However, the use of the BM-13 against tanks was less effective, since the M-13 rocket was a high-explosive fragmentation projectile, and not armor-piercing. In addition, "Katyusha" has never been distinguished by high accuracy of fire. But if its shell hit a tank, all the vehicle’s attachments were destroyed, the turret often jammed, and the crew received severe concussion.

Rocket launchers were used with great success until the Victory; they took part in the storming of Berlin and other operations in the final stage of the war.

In addition to the famous BM-13 MLRS, there was also a BM-8 rocket launcher, which used 82 mm caliber rockets, and over time, heavy rocket systems appeared that launched 310 mm caliber rockets.

During the Berlin operation, Soviet soldiers actively used the experience of street fighting they gained during the capture of Poznan and Königsberg. It consisted of firing single heavy rockets M-31, M-13 and M-20 direct fire. Special assault groups were created, which included an electrical engineer. The rocket was launched from machine guns, wooden caps, or simply from any flat surface. A hit from such a shell could easily destroy a house or be guaranteed to suppress an enemy firing point.

During the war years, about 1,400 BM-8, 3,400 BM-13 and 100 BM-31 units were lost.

However, the story of the BM-13 did not end there: in the early 60s, the USSR supplied these installations to Afghanistan, where they were actively used by government troops.

Device BM-13 "Katyusha"

The main advantage of the BM-13 rocket launcher is its extreme simplicity both in production and in use. The artillery part of the installation consists of eight guides, the frame on which they are located, rotating and lifting mechanisms, sighting devices and electrical equipment.

The guides were a five-meter I-beam with special overlays. A locking device and an electric igniter were installed in the breech of each of the guides, with the help of which the shot was fired.

The guides were mounted on a rotating frame, which, using simple lifting and rotating mechanisms, provided vertical and horizontal guidance.

Each Katyusha was equipped with an artillery sight.

The crew of the vehicle (BM-13) consisted of 5-7 people.

The M-13 rocket consisted of two parts: a combat and a jet powder engine. The warhead, which contained an explosive and a contact fuse, is very reminiscent of the warhead of a conventional high-explosive fragmentation artillery projectile.

The powder engine of the M-13 projectile consisted of a chamber with powder charge, nozzles, special grilles, stabilizers and fuse.

The main problem faced by the developers missile systems(and not only in the USSR), the accuracy of the rocket projectiles became low. To stabilize their flight, the designers took two paths. German six-barreled mortar rockets rotated in flight due to obliquely located nozzles, and flat stabilizers were installed on Soviet RSakhs. To give the projectile more accuracy, it was necessary to increase it initial speed, for this purpose, the guides on the BM-13 received a greater length.

The German stabilization method made it possible to reduce the size of both the projectile itself and the weapon from which it was fired. However, this significantly reduced the firing range. Although, it should be said that the German six-barreled mortars were more accurate than the Katyushas.

The Soviet system was simpler and allowed shooting over considerable distances. Later, installations began to use spiral guides, which further increased accuracy.

Modifications of "Katyusha"

During the war, numerous modifications of both rocket launchers and ammunition were created. Here are just a few of them:

BM-13-SN - this installation had spiral guides that delivered the projectile rotational movement, which significantly increased its accuracy.

BM-8-48 - this rocket launcher used 82 mm caliber projectiles and had 48 guides.

BM-31-12 - this rocket launcher used 310 mm caliber shells for firing.

310 mm caliber rockets were initially used for firing from the ground, only then self-propelled guns appeared.

The first systems were created on the basis of the ZiS-6 car, then they were most often installed on vehicles received under Lend-Lease. It must be said that with the beginning of Lend-Lease, only foreign cars were used to create rocket launchers.

In addition, rocket launchers (from M-8 shells) were installed on motorcycles, snowmobiles, and armored boats. The guides were installed on railway platforms, T-40, T-60, KV-1 tanks.

To understand how much mass weapons were "Katyushas", it is enough to give two figures: from 1941 to the end of 1944, Soviet industry produced 30 thousand launchers various types and 12 million shells for them.

During the war years, several types of 132 mm caliber rockets were developed. The main directions of modernization were to increase the accuracy of fire, increase the range of the projectile and its power.

Advantages and disadvantages of the BM-13 Katyusha missile launcher

The main advantage of rocket launchers was the large number of projectiles they fired in one salvo. If several MLRS were operating in one area at once, the destructive effect was increased due to the interference of shock waves.

Easy to use. “Katyushas” were distinguished by their extremely simple design; they were also uncomplicated sights this installation.

Low cost and easy to manufacture. During the war, the production of rocket launchers was established in dozens of factories. The production of ammunition for these complexes did not present any particular difficulties. The comparison between the cost of the BM-13 and a conventional one looks especially eloquent. artillery piece similar caliber.

Installation mobility. The time of one BM-13 salvo is approximately 10 seconds; after the salvo, the vehicle left the firing line without exposing itself to enemy return fire.

However, this weapon also had disadvantages, the main one being low shooting accuracy due to the large dispersion of projectiles. This problem was partially solved by the BM-13SN, but it has not been completely resolved for modern MLRS.

Insufficient high-explosive effect of M-13 shells. "Katyusha" was not very effective against long-term defensive fortifications and armored vehicles.

Short firing range compared to cannon artillery.

Large consumption of gunpowder in the manufacture of rockets.

There was heavy smoke during the salvo, which served as an unmasking factor.

The high center of gravity of the BM-13 installations led to frequent rollovers of the vehicle during the march.

Technical characteristics of "Katyusha"

Characteristics of the combat vehicle

Characteristics of the M-13 missile

Video about MLRS "Katyusha"

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Made by Russians

Unique combat vehicle "Katyusha"

On June 21, 1941, the Red Army adopted rocket artillery - BM-13 Katyusha launchers.

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Vladimir Laktanov

Salvos of Katyushas. 1942 Photo: TASS Photo Chronicle

Among legendary weapons, which became symbols of our country’s victory in the Great Patriotic War, a special place is occupied by guards rocket mortars, popularly nicknamed “Katyusha”. The characteristic silhouette of a truck from the 40s with an inclined structure instead of a body is the same symbol of perseverance, heroism and courage of Soviet soldiers as, say, the T-34 tank, Il-2 attack aircraft or ZiS-3 cannon.

And here’s what’s especially noteworthy: all these legendary, glorious weapons were designed very shortly or literally on the eve of the war! The T-34 was put into service at the end of December 1939, the first production IL-2s rolled off the production line in February 1941, and the ZiS-3 gun was first presented to the leadership of the USSR and the army a month after the start of hostilities, on July 22, 1941. But the most amazing coincidence happened in the fate of Katyusha. Its demonstration to the party and military authorities took place half a day before the German attack - June 21, 1941...

From heaven to earth

In fact, work on the creation of the world's first multiple launch rocket system on a self-propelled chassis began in the USSR in the mid-1930s. An employee of the Tula NPO Splav, which produces modern Russian MLRS, Sergei Gurov, managed to find in the archives agreement No. 251618с dated January 26, 1935 between the Leningrad Jet Research Institute and the Automotive and Armored Directorate of the Red Army, which included a prototype rocket launcher on the BT-5 tank with ten rockets.

Volley of guards mortars

A volley of guards mortars. Photo: Anatoly Egorov / RIA Novosti

There is nothing to be surprised here, because Soviet rocket scientists created the first combat rockets even earlier: official tests took place in the late 20s - early 30s. In 1937, the RS-82 missile of 82 mm caliber was adopted for service, and a year later the RS-132 missile of 132 mm caliber was adopted, both in a version for underwing installation on aircraft. A year later, at the end of the summer of 1939, the RS-82s were used for the first time in a combat situation. During the battles at Khalkhin Gol, five I-16s used their “eres” in battle with Japanese fighters, quite surprising the enemy with their new weapons. And a little later, already during Soviet-Finnish war, six twin-engine SB bombers, already armed with RS-132, attacked Finnish ground positions.

Naturally, impressive - and they really were impressive, although to a large extent due to the unexpectedness of the application new system weapons, and not their ultra-high efficiency - the results of the use of "eres" in aviation forced the Soviet party and military leadership rush the defense industry to create a ground-based version. Actually, the future “Katyusha” had every chance to catch the Winter War: the main design work and tests were carried out back in 1938–1939, but the military was not satisfied with the results - they needed a more reliable, mobile and easy-to-handle weapon.

IN general outline what a year and a half later would go down in soldiers’ folklore on both sides of the front as “Katyusha” was ready by the beginning of 1940. In any case, author’s certificate No. 3338 for a “rocket launcher for a sudden, powerful artillery and chemical attack on the enemy using rocket shells” was issued on February 19, 1940, and among the authors were employees of the RNII (since 1938, which bore the “numbered” name Research Institute-3) Andrey Kostikov, Ivan Gvai and Vasily Aborenkov.

This installation was already seriously different from the first samples that entered field testing at the end of 1938. The missile launcher was located along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and had 16 guides, each of which carried two projectiles. And the shells themselves for this vehicle were different: aircraft RS-132s turned into longer and more powerful ground-based M-13s.

Actually, in this form, a combat vehicle with rockets came out to review new models of weapons of the Red Army, which took place on June 15–17, 1941 at a training ground in Sofrino, near Moscow. Rocket artillery was left as a “snack”: two combat vehicles demonstrated firing on the last day, June 17, using high-explosive fragmentation rockets. The shooting was observed by People's Commissar of Defense Marshal Semyon Timoshenko, Chief of the General Staff Army General Georgy Zhukov, Chief of the Main artillery control Marshal Grigory Kulik and his deputy General Nikolai Voronov, as well as People's Commissar of Armaments Dmitry Ustinov, People's Commissar of Ammunition Pyotr Goremykin and many other military personnel. One can only guess what emotions overwhelmed them as they looked at the wall of fire and the fountains of earth rising on the target field. But it is clear that the demonstration made a strong impression. Four days later, on June 21, 1941, just a few hours before the start of the war, documents were signed on the adoption and urgent deployment of mass production of M-13 missiles and a launcher, which received official name BM-13 - “combat vehicle - 13” (according to the missile index), although sometimes they appeared in documents with the index M-13. This day should be considered the birthday of “Katyusha”, which, it turns out, was born only half a day earlier than the beginning of the Great Patriotic War that glorified her.

First hit

The production of new weapons took place at two enterprises at once: the Voronezh plant named after the Comintern and the Moscow plant "Compressor", and the capital plant named after Vladimir Ilyich became the main enterprise for the production of M-13 shells. The first combat-ready unit - a special reactive battery under the command of Captain Ivan Flerov - went to the front on the night of July 1-2, 1941.

Commander of the first Katyusha rocket artillery battery, captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov

Commander of the first Katyusha rocket artillery battery, captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov. Photo: RIA Novosti

But here's what's remarkable. The first documents on the formation of divisions and batteries armed with rocket mortars appeared even before the famous shootings near Moscow! For example, the General Staff directive on the formation of five divisions armed new technology, published a week before the start of the war - June 15, 1941. But reality, as always, made its own adjustments: in fact, the formation of the first units of field rocket artillery began on June 28, 1941. It was from this moment that, as determined by the directive of the commander of the Moscow Military District, three days were allotted for the formation of the first special battery under the command of Captain Flerov.

According to the preliminary staffing schedule, which was determined even before the Sofrino shootings, the rocket artillery battery was supposed to have nine rocket launchers. But the manufacturing plants could not cope with the plan, and Flerov did not have time to receive two of the nine vehicles - he went to the front on the night of July 2 with a battery of seven rocket launchers. But don’t think that just seven ZIS-6s with guides for launching the M-13 went towards the front. According to the list - there was not and could not be an approved staffing table for a special, that is, essentially an experimental battery - the battery included 198 people, 1 passenger car, 44 trucks and 7 special machines, 7 BM-13 (for some reason they appeared in the column “210 mm guns”) and one 152 mm howitzer, which served as a sighting gun.

It was with this composition that the Flerov battery went down in history as the first in the Great Patriotic War and the world’s first combat unit of rocket artillery to participate in hostilities. Flerov and his artillerymen fought their first battle, which later became legendary, on July 14, 1941. At 15:15, as follows from archival documents, seven BM-13s from the battery opened fire on the Orsha railway station: it was necessary to destroy the trains from the Soviet military equipment and ammunition that did not have time to reach the front and got stuck, falling into the hands of the enemy. In addition, reinforcements for the advancing Wehrmacht units also accumulated in Orsha, so that an extremely attractive opportunity for the command arose to solve several strategic problems at once with one blow.

And so it happened. By personal order of the deputy chief of artillery of the Western Front, General George Cariophylli, the battery launched the first blow. In just a few seconds, the full ammunition load of the battery was fired at the target - 112 rockets, each of which carried a combat charge weighing almost 5 kg - and all hell broke loose at the station. With the second blow, Flerov's battery destroyed the Nazis' pontoon crossing across the Orshitsa River - with the same success.

A few days later, two more batteries arrived at the front - Lieutenant Alexander Kun and Lieutenant Nikolai Denisenko. Both batteries launched their first attacks on the enemy in the last days of July in the difficult year of 1941. And from the beginning of August, the Red Army began to form not individual batteries, but entire regiments of rocket artillery.

Guard of the first months of the war

The first document on the formation of such a regiment was issued on August 4: a decree of the USSR State Committee for Defense ordered the formation of one guards mortar regiment armed with M-13 launchers. This regiment was named after the People's Commissar of General Mechanical Engineering Pyotr Parshin - the man who, in fact, approached the State Defense Committee with the idea of ​​​​forming such a regiment. And from the very beginning he offered to give him the rank of Guards - a month and a half before the first Guards Rifle Units appeared in the Red Army, and then all the others.

"Katyusha" on the march. 2nd Baltic Front, January 1945

"Katyusha" on the march. 2nd Baltic Front, January 1945. Photo: Vasily Savransky / RIA Novosti

Four days later, on August 8, the staffing table was approved guards regiment rocket launchers: each regiment consisted of three or four divisions, and each division consisted of three batteries of four combat vehicles. The same directive provided for the formation of the first eight regiments of rocket artillery. The ninth was the regiment named after People's Commissar Parshin. It is noteworthy that already on November 26, the People's Commissariat of General Engineering was renamed into the People's Commissariat of Mortar Weapons: the only one in the USSR that dealt with one single type of weapon (existed until February 17, 1946)! Isn't this evidence of what great value did the country's leadership use rocket mortars?

Another evidence of this special attitude was the resolution of the State Defense Committee, issued a month later - on September 8, 1941. This document actually turned rocket mortar artillery into a special, privileged type of armed forces. Guards mortar units were withdrawn from the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army and turned into guards mortar units and formations with their own command. It was directly subordinate to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, and included the headquarters, the weapons department of the M-8 and M-13 mortar units and operational groups in the main directions.

The first commander of the guards mortar units and formations was military engineer 1st rank Vasily Aborenkov, a man whose name appeared in the author’s certificate for “a rocket launcher for a sudden, powerful artillery and chemical attack on the enemy using rocket shells.” It was Aborenkov, as first the head of the department and then the deputy head of the Main Artillery Directorate, who did everything to ensure that the Red Army received new, unprecedented weapons.

After this, the process of forming new artillery units went into full swing. The main tactical unit was the regiment of guards mortar units. It consisted of three divisions of M-8 or M-13 rocket launchers, an anti-aircraft division, and service units. In total, the regiment consisted of 1,414 people, 36 BM-13 or BM-8 combat vehicles, and 12 other weapons anti-aircraft guns caliber 37 mm, 9 anti-aircraft DShK machine guns and 18 light machine guns, not counting manual small arms personnel. A salvo of one regiment of M-13 rocket launchers consisted of 576 rockets - 16 “eres” in a salvo of each vehicle, and a regiment of M-8 rocket launchers consisted of 1296 rockets, since one vehicle fired 36 projectiles at once.

"Katyusha", "Andryusha" and other members of the jet family

By the end of the Great Patriotic War, the guards mortar units and formations of the Red Army became formidable impact force, which had a significant impact on the course of hostilities. In total, by May 1945, Soviet rocket artillery consisted of 40 separate divisions, 115 regiments, 40 separate brigades and 7 divisions - a total of 519 divisions.

These units were armed with three types of combat vehicles. First of all, these were, of course, the Katyushas themselves - BM-13 combat vehicles with 132-mm rockets. They became the most popular in Soviet rocket artillery during the Great Patriotic War: from July 1941 to December 1944, 6844 such vehicles were produced. Until Studebaker Lend-Lease trucks began to arrive in the USSR, the launchers were mounted on the ZIS-6 chassis, and then American three-axle heavy trucks became the main carriers. In addition, there were modifications to the launchers to accommodate the M-13 on other Lend-Lease trucks.

The 82mm Katyusha BM-8 had much more modifications. Firstly, only these installations, due to their small dimensions and weight, could be mounted on the chassis of light tanks T-40 and T-60. Such self-propelled jets artillery installations received the name BM-8-24. Secondly, installations of the same caliber were mounted on railway platforms, armored boats and torpedo boats and even on railcars. And on the Caucasian front they were converted to fire from the ground, without a self-propelled chassis, which would not have been able to turn around in the mountains. But the main modification was the launcher for M-8 missiles on a vehicle chassis: by the end of 1944, 2,086 of them were produced. These were mainly BM-8-48, launched into production in 1942: these vehicles had 24 beams, on which 48 M-8 rockets were installed, and they were produced on the chassis of a Forme Marmont-Herrington truck. Until a foreign chassis appeared, BM-8-36 units were produced on the basis of the GAZ-AAA truck.

Harbin. Parade of Red Army troops in honor of the victory over Japan

Harbin. Parade of Red Army troops in honor of the victory over Japan. Photo: TASS Photo Chronicle

The latest and most powerful modification of the Katyusha was the BM-31-12 guards mortars. Their story began in 1942, when it was possible to design a new M-30 missile, which was the already familiar M-13 with a new 300 mm caliber warhead. Since they did not change the rocket part of the projectile, the result was a kind of “tadpole” - its resemblance to a boy, apparently, served as the basis for the nickname “Andryusha”. Initially, the new type of projectiles were launched exclusively from a ground position, directly from a frame-like machine on which the projectiles stood in wooden packages. A year later, in 1943, the M-30 was replaced by the M-31 rocket with a heavier warhead. It was for this new ammunition that by April 1944 the BM-31-12 launcher was designed on the chassis of a three-axle Studebaker.

These combat vehicles were distributed among the units of guards mortar units and formations as follows. Of the 40 separate rocket artillery battalions, 38 were armed with BM-13 installations, and only two with BM-8. The same ratio was in the 115 guards mortar regiments: 96 of them were armed with Katyushas in the BM-13 version, and the remaining 19 were armed with 82-mm BM-8. The Guards mortar brigades were generally not armed with rocket launchers of a caliber smaller than 310 mm. 27 brigades were armed with frame launchers M-30, and then M-31, and 13 with self-propelled M-31-12 on a vehicle chassis.

She who started rocket artillery

During the Great Patriotic War, Soviet rocket artillery had no equal on the other side of the front. Despite the fact that the notorious German Nebelwerfer rocket mortar, nicknamed “Donkey” and “Vanyusha” by Soviet soldiers, had comparable effectiveness to the “Katyusha”, it was significantly less mobile and had one and a half times shorter firing range. The achievements of the USSR's allies in the anti-Hitler coalition in the field of rocket artillery were even more modest.

It was only in 1943 that the American Army adopted 114-mm M8 rockets, for which three types of launchers were developed. Installations of the T27 type were most reminiscent of the Soviet Katyushas: they were mounted on off-road trucks and consisted of two packages of eight guides each, installed transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. It is noteworthy that the United States repeated the original design of the Katyusha, which Soviet engineers abandoned: the transverse arrangement of the launchers led to strong rocking of the vehicle at the time of the salvo, which catastrophically reduced the accuracy of fire. There was also a T23 option: the same package of eight guides was installed on the Willis chassis. And the most powerful in terms of salvo force was the T34 installation option: 60 (!) guides that were installed on the hull of the Sherman tank, directly above the turret, which is why guidance in the horizontal plane was carried out by turning the entire tank.

In addition to them, the US Army during the Second World War also used an improved M16 rocket with a T66 launcher and a T40 launcher on the chassis of medium tanks of the M4 type for 182-mm rockets. And in Great Britain, since 1941, the five-inch 5”UP rocket was in service; for salvo firing of such projectiles, 20-tube ship launchers or 30-tube towed wheeled launchers were used. But all these systems were, in fact, only a semblance of Soviet rocket artillery: they failed to catch up or surpass the Katyusha either in terms of prevalence, or in combat effectiveness, or in scale of production, or in popularity. It is no coincidence that the word “Katyusha” to this day serves as a synonym for the word “rocket artillery”, and the BM-13 itself became the ancestor of all modern multiple launch rocket systems.

The tests of the new weapon made a strong impression even on seasoned military leaders. Indeed, the combat vehicles, shrouded in smoke and flame, fired sixteen 132-mm rockets in a few seconds, and where the targets had just been seen, fire tornadoes were already spinning, filling the distant horizon with a crimson glow.

This was how unusual military equipment was demonstrated to the high command of the Red Army, headed by People's Commissar of Defense Marshal S.K. Timoshenko. This was in mid-May 1941, and a week after the start of the Great Patriotic War, an experimental separate rocket artillery battery of the Supreme High Command Reserve was formed. A few days later, production began to deliver the first production BM-13-16 - the famous Katyusha - to the army.

The history of the creation of the Guards rocket mortar dates back to the twenties. Even then the Soviet military science saw future combat operations as maneuverable, with extensive use of motorized troops and modern technology- tanks, planes, cars. And the classic receiver hardly fit into this holistic picture
artillery. Light and mobile rocket launchers were much more consistent with it. The lack of recoil when fired, the low weight and the simplicity of the design made it possible to do without traditional heavy carriages and frames. Instead of them - light and openwork guides made of pipes, which could be mounted on any truck. True, the accuracy is lower than that of guns and the firing range is short
prevented the adoption of rocket artillery into service.

At first, the gas-dynamic laboratory, where rocket weapons were created, had more difficulties and failures than successes. However, enthusiastic engineers N.I. Tikhomirov, V.A. Artemyev, and then G.E. Langeman and B.S. Petropavlovsky persistently improved their “brainchild,” firmly believing in the success of the business. Extensive theoretical development and countless experiments were required, which ultimately led to the creation at the end of 1927 of an 82-mm fragmentation rocket with a powder engine, and after it a more powerful one, with a caliber of 132 mm. Test firing conducted near Leningrad in March 1928 was encouraging - the range was already 5-6 km, although dispersion was still large. For many years it was not possible to significantly reduce it: the original concept assumed a projectile with tails that did not exceed its caliber. After all, a pipe served as a guide for it - simple, light, convenient for installation.

In 1933, engineer I.T. Kleimenov proposed making a more developed tail, significantly (more than 2 times) larger in scope than the caliber of the projectile. The accuracy of fire increased, and the flight range also increased, but new open - in particular, rail - guides for projectiles had to be designed. And again, years of experiments, searches...

By 1938, the main difficulties in creating mobile rocket artillery had been overcome. Employees of the Moscow RNII Yu. A. Pobedonostsev, F. N. Poyda, L. E. Schwartz and others developed 82-mm fragmentation, high-explosive fragmentation and thermite shells (PC) with a solid propellant (powder) engine, which was started by a remote electric igniter.

The baptism of fire of the RS-82, mounted on the I-16 and I-153 fighter aircraft, took place in the summer of 1939 on the river

Khalkhin Gol, showing high combat effectiveness there - several Japanese aircraft were shot down in air battles. At the same time, for firing at ground targets, the designers proposed several options for mobile multi-charge multiple rocket launchers (by area). Engineers V.N. Galkovsky, I.I. Gvai, A.P. Pavlenko, A.S. Popov took part in their creation under the leadership of A.G. Kostikov.

The installation consisted of eight open guide rails interconnected into a single unit by tubular welded spars. 16 132-mm rocket projectiles (each weighing 42.5 kg) were fixed using T-shaped pins at the top and bottom of the guides in pairs. The design provided the ability to change the angle of elevation and azimuth rotation. Aiming at the target was carried out through the sight by rotating the handles of the lifting and rotating mechanisms. The installation was mounted on the chassis of a three-ton truck - the then widespread ZIS-5 truck, and in the first version, relatively short guides were located across the vehicle that received common name MU-1 (mechanized installation). This decision was unsuccessful - when firing, the vehicle swayed, which significantly reduced the accuracy of the battle.

In September 1939, they created the MU-2 rocket system on the ZIS-6 three-axle truck, which was more suitable for this purpose. In this version, elongated guides were installed along the car, the rear of which was additionally hung on jacks before firing. The mass of the vehicle with a crew (5-7 people) and full ammunition was 8.33 tons, the firing range reached 8470 m. In just one salvo (in 8-10 s!) the combat vehicle fired 16 shells containing 78.4 kg highly efficient explosive. The three-axle ZIS-6 provided the MU-2 with quite satisfactory mobility on the ground, allowing it to quickly perform a march maneuver and change position. And to transfer the vehicle from the traveling position to the combat position, 2-3 minutes were enough.

In 1940, after modifications, the world's first mobile multiple rocket launcher, called M-132, successfully passed factory and field tests. By the beginning of 1941, a pilot batch of them had already been produced. It received the army designation BM-13-16, or simply BM-13, and a decision was made to industrial production. Simultaneously approved and accepted for light weapons mobile mass fire installation BM-82-43, on the guides of which 48 82-mm rockets with a firing range of 5500 m were placed. More often it was called briefly - BM-8. Such powerful weapons then not a single army in the world had.

History of the creation of the ZIS-6
Of no less interest is the history of the creation of the ZIS-6, which became the basis for the legendary Katyushas. The mechanization and motorization of the Red Army carried out in the 30s urgently required the production of three-axle off-road vehicles for use as transport vehicles, tractors for artillery, for installation of various installations. In the early 1930s, to cope with harsh road conditions, primarily for military use, the domestic automobile industry began to develop three-axle vehicles with two rear driven axles (6 X 4) based on standard two-axle trucks. Adding another rear drive axle increased the vehicle's load capacity by one and a half times, while simultaneously reducing the load on the wheels. This contributed to increased maneuverability on soft soils - damp meadows, sand, arable land. And the increased adhesion weight made it possible to develop greater traction, for which the vehicles were equipped with an additional two- or three-speed gearbox - a range-multiplier with a range of gear ratios of 1.4-2.05. In February 1931, a decision was made to organize mass production of three-axle cars in the USSR by three automobile factories in the country based on the basic vehicles with a carrying capacity of 1.5, 2.5 and 5 tons accepted for production.

In 1931-1932, in the design bureau of the Moscow automobile plant AMO, under the leadership of the head of the design bureau E.I. Vazhinsky, the design of the three-axle truck AMO-6 was carried out (designers A.S. Eisenberg, Kian Ke Min, A.I. Skordzhiev and others) simultaneously with others cars of the new family AMO-5, AMO-7, AMO-8, with their wide unification. The prototypes for the first Amov three-axle trucks were the English VD trucks (“Var Department”), as well as the domestic development of the AMO-3-NATI.

The first two experimental AMO-6 vehicles were tested on June 25 - July 4, 1938 in the Moscow - Minsk - Moscow run. A year later, the plant began producing a pilot batch of these machines, called ZIS-6. In September they took part in a test run Moscow - Kyiv - Kharkov - Moscow, and in December their mass production began. In total, 20 “three-socks” were produced in 1933. After the reconstruction of the plant, production of the ZIS-6 increased (until 1939, when 4,460 vehicles were produced), and continued until October 16, 1941, the day of the plant’s evacuation. In total, 21,239 ZIS-6 were produced during this time.

The vehicle was maximally unified with the base model of the three-ton ZIS-5 and even had the same external dimensions. It had the same six-cylinder carburetor engine with a power of 73 hp. p., the same clutch, gearbox, front axle, front suspension, wheels, steering, cabin, tail. The frame, rear axles, rear suspension, and brake drive were different. Behind the standard four-speed gearbox was a two-stage range with direct and low-range (1.53) gears. Next, the torque was transmitted by two cardan shafts to the rear drive axles with a worm gear, manufactured according to the Timken type. The driving worms were located on top, and below were worm wheels made of special bronze. (True, back in 1932, two ZIS-6R trucks were built with geared two-stage rear axles, which had significantly better characteristics. But in the automotive industry at that time there was a craze for worm gears, and this decided the matter. And they returned to gear drives only in the fall of 1940 on experimental three-axle all-wheel drive (6 X 6) ZIS-36 trucks). The ZIS-6 transmission had three driveshafts with open Cleveland-type universal joints that required regular lubrication.

The rear axle bogie had a VD type balance spring suspension. On each side there were two springs with one suspension, pivotally connected to the frame. Torque moments from the axles were transmitted to the frame by the upper jet thrusts and springs, they also transmitted pushing forces.

Serial ZIS-6 had mechanically driven brakes on all wheels with vacuum boosters, while on prototypes hydraulic brakes were used. The hand brake is central, on the transmission, and at first it was a band brake, and then replaced by a shoe brake. Compared to the basic ZIS-5, the ZIS-6 had a strengthened cooling system radiator and generator; two batteries and two gas tanks are installed (for a total of 105 liters of fuel).

The ZIS-6's own weight was 4230 kg. By good roads it could transport up to 4 tons of cargo, in bad conditions - 2.5 tons. Maximum speed- 50-55 km/h, average speed off-road 10 km/h. The vehicle could overcome a rise of 20° and a ford up to 0.65 m deep.

In general, the ZIS-6 was a fairly reliable vehicle, although due to the low power of the overloaded engine it had poor dynamics, high consumption fuel (on the highway 40-41 liters per 100 km, on a country road - up to 70) and poor cross-country ability.

It was practically not used as a cargo transport vehicle in the army, but was used as a tractor for artillery systems. At its base, repair huts, workshops, fuel tankers, fire escapes, and cranes were built. In 1935, the heavy armored car BA-5 was mounted on the ZIS-6 chassis, which turned out to be unsuccessful, and at the end of 1939, the more successful BA-11 was mounted on a shortened chassis with a higher-power engine. But the ZIS-6 gained the greatest fame as the carrier of the first BM-13 rocket launchers.

On the night of June 30, 1941, the first experimental battery of rocket mortars, consisting of seven experimental BM-13 installations (with 8 thousand shells) and a sighting 122-mm howitzer, set off to the west under the command of Captain I. A. Flerov.

And two weeks later, on July 14, 1941, Flerov’s battery, maintaining complete secrecy - they moved mainly at night, along country roads, avoiding crowded highways - arrived in the area of ​​the Orshitsa River. The day before, the Germans had captured the city of Orsha with a blow from the south and now, not for a minute doubting their success, they moved to the eastern bank of Orshitsa. But then the sky lit up with bright flashes: with a grinding sound and a deafening hiss, rocket shells fell on the crossing. A moment later they rushed into the thick of the moving stream of fascist troops. Each rocket formed an eight-meter crater with a depth of one and a half meters in the ground. The Nazis had never seen anything like this before. Fear and panic gripped the ranks of the Nazis...

The stunning debut of jet weapons for the enemy prompted our industry to speed up serial production new mortar. However, at first there were not enough self-propelled chassis for Katyushas - carriers of rocket launchers. They tried to restore production of the ZIS-6 at the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, where the Moscow ZIS was evacuated in October 1941, but the lack of specialized equipment for the production of worm axles did not allow this to be done. In October 1941, the T-60 tank (without a turret) with a BM-8-24 installation mounted on it was put into service.

The STZ-5 tracked tractors and the Ford Marmon, International Jimmy and Austin all-terrain vehicles received under Lend-Lease were also equipped with rocket launchers. But greatest number"Katyusha" was mounted on all-wheel drive three-axle Studebaker cars, including the new, more powerful BM-31-12 since 1944 - with 12 M-30 and M-31 mines of 300 mm caliber, weighing 91.5 kg each (firing range - up to 4325 m). To improve the accuracy of fire, M-13UK and M-31UK projectiles with improved accuracy that rotated in flight were created and developed.

The share of rocket artillery on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War was constantly increasing. If in November 1941 45 Katyusha divisions were formed, then on January 1, 1942 there were already 87 of them, in October 1942 - 350, and at the beginning of 1945 - 519. During 1941 alone, the industry produced 593 installations and provided them with 25-26 salvos of shells for each vehicle. The rocket mortar units received the honorary title of Guards. Some BM-13 units on the ZIS-6 chassis served throughout the war and reached Berlin and Prague. One of them, No. 3354, commanded by Guard Sergeant Masharin, is now on display at the Leningrad Artillery Museum, engineering troops and means of communication.

Unfortunately, all the monuments to guards mortars erected in their honor in Moscow, Mtsensk, Orsha, Rudin are based on an imitation of the ZIS-6 chassis. But in the memory of the veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the Katyusha was preserved as an angular, old-fashioned three-axle vehicle with a formidable weapon mounted on it, which played a huge role in the defeat of fascism.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the BM-13 "Katyusha":