During the Great Patriotic War, a significant contribution to the defense capability and victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany brought in heavy armored vehicles. The USSR military industry created a line of heavy tanks. According to experts, the KV tank (Klim Voroshilov) posed a particular threat to the Nazis. This model, as military experts are convinced, showed itself to be one of the best at the beginning of hostilities. An overview of the KV-1S tank is presented in this article.
Acquaintance
The KV-1S tank (a photo of the combat unit can be seen below) is one of the models of heavy armored vehicles produced by the defense industry of the USSR. Soviet heavy tanks, produced from 1940 to 1943, are designated by the abbreviation KV. What does the Klim Voroshilov 1C mean in the tank? This index indicates that the combat unit is fast and the first model of the entire series of tanks.
Start of creation
Already by 1942, the military noticed that KV tanks were not ideal. Due to their large mass, it was difficult to operate them, which negatively affected the combat efficiency of the equipment. Also, the tank did not operate at full engine power. The reason for this is problems in the system cooling the engine. As a result, to prevent overheating of the power unit, it had to be used in low-speed mode. In addition, the tank was not equipped with a commander's cupola, which significantly limited all-round visibility. The military was also not satisfied with the inconvenient location of the viewing devices. Some components in the diesel engine were defective. These shortcomings were reported to the State Defense Committee, which in February 1942 issued Resolution No. 1334ss. According to this document, the designers of ChTZ (Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant) were faced with the task of designing a tank weighing 45 tons and with an engine whose power should be 560 horsepower. Three days later, the People's Commissariat of Defense signed decree No. 0039 on the start of work on the creation of the KV-1S tank.
Initially, they decided to reduce the permissible weight of 45 tons by reducing the width of the track to 60 cm and the thickness of the armor in the bottom and frontal part. In addition, changes were to be made to the ammunition load - it was decided to reduce it to 90 rounds. The KV-1S tank (there is a photo of the model in the article) was produced without additional fuel tanks.
About production
Design work was carried out in the design bureau of the tractor plant in the city of Chelyabinsk. Soon it was ready prototype tank with a V-2K engine of 650 hp. With. and new final drives. However, during testing it turned out that the power unit was ineffective. The opposite situation was observed with final drives, which it was decided to leave. Later, their serial production was established. In April, they tested a new gearbox designed for 8 speeds and a 700 hp engine. With. According to experts, it was not possible to fully test the engine, and the KV-1S tank soon began to be equipped with a gearbox. In total, the Soviet defense industry produced 1,120 combat units.
About the design
The Soviet heavy tank KV-1S is a modernization of the first original model, which is listed as the KV-1. The main goal pursued by the designers was to make the new combat unit more reliable and faster. As a result, unlike its counterpart, the KV-1S tank, due to weakened armor, has a less massive hull and is equipped with a new, more advanced turret and gearbox. The Chelyabinsk designers decided not to change the armament and motor group. The Soviet KV-1S tank came with a classic layout, typical of heavy and medium models produced at that time by the Soviet defense industry. The vehicle consists of three compartments: management, combat and engine-transmission. In the first there is a place for the driver and gunner-radio operator, the second - for crew members. The fighting compartment was combined with the middle part of the hull and the turret.
There is also room for the main gun, its ammunition and fuel tanks. The stern of the KV-1S tank was equipped with an engine and transmission.
About armor protection and a tank turret
In the production of the high-speed tank “Klim Voroshilov” (a photo of this combat unit can be seen in the article), rolled armor plates were used, the thickness of which was 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7.5 cm. The vehicle had differentiated ballistic armor protection. The turret in the tank has a complex, streamlined shape and was made by casting. In order to increase its projectile resistance, the designers positioned the side of the tower at an angle of 75 degrees in the vertical plane. The sides, according to experts, had the greatest thickness - 75 mm. An embrasure for a cannon was also placed in the frontal part of the tower. This part cast separately. Then they were connected to the rest of the armored parts by welding. The gun mantlet was made on the basis of a rolled armored plate, which was bent and equipped with three holes for a cannon, a coaxial machine gun and a sight. The result was a product in the form of a cylindrical segment with a thickness of 8.2 cm. The turret was placed on the cover in the fighting compartment on a shoulder strap, the diameter of which was 153.5 cm. To prevent it from falling off when the tank rolled strongly, it was securely fixed with special grips.
Workplace driver - the front part of the body in the center. The radio operator gunner is to his left. A combat crew of three people was housed in the turret. To the left of the gun sat the gunner and commander of the vehicle, to the right was the loader. The commander had a cast observation turret, the armor of which was 6 cm thick. For the landing and exit of the combat crew, two round hatches were provided in the tank. One of them was under the loader, the second was in the top cover of the housing above the gunner-radio operator. In addition, the KV-1S was equipped with a bottom emergency hatch. Repair of components and assemblies of the machine was carried out through additional small technical hatches. Through them it was possible to get to the fuel tanks, as well as load ammunition into the tank.
About weapons
The battle on the KV-1S tank was fought with a 76.2-mm ZIS-5 cannon. The weapon was mounted on trunnions. The aiming was carried out in the vertical plane from -5 to 25 degrees. Shooting was carried out using mechanical and electric triggers. The main gun could fire 114 shots. Ammunition for it lay in the turret along the sides. In addition, it was possible to hit the enemy with three 7.62 mm DT machine guns. One of them was paired with a ZIS-5, the second was a forward-moving one, and the third was placed at the rear of the tank on a special ball mount. The combat set of small arms was represented by 3 thousand cartridges. The DT machine guns were installed in such a way that the crew could remove them at any time and fire them separately from the KV-1S. The crew also had several F-1 hand grenades. The tank commander was entitled to a signal pistol.
About the power unit
The tank used a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder diesel engine V-2K. The engine power was 600 horsepower. To start the unit there was an ST-700 starter (15 hp). Also for this purpose, compressed air was used, contained in two 5-liter tanks in the combat compartment. The volume of the main fuel tanks was 600 and 615 liters. Their location was the combat and transmission compartments. Additionally, the tank had four more external fuel tanks that were not connected to the general system. Each container is designed for 360 liters of fuel.
About the transmission
The KV-1S was equipped with a transmission, which consisted of the following components:
- Multi-disc main dry friction clutch.
- Four-speed gearbox using a range multiplier (8 forward gears and 2 reverse).
- Two multi-disc onboard clutches.
- Two onboard planetary gearboxes.
Tank with mechanical control drives. According to experts, a significant drawback of the Klim Voroshilov combat vehicles was that the transmission was not reliable enough. With the new gearbox this flaw was corrected. Later they decided to use it in the IS-2 model.
About the chassis
In the design of this unit, the developers used the chassis from the KV-1. However, in order to reduce the overall weight of the combat vehicle, the dimensions of some parts still had to be reduced. The KV-1S came with an individual torsion bar suspension provided for each solid-cast gable road wheel. There are 6 of them in total on each side. The diameter of the skating rink was 60 cm. Defense industry The USSR produced two types of rollers: with round holes and triangular ones. The first type was the most common. Each roller was equipped with a travel limiter, which was welded to the armored hull.
The chassis of the tank is with lantern gearing and removable rims. The caterpillar tension was carried out using a special screw mechanism. The caterpillar was equipped with 86 single-ridge tracks. Unlike the base model, the track width in the high-speed tank was 60 cm.
About surveillance equipment and sights
According to experts, of all the large-scale Soviet tanks, the high-speed KV-1S is considered the first to use a commander's cupola equipped with viewing slits. There were 5 of them in total, and they were covered with protective glass. The driver had a viewing device. To protect the triplex there was a special armored flap. The location of this device was a plug hatch in the front part of the tank. In a non-combat situation, the driver for review larger area I could move this hatch forward a little. The KV-1S used two gun sights: the telescopic TOD-6, which provided direct fire, and the periscopic PT-6. It was used if it was necessary to shoot from a closed position. PT-6 was protected by a special armored cap. Thanks to the illumination devices that were equipped with the sight scales, firing was possible at night. The forward and rear DT machine guns were equipped with sighting devices used in sniper rifles. Each such sight provided threefold magnification.
About communications
To communicate between the combat crew and the command, the KV-1S was equipped with a 9R radio station and a TPU-4-BIS intercom. It could be used by four subscribers. The tanks were also equipped with 10Р or 10РК radio stations. The kit included a transmitter, receiver and umformer. The latter was a single-anchor motor-generator, through which the stations were powered from the on-board 24 V electrical network. According to experts, in telephone mode communication was provided at a distance of 20 to 25 thousand m. While the tank was moving, the communication range was lower. TPU-4-Bis was used for negotiations inside the tank. If the situation was too noisy, the crew could use a headset, which was also connected to external radio communications.
TTX
The KV-1S has the following performance characteristics:
- Combat weight - 42.5 tons.
- The tank's crew consisted of five people.
- The length of the body was 690 cm, width - 325 cm, height - 264 cm.
- On flat surface The KV-1S moved at a speed of 42 km/h, over rough terrain - 15 km/h.
- The specific power indicator is 14.1 ppt.
- The tank could overcome inclines of no more than 36 degrees and 80-centimeter walls.
- The vehicle could cross ditches whose dimensions did not exceed 270 cm.
- The specific pressure on the ground was 0.79 kg/cm2.
Experts' opinion
According to military experts, the design of the KV-1S was a response to failures in the first stage of the war. Immediately after serial production was established, the tanks were transferred to the front. During the fighting, the Red Army command noted that the armor in the high-speed KV-1 was not enough to withstand the standard shells used by the T-3 and T-4. These tanks penetrated the KV-1S from a distance of 200 m.
In addition, the cross-country maneuverability of this combat vehicle left much to be desired. There were also complaints regarding the reliability of the transmission. If we consider firepower KV-1S, then it was enough to destroy a fascist tank from a distance of 200 m. Improvement at the front was observed until the Germans began producing “Tigers” and “Panthers”. Of course, the KV-1S could destroy such a tank, but due to the insignificant caliber of the main gun, the Soviet crew had to get close to the fascist armored vehicles to do this. A projectile from the KV-1S penetrated Tigers and Panthers from a distance of less than 200 m.
About the virtual combat unit
Today, a Soviet high-speed tank can be fought in computer games. Fans of World of Tanks are familiar with the modernized KV-1. The KV-1S tank in WOT Blitz, judging by numerous reviews from gamers, is considered the first serious example of armored vehicles at level 6.
Fans of virtual battles highly appreciate its good speed characteristics. In Blitz, KV-1S tanks can inflict significant one-time damage on the enemy. To do this, it is enough to use a premium 217 mm projectile in the top-end D2-5T gun instead of the basic 175 mm projectile. With an accurate hit, the enemy will lose at least 390 units of strength. Up to 14 shots can be fired within one minute.
The KV-1S is a Soviet WWII heavy tank. KV means "Klim Voroshilov", which is official name Soviet serial heavy tanks produced in 1940-1943. The 1C index denotes a “high-speed” modification of the first model in the series.
creation of KV-1S
In wartime conditions, when it was necessary first of all to produce more tanks, all changes made to the design of the KV-1 affected the reliability of the components and assemblies of the heavy tank. This primarily concerned the engine, transmission elements and gearbox. Since the gearbox and transmission of the KV-1 tank were not brought to normal operating condition before the start of the Great Patriotic War, it is not surprising that the reliability of parts and the quality of workmanship of the KV-1 tanks produced in war time got even worse. In addition, since various changes and simplifications were made to the design of the tank (cast turrets, tracks and rollers, additional fuel tanks, and so on), the weight of the tank increased significantly - the weight of the vehicle ranged from 47.5 to 48.2 tons.
Numerous claims and complaints began to arrive from the troops, saying that “Klim Voroshilov tanks often break down on marches, have low mobility and speed, and not a single bridge can support them.” On February 23, 1942, the State Defense Committee adopted Resolution No. 1334ss, according to which ChKZ was obliged to produce Klim Voroshilov tanks weighing less than 45.5 tons and a diesel engine with a power of 650 horsepower from April 15. Based on this decree, on February 24 they signed the order of the NKTP No. 222mss, and on February 26 - the order of the People's Commissariat of Defense No. 0039. The weight of KV tanks, according to these orders, should be reduced by reducing the thickness of the frontal armor to 95 millimeters along with the screen, reducing up to 30 millimeters in the thickness of the turret roof, hull roof, hatches, reduction in the thickness of the stern armor to 60 millimeters, up to 20 millimeters in the rear bottom plates, spare fuel tanks were also removed, the ammunition load was reduced to 90 rounds, spare parts were reduced, and so on.
But, despite efforts, the plant was unable to quickly make changes to the design of the heavy tank. There was a shortage of qualified personnel, equipment and materials. For example, in the first quarter of 1942, the plant’s need for workers was 40 thousand people, and the plant’s staff actually amounted to 27,321 people. One can also note the crisis with equipping Klim Voroshilov tanks with radio stations, when since March 1942 radio stations were installed only on every fifth tank.
At the beginning of March, the plant began testing a tank with a 650-horsepower V-2K engine and new final drives. The engine turned out to be inoperative, but the final drives showed good results, so they were put into mass production in April. Since April 20, ChKZ has been testing two KVs equipped with a 700-horsepower diesel engine and a new 8-speed gearbox. Once again it was not possible to bring the engines to perfection, and a new gearbox began to be installed on the KV-1S tank.
In March-April 1942, the crisis with the quality of the KV-1 reached its apogee: about 30% of tanks covered only 120–125 kilometers, after which they broke down. The unreliability of heavy tanks “fed up” everyone so much that on March 21, the NKTP issued order No. 3 285ms in which the leadership of the People's Commissariat reprimanded the design and engineering staff and the management of SKB-2 and ChKZ (Makhonin, Zaltsman, Kieselshtein, Kotin, Arsenyev, Marishkin, Holstein, Tsukanov, Shenderov) and obliged “to bring the necessary order to the technical documentation and production technology of V-2 diesel engines and KV tanks.”
However, despite the violation technological process, shortcomings, failure to comply with various GKO resolutions and NKTP orders, the production of KV-1 tanks at ChKZ continued to grow constantly. Engineers and workers, working 11 hours a day (this was the length of the work shift), and often more, tried to give the front the largest number of combat vehicles. The Red Army received 250 KV-1s in March 1942, 282 in April, and 351 in May. After this, the production of Klim Voroshilov tanks began to decline and at the beginning of summer there were many proposals to remove the KV from production. The fact is that by the summer of 1942, due to the rearmament of the Wehrmacht, KV tanks had lost their advantage in armor protection. This situation required drastic changes.
The history of the creation of the KV-1S (high-speed) tank began with an interesting document. June 5, 1942 I.V. Stalin, Chairman of the State Defense Committee signed Resolution No. 1878ss which contained the following:
"Experience in combat use of the KV-1 in military units showed the following disadvantages of the Klim Voroshilov tanks:
- the large mass of the tank (47.5 tons) reduces the combat efficiency of the vehicle and complicates the conditions for its combat operation;
- insufficient reliability of the gearbox due to the low strength of the gears of the slow and first gears and the crankcase;
The engine cooling system is not working hard enough. As a result, it is often necessary to switch speeds to lower ones, which causes a reduction in average speeds and also limits the possibility of fully using the engine power;
-all-round visibility of the tank was insufficient due to the lack of a commander's cupola and the inconvenient placement of viewing devices.
In addition to these main shortcomings, the army is receiving information about many defects in the assembly and manufacturing of some components, especially the diesel engine, which indicates insufficient control over the process of manufacturing and assembling tanks, as well as a violation of the technological process.”
KV-1S tanks of the 6th Guards Separate Tank Regiment breaking through in the attack. North Caucasus Front
The same decree ordered ChKZ to switch to the production of KV tanks from August 1, the weight of which will not exceed 42.5 tons. To reduce the weight of the tank, by order of the People's Commissariat of Tank Industry, factories No. 200 and UZTM were allowed to change the thickness of the armor plates:
-reduce the thickness of the front, side and bottom sheets, as well as sheets of the welded tower from 75 to 60 millimeters;
-remove the driver’s screen - completion date is June 15;
-reduce the thickness of the bottom sheets to 30 millimeters;
-reduce the thickness of the armor protection walls of the gun and cast turret to 80–85 millimeters, and also, while maintaining the existing gun ring, reduce its dimensions using casting molds;
-reduce the width of the track to 650 millimeters (due until July 1, 1942).
According to this order, new 8-speed gearboxes, new fans and radiators were to be installed on KV-1 tanks. The same order reduced the production of the KV-1, weighing 47.5 tons.
By June 20, at ChKZ and plant No. 100, work was in full swing to develop units and components for the lightweight tank. For example, tests of the new 8-speed gearbox were carried out on two KV tanks at once (Nos. 10279 and 10334), and they began back in April. By mid-June, the vehicles had traveled only from 379 to 590 kilometers (according to the plan, the tanks were supposed to cover 2 thousand kilometers). At the same time, on the Klim Voroshilov tanks with numbers 10033, 11021 and 25810, tracks of a smaller width and without fangs were installed across one track. The weight of the track was 1.2 kilograms less than the old one, and the entire caterpillar was 262 kilograms. We tested a new radiator design and developed a new tower. Three KV tanks were even sent to Tashkent to test the engine cooling system at high temperatures.
At the beginning of July, the assembly of the first lightweight HFs began, on which new components and assemblies were installed.
At the same time, given the breakthrough of German troops to Stalingrad, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters decided to increase the production of T-34 medium tanks by reducing the production of Klim Voroshilov tanks. The reasons for this decision were justified and simple: the KV had no advantages in armament over the T-34, was inferior in maneuverability, was less reliable, was more expensive and difficult to manufacture. On July 15, 1942, the State Defense Committee decided to launch the production of “thirty-fours” at ChKZ within a month. At the same time, the production of heavy tanks decreased significantly - to 450 units per quarter, that is, about 25% of the enterprise's capacity was left for the production of heavy tanks.
Simultaneously with the organization of production of T-34 tanks at plant No. 100 and ChKZ, tests of the new Klim Voroshilov tank, which received the designation KV-1S (high-speed), were in full swing. Two KV-1S passed the state test between July 28 and August 26, 1942. tests. Even before the end of the tests - on August 20, 1942 - the new heavy tank was put into service.
The thickness of the armor plates of the KV-1S tank was reduced to 60 millimeters (only the thickness of the turret box was the same as on the KV-1 - 75 millimeters), the shape of the rear hull was changed, a smaller turret of a new design was installed, which was equipped with a commander’s turret of all-round visibility, equipped with new viewing devices. Significant changes were made to the tank's power transmission, a new main clutch and an 8-speed gearbox with a silumin housing (2 reverse speeds and 8 forward speeds) were installed. Also, a new fan and radiators were installed on the KV-1S tank, and the placement of the batteries was changed. Lightweight track rollers and lightweight tracks with a reduced width were used in the chassis.
As a result of these changes, the weight of the KV-1S decreased to 42.3 tons, the speed increased to 43.3 kilometers per hour on the highway, and the reliability and maneuverability of the tank increased. However, the price paid for this was very high: the armament of the KV-1S tank did not change - the 76.2-mm ZIS-5 gun, however, reducing the thickness of the armor with the same armored hull design reduced the projectile resistance of the vehicle. The KV-1S is almost equal in its combat qualities to the T-34 tank.
Tankers of the 6th Guards Breakthrough Tank Regiment are mastering new KV-1S tanks (2nd Guards Tank Army, Commander Colonel General S.I. Bogdanov)
Production of the KV-1S began in August 1942, before the tank was officially put into service. Since ChKZ was producing three types of tanks - T-34, KV-1 and KV-1S - significant problems arose with the production of gearboxes. But, despite this, in September 1942 the plant was able to produce 180 KV-1I, after which the production of these tanks began to decline.
From the first quarter of 1943, it was planned to install a commander's cupola with a new design, Mk-4 periscopes, change the engine cooling and lubrication systems, and increase spare parts on the KV-1S tank. However, by this time it became clear that the KV-1S did not meet the new requirements for heavy breakthrough tanks. In this regard, work to improve the tank was stopped, and already in August 1943, production of the KV-1S was finally stopped. All the forces of Plant No. 100 and ChKZ were directed towards the creation of the heavy IS tank.
Using the KV-1S as a base, they created another much more famous model of armored vehicles - the SU-152 heavy assault self-propelled gun.
In total, in 1942, ChKZ produced 626 KV-1S heavy tanks, and in 1943 - 464.
The total production of KV-1S tanks amounted to 1090 units (according to other sources - 1106). In addition, they produced 25 KV-8S (flamethrower) with the body of the KV-1S and the flamethrower turret of the KV-8 and 10 KV-8S proper (flamethrower), where the ATO-42 flamethrower was installed in the standard tank turret.
Description of design
At its core, the KV-1S, in relation to the KV-1, was a medium-depth modernization. The main goal of the modernization was to reduce the overall weight of the tank, increase reliability during operation and its speed, and solve the unsatisfactory ergonomics of workplaces on the KV-1. The “high-speed” modification of the KV-1, compared to the base model, received a smaller overall body and weight (including due to weakened armor), a new turret with radically improved ergonomics, and a new, more reliable gearbox. The engine group and weapons remained unchanged. The layout of the KV-1S was the same as for all other Soviet production medium and heavy tanks of that time. The tank's hull, from bow to stern, was divided into the following sections: control, combat, and engine-transmission compartments. The radio operator gunner and driver were located in the control compartment, the other crew members (three) were located in the fighting compartment, which combined the turret and middle part armored hulls The gun, ammunition, and part of the fuel tanks were also located there. The transmission and engine were installed in the rear of the vehicle.
Armored hull and turret
The armored hull of the tank was welded from rolled armor plates with a thickness of 20, 30, 40, 60 and 75 millimeters. Armor protection is anti-ballistic, differentiated. The armor plates of the frontal part of the tank were installed at rational angles of inclination. The streamlined turret was an armor casting of complex geometric shape. To increase projectile resistance, the 75-mm sides were located at an angle to the vertical. The frontal part of the turret and the embrasure for the gun, which was formed by the intersection of four spheres, were cast separately and connected to the rest of the armored parts of the turret by welding. The gun mantlet was a cylindrical segment of bent rolled armor plate. It had three holes - for a cannon, a sight and a coaxial machine gun. The thickness of the armor of the turret forehead and gun mantlet reached 82 millimeters. The turret was mounted on a shoulder strap (diameter 1535 millimeters) in the armored roof of the fighting compartment and was fixed using grips to prevent stalling during a strong roll or overturning of the tank. The turret shoulder straps were marked in thousandths for firing from closed positions.
The driver was located in the front of the vehicle's armored hull in the center, and the radio operator's position was to his left. Three crew members were located in the turret: the commander and gunner's workplaces were located to the left of the gun, the loader's to the right. The vehicle commander had a cast observation turret with 60 mm vertical armor. The crew embarked/disembarked through two round hatches: above the loader’s workplace in the turret and above the radio operator’s workplace on the roof of the hull. The hull also had a bottom hatch designed for emergency escape from the tank and several hatches, hatches, etc. holes for loading tank ammunition, access to the fuel tank necks, other units and components of the vehicle.
Armament
The main armament of the KV-1S tank is the 76.2 mm ZiS-5 cannon. The gun was mounted in the turret on axles and was completely balanced. The turret itself and the D-5T gun were also balanced: the center of mass of the turret was located on the geometric axis of rotation. The vertical aiming angles of the ZiS-5 gun ranged from −5 to +25°. The shot was fired using a manual mechanical trigger.
The gun's ammunition included 114 unitary loading rounds. The shots were placed along the sides of the fighting compartment and in the turret.
The KV-1S tank was equipped with three 7.62-mm DT machine guns: one coaxial with a gun, a forward and aft machine gun in ball mounts. The ammunition load for the diesel engine was 3 thousand rounds. These machine guns were installed in such a way that, if necessary, they were removed from the mounts and used outside the tank. In addition, for self-defense, the crew had several hand grenades F-1, and sometimes with a signal pistol.
Engine
The KV-1S tank was equipped with a 12-cylinder, four-stroke V-shaped diesel engine with a 600-horsepower (441 kW) V-2K engine. To start the engine, a 15-horsepower (11 kW) ST-700 starter or compressed air from two 5-liter tanks located in the fighting compartment were used. The KV-1S tank had a fairly dense layout, in which the fuel tanks, the volume of which was 600-615 liters, were located in the combat and engine compartments. The tank also had four external additional fuel tanks with a total capacity of 360 liters, which are not connected to the engine fuel system.
Transmission
The mechanical transmission of the KV-1S tank consisted of:
- main clutch – multi-disc, dry friction (“steel on ferodo”);
-a four-speed gearbox with a multiplier (2 reverse gears and 8 forward);
- a pair of multi-disc dry friction side clutches (“steel on steel”);
- two planetary final drives.
The tank transmission control drives are mechanical. Almost all authoritative printed sources note that the most significant drawback of the KV-1 tank and vehicles created on its basis was the low overall reliability of the transmission, so a new gearbox was installed on the KV-1S, which was later used on the IS-2 tanks.
Chassis
The KV-1S chassis retained all the technical equipment. solutions for a similar KV-1 unit, but some parts were reduced in size to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle. The tank's suspension is individual torsion bar for each of the 6 gable solid road wheels (diameter 600 millimeters) on board. Opposite each of the road wheels, travel limiters for the suspension balancers were welded to the armored body. The crowns are removable, the gearing is lantern. To support the upper branch of the caterpillar, there were three support rollers on board. A screw mechanism was used to tension the track; the caterpillar consisted of 86-90 single-ridge tracks; track width is 608 millimeters. The track width was reduced by 92 millimeters compared to the KV-1.
Electrical equipment
In the KV-1S, the electrical wiring was single-wire, the armored hull of the vehicle served as the second wire. The exception was the emergency lighting circuit, which was two-wire. The source of electricity (voltage 24 V) was a GT-4563A generator equipped with a RPA-24 relay-regulator (power 1 kW), as well as four series-connected 6-STE-128 batteries (total capacity 256 Ah). Electricity consumers were:
- electric motor for turning the tower;
- internal and external lighting of the tank, illumination devices for scales of measuring instruments and sights;
- external sound signal, alarm circuit to the crew of the vehicle from the landing force;
- control and measuring instruments (voltmeter and ammeter);
- electric trigger of the gun;
- tank intercom and radio station;
- electrician of the motor group - starting relay RS-400 or RS-371, starter ST-700 and so on.
Sights and surveillance equipment
For the first time for a Soviet large-scale tank, the KV-1S tank was equipped with a commander's cupola, which had five viewing slots with protective glass. During the battle, the driver watched through a viewing device with a triplex; an armored flap served as protection. This viewing device was installed on the front armor plate in an armored plug hatch along the axial longitudinal line of the tank. In a quiet environment, this plug hatch moved forward, providing a direct, more convenient view from the driver’s workplace.
For firing, the KV-1S tank was equipped with two gun sights - a periscope PT-6 for firing from closed positions and a telescopic TOD-6 for direct fire. The head of the periscopic sight was protected by a special armored cap. To ensure the possibility of firing in the dark, the sight scales were equipped with illumination devices. The stern and forward DT machine guns were equipped with a PU sight from a sniper rifle, which had a three-fold magnification.
Means of communication
Among the means of communication are the 9P radio station (10P, 10RK-26) as well as the TPU-4-Bis intercom, designed for 4 subscribers.
Radio stations 10Р (10РК) – a set that includes a transmitter, receiver and umformers (single-armature motor-generators) for their power supply, which are connected to the 24 V on-board electrical network.
10P is a simplex tube heterodyne shortwave radio station operating in the range from 3.75 to 6 MHz (wavelengths 50-80 meters). The communication range in the parking lot in voice (telephone) mode was 20-25 kilometers, while in motion the range was somewhat shorter. A long communication range was achieved in telegraph mode, when information was transmitted in Morse code or another discrete coding system. To stabilize the frequency, a removable quartz resonator was used; there was no smooth frequency adjustment. 10P made it possible to communicate using two fixed frequencies; to change them, we used another quartz resonator consisting of 15 pairs included in the radio set.
The 10RK radio was a technological improvement on the 10P model. The new radio station was cheaper and easier to produce. This model already had the ability to smoothly select the frequency; the number of quartz resonators was reduced to 16. In terms of communication range, the characteristics did not undergo significant changes.
The TPU-4-Bis intercom made it possible to negotiate between crew members even in very noisy environments. It was possible to connect a headset (laryngophones and headphones) to the radio station for external communication.
Combat use
The creation of the KV-1S tank was a justified step, given the unsuccessful first stage of the war. But this step only brought the Klim Voroshilov closer to medium tanks. The army never received a full-fledged heavy tank (by later standards), which would differ sharply in combat power from medium tanks. Such a step could be the installation of an 85-mm cannon on the tank. However, no further experiments were carried out, since conventional 76-mm tank guns in the 41-42s easily fought any German armored vehicles. It seems that there were no obvious reasons to strengthen the weapons.
A delegation of collective farmers from the Leninsky district of the Moscow region hands over to the Red Army a tank column “Moscow collective farmer”, consisting of 21 KV-1S tanks
But after the Pz. VI (“Tiger”), equipped with an 88-mm cannon, the Klim Voroshilov tanks became obsolete overnight: the KVs could not fight the enemy’s heavy tanks on equal terms. In the fall of 1943, a certain number of KV-85s were produced (developed on the basis of the KV-1S and equipped with an 85-mm cannon), but then the production of KV tanks was curtailed in favor of the IS.
A number of KV-1S tanks continued to be used until 1945; in particular, the 68th Tank Brigade, which took part in the battles on the Kyustrin bridgehead, had two tanks of this type in February 1945.
Destroyed Soviet tanks KV-1S and T-34-76
Modern battle tanks of Russia and the world photos, videos, pictures watch online. This article gives an idea of the modern tank fleet. It is based on the principle of classification used in the most authoritative reference book to date, but in a slightly modified and improved form. And if the latter in its original form can still be found in the armies of a number of countries, then others have already become museum pieces. And just for 10 years! Follow in the footsteps of Jane's Guide and skip this one combat vehicle(very interesting in design and fiercely discussed at one time), which formed the basis of the tank fleet of the last quarter of the 20th century, was considered unfair by the authors.
Films about tanks where there is still no alternative to this type of weapon for the ground forces. The tank was and will probably remain a modern weapon for a long time due to its ability to combine such seemingly contradictory qualities as high mobility, powerful weapons and reliable protection crew. These unique qualities of tanks continue to be constantly improved, and the experience and technology accumulated over decades predetermine new frontiers in combat properties and achievements of the military-technical level. In the eternal confrontation between “projectile and armor”, as practice shows, protection against projectiles is increasingly being improved, acquiring new qualities: activity, multi-layeredness, self-defense. At the same time, the projectile becomes more accurate and powerful.
Russian tanks are specific in that they allow you to destroy the enemy from a safe distance, have the ability to make quick maneuvers on off-road, contaminated terrain, can “walk” through territory occupied by the enemy, seize a decisive bridgehead, cause panic in the rear and suppress the enemy with fire and tracks . The war of 1939-1945 became the most ordeal for all humanity, since almost all countries of the world were involved in it. It was a clash of the titans - the most unique period that theorists argued about in the early 1930s and during which tanks were used in large quantities virtually all warring parties. At this time, a “lice test” and a deep reform of the first theories of the use of tank forces took place. And it is the Soviet tank forces that are most affected by all this.
Tanks in battle have become a symbol of the past war, the backbone of the Soviet armored forces? Who created them and under what conditions? How did the USSR, which had lost most of its European territories and had difficulty recruiting tanks for the defense of Moscow, was able to release powerful tank formations onto the battlefields already in 1943? This book is intended to answer these questions, telling about the development of Soviet tanks “during the testing days ", from 1937 to the beginning of 1943. When writing the book, materials from Russian archives and private collections of tank builders were used. There was a period in our history that remained in my memory with some kind of depressing feeling. It began with the return of our first military advisers from Spain, and only stopped at the beginning of forty-three,” said former general designer of self-propelled guns L. Gorlitsky, “some kind of pre-storm state was felt.
Tanks of the Second World War It was M. Koshkin, almost underground (but, of course, with the support of “the wisest of the wise leaders of all nations”), who was able to create the tank that a few years later would shock the German tank generals. And not only that, he not only created it, the designer managed to prove to these military fools that it was his T-34 that they needed, and not just another wheeled-tracked "motor vehicle." The author is in slightly different positions, which formed in him after meeting the pre-war documents of the RGVA and RGEA. Therefore, working on this segment of the history of the Soviet tank, the author will inevitably contradict something “generally accepted.” This work describes the history of Soviet tank building in the most difficult years - from the beginning of a radical restructuring of the entire activity of design bureaus and people's commissariats in general, during the frantic race to equip new tank formations of the Red Army, transfer industry to wartime rails and evacuation.
Tanks Wikipedia, the author would like to express his special gratitude to M. Kolomiets for his assistance in selecting and processing materials, and also thank A. Solyankin, I. Zheltov and M. Pavlov, the authors of the reference publication “Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. 1905 - 1941” , since this book helped to understand the fate of some projects that was previously unclear. I would also like to remember with gratitude those conversations with Lev Izraelevich Gorlitsky, the former chief designer of UZTM, which helped to take a fresh look at the entire history of the Soviet tank during the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. For some reason today it is common for us to talk about 1937-1938. only from the point of view of repression, but few people remember that it was during this period that those tanks were born that became legends of the wartime...” From the memoirs of L.I. Gorlinky.
Soviet tanks, a detailed assessment of them at that time was heard from many lips. Many old people recalled that it was from the events in Spain that it became clear to everyone that the war was getting closer and closer to the threshold and it was Hitler who would have to fight. In 1937, mass purges and repressions began in the USSR and against the backdrop of these difficult events soviet tank began to transform from “mechanized cavalry” (in which one of its combat qualities was emphasized at the expense of others) into a balanced combat vehicle, simultaneously possessing powerful weapons sufficient to suppress most targets, good cross-country ability and mobility with armor protection capable of maintaining its combat effectiveness in shelling of a potential enemy with the most massive anti-tank weapons.
It was recommended that large tanks be supplemented with only special tanks - amphibious tanks, chemical tanks. The brigade now had 4 individual battalions 54 tanks each and was strengthened by the transition from three-tank platoons to five-tank ones. In addition, D. Pavlov justified the refusal to form three additional mechanized corps in addition to the four existing mechanized corps in 1938, believing that these formations were immobile and difficult to control, and most importantly, they required a different rear organization. Tactical and technical requirements to promising tanks, as expected, were adjusted. In particular, in a letter dated December 23 to the head of the design bureau of plant No. 185 named after. CM. Kirov, the new boss demanded that the armor of the new tanks be strengthened so that at a distance of 600-800 meters (effective range).
The newest tanks in the world, when designing new tanks, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of increasing the level of armor protection during modernization by at least one stage...” This problem could be solved in two ways: Firstly, by increasing the thickness of the armor plates and, secondly, by “using increased armor resistance." It is not difficult to guess that the second way was considered more promising, since the use of specially strengthened armor plates, or even two-layer armor, could, while maintaining the same thickness (and the mass of the tank as a whole), increase its durability by 1.2-1.5 It was this path (the use of especially hardened armor) that was chosen at that moment to create new types of tanks.
Tanks of the USSR at the dawn of tank production, armor was most widely used, the properties of which were identical in all areas. Such armor was called homogeneous (homogeneous), and from the very beginning of armor making, craftsmen sought to create just such armor, because homogeneity ensured stability of characteristics and simplified processing. However, at the end of the 19th century, it was noticed that when the surface of an armor plate was saturated (to a depth of several tenths to several millimeters) with carbon and silicon, its surface strength increased sharply, while the rest of the plate remained viscous. This is how heterogeneous (non-uniform) armor came into use.
For military tanks, the use of heterogeneous armor was very important, since an increase in the hardness of the entire thickness of the armor plate led to a decrease in its elasticity and (as a consequence) to an increase in fragility. Thus, the most durable armor, all other things being equal, turned out to be very fragile and often chipped even from explosions high-explosive fragmentation shells. Therefore, at the dawn of armor production, when producing homogeneous sheets, the task of the metallurgist was to achieve the maximum possible hardness of the armor, but at the same time not to lose its elasticity. Surface-hardened armor with carbon and silicon saturation was called cemented (cemented) and was considered at that time a panacea for many ills. But cementation is a complex, harmful process (for example, treating a hot plate with a jet of illuminating gas) and relatively expensive, and therefore its development in a series required large expenses and improved production standards.
Wartime tanks, even in operation, these hulls were less successful than homogeneous ones, since for no apparent reason cracks formed in them (mainly in loaded seams), and it was very difficult to put patches on holes in cemented slabs during repairs. But it was still expected that a tank protected by 15-20 mm cemented armor would be equivalent in level of protection to the same one, but covered with 22-30 mm sheets, without a significant increase in weight.
Also, by the mid-1930s, tank building had learned to harden the surface of relatively thin armor plates by uneven hardening, known from late XIX century in shipbuilding as the "Krupp method". Surface hardening led to a significant increase in the hardness of the front side of the sheet, leaving the main thickness of the armor viscous.
How tanks fire video up to half the thickness of the slab, which was, of course, worse than cementation, since while the hardness of the surface layer was higher than with cementation, the elasticity of the hull sheets was significantly reduced. So the “Krupp method” in tank building made it possible to increase the strength of armor even slightly more than cementation. But the hardening technology that was used for thick naval armor was no longer suitable for relatively thin tank armor. Before the war, this method was almost not used in our serial tank building due to technological difficulties and relatively high cost.
Combat use of tanks The most proven tank gun was the 45-mm tank gun model 1932/34. (20K), and before the event in Spain it was believed that its power was quite sufficient to perform most tank tasks. But the battles in Spain showed that a 45-mm gun can only satisfy the task of fighting enemy tanks, since even shelling of manpower in the mountains and forests turned out to be ineffective, and it was only possible to disable a dug-in enemy firing point in the event of a direct hit . Firing at shelters and bunkers was ineffective due to the small high explosive a projectile weighing only about two kg.
Types of tanks photos so that even one shell hit can reliably disable an anti-tank gun or machine gun; and thirdly, to increase the penetrating effect of a tank gun against the armor of a potential enemy, since in the example French tanks(already having an armor thickness of about 40-42 mm) it became clear that the armor protection of foreign combat vehicles tends to be significantly strengthened. There was a sure way for this - increasing the caliber of tank guns and simultaneously increasing the length of their barrel, since long gun larger caliber fires heavier projectiles with a higher initial velocity over a greater distance without aiming correction.
The best tanks in the world had a large-caliber gun, also had a larger breech, significantly greater weight and increased recoil reaction. And this required an increase in the mass of the entire tank as a whole. In addition, placing large-sized rounds in a closed tank volume led to a decrease in transportable ammunition.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that at the beginning of 1938 it suddenly turned out that there was simply no one to give the order for the design of a new, more powerful tank gun. P. Syachintov and his entire design team were repressed, as well as the core of the Bolshevik design bureau under the leadership of G. Magdesiev. Only the group of S. Makhanov remained in the wild, who, since the beginning of 1935, had been trying to develop his new 76.2-mm semi-automatic single gun L-10, and the staff of plant No. 8 was slowly finishing the “forty-five”.
Photos of tanks with names The number of developments is large, but mass production in the period 1933-1937. not a single one has been accepted..." In fact, none of the five air-cooled tank diesel engines, work on which was carried out in 1933-1937 in the engine department of plant No. 185, was brought to series. Moreover, despite the decisions At the very top levels of the transition in tank building exclusively to diesel engines, this process was restrained by a number of factors. Of course, diesel had significant efficiency. It consumed less fuel per unit of power per hour. Diesel fuel less susceptible to fire, since the flash point of its vapor was very high.
New tanks video, even the most advanced of them, the MT-5 tank engine, required a reorganization of engine production for serial production, which was expressed in the construction of new workshops, the supply of advanced foreign equipment (they did not yet have their own machines of the required accuracy), financial investments and strengthening of personnel. It was planned that in 1939 this diesel would produce 180 hp. will go to production tanks and artillery tractors, but due to investigative work to determine the causes of tank engine failures, which lasted from April to November 1938, these plans were not implemented. The development of a slightly increased six-cylinder gasoline engine No. 745 with a power of 130-150 hp was also started.
Tank brands specific indicators, which suited the tank builders quite well. The tanks were tested using a new method, specially developed at the insistence of the new head of the ABTU, D. Pavlov, in relation to combat service in wartime. The basis of the tests was a run of 3-4 days (at least 10-12 hours of daily non-stop movement) with a one-day break for technical inspection and restoration work. Moreover, repairs were allowed to be carried out only by field workshops without the involvement of factory specialists. This was followed by a “platform” with obstacles, “swimming” in water with an additional load that simulated an infantry landing, after which the tank was sent for inspection.
Super tanks online, after improvement work, seemed to remove all claims from the tanks. And the overall progress of the tests confirmed the fundamental correctness of the main design changes - an increase in displacement by 450-600 kg, the use of the GAZ-M1 engine, as well as the Komsomolets transmission and suspension. But during testing, numerous minor defects again appeared in the tanks. Chief designer N. Astrov was suspended from work and was in custody and under investigation for several months. In addition, the tank received a new turret with improved protection. The modified layout made it possible to place on the tank more ammunition for a machine gun and two small fire extinguishers (previously there were no fire extinguishers on small tanks of the Red Army).
US tanks as part of modernization work, on one production model of the tank in 1938-1939. The torsion bar suspension developed by the designer of the design bureau of plant No. 185 V. Kulikov was tested. It was distinguished by the design of a composite short coaxial torsion bar (long monotorsion bars could not be used coaxially). However, such a short torsion bar did not show good enough results in tests, and therefore the torsion bar suspension was further work did not immediately pave the way for itself. Obstacles to be overcome: climbs of at least 40 degrees, vertical wall 0.7 m, covered ditch 2-2.5 m."
YouTube about tanks, work on the production of prototypes of D-180 and D-200 engines for reconnaissance tanks are not being carried out, jeopardizing the production of prototypes." Justifying his choice, N. Astrov said that a wheeled-tracked non-floating reconnaissance aircraft (factory designation 101 or 10-1), as well as a variant of an amphibious tank (factory designation 102 or 10-1 2), are a compromise solution, since it is not possible to fully satisfy the requirements of the ABTU. Option 101 was a tank weighing 7.5 tons with a hull-like hull, but with vertical side sheets of cemented armor 10-13 mm thick, since : “The inclined sides, causing serious weighting of the suspension and hull, require a significant (up to 300 mm) widening of the hull, not to mention the complication of the tank.
Video reviews of tanks in which the tank’s power unit was planned to be based on the 250-horsepower MG-31F aircraft engine, which was being developed by industry for agricultural aircraft and gyroplanes. 1st grade gasoline was placed in the tank under the floor of the fighting compartment and in additional onboard gas tanks. The armament fully corresponded to the task and consisted of coaxial machine guns DK 12.7 mm caliber and DT (in the second version of the project even ShKAS is listed) 7.62 mm caliber. The combat weight of the tank with torsion bar suspension was 5.2 tons, with spring suspension - 5.26 tons. Tests took place from July 9 to August 21 according to the methodology approved in 1938, with special attention being paid to tanks.
The experience of using medium and heavy tanks in the war with Finland showed that 30-40 mm armor can no longer provide protection from anti-tank gun fire and that controlling multi-turreted tanks in battle is very difficult. For this reason, the new heavy tank KV-1 received shell-proof armor and was made with a single turret, with a classic layout. The control compartment was located in the front part of the welded box-section hull, the fighting compartment was in the middle, and the power plant was located in the rear part of the hull.
The tank was produced with two types of turret: welded from sheets 75 mm thick or cast with a wall thickness of 95 mm. During production, the armor protection of the hull was reinforced with additional 25 mm screens, and the wall thickness of the cast turret was increased to 105 mm. Therefore, it is not surprising that the KV-1 emerged victorious from the battle, sometimes bearing dozens of dents from shells on its armor. Initially, a 76.2 mm L-11 cannon was installed, then an F-32 of the same caliber, and since 1941 the KV was produced with a 76.2 mm ZIS-5 cannon. The KV-1 was mass-produced from 1940 to 1942. A total of 4,800 KV vehicles of various modifications were produced. On the basis of the KV-1, the KV-2, KV-3, KV-8, KV-9 and others tanks were created.
Combat use of the KV-1 tank
In places!
"BUILDING AND OPERATION OF THE CREW AT THE TANK (*)
1. At the command (signal) “To the vehicles,” the crew lines up in front of the tank, facing the field, in one line, one step ahead of the tracks, in the following order: tank commander - CT, gun commander (firing) - KO, driver junior (loader) - M, senior driver - MV, radio telegraph operator - R, and receive the command "Attention".
2. At the command (signal) “Take your seats,” landing is carried out in the following order: everyone turns around, the senior driver climbs into the tank through the front hatch and sits down in his place, followed by the radiotelegraph operator and closes the hatch behind him; the tank commander takes a step to the left and lets the gun commander pass ahead of him, who climbs onto the tank and, on the starboard side, runs to the turret, opens the hatch and sits down in his place; he is followed by the tank commander; The last to get in is the junior driver, who closes the hatch behind him.
3. After the crew has boarded the tank, the tank commander gives the command: “Prepare for loading.” At this command, the senior mechanic-driver opens the central fuel valve, creates pressure in the fuel system, and turns on the “mass”. The junior driver opens the fuel and oil valves, after which the senior driver reports that the engine is ready to start.
At the “Start” command, the senior driver presses the main clutch, gives a signal and starts the engine. After starting the engine, the tank commander gives a signal that the tank is ready to move.
4. At the command (signal) “To the machines,” exit from the tank is carried out in the following order: the radiotelegraph operator is the first to exit through the front hatch, followed by the senior driver, who closes the hatch; The junior driver (motor operator) comes out first through the turret hatch and stands in front of the tank, followed by the tank commander, then the gun commander, who closes the turret hatch.
Upon exiting the tank, the crew lines up in the order shown in the diagram in Fig. 109, and remains in this position until the command (order) of the platoon commander.
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(*) The crew of a tank with a large turret consists of 6 people: a tank commander, a gun commander, a foremen driver, a junior driver, a radio telegraph operator and a castle officer."
The German offensive, launched on June 22, 1941, caught the Red Army by surprise - it was not properly deployed and was in the middle of a process of global reorganization. During 1941, the USSR army suffered enormous losses in manpower and equipment, losing most of its gigantic tank fleet. Despite the poor overall performance of the Soviet forces, the invulnerability of the KV-1 and KV-2 came as a shock to the Germans. They did not have at their disposal tanks comparable to the KB in terms of armor and armament, and had a small number anti-tank guns capable of destroying them. In his memoirs "A Soldier's Duty" Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky wrote: "KB tanks literally stunned the enemy. They withstood cannon fire from absolutely all German tanks. But in what form did they return from the battle! Their armor was full of dents from enemy artillery fire."
In July 1941 Soviet troops had 500 KV-1 and KV-2 tanks. In October 1941, production of KV-2 tanks was suspended as the evacuation of tank factories to the east began. By this time, only 434 cars had been produced. They were used in positional battles during the defense of Moscow in the winter of 1941 and near Stalingrad as part of the 62nd Army of Major General V. Chuikov. An effective remedy The KB was capable of firing 88 mm Flak 35/36 anti-aircraft guns. For example, this is how he describes a collision with KB tanks from the 2nd tank division commander of the German 41st Panzer Corps, General Reinhart ( we're talking about about the battles of June 23-24 in the Rossiniai area.
“About a hundred of our tanks, a third of which were Pz.IV, prepared for a counterattack. Some of them were directly in front of the enemy, but most were located on the flanks. Suddenly, they were sandwiched on three sides by steel monsters, trying to destroy them was a futile task. On the contrary , soon some of our tanks were disabled... The giant Russian tanks were coming closer and closer. One of them approached the shore of the swampy pond where our tank was standing. Without hesitation, the black monster pushed it into the pond. The same thing happened to a German cannon, which failed to quickly dodge.
Its commander, when he saw the approaching enemy heavy tanks, opened fire on them. However, this did not cause them even minimal damage. One of the giants quickly rushed towards the cannon, which was located 100 meters away from him. Suddenly one of the fired shells hit the tank. He stopped as if struck by lightning. “He’s ready,” the gunners thought with relief. “Yes, he’s ready,” the gun commander said to himself. But soon their feelings were replaced by a cry: “He’s still moving!” Without any doubt, the tank was moving, its tracks were creaking, it was approaching the gun, threw it away like a toy and, pressing it into the ground, continued on its way."
General Reinhart's story is complemented by the memories of one of the officers of the 1st Panzer Division:
“KV-1 and KV-2 were 800 meters away from us. Our company opened fire - to no avail. We moved closer and closer to the enemy, who continued to move forward. For several minutes, only 50-100 m separated us. Each one opened fire, but to no avail: the Russians continued on their way, all our shells bounced off them. We found ourselves in a threatening situation: the attacking Russians overturned our artillery and penetrated our battle formation. Only by bringing up anti-aircraft guns and firing from short distances was it possible to stop the onslaught of enemy armor. Then Our counterattack pushed back the Russians and established a line of defense at Vasiliskis. The fight was over."
According to the memoirs of D. Osadchy, commander of a company of KV-1 tanks in the 2nd Tank Division, “On June 23-24, even before entering the battle, many KB tanks, especially the KV-2, broke down during the marches. There were especially big problems with the gearbox and air filters. June was hot, there was a huge amount of dust on the roads of the Baltics and the filters had to be changed after an hour and a half of engine operation. Before entering the battle, the tanks of my company managed to replace them, but those of the neighboring ones did not. As a result, by the middle of the day, most of the vehicles in these companies had broken down."
Near Leningrad, perhaps the most famous battle took place with the participation of the KV, in which he had the opportunity to demonstrate all his positive traits in the most vivid way. On August 19, 1941, in the Krasnogvardeets area, a KV company under the command of Z.G. Kolobanova, consisting of five KV tanks, destroyed 43 German tanks in one battle, three of them by ramming. The crew of Z.G. himself Kolobanova burned 22 tanks within an hour. The KV safely survived the impact of 156 armor-piercing shells fired from tank guns from a distance of less than 200 m. To be fair, it should be noted that the Soviet tank acted from an ambush, and the enemy vehicles were “locked” in the marching column and were deprived of maneuver.
The fate of the KB from the 6th Mechanized Corps of the Western Military District is sad. Having practically failed to fire a single shot at the enemy, these KBs were either blown up by their crews or simply abandoned due to lack of fuel.
KB tanks were more active on the Southwestern Front. But here, too, the main losses of these vehicles were not from enemy fire, but due to illiterate operation, lack of spare parts and technical malfunctions. And of course, one cannot ignore the actions of the KB tanks in the light of the general condition in which the tank forces of the Red Army were by June 1941.
Heavy tank KV-2
The tank was adopted by the Red Army in 1940 and was a modification of the KV-1, designed to combat long-term firing points. The prototype, released in February 1940, took part in the war with Finland and proved itself with positive side. In accordance with its intended purpose, the KV-2 was armed with a very powerful 152-mm M-10 gun mounted in a high armored turret of circular rotation. This gun was fired with separately loaded rounds, so the combat rate of fire was low.
In addition, the KV-2 could only fire from a standing position. Fire control was carried out using a T-5 telescopic tank sight and a PT-5 panoramic tank sight. Radio station 71-TK-Z was installed on all vehicles. To protect against air attack, some KV-2s were armed with an anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the roof of the turret. Production was stopped with the outbreak of World War II. In total, about 330 KV-2 were produced.
The KV-2 serial heavy tank with anti-shell armor was designed in Leningrad at the Kirov plant under the leadership of Zh. Ya. Kotin and manufactured in February 1940. The senior design team was N.L. Dukhov. The KV-2 was intended to break through heavily fortified defensive lines (destroy pillboxes and bunkers with direct fire) and to reinforce units armed with light and medium tanks.
A special feature of this vehicle was the installation in the turret of an increased size (compared to the KV-1) of a 152-mm M-10 howitzer of the 1938-1940 model. In the world practice of tank building at that time, this was a unique case. To install such a large system, it was necessary to develop a new tower. The turret with the M-10S howitzer for the KV received the factory designation MT-1, and the tank itself received the KV with a “big turret” (the designation KV-2 appeared only in 1941)
Live-fire tests were carried out on a trench stand right on the factory premises. No one knew how the tank would behave after being fired from a gun of this caliber. They shot from a position along the side, that is, the most dangerous for capsizing the car. The experiment was successful, the car did not tip over, and the engine started on the first try.
In addition to the howitzer, the KV-2 tank was also armed with three 7.62-mm DT tank machine guns (coaxial with the howitzer; in a ball joint in the rear wall of the turret; in the front plate of the turret box to the left of the driver). The howitzer had relatively high performance at that time. Its armor-piercing projectile (naval grenade) weighing 52 kg with an initial speed of 436 m/s pierced an armor plate 72 mm thick at a distance of 1500 m, at an angle of 60°. For firing at reinforced concrete fortifications there was a concrete-piercing projectile weighing 40 kg with an initial speed of 530 m/s. The howitzer's pointing angles are horizontally 360, vertically from -5° to +12. For vertical aiming, a sector mechanism was used. The shooting was carried out using a T-5 telescopic sight (TOD-9) or a PT-5 periscope sight (PT-9). The ammunition consisted of 36 separate-loading artillery rounds and 3,087 rounds of ammunition for DT machine guns (49 magazines).
At the rear of the turret there was a hatch for loading ammunition; on the roof there were hatches for landing the crew, observation devices and fans. On the side walls there are brackets for climbing to the roof and embrasures for firing personal weapons, closed from the inside with conical plugs. The same embrasure was on the door of the rear wall of the tower. The rotation of the turret was controlled using mechanical and electric drives.
The armor has been changed compared to the KV-1. It consisted of rolled armor plates with a thickness of 75 mm (frontal part, sides and turret), 60 mm (aft part), 40 mm (bottom) and 30 mm (roof), connected by electric welding. Engine, transmission and chassis, as well as external and internal communication means are unified with the KV-1.
With a combat weight of 52 tons, the tank had good cross-country ability for its type, comparable to the KV-1.
The crew consisted of six people: a commander, a driver, a gun commander (gunner), a castle officer, a junior driver and a gunner-radio operator. The driver and gunner-radio operator were located in the front part of the hull (control compartment), and the remaining crew members were located in the turret (combat compartment).
In November 1940, a vehicle with the so-called “lowered turret” was put into production. Compared to the MT-1, the new turret (armed with the same 152-mm howitzer and designated MT-2) had smaller overall dimensions and was easier to manufacture. At the rear of the turret, a 7.62 mm DT machine gun was mounted in a ball mount. To dismantle the gun, there was a hatch in the rear wall of the turret, which was also used for loading ammunition and boarding and disembarking the crew.
The gun mask has been changed. As a result of the alterations, it was possible to reduce the weight by 2 tons. The tank had standard external fuel tanks, a radio station and an intercom system for four crew members. Some of the vehicles received anti-aircraft machine guns on the turrets. The gun was fired only from a standing position, which is why the vehicle is often classified as a “self-propelled gun with a rotating turret.”
Several KV-2s were tested during the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line in mid-February 1940. With the help of artillery fire, they made passages in the granite gouges and destroyed them with close range pillboxes that hindered the advance of rifle units. The armor withstood heavy fire from enemy anti-tank artillery. In particular, one of the vehicles received 48 dents from being hit by shells, but remained in service. After successful completion of the tests, the KV-2 was put into service and was in mass production until the second half of 1941. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the tank was discontinued.
In the early years of the war, the KV-2 remained virtually invulnerable to almost all types of anti-tank artillery, with the exception of guns with high muzzle velocity, which fired direct fire from a dangerously short distance. The only thing the enemy could do was force the crew to abandon the vehicle by disabling the rollers or tracks. Due to the large size and thickness of the armor of the KV-2 and its crew of 6 people, the tank received the nickname "Dreadnought".
However, the KV-2 paid dearly for its powerful gun and impenetrable armor. Its mobility on the move and in combat was severely limited by problems with the clutch, transmission and crew accommodations it inherited from the KV-1. The situation was aggravated due to the increased weight (53.8-57.9 tons depending on the modification), as well as due to the use of an unimproved 500 hp engine.
Problems with turret rotation, which arose when the tank was not on a relatively flat surface, affected its effectiveness in combat. The KV-2 was a formidable opponent when stationary, but it lacked mobility and speed, both of which were vital in the first year of the war on the Eastern Front.
The Germans first encountered the KB-2 on June 23 during fighting in Lithuania. According to the recollections of servicemen from the 1st Tank Division, this is recorded as follows: "Our companies opened fire from 700 m. We were getting closer. Soon we were already 50-100 m apart. But we could not achieve success. Soviet tanks continued to advance, and our armor-piercing shells they simply bounced off their armor. The tanks withstood direct fire from 50 mm and 75 mm guns. The KV-2 was hit by more than 70 shells, but not a single one was able to penetrate its armor. Several tanks were disabled when we managed to hit the tracks and then shoot them from a short distance with cannons. Then they were attacked by sappers with backpack charges." .
From the memoirs of G. Penezhko, an officer of the 8th Mechanized Corps: “Several KVs appeared from behind the forest. One of the tanks stopped on a hill. The gun in the giant turret turned in our direction. The thunder of a shot rang out. Where a German tank had been a second ago, now lay a twisted pile of armor. Slowly the turret turned to the right. The tank took on another fascist. A shot, an explosion, the turret of the German tank was torn off its shoulder strap, and the hull came apart at the seams.".
Most of the KV-2 losses in 1941 were caused by the lack or shortage of fuel, which is why they had to be simply abandoned. The 41st Panzer Division lost two-thirds of its 33 KV-2s, with only five of them lost in action.
Performance characteristics
| Read also: "Heavy tank T-35" | KV-85 | "big tower" |
"lowered tower" |
| Combat weight, t | |||
| Crew, people | |||
| Case length, mm | |||
| With the gun forward, mm | |||
| Width, mm | |||
| Tower roof height, mm | |||
| Clearance | |||
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Armament |
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| Machine gun |
Zx7.62-mmDT |
4 x 7.62 mm DT |
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| A gun |
85-mm D-5T-85 Model 43 |
152.4 mm M-10 mod. 1938/40 |
152.4 mm M-10 mod. 1938/40 |
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Ammunition: |
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| shells | |||
| cartridges | |||
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Booking, mm: |
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| forehead of the body | |||
| hull side | |||
| roof | |||
| tower | |||
| Engine | |||
| power, l. With. | |||
| Max speed on highway, km/h | |||
| Cruising range on the highway, km | |||
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Read also: |
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| Magazine "Russian Tanks". KV-2. | |
| Operation Barbarossa - KV tanks in battle | |
| Magazine "Russian Tanks". KV-1. | |
| Tank KV. Service manual. | |
KV tanks in the first battles
The KV-2 was originally intended to combat field fortifications, both wooden and concrete, which he could approach at low speed, being protected from enemy fire by his powerful armor. A significant limitation with such tactical application was that firing from the main armament of the KV-2 - a 152 mm howitzer could only be carried out when the tank was standing on more or less level ground. Even a slight tilt made it much more difficult to turn the heavy turret and made combat almost impossible. In addition, the low mobility of the KV-2 did not correspond to the highly mobile nature of the fighting imposed on the Red Army during Operation Barbarossa. The consequences of this situation that developed in the summer and autumn of 1941 became catastrophic for the KV-2. For example, on July 6, 1941, only 9 of the original 32 KV-2 tanks remained in the 41st Tank Division. Five were destroyed in battle with German troops, 12 were abandoned by their crews due to breakdowns and 5 required major repairs. The use of KV-2 tanks was contrary to their original purpose and intended tactics, as a result they had to fight German infantry and armored vehicles in frontal attacks or serve as a mobile firing point when defending key positions on the battlefield. The main areas of use of the KV-2 were Ukraine (Kiev region), the Baltic states and Belarus.
Photo of a KV-2 tank destroyed in battle. Apparently the tank was from the 3rd TD of the 1st MK and was knocked out at the entrance to the city of Ostrov.
However, despite everything, the KV-2 performed these tasks very well, presenting unpleasant surprises to the German troops. Considering that the Wehrmacht units were armed with anti-tank guns of only 37 and 50 mm caliber and tanks with guns of 37, 50 and 75 mm caliber, they had to face an almost invulnerable tank, which delayed and slowed down the advance of even large German units. But it was timing that was the critical moment in German strategy, since reaching Moscow before the onset of winter determined the success of the entire campaign. Although German troops had problems in direct contact with the KV-2, this was compensated for by the German tactics of quick detours, breakthroughs and encirclements used in 1941. As a result, most KV-2 tanks were lost during the retreat due to mechanical failures, rather than in battle. During combat, the Russische Kollloss and its crew often put up fierce resistance. Its destruction was possible only with the involvement of heavy field artillery or in close combat by special assault groups.
Very indicative in this regard is the battle with the participation of the KV from the 2nd Tank Division, which took place on June 24-25, 1941 at the turn of the Dubissa River, in the offensive zone of the 6th German Tank Division. On June 25, 1941, the following entry appeared in the combat diary of the 11th Tank Regiment of the 6th Panzer Division: “In the morning, the 2nd battalion of the regiment, together with von Seckendorff’s battle group, moved forward in a column. Throughout the day, the column was attacked several times by units of the Soviet 2nd Panzer Division. As it turned out, Soviet 52-ton tanks are completely insensitive to the fire of our 10.5-cm howitzers. Even several hits from 150-mm shells did not cause any harm to the enemy. However, the attacks of our PzKpfw IV tanks caused heavy losses to the enemy, which allowed our units to advance 3 km east of Dubissa. The bridgehead captured by Kampfgruppe Routh remained behind us. After noon, a reinforced company and the headquarters of the 65th Tank Battalion advanced to the crossroads northeast of Rasseiny. Meanwhile, a Soviet heavy tank blocked the road, cutting off Kampfgruppe Routh from the main forces. During the night it was not possible to destroy the tank. A battery of anti-aircraft 88s moved forward to fight the tank -mm cannons. However, the 88-mm cannons turned out to be no more effective than the 105-mm howitzers. The sappers' attempt to blow up the tank with a landmine also failed."
Somewhat earlier, from the direction of Keidan, the Soviet 2nd Tank Division attacked the Germans, with the goal of not only stopping, but also destroying the enemy. A tank battle took place near Raseiniai and above Dubissa, which lasted two days. For the first time, the Germans encountered Soviet KV-1, KV-2 and T-34 tanks, paving the way for the lighter and more numerous T-26 and BT tanks.
The crew of the KV-1 tank, who died heroically in June 1941 near the village. Give me... A German tankman from the crew of the PzKpfw IV (1st Tank Regiment of the 1st Tank Division, operating on the left flank of the 6th Panzer Division) spoke about the battle over Dubissa: "The KV-1 and KV-2, which we met for the first time, were very different in appearance. Our companies opened fire from a distance of 800 meters, but to no avail. We got closer, and soon we were separated by 50-100 meters. We shot point-blank, but: our the armor-piercing shells simply ricocheted. We circled around the enemy tanks, firing from a distance of 60-30 meters with special PzGr 40 armor-piercing shells. By sunset, more than 180 vehicles were burning on the battlefield."
German soldiers inspect a damaged KV-2 (U-4) tank, probably from the 3rd Mechanized Corps. Lithuania, summer 1941 On the bridgehead occupied by the 6th Panzer Division, they managed to take several dozen prisoners. The commander of the German detachment ordered the prisoners to be escorted to the division headquarters in Rasseiniai. The prisoners were loaded onto a truck, with the village and several guards in the back. But less than an hour later, the truck driver returned and reported that halfway between the river and Rassein, the car had been fired upon by a giant Soviet tank. The truck caught fire. The prisoners, taking advantage of the confusion of the convoy, fled. It seemed that the only road along which the bridgehead was supplied was cut off. Of course, one tank didn’t mean anything, but others could have come up. The night passed peacefully, and reconnaissance sent out in the morning found the tank in the same place. Around noon, the bridgehead received a radiogram from headquarters that twelve trucks with ammunition and food had been sent to them.
Just to be sure, let's get a few more hits and we'll be done! - ordered the battery commander. The gunners opened rapid fire, no longer observing any camouflage rules. All the battery's guns were firing. After the eighth hit: the tank returned fire. It was so unexpected that the Germans were simply taken aback. The ground rose like fountains around the unmasked German guns. Smoke obscured the positions, and powerful explosions shook the air. The tank fired three shots in total. When the ground settled and the smoke cleared, the surprised Germans discovered that two of the battery’s guns were simply nowhere to be found, and the rest were disabled. The surviving artillerymen immediately left the battlefield. Since the 50 mm RAK 38 cannons were unable to knock out the Soviet tank, General Landgraf decided to use the 88 mm FLAK 37 anti-aircraft guns. At noon, one 88 mm cannon from the 298th anti-aircraft battalion was delivered to the scene by a half-track tractor. 900 m from the tank, the cannon was unhooked from the tractor and they began to roll it out to the firing position. Suddenly the tank began to deploy the turret. The first 152-mm shell exploded 2 meters from the gun, and with the second shot, the Soviet tank crews smashed the anti-aircraft gun to smithereens. Seeing no way out of this situation, General Landgraf ordered the tank to be simply destroyed with a high-explosive charge. At about one o'clock in the morning, a platoon of sappers from the 57th sapper began to carry out their plans. Half an hour later there was a dull explosion, after which the machine guns immediately started talking. However, the machine guns quickly fell silent. However, the commander of the returning sappers reported that the charge was too weak. The explosion only tore off the tank's track. So three attempts to destroy the KV-2 tank ended in complete failure. "Russische Kollloss" continued to stand in the woods, ready to open fire at any moment. Then it was decided to carry out a diversionary attack and, under its cover, move another 88-mm anti-aircraft gun into a firing position. On the morning of June 25, the KV-2 was attacked by several dozen PzKpfw 35(t) from the 11th Tank Regiment. The German vehicles fanned out and opened heavy fire, diverting attention Soviet tank crews, while another 88-mm anti-aircraft gun was pulled up from the side of Rasseinaya. Only after the first shot did the tank crew notice the danger. The turret began to turn in the direction of the German gun when the anti-aircraft gunners scored two more hits. Taught by bitter experience, the Germans fired a few more shots, after which silence reigned. When the German soldiers approached the silent tank, they found only two holes in its armor. Five other shells only pierced the armor. The 50mm shells left only eight pockmarks. A landmine, detonated at night, smashed the track, tore off part of the wing and slightly damaged the cannon barrel.
A German Pz 35(t) tank destroyed in June 1941 in the vicinity of the city of Raseiniai
Based on materials from the series "War Machines" |
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Production of the KV-2 was just beginning when, in the summer of 1941, German troops attacked the USSR, beginning the implementation of Plan Barbarossa. Therefore, the number of tanks available in the Red Army units was small. By the time the Great Patriotic War began, only some units received the number of KB tanks that were assigned to them according to the state, while the rest had only a few vehicles. In addition, the supply system for spare parts and especially ammunition for the 152 mm howitzer was not developed. Some units had no ammunition at all, and some did not know that 09-30 concrete-piercing shells could also be used as armor-piercing shells. As a result, the Red Army command had at its disposal only very few 
Soon, several powerful explosions were heard from Rasseiny. It was a Soviet tank that knocked out the first and last vehicle in the column. Cars on fire blocked the road. Within a few minutes, the entire column turned into a pile of flaming rubble. The commander of the 6th Panzer Division, Major General Landgraf, ordered the mysterious tank to be immediately neutralized. The commander of one of the companies of 50 mm anti-tank guns was ordered to approach and burn the tank. Using folds in the terrain, four half-track tractors with anti-tank guns in tow approached the tank and stopped 600 meters from it. The artillerymen rolled out their guns in their arms to their combat positions. The tank stood in the small forest and was silent. The battery commander thought that the crew had abandoned the tank, but still ordered fire on the vehicle. The first three shells hit the target. But the tank was still silent.
Despite their power, by the end of 1941 almost all KV-2 tanks were lost. In 1942, there were still a number of these tanks, but their actual number is unknown, mainly due to the fact that in the reports and reports of that time, which can be found in the archives, the calculations did not make a distinction between the KV-2 and the KV-2. One German archival photo shows a KV-2 tank still in service in 1943, but it remains unclear whether this is true or whether the photographer simply made a mistake in dating the photo. Thus, The first clashes of the Wehrmacht with KV-2 tanks
| pro-tank.ru |
| 2011-05-08T01:44 |
The first clashes of the Wehrmacht with the KV-2 = "KW-SHOCK"
Although produced in limited quantities, literally in the last months before the German attack, new types of Soviet tanks - T-34 and KV, were a very serious opponent. Even before the start of Operation Barbarossa, their number and combat characteristics, and in some cases even their very existence, were not discovered by the German military intelligence services.
KV-2 tank captured by the Germans About what's new soviet tanks, including the KV-2, turned out to be a surprise for the German command, as evidenced, for example, by an entry in the diary of Colonel General Franz Halder, who wrote on June 24, 1941: “New Russian heavy tanks have appeared on the front of Army Group North, which are most likely armed with an 80 mm gun, or even a 150 mm gun, which, however, is unlikely.” But the very next day, when new updated reports arrived, Halder was forced to agree with reality. He wrote: “Scattered information is being received about new Russian tanks: weight 52 tons, armor front 37 cm (?), sides 8 cm, armament 152 mm cannon and three machine guns, crew 5 people, speed 30 km/h, cruising range 100 km. Capabilities for combat: 50 mm cannons penetrate armor under the turret, 88 mm cannons probably also penetrate side armor (not known for sure)."
An excellent example of such complete ignorance is a conversation that took place in early August 1941 between Adolf Hitler and the commander of Panzergruppe 2, General Guderian: Hitler: "If I knew that the data on the quantity Russian tanks given in your book ( Guderian "Achtung Panzer", 1937) were true, then I think that I (perhaps) would never have started this war."
Guderian in his book estimated the number of Soviet tanks at 10,000, which caused a sharp reaction from German censors. However, it turned out that Guderian's estimates were even too low. On August 6, 1941, the command of the German army officially announced that the total number of destroyed Soviet tanks was 13,145. This figure seems to be true, given that between 1933 and 1941 the USSR built more than 30,000 armored vehicles of all types (including armored cars). Approximately 20,000 of this number were light tanks, while the number of heavy tanks was only 1,800, including the latest types. This number seems relatively small compared to the production of tanks in the USSR (for example, T-26 light tanks), but compared to the tank fleet of other European armies it is quite significant.
Fresh enough Russian sources provide the following data on the composition of the Red Army on June 1, 1941:
The German High Command quickly realized the danger of the situation. The fight against the new T-34 and KB tanks required enormous effort and led to heavy losses. Therefore, just a month after the outbreak of hostilities, the army information leaflet "D 343 Merkblatt fur die Bekampfung der russischen Panzerkampfwagen" was issued to instruct German soldiers on methods of fighting Soviet tanks. We can say that it was a symbol of shock from the collision with the T-34 and KV. By the way, it is interesting that when faced with KV-2 tanks, the Germans initially believed that the KV-2 tank of the 1939 model is a later version of the vehicle, and accordingly assigned it the index KW-IIB, i.e. an improved version compared to the 1940 model, which received the KW-IIA index.
Despite the fact that most KV-2 tanks were lost not in battle, but due to mechanical failures, as a result of which they had to be abandoned due to the impossibility of repair and restoration, the German offensive was significantly slowed down. Sometimes only one single KV-2, occupying a key position on the front line and supported by infantry, was able to stop the enemy advance. Powerful armor This tank and the weakness of German anti-tank weapons of that time made it possible to delay even large units for many hours or even days. Some KV-2s withstood up to 20 direct hits before being destroyed by 88mm anti-aircraft guns acting as anti-tank guns or calling in Ju-87 "Stuka" dive bombers to attack. Another way to fight the "Russischer Koloss" was to attack with infantry and conduct close combat, which usually involved heavy losses. Heavy field artillery could also play a role in solving the "KV-2 Problem". However, only 10 cm Kanone 18, lFH 10.5 cm and sFH 15 cm had a limited number of anti-tank shells in their ammunition for direct fire. Other field guns had to rely mostly on luck in trying to achieve a direct hit when firing the KV-2 along ballistic trajectories. The main German tanks of that period, which were at the forefront of the offensive, were rarely used to combat the KV-2. They were too poorly armed to effectively fight the Soviet heavy tank:
Despite the fact that the number of KV-2 tanks in the first months of hostilities remained relatively small and many of them were lost without effort on the part of the enemy, in the technical aspect its influence can hardly be overestimated. The consequence of the "T-34, KW Shock" for the Wehrmacht was the adoption of significantly better armed and armored PzKpfW tanks VI "Tiger" in 1942 and PzKpfW V "Panther" in 1943. KV-2 training models for training Wehrmacht soldiersAfter the Wehrmacht encountered medium and heavy Soviet tanks in the first days of the Barbarossa plan, the German command took urgent measures to effectively prepare its troops to fight this new unexpected enemy. The German infantry and panzergrenadier units quickly adopted a new training program that was adequate to the current situation. Using a large number of different models to train soldiers since the early 1930s, German units also built their own wooden models of Soviet tanks on a 1:1 scale.
They were often extremely detailed and precisely executed. High level And good quality mock-up work, made it possible to create models of a combat vehicle corresponding to a real tank not only in size, but also to reproduce on it various angles of inclination of armor protection sheets, for training in the use of magnetic anti-tank mines, handrails and steps for climbing onto the tank, the location of hatches and viewing devices , firing angles, not only the main weapons, but also machine guns. Training mock-ups of tanks were often mounted on four-wheeled chassis so that they could simulate their movement at the actual speed of tanks. Although most of these training mock-ups were built to imitate the average Soviet T-34 tank, some other much less common types of armored vehicles were also reproduced. Currently, the existence of only one wooden KB-2 can be documented. Capabilities of German anti-tank guns in the fight against the KV-2The armament and tactics of the German Wehrmacht in 1939 were fully consistent with the tactics adopted by the German command for extremely mobile military operations during the Blitzkrieg. Particular attention was paid to quick breakthroughs over significant distances, bypassing enemy resistance centers. Despite the available information that the enemy, in particular the French armed forces, has heavy tanks of the Char B1 type, the German command believed that their use in battle would be compensated by the tactical advantages obtained through the close interaction of the ground forces with Luftwaffe units. At the same time, special hopes were placed on the Ju-87 "Stuka" dive bombers, which were supposed to provide direct support to the advancing troops. In accordance with these provisions, the Wehrmacht anti-tank units were armed mainly with two types of anti-tank guns: the 3.7cm RAK 35/36 cannon of 37mm caliber and the 5cm RAK 38 cannon of 50mm caliber.
The 50 mm anti-tank gun RAK 38 L/60 entered service with the Wehrmacht at the end of 1940 to replace the 37 mm anti-tank gun On June 22, 1941, with the start of Operation Barbarossa, the situation on the front line changed significantly for German soldiers. Firstly, the number of Soviet tanks that took part in the hostilities turned out to be significantly greater than expected, and secondly, the new tanks of the T-34 and KB type were well armored. In order to effectively fight against these unexpected enemies, the crews of the 37 mm and 50 mm anti-tank guns, due to their weak armor penetration, had to allow Soviet tanks to close distances - up to 30 meters. Such tactics were possible, but extremely dangerous and led to heavy losses.
Schemes for conducting effective fire on the KV-2 from the 88 mm L/56 tank gun. 1942 instruction sheet for German tank crews"Tigers" dating back to 1942. An even more difficult opponent was the KV-2, with its armor thickness reaching 75 mm at the front of the hull and 110 mm at the front of the turret. 37 mm and 50 mm German armor-piercing shells bounced off it without any visible effect, even when fired from very close distances. Their use was completely ineffective, except for those cases when the gunners managed to damage the tracks or jam the KV-2 turret. The Soviet concept of a "mobile fire bunker" turned out to be quite effective, although in a slightly different aspect than originally planned. The only German weapon capable of fighting the KB-2 at long distances was the 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, which in this case was used to fire at ground targets. The excellent characteristics of this weapon often saved the situation when it was used as emergency measure in critical combat situations that arose on the front line.
Start of development of 88 mm anti-aircraft gun dates back to 1928. By the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, a more advanced modification of this gun was in service - Model 36, which replaced the older one - Model 18 Given the negative combat experience with the use of 37 mm and 50 mm anti-tank guns in the first weeks of Operation Barbarossa, the Wehrmacht immediately made efforts to develop new, more powerful weapons, which ultimately culminated in the creation of the 7.5 cm RAK 40 (75 mm anti-tank gun), 8.8 cm RAK 43/41 (88 mm anti-tank gun) and 12.8 cm RAK K.44 (128 mm anti-tank gun). Although these guns were adopted too late to fight against the KV-2, they later fought quite successfully against a number of other Soviet tanks, the successors to the KV. |
When, in the morning hours of June 22, 1941, the German army launched Plan Barbarossa, an attack on the Soviet Union, Soviet troops were taken by surprise. And although the Red Army was armed with a large number of types armored vehicles, which were completely unknown to the Germans, however, this technical superiority could not compensate for the catastrophic tactical mistakes of the army command. An unexpected fact for the Wehrmacht was not only the large number of Soviet tanks that the German troops had to face, but also their high combat qualities, especially the latest tank designs.
Thanks to the creation of the KV tanks ("Kliment Voroshilov"), the Soviet Union became the only state that in 1941 had large quantities of heavy tanks with shell-proof armor. The Germans called the KV a monster.
Searches and experiments
The main drawback of most tanks of the second half of the 30s was their weak armor, which was penetrated by fire from anti-tank guns and heavy machine guns.
The KV-1 was different from them. It was created in 1939 under the leadership of J. Ya. Kotin. The tank had a 76 mm gun and three 7.62 mm. machine gun. The tank crew is 5 people.
The first HF passed military tests during Soviet-Finnish War, which became the first conflict where heavy tanks with ballistic armor were used. At that time, Soviet heavy KV tanks and multi-turret SMK and T-100 tanks, operating as part of the 20th Tank Brigade, were tested at the front.
If in tank battles, which were a rare occurrence in the Finnish War; the latest vehicles did not take part, they turned out to be indispensable in breaking through enemy fortifications. The KV-1 withstood hits from almost any anti-tank gun shell. At the same time, the 76-mm gun turned out to be insufficiently powerful to combat enemy pillboxes. Therefore, already during the war, development of a tank with an enlarged turret and an installed 152 mm began on the basis of the KV-1. howitzer (future KV-2). At the same time, based on the experience of the Soviet-Finnish War, it was decided to abandon the creation of heavy multi-turret tanks, which turned out to be expensive and difficult to operate. The choice was finally made in favor of the KV.
Unmatched
As of June 1941, the KV could be considered one of the strongest heavy tanks in the world. In total, at the beginning of June 1941, there were 412 KV-1s in the Red Army units, very unevenly distributed among the troops.
There is a known case in June 1941 in the Rasseney area, when one KV-1 constrained the actions of a German division for almost two days. This KV was part of the 2nd Panzer Division, which caused a lot of trouble to the German troops in the first days of the war. Apparently having used up its fuel supply, the tank took up a position on the road near a swampy meadow. One German document noted:
“There were practically no means to cope with the monster. The tank cannot be bypassed; the surrounding area is marshy. It was impossible to transport ammunition, the seriously wounded were dying, they could not be taken out. An attempt to destroy the tank with fire from a 50-mm anti-tank battery from a distance of 500 meters led to heavy losses in crews and guns. The tank was not damaged, despite the fact that, as it turned out, it received 14 direct hits. All that remained were dents in the armor. When the 88-mm gun was brought to a distance of 700 meters, the tank calmly waited until it was placed in position and destroyed it. Attempts by sappers to blow up the tank were unsuccessful. The charges were insufficient for the huge tracks. Finally he fell victim to the trick. 50 German tanks feigned an attack from all sides to divert attention. Under cover, they managed to move it forward and camouflage the 88-mm gun from the rear of the tank. Of the 12 direct hits, 3 penetrated the armor and destroyed the tank."
Unfortunately, most of the HF were lost not due to combat reasons, but due to breakdowns and lack of fuel.
KV-1s
In 1942, production began of a modernized version - the KV-1s (high-speed), which was put into service on August 20, 1942. The tank's weight decreased from 47 to 42.5 tons due to a reduction in the thickness of the hull armor plates and the size of the turret. The tower is cast, acquired a slightly different appearance and was equipped with a commander's cupola. The armament remained similar to the KV-1. As a result, speed and maneuverability increased, but the armor protection of the tank decreased. It was planned to install a more powerful 85-mm cannon on the KV-1s (a similar prototype was preserved in Kubinka), but this tank did not go into production. Subsequently, on the basis of the KV-1s with an 85 mm cannon, the KV-85 was created, which, however, did not become widespread due to the switching of production to IS tanks. The soldiers nicknamed the tank "kvasok".
End of the road
In tank battles, at least until mid-1942, German troops could do little to oppose the KV-1. However, during the fighting, the tank's shortcomings also emerged - relatively low speed and maneuverability compared to the T-34. Both tanks were armed with 76 mm guns. True, the KV had more massive armor compared to the “thirty-four”. KV also suffered from frequent breakdowns. When moving, the tank destroyed almost any road, and not every bridge could support a 47-ton tank. The Germans acquired the Tiger heavy tank at the end of 1942, surpassing any heavy tank at that time in the war. And the KV-1 turned out to be practically powerless against the Tiger, armed with a long-barreled 88-mm cannon. The "Tiger" could hit KB at enormous distances, and a direct hit from an 88-mm projectile would disable any tank of that time. So, on February 12, 1943, near Leningrad, three Tigers knocked out 10 KB without damage on their part.
Since mid-1943, the KV-1 has been seen less and less on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War - mainly near Leningrad. However, the KV-1 served as the basis for the creation of a number of Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns. Thus, on the basis of the KV, the SU-152 was created, armed with 152 howitzer guns. To this day, only a few KV-1 units have survived in Russia, which have become museum exhibits.
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