The first tank is iron. History of tanks, tank buildings. The first tank and the creation of the concept of modern tanks

The first in the world combat tanks appeared on September 15, 1916. During the First World War.
On this day, the Germans collided with English machines. The first meeting showed that iron cars are invulnerable to bullets. The first tanks were these bulky and slow cars, which could overcome the rs and barriers from the wire.

In 1914 E. O. Swinton asked the military ministry such a car. In September 1915 The test of the first English combat vehicle "Little Willy" passed. It was an armored tractor. September 28 tests of another option - "Big Willy". It was involved on January 30, 1916. He was adopted under the brand of MKI.
The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating the first tank belongs to the Russian constructor V. D. Mendeleev (1886-1922). Its variant weighed 170 tons, was armed with a 120-mm gun and a 150-mm armor is protected. But this project proposed in 1911 was not approved by the Technical Committee of the Tsarist Army.

The MKI tank was nervy. The MKII and the MKIII did not have tail wheels and their control was very complicated. Served a tank driver, commander and transmission officers. In April 1917 MKV tanks began to appear with more powerful armor. In the Germans by the time there appeared armor-piercing bullets.

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Iron in recognizable for us appeared in the 14th century, and throughout the previous history, humanity was used by the screwdriver to look neat.

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Since 1914, projects of armored cars, both caterpillar and wheeled, fell out, as if out of the horns of abundance. In addition to technical prerequisites, the need for such combat vehicles appeared - we will not forget that the first world War.

In August 1914, the inventor A. A. Torokhovshchikov with the project of the armored car was addressed to the supreme commander of the Supreme Commander. The proposal was considered in the Special Committee General A. V. Kaulbars. With his support, the causticists hit the reception to Supreme Commanderwho convinced the explanations of the inventor. IN decision taken It was determined that "all-terrain" should be made by the head of the engineering supply of the army of the North-West Front.

In the main military-technical management, the necessary drawings, a memorandum and estimate of the expenditures on the construction of "all-terrain" were not approved. On December 24, 1914, these materials entered the head of engineering supply to the army of the North-Western Front, which, having studied the project, was a special report to the head chief of the armies of the same front. The report substantiated the need for the construction of "all-terrain" as cars useful in military business. On January 13, 1915, the construction of a prototype of "all-terrain" with one wide caterpillar was authorized. 9960 rubles were allocated to its manufacture, and the workplace was determined by the barracks of the Nizhny Novgorod Regiment.

On February 1, in Riga in the barracks of the Nizhny Novgorod infantry regiment, the organization of workshops was completed: 25 soldiers-workshops and as many hired qualified workers began to manufacture "all-terrain vehicles".

At the proposal stage, two options were considered - with one and two caterpillars. Since in constructive and production relation, the first option was easier, he was accepted. For a prototype, on which the correctness of the basic idea of \u200b\u200bthe invention was supposed to be tested, there was no significant value of greater or less perfection of the propulsion, so the first option was developed in detail. It was a relatively light "apparatus" weighing 3.5-4 tons, that is, the level of the wedge. The carrier structure was the steel frame, to which the guide and three references were mounted (from them rear - leading) hollow drums. The axis of the guide drum was introduced into special rosters and fixed with two screws. His movement along the slots adjusted the caterpillar stretch. In addition, there was an additional tension drum that shape the upper branch of the caterpillar, passing under all the bottom of the case. The chassis was closed by a falsebort.

Wide caterpillar provided low specific pressure on the soil, good permeability, excluded the likelihood of landing the bottom on the obstacle; But the use of rubber tape recognize luck is impossible due to its high vulnerability. It is unlikely that the drivers could confidently withstand a focused shelling. However, a correction should be corrected for high speed data and small dimensions of the machine (length - 3.6 m, width - 2m, the height of the body is about 1.5 m), a known manner impede the sighting fire on it. In general, the ability of "all-terrain" act in the battle of maneuverable doubts did not cause.

The machine turns in the original way. On both sides of the frame, in its middle part, there were two steering wheels, rotating relative to the vertical axis and associated with steering wheel with turning forks and the system. On the roads with a solid coverage "Werethod" relied on the steering wheels and the leading drum. On weak soil, the steering wheels are spontaneously plunged, and the entire surface of the caterpillar took effect. Thus, a peculiar interpretation of the wheel-tracked propulsion was obtained.

As a power unit, a car 20cl motor mounted on the stern frame of the frame was used. The torque on the leading drum was transmitted through the mechanical planetary transmission and the drive shaft. It should be especially noted by the design of armor protection - it is a multi-layered (facial cemented 2-mm steel sheet, shocking the strip of hair and sea grass, the second steel sheet) with a total thickness of 8 mm. The quality of the form of a bronorcupus is striking: it is so high that the question of technological difficulties and labor-intensity of manufacturing is involved in reference to 1915. It is possible that this circumstance made Porokhovshchikov refuse further from such a successful decision and, designing "all-terrain-2", turn to a primitive box case. In addition, the construction of the "all-terrain" housing allowed to achieve its waterproof. Such an opportunity was analyzed, and in the future it was assumed to put the car with amphibious properties.

The driver and commander (he is a machine gunner) were placed in the middle part of the hull, "shoulder to the shoulder", on two seats installed nearby. Armament (1- 2 machine gun) outlined to place in the cylindrical tower, crowned combat compartment.

In the project implementation, the propulsion inspired a special fear, the design is completely original. Therefore, the main efforts were directed to the assembly of the chassis. Brononorpus was made in parallel. His elements underwent a trial shelling. Then the entire box was installed on a passenger chassis and subjected to tests on the bulbiness and overall rigidity.

On May 15, 1915, the construction of a prototype ended. It was mounted on a wooden layout of the case, and ballast bags were put in the car to compensate for the mass. After three days spent a trial mileage. It turned out that when moving jumps the caterpillar. Determination of the cause has passed a month. After that, on the outer surface of the drums, originally smooth, made three ring guides of the gutter, and on internal surface Caterpillars - accordingly three centering protrusions.

On June 20, 1915, on official trials, the Commission noted a good cargo of the machine, its maneuverability, high acceleration qualities and speed of about 25 versts / hour and in the appropriate act No. 4563 recorded: "It turned out that the" all-terrain "is easy to go on rather deep sand at speeds about twenty five miles per hour; In the future, the "all-terrain" switched to the middle move a ditch with gentle sloping widths at the top of 3 meters and a depth of about 1 ARSHIN. All significant whimsical and significant irregularities of the surface of the "Regimental Court", where the tests were performed, "all-terrain" took it easy to complete. Turning is quite satisfactory; In general, "all-terrain" passed on the soil and terrain, impassable for ordinary cars. "

The bridge of "all-terrain" was produced in Petrograd. December 29, the speed of about 40 versts / hour was achieved. By this time, 18,000 rubles were spent. The case was succeeded, but the military stopped financing the work. In this regard, they often refer to criminal indifference and bureaucracy. However, he walked 1916, in full swing was the First World War, and the fighting acquired a protracted position. Objectively, "all-terrain", which overtook his time, was "not by the way." Expect from a high-speed, highly shared machine efficient work On multi-row wire bugs did not have to. For these purposes, she was clearly not suitable. The special tank was required - positional. And it was enough N. Lebedenko to apply for a breakthrough wheel car, as with the highest favor of the Emperor Nicholas II, he received the necessary forces and means to implement his project.

So despite positive results Tests, work on improving the prototype "all-terrain" was discontinued. The main military-technical management has taken all measures to disrupt the successful completion of experienced work and organization industrial production Tanks in Russia. On various proposals for the further fate of the "all-terrain", the head of the Main Military Technical Department answered the following characteristic resolutions: "Why did we intervene in this matter?", "What is it for us?" (on the proposal for the transfer of "all-terrain" to the main military-technical management). From December 1915 and October 1916, a bureaucratic correspondence was stuck, all the works on the "all-terrain vehicle" were injected.

Genuine drawings of the first "all-terrain vehicle" A. A. Porokhovshchikov failed to find. Relatively recently discovered documents for which it was possible to restore the story of its construction in the main features, and photographs of the machines made during its tests were found.

In September 1916, the first reports of the British of the New Weapons - the "land fleet" appeared in Russian press. These messages were printed in the New Time newspaper No. 14568 of September 25 (according to the old style) of 1916 and in the Petrograd newspaper No. 253. In connection with these messages in the New Time newspaper No. 14572 of September 29 (old Style) 1916 an article "Land fleet - Russian invention" appeared, which opened the unsightly role of the main military-technical department in the delay in the creation of new weapons in Russia - combat vehicles.

Soon after the presentation, the press followed the request to the State Duma on the activities carried out to ensure the Russian army with tanks. Under pressure public opinion The head of the Main Military Technical Department authorized the design of an improved "all-terrain" - "Weredarya-2", or, as it was still designated for the difference from the predecessor, "all-terrain vehicle 16g." The project was soon completed and on January 19, 1917 entered the armor department of the automotive part of the main military-technical management. His expertise and discussion were delayed for more than ten months.

In addition to the project, the "Wessel-2" model was performed. The preserved documents allow you to get a fairly complete picture of its device. The running part of the "all-pass-2" combines the elements of the chassis of the car and the caterpillar tractor. A rubber endless tape, located under the bottom of the case, covers four tight drums. The rear drum is connected by a chain with a power transmission and is the leading. On one axis, car wheels having a larger diameter than the drum are rigidly planted with it. The front drum equipped with a spring device is raised, which improves overcoming obstacles. On one axis with the second drum planted the front wheels, with the help of which (like a car) turns turns.

When driving on the road with a solid cover "Werethod-2" relied on the ground only with the wheels and moved like a car; The caterpillar was rewrought to frightened. On the loose steel of the wheel plunged into the ground, the caterpillar joined the ground and the movement began on the tracked move. The turn and in this case was carried out using the same wheels as when driving on a wheeled.

Armored protection provided for 8 mm thick. Arms consisted of 3 or 4 machine guns. 2-3 machine guns were to be installed in the tower a very original design that allowed an independent press on the purpose of each machine gun separately.

Engine and transmission, as well as systems that ensure their work, were placed in the feed part of the case. In the nose of the case there was a department of management, and in the middle - combat. The special partition was envisaged between the combat department and separation power plant. For inspection and maintenance of the engine in the partition there were hatches.

On October 19, 1917, the Car Committee of the GWTU, which was received for consideration by the "Weredarya-2" project, recognized the design "not developed, and therefore the costs of the treasury for the implementation of the project in the present form of unnecessary."

The word "tank" comes from the English word Tank, that is, the "tank" or "tank". The origin of the name is: when sending the first tanks to the front of the first tanks, the British counterintelligence was hearing that in England the Tsarist Government was ordered by a batch of tanks for drinking water. And tanks went on railway Under the guise of tanks, it is interesting that in Russia a new combat machine was originally called "Lohan" (one version of the translation of the word Tank).

The first mechanical wagon of this kind was invented in all likelihood in 1769 by the Frenchman Kyuno, who installed the steam machine on the wagon. He managed to achieve speed of 4 km, but he was forced to stop every 20 min. To raise the steam pressure. When the inventor, showing his invention to the representatives of the French government, dumped the stone wall, - he was imprisoned.
The tracked propulsion was invented by a leaving of the peasant class of the Saratov province, Fyodor Abramovich Blinov (1827-1902).
In 1877, the Blinov invents the "Crawler Wag", a peculiar tracked trailer, moving by a park-hole harness; An experienced sample was built in the summer of 1880 and tested, including for swampy terrain. The effect was very and very promising, in particular in a parkon harness "wagon" could carry the cargo, for the carriage of which at least ten horses were required on the wheel trolley.

The first real step towards the creation of a tank was invented by one American in 1888. Steam self-devaluing wagon on endless tracked rails; In turn, the caterpillar was invented by the Englishman Richard Lovelllem Izhiylort, patented it in 1770.
In 1888, the "self-propelled" was made, the first caterpillar tractor was kept in essence. The engine served two steam machines at 12 hp With 40 turns each, the boiler for 6 atm. Was with petroleum furnace. Movement from steam machines to the leading stars of the caterpillar moved by cast cast-iron gears. Each caterpillar was brought separately. The rotation of the "self-like" was ensured by turning off or on the appropriate machine. The car was demonstrated at the farm exhibition in Saratov in 1889, the improved model was presented at the Nizhny Novgorod exhibition in 1896, while in his invention, the author received a commendable certificate; Nevertheless, the mass built of tracked tractors in Russian Empire Not done.

The predecessor of the tank against many details, especially the control mechanism, was a tractor with the creation of an internal combustion engine. Its further development was completely clear, as the combination of this engine with a caterpillar chain made it possible to construct a wagon capable of moving without roads and for the swampy soil due to the distribution of the weight of the machine on a large area.
But I would still recognize the finally and irrevocably championship for the car manufactured in England, in 1910 in a single copy. Presidency, this unit was for dragging the goods on Alaska - there were bad with the roads, the wheeled tractors did not have the necessary permeability, and the horses and dogs could not carry the big loads. However, the heat-power plant built in the Yukon experienced the need for coal, and it was nothing to deliver it in winter at the frozen river. Therefore, Hornsby, who already had the experience of the construction of a slightly less large-scale crawler tractor (10 tons of own mass with a motor with a total of 20 liters) - created such a land locomotive, which was supposed to carry coal from the sea to the station all winter ...

The mass of the giant was 40 tons, and the steam machine developed 80 hp. On a flat road and without load, the tractor could accelerate to 40 km / h, and the total mass of the tractor and eight trains and eight (!) Trailers weighing 12.5t was to calculate, 140 tons. The result for 1910 is not just good, - fantastic! At your own mass of each trailer about 5t., For one walker, the train delivered, as it is easy to calculate, 60 tons of coal

Almost before World War military Ministry made different experiments with tracked tractors equipped with internal combustion engines, although it did not pursue direct combat purposes, and in 1903 the writer G. Tells predicted and vividly described the strange combat machines, similar to tanks.
In 1912, Australian Mole suggested the military to the Ministry of the Czatrieve Crawler Machine. Thanks to the use of pins at the ends and flexible tracked chains for a curve, this machine, apparently, had advantages over tanks. However, this sensational proposal was soon forgotten, and the draft mole did not have any influence on the actual invention of the tank; The military ministry did not take any participation in it, and the proposal of the mole was not known at all until the end of the war.
A story with a waterproof from Nottengam, who submitted to the Military Ministry for a few years before the world war, is also known. This plumber received several letters in such cases, but I did not hear anything about the future. A few years later, at the end of the war, the project was found in one of the dusty cabinets with the resolution: "This man is sick."

The Germans can also qualify for the invention of the tank, since in 1913 some gebel constructed an armored land cruiser, terrible with his sophisticated guns. This cruiser switched to Poznan through triangular obstacles with a height of 90 ft. (about 27 m). In 1914 he made an attempt to repeat the show of his car before wide public At the stadium in Berlin, but during overcoming a short lift at 30 °, the car stopped, and no efforts of the inventor could force her to start moving again. A long wait is tired of the public, she began to protest and demand back the entrance fee; Even stones flew in the unfortunate inventor, and he no longer dared to show his invention publicly.
Long before the First World War, the Russian Military Ministry received a project of an extraordinary combat vehicle developed by the son of the famous Russian Chemist - Vasily Dmitrievich Mendeleev.
Mendeleev's combat vehicle project is a talented project super heavy tank, The design of which for the decade was ahead of all the development of tank technology. Many elements of the Mendeleev machine in our days look modern.
Mendeleev designed a tank weighing 170 tons "serviced by a team of 8 people. He was a huge armored box, with hidden inside the caterpillars needed for movement, engine and ammunition.
During the movement of the caterpillar using compressed air, an armored body should be lifted over the ground and ensure the movement of the tank at a speed of up to 24 km per hour.
In addition to guns, Mendeleev assumed to arm a tank machine gun installed in a special retractable armor, allowing the circular shelling.

All these preliminary attempts did not give any results, because they lacked a terrible impulse of war, but the world war made the invention of the tank inevitable.
In October 1914, the regiment. Swinton - a man with a big horizon and a fantasy, who worked as a military correspondent in the British Expeditionary Army, came as "eyewritten" to the consciousness of the armored car, which would be able to put the road through a wire barrier, go through the trenches and destroy or crush machine-gun nests.

One of his friends wrote him about the American tractor Holt, who could worry on the steep slopes.
Svinton came to use this car, and on October 20, 1914, he sent the project of crawler fighters to the military ministry. They should have been hardly booked, armed with guns, machine guns, to have the ability to switch through the trenches and destroy wire barriers.

So the idea of \u200b\u200ba tank was born. His story (so far this idea was drawn up and after 15 months later with real tank) is the history of a long fight against bureaucratism. For the development of a new chassis, we had to contact the company W.Foster & Co. (Lincolshire), which was engaged in those years assembling HORNSBY tractors. These machines were unique in that in fact they were steam locomotives on the tracked propulsion and were used as a tractor for "land trains". In addition, the firm produced wheeled tractors for field artillery.

The prototype tests began on September 10, 1915 and were not very successful. The total length of the machine was 8 meters, mass - 14 tons. Tank possessed low passability, and chassis It turned out to be a little adapted for increased loads. However, maximum speed Lincoln Machine No.1 amounted to 5.5 km / h, which was somewhat higher than the desired indicator.

The length of the tractor chassis was not enough to overcome the trenches and funnels, therefore it was crossed with a wheelbarrow, attaching it to the housing from the back.

Two engineers - Tritton and Lieutenant Wilson, - working in the day and night, finished the project "Little Willie". Regiment. Swinton, having examined in Lincoln the model of him in a natural value, as described it in his letter to the General Staff:
"Sailors made the first instance of the tracked machine, which is capable of moving through the ditches of 135 cm wide and rotate around their axis, like a dog, whose flea sits on his back."

The "neutral" US began during the war by a real arsenal for the Entente countries, and the "technicians" knew about the needs caused by the world war, almost better than military observers. In addition, the United States possessed developed engineering, the potential of which even more increased due to foreign orders. So the development of all-time combat vehicles was conducted regardless of the opinion of military leadership.

One of the most advanced, technical plans, American developments in the field of caterpillar combat vehicles can be considered a benzoelectric holt tank.

The tank had a compartment for infantry and a separate door for her landing.

Directly the tractor himself was a widely known HOLT 75 of the 1909 sample, which was produced by C.L.Best under license. The tractor was so successful that it was widely used in the American and British army until 1919 inclusive, and during the Civil War HOLT 75 was supplied by Russian "white" armies. The last samples of these machines, the truth is no longer army, were written off only in 1945!

The fate of this tank, named Best 75 TrackLayer, remained foggy. It was clear only one thing - american army After an examination of the prototype from non-terrible steel, they came to the conclusion that such a monster is absolutely not needed.

The following again, were Americans from Holt, who developed their wheel tank project at the end of 1916. The work was carried out with the direct participation of Army Corps of Engineers and with the assistance of Stanley Steamer. The tank was obtained by a massive case, in the nose of which they decided to place two 2-cylinder steam engine of the Double system with a capacity of 75 hp. Each of the engines had an individual drive to one wheel with a diameter of 2.4 meters, fully made of steel, and was installed vertically. Since both wheels were unmanageable to turn the tank, a third wheel of the "drum" type was made, attached on the rotary bracket in the feed part of the case.

The construction of the first prototype was delayed and was completed only in the winter of 1918. The tank was sent to the Polygon in Aberdeen, where the military began to test the tank, which ... ended barely time to start. The American car suffered the same fate as the Wheel Tank Lebedenko - barely shifting from the place Steam Wheeled Tank drove about 50 feet (15 meters) and firmly stuck in the ground. It was obvious that power steam engines It is clearly not enough for tank to get out of this "West". Attesting representatives from the army were very upset with this fact and refused further work Steam Wheeled Tank.

Another miracle of American equipment.

Alas, during the First World War, our country did not enter the elite club of the great tank powers. The fact that both Germany, our main opponent, was also not a member of this club - weak consolation (Germans for the entire war produced 21 (twenty one) serial tank of his own construction).

But there were several experienced instances of the rated design. At the very beginning of the war, in August 1914, the Master of the Russian-Baltic Machine-Building Plant in Riga Porokhovshchikov turned to the Supreme Command Rate of the Russian Army with a proposal the original project High-speed combat tracked car off road. At the same time, he appealed to the Special Committee on Fleet Strengthening, promising to create all-terrestrial armored vehicles on a caterpillar move. There were no significant documents of the causticists then did not provide only January 9, 1915 after a long delay at the reception of the head of the North-Western Front of General Danilov, the inventor already had ready-made drawings and estimated the construction of a combat vehicle called "all-terrain vehicle".

Apparently, the preliminary calculations of Porokhovshchikov had to do with the Higher Military Guide: In addition to the high passability of the causticists promised and buoyancy machines. The project was approved - the permission to build "Weredatar" was received on January 13, 1915, 9660 rubles were allocated 72 kopecks, and the project data was stipulated in a special report No. 8101. Observation of the construction of the machine led the head of the Riga Department for the apartment content Military Engineer Colonel Poklevsky-Kozhello. On February 1, in the Riga auto repair shops of the Russo-Balt plant, which were under the barracks of the Nizhny Novgorod infantry regiment, 25 soldiers-master and as many hired skilled workers began to manufacture a prototype of the first tank in the world developed by the famous pilot and designer Alexander Alexandrovich Porokhovshchikov ( The photo stands on the left).

On May 18, 1915, the causticists experienced his car in mileage on a good road on the caterpillar, the transition to the wheels was not produced. When testing, its speed reached 25 km / h (neither English, nor French first tanks possessed this speed. After small improvements, they decided to conduct an official demonstration of "all-terrain", which took place on July 20, 1915. Contrary to the calculations of the Porokhovshchikov, the possibilities of his car were very far from the fighting. Worse, the turning mechanism on the go was extremely unreliable and in trials, in some cases, the driver had to use the sixth. The design of the chassis was recognized as imperfect, as the caterpillar often scored from the drums. Already in the process of testing, the porchovers tried to eliminate this disadvantage, making three ring guides of the gutter, and on the inner surface of the caterpillar -, respectively, three centering protrusions.

Later, the misfortunes enhanced his car, making her wheeler-caterpillar: on the roads the car moved on wheels and the back drum of the caterpillars, when the obstacle was met on her way - "Werethod" went to the caterpillar and "crowded" through him. It was ahead of the tank buildings of that time for several years. The causticists made the casing of the tank with waterproof, as a result of which he could easily overcome water obstacles.

At the same time (in the spring of 1915), the Powers offered his own development armor: "Armor presents a combination of elastic and rigid layers of metal and special viscous and elastic gaskets." The boiler iron was removed "according to the method that constitutes the secret of the inventor", and as a gasket "After a huge number of experiments", he chose the dried and pressed marine grass. Particularly emphasized the author to cheap iron armor, the ability to bend and cook it.

In 1916 he spent in Petrograd tests - December 29, 1916 reached a speed of 40 versts / hour, which was an extremely high indicator.

The most interesting development of Porokhovshchikov was the form of the hull and the design of the armor: it was made multilayer. Nevertheless, in the winter of 1916, the military stopped financing the work. And the tanks with the separated multi-layer booking appeared only in the early 70s of the 20th century ... There is also a version that the drawings of Porokhovshchikov were used by British engineers for their developments.

But, but no one will challenge the fact that it was in Russia during the First World War the world's largest tank - 17 meters long, 9 meters in height, 60 tons of weight!

The idea of \u200b\u200bthe construction of such an unusual car arose from the captain russian army Nikolai Nikolayevich Lebedenko during the service in the Caucasus, before the war. He appreciated the Arbu - the vehicle of locals. The roads in the usual understanding of this word in the Caucasus were not there, but Arba - a cart with two wheels with high rims easily overcame all the bumps and bumps on what was considered there roads.

On August 27, 1915, the first running tests of the giant tank took place near Dmitrov. The first and last. The car passed a dozen meters on Gati, but instantly stuck on a soft ground - the rear guide cart stuck in the ditch. The best wheels were unable to pull it out, even despite the use of a powerful motor installation, consisting of two Mibach trophy motors at 250 liters. from. Each taken from a shot down German airship.

The first serial tank was already Soviet. And traditionally solved.

Russian Renault (also "Renault-Russian", "Tank M", "Tank CS" (Red Sormovo); in a number of sources is called "Tank" wrestler for freedom of TOV. Lenin ""The name of the official first tank of the series) is the first Soviet tank and the first Russian tank, launched into mass production. Classification belonged to light tankamnevical support for infantry. He was an almost complete copy of the French Light Tank "Renault" FT-17. Produced in 1920-1921 at the Sormovsky Plant (Nizhny Novgorod) with a small series of 15 cars. Despite the official adoption of the Red Army in 1920, in any fighting "Reno-Russian" participation did not take. In service consisted until 1930. It is also interesting that its machine-gun weapon was manufactured on the basis of the Universal Machine Fedorov.

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End of the XIX - the beginning of the 20th century is characterized by the rapid scientific progress of mankind. Actively use locomotives and cars, invented an internal combustion engine and actively try to climb the sky. All inventories are sooner or late military.

The history of the development of armored vehicles by country

China

The history of the remaining countries

Stages of development of tank building

The first began to use the steam locomotive. First, for the transfer of troops, and later on the railway platform installed a gun, and for protection installed armored shields. So it turned out the first armored train, which applied the Americans in 1862 during civil War in North America. The use of armored trains imposes its limitations - railway tracks are needed. The military began to think about combining high firing and mobility in the vehicle.

The next step was the reservation of ordinary cars with machine-gun or lightweight weapons on them. They were supposed to be used for a breakthrough of the forefront of the defense of the enemy and delivering a live strength.

The main problem in the history of the development of tank construction was the lack of motivation and misunderstanding of the possibilities of applying armored equipment. About the basics of applying an armored wagon in the XV century, Leonardo da Vinci wrote: "We will build closed chariots that imbued into the enemy lines and will not be able to be destroyed by the crowd of armed people, and behind them may follow the infantry without much risk and all baggage." In practice, no one seriously perceived the "expensive iron toys", as the prototypes of the Tanks of the Military Minister of England called in his time.

Causes of the creation of the first tank and its purpose

This recognition of the tanks received during the First World War.

The first world was a war of positional, a multi-sheltered solid line of defense with machine guns and architectural structures is characteristic. For breakthrough, art preparation was used, but due to low-range Shooting she could suppress, and it is pretty conditionally, only firing points of the front line. When capturing the first line, those who captured inevitably come across the next one, to suppress which it was necessary to pull up artillery. While the coming artillery was engaged in artillery, the defending troops mobilized the reserves and retracted the occupied line and had already started to move into the attack. Such an unsuccessful movement could continue for quite a long time. For example. In February 1916, in the battle of Verden, to which the Germans were preparing for almost two months, more than one thousand guns participated. Over the ten months of the confrontation, more than 14 million shells were spent, and the number of those who died on both sides exceeded one million. With all the time, the Germans advanced at 3 kilometers deep into the dedication of the French.

Before the military clearly became the question of the need vehiclewhich could break through the enemy defense lines with the full suppression of firepoints or at least quickly deliver artillery to the next turns.

Corporates could not be used for obvious reasons, and armored vehicles quickly showed their inconsistency - weak armor and inefficient weapons. The strengthening of the reservation and weapons significantly increased the weight of the car, which, along with wheel suspension and weak engines, armored vessels reduced to zero. A somewhat helped to improve the situation of the use of a caterpillar (caterpillars). The support rollers evenly distributed pressure on the soil, which significantly increased the permeability of soft soil.

To increase firefire and passability, military engineers began experimenting with the size and weight of a new combat vehicle. Tried to combine caterpillars with wheels. It was among them and several rather ambiguous projects. For example. In Russia, the Lebedenko designer, and independently of him in England, Major Hatherington, for the purposes of greater passability, constructed a tank on three huge wheels. The idea of \u200b\u200bboth designers consisted in the usual movement of ditches by the combat vehicle, so Lebedenko offered to create a tank with wheels with a diameter of 9 meters, and the heterington is 12 meters, respectively. Lebedenko even created an experienced copy, but during tests he ... stuck in the first pit.

Due to the imperfection of the armor vehicles represented, disputes on the need for their development and reconciliation among the military continued until September 15, 1916. This day was a turning point in the history of tank construction and wars in a whole. During the battle on the Somme River, the British first used their new tanks. Of the 42 two extensions, 32 participated in battle. During the battle, 17 of them different reasons Failing, but the remaining tanks were able to help the infantry to advance deeply by defense 5 kilometers across the entire width of the offensive, while losses in the lively strength amounted to 20 times! Less calculated. For comparison, you can recall the battle when Verbene.

The world's first Tank Mark I

This tank was, named, in honor of one of the creators, "Big Willy", being, in some way, the progenitor, all tanks, received a nickname: "Mother". The tank was a huge diamond-shaped box with caterpillars around the perimeter. For the course of coursework on the sides of the tank, in sponsons, machine guns or cannons were installed depending on the modification. The crew of the tank consisted of 8 people, he weighed 27-28 tons, and the speed was 4.5 km / h (over rough terrain of 2 km / h).

Such, in all respects of the imperfect tank, laid the beginning of mass tank building all over the world, no one doubted the need for such combat vehicles. Later A.P. Rothmistrov wrote that the British could not develop a tactical success in operational only because of the small number of tanks.

The term "tank" is translated from English as "tank" or "Chan". So began to call the fighting vehicles during their delivery to the front lines. In order to conspict the tanks were transported under the guise of "self-deviating water tanks for Petrograd". At railway platforms, they really resembled large tanks. Interestingly, but in Russia, before the English "tank" was taken, he was translated and called - Lohan. In other armies, the names were entrenched - Pzkpfw (battle armored wagon) in Germans (combat armor) at the Germans (combat wagon), Schedov - Studrudvagn (combat wagon), the Italians called "Carro D'Armato" (Armed Wagon).

After Mark i tanks were constantly paid huge attentionAlthough the tactics and the strategy of their application have not yet been developed, and the capabilities of the tanks themselves were rather mediocre. But after a very short time, the tank will be the key item on the battlefield, light and heavy tanks will appear, multi clumsy giants and high-speed tankers, floating and even flying tanks.

"Big Willy", "Wilson Machine", "Mother",
"Stonnox", "Marka-1", Tank MK.I.

E. Swinton (Ernest Dunlop Swinton) addressed the commander of British troops in Europe, General George French, saying on undergoing experiments ("On the need for machine guns"). The general responded, and officers from the headquarters outlined in detail, which machine they need. The future "land armor" was supposed to have anti-optical armor, overcome funnels with a diameter of up to 4 meters and a wire barrier in several rows, to develop speed on the terrain of at least 4 km / h. Armament should consist of one cannon and two machine guns, crew of 6 people.

"Little Willy"

An experienced copy on the Tractor's chassis "Bullock" under the guidance of an engineer W. Titton, Lieutenant V. Wilson and Ricardo built in 40 days machine-building enterprise W. Foster in Lincoln. They gave the car the name "Little Willy". With battle weight about 18 tons, its weapons should consist of 40-mm automatic guns of Maxim, located in the tower in the center of the case. The weapon was not established, and it was tested with a fake tower (for weight). It should be noted that it was done before they received the specification approved by the military, therefore, although the tests were completed successfully, it was decided that for the combat "Little Willy" is not yet suitable.

The main disadvantage was called the fact that he could not overcome 4 meter funnels due to the insufficient length of the supporting surface of the caterpillars. The engineers had the idea to give the caterpillars of the tank diamond-shaped outlines, and the hull itself and weapons are accommodated between them. Such a design allowed to overcome vertical obstacles, which are always a lot on the battlefield, and if necessary, it is easy to transport it by rail, making on-board compartments for weapons (sponsons) removable.

Tank "Big Willy" on the tests on February 2, 1916.

Contrary to the technical assignment

The choice was finally made in favor of a car with rhombic caterpillars, called the Tank "Big Willy", and then "Mother", the first sample of which Foster was released at the end of 1915, and already on January 30, 1916 introduced the car to the test. On February 2, 1916, the Arms Minister D. Lloyd George was observed in Hutfild Park near London, who was soon the UK Prime Minister, and Sir Winston Churchill even climbed into him through the door in Sponson.

Tank "Big Willy".

The car successfully moved through the piled in the park of Rips and funnels. First tankOf course, there was a lot of flaws, it turned out to be a little-moving, and fragile, but the tasks set in front of him quite answered. In this connection, it was decided to order 100 such "land armor" at once and experience them in the battles of the First World War.

The first tank was known under the name of the names - "Big Willy", "Wilson Machine", "Mother" and even "Stonnock", in mass production, he entered the designation "Mark-1", or abbreviated Tank MK.i. For tanks, a division was invented on "females" and "males" in the type of weapons established on them.

1. The first type ("male") was cannon and equipped with two marine 6-pound (57-mm) tools with an effective shooting range of 1800 m, 15-20 shot speeds per minute.
2. The second type ("female") was armed with six machine guns "Vickers" and did not have guns.

In total, 75 "males" and 75 "females" were manufactured, and in battle, the guns should be supported by machine-gun.

Tank "Mark I" (Male).

Tanks mk.i, 1916-1917

Click on the photo tank to enlarge

It should be noted that the first english tank Based on the technical task issued to him, which said that 40mm Maxim could stand on the car, which was in english army The characteristic name "Pom-Pom" and two machine guns, but MK.I did not match this.

Sources:

• IN. Shpakovsky. "Tanks of the era of total wars. 1914-1945";
• G.L. The Kholowsky "Complete Encyclopedia of the Tanks of the World 1915 - 2000 GG";
• Steven J. Zaloga, "FRENCH TANKS OF WORLD WAR 1";
• David Fletcher. British Mark IV Tank;
• S. Fedoseev. "Ground ships." English heavy tanks the period of the First World War (Broncing No. 5 (32) / 2000);
• R. P. Hunnicutt. FirePower: a History of the American Heavy Tank;
• David Fletcher. British Tanks 1915-19.

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