Katyusha rocket artillery. Katyusha: The Greatest Weapon of World War II

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"Katyusha" came ashore

3 famous combat vehicle in museums, films and computer games.

On July 14, 1941, not far from the railway station in the city of Orsha, the famous battery of Captain Ivan Flerov attacked the enemy for the first time. The battery was armed with completely new, unknown to the Germans, BM-13 combat vehicles, which the soldiers would affectionately call “Katyushas”.

At that time, few people knew that these vehicles would take part in the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War and, along with the legendary T-34 tanks, would become a symbol of victory in this terrible war. However, both Russian and German soldiers and officers were able to appreciate their power after the first shots.

Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation, scientific director tells Russian Military Historical Society Mikhail Myagkov.

First operation

Information about the number of vehicles in service with the battery varies: according to one version, there were four of them, according to another - five or seven. But we can definitely say that the effect of their use was stunning. At the station, military equipment and trains and, according to our data, a battalion of German infantry, as well as important military equipment, were destroyed. The explosion was so strong that Franz Halder, Chief of the General Staff ground forces Germany, wrote in his diary that the ground melted where the shells hit.

Flerov's battery was transferred to the Orsha area, as information was received that there had been an accumulation of large number cargo important for the German side. There is a version that in addition to the German units that arrived there, there were also secret weapon USSR, which they did not have time to take to the rear. It had to be quickly destroyed so that the Germans did not get it.

To perform this operation, a special tank group, which supported the battery as it went to Orsha along the already abandoned Soviet troops territories. That is, the Germans could capture it at any moment; it was a very dangerous, risky enterprise. When the battery was just preparing to leave, the designers strictly ordered that the BM-13 be blown up in the event of retreat and encirclement, so that the vehicles would never fall to the enemy.

The soldiers will carry out this order later. During the retreat near Vyazma, the battery was surrounded, and on the night of October 7, 1941, it was ambushed. Here the battery, having fired its last salvo, was blown up by order of Flerov. The captain himself died and was posthumously awarded the Order Patriotic War I degree, in 1942, and in 1995 he became a Hero of Russia.

The image of the BM-13 (“Katyusha”) is actively used in video games about the Second World War:

BM-13 (Katyusha) in computer game Company of Heroes 2

BM-13 salvo in the computer game “Behind Enemy Lines - 2”

Vehicle BM-13 (Katyusha)

Katyusha volley in the computer room game War Front: Turning Point

About the history of the creation of rocket launchers

Developments rockets began in our country back in the 20s of the 20th century and were carried out by employees of the Gas Dynamics Institute. In the 1930s, research continued at the Rocket Research Institute, headed by Georgy Langemak. He was subsequently arrested and subjected to repression.

In 1939–1941, the jet systems were improved and tests were carried out. In March - June 1941 there was a display of the systems. The decision to create batteries that included new weapons was made literally a few hours before the start of the war: June 21, 1941. The armament of the first battery consisted of BM-13 vehicles with a 130 mm projectile. At the same time, the development of BM-8 vehicles was underway, and in 1943 the BM-31 appeared.

In addition to machines, special gunpowder was also developed. The Germans were hunting not only for our installations, but also for the composition of the gunpowder. They never managed to unravel his secret. The difference in the action of this gunpowder was that German guns they left a long smoke trail that was more than 200 meters long - you could immediately understand where they were shooting from. We didn't have that kind of smoke.

These were preparing jet systems volley fire at the Kompressor plant (in peacetime it was a refrigeration equipment plant, which on the good side characterizes interchangeability in the field of heavy industry) and at the Kommunar plant in Voronezh. And of course, in addition to the first battery of Captain Flerov, at the beginning of the war, other batteries were created, armed with rocket systems. It seems to modern researchers that at the very beginning of the war they were sent to guard headquarters. Most of them were sent to the Western Front to prevent the Germans from suddenly capturing the headquarters in order to overwhelm the enemy with fire and stop their advance.

About the nickname

Flerov's first battery took part in the battles for Smolensk, Dukhovshchina, Roslavl, Spas-Demensk. Other batteries, there were about five of them, were located in the area of the city of Rudni. And the first version about the origin of the nickname of these cars - “Katyusha” - is really connected with the song. The batteries fired a volley into Rudny Square, where the Germans were at that moment; one of the witnesses to what was happening allegedly said: “Yes, this is a song!” - and someone else confirmed: “Yes, like Katyusha.” And this nickname first migrated to the headquarters of the 20th Army, where the battery was located, and then spread throughout the country.

The second version about the Katyusha is associated with the Kommunar plant: the letters “K” were placed on the cars. This theory is supported by the fact that the soldiers nicknamed the M-20 howitzer with the letter “M” “Mother”. There are many other assumptions about the origin of the nickname “Katyusha”: someone believes that at the moment of the salvo the cars “sang” drawn out - the song of the same name also has a long chant; someone says that one of the cars had the name of a real woman written on it, and so on. But, by the way, there were other names. When the M-31 installation appeared, someone began to call it “Andryusha,” and the German Nebelwerfer mortar was nicknamed “Vanyusha.”

By the way, one of the names of the BM-13 among German soldiers was the nickname “Stalin’s organ”, because the guiding machines looked like pipes. And the sound itself, when the Katyusha “sang”, also resembled organ music.

Planes, ships and sleighs

Rocket launchers of the BM-13 type (as well as BM-8 and BM-31) were mounted on airplanes, on ships, on boats, even on sleighs. In the corps of Lev Dovator, when he went on a raid against the German rear, these installations were located precisely on the sleigh.

However, the classic version is, of course, a truck. When the cars first went into production, they were mounted on a ZIS-6 truck with three axles; when it was deployed into a combat position, two more jacks were installed at the rear for greater stability. But already from the end of 1942, especially in 1943, these guides increasingly began to be mounted on well-proven American Studebaker trucks supplied under Lend-Lease. They had good speed and passability. By the way, this is one of the tasks of the system - to fire a salvo and quickly hide.

"Katyusha" truly became one of the main weapons of Victory. Everyone knows the T-34 tank and the Katyusha. Moreover, they know it not only in our country, but also abroad. When the USSR was negotiating Lend-Lease, exchanging information and equipment with the British and Americans, the Soviet side demanded the supply of radio equipment, radars, and aluminum. And the allies demanded Katyusha and T-34. The USSR gave us tanks, but I’m not sure about the Katyushas. Most likely, the Allies themselves figured out how these machines were made, but you can create an ideal model and not be able to organize mass production.

Museums where you can see the BM-13

The museum is an integral and at the same time the main part memorial complex Victory on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. On its territory there is an exhibition of weapons, military equipment and engineering structures (weapons of Victory, captured equipment, railway troops, military highway, artillery, armored vehicles, air force, navy). The museum has unique exhibits. Among them are rare aircraft, one flying - U-2, best tank World War II T-34 and, of course, the legendary BM-13 (“Katyusha”).

The Center for Military Patriotic Education opened in 2000. The museum's collection includes about 2,600 exhibits, including historical relics and replicas on the history of Russia and the Voronezh region. Exhibition space - four halls and seven exhibitions.

The museum is located at mass grave No. 6. In May 2010, a stele was erected in front of the museum in connection with the awarding of the title “City of Military Glory” to Voronezh. On the square in front of the museum, visitors can see a unique exhibition of military equipment and artillery pieces.

The oldest military museum in Russia. His birthday is considered to be August 29 (new style) 1703.

The museum's exposition is housed in 13 halls on an area of more than 17 thousand square meters. Of particular interest to visitors is the external exhibition of the museum, opened after reconstruction in November 2002. Its main part is located in the courtyard of Kronverk on an area of more than two hectares. The external exhibition is unique in its completeness, historical and scientific value. About 250 pieces of artillery, missile weapons, engineering equipment and communications equipment are located in open areas, including domestic and foreign weapons - from ancient to the most modern.

The Rudnyansky Historical Museum was officially opened on May 9, 1975; today its exhibition occupies four halls. Visitors can see photographs of the first rocket launchers of the legendary BM-13 rocket launcher; photographs and awards of participants in the Battle of Smolensk; personal belongings, awards, photographs of partisans of the Smolensk partisan brigade; material about the divisions that liberated the Rudnyansky district in 1943; stands telling the visitor about the damage caused to the area during the Great Patriotic War. Yellowed front-line letters and photographs, newspaper clippings, and personal belongings resurrect before the eyes of museum guests the images of war heroes - soldiers and officers.

Museum of History and Local Lore named after N.Ya. Savchenko is a center for civic and patriotic education of youth. It consists of two parts: the main building and the demonstration area. It is on the site that all the military and rare equipment available in the museum is located. This is an An-2 plane, a T-34 tank and a steam locomotive.

A worthy place in the exhibitions is occupied by the famous “Katyusha” based on the ZIL-157, the GAZ-AA (one and a half truck), ZIS-5 (three-ton truck), GAZ-67, an armored personnel carrier, the DT-54 tractor, the Universal tractor, a soldier’s field kitchen and Ave.

"Katyusha" in cinema

One of the main films with her participation was Vladimir Motyl’s melodrama “Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha.” In this film, the BM-13 can be seen from almost all angles, general and close-up.

Katyusha - a unique combat vehicle of the USSR which had no analogues in the world. The unofficial name for barrelless field rocket artillery systems (BM-8, BM-13, BM-31 and others) was developed during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. Such installations were actively used Armed Forces USSR during World War II. The popularity of the nickname turned out to be so great that “Katyusha” colloquial speech Post-war MLRS on automobile chassis, in particular BM-14 and BM-21 “Grad”, also often began to be called.

"Katyusha" BM-13-16 on the ZIS-6 chassis

The fate of the developers:

On November 2, 1937, as a result of the “war of denunciations” within the institute, the director of RNII-3 I. T. Kleimenov and chief engineer G. E. Langemak were arrested. On January 10 and 11, 1938, respectively, they were shot at the NKVD Kommunarka training ground.
Rehabilitated in 1955.
By decree of the President of the USSR M. S. Gorbachev dated June 21, 1991, I. T. Kleimenov, G. E. Langemak, V. N. Luzhin, B. S. Petropavlovsky, B. M. Slonimer and N. I. Tikhomirov were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

BM-31-12 on the ZIS-12 chassis in the Museum on Sapun Mountain, Sevastopol

BM-13N on a Studebaker US6 chassis (with exhaust protection armor plates lowered) at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow

Origin of the name Katyusha

It is known why BM-13 installations began to be called “guards mortars” at one time. The BM-13 installations were not actually mortars, but the command sought to keep their design secret for as long as possible. When, at a firing range, soldiers and commanders asked a GAU representative to name the “true” name of the combat installation, he advised: “Call the installation as an ordinary artillery piece. This is important for maintaining secrecy."

There is no single version of why the BM-13 began to be called “Katyusha”. There are several assumptions:
1. Based on the name of Blanter’s song, which became popular before the war, based on the words of Isakovsky “Katyusha”. The version is convincing, since the battery first fired on July 14, 1941 (on the 23rd day of the war) at a concentration of fascists on Bazarnaya Square in the city of Rudnya, Smolensk region. Shot from high steep mountain- the association with the high steep bank in the song immediately arose among the fighters. The former sergeant of the 217th Headquarters Company is finally alive. separate battalion communications of the 144th Infantry Division of the 20th Army Andrei Sapronov, now a military historian, who gave it this name. Red Army soldier Kashirin, having arrived with him at the battery after the shelling of Rudnya, exclaimed in surprise: “What a song!” “Katyusha,” answered Andrei Sapronov (from the memoirs of A. Sapronov in the Rossiya newspaper No. 23 of June 21-27, 2001 and in the Parliamentary Gazette No. 80 of May 5, 2005). Through the communications center of the headquarters company, the news about a miracle weapon called “Katyusha” within 24 hours became the property of the entire 20th Army, and through its command, the entire country. On July 13, 2011, the veteran and “godfather” of Katyusha turned 90 years old.

2. There is also a version that the name is associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Kalinin plant (according to another source, by the Comintern plant). And front-line soldiers loved to give nicknames to their weapons. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed “Mother”, the ML-20 howitzer gun was called “Emelka”. Yes, and the BM-13 was at first sometimes called “Raisa Sergeevna,” thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).

3. The third version suggests that this is what the girls from the Moscow Kompressor plant who worked on the assembly dubbed these cars.
Another, exotic version. The guides on which the projectiles were mounted were called ramps. The forty-two-kilogram projectile was lifted by two fighters harnessed to the straps, and the third usually helped them, pushing the projectile so that it lay exactly on the guides, and he also informed those holding that the projectile stood up, rolled, and rolled onto the guides. It was allegedly called “Katyusha” (the role of those holding the projectile and the one rolling it was constantly changing, since the crew of the BM-13, unlike cannon artillery, was not explicitly divided into loader, aimer, etc.)

4. It should also be noted that the installations were so secret that it was even forbidden to use the commands “fire”, “fire”, “volley”, instead they sounded “sing” or “play” (to start it was necessary to turn the handle of the electric coil very quickly) , which may also have been related to the song “Katyusha”. And for our infantry, a salvo of Katyusha rockets was the most pleasant music.

5. There is an assumption that initially the nickname “Katyusha” was a front-line bomber equipped with rockets - an analogue of the M-13. And the nickname jumped from an airplane to a rocket launcher through shells.

In the German troops, these machines were called “Stalin’s organs” because external resemblance rocket launcher with a pipe system of this musical instrument and the powerful stunning roar that was produced when launching rockets.

During the battles for Poznan and Berlin, the M-30 and M-31 single-launch installations received the nickname “Russian Faustpatron” from the Germans, although these shells were not used as an anti-tank weapon. With “dagger” (from a distance of 100-200 meters) launches of these shells, the guards broke through any walls.

BM-13-16 on the chassis of the STZ-5-NATI tractor (Novomoskovsk)

Soldiers loading Katyusha

If Hitler's oracles had looked more closely at the signs of fate, then surely July 14, 1941 would have become a landmark day for them. It was then that in the area of the Orsha railway junction and the crossing of the Orshitsa River, Soviet troops first used BM-13 combat vehicles, which received the affectionate name “Katyusha” among the army. The result of two salvos at the accumulation of enemy forces was stunning for the enemy. German losses fell under the “unacceptable” heading.

Here are excerpts from a directive to the troops of Hitler's high military command: "The Russians have an automatic multi-barrel flamethrower cannon... The shot is fired by electricity... During the shot, smoke is generated..." The obvious helplessness of the wording testified to the complete ignorance of the German generals regarding the device and technical characteristics new Soviet weapon - a rocket mortar.

A striking example of the effectiveness of the Guards mortar units, and their basis was “Katyushas,” can be seen in the lines from the memoirs of Marshal Zhukov: “The rockets, by their actions, caused complete devastation. I looked at the areas where shelling was carried out and saw the complete destruction of defensive structures ... "

The Germans developed a special plan to seize new Soviet weapons and ammunition. Late autumn In 1941 they managed to do this. The “captive” mortar was truly “multi-barreled” and fired 16 rocket mines. His firepower was several times more effective than the mortar used by the fascist army. Hitler's command decided to create equivalent weapons.

The Germans did not immediately understand that the Soviet mortar they captured was a truly unique phenomenon, opening a new page in the development of artillery, the era of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).

We must pay tribute to its creators - scientists, engineers, technicians and workers of the Moscow Jet Research Institute (RNII) and related enterprises: V. Aborenkov, V. Artemyev, V. Bessonov, V. Galkovsky, I. Gvai, I. Kleimenov, A. Kostikov, G. Langemak, V. Luzhin, A. Tikhomirov, L. Schwartz, D. Shitov.

The main difference between the BM-13 and similar German weapons was its unusually bold and unexpected concept: mortarmen could reliably hit all targets in a given square with relatively inaccurate rocket-propelled mines. This was achieved precisely due to the salvo nature of the fire, since every point of the area under fire necessarily fell into the affected area of one of the shells. German designers, realizing the brilliant “know-how” of Soviet engineers, decided to reproduce, if not in the form of a copy, then using the main technical ideas.

Copy "Katyusha" as combat vehicle was in principle possible. Insurmountable difficulties arose when trying to design, test and establish mass production of similar missiles. It turned out that German gunpowder cannot burn in the engine chamber rocket as stable and sustainable as the Soviet ones. The analogues of Soviet ammunition designed by the Germans behaved unpredictably: they either sluggishly left the guides only to immediately fall to the ground, or they began flying at breakneck speed and exploded in the air from an excessive increase in pressure inside the chamber. Only a few successfully reached the target.

The point turned out to be that for effective nitroglycerin powders, which were used in Katyusha shells, our chemists achieved a spread in the values of the so-called heat of explosive transformation of no more than 40 conventional units, and the smaller the spread, the more stable the gunpowder burns. Similar German gunpowder had a spread of this parameter, even in one batch, above 100 units. This led to unstable work rocket engines.

The Germans did not know that Katyusha ammunition was the fruit of more than ten years of activity by the RNII and several large Soviet research teams, which included the best Soviet powder factories, outstanding Soviet chemists A. Bakaev, D. Galperin, V. Karkina, G. Konovalova, B. Pashkov, A. Sporius, B. Fomin, F. Khritinin and many others. They not only developed the most complex formulations of rocket powders, but also found simple and effective ways their mass, continuous and cheap production.

At a time when at Soviet factories, according to ready-made drawings, the production of guards rocket mortars and shells for them was expanding at an unprecedented pace and literally daily increasing, the Germans had yet to conduct research and design work by MLRS. But history has not given them time for this.

July 14, 1941 at one of the defense sites 20 1st Army, in the forest to the east Orshi, tongues of flame shot up to the sky, accompanied by an unusual roar, not at all similar to the shots of artillery guns. Clouds of black smoke rose above the trees, and barely visible arrows hissed in the sky towards the German positions.

Soon the entire area of the local station, captured by the Nazis, was engulfed in furious fire. The Germans, stunned, ran in panic. It took the enemy a long time to rally his demoralized units. Thus, for the first time in history, they declared themselves "Katyusha".

First combat use The Red Army uses a new type of powder rockets during the battles at Khalkhin Gol. On May 28, 1939, Japanese troops that occupied Manchuria, in the area of the Khalkhin Gol River, launched an offensive against Mongolia, with which the USSR was bound by a mutual assistance treaty. A local, but no less bloody war began. And here in August 1939 a group of fighters I-16 under the command of a test pilot Nikolai Zvonarev first used RS-82 missiles.

The Japanese at first decided that their planes were attacked by a well-camouflaged anti-aircraft installation. Only a few days later, one of the officers who took part in the air battle reported: “Under the wings of Russian aircraft, I saw bright flashes of flame!”

"Katyusha" in a combat position

Experts flew in from Tokyo, examined the damaged aircraft and agreed that such destruction could only be caused by a shell with a diameter of at least 76 mm. But calculations showed that an aircraft capable of withstanding the recoil of a gun of this caliber simply could not exist! Only experimental fighters tested 20 mm guns. To find out the secret, a real hunt was announced for the planes of Captain Zvonarev and his comrades, pilots Pimenov, Fedorov, Mikhailenko and Tkachenko. But the Japanese failed to shoot down or land at least one car.

The results of the first use of missiles launched from aircraft exceeded all expectations. In less than a month of fighting (a truce was signed on September 15), the pilots of Zvonarev’s group flew 85 combat missions and 14 air battles shot down 13 enemy planes!

Rockets, which showed themselves so successfully on the battlefield, were developed from the beginning of the 1930s at the Jet Research Institute (RNII), which after the repressions of 1937-1938 was headed by a chemist Boris Slonimer. He worked directly on rockets Yuri Pobedonostsev, to whom now belongs the honor of being called their author.

The success of the new weapon spurred work on the first version of a multi-charge unit, which later turned into the Katyusha. At NII-3 of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition, as the RNII was called before the war, he led this work as chief engineer Andrey Kostikov, Modern historians speak rather disrespectfully of Kostikov. And this is fair, because the archives revealed his denunciations against his colleagues (the same as Pobedonostsev).

The first version of the future Katyusha was charging 132 -mm shells similar to those that Captain Zvonarev fired at Khalkhin Gol. The entire installation with 24 guides was mounted on a ZIS-5 truck. Here the authorship belongs to Ivan Gvai, who had previously made the “Flute” - an installation for rockets on I-15 and I-16 fighters. The first field tests near Moscow, carried out at the beginning of 1939, revealed many shortcomings.

Military experts who approached the assessment rocket artillery from the position of cannon artillery, they saw these strange machines as a technical curiosity. But, despite the ridicule of the artillerymen, the institute’s staff continued to work hard on the second version of the launcher. It was installed on a more powerful ZIS-6 truck. However, 24 guides, mounted across the vehicle, as in the first version, did not ensure stability of the vehicle when firing.

Field tests of the second option were carried out in the presence of a marshal Klima Voroshilova. Thanks to his favorable assessment, the development team received support from the command staff. At the same time, designer Galkovsky proposed a completely new option: leave 16 guides and mount them longitudinally on the machine. In August 1939, the pilot plant was manufactured.

By that time the group led Leonid Schwartz designed and tested samples of new 132 mm rockets. In the fall of 1939, another series of tests was carried out at the Leningrad artillery range. This time, the launchers and their shells were approved. From that moment on, the rocket launcher began to be officially called BM-13, which meant "combat vehicle", and 13 was an abbreviation for the caliber of the 132 mm rocket.

The BM-13 combat vehicle was a chassis of a three-axle ZIS-6 vehicle, on which a rotary truss with a package of guides and a guidance mechanism was installed. For aiming, a rotating and lifting mechanism and an artillery sight were provided. At the rear of the combat vehicle there were two jacks, which ensured its greater stability when firing. The missiles were launched using a hand-held electric coil connected to a battery and contacts on the guides. When the handle was turned, the contacts closed in turn, and the starting squib was fired in the next projectile.

At the end of 1939, the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army gave an order to NII-3 for the production of six BM-13s. By November 1940, this order was completed. On June 17, 1941, the vehicles were demonstrated at a review of Red Army weapons that took place near Moscow. BM-13 was inspected by the marshal Tymoshenko, People's Commissar of Armaments Ustinov, People's Commissar of Ammunition Vannikov and Chief of the General Staff Zhukov. On June 21, following the review, the command decided to launch missile production M-13 and BM-13 installations.

On the morning of June 22, 1941, employees of NII-3 gathered within the walls of their institute. It was clear: the new weapon would no longer undergo any military tests - now it was important to assemble all the installations and send them into battle. Seven BM-13 vehicles formed the backbone of the first rocket artillery battery, the decision to form which was made on June 28, 1941. And already on the night of July 2, she left under her own power for the Western Front.

The first battery consisted of a control platoon, a sighting platoon, three fire platoons, a combat supply platoon, a utility department, and a fuels and lubricants, sanitary unit. Except seven launchers BM-13 and 122-mm howitzers of the 1930 model, which served for shooting, there were 44 in the battery trucks for the transportation of 600 M-13 rockets, 100 shells for a howitzer, an entrenching tool, three refills of fuel and lubricants, seven daily food allowances and other property.

Captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov - first commander of the experimental Katyusha battery

The command staff of the battery was staffed mainly by students of the Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy, who had just graduated from the first year of the command department. Captain was appointed battery commander Ivan Flerov- an artillery officer who had experience of the Soviet-Finnish war behind him. No special training Neither the officers nor the numbers of the combat crews of the first battery had; during the period of formation, only three training sessions were possible.

They were led by the developers missile weapons design engineer Popov and military engineer 2nd rank Shitov. Just before the end of class, Popov pointed to a large wooden box mounted on the running board of a combat vehicle. “When we send you to the front,” he said, “we will fill this box with sabers and put a squib, so that at the slightest threat of capture rocket weapons the enemy could have blown up both the installation and the shells.” Two days after leaving Moscow, the battery became part of the 20th Army Western Front, who fought for Smolensk.

On the night of July 12-13, she was alerted and sent to Orsha. At the Orsha station, many German trains with troops, equipment, ammunition and fuel accumulated. Flerov ordered the battery to be deployed five kilometers from the station, behind a hill. The engines of the vehicles were not turned off in order to immediately leave the position after the salvo. At 15:15 on July 14, 1941, Captain Flerov gave the command to open fire.

Here is the text of the report in German General Staff: “The Russians used a battery with an unprecedented number of guns. The shells are high-explosive incendiary, but have an unusual effect. The troops fired at by the Russians testify: the fire raid is like a hurricane. The shells explode simultaneously. The loss of life is significant." The morale effect of the use of rocket mortars was stunning. The enemy lost more than an infantry battalion and a huge amount of military equipment and weapons at the Orsha station.

On the same day, Flerov’s battery fired at the crossing of the Orshitsa River, where a lot of Nazi manpower and equipment had also accumulated. In the following days, the battery was used in various directions of the 20th Army's operations as a fire reserve for the chief of artillery of the army. Several successful salvoes were fired at the enemy in the areas of Rudnya, Smolensk, Yartsevo, and Dukhovshina. The effect exceeded all expectations.

The German command tried to get samples of the Russian wonder weapons. The hunt began for Captain Flerov's battery, as once for Zvonarev's fighters. On October 7, 1941, near the village of Bogatyr, Vyazemsky district, Smolensk region, the Germans managed to surround the battery. The enemy attacked her suddenly, on the march, firing from different sides. The forces were unequal, but the crews fought desperately, Flerov used up the last of his ammunition and then blew up the launchers.

Having led people to a breakthrough, he died heroically. 40 out of 180 people survived, and everyone who survived the death of the battery in October 1941 was declared missing, although they fought until the victory. Only 50 years after the first salvo of the BM-13, the field near the village of Bogatyr revealed its secret. There, the remains of Captain Flerov and 17 other rocket men who died with him were finally found. In 1995, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Ivan Flerov was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Russia.

Flerov's battery was destroyed, but the weapon existed and continued to inflict damage on the advancing enemy. In the first days of the war, the production of new installations began at the Moscow Kompressor plant. There was no need to customize the designers either. In a matter of days, they completed the development of a new combat vehicle for 82-mm projectiles - the BM-8. It began to be produced in two versions: one - on the chassis of a ZIS-6 car with 6 guides, the other - on the chassis of an STZ tractor or T-40 and T-60 tanks with 24 guides.

Obvious successes at the front and in production allowed the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command to decide already in August 1941 to form eight regiments of rocket artillery, which, even before participating in battles, were given the name “guards mortar regiments of the reserve artillery of the Supreme High Command.” This emphasized special meaning, which was given to a new type of weapon. The regiment consisted of three divisions, the division - of three batteries, four BM-8 or BM-13 in each.

For the 82 mm caliber rocket, guides were developed and manufactured, which were later installed on the chassis of the ZIS-6 vehicle (36 guides) and on the chassis of the T-40 and T-60 light tanks (24 guides). Special launchers for 82 mm and 132 mm caliber rockets were manufactured for their subsequent installation on warships- torpedo boats and armored boats.

The production of BM-8 and BM-13 was continuously growing, and the designers were developing a new 300-mm M-30 rocket weighing 72 kg and with a firing range of 2.8 km. They received the nickname “Andryusha” among the people. They were launched from a launching machine (“frame”) made of wood. The launch was carried out using a sapper blasting machine. “Andryushas” were first used in Stalingrad. The new weapons were easy to manufacture, but installing them in position and aiming at the target required a lot of time. In addition, the short range of the M-30 missiles made them dangerous for their own crews. Subsequently, combat experience showed that the M-30 - powerful weapon offensive, capable destroy bunkers, trenches with canopies, stone buildings and other fortifications. There was even an idea to create a mobile based on Katyushas anti-aircraft missile system to destroy enemy aircraft, but the experimental installation was never brought to production.

On the effectiveness of combat use of Katyushas During an attack on an enemy fortified unit, an example can be given of the defeat of the Tolkachev defensive unit during our counteroffensive near Kursk in July 1943. Village Tolkachevo was turned by the Germans into a heavily fortified center of resistance with a large number dugouts and bunkers of 5-12 rolls, with a developed network of trenches and communication passages. The approaches to the village were heavily mined and covered with wire fences. Salvos of rocket artillery destroyed a significant part of the bunkers, the trenches, along with the enemy infantry located in them, were filled up, fire system completely depressed. Of the entire garrison of the node, numbering 450-500 people, only 28 survived. The Tolkachevsky node was taken by our units without any resistance.

By the beginning of 1945, 38 separate divisions, 114 regiments, 11 brigades and 7 divisions armed with rocket artillery were operating on the battlefields. But there were also problems. Mass production of launchers was established quickly, however wide application"Katyusha" was held back due to lack of ammunition. There was no industrial base for the production of high-quality gunpowders for projectile engines. Ordinary gunpowder could not be used in this case - special grades with the required surface and configuration, time, character and combustion temperature were required. The deficit was limited only by the beginning of 1942, when factories transferred from west to east began to pick up the required production rates. During the entire Great Patriotic War, Soviet industry produced more than ten thousand rocket artillery combat vehicles.

Origin of the name Katyusha

There is no single version of why the BM-13 began to be called “Katyusha”. There are several assumptions:
1. Based on the name of Blanter’s song, which became popular before the war, based on the words of Isakovsky “Katyusha”. The version is convincing, since the battery first fired on July 14, 1941 (on the 23rd day of the war) at a concentration of fascists on Bazarnaya Square in the city of Rudnya, Smolensk region. She was shooting from a high, steep mountain - the association with the high, steep bank in the song immediately arose among the fighters. Finally, the former sergeant of the headquarters company of the 217th separate communications battalion of the 144th Infantry Division of the 20th Army, Andrei Sapronov, is alive, now a military historian, who gave it this name. Red Army soldier Kashirin, having arrived with him at the battery after the shelling of Rudnya, exclaimed in surprise: “What a song!” “Katyusha,” answered Andrei Sapronov (from the memoirs of A. Sapronov in the Rossiya newspaper No. 23 of June 21-27, 2001 and in the Parliamentary Gazette No. 80 of May 5, 2005). Through the communications center of the headquarters company, the news about a miracle weapon called “Katyusha” within 24 hours became the property of the entire 20th Army, and through its command, the entire country. On July 13, 2011, the veteran and “godfather” of Katyusha turned 90 years old.

2. There is also a version that the name is associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Kalinin plant (according to another source - by the Comintern plant). And front-line soldiers loved to give nicknames to their weapons. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed “Mother”, the ML-20 howitzer gun was called “Emelka”. Yes, and the BM-13 was at first sometimes called “Raisa Sergeevna,” thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).

3. The third version suggests that this is how the girls from the Moscow Kompressor plant who worked on the assembly dubbed these cars.
Another, exotic version. The guides on which the projectiles were mounted were called ramps. The forty-two-kilogram projectile was lifted by two fighters harnessed to the straps, and the third usually helped them, pushing the projectile so that it lay exactly on the guides, and he also informed those holding that the projectile stood up, rolled, and rolled onto the guides. It was allegedly called “Katyusha” (the role of those holding the projectile and the one rolling it was constantly changing, since the crew of the BM-13, unlike cannon artillery, was not explicitly divided into loader, aimer, etc.)

In the German troops, these machines were called “Stalin’s organs” due to the external resemblance of the rocket launcher to the pipe system of this musical instrument and the powerful, stunning roar that was produced when the missiles were launched.

Here are excerpts from a directive to the troops of Hitler's high military command: “The Russians have an automatic multi-barrel flamethrower cannon... The shot is fired by electricity... During the shot, smoke is generated...” The obvious helplessness of the wording testified to the complete ignorance of the German generals regarding the design and technical characteristics of the new Soviet weapon - the rocket-propelled mortar.

The Germans developed a special plan to seize new Soviet weapons and ammunition. In the late autumn of 1941 they managed to do this. The “captured” mortar was truly “multi-barreled” and fired 16 rocket mines. Its firepower was several times more effective than the mortar used by the fascist army. Hitler's command decided to create equivalent weapons.

It was in principle possible to copy the Katyusha as a combat vehicle. Insurmountable difficulties arose when trying to design, test and establish mass production of similar missiles. It turned out that German gunpowder cannot burn in the chamber of a rocket engine as stably and steadily as Soviet ones. The analogues of Soviet ammunition designed by the Germans behaved unpredictably: they either sluggishly left the guides only to immediately fall to the ground, or they began flying at breakneck speed and exploded in the air from an excessive increase in pressure inside the chamber. Only a few successfully reached the target.

The Germans did not know that ammunition for the Katyusha was the fruit of more than ten years of activity by the RNII and several large Soviet research teams, which included the best Soviet gunpowder factories, outstanding Soviet chemists A. Bakaev, D. Galperin, V. Karkina, G. Konovalova, B . Pashkov, A. Sporius, B. Fomin, F. Khritinin and many others. They not only developed the most complex formulations of rocket powders, but also found simple and effective ways of mass, continuous and cheap production.

At a time when at Soviet factories, according to ready-made drawings, the production of guards rocket mortars and shells for them was being expanded at an unprecedented pace and literally daily was increasing, the Germans had yet to carry out research and design work on the MLRS. But history has not given them time for this.

The article was written based on materials from the book Nepomnyashchiy N.N. “100 great secrets of the Second World War”, M., “Veche”, 2010, p. 152-157.

Rocket artillery combat vehicles BM-8, BM-13 and BM-31, better known as “Katyushas”, are one of the most successful developments of Soviet engineers during the Great Patriotic War.
The first rockets in the USSR were developed by designers Vladimir Artemyev and Nikolai Tikhomirov, employees of the gas dynamics laboratory. Work on the project, which involved the use of smokeless gelatin powder, began in 1921.
From 1929 to 1939, tests were carried out on the first prototypes of various calibers, which were launched from single-charge ground and multi-charge air installations. The tests were supervised by the pioneers of Soviet rocketry - B. Petropavlovsky, E. Petrov, G. Langemak, I. Kleimenov.

The final stages of projectile design and testing were carried out at the Jet Research Institute. The group of specialists, which included T. Kleimenov, V. Artemyev, L. Shvarts and Yu. Pobedonostsev, was headed by G. Langemak. In 1938, these shells were put into service by the Soviet Air Force.

I-15, I-153, I-16 fighters and Il-2 attack aircraft were equipped with unguided rockets of the RS-82 model of 82 mm caliber. The SB bombers and later modifications of the Il-2 were equipped with RS-132 shells of 132 mm caliber. For the first time, the new weapons installed on the I-153 and I-16 were used during the Khalkhin-Gol conflict of 1939.

In 1938-1941, the Jet Research Institute was developing a multi-charge launcher on a truck chassis. Tests were carried out in the spring of 1941. Their results were more than successful, and in June, on the eve of the war, an order was signed to launch a series of BM-13 combat vehicles equipped with launchers for M-13 132-mm high-explosive fragmentation shells. On June 21, 1941, the gun was officially put into service with artillery troops.

Serial assembly of the BM-13 was carried out by the Voronezh plant named after the Comintern. The first two launchers, mounted on the ZIS-6 chassis, rolled off the assembly line on June 26, 1941. The quality of the assembly was immediately assessed by employees of the Main Artillery Directorate; Having received customer approval, the cars went to Moscow. Field tests were carried out there, after which, from two Voronezh samples and five BM-13s assembled at the Jet Research Institute, the first battery of rocket artillery was created, the command of which was taken by Captain Ivan Flerov.

The battery received its baptism of fire on July 14 in the Smolensk region, with the aim of missile strike The enemy-occupied city of Rudnya was chosen. A day later, on July 16, BM-13s fired at the Orsha railway junction and the crossing on the Orshitsa River.

By August 8, 1941, 8 regiments were equipped with rocket launchers, each of which had 36 combat vehicles.

In addition to the plant named after Comintern in Voronezh, the production of BM-13 was established at the capital's Kompressor enterprise. Missiles were produced at several factories, but the main manufacturer was the Ilyich plant in Moscow.

The original design of both projectiles and installations was repeatedly changed and modernized. The BM-13-SN version was produced, which was equipped with spiral guides, providing more accurate shooting, as well as modifications BM-31-12, BM-8-48 and many others. The most numerous was the BM-13N model of 1943; in total, about 1.8 thousand of these vehicles were assembled by the end of the Great Patriotic War.

In 1942, production of 310 mm M-31 shells was launched, for the launch of which ground-based systems were initially used. In the spring of 1944, the BM-31-12 self-propelled gun, which has 12 guides, was developed for these shells.

It was installed on truck chassis.

Between July 1941 and December 1944 total quantity The number of Katyushas produced amounted to more than 30 thousand units, and rockets of various calibers amounted to about 12 million. The first samples used a domestically produced chassis; about six hundred of these vehicles were produced, and all but a few of them were destroyed during the fighting. After the conclusion of the Lend-Lease agreement, the BM-13 was mounted on American Studebakers.

BM-13 on an American Studebaker
The BM-8 and BM-13 rocket launchers were mainly in service with the Guards mortar units, which were part of the artillery reserve of the armed forces. Therefore, the unofficial name “Guards mortars” was assigned to the Katyushas.

The glory of the legendary cars could not be shared by their talented developers. The struggle for leadership at the Jet Research Institute provoked a “war of denunciations”, as a result of which in the fall of 1937 the NKVD arrested the chief engineer of the research institute, G. Langemak, and the director, T. Kleimenov. Two months later, both were sentenced to death. The designers were rehabilitated only under Khrushchev. In the summer of 1991, President Soviet Union M. Gorbachev signed a decree conferring posthumous titles of Heroes of Socialist Labor on a number of scientists who participated in the development of Katyusha.

Origin of the name
Now it is difficult to say for sure who, when and why called the BM-13 rocket launcher “Katyusha”.

There are several main versions:
The first is the connection with the song of the same name, which was extremely popular in the pre-war period. During the first combat use of Katyushas in July 1941, firing was carried out at the German garrison located in the city of Rudnya near Smolensk. The fire was direct fire from the top of a steep hill, so the version seems very convincing - the soldiers probably could have associated it with the song, because there is a line “to the high, to the steep bank.” And Andrei Sapronov, who, according to him, gave the nickname to the rocket mortar, is still alive and served as a signalman in the 20th Army. On July 14, 1941, exactly after the shelling of occupied Rudnya, Sergeant Sapronov, together with Red Army soldier Kashirin, arrived at the location of the battery. Amazed by the power of the BM-13, Kashirin enthusiastically exclaimed: “What a song!”, to which A. Sapronov calmly replied: “Katyusha!” Then, broadcasting information about the successful completion of the operation, the headquarters radio operator called the miracle installation “Katyusha” - from then on, such a formidable weapon acquired a gentle girl’s name.

Another version considers the origin of the name from the abbreviation “KAT” - supposedly the test site workers called the system “Kostikovskaya automatic thermal” (A. Kostikov was the project manager). However, the plausibility of such an assumption raises serious doubts, since the project was classified, and it is unlikely that the rangers and front-line soldiers could exchange any information with each other.

According to another version, the nickname comes from the “K” index, which marked the systems assembled at the Comintern plant. It was the custom of soldiers to give original titles weapons. Thus, the M-30 howitzer was affectionately called “Mother”, the ML-20 cannon received the nickname “Emelka”. By the way, BM-13 was first called very respectfully, by his first name and patronymic: “Raisa Sergeevna.” RS – rockets used in installations.

According to the fourth version, the first to call rocket launchers “Katyushas” were the girls who assembled them at the Kompressor plant in Moscow.

The following version, although it may seem exotic, also has a right to exist. The shells were mounted on special guides called ramps. The weight of the projectile was 42 kilograms, and three people were required to install it on the ramp: two, harnessed into straps, dragged the ammunition onto the holder, and the third pushed it from behind, controlling the accuracy of fixing the projectile in the guides. So, some sources claim that it was this last fighter who was called “Katyusha”. The fact is that here, unlike armored units, there was no clear division of roles: any member of the crew could roll or hold shells.

At the initial stages, the installations were tested and operated in strict secrecy. Thus, when launching shells, the crew commander did not have the right to give the generally accepted commands “fire” and “fire”; they were replaced with “play” or “sing” (the launch was carried out by quickly rotating the handle of an electric coil). Needless to say, for any front-line soldier, the salvoes of Katyusha rockets were the most desirable song.
There is a version according to which at first “Katyusha” was the name given to a bomber equipped with rockets similar to BM-13 missiles. It was these ammunition that transferred the nickname from the airplane to the jet mortar.
The fascists called the installations nothing less than “Stalin’s organ.” Indeed, the guides bore a certain resemblance to the pipes of a musical instrument, and the roar emitted by the shells during launch was somewhat reminiscent of the menacing sound of an organ.

During the victorious march of our army across Europe, systems that launched single M-30 and M-31 projectiles were widely used. The Germans called these installations “Russian Faustpatrons”, although they were used not only as a means of destroying armored vehicles. At a distance of up to 200 m, the projectile could penetrate a wall of almost any thickness, even bunker fortifications.

Device
BM-13 was distinguished by its comparative simplicity. The design of the installation included rail guides and a guidance system consisting of an artillery sight and a rotary-lifting device. Additional stability when launching missiles was provided by two jacks located at the rear of the chassis.

The rocket had the shape of a cylinder, divided into three compartments - the fuel and combat compartments and the nozzle. The number of guides varied depending on the modification of the installation - from 14 to 48. The length of the RS-132 projectile used in the BM-13 was 1.8 m, diameter - 13.2 cm, weight - 42.5 kg. The inside of the rocket under the fins was reinforced with solid nitrocellulose. The warhead weighed 22 kg, of which 4.9 kg was explosive (for comparison, an anti-tank grenade weighed about 1.5 kg).

The range of the missiles is 8.5 km. The BM-31 used M-31 shells of 310 mm caliber, having a mass of about 92.4 kg, almost a third of which (29 kg) was explosive. Range – 13 km. The salvo was carried out in a matter of seconds: the BM-13 fired all 16 missiles in less than 10 seconds, the same time was required to launch the BM-31-12 with 12 guides and the BM-8, equipped with 24-48 missiles.

Loading the ammunition took 5-10 minutes for the BM-13 and BM-8; the BM-31, due to the larger mass of the shells, took a little longer to load - 10-15 minutes. To launch, it was necessary to rotate the handle of the electric coil, which was connected to the batteries and contacts on the ramps - by turning the handle, the operator closed the contacts and activated the missile launch systems in turn.

The tactics of using Katyushas radically distinguished them from the Nebelwerfer rocket systems that were in service with the enemy. If German development was used to deliver high-precision strikes, then Soviet vehicles had low accuracy, but covered large area. The explosive mass of Katyusha missiles was half that of Nebelwerfer shells, however, the damage inflicted on manpower and lightly armored vehicles was significantly greater than the German counterpart. The explosive detonated by firing fuses on opposite sides of the compartment; after the meeting of two detonation waves, the gas pressure at the point of their contact increased sharply, which gave the fragments additional acceleration and increased their temperature to 800 degrees.

The power of the explosion also increased due to the rupture of the fuel compartment, which was heated by the combustion of gunpowder - as a result, the effectiveness of fragmentation damage was twice as high as artillery shells the same caliber. At one time there were even rumors that the rockets of rocket launchers used a “thermite charge”, which was tested in 1942 in Leningrad. However, its use turned out to be inappropriate, since the igniting effect was already sufficient.

The simultaneous explosion of several shells created an interference effect of blast waves, which also contributed to an increase in the damaging effect.
The Katyusha crew numbered from 5 to 7 people and consisted of a crew commander, driver, gunner and several loaders.

Application
From the very beginning of its existence, rocket artillery was subordinate to the Supreme High Command.

RA units were staffed rifle divisions who are on the front line. The Katyushas had exceptional firepower, so their support in both offensive and defensive operations can hardly be overestimated. A special directive was issued setting out the requirements for the use of the machine. It specifically stated that Katyusha strikes should be sudden and massive.

During the war years, “Katyushas” more than once found themselves in the hands of the enemy. Thus, on the basis of the captured BM-8-24 captured near Leningrad, the German Raketen-Vielfachwerfer rocket system was developed.

During the defense of Moscow, a very difficult situation developed at the front, and the use of missile launchers was carried out on a subdivisional basis. However, in December 1941, due to a significant increase in the number of Katyushas (in each of the armies that held back the main attack of the enemy, there were up to 10 divisions of rocket-propelled mortars, which made it difficult to supply them and the effectiveness of maneuvering and striking), it was decided to create twenty guards mortar regiments.

The Guards Mortar Regiment of the Reserve Artillery of the Supreme High Command consisted of three divisions of three batteries each. The battery, in turn, consisted of four vehicles. The fire efficiency of such units was enormous - one division, consisting of 12 BM-13-16, could deliver a strike comparable in power to a salvo of 12 artillery regiments equipped with 48,152 mm howitzers or 18 artillery brigades equipped with 32 howitzers of the same caliber.

It is also worth taking into account the emotional impact: thanks to the almost simultaneous launch of shells, the ground in the target area literally reared up in a matter of seconds. A retaliatory strike from the rocket artillery units was easily avoided, as the mobile Katyushas quickly changed their location.

In July 1942, near the village of Nalyuchi, the brother of the Katyusha, the 300 mm Andryusha rocket launcher, equipped with 144 guides, was tested for the first time in combat conditions.

In the summer of 1942, the Mobile Mechanized Group of the Southern Front held back the onslaught of the enemy's first armored army south of Rostov for several days. The basis of this unit was a separate division and 3 rocket artillery regiments.

In August of the same year, military engineer A. Alferov developed a portable model of the system for M-8 shells. Front-line soldiers began to call the new product “Mountain Katyusha.” The first to use this weapon was the 20th Mountain Rifle Division; the installation proved itself to be excellent in the battles for the Goytsky Pass. At the end of the winter of 1943, a unit of “Mountain Katyushas”, consisting of two divisions, participated in the defense of the famous bridgehead on Malaya Zemlya near Novorossiysk. At the Sochi railway depot, rocket systems were mounted on railcars - these installations were used for defense coastline cities. 8 rocket mortars were installed on the minesweeper "Skumbria", which covered the landing operation on Malaya Zemlya.

In the fall of 1943, during the battles near Bryansk, thanks to the rapid transfer of combat vehicles from one flank of the front to the other, a sudden attack was carried out, breaking the enemy’s defenses over a 250 km long area. On that day, enemy fortifications were hit by more than 6 thousand Soviet missiles fired by the legendary Katyushas.

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ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyusha_(weapon)
ww2total.com/WW2/Weapons/Artillery/Gun-Motor-Carriages/Russian/Katyusha/
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The Soviet Katyusha multiple launch rocket system is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Great Patriotic War. In terms of its popularity, the legendary Katyusha is not much inferior to the T-34 tank or PPSh machine gun. It is still not known for certain where this name came from (there are numerous versions), but the Germans called these installations “Stalinist organs” and were terribly afraid of them.

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

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

A little history of the BM-13 Katyusha

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The day before the start of the war (June 21, 1941), the USSR government decided to mass produce BM-13 combat systems, ammunition for them, and form special units for their use.

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

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

Application of BM-13 "Katyusha"

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

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

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

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

Jet installations with great success were used until the Victory, they took part in the storming of Berlin and other operations in the final stage of the war.

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

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

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

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

Device BM-13 "Katyusha"

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

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

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

Each Katyusha was equipped with an artillery sight.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Modifications of "Katyusha"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advantages and disadvantages of the BM-13 Katyusha missile launcher

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

Easy to use. “Katyushas” were distinguished by an extremely simple design, and the sighting devices of this installation were also uncomplicated.

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

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

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

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

Short firing range compared to cannon artillery.

Large consumption of gunpowder in the manufacture of rockets.

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

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