By the beginning of World War II, armed with any army in the world does not consist heavy tanks.With one exception.The Red Army, they were.
Why heavy tanks
war - is, first and foremost, work, hard, dirty and very dangerous.The soldier most of his time engaged in that dig.The more he will extract the soil, the higher its chances of survival.There are other kinds of work, no less time-consuming, and for each of them requires a different tool.For bombing on specific point targets will not do heavy bomber - need attack.To destroy the enemy's industrial capacity, it is not necessary to use a fighter here requires strategic bombers, and there should be many.Light tanks needed for deep and swift raids, bypass enemy defenses and create a "pocket" in which large military units, deprived of supplies and communications, can not long survive.If we draw an analogy with the working tool, they serve as the blade, flexible and convenient.But there are situations when you need something more powerful, and the sharpness is not very important (Cleaver, for example, or an ax).Heavy tanks are needed when fast swoop fortified positions to take, or can not get around, and it takes a methodical break, a strong frontal impact, destructional and ruthless.
In December 1939 were heavy and bloody fighting in Karelia.Scary bitter cold, snow up to his waist, beneath the marshes, and freezing.If weather conditions add to the mines, which are very difficult to detect;the work of snipers;crop classified weapon emplacements protected by thick reinforced concrete;polar night, depressing the psyche;the inability to make a fire to keep warm and in general;boulders, hidden, again, under the snow, and much, much more, it is clear "why so long busy with some kind of tiny Finland."The difficult task of breakthrough "Mannerheim Line" for the first time played an important role heavy tanks.The Soviet Union in the face of Stalin's leadership decided to create a heavy-duty armored fist before other countries.The Finnish War took part experimental samples, in particular of the QMS.December 17, trying to overcome the fortified Hottinen, one of them at the disposal of the 20th Brigade detonated an anti-tank mine.The crew did not suffer losses, but was forced to leave the car.It was one of the first applications of the new weapon.
heavy tank as a reflection of the Soviet military doctrine
The military industry nothing is being done for a reason.It is difficult to imagine a situation in which Stalin is the designers of armored vehicles and puffing at his pipe, he says: "And do me a minute heavy tank.I really want it.Caprice at me so .... "In this case, none of the state does not have enough funds to meet the most urgent task of protecting its borders.No, all the tasks that were set in the Kremlin in the art, have been substantiated.
Design a fighting machine that meets modern requirements for assault weapons, began in early 1939, carrying out a resolution of the State Committee on Defense, adopted in December 1938.According to the military doctrine of the Soviet Union, fighting in the probable case (and expected) should have been the war unfold in enemy territory under its stubborn opposition at an early stage.This character of the conflict required a certain amount of technical equipment, in connection with the designers were given relevant TK.The implication was that through the wide gaps in the defensive lines will move forward large units, equipped with light fast-moving tanks BT-class, able to move on the roads at high speed.In this likely scenario, with the complete air supremacy, victory was assured with minimal losses.
Home design works
led the design of the tank QMS J. J. Kotin, General Designer of the Leningrad Kirov factory.The name commemorated the recently slain leader, the head of the party organization, "the cradle of the revolution."Another car was developed under the direction of A. Ermolaeva at a nearby factory number 185, it was called the T-100.The design idea of those years was multidirectional, in particular, one of the main areas considered towered scheme under which sector-fire could be circular.At SMK weight was too great, and it instead of three decided to install two towers to improve driveability and booking.
However, shortly after the beginning of the project work group of graduates, interns Wammen (Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization) them.Stalin led NF Shashmurina, offered to go further: to remove yet another tower (which young professionals considered excessive), install diesel instead of petrol engines and chassis to reduce the two rollers.In fact, the team intuitively came to the scheme, which has become a classic for many decades, ahead of all foreign colleagues who have taken this idea only in the fifties.
Thus was born a Soviet tank KV-1.
From drawings to metal
Bring odnobashenny tank commissioned leading designer NL spirits.Reminding that in Stalin's delay was dangerous today no one needs.Any delay could cause a shift to a less prestigious job, in a quilted jacket and with a saw or ax.The chief designer of the KV comrade Spirits cope with the task.By August KV heavy tanks and QMS were prepared and presented to the State Commission, and in September the Kubinka proving ground shook with the roar of engines at the show of new models.Equally quickly took their reception into service, was already "liberation campaign" to Finland, and this technique was essential.Designers also interested in the effectiveness of development.Tank 'Klim Voroshilov "went into battle.
How did the KV-2
Mannerheim Line was strengthened thoroughly.In contrast to the French Maginot, it came up against the edges to the coast (in the west of the Gulf of Finland, in the east of Ladoga), and it was impossible to get around.Fortification was built correctly, with a high degree of autonomy and all the necessary infrastructure for the defense.In general, the heavy tank KV showed himself well, but the caliber of 76 mm guns were not enough to break the reinforced concrete structures, hidden layer of soil.Needed something more effective, for example, 152 mm howitzer, which was already in service, it is true to its transportation needed powerful tractor truck.Leningrad designers has a new task: to combine two important elements, cannon and tracked chassis, and even in this case to ensure protection of the crew from the gun crew.So there was a KV-2 tank striker, designed to crush any fortifications.
In the interwar period
Finnish War, although it was bloody, quickly ended, but despite this, the production of heavy machinery, including a siege-type continued.Since February 1940 tank "Klim Voroshilov" in two versions, with running series on LB (Leningrad Kirov Plant), and starting in June and at ChTZ (Chelyabinsk plant, called the tractor).The enthusiasm of those years was extremely high, first Urals HF assembly out of the shop soon, and to build capacities built a separate building, the size of which suggests a very big opportunity.Do not stop the work and design teams, while continuing to improve performance and eliminate the identified deficiencies during the fighting.Fortieth autumn had come two new samples with heavy armor up to 90 mm with a more powerful artillery armament (85 mm caliber, which has not even could not dream tankers rest of the world).By the end of the year it was planned another giant, this time with a 100-mm protection.These machines are the secret workings, they are called objects 220, 221 and 222. To no one knew ...
Comparison with potential enemy
In 1941 it was planned to produce 1,200 heavy vehicles, in particular KV-1 - 400, HF-2- 100 (he had a very specific function, and the need for it has been below) and HF-3 - as many as 500 pieces.And that's just in Leningrad!Another 200 units had to give CTZ.In 1949 the heavy tank KV-1 and KV-2 supercarrier also produced, and a considerable number (243).In total, the Red Army, there were 636. A lot or a little?Soviet historians, explaining the reasons for the disaster of the summer of 1941, expressed the view that modern tanks we lacked.However, they neglect to mention that the Wehrmacht crossed the Soviet border, and had before it a little more than three thousand tanks, and they all, without exception, were mild.Moreover, the new name them extremely difficult.European blitzkrieg was, of course, fun walk, but the engine did not care, he wears even when driving on the highway is very good.Machinery, captured in France and Czechoslovakia, too, did not go to any comparison even with our easy BT.Romania, an ally of Nazi Germany, and was armed at all "Renault 17" (17 - the year of issue, 1917 th), the Soviet Union was of 2 pieces, they were in museums.
And yet, it's time to remember that in the Soviet Union were made not only heavy tanks.There were also average, T-34, the best in the world, and they were built very active.And light, they produced an unprecedented number of copies.And armament and armor protection, and performance engines (mainly, by the way, diesel, B-2, which no one and could not nobody in the world to repeat throughout the war) they surpassed Wehrmacht equipment.Soviet tank KV as of mid-1941 had no analogues.
design
At the time of the first prototypes of possible Soviet tank factories allowed to apply the most advanced technologies.About any of riveted joints, and even it was not, the case is made by welding.The same applies to the turret, which is further improved by using the method tselnolitevoy.The thickness of the armor plates was 75 mm.Modification design opportunities allowed to further increase protection of up to 105 mm by installing additional bolts broneekranov, but in 1941 none of the German-board cannon and without it she could not hit the tank KV-1.
general scheme was a classic of Soviet armor of the second half of the thirties (later adopted as a model by engineers all over the world): the rear transmission, excluding the propeller shaft, inclined to book, powerful diesel and gun caliber 76 mm (L-11, F-32, andlater ZIS-5).
Chassis
Engine-2K was the heart of this machine, its capacity is 500 horsepower at a speed of 1800 rpm / s.Multi-plate friction transmission had design flaws, it is often denied, as it was not designed for the efforts needed to change the speed of a heavy machine like KV (its mass is greater than 47 m), especially in the first two gears (there were 5).
chassis served as the basis of an individual torsion suspension of rollers relatively small (there were six on each side).Sagging caterpillars eliminated additional supporting rollers, casters, three each.Until 1942 they were covered with rubber to reduce the noise, but due to the shortage of materials from this "luxury" had to be abandoned.Track made wide (700 mm) to reduce the specific load on the ground.
Armament
Experience action against a desperate enemy, ready to go up against a tank with a bottle of Molotov cocktails, set a new requirement - the ability to create a barrage of fire curtain.To solve this problem, the machine is equipped with three machine-gun, one of which was sent back to protect the engine compartment.Another gun turret was, he covered the attack from the air.Free ergonomic interior space filled ammunition, it is sufficient to maintain a long grueling battle (135 rounds and 2770 rounds).Accuracy provides optical equipment consisting of sights (TOD-6 telescope, periscope PT-6).Commander's view of the possibility provided a good overview.The tank in combat schedule were five people, they can communicate via intercom, external communication provides walkie-71 TK-3 or IOP.
nearly 48-ton large object could reach a speed of 34 km / h and had a lifespan of 250 km.That's a lot.
At the beginning of a great war
Everyone knows that the war has begun in extremely unfavorable conditions for the USSR.On the one hand, we have warned of the impact of the Nazis various intelligence sources, on the other hand, he was extremely illogical.If the concentration of German troops rate has been known for it was not secret and unwillingness of the Wehrmacht for military action against the Soviet Union, is the lack of warm clothing and cold-resistant fuel.Nevertheless, Hitler gave the order to attack our borders, and a huge number of Soviet military supplies were destroyed or captured aggressor.KV has caused a real shock, like the German Command and the soldiers on the Eastern Front.The very presence of the enemy like a monster, despite the successful advance deep into the Soviet Union, led to a vague sense of their own technological backwardness.With amazement seized by the Germans considered them great self-propelled howitzers KV-2, and learned that in neighboring areas, one tank KV-1 constrained the superior forces of the attacking battalions.Another issue was the weak effectiveness of these monsters in defensive battles.If the offensive is necessary to "smoke" the enemy of the trenches, the trajectory of the projectile mounted - it is just what you need.Fire falls on the heads of the soldiers sitting in shelters from the sky, and no place to hide.But during the attack trajectory flatness need to mow the advancing chain and strike techniques.It proved useless as the lungs and the heaviest tanks.To the defense of the USSR I was not ready.
Military experts of the Wehrmacht, of course, understood what was meant captured appliances.Its study, in addition to the awareness of the power of the Soviet defense industry, made it possible to make other conclusions.Stalin confirms intention to attack Germany and KV.Photos of damaged armored siege weapons used and Goebbels' propaganda as proof of aggressive intentions of the Bolsheviks.Some captured Wehrmacht machine used for their own needs.
Light BT and other examples of offensive techniques soon removed from production as unnecessary in the circumstances.The same fate befell the armored 152 mm howitzer.It seemed that such a fate befall all "Klim Voroshilov".But history decided otherwise.Despite the fact that the tanks KV series almost all indicators inferior to the T-34, and their production continued even in the siege of Leningrad.For obvious reasons, to carry out the restructuring process cycle here was impossible, and armored front demanded, so that the production of machines not only curtailed, and even built up by connecting the metal and Izhora plants.Similarly, we received and "Tankograd" city of Chelyabinsk.There were difficulties with the engine V-2: the main production capacities before the war, were in Kharkov, and it was occupied by the Nazis.Because of this difficulty emerged, setting gasoline engines M-17, which, of course, reduced the combat capabilities of the technology.
«C" means "fast»
Despite the fact that the modern nature of the fighting involves giving up low-speed armored vehicles, the history of the KV-1 has not ended.When many of the shortcomings of this car, and she had obvious advantages, such as good protection and high permeability.Low speed characteristic of siege equipment, forced to attempt to adapt the characteristics of the "Klimov" to the modern combat maneuver.So there was a KV-1S, whose mass is reduced to 42.5 m. Was reached such a "lightness" thinning armor caterpillars narrowing and reduction of ammunition to 94 rounds (later 114).And took into account the claims of soldiers to the gearbox, it was replaced by a more perfect.Medium Tank still unsuccessful, the T-34 weighed a little more than 30 tonnes, and at the same power plant was much more maneuverable.And added to the name of the letter "C" means "fast".
Other modifications
In August 1942, he entered into a new sample of the armored vehicles, tank KV-85.
