Soviet heavy tank times of World War II. Usually called "KV": the tank was created under this name, and only later, after the appearance of a tank of the kiv-2, the sq. First sample retrospectively received a digital index. Made from August 1939 to August 1942. Participated in the war with Finland and the Great Patriotic War.

History of creation

The need to develop and create a heavy tank carrying an anti-frequency booking well realized in the USSR. Based on the domestic military theory, such tanks were simply necessary to prolaim the opponent's front and ensuring a breakthrough or overcoming fortified areas. Most of the armies of developed countries of the world had their theories and practices of overcoming the powerful fortified positions of the enemy, experience in this matter was acquired during the First World War. Such modern at that time fortified lines, for example, the Magino line or the Mannerheim line were considered even theoretically inferior. There was even an erroneous opinion that the Tank of the KV was created during the Finnish campaign especially for a breakthrough of Finnish long-term fortifications (Mannerheim Lines). In fact, the tank began to be created back at the end of 1938, when it became completely clear that the concept of a multi-gravily tank, similar to T-35, is a dead end. It was obvious that the presence of a large number of towers is not an advantage. And the gigantic sizes of the tank only take it up and do not allow to operate quite thick armor. The initiator of the design of Tank was the head of Abtu RKKA Comkor D. G. Pavlov.

In the late 1930s, attempts were made to create a tank of reduced (compared to T-35) sizes, but with thicker armor. However, the constructors did not decide to completely abandon the use of several towers: it was assumed that one gun would fight against infantry and suppress firepoints, and the second must be anti-tank - to combat armored vehicles.

New tanks designed as part of this concept (QMS and T-100) were two-baked, armed 76-mm and 45-mm cannons. And only as an experiment also created a reduced version of the QMS - with one tower. Due to this, the length of the machine (on two support rink) was reduced, which has a positive effect on dynamic characteristics. Unlike the predecessor, KV (the experimental tank was called) was equipped with a diesel engine. The first instance of the tank was built at the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ) in August 1939. Initially, the main designer of the tank was A. S. Ermolaev, then - N. L. Spirit.

On November 30, 1939, the Soviet-Finnish war began. Military did not miss the chance to test new heavy tanks. The day before the start of the war (November 29, 1939), the QMS, T-100 and KV were directed to the front. They were handed over to the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade, armed with average T-28 tanks.

She accepted his first battle tank on December 17 at the Hatinensky Strong Road of Mannerheim Line.

Crew kv in the first battle:

Lieutenant Kachkhin (commander)
-AND. Golovachev Voinchnik 2nd Rank (driver mechanic)
- Poletenant Poles (gunner)
-TO. Bucket (mechanic driver, testor of the Kirov plant)
-BUT. I. Estratov (Motorist / Charged, Testor of the Kirov Plant)
-P. I. Vasilyev (transmission officers / radioist, testing of the Kirov plant)
The tank with honor passed the test of the battle: he could not hit by any anti-tank gun of the enemy. The grievance of the military caused only the fact that the 76-mm gun L-11 was not strong enough to combat dotami. For this purpose I had to design new tank KV-2, armed with 152 mm warm.

According to Gabtu by joint decree of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) and the USSR SNK of December 19, 1939 (after a day after testing), the tank of the KV was adopted. As for the T-100 tanks and T-100, they also showed themselves in pretty well (however, the QMS at the very beginning of hostilities was exploded on mine), but they were not adopted for weapons, because with a higher firepower they were equipped with Less thick armor, possessed significant sizes and weight, as well as the worst dynamic characteristics.

Production

The serial release of the KV tanks started in February 1940 at the Kirovsky factory. In accordance with the decision of the SCSR of the USSR and the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) of June 19, 1940, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (CTP) was also prescribed to begin production of square meters. On December 31, 1940, the first quarter was built. At the same time, the plant started the construction of a special building for assembling a sq.

In 1941, 1200 kV tanks of all modifications were scheduled. Of these, in the Kirov Plant - 1000 pcs. (400 kV-1, 100 kV-2, 500 kV-3) and another 200 kV-1 on the chtz. However, only a few tanks were built on the beginning of the war. In total, in 1940, 243 kV-1 and kV-2 were produced (including 104 kV-2), and in the first half of 1941 - 393 (including 100 kV-2).

After the start of the war and the mobilization of the industry, the production of tanks in the Kirov plant has increased significantly. The production of tanks of the KV was given priority, therefore, the Leningrad Izhora and metal plants, as well as other plants, were connected to the production of many nodes and aggregates for heavy tanks.

But since July 1941, the evacuation of LKZ began in Chelyabinsk. The plant is located on the territory of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. On October 6, 1941, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant was renamed the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant of Narkomtankoprom. This plant, which received the informal name "Tankograd", became the main manufacturer of heavy tanks and SAU during the Great Patriotic War.

Despite the difficulties associated with the evacuation and deployment of the plant in a new place, in the second half of 1941, the front received 933 tanks of the KV, in 1942 they were already released already 2553 (including KV-1C and KV-8).

In addition to this B. blocade Leningrad At the plant No. 371 in 1942, from unused hijackers and towers and aggregates supplied with PCZ, there were still at least 67 kV-1 armed with guns as F-32 and ZIS-5. Since these cars walked only for the needs of the Leningrad Front, cut off from " Big land"They did not get into the reports of the gabt. The overall release of kV tanks, thus, today, you can estimate in 3539 tanks.

Tank design

For 1940, the serial kV-1 was a re-innovative design that embodied the most advanced ideas of that time: an individual torsion suspension, reliable anti-packing booking, a diesel engine and one powerful universal tool within the framework of classical layout. Although separately solutions from this set were quite often implemented earlier on other foreign and domestic tanks, the KV-1 was the first combat machine that embodied their combination. Some experts consider the Tank RV stage in the global tank building, which has had a significant impact on the design of subsequent heavy tanks in other countries. The classic layout on the serial Soviet hard tank was used for the first time, which allowed the KV-1 to get the highest level of security and a large modernization potential within the framework of this concept compared to the previous serial model of a heavy tank T-35 and experienced Machines of the QMS and T-100 (all - Multi-type type). The basis of the classical layout is the separation of armorpus from the nose to the feed sequentially on the control department, combat compartment and the motor-transmission compartment. The mechanic driver and the Radist shooter were located in the Department of Management, three other crew members were placed in a combat department, which united middle part Brononorpus and tower. There was also placed an instrument, the ammunition to it and some of the fuel tanks. The engine and transmission were equipped in the feed machine.

Armor hull and tower

The armor case of the tank was welded from rolled armor plates with a thickness of 75, 40, 30 and 20 mm. Armorial protection Equipment (armored spots with a thickness of a different from 75 mm were used only for horizontal booking of the machine), anti-phase. Armor plates of the frontal part of the machine were mounted at rational tilt angles. The serial kv tower was produced in three versions: cast, welded with a rectangular niche and welded with a rounded niche. The thickness of the armor in the welded towers was 75 mm, in the cast - 95 mm, as cast armor was less durable. In 1941, welded towers and side armor spots of some tanks were additionally strengthened - 25-mm armor screens were strengthened on bolts, and the air interval remained between the main armor and the screen, that is, this option of a kV-1 in fact received a separation booking. It's not entirely clear why it was done. Silent tanks The Germans began to create only in 41 (a heavy tank in the German Blitzkriegian theory did not find his use), so for 1941, even a regular booking of the kV-1 in principle was redundant (KV armor did not affect the standard 37-mm and 50mm PTO Wehrmacht, but still could be broken with 88-mm, 105-mm and 150 mm guns). Some sources are mistakenly indicated that the tanks were made with a rolled armor with a thickness of 100 mm and more - in fact, this figure corresponds to the amount of the thickness of the main reservation tank and screens.

The decision on the installation of "screens" was made at the end of June 1941, after the first reports on the losses from the fire of German anti-aircraft, however, in August, this program was discontinued, since the chassis did not endure the mass of the car, which increased to 50 tons. This problem was later partially solved by installing cast fusion rollers of the enhanced design. Shielded tanks were operated on the North-West and Leningrad fronts.

The frontal part of the Tower with Ambrazur for the gun, formed by the intersection of four spheres, was distinguished separately and welded with the rest of the tower bronces. The mask of the tool was the cylindrical segment of the bent rod armor-fruit and had three holes - for a gun, a paired machine gun and sight. The tower was mounted on the pursuit of a diameter of 1535 mm in the armor roof of the combat compartment and was fixed by the grips to avoid dumping with a strong roll or tipping the tank. The pursuit of the towers was located in thousandths for firing from closed positions.

The driver mechanic was located in the center in the front of the armorpus tank, to the left of it was workplace Arrow-radar. Three crew members were placed in the tower: the workplaces of the gun were equipped to the left of the gun, and the right of the tank commander was equipped. The planting and yield of the crew was carried out through two round hatches: one in the tower over the commander's workplace and one on the roof of the case above the workplace of the Radrute Arrow. The housing was also equipped with a bottom hatch for emergency leaving the tank crew and a row of hatches, hatches and technological holes for loading ammunition, access to fuel tanks, other nodes and machine units.

Armament

On the tanks of the first graduates, a 66.2 mm caliber can be equipped with an ammunition of 111 shotguns (on other information - 135 or 116). Interestingly, the initial project also provided a 45-mm gun with a 45-mm gun, although the armored airproof 76-mm tank gun L-11 was practically no longer inferior to the anti-tank 20k. Apparently, strong stereotypes about the need to have a 45-mm anti-tank gun, together with 76 mm, were explained by its higher rapidity and large ammunition. But already on a prototype aimed at Karelian stake, 45-mm gun was dismantled and installed instead of her machine gun DT-29. Subsequently, the L-11 gun was replaced by a 76-mm F-32 tool with similar ballistics, and in the fall of 1941 - on the UIS-5 gun with a greater length of the barrel in 41.6 caliber.

The ZIS-5 gun was installed on the pin in the tower and was completely balanced. The tower itself with the UIS-5 instrument was also balanced: its center of mass was located on the geometric axis of rotation. The ZIS-5 gun had vertical vertical angles from -5 to +25 degrees., With a fixed position of the tower, it could be guided in a small horizontal fitting sector (t. N. "Jewelry" tip). The shot was carried out by means of a manual mechanical descent.

The gun amp was 111 unitary charge shots. The shots were laid in the tower and along both sides of the combat department.

Three 7,62-mm Machine gun DT-29 were mounted on the KV-1 tank: a paired with an instrument, as well as coursework and fodder in ball installations. Amusement to all DT amounted to 2772 cartridges. These machine guns were installed in such a way that, if necessary, they could be removed from the mounts and apply outside the tank. Also for self-defense, the crew had several hand grenades F-1 and sometimes equipped with a gun for firing signal rockets. At every fifth kva, an anti-aircraft turret was established for DT, however, in practice, anti-aircraft gunners rarely were rarely.

Engine

KV-1 was equipped with a four-dimensional V-shaped 12-cylinder diesel engine in 2K with a capacity of 500 liters. from. (382 kW) at 1800 rpm, subsequently due to the overall increase in the mass of the tank after installing heavily cast towers, screens and cancellation of the edges of the edge of the engine power brought to 600 liters. from. (441 kW). Engine launch was carried out by a starter of the ST-700 with a capacity of 15 liters. from. (11 kW) or compressed air from two tanks with a capacity of 5 liters in the combat separation of the machine. KV-1 had a dense layout, at which the main fuel tanks with a volume of 600-615 liters were placed in battle, and in the motor-transmission department. In the second half of 1941, due to the lack of diesel engines in B-2K, which were produced at the time only at factory No. 75 in Kharkov (from the autumn of the same year, the process of evacuation of the plant for the Urals began), the KV-1 tanks were made with four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder carburetor engines M-17t with a capacity of 500 liters. from. In the spring of 1942, a decree was published on the conversion of all those in the ranking kv-1 tanks with M-17T engines back to diesel engines B-2K - the evacuated factory No. 75 set up their production in sufficient quantities in a new place.

Transmission

The KV-1 tank was equipped with a mechanical transmission, which included:

Multidisk main friction of dry friction "steel in Ferodo";
-Thytrumless transmission of tractor type;
-Twill multi-disc on-board frictions with friction "steel according to steel";
- on the onboard planetary gearbox;
- Flooring brakes.
All transmission control drives are mechanical. When used in the troops, the largest number of complaints and complaints of the manufacturer was called precisely defects and the extremely unreliable operation of the transmission group, especially with overloaded tanks of the QB of military time. Almost all authoritative printing sources recognize one of the most significant drawbacks of the tanks of the KV series and the machines at its base low reliability of the transmission as a whole.

Chassis

Machine suspension is an individual torsion torsion with internal depreciation for each of the 6 stamped duplex patch rollers of a small diameter for each board. Opposite each reference rink to the armor of the suspension balancing stoppers. The leading wheels with the removable gear gears were placed in the back, and the sloths are in front. The upper branch of the caterpillar was maintained by three small rubberized stamped support rollers for each board. In 1941, the technology of production of support and supporting rollers was transferred to cast, the latter lost rubber bandages because of the total tires in that period. The caterpillar tension mechanism - screw; Each caterpillar consisted of 86-90 single-grade tracks 700 mm wide and a step of 160 mm.

Electrical equipment

The electrical wiring in the kV-1 tank was single-wire, the second wire served the armor of the machine. The exception was a chain of emergency lighting, which was two-wire. Sources of electricity (operating voltage 24 V) were GT-4563A generator with a RRA-24 regulator with a capacity of 1 kW and four successively connected rechargeable batteries Grade 6-ST-128 with a total capacity of 256 A · h. Electricity consumers included:

Electric motor turn of the tower;
- manufacturing and internal lighting of the machine, highlighting the sights and measuring instrument scales;
- a search beep and alarm chain from the landing to the machine crew;
-Control-measuring devices (ammeter and voltmeter);
- communication - radio station and tank negotiation device;
-Electrical engine group - starter ST-700, start relay RS-371 or RS-400, etc.

Means of observation and sights

The overall visibility of the SV-1 tank in 1940 was evaluated in the report of L. Mehlis from the Miliatreer Kalyria as extremely unsatisfactory. The commander of the car had the only observation device in the tower - PTK panorama. The mechanic-driver in battle performed through a viewing device with a triplex, which was equipped with an armor damper. This viewing device was mounted in the armored hatch tube on the front armor on the longitudinal axial line of the machine. In a relaxed atmosphere, this hatch tube advanced forward, providing a mechanical driver more convenient immediate review from his workplace.

To maintain fire kV-1, it was equipped with two guns - telescopic Tod-6 for the shooting of direct vendor and periscopic PT-6 for firing from closed positions. The head of the periscopic sight was defended by a special armored hat. To ensure the possibility of fire in the dark time, the scales of the sights had lighting devices. Course and stern machine guns of DTs could be equipped with a sight of PU from sniper rifle With a three-time increase.

Means of communication

Communication facilities included a radio station 71-TK-3, later 10p or 10pc-26. On a number of tanks from the shortage, aviation radio stations 9p were equipped. The KV-1 tank was equipped with an internal TPU-4-bis negotiation device for 4 subscribers.

Radio stations 10p or 10pc were a set of transmitter, receiver and sophilormers (single-locking motor generators) for their power connected to the onboard power grid by a voltage of 24 V.

10P-simplex tube short-wave radio station operating in the frequency range from 3.75 to 6 MHz (respectively wavelengths from 80 to 50 m). In the parking lot, the connection distance in the telephone (voice) mode reached 20-25 km, in the motion it decreased somewhat. A large range of communication could be obtained in a telegraph mode, when the information was transmitted by the telegraph key of the Morse alphabet or a different discrete coding system. The frequency stabilization was made by a removable quartz resonator, the smooth adjustment of the frequency was absent. 10p allowed communication at two fixed frequencies; For their shift, another quartz resonator of 15 pairs in a set of radio station was used.

The 10park radio station was a technological improvement in the previous model 10p, it became easier and cheaper in production. This model has the possibility of a smooth choice of working frequency, the number of quartz resonators was reduced to 16. The characteristics for the range of significant changes did not undergo.

The TPU 4-BIS tank negotiation device made it possible to negotiate between the tank crew members even in a strongly roaming atmosphere and connect the headset (headphones and laryngophones) to the radio station for external communication.

TTH kV-1 arr. 1940

Classification: Heavy Tank
- mother mass, T: 47.5
-Control scheme: classic
-Echipa, people: 5

Dimensions:

Case length, mm: 6675
- Bashing case, mm: 3320
-Sote, mm: 2710
-Clins, mm: 450

Booking:

Book Type: Steel Kanna Homogenic
-Loba housing (top), mm / hail.: 75/30 degrees.
-Loba housing (middle), mm / hail.: 60/70 degrees.
-Loba housing (bottom), mm / hail: 75/25 degrees.
Border of the housing, mm / hail.: 75/0 Grad
- Corps (top), mm / hail: 60/50 degrees.
- Corpus (bottom), mm / hail.: 75 / 0-90 degrees.
-Dine, mm: 30-40
-Break of the hull, mm: 30-40
-Loba tower, mm / hail: 75/20 degrees.
-Maska guns, mm / hail: 90
-Bort towers, mm / hail.: 75/15 degrees.
Basic tower, mm / hail: 75/15 degrees
-Crya Tower, mm: 40

Armament:

Caliber and Gun Mark: 76 mm L-11, F-32, F-34, ZIS-5
-Type cannons: row
- Stem, calibers: 41.6 (for ZIS-5)
Boot Pushkit: 90 or 114 (depending on the modification)
HV, Grad.:? 7 ... + 25 degrees.
- Triples: Telescopic Tod-6, Periskopic PT-6
-Pulents: 3 x Dt

Mobility:

Engine type: V-shaped 12-cylinder four-dimensional diesel liquid cooling
- engine power, l. S.: 600.
- Sport on the highway, km / h: 34
-Caspaste on the highway, km: 150-225
-Caspaste for crossed terrain, km: 90-180
- Furious power, l. p. / t: 11.6
-Type pendants: torsion
- Furious pressure on the soil, kg / sq.m.: 0,77

The world's first heavy tank of anti-freckline booking

The heavy tank of the KV-1A, raised from the bottom of the Neva in the spring of 2003

In accordance with the decision of the USSR Defense Committee at the end of 1938 in SKB-2 of the Kirov Plant in Leningrad (Chief Designer J. Ya. Katten) began designing a new hard with anti-frequency booking, called the SMC (Sergey Mironovich Kirov). The development of another heavy tank, called T-100, was engaged in the Leningrad Plant of Experimental Mechanical Engineering. Kirov (factory No. 185). In parallel with the QMS, a project of a unobedy heavy tank of square was developed.

The lead designer of the SMK tank was A. S. Ermolaev. The initial project envisaged the creation of a three-way machine weighing 55 tons. In the process of work from one tower, they refused, and the saved weight was sent to the thickening of the armor. In parallel with the QMS of the group of diplomas of the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization. Stalin, who took place in the Kirovsky factory, under the leadership of L. E. Sychev and A. S. Yermolaeva, a project of a unobed heavy tank of KV (Klim Voroshilov) was developed. In essence, the CV was reduced by a length of two reference rink of the QMS with one tower and a diesel engine. At the final stage of designing a single tank, the leading designer of the project was appointed N. L. Spirit.

In August 1939, the Tank KV was made in the metal, and at the end of September he participated in the show of new samples of armored vehicles on NIBT polygon in Cuba. In October, factory tests began. In November, the first prototype of the tank was sent to the front to Karelian shells to participate in hostilities against Finns. December 19, 1939 Tank KV was adopted by the Red Army.

Serial production of kv tanks with 76-mm cannons ("Tanks with a small tower") and hastily designed by the experience of fights on the Mannerheim line of Tankov from 152-mm Hubites ("Tanks with a Big Tower") began in February 1940 at the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ). By the end of the year, the Kirov plant managed to make a 243 tank (139 kV-1 and 104 kV-2), fully completed a plan to be lowered on top. In accordance with the Decree of the USSR SCC and the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) of June 19, 1940, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (CTU) was supposed to be connected. On December 31, 1940, an experienced assembly of the first kV Ural production was made. At the same time, the construction of a special case for assembling heavy tanks began in Chelyabinsk.

This KV-2 tank was stopped only with a projectile in the left caterpillar

The production plan for 1941 provided for the release of 1200 kV tanks. Of these, in the Kirov factory - 1000, on the CHTZ - 200. However, the war made adjustments to this plan. By the beginning of the war in Chelyabinsk, there were only 25 kV-1, and the production of KV-2 was not mastered. In total, in the first half of 1941, 393 tanks of square were made.

The housing of the SV-1 tank was welded from rolled armor sheets, the maximum thickness of which reached 75 mm. The tower was made in two versions - welded and cast. The maximum thickness of armor welded towers reached 75 mm, cast - 95 mm. In 1941, the thickness of the armor of welded towers brought to 105 mm by installing 25-mm screens that were attached with bolts.

On the tanks of the first releases, 76-mm cannon L-11 was installed, then the F-32 of the same caliber, and from the end of October 1941 - 76-mm CIS-5 gun. In addition, the tank was armed with three machine guns - paired, coursework and stern. An anti-aircraft gun of DT was installed on the part of the cars. Amusement consisted of 135 cannon shots and 2772 cartridges for machine guns.

12-cylinder V-shaped Diesel B-2K with a capacity of 600 liters. from. Allowed a 47.5-ton combat machine to develop speed 34 km / h. The turn of the highway was 250 km. The crew of the tank consisted of five people.

The main difference between the SV-2 tank was installed in the new large-sized tower. The total height of the machine reached 3240 mm. In the tower, in a mask, closed outside armored casing, a 152-mm tank Gaubita M-10 sample of 1938-1940 and a paired machine gun of DT were installed. In the stern of the tower, there was a door, next to which another DT was placed in the ballproof. The tank also preserved the course machine gun in the windshield sheet of the case. The ammunition consisted of 36 shotgun shots and 3087 ammunition. Power installation, power transmission, chassis, electrical and radio equipment remained the same as on KV-1. The KV-2 tank was released in limited quantities, and after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War from July 1, 1941, its production stopped.

KV-1

As of June 1, 1941, there were 504 tanks in the troops. Of this amount, the large part was in the Kiev Special Military District - 278 cars. The Western Special Military District has 116 tanks of the KV, the Baltic special - 59, Odessa - 10. In the Leningrad Military District there were 6 tons of KV, in Moscow - 4, in Volga - 19, in Orlovsky - 8, in Kharkov - 4. From this quantity There was 75 kV-1 and 9 kV-2 in operation. From June 1 to 21, 41 tank sq was sent to the troops from the factory.

Preparation of crews for new heavy tanks was often conducted (if it was carried out at all) on any types of tanks. For example, on December 3, 1940, the Directive of the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army No. 5/4/370 was prescribed "to learn the personnel and savings of the material part of combat vehicles, exclusively as training, for every battalion of heavy tanks for 10 tankets T-27. It remains a mystery, as on T-27 it was possible to learn how to drive and servicing the KV-1 or KV-2. As a result, by June 1941, the number of prepared crews for these machines did not exceed 150.

In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, both obvious advantages and disadvantages of new heavy tanks were fully manifested, as well as all the shortcomings in combat training and the organizational structure. tank troops Red Army. For example, in the report on the combat actions of the 8th mechanized corps from 22 to 26 June 1941 (by the beginning of the war, there were 71 KB, 49 T-35, 100 T-34, 277 BT, 344 T-26, 17 T-27) The following was reported: "The driver's composition of KB and T-34 combat vehicles in their majority had experience of practical driving from 3 to 5 hours. For the entire period of the body of the combat material part And the personnel is completely on tactical teachings were not displayed and were not practically tested both on marching preparation, as well as actions in the main types of battle. Tactical incomplete was carried out not higher than the scale of the company, battalion and partially regiment. "

From the report of the commander of the 41st Tank Division of the 22nd Mechanized Corps of July 25, 1941 on the combat actions of the division (by the beginning of the war it was 312 T-26 and 31 kV-2 tanks), it follows that to 152-mm guns 2 There was no projectile.

According to the memories of D. Sidida, the commander of the company RV-1 tanks in the 2nd Tank Division, "June 23-24, even before entering into battle, many KB tanks, especially a kva-2, failed during the marches. Very big problems were with a gearbox and air filters. June was hot, on the roads of dust balkalics, a huge amount and filters had to be changed in an hour and a half of the engine. Before entering into battle, the tanks of my company managed to replace them, and in the neighboring - no. As a result, by the middle of the day, most cars were broken in these rotes. "

Well prepared crews were created on the tanks of kV miracles. On August 18, 1941, five kV-1 tanks of Senior Lieutenant Z. G. Kolobanova took the defense on the approaches to the city of Krasnogvardeisk (Gatchina). By evening, the tanks were covered in the tower in Conofers. For your Kolobanov chose the position in the most threatened area - the northern outskirts of Krasnogvardeysk. People of the 1st German Tank Division, who arrived here, could hit the Soviet troops in the rear of the Soviet troops, which occupied the defense at the borders of the Krasnogvardeysky Studyonon, and then, coming out on the old Gatchina parks to the Kiev highway, almost freely move towards Leningrad.

On the morning of August 19, on the left flank, one of the company's tanks entered into battle with the enemy. In the second hour of the day, German tanks appeared before the position of Kolobanov. 22 The enemy machines walked along the road a column on the abbreviated distances, substituting their left boards almost at a right angle to the tool. The hatches were open, many Germans sat on the armor. Our tankers even distinguished their faces, since the distance to the enemy column was small - only about 150 m. When to reference point number 1 (two birchings at the crossroads), a few meters left by tankers, a few meters remained, Colobanov ordered the commander of the tool to the senior sergeant to open the fire. A few shots of the mustache set up two heads and two end tank of the enemy. The column was in the bag. The maneuver for the Germans was limited to the wetlands on both sides of the road. The enemy did not immediately determine where the fire was being conducted, but then wrapped the shower of shells to the position of Kolobanov. Tankists teared from the powder gases, from the blows of enemy shells along the tank armor all were contused. Usov, without breaking away from the sight, continued to shoot the tank behind the tank. Finally, the last 22nd tank was destroyed. During the battle time, lasted for more than an hour, the mustache released 98 shells on the enemy. For this fight Senior Lieutenant Colobanov was awarded the Order Red Banner, and Senior Sergeant Usov - Lenin Order.

In the same battle, other carriages of KV from Kolobanov became distinguished. In a battle at the Luzhsk road, the crew of Lieutenant Sergeyev brought 8 German tanks, the crews of Lautenta Lastochka and the younger lieutenant Degtyar - by 4, and the crew of the younger lieutenant Evdokimenko - 5. At the same time, Evdokimenko died in battle, three members of his crew were injured, and the fifth tank of mechanic - Sidic-dresser destroyed the shuffle. In just 1941, the company Kolobanova disabled 43 German tanks.

As for the Taranians, quite often described in certain publications, in the summer of 1941 they were really frequent, but sometimes not from a good life. This is what was reported in the report of the commander of the 43rd tank division of the 19th mechanized corps of battles from June 22 to August 10, 1941: "Pursuing the inference infantry, our tanks were met by fire tanks of the enemy from an ambush from the place, but (ambush) was attacked Kb and T-34 tanks, and after them and T-26 tanks ... KB and T-34 tanks, without having a sufficient number of armor-piercing shells, they conducted a fire with fragmentation shells and put pressure and destroyed the tanks of the enemy and anti-tank guns, moving from one turn to another. "

However, despite the powerful armor, strong weapons and heroism of individual crews, KB tanks did not play in the summer fights of 1941 no significant role. The main part of these machines failed for technical reasons due to illiterate operation, the lack of spare parts, evacuation and repair tools. In addition, the Germans, finding out that it is impossible to fight with conventional anti-tank drugs with KB, the 88-mm anti-aircraft guns Flak 36 and 105-mm were successfully used (according to the German designation system - 10-cm) Case field cannons K18.

Nevertheless, in the fall of 1941, there are reports on the fully successful use of kv tanks. True, mainly in defense. For example, on November 8, 1941, the crew of the Tank of KV Lieutenant A. Martynov from the 16th Tank Brigade of the Volkhov Front in battle at the village of Zupkino ( Leningrad region) Reflected an attack from the ambush to 14 German tanks, destroying five more German cars as trophies as trophies. Soon these tanks were repaired and already fought as part of the 16th tank brigade. For this fight, Lieutenant Martynov was presented to the title of the hero Soviet Union. On December 5, 1941, the crew of the tank of the KV-1 lieutenant Paul Guudza from the 89th separate tank battalion entered into battle from 18 german tanks, I got down 10 of them, as well as four anti-tank guns. For this fight, Hoodz was awarded the Order of Lenin. It must be said that with a tank of a kV, this tankman was familiar perfectly, as he began to fight on it from the first days of the Great Patriotic War. His further combat fate is also associated with combat machines of this type.

In July 1942, Pavel Goodz already in the rank of captain was appointed commander of the 574th tank battalion of the 212th tank brigade, which was part of the troops of the Don Front. In November of the same year, Captain Hudsu was awarded Chin Major and appointed the post of deputy commander of the 8th separate Guards Tank Region. However, for a long time in this position he could not listen, as next month was injured.

In one of the battles, his tank caught fire. In addition, the caterpillar flew and the combat car froze in place. And on the armor, the flame from the broken diesel fuel was already buzzing, threatening to penetrate inside the car stuffed with ammunition. The tankers were saved by the crew, and their commander with six penetrating injuries urgently sent to the hospital. After such injuries in combat system are not returned. But the major wrote a report by the Supreme Commander personally and achieved his - was aimed at the front.

The 5th Separate Guards Tank Region, which was part of the south-western troops (subsequently 3rd Ukrainian) front, in which he accepted the position of deputy commander in May 1943, became the new site of Major's service. Upon approach to Zaporozhye, to ensure the rifle units forcing the Dnieper, it was necessary to capture the hydraulic hydroelectric station. Two days came a fierce fight. When our tanks reached the goal, the "Tiger" suddenly jumped out of the ambush. The cannon duel rose. Suddenly the tank in which he was Huds, shook the blow of a huge strength. Charged and the gunner were killed. Gudwit was damaged by the left clavicle and crushed the brush of the left hand: she dangled on one alkalo. The pain bold consciousness, and in the sight of the sight "Tigers" broke up, as on the water, the rainbow spots of the diesel freshear. Forceing pain, Lieutenant Colonel Hoodz Finnish cut her tendon. The brush slipped out of the overalls. Now all the attention of "tigers". Here one put the board. Obediently worked the descent pedal. From the shot, the tank shuddered - and the enemy car embraced by a flame frozen on the sandy shallow. The second "Tiger" still managed to deploy his gun, and Hudz saw a black circle of her trunk. "Tiger" and KB shot each other almost simultaneously ...

Upgraded kV-2 with MT-1. In the background one kV-2

When I woke up, it came to the consciousness, that already in the evening and the fight goes in the distance, and he lies near the tank, in a fresh funnel from the air bible. A driver was sitting near the driver. Noticing that the commander came to himself, rejoicedly reported: "And you too, too ..."

The reader will certainly immediately arise the question: was there "Tigers"? After all, after the Kursk battle, the receipt is almost any German tank to the "tigrin" class in the Red Army mass phenomenon. Well, you can say firmly - "Tigers" were! It was at this time that in this place, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe dam Dniprogece, the 506th German heavy tank battalion was fighting. Of course, KV, let's say straight, did not "pull" against the "tiger" in a tank duel, but since the battle was described on a short distance, the chances were aligned. Well, and such an experienced tanker, like Paul Goodz, nothing was worth hit "Tiger" from the first shot. So it is safe to say that in this battle he really got two "tiger", and from the broken tank and with a cropped brush left hand! The fact that in the magazine of the 506th German Heavy Tank Battalion, we will most likely not find any confirmation of this, nothing that means nothing - the Germans took into account only their irrevocable losses, the baked tanks in their reports do not appear at all.

It should be emphasized that the Tank KB itself is a rather controversial fate. As it is neither paradoxically sounds, but in 1941 this tank was not needed - he simply did not have a decent opponent. No explicit combat advantages over average T-34, with the exception of thicker armor, he did not. The weapon was the same, and maneuverability is worse than thirty parts. Tankists did not really love this car: KB could eat up to break any way (the wheel technique could no longer), he was not able to withstand almost a single bridge, with the exception of capital stone. But the most important disadvantage is an extremely unreliable transmission, the output of which was a massive phenomenon.

Part of the shortcomings of the transmission was eliminated on the modification of the KV-1C appeared in 1942 ("C" - speed). However, on this modification in pursuit of maneuverability reduced the thickness of the armor, and in their combat properties, heavy KB was even more approaching middle tanks.

Thus, the only exclusion of the release of KB in 1941-1942 in parallel with the T-34 could be only a more powerful gun, for example 85-mm. But this was not done because of the reason that at that time the gun of 76 mm caliber completely coped with all the opponent armor.

Captured by the Germans KV 2. German mechanized division on march

The tank of a similar KB class - "Tiger" appeared in the Germans only at the end of 1942. And then the fate played the second sore joke with the KB - it is instantly outdated. Our tank was simply powerless against the "tiger" with his "long hand" - 88-mm gun with a 56 caliber barrel length. "Tiger" could affect KB on distances, beyond for the latter. It did not slow down to affect battle. For example, on February 12, 1943, during a breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad, three "tiger" of the 1st company of the 502nd heavy tank battalion destroyed 10 square meters. At the same time, the Germans did not have losses.

A somewhat smoothed the situation allowed the appearance of a tank KV-85. But these cars were arranged late, they were released a little and contribute to the fight against German heavy tanks they could not. A more serious opponent for the "tigers" could be the KV-122 - serial kV-85, armed in an experimental order of 122-mm gun D-25T. But at this time, the Tsehi Chkz began to leave the first tanks of the IP series. The latter, at first glance, continued by the line KB, were already completely new cars.

KV-85 - Soviet heavy tank of the period of the Great Patriotic War. KV abbreviation means "Klim Voroshilov" - the official name of the serial Soviet hard tanks of release 1940-1943. The index 85 means the caliber of the main weapon of the machine.

From 1940 to 1943, 4775 KB tanks of all modifications were released. They fought on all the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, first in the composition of the tank brigades of mixed composition, then as part of the individual guards tank regiments. Until 1945 she lived very little KB used as combat tanks. Basically, after dismantling the tower, they served as evacuation tractors.

In service with a single army of the world did not consist of heavy tanks. One exception. The Red Army had.

Why do need heavy tanks

War is, first of all, work, heavy, dirty and very dangerous. Soldiers most of the time is engaged in the fact that the earth is digging. The more he removes the soil, the higher his chances of survive. There are other types of work, no less labor-intensive, and for each of them requires its own tool. To apply bombing strikes for separate point purposes is not suitable heavy bombarder - Need an attack aircraft. To destroy the industrial potential of the enemy, the fighter should not be applied, there are strategic bombing, and there should be a lot of them. Light tanks are necessary for deep and rapid raids, bypassing the enemy defense and the creation of "boilers", in which significant military connections, deprived of supply and communications, will not be able to stand for a long time. If you make analogies with the working tool, they perform the functions of the blade, flexible and convenient. But there are situations when something is required is more powerful, and acuteness much Does not (Colong, for example, or ax). Heavy tanks are needed when it is possible to take or get along the fortified positions of the fortified positions, and a technician breaker is required, a strong frontal blow, and disturbing and merciless.

In December 1939, heavier and bloody battles went to Karelia. A terrible cracker frost, snow cover on the belt, under it the swamps, and non-freezing. If you add mines to weather conditions, the detection of which is very problematic; operation of snipers; unexpectedly arising cleaned firepoints protected by thick reinforced concrete; Polar night acting in oppressing to the psyche; the inability to dilute the fire and keep warm in general; Boulders, hidden, again, under the snow, and much, much more, it becomes clear, "Why was so long with some little Finland." In the difficult case of a breakthrough of Mannerheim, the heavy tanks played an important role. The USSR represented by Stalin's leadership decided to create a heavy duty armored camraul before other countries. In the Finnish war, experimental samples were attended, in particular the QMS. On December 17, trying to overcome Stolongonon Hotinen, one of them, which at its disposal of the 20th Brigade, exploded to the crew of losses did not suffer, but was forced to leave the car. It was one of the first cases of applying a new weapon.

In the military industry, nothing is done just like that. It is difficult to imagine the situation in which I. V. Stalin causes constructors of armored vehicles and, having barely, says to them: "And make a heavy tank me. I really want it. I have such a whim ... ". In this case, no country has enough funds to fulfill the most pressing tasks to protect their frontiers. No, all the tasks that specialists were put in the Kremlin were justified.

Design a combat machine that meets the modern assignments for assault arms started in early 1939, fulfilling the Defense State Committee for Defense, adopted in December 1938. According to the USSR, the fighting in the case of the probable (and expected) war should have unfolded in the enemy territory in the conditions of his stubborn opposition at the initial stage. Such a nature of the conflict required certain technical means, in connection with these designers, the corresponding TK was given. It was understood that large connections were moved through wide breaks in defensive lines, equipped with light-speed BT classes capable of moving along roads at high speed. With such a likely scenario, subject to complete domination in the air, the victory was guaranteed with minimal losses.

Start of design work

Supervised the design of the SMK J. Katin tank, the General Designer of the Kirov Leningrad Plant. The name of the killed by the leader, the head of the revolution, the headorganization of the revolution, was immortalized in the title. Another car was developed under the leadership of A. S. Yermolaeva at the nearby plant No. 185, it was called T-100. The design thought of those years was multidirectional, in particular, one of the main directions was considered a multi-proper scheme, in which the fire sector could be circular. The SMC weight was too big, and instead of three towers decided to install two to improve the running characteristics and booking.

However, soon after the start of design work, a group of graduate-trainees VAMM (Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization). Stalin, led by N. F. Shashmurin, suggested to go further: to remove another tower (which young specialists considered excessively), install diesel instead of a carburetor engine and reduce the running part for two rinks. In essence, the team intuitively came to the scheme that became classic for many decades, ahead of all foreign colleagues who took this idea only in the fifties.

So Born the Soviet tank kV-1.

From drawings to metal

To bring a monadaded tank was instructed by the leading design of N. L. Sprat. Remind that in the Stalin's years it was dangerous to slow, today it is not necessary for anyone. Any delay could have changed the work on a less prestigious, in a kerchief and with a saw or ax. The chief designer of the tank KV Comrade of spirits with the task coped. Already by August, heavy tanks of the KV and the QMS were prepared and were presented to the State Commission, and in September, the Kubinka polygon was shocked from the wheels of motors during the show of new samples. Equally promptly occurred by their admission to weapons, already "liberation campaign" on Finland, and this technique was extremely necessary. Designers also interested in the efficiency of development. Tank "Klim Voroshilov" went into battle.

How to appear kV-2

Mannerheim's line was thoroughly thorough. Unlike the French mahino, she rested against the edges in the coast (in the west to the Finnish Bay, in the East to Ladoga), and it was impossible to bypass it. The fortifications were built correctly, with a high degree of autonomy and the entire infrastructure necessary for defense. In general, the heavy tank of KV showed itself well, but the tools of a 76 mm caliber was obviously not enough to destroy the reinforced concrete structures, covered with a soil layer. There was something more efficient, for example, a 152-mm Gaubita, which was already in service consistent, the truth for its transportation was needed a powerful tractor tractor. The Leningrad designers were set a new task: to connect two important elements, a huge gun and a tracked running part, and even ensure that the crew with the gun calculation is reliable. Thus appeared kV-2, a tank-hammer, designed to crush any fortifications.

In the interwar period

Finnish war, although it was bloody, ended quickly, but, despite this, the production of heavy machines, including a siege type, continued. From February 1940, the tank in two versions was launched with a series on LKZ (Leningrad Kirovsky Plant), and since June and to the CHTZ (Chelyabinsk Plant, called Tractor). The enthusiasm in those years was extremely high, the first kV of the Ural assembly came out of the workshop soon, and a separate building was built for capacity building, the dimensions of which were very important. The work and design teams did not stop, continuing to improve the technical indicators and eliminate the disadvantages identified during the fighting. In the fall, two new samples with more powerful artillery weapons (85 mm, a caliber, which even even could not even dream could appear (85 mm, the caliber of the rest of the world). By the end of the year, another giant was planned, this time with 100-mm defense. These cars were secret developmentsThey were called objects 220, 221 and 222. so that no one knew ...

Comparison with probable enemy

In 1941, it was planned to produce 1200 heavy machines, in particular the KV-1 - 400, kV-2 - 100 (it had a very specific function, and the need for it was lower), and kV-3 - as many as 500 pieces. And it is only in Leningrad! Another 200 units should have given a chance. In 1949, the heavy tank of the KV-1 and the superheavy kV-2 were also produced, and in a considerable amount (243). In total, they were 636 in the arms of the Red Army. A lot is it or not enough? Soviet historians, explaining the reasons for the summer catastrophe of 1941, expressed the opinion that we did not have enough. At the same time, they forgot to mention that the Wehrmacht crossed the border of the USSR, having at its disposal a little more than three thousand tanks, and they all, without exception, were light. Moreover, they are very difficult to call them very hard. The European blitzkrieg was, of course, a cheerful walk, but this is indifferent to the engine, it is worn out even when driving on a very good autobahn. Machines captured in France and Czechoslovakia also did not go to any comparison even with our light BT. Romania, the ally of Nazi Germany, and was in service with Renault-17 (17 - this year of release, 1917), there were 2 pieces in the USSR, they stood in museums.

And yet, it's time to recall that in the Soviet Union, not only heavy tanks were made. There were also medium, T-34, the best in the world, and they were built very actively. And the lungs, they were produced by unprecedented circulations. And by armament, and on armor protection, and according to the characteristics of the engines (mainly, by the way, diesel, B-2, which no one could repeat anything else in the world throughout the war) they exceeded the vermh vehoche technique. The Soviet tank KV as of mid-1941 did not have analogues at all.

Design

At the time of the creation of the first prototypes soviet tanksfactors allowed to apply the most progressive technologies. No riveted compounds even have a speech, the housing was made by the welded method. It also concerned the tool tower, which in the future improved, using a solidity method. The thickness of armor sheets was 75 mm. The modification capabilities of the structure allowed to further increase protection up to 105 mm due to the installation on the bolts of additional armored armor, but in 1941 there could not hit the tank KV-1 in 1941.

The general scheme was classic for Soviet armored vehicles of the second half of the thirties (later adopted for the sample engineers of the whole world): Rear transmission, excluding cardan shaft, inclined booking, powerful diesel and instrument of caliber 76 mm (L-11, F-32, and later ZIS -five).

Chassis

The engine B-2K was the heart of this car, its capacity was 500 horsepower at the speed of rotation of 1800 rev / s. The multi-disc friction transmission had structural defects, it often refused, since it was not designed for the efforts necessary to change the speed of such a heavy machine as a tank of kV (its mass exceeded 47 tons), especially on the first two transmissions (there were only 5 of them).

The basis of the chassis was the torsion individual suspension of relatively small support rollers (there were six for each board). Schedules of caterpillars eliminated additional, supporting rollers, three each. Until 1942, they were covered with rubber to reduce the noise, but due to the deficit of materials from this "luxury" it was necessary to refuse. Caterpillars made wide (700 mm) to reduce the specific load on the ground.

Armament

The experience of actions against the desperate enemy, ready to go against a bottle tank asked a new requirement - the possibility of creating a barrier firing curtain. To solve this problem, the machine was equipped with three machine gun points, one of which was directed back to protect the engine compartment. Another machine gun was turret, he covered from the attack from the air. Free internal space ergonomically filled the ammunition, quite sufficient to maintain a long exhausting combat (135 shells and 2770 ammunition). The shooting accuracy provided optical equipment that consisted of sights (Tod-6 telescopic, PT-6 periscopic). The commander Panorama provided the possibility of a good review. Five people were in the tank on a combat schedule, they could communicate with the help of intercom, the external connection was provided by the waters of 71-TK-3 or YUR.

Almost 48-ton Mahina could develop speed up to 34 km / h and had a motorway of 250 km. This is a lot.

At the beginning of a big war

It is well known that the war began in extremely unfavorable conditions for the USSR. On the one hand, various reconnaissance sources warned about the impact of the Nazis, it was extremely illogical. If the concentration of the German troops, the bet was known, for her did not compile the secret and unpretentiousness of the Wehrmacht to combat actions against the Soviet Union, which consisted in the absence of warm uniforms and frost-resistant fuels. Nevertheless, Hitler gave an order to attack our borders, and a huge number of Soviet military reserves were destroyed or captured by the aggressor. The tank of the KV caused the real shock, both in the German command and among the soldiers on the Eastern Front. The very presence of an opponent of such a monster, despite the successful promotion of the USSR deep, caused a vague sense of its own technological backwardness. With the amazement, the Germans considered the huge self-propelled HABS-2 houbies captured by them, and learned that in neighboring sites one tank KV-1 was held back by the superior forces of the upcoming battalions. Another question consisted in the weak efficiency of these monsters in defensive battles. If at the occurrence you need to "smoke" the enemy from the trenches, then the hinged trajectory of the projectile is just what is needed. The fire fell on the heads sitting in the shelters right from the sky, and have nowhere to hide. But when reflecting the attack, the trajectory is a flooring to mow the upcoming chains and solve the technique. It turned out to be useless both light and the hardest tanks. The USSR was not ready for defense.

Military experts of the Wehrmacht, of course, understood what was intended for the captured technique. Its study, in addition to awareness of the power of the Soviet defense industry, made it possible to do other conclusions. Confirmed the intention of Stalin to strike in Germany and the tank of square meters. Photos of damaged armored siege guns used and Goebbels propaganda as proof of the aggressive intentions of the Bolsheviks. Some captured vermachut machines used for their own needs.

Light BT and other samples of offensive equipment soon removed from production as unnecessary in the current situation. The same fate suffered both armored 152-mm leaders. It seemed that such a fate would comprehend all the "Voroshilovy Klims". But the story ordered otherwise. Despite the fact that the tanks of the KV series almost all indicators were inferior to T-34, their production continued even in a blockade Leningrad. For obvious reasons, it was impossible to carry out the restructuring of the technological cycle, and the front armor demanded, so the release of cars not only did not roll, but even increased by connecting the metal and Izhora plants. Similarly, they were accepted in the Tankograd of the city of Chelyabinsk. Difficulties have arisen with engines B-2: the main production facilities before the war were in Kharkov, and his Nazis occupied. From this difficulty, installing gasoline M-17 motors, which, of course, reduced the fighting equipment.

"C" means "high-speed"

Despite the fact that the modern nature of the fighting assumed a refusal of low-speed armored vehicles, the history of the SV-1 tank was not over. With many shortcomings of this car, she had obvious advantages, such as good protection and high permeability. Low speed, characteristic of siege techniques, made attempts to adapt the characteristics of "Klimov" to the conditions of modern maneuverable battle. This is how the kV-1C tank appeared, the mass of which decreased to 42.5 tons. It was achieved by such "lightness" by the thinning of armor, narrowing the caterpillars and a decrease in ammunition to 94 shells (later 114). Established and complaints of front-line transmissions, it was replaced by more perfect. Middle tank It all did not work, T-34 weighed a little more than 30 tons, and with the same power plant was where maneuverable. And the letter-added letter "C" meant "speed".

Other modifications

In August 1942, a new sample of armored vehicles, a KV-85 tank entered the part. It was a deep modification of the same KV-1C, the difference consisted in the caliber of the tower gun (at the DT-5 gun, as clearly of their names, it was 85 mm), reduce the number of the crew to four people (turned out to be an unnecessary Radist shooter), cutting Amusement while maintaining the former running part. The tower was performed by casting.

There were other attempts to use the successful parties of square. Self-propelled guns were built on their base, caterpillar "armored trains" armed with two or more cannons of different calibers (kV-7), 122-mm W-11 Gaubes were created. After the victory near Moscow, it became clear that the counteroffensiveness is inevitable, and samples of offensive weapons were required again. The tank KV-8 was very similar to the prototype, and even his silhouette was imitated by a special decoration depicting an artillery barrel, but he was flamethought. The gun also installed in the tower, modest for those times "Sorokatka".

And there were other types of auxiliary equipment based on the running part of the sq .: A tow trucks from the battlefield of damaged machines and tractors.

KV and "Tiger"

The fate of the tank of the KV turned out to be historically not very successful. In the first half of the war, he was little in demand, I needed a completely different technique, and by the time of the transition of Soviet troops in a decisive offensive is outdated. New heavy tanks have appeared, whose characteristics also correlated with the qualities of KV, as the political weight of Joseph Stalin, exceeded the influence in the Politburo of the "First Red Officer".

At the turn of 1942 and 1943, the Germans appeared "Tiger". This car was extremely nervy and heavy, its running part differed even less reliability than in the KV, but 88-mm gun gave him the opportunity to strive powerfully armored goals at distances that did not allow retaliate fire. In February 1943, 10 kV-1 were killed in Leningrad for one day under Leningrad, according to which three "tiger" shot was unpunished. Since 1943, their production was minimized.

It was still contributed to the victory of the KV Tanks still contributed, and the confirmation of this is many monuments erected in honor of our tank in many cities, through which the fire shaft rolled. Remind once the formidable cars and about the feat of the victorious sword and selflessly approaching our bright holiday.

Tank KV-1 (Klim Voroshilov) - Soviet heavy tank of anti-frequency booking, which took part in the Soviet and Finnish and Great Patriotic War. At the very beginning of the war, the Germans called the KV-1 GESPENST, which is translated as "ghost."

The launch of the SV-1 tank truck was held in early February 1940 at the Kirov Plant. Also in the same year, the tank assembly began at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. In total, more than 2,700 tanks were issued for the period of serial release (1940-1942).

The housing of the SV-1 tank was welded from rolled armor sheets, the maximum thickness of which reached 75 mm. The tower was made in two versions - welded and cast. The maximum thickness of armor welded towers reached 75 mm, cast - 95 mm. In 1941, the thickness of the armor of welded towers brought to 105 mm by installing 25-mm screens that were attached with bolts.

KV-1 Weight 47 tons. On the tanks of the first editions, a G-11 cannon was installed with a 76.2 mm caliber with an ampaught of 111 shots. At various stages of the release of the tank for its weapon, various modifications of guns (F-32, F-34 and ZIS-5) were used. In addition to the gun, the tank kV-1 was armed with three 7.62-millimeter machine guns DT-29. Amusement to the machine guns of DT consisted of 2772 ammunition. Wide KV caterpillars made it possible to fight almost any terrain, in all weather conditions.

In the nose part of the case there was a department of control, in which the mechanic-driver and a radio operator was placed. The tank commander, a gunner and charging had jobs in a combat department, which united the middle part of the armorpus and the tower. In the stern of the case in the motor-transmission office there was an engine with cooling radiators and part of fuel tanks.

KV-1 was equipped with a V-shaped four-stroke twelve-cylinder diesel engine B-2K with liquid cooling, the power of which was 600 hp. Such a force aggregate allowed a tank to develop maximum speed When moving along the highway at 34 km / h. Fuel tanks with a capacity from 600 to 615 liters were located both in battle, so in motor-transmission offices. In the second half of 1941, due to the lack of diesel engines in 2K, the tanks of the KV-1 were pulled out with four-dimensional V-shaped 12-cylinder carburetor engines M-17t with a capacity of 500 hp.

KV-1 1942 release. Parol Tank Museum, Finland

On the tank KV-1 senior lieutenant Zinovy \u200b\u200bColobanov in battle near Krasnogvardeysky (Gatchina) in August 1941, in one battle shot from the ambush 22 tanks and two guns. Lieutenant Semyon Konovalov on a damaged KV-1 hit 16 tanks and 2 German armored cars. On the tank KV-1, the Soviet Ace Pavel Goodz almost alone beat the village of Nefedovo, destroying 10 tanks of the enemy and crushing two batteries of anti-tank guns.

combat application, features of construction and armament, TTX characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, modifications "\u003e

Tank KV-1: History of creation, specifications, weapons, dignity and disadvantages, combat use

The heavy tanks of the KV series, of course, cannot be called "little-known", however, for several decades, after the end of the Great Patriotic War, they almost did not remember about them. This is largely due to the impact of cinema - in the filming of numerous "military" films was used almost exclusively T-34, since very few hours remained after 1945. Meanwhile, these combat machines Once they made a truly shocking impression on the enemy. Unfortunately, the command of the Red Army at the initial stage of war failed to fully take advantage of the outstanding characteristics of the KV-1, which is partly due to its "congenital" disadvantages.

History of creation

In November 1937, the head of the auto-terminal control of the Red Army was appointed DG Pavlov, one of the most experienced Soviet tank workers. The former leaders of Abtu (at first I.A. Khalepsky, and then G. G. Gokuison) before that they fell under the scorch of the skating rink of "hosts" political repression. The new boss took the case entrusted to him very vigorously because he is on personal experience Tried all the shortcomings of armored vehicles at the time.

Assessing the results of hostilities in Spain, Pavlov believed that the new Soviet tanks need as reliable protection as possible. Created at the beginning of the 30s, small-caliber, but the rapid anti-tank guns did not leave soviet technique Almost no chance, and with this it was necessary to do something. In addition, D.G. Pavlov already knew that there were tanks with anti-false reservations in France.

In December 1937, the new chief of Abtu sent a letter to the director of the Leningrad Plant of Experienced Mechanical Engineering No. 185. In this document, for the first time, the requirements for the level of booking new tanks were clearly formulated. In particular, it was indicated that heavy tanks should be completely protected from 76 mm caliber shells at a distance of 800-1000 meters, and from 47-mm anti-tank guns - on all possible distances. D.G. Pavlov believed that it would take 60 millimeters with a thickness armor to solve this problem.

It should be noted that the immediate predecessor Pavlova, G.G. Scoison, also believed that the protection of heavy tanks should be antigenous. Therefore, in the summer of 1937, he demanded from the designers of the Kharkov steam-employed plant, where in the 30s the "land cruiser" T-35 was produced massively, to increase the windshield armor of this machine to 75 mm.

The arrest of the boxing and the search for the "enemies of the people" at the CPZ itself detained the fulfillment of this assignment. However, from the very beginning it was clear that an increase in the thickness of armor on a huge five-fable tank would inevitably lead to an excessive increase in the mass of the car, which did not differ in neither maneuverability or speed. It was required to develop a project of some kind of fundamentally new car.

The technical task formulated at the beginning of the spring of 1938 provided for the creation of a heavy three-baked tank, armed with three guns and eight machine guns (their two large-caliber them). Soon it turned out that the CPS was overloaded by other works. To help colleagues could designers of two Leningrad plants - №185 and Kirovsky.

In August 1938, a state contract was issued for design, in accordance with which the manufacture of two experienced heavy tanks was envisaged - at the factory No. 185, T-100 was created, and in Kirovsky - QMS (deciphered as "Sergey Mironovich Kirov").

Already at this stage there has been a tendency to further reduce the number of towers. It was expressed in the fact that the projects of both experimental combat machines were created in two versions - the first one coincided with the original technical assignment, and the second assumed the creation of a two-bash tank, armed with a caliber of 76.2 mm and 45 mm.

Drawings and cars of cars were prepared by October of the same year. At about the same time, a group of graduates of the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization (now the military academy of armored troops) arrived at the Kirov plant. It consisted of S. Krasavin, B. Pavlov, L. Pereverzev, V. Syniosersky, Moscow, and L. Shpuntes. All of them completely completed the training course and should now prepare the graduation project. His theme was the creation of another heavy tank - unobed.

The graduates of SKB-2 engineers were supervised (the official designation of the Kirov Plant Design Bureau). The head of the project was appointed N.L. Dukhov. The future tank has received a preliminary name U0. Apparently, the chief designer SKB-2, Zhores Cotine, originally treated this project much more seriously than to normal academic work.

"Base" for U0 was the project of a heavy tank of the QMS. "Liquidation" of one of the towers allowed to make the car more compact and easy. At the same time, one of the basic requirements at the first stage was to preserve the previous set of fixed weapons consisting of two guns. It marked that the cannons of the caliber of 76.2 mm and 45 mm will be placed together in the same tower.

It is necessary, apparently, explain why in those years heavy and medium tanks were made by "multi-Russian". It was not just not just in the name of an increase in firepower - the main thing was the desire to create a universal machine, suitable for both the battle with enemy infantry and for the destruction of the enemy armored vehicles. It was believed that for solving the second task, the rapid small guns of a small caliber are best suited - that is why they were considered necessary for such tanks as T-35, T-28, SMC and T-100.

A similar approach today may seem strange, but he was quite justified. In particular, american tanks "Sherman" had to do in two versions - one was armed with an anti-tank gun, another - a to the gun capable of shooting more or less effective fragantive-fugasic shells. Sobet two of these qualities in one model of weapons is not always possible. In much later times with similar problems, followed, for example, the creators of the Tank M1 "Abrams".

The "thesis" Tank U0 was different from the QMS not only in its sizes and "unagnation." The following changes were proposed:

• Use as a power plant diesel, rather than a carburetor engine;
• Introduction of new MTO controls;
• Installing a planetary transmission of a special design.

Otherwise, U0 coincided with the QMS. Meanwhile, weight gain, obtained due to the abandonment of the tower, allowed to significantly increase the thickness of the reservation and optimize its scheme. It was necessary to use - of course, subject to the transformation of an educational project into a real combat machine.

In December 1938, during a joint meeting of the Defense Committee in accordance with the Council and Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b), "two-bashing" options for T-100 tanks and the QMS were approved. Whether the project U0 was considered, it was unknown, however, already on February 27, 1940, a permit was given a permit for the construction of a unobed "breakthrough tank" that corresponds to the SNK-specifications approved by the SNK committee. The future combat vehicle was awarded the designation of the KV - in honor of Klim Voroshilov, the People's Commissar of Defense and one of the nearest associates I.V. Stalin. Subsequently call tanks by the names of military leaders and political figures Steel and abroad - can be remembered, in particular, about the tank "Churchill".

Former diplivers who became engineers, in March 1939, returned to SKB-2 and began to further work above the project. At the initiative of N. Dukhova, it was decided to replace the planetary checkpoint on a five-speed mechanical one. Its design mainly coincided with a similar unit developed for the mean tank T-28.

Despite the fact that the use of the diesel engine was envisaged in the framework of the graduation project, originally was created on the carburetor M-17F motor. This power plant provided a significant gain in power - approximately 60 horsepower (660 versus 600). Nevertheless, in June 1939, the situation has changed - Diesel "pressed" on the tank finally. This was due to the two main factors: first, the use of solar oil instead of gasoline allowed to reduce the size of the tank while maintaining the stock of the stroke, and secondly, the transmission in any case did not allow you to "remove" with a power plant more than 580 horsepower.

On the last day of the summer of 1939, the first experienced copy of the Tank of the KV was delivered to the factory landfill, after which his tests began. They continued only a few days. At the same time, the Martherman of the Kirov Plant noted that the car does not have a large-caliber zenith machine gun DC, installed on the QMS. To eliminate this disadvantage, the constructors could not, because the tower was already overloaded - after all, two guns were installed in it and a stern machine gun to protect the rear hemisphere.

The second stage of test began in October 1939. Simultaneously from the KV at the factory test site, the QMS was tested. Two-foot tank was considered the main one, and it was focused on him. For this reason, at the end of November, the Mileage of the QMS exceeded a thousand kilometers, while KV overcame only 485 km. The most notable event of this period was the refusal of 45-mm guns. She was dismantled by putting an additional machine gun DT instead of her. Subsequently, one-handed version became the main and only one.

On November 30, 1939, the Soviet-Finnish War began. This conflict allowed the Red Army to try in the case of new types of military equipment, including heavy tanks. "Debut" sq took place on December 18th. These days, the Red Army tried to carry out a breakthrough of Finnish defense at the Karelian Isthmus. With the task, a new heavy tank has successfully coped, but the decision to adopt it in arms that followed literally the next day, today looks a rough mistake.

Essentially, the Defense Committee showed the most real frivolity, giving an order about the beginning of the mass production of the machine that did not end even the factory cycle of tests, focusing on the results of only one battle. The consequences of this error were extremely severe. Meanwhile, designers were ordered to create a special version of kV, armed with a powerful gabetice of a caliber of 152 mm.

In principle, such a task was not a "surprise" for SKB-2 - after all, D. Pavlov, the head of the auto-drift management, in January 1938 indicated the need to use large-caliber guns on new samples of heavy tanks. Therefore, the possibility of "re-equipment" was envisaged at the design stage of the QMS and KV. "Winter War" only pushed the appropriate developments - it was necessary to urgently provide the army of tank capable of destroying long-term concrete fortifications, forwards and dots.

Hurry up to the beginning of the second assault "Mannerheim Line" designers SKB-2 did not yet succeed - when a kV with a new increased tower and a 152-mm gun was delivered to the front line, the Soviet troops have already captured Finnish dots. Nevertheless, these tanks at the final stage of war were still brought - they were used for a field defense breakthrough. In addition, test shelling of the forefast and empty dollars were held. Subsequently, already in 1941, the tank with a 152-mm instrument received the designation of the KV-2, while the initial model with a 76-mm gun began to be called the KV-1.

In the spring of 1940, the government approved a plan for the volumes of mass production of heavy tanks. It was assumed that from July to December 100 pieces of kV-2 and 130 - kV-1 will be released.

To fulfill this plan, I had to make some changes to the design of combat vehicles, making their manufacture more "technological" and cheap. The list of main innovations is as follows:

1. Stamped-welded tanks are replaced by welded;
2. Simplified transmission change box;
3. The number of support bearings is reduced;
4. Changed the shape of the wings;
5. Most screws are replaced by bolts.

The newest noticeable change was the appearance of a graved tower, which was made much easier than the previous, "round". All this made it possible to reduce the cost of the car by about 15%.

Meanwhile, on June 10, the tests of square were resumed under Leningrad. One tank was tested with a "small" tower and two - with a 152-mm tool. The appropriate order gave Marshal G. Kulik, the deputy addict of defense, who had long disappeared a long decision on the adoption of KV. As it should be expected, the tests immediately opened the mass of flaws and constructive defects. Among them, in particular, marked:

1. Low engine resource;
2. Permanent heavy breakdowns of gearbox and side gear;
3. Bad cooling system at air temperature is more than 20 degrees;
4. The inability of the tank to develop "passport" speed;
5. The constant and fast clogging of the air filter - it came into disrepair within an hour and a half after the start of the movement;
6. Weak tower turning mechanism. It was "borrowed" at the Middle T-28 tank and with an increased load coped badly - I sparkle and broke.

All these defects, especially the problems with the transmission, made the tanks of the ranks are actually non-visible. It would seem that it was necessary to immediately correct this situation, however, in September 1940, there were no changes in the design of the machine. This prevented already unfolded mass production.

Notorie L.Z. Mehlis, who then worked in the addict state controlAfter receiving the autumn a message about the ongoing problems with the tanks of the KV, conducted a personal check and made sure that the list of constructive defects is even greater than it seemed during the summer tests. So, the chassis was obviously unfinished, the pursuit of the towers did not have a proper gain, and the L-11 gun did not meet the requirements of the defense addict as in their basic characteristics and the quality of manufacture.

In November, Mehlis sent I.V. Stalin the letter in which the depressing test results carried out in the Kirovsky factory were described in detail. It would seem that in those harsh years the perpetrators had to incur a harsh punishment, but this did not happen. The case was limited to disciplinary recovers, and the serial release of obviously defective tanks continued. Subsequently, Mehlis, and Kulik, and D. Pavlov, have repeatedly reported "up", but nothing has changed. Fixed was actually only the tower turning mechanism.

"Closing" of tanks of kV, partly prevented and not quite the right results of analyzing the warrogging hostilities against France in May-June 1940. The command of the Red Army knew perfectly about the fact that there were serious tanks as part of the French army. It would seem that German troops will be difficult to cope with these powerful machines, but the result was extremely unexpected - the Wehrmacht triumphantly completed the campaign for some 40 days. Evaluating this fact, some Soviet experts suggested that Germany managed to create some particularly powerful sample of the anti-tank gun.

To protect against a new threat (as actually did not exist), the designers took measures to further strengthen the armor of the tanks of the square. In addition, it was decided to transition to a more powerful gun by a 107 mm caliber. All these work took a lot of strength, but they were not crowned with special success. At the same time, all previous flaws were preserved.

The only significant achievement of this period was the manufacture of the first cast towers for the KV-1. This was a significant simplification of mass production of combat vehicles. Unfortunately, before the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the transition to cast towers did not fulfill. In addition, SKB-2 loaded the work on creating another heavy tank - kV-3 (the T-150 designation was also used). It was not possible to implement this project, as the subsequent KV-4 and KV-5. It would be much more correct to focus the efforts of the designers on the "finishing" of the source model, but this conclusion is built on a modern "embassy".

Already after German attack on the USSR, in early July 1941, the production of KV-2 tanks was discontinued. This allowed the Kirov plant to increase the production of KV-1, that's just this car still remained flawed. In addition, the rapid offensive of German troops led to the need to deploy mass production in the deep rear - at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. In Leningrad, the last tank of the KV made on October 18, 1941, a month after the city was surrounded.

In August 1942, the production of a tank of 1C. From the source model, this machine differed first of all with a lightweight booking. This made it possible to improve the dynamic characteristics of the tank, but after 11 months, the serial release of the KV-1C stopped.

To combat "tigers" and "panthers" needed a much more powerful technique. In addition, the KV-1C was already different in its characteristics from the mean T-34-76, which made it simply superfluous.

As can be seen, the history of the heavy tank "Klim Voroshilov" turned out to be rather short - he was designed for about a year, and mass production continued for three from a small years. The fate of this combat vehicle could be much more successful if not a number of errors that were not so many technical as organizational. In 1944, heavy tanks came to the change of KV - today everyone knows how this abbreviation is decrypted.

Main goals and objectives

The initial KV-1 was intended for a breakthrough of strong defensive fortifications and "clearing" the road for the onset of medium and lung tanks. As part of the fulfillment of this common task, the following goals were assumed:

1. Identification and destruction of enemy anti-tank batteries;
2. Suppression of infantry resistance in the front edge, destruction of machine-gun nests, wood-earthwood dots and dugouts;
3. Breakthrough wire barrage;
4. Exit to the position of the enemy field artillery and its destruction;
5. Reflection of contractor armored vehicles.

Fat armor allowed the KV-1 to be freely maneuver under the fire of anti-tank guns, and the presence of a feed machine gun, as designers believed, would give the opportunity to act without direct infantry accompaniment.

During the war, the KV-1 has repeatedly acted in full compliance with his "theoretical" destination. In particular, this is how these tanks used in the first days of counteroffensive under Stalingrad, as well as in 1944 during the Vyborg operation.

Significantly more often than KV was used approximately in the same way as the T-34 - as a universal combat vehicle to support infantry, defensive actions, counterattacks and raids in the emergency rear of the enemy.

Construction of a combat vehicle

KV-1 has a classic layout: the engine and transmission are located in the aft, in the front there is a control department, and in the middle - combat compartment and tower. Today it does not look something unusual, but until the appearance of this car, the Soviet heavy tanks were multiplying, and on the background "Klim Voroshilov" was clearly allocated. The main feature KV-1 has become a rather harmonious combination of the most progressive design solutions of that time - the use of a diesel engine, the presence of thick anti-frequency armor, individual torsion pendant and a rather powerful universal gun.

Department of Office

The front part of the SV-1 tank was assigned to the control department. There were places for two crew members - a Radrute Arrow, who was sitting on the left side, and a driver mechanic, whose chair was installed in the center. To get inside the control department, a hatch was used directly over the Radier Arrow seat.

The driver's mechanic was supposed to be the first to take his place, and the exit from the tank was carried out in the reverse order. True, immediately in front of the mehrobrium had another small hatch, but it was impossible to sort it into it - this "Fortochka" was intended exclusively for observation. In battle, the driver's mechanic closed, it was necessary to navigate, looking into a very narrow viewing gap with a triplex, or in a mirror device installed on the roof of the housing.

In front of the Radist Radist in the ball installation, there was a course machine gun DT. The radio station was on the left side, its nutrition was provided by four batteries. In addition, there were control devices, fuel cranes, pump and compressed air cylinders (used during engine start). In emergency situations, the driver and the shooter-radio operator could leave the tank through the spare hatch, cutting into the bottom.

Martial department

The tower with an artillery gun was installed in the middle part of the tank of the KV-1, directly above the combat department, on the ball support. The seat of the commander was on the left side of the gun, and the gunner and charging were placed on the right. All these crew members entered the tank and left him through the top tower hatch (he was only one). When landing first, his place was held by a gunner, then the commander and only after that - charging.

A circular review was provided with the help of panorama and four mirror periscopes installed around the perimeter of the combat department. At the gunner, in addition, there was a telescopic sight. To the left of it in the housing of the tank was cut through the observation slit, closed by a triplex. In the aft of the tower, a machine gun of DT, discs with cartridges to it, as well as part of the ammunition for guns are located. Other shells laid on the bottom of the combat department, along the sides of which, in addition, there were tanks for fuel and engine oil.

Armor

The housing of the SV-1 tank was made of rolled steel of various thicknesses. Protection of the frontal projection was provided by three armored lists. The upper and the bottom ranged at a low angle, the thickness of them was 75 mm. The average sheet was significantly thinner - only 40 mm, but it was installed with a significant inclination, which significantly reduced his vulnerability.

The hull board and the lower armor leaf in the back of the tank had a thickness of 75 mm, and the upper feed sheet is 60 mm. The delices themselves were the roof and the bottom. The thickness of steel sheets that closed the motor and transmission branches from below and from above was only 30 mm, and there was a forty-champion armor on it under it.

The most protected from shells was the tower. In addition to the main 75 mm armor, a mask was installed in the front to protect the gun and the machine gun - 90 millimeters of high strength steel. The thickness of armor on cast towers was at first to 82, and then up to 110 millimeters. External elements of observation devices were protected from defeat with special caps.

Power installation and transmission

The KV-1 tank was driven by the V-shaped four-stroke diesel engine B-2. This motor could develop up to 600 horsepower, but operating capacity was 500 hp. As a fuel, either solar oil of DT, or the gas oil of the "e" brand was used. Fuel tanks located in the control and combat department, accommodate up to 615 liters. Sometimes additional containers for fuel were mounted on the tumor shelves. The amount of them ranged from three to five.

The standard start of the engine was carried out during starters with an electrically driven. At first, two such devices were installed on the tanks of the KV-1, but at the end of 1941, the preference was given a launch scheme with one more powerful starter. In the event that all this equipment has not worked for some reason, the motor can be turned on with compressed air. Cylinders with him, as already noted, were in the Department of Management.

The KV-1 transmission included the following main elements:

1. Main friction (multi-disc, dry friction);
2. Transmission Change Box - Two-Running, Five-speed (not countable reverse);
3. Onboard frictions;
4. Onboard planetary gearboxes.

It should be noted that the motor and transmission compartments on the tanks of kV were separated from each other.

Controls

The driver mechanic managed the movement of the KV-1 tank with the help of pedals of the main friction and gas, as well as three levers. One of them was intended to switch gear, and two others were used for turns.

The administration of the gun was carried out with the help of an electric drive of the horizontal fitting and the handwheel of the vertical tip. The shot could be carried out by clicking on a manual or foot descent. Chargeing guns, as it is easy to guess, was carried out manually.

Armament tank

The initial technical task assumed that the tank KV-1 would be equipped with the same set of guns and machine guns as an experimental QMS. In the future, however, it was necessary to refuse this idea. In particular, a 45-mm gun was removed from the tower at the stage of factory tests. Since then, all kva-1 has armed with only one cannon.

Artillery arms

On the first tanks of the kV, a 76.2-mm L-11 instrument was established, developed at the Kirovsky factory. It was the development of an earlier G-10 gun, which already used on the T-28. The length of the trunk of this tool reached 30 calibers, which made it possible to give projectiles to the initial speed of 615 meters per second.

Using L-11, it was possible to break through the armor with a thickness of 60 millimeters at a distance of a kilometer. Meanwhile, German tanks of the late 30s and early 40s of the last century were protected by armor with a maximum thickness of only 30 mm. Thus, the power of L-11 was enough for their confident destruction even at a distance of 3 kilometers.

A serious disadvantage of this gun was the constructive defect of the anti-cancel device, which is guaranteed to fail in some modes of fire. This fact at the design stage of the KV-1 was well known, so the tank was planned to arm a more advanced F-32 for the design of the V. Pubbe, created simultaneously with L-11. It was not possible to do this only because the L-11 was easier to put in mass production.

Subsequently, the defect of "Leningrad" guns successfully removed, the backflow began to work without breakdowns, but in January 1941 kV-1 still re-equipped - the simplicity of the device and the relative cheapness of the F-32 instruments allowed him to get ahead of L-11. At the same time, the ballistic and "armor-piercing" characteristics of both guns practically did not differ.

Meanwhile, Rubbie developed and prepared for a mass serial production another one tank gun - F-34. It was more powerful than F-32 and at the same time somewhat easier by design. These cannons began to arrange the average T-34 tanks, they were installed on separate copies of the KV-1, but a more promising option was then the transition on the F-27 instrument.

Tests of heavy tanks equipped with F-27, took place in the spring of 1941 and turned out to be unsuccessful. The length of the trunk of the new cannon was recognized as excessive, did not suit the military and significant dimensions of unitary shots. As a result, the F-27 design was somewhat changed, and during the war, in October 1941, this gun was adopted under the designation of the ZIS-5.

The trunk of a new tool had a length of 41.5 caliber, which made it possible to give projectiles to the initial speed of 680 meters per second. Amusement was 90 shells (sometimes increased to 114 pieces).

Machine-gun armament

The initial technical assignment provided for the arms of the KV-1 large-caliber machine gun of the DC, but for him it was simply no place in the tower. For this reason, all modifications of heavy tank had only 7.62 mm dt caliber machine guns. They were a special tank modification of the well-known manual machine gun Degtyarev.

One DT was installed in front of a radio operator in a ball unit. The second was sprayed with a gun, and the third was placed in the stern of the tower and was used to protect the car from the infernal infantry, selected from the rear. In addition, another machine gun was transported inside the tower, which could be used as a spare or anti-aircraft. In the latter case, DT had to be installed on the turret, which was on the ruined hatch. This device was installed on each fifth serial tank square.

Amusement for machine guns was 48 discs, inside which 3024 cartridges were placed. In addition, manual grenades F-1 could be used for self-defense. They had 25 pieces. The tank commander was additionally armed with a machine gun (PPD or PPS).

Specifications

The main parameters of the PV-1 tank are given for the two most common options - the basic serial model and the "high-speed" modification, known as a sq-1c:

	KV-1	KV-1C.
Mass tank	47.5 tons	42.5 tons
Length	6,625 M.	6.9 M.
Width	3.32 M.	3.25 M.
Height	2.71 M.	2.64 M.
Clearance	0.45 M.	0.45 M.
Highway speed	34 km / h	42 km / h
Cross-terrain movement speed	5-10 km / h	10-15 km / h
Power reserve	Up to 225 km	Up to 180 km
Specific power	11.6 hp on ton	14.1 hp on ton

Armament and engine in machines of both modifications coincided.

Advantages and disadvantages of tank kV-1

The main advantage of the SV-1 tank was the high level of its security. And during the "Winter War", and at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War to hit this combat car from most of the types of anti-tank weapons was almost impossible. As a result, the KV-1 could easily win the "duels" with the tanks of the enemy and artillery batteries.

The design "Klim Voroshilov" was perhaps the most advanced for the beginning of the 40s of the last century. Only another Soviet car could be compared with him in this respect - T-34. The creators of the KV managed to combine in their brainchild, all the most progressive innovations of those years are a long-life cannon, an inclined booking, a good suspension system, as well as a diesel engine.

An additional advantage of kV became a correctly selected speed of its movement on the first transmission - unlike the T-34, this tank did not overturn the infantry behind it, which made it much more successfully coordinating the actions during the attack.

The disadvantages of the KV-1 was a lot, but it is worth two more serious. The first of them and the most obvious was the overall "dampness", the dissatisfaction of the structure. In 1939, the car should not be put into service, and send to in-depth tests, after which all defects could have been eliminated - after all, time was still for this. Unfortunately, the quality was sacrificed in favor of the quantity, which was a difficult mistake, for which the tankers themselves were paid for both them, and the Red Army, who remained on the battlefield without supporting armored vehicles.

The second and no less significant disadvantage of the KV-1 was the uncertainty of his target destination. This tank did not receive his own "niche". At the beginning of the war, a much cheaper and maneuverable T-34 was almost as invulnerable for enemy anti-tank guns, as well as a KV, with almost the same weapon. As a result, the meaning of the existence of a separate heavy tank was lost. And in the second half of the Second World War, when "Tigers" and "Panthers" appeared on the battlefields, the booking of the KV 1 and its armament was immediately insufficient.

Unfortunately, Designers SKB-2 could not provide their heavy tank with sufficient potential of modernization, which would allow the car to reoperate the car with a more powerful large-caliber cannon. A controversial solution was the transition to the release of the "high-speed" KV-1C, which in its parameters was even more close to the T-34, which was generally quite meaningless.

Modifications kv.

Despite the fact that the SV-1 serially produced less than four years, several rather substantial variants of this tank were created.

The list of the most famous modifications is as follows:

1. KV-2. In fact, it is an independent model. The main difference is the new tower with a powerful tool M-10T caliber of 152 mm;
2. KV-1E. These tanks were made from July to August 1941. From the basic modification, they were distinguished by installing additional armor screens in the front of the housing. Sometimes it is argued that this measure was undertaken to protect against the German 88-mm gun, but this version is doubtful;
3. KV-1C. Produced, starting from August 1942. The main difference is the reduced mass by reducing the thickness of the armor (mainly onboard). In addition, designers managed to partially eliminate the shortcomings of the transmission and make the tank more reliable;
4. KV-85. Last time serial modification. He was a KV-1 chassis with an IS-1 tank installed on it. KV-85 was created as a transitional model. The main reason for his appearance was the high Soviet tanks in battles with "tigers" and "panthers".

Separately, it is necessary to mention about flamethrower tanks kV-6 and kV-8. The first one was manufactured in a blockade Leningrad a small series (at least 4 and no more than 8 units). Information about this combat vehicle is a bit. KV-8 was built in much more significant quantities. The basis for the flamethrower tank was initially a kV-1, and then kV-1c.

The main feature of the KV-8 is to replace the UIS-5 gun on a 45-mm gun, next to which, instead of a paired machine gun installed flamethrower. So that the enemy could not distinguish the KV-8 from other heavy tanks, the 45-mm gun was covered with a special casing that imitates the ZIS-5. Such combat vehicles were used, for example, during the defense of Stalingrad in 1942.

Combat use of heavy tanks kV-1

For the first time on the battlefield, the KV-1 appeared during the Soviet-Finnish war. It was an experienced car that did not have time to complete the factory test cycle. On December 17, 1939, the crew of the tank, which consisted of two representatives of the Kirov plant (K. Kavos and A. Estratov), \u200b\u200bordered to join the 20th tank brigade. This connection in the morning of the next day was to attack the fortified district of Baboshino (one of the plots of the line of Finnish defense on the Karelian Isthmus).

December 18, after the short artillery training kV-1 moved forward along with T-28 tanks. Fearing the underground on Mine, the mechanic-driver P.Golovachev did not go to the village, despite the intense shelling of the road. The effectiveness of the fire of Finnish anti-tank artillery was testified by several burning T-28.

Approaching the anti-tank RW, the KV-1 moved along this obstacle. Immediately, several shells got into board the tank, but the thick armor was withstanding all the blows. The fighter positions of the enemy artillery could not be found, but several reinforced positions were revealed, on which the tank immediately opened the shooting. Almost immediately after that, some powerful shell hit the frontal armor. From concussing the engine of the car, however, it was possible to start it.

Continuing to be under the enemy's fire, the KV-1 came close to the previously chopped T-28, took it into a tug and delivered to the location of the Soviet troops. On this battle ended. The next day, a military commission arrived, carefully examined the tank. As it turned out, the barrel of the tool L-11 during the battle was embossed, the supporting rollers were also damaged, some tracts were deformed. In general, the tank remained quite good.

Soon the damaged barrel of L-11 was replaced, but the kva--1 did not participate in the battles. How reasonable are the conclusions of the Military Commission that the new tank can be safely taken into service - the question is very controversial. In principle, nothing phenomenal kV-1 has not demonstrated - after all, the Finns fired him from a rather weak gun "Bahorce", which could not punch with a 75 mm thick armor.

In future battles, the Karilsky Carce of the KV-1 no longer accepted the participation (in contrast to the KV-2 created in the hurry). Therefore, all other episodes of the combat biography of a heavy tank fell on the Great Patriotic War.

As of June 22, 1941, there were a total of 545 kV-1 and kV-2 tanks in the disposal of the Red Army. 278 Of them were transferred to the Kiev Special Military District, and 116 - to the West Special Military District. The main problem in those days was a sharp deficit of prepared crews. There were no more than 150 of them. Because of this, there was only 75 kV tanks on the outfit.

The very first episode with the participation of KV-1, apparently, the fight against the 6th German Tank Division, which occurred on June 24, 1941. On that day, German positions were attacked by Soviet heavy tanks, the number of which is not exactly established. At the beginning, the KV-1 was crushed by the defense of the motorcycle battalion, turning him into flight, then overcame the DubiSa River and continued to attack, all this time was under the hurricane fire of German artillery.

According to Erhard Raus, the commander of the 6th Tank Division, even the hits of heavy 150-mm shells did not apply any noticeable damage. Soviet combat vehicles underwent a sudden flanking fire - the fire led the anti-tank battery.

KV-1 slowly turned towards the opponent, and then, reaching the German guns, simply passed them. Seeing that Soviet cars are sent to the rear artillery positions, the commander of the 11th German tank regiment ordered the countercondition of a hundred tanks (from 30 to 34 pz.iv and at least 70 pz.35 (t)). Of this venture, nothing happened - the shelling of the KV-1, even at close range, turned out to be unsuccessful. At the same time, German tanks got stuck one by one.

Ultimately, panic began and the overall flight. Unfortunately, this success was private - after the defeat of the German positions KV-1 stopped. Apparently, the order of further actions they simply did not receive.

Shock, which was experienced by German soldiers after a personal acquaintance with the latest Soviet armored vehicles, in general did not affect the course of hostilities. Events developed extremely unfavorable for the Red Army. Particularly depressing was that most of the losses of the KV-1, incurred during the first months of the war, fell on various technical malfunctions. So, the 41st Soviet tank DivisionAs part of which was 31 kV-1, by the beginning of July 1941 lost 22 such cars, and the enemy managed to bother only five of them - all the others became victims of breakdowns and not enough qualified circulation.

Wait for this already bad situation, the inept orders of the command - tanks meaninglessly drove along the front for many hundreds of kilometers. Soon it turned out that the Tractor "Voroshilovts" is not able to fully tow the broken sq. It was necessary to use the other for the evacuation of one heavy tank, which often led to the fact that the second machine faced. The main vulnerable design sites of the KV-1 and KV-2 remained all the same nodes - onboard friction, gearbox and air filter.

It is hardly the brightest page of combat use of the KV-1 tanks at the initial stage of the war, the battle was the battle near the city of Krasnogvardeisk, which took place on August 19, 1941. In this tank company under the command of Z.G. Kolobanova managed to disable 43 German tanks. This success was possible due to the competent selection of position and excellent armor protection of the KV-1. Suffice it to say that on the tank Kolobanov after the battle counted more than 120 dents from enemy shells - and not a single cross-cutting holes.

Similar episodes, though, perhaps, not so impressive, were noted later. In some cases, even single squares caused severe damage to the enemy. For example, a heavy tank under the command of P. Guudus on December 5, 1941 entered into battle with eighteen German tanks, destroying at least ten of them. In the same collision, the KV-1 crushed the four anti-tank guns of the enemy and had safely left the battle.

Nevertheless, the attitude towards the tank KV-1 in the Red Army was not the best. The reason for this was not only numerous breakdowns, but also overweight combat vehicle. Much more light T-34 showed themselves in battles no worse, but at the same time they did not destroy the road surface and did not require particularly durable bridges when crossing the rivers - but it was impossible to say the same thing. About this feature of the tank, in particular, mentioned in a personal conversation with Stalin M. Katukov, whom the commander-in-chief appreciated very high.

In 1942, Soviet heavy tanks faced a new serious problem - the enemy began to apply cumulative shells. Separate cases of their use were noted earlier. In addition, it turned out that in the conditions of spring, the probability of breakage of the transmission of kV-1 is significantly increased.

During the summer and autumn of the 1942th, the level of reliability of the chassis, friction and transmissions of the transmissions of KV-1 managed to increase slightly. Tanks that returned to troops from the plants after repair were no longer as "gentle", as at the beginning of the war. In addition, in August, the release of a lightweight kva-1c unfolded, which has established itself as the most reliable of all "Klims Voroshilov". All this made it possible to organize a fairly successful combat use of heavy tanks during counter-offering near Stalingrad.

Interestingly, in the German memoir literature, and in the documents of the Romanian divisions, which fell under the blow of Soviet compounds, armed kip-1, this tank is called "fifty-dongy". Meanwhile, only a kva-2 had such a significant mass, which in 1942 was no longer in the Red Army. In addition, under Stalingrad operated mainly "high-speed" kV-1c, the weight of which was "total" 42.5 tons.

In general, in the late 1942th and the first half of 1943, the number of tanks in the Red Army declined significantly. A large number of these machines were lost in battles, and the episodes of clashes with German "tigers" were noted, which invariably ended not in favor of square.

After large-scale tank battles In the Kursk arc, it became finally clear that the KV-1 was outdated. But before the appearance of Isa-2, there was still almost a year, and therefore the breakthrough was used as a "transitional" kV-85, which received a new tower and an instrument with a caliber of 85 mm. Generally speaking, it was still a little to fight "tigers", however, the last modification of the KV still played a certain role in the fights in Ukraine in the winter of 1943-44.

Documented at least one episode of successful use of KV-85 against pz.vi tiger tanks. This happened on January 28, 1944, when three Soviet heavy tanks and two SU-122 self-propelled sakers from the composition of the 7th Separate Guards Regiment (4th Ukrainian Front) during the whole day were heavy fighting with superior enemy forces, destroying five "tigers" And seven other tanks, and without losing a single car.

After the tanks began to act in the troops, the surviving KV-1 was converted into the tractors, denoted as KV-T. Their use turned out to be quite effective and significantly reduced losses among evacuation teams.

The last noticeable combat episode in which a significant number of KV-1 took part was the Vyborg Operation held in the summer of 1944. These battles were also attracted by the latest Tank Tanks IS-2.

A number of tanks kV-1 was captured by the enemy. The use of these machines in the model of the Wehrmacht was insignificant - they prevented the same breakdowns, to eliminate which the Germans could hardly - they did not have spare parts. According to various sources, the Nazis managed to put up to 50 such tanks. They were designated all the same abbreviation, only in german version - KV. Apparently, deciphering this reduction is not the most appropriate for the Wehrmacht, for some reason he did not confuse. In some cases, the trophy machines were converted and rearmed, receiving German commander turrets and 75-mm guns, borrowed from late PZ.IV options.

There were several trophy kV and Finland. One of these tanks was used by the Finnish army until 1954. These machines were bothering about their participation in combat actions no information.

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