Samples of weapons and military equipment wwii. Military equipment of the Great Patriotic War. High-explosive fragmentation shells maximum range, km

On July 8, 1941, near the city of Senno, which is not far from the Dnieper, a tank battle began: light Soviet T-26s fought off German T-IIIs. In the midst of the battle, a Russian tank crawled out of dense rye, crushing potato tops into the ground, the silhouette of which was still unknown to the Germans. "Some german tanks opened fire on him, but the shells ricocheted off his massive tower. A German 37-mm anti-tank gun was on its way. The German gunners fired round after round into the advancing tank until it pushed their cannon into the ground. Then, leaving behind the set on fire T-III, the tank plunged into the German defense for 15 kilometers "- this is how Western historians describe the first appearance of the legendary T-34 tank in the book" From - "Barbarossa" to "Terminal" ".

For a long time, German designers tried to create a tank that could compete with the 34. This is how the German tanks T-6 "Tiger" (1942) and T-5 "Panther" (1943) appeared. However, the German giants still lost to the "best tank in the world," as the German commander von Kleist dubbed, in maneuverability. The brainchild of Mikhail Koshkin, which came off the assembly line of the Kharkov steam locomotive plant, contributed to the development of the so-called "tank fear" among the German troops of the Eastern Front. However, for the designer himself, the invention became fatal: from Kharkov to Moscow, where the tank was supposed to be shown to the management, Koshkin, who had a cold, went on his 34-ke. Having proved that his tank could cover such distances without any problems, the designer suffered severe pneumonia and returned to Kharkov in a semi-conscious state. Having never recovered from the disease, Mikhail Koshkin died in the hospital. This self-sacrifice convinced senior officials to put the tanks into serial production. Before the start of the war, 1,225 T-34 tanks were produced.

Home woman at the front

The front-line soldiers nicknamed the M-30 howitzer "Mother" rockets at first they called them "Raisa Sergeevna" (from the abbreviation RS), but most of all they loved, of course, "Katyusha", the BM-13 field rocket artillery system. One of the first Katyusha salvoes hit the Market Square of the city of Rudnya. During the shots, BM-13 made a peculiar sound, in which the soldiers heard Matvey Blanter's song Katyusha, popular before the war. The apt nickname given to the gun by Sergeant Andrey Sapronov, flew around the entire army in a couple of days, and then became the property of the Soviet people.

Monument to Katyusha. (wikipedia.org)

The order to start production of Katyushas was signed a few hours before the start of the German invasion by the First of the system salvo fire applied german troops, trying to destroy the Brest Fortress at the very beginning of the offensive. However, the fortress survived and for a long time the Red Army men who found themselves in it fought against the invaders. The order to start production of Katyushas was signed a few hours before the start of the German invasion. In less than a month soviet troops struck back: in the summer of 1941, the Germans had to get acquainted not only with the new T-34 tank, but also with the still unknown Katyusha. Head of German General Staff Halder wrote in his diary: “On July 14, near Orsha, the Russians used a weapon unknown until that time. A fiery barrage of shells burned down the Orsha railway station, all echelons with personnel and military equipment of the arriving military units. The metal was melting, the earth was burning. "

Monument to the first missile battery of Captain Flerov. (wikipedia.org)

Rocket launchers, at the beginning of the war, most often mounted on the chassis of ZIS vehicles, then began to be mounted on anything: from Fords, Dodges and Bedfords received under the Lend-Lease program to motorcycles, snowmobiles and boats. The operation in which the most extensively used multiple launch rocket systems was. Then the "Stalinist organs", as the Germans called them, fired more than 10 thousand shells and destroyed 120 buildings, where the resistance of the enemy troops was especially fierce.

IL-2, "Cement bomber"

The most massive combat aircraft in history, like the Il-2 attack aircraft for a long time, seems to have become the record holder for the number of nicknames. "Concrete plane" - this is how German pilots called it: "Il-2" had poor maneuverability, but it was very difficult to shoot it down. The pilots even joked that the Il-2 could fly "half the wing, but on parole." The ground forces of the Wehrmacht, seeing in it a constant threat, called the plane "the butcher" or "Iron Gustav". The designers themselves called the "IL-2" simply - "flying tank". And in the Red Army, the aircraft was nicknamed "humpbacked" due to the unusual shape of the hull.

In this form, the IL-2 flew to the airfield. (wikipedia.org)

The first production aircraft "Il-2" was produced on March 10, 1941 at the Voronezh aircraft plant, since then 36,183 of the same attack aircraft have risen above the ground. However, at the time the war began, the Red Army had only 249 vehicles at its disposal. Initially, Ilyushin, the chief designer, created a two-seater "armored attack aircraft", but after the very first tests, it was decided to install an additional gas tank instead of the second place.

All the time, the Soviet command lacked specialized combat aircraft. This is largely why the Il-2, being the most widespread machine, was used for various tasks. For example, for all Il-2 aircraft, a mandatory bomb load was installed, which was jokingly called the “Stalinist outfit”. In addition to the bombing, the Il-2 was used, despite its impressive dimensions, as a reconnaissance aircraft. One of interesting features attack aircraft is that the pilots, if the car caught fire in battle, often put the plane on the "belly" without releasing the landing gear. The most difficult thing for the pilot was to get out of the fuselage in time and escape before the "" explodes.

Tank T-29

In the mid-1930s, during the heyday of the idea of \u200b\u200ba wheeled-tracked high-speed tank, its more protected and heavily armed modification of the T-29 appeared. This tank, almost not inferior in speed to its lightly armored counterparts, had armor up to 30 mm thick and was armed with a 76 mm cannon. In concept, the T-29 was similar to the T-28 medium tank, but differed from it in increased dimensions, which was caused by the location of the suspension elements inside the hull. This provided the best level of survivability of the undercarriage, but complicated its maintenance. In general, the car turned out to be not very reliable and difficult to manufacture, and only 2 production copies were produced.

Tank Grotte

Experienced medium tank TG (Tank Grotte) was developed in the USSR on the basis of a project by the German engineer Edward Grotte. This vehicle was the first to use many technical innovations that were not yet used on any production tank at that time. These include a fully welded hull, multi-tiered armament, coil spring suspension.

Tests of the tank showed an equal number of both advantages and disadvantages. The TG guns were distinguished by good firing accuracy, and the 76-mm gun was superior in power to all tank guns of that time. The control of the tank was extremely easy, and the course was smooth. At the same time, the TG had poor maneuverability on soft soils, the fighting compartment was too cramped, it was difficult to repair the engine and gearbox. True, the main obstacle to putting the tank into serial production was its enormous cost (like 25 BT-2 tanks)!

Tank SMK

The heavy multi-turret tank SMK (Sergei Mironovich Kirov) was developed in 1939 on the basis of the T-35 as a heavy breakthrough tank. The design of the SMK differs markedly from the prototype tank. To reduce the weight of the vehicle and improve working conditions for the crew, the number of towers was reduced to two. In the chassis of the SMK, a torsion bar suspension was used, which provided good move tank weighing 55 tons. The armament consisted of two 45 and 76 mm cannons and five 7.62 mm caliber machine guns. After the outbreak of war with Finland, experienced images of the QMS and similar, shortly after the start of the attack, the QMS ran over a mine and lost a caterpillar. Experienced KV and T-100 participating in the attack covered the vehicle for several hours, but it was not possible to repair the damage. The QMS had to be left in enemy territory. After the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line, the non-tough QMS was towed to the location of our troops and sent by rail to the native plant for repairs, but it was never produced, and the QMS stood on the outskirts of the enterprise until the 50s, until it was melted down. -100 were sent to the test in battle.

USSR, tanks of the second world war

Tank T-44

Specifications:

Tank type Medium

Crew 4 people

Combat weight 31.8 t

Length 7.65 m

Width 3.18 m

Height 2.41 m

Number of guns / caliber 1/85 mm

Frontal armor 90 mm

Side armor 75 mm

V-44 engine, diesel, 500 hp with.

Maximum speed 51 km / h

Cruising range 300 km

T-44, developed at the design bureau of the Ural Tank Plant under the leadership of chief designer A.A. Morozov and released at the very end of the war, embodied the vast experience of building and combat use tanks T-34. This is the best Soviet medium tank of the war period, which became a transitional one to the post-war generation of combat vehicles. Having a significant external resemblance to its predecessor, the T-34-85, the T-44 tank radically differed from it in size, layout and design. The transverse arrangement of the engine made it possible to reduce the length of the hull, save weight, and use this savings to enhance armor protection. The fighting compartment was increased and the working conditions of the crew were improved. The side walls of the hull became vertical, and the monolithic front plate was installed at an angle of 60 ° to the vertical. Due to the new layout, it was possible to shift the turret to the center of the hull, which acquired a more streamlined shape, which increased its projectile resistance. In the vacant space, the driver's hatch was placed, installed on the T-34 in the frontal sheet. All units and mechanisms of the tank were significantly improved. Before the end of the war, the Kharkov plant had produced 190 T-44s. Although they were not used in hostilities, the Guards tank brigadesequipped with T-44, became the "hot reserve" of the Red Army. The release of the T-44 lasted up to a year and amounted to 1823 units. In 1961, the tanks underwent modernization in order to unify the transmission and chassis units with the main medium tank. Soviet army T-54. Under the designation T-44M, these vehicles received night vision devices for the driver and commander, as well as increased ammunition. On the basis of the T-44M, the T-44MK command tank was created. In it, due to a slight reduction in ammunition, a second radio station was installed. The tanks underwent the last modernization in the year when they were equipped with two-plane weapon stabilizers that increase the accuracy of fire on the move. These vehicles received the designation T-44S. Some of the T-44M tanks in the year were converted into armored tractors BTS-4. The T-44s were removed from service at the end of the 70s and then "served" as targets at ranges. At the end of their careers, they still had a chance to take part in the Great Patriotic War ... as German tanks Pz VI "Tiger" in the movie "Liberation". After the corresponding alteration, the T-44 became practically indistinguishable on the screen from the fascist vehicles.

Tank T-34-76

The T-34 became the best medium tank of the Second World War and the most massive tank in the Red Army. In terms of the combination of the three most important characteristics - firepower, protection and mobility - in the year he had no equal. "The T-34 is the most remarkable example of an offensive weapon," said Hitler's General von Mellenthin. The project of the A-32 tracked tank was developed by a team led by the talented designer M.I.Koshkin, and the first prototype of the vehicle entered trials in the summer of the year. Having won the competition with the wheeled-tracked A-20, the tank was adopted by the Red Army in December of the same year and put into mass production under the designation T-34. He was distinguished by a number of characteristic features. The most important advantage of the machine was its economical diesel engine, which can withstand heavy workloads. The undercarriage with large rollers and wide tracks ensured excellent cross-country ability of the tank. Powerful armor combined with the optimal tilt angles of the armor plates contributed to the high! the probability of the shells ricochet. For the manufacture of the largest part of the T-34, the armored hull, automatic welding was used for the first time in the world. The armament of the vehicle consisted of a 76 mm L-11 cannon and two 7.62 mm machine guns. Since the serial production of the L-11 had already been discontinued, in the spring of 1941 a new cannon, the F-34, of the same caliber began to be installed on the tank. By the beginning of World War II, there were 967 T-34s in the border districts - almost all of them were lost in the first two! weeks of fighting due to unsuccessful deployment, poorly trained crews and a lack of repair and evacuation facilities. Nevertheless, the first tank battles showed a significant advantage for Soviet vehicles. German tank guns did not pose a serious danger to the T-34, while the 76-mm shell of the thirty-four penetrated the armor of any enemy tank at a distance of up to 1000 m. Weakness and anti-tank artillery Wehrmacht. The Germans called the 37-mm Pak 37 cannon the "army firecracker". In one of the reports, it was reported that the calculation of such a gun achieved 23 hits in the T-34 tank, but only a shell hitting the base of the tower put the vehicle out of action. The design of the tank changed somewhat during the year. Instead of a welded or cast turret of a complex configuration, the T-34 received a hexagonal cast turret. The capacity of the fuel tanks has been increased, the engine is equipped with an improved air cleaning system, and the power plant is equipped with a five-speed gearbox. On the basis of the T-34, 70 repair and recovery vehicles and several dozen bridge-laying tanks with a 7.7 m bridge were produced. Some T-34s were converted into flamethrower and command tanks. Only by a year did the Germans manage to change the ratio of the characteristics of tanks in their favor. The increased thickness of the armor of the Tigers and Panthers limited the effectiveness of the fire of the short-barreled T-34 guns, and 75- and 88-mm German guns could hit from Soviet vehicles from a distance of 900 and 1500 m, respectively. The victory at Kursk came at a high price - during the counteroffensive, the Red Army lost about six thousand tanks and self-propelled guns. Other disadvantages of the T-34 also affected: poor ventilation and visibility from the tank, an unreliable gearbox, as well as a cramped tower without a rotating pole (when turning the gun, the loader had to follow the breech, stepping over the spent cartridges), which housed only two crew members ... The gunner had to combine his duties with those of a tank commander. Although in the process of serial production of the T-34 was constantly improved, in the middle of the war there was a need for its radical modernization.

Specifications:

Tank type Medium

Crew 4 people

Combat weight 30.9 t

Length 6.62 m

Width 3 m

Height 2.52 m

Number of guns / caliber 1/76 mm

Number of machine guns / caliber 2 / 7.62 mm

Frontal armor 45 mm

Side armor 45 mm

Engine V-2-34, diesel, 450 hp with.

Maximum speed 51 km / h

Cruising range 300 km

USSR, between two wars

Tanks T-37 and T-38

Specifications:

Tank type Light amphibious

Crew 2 people

Combat weight 3.3 t

Length 3.78 m

Width 2.33 m

Height 1.63 m

Number of guns / caliber -

Number of machine guns / caliber 1 / 7.62 mm

Frontal armor 8 mm

Board armor 8 mm

GAZ-AA engine, carburet., 40 hp. with.

Maximum speed 40/6 km / h

Cruising range 230 km

A significant drawback of reconnaissance tankettes was the placement of weapons in the hull. Therefore, the first Soviet small amphibious tanks received a circular turret. On the prototypes of the T-33, T-41 and T-37, various options for the placement of the tower and the use of GAZ-AA automobile power units were tested in the year. The serial production was launched under the designation T-37A, which has a larger displacement of the hull and additional floats - fenders filled with cork. The tank had good stability and maneuverability afloat. A propeller with rotating blades made it possible to reverse on the water. Two factories (No. 37 in Moscow and "GAZ" in Gorky) have produced 2,627 T-37 tanks of all modifications from year to year. In addition to the linear T-37A (without a radio station), 643 T-37TU tanks were built with the common tank radio station of that time 71-TK-1. Outwardly, they were distinguished by a handrail antenna along the perimeter of the hull. Also, 75 OT-37 (BHM-4) vehicles were produced, armed with a DG machine gun and a flamethrower installation. In 1936, the T-37A in production was replaced by its improved version of the T-38. It differed from its predecessor in the refined shape of the riveted-welded hull and improved suspension, which increased the smoothness and speed on land. Instead of an automobile differential, the T-38 received side clutches, which increased the cross-country ability and controllability of the vehicle. In 1938, the tank was upgraded by installing an engine and gearbox from a GAZ M-1 vehicle and received the designation T-38M2. Its speed increased to 46 km / h, and its combat weight increased to 3.8 tons. The T-38 was produced at the same factories as the T-37A. A total of 1217 T-38 and 165 T-38TU linear vehicles with radio stations were manufactured from 1936 to 1939. In the pre-war period, the methods of airlifting T-37 and T-38 tanks by air using bombers were being worked out. The strength of the tanks allowed them to be dropped onto water bodies from a height of 6 meters at an aircraft speed of 160 km / h. The crew was dropped by parachute. Soviet amphibious tanks were used during the armed conflict between the USSR and Japan "

-When I saw the Russians, I was surprised. How did the Russians get from the Volga to Berlin in such primitive machines? When I saw them and the horses, I thought it couldn't be. Technically advanced German and artillery was very much inferior to Russian technology. Do you know why? Everything must be accurate with us. And snow and mud don't help precision. When I was captured, I had a "Sturmgever" modern weapons, but he refused after three shots - sand hit ... - Gunther Kuehne, Wehrmacht soldier

Any war is a clash not only of troops, but also of the industrial and economic systems of the belligerents. This question must be remembered when trying to evaluate the merits of certain samples. military equipment, as well as the successes of the troops achieved with this technique. When assessing the success or failure of a combat vehicle, one must clearly remember not only her specifications, but also the costs that were invested in its production, the number of units produced, and so on. Simply put, an integrated approach is important.
That is why the assessment of a single tank or aircraft and loud statements about the "best" model of war must be critically assessed each time. It is possible to create an invincible tank, but quality issues almost always conflict with issues of simplicity of manufacture and the mass scale of such equipment. There is no point in creating an invincible tank if the industry cannot organize its mass production, and the cost of the tank will be the same as that of an aircraft carrier. The balance between the fighting qualities of equipment and the ability to quickly establish large-scale production is important.

In this regard, it is interesting how this balance was observed by the belligerent powers at different levels of the state's military-industrial system. How much and what kind of military equipment was produced, and how it influenced the results of the war. This article is an attempt to collect together statistical data on the production of armored vehicles by Germany and the USSR during the Second World War and the next pre-war period.

Statistics.

The data obtained are summarized in a table, which requires some explanation.

1. Approximate figures are highlighted in red. Basically, they relate to two types - captured French equipment, as well as the number of self-propelled guns produced on the chassis of German armored personnel carriers. The first is connected with the impossibility of establishing exactly how many trophies were actually used by the Germans in the troops. The second is due to the fact that the release of self-propelled guns on an armored personnel carrier chassis was often carried out by retrofitting already released armored personnel carriers without heavy weapons, by installing a cannon with a machine tool on the armored personnel carrier chassis.

2. The table contains information about all guns, tanks and armored vehicles. For example, the line "assault guns" includes the German self-propelled guns sd.kfz.250 / 8 and sd.kfz.251 / 9, which are an armored personnel carrier chassis with a short-barreled 75 cm gun installed. The corresponding number of linear armored personnel carriers is excluded from the line "armored personnel carriers" etc.

3. Soviet self-propelled guns did not have a narrow specialization, and could fight both tanks and support the infantry. However, they are categorized into different categories. For example, the Soviet breakthrough self-propelled guns SU / ISU-122/152, as well as the self-propelled guns of support of the Su-76 infantry, were the closest to the German assault guns as conceived by the designers. And such self-propelled guns, such as the Su-85 and Su-100, had a pronounced anti-tank character and were classified as "tank destroyers".

4. The category of "self-propelled artillery" includes guns intended primarily for firing from closed positions out of line of sight of targets, including rocket launchers on armored chassis. On the Soviet side, only the BM-8-24 MLRS on the T-60 and T-40 chassis fell into this category.

5. Statistics include all production from 1932 to May 9, 1945. It was this technique, one way or another, that constituted the potential of the belligerents and was used in the war. The technique of earlier production by the beginning of the Second World War was outdated and did not represent any serious significance.

the USSR

The data obtained fit well into the known historical situation. The production of armored vehicles in the USSR was deployed on an incredible, massive scale, which fully corresponded to the aspirations of the Soviet side - preparation for a war of survival in vast areas from the Arctic to the Caucasus. To a certain extent, for the sake of mass production, the quality and debugging of military equipment was sacrificed. It is known that the equipment soviet tanks high-quality communications, optics and interior decoration were significantly worse than that of the Germans.

The obvious imbalance of the weapon system is striking. For the sake of the production of tanks, there are no whole classes of armored vehicles - armored personnel carriers, SPAAGs, control vehicles, etc. Last but not least, this situation is determined by the desire of the USSR to overcome the serious lag in the main types of weapons inherited after the collapse of the Republic of Ingushetia and civil war... Attention was focused on saturating the troops with the main striking force - tanks, while the support vehicles were ignored. This is logical - it is foolish to invest effort in the design of bridgelayers and ARVs in conditions when the production of the main weapons - tanks - is not debugged.

At the same time, the USSR realized the flawedness of such a weapon system, and already on the eve of the Second World War, they were actively designing a wide variety of support equipment. These are armored personnel carriers, and self-propelled artillery, repair and recovery vehicles, bridgelayers, etc. Most of this technology did not have time to be introduced into production before the beginning of the Second World War, and already during the war, its development had to be stopped. All this could not but affect the level of losses in the course of hostilities. So, for example, the absence of armored personnel carriers negatively affected the losses of the infantry and their mobility. Making many kilometers of foot marches, the infantrymen lost strength and part of their combat capability even before contact with the enemy.

The gaps in the weapons system were partially filled with supplies from the allies. It is no coincidence that armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns and SPAAGs on the chassis of American armored personnel carriers were supplied to the USSR. The total number of such vehicles was about 8,500, which is not much less than the number of tanks received - 12,300.

Germany

The German side followed a completely different path. Having been defeated in WWI, Germany did not lose its design school and did not lose its technological superiority. Recall - in the USSR and there was nothing to lose, in Russian Empire tanks were not produced. Therefore, the Germans did not need to overcome the path from an agrarian state to an industrial one in a wild haste.

Having started preparing for war, the Germans were well aware that they could defeat numerous and economically strong opponents in the person of Great Britain and France, and then the USSR, only by ensuring a quality superiority, which, already, traditionally, the Germans are excellent at. But the question of mass character for Germany was not so acute - relying on the blitzkrieg strategy and the quality of weapons gave a chance to achieve victory with small forces. The first attempts have confirmed the success of the chosen course. Although not without problems, the Germans managed to defeat Poland, then France, and so on. The spatial scale of hostilities in the center of compact Europe was quite consistent with the number of tank forces at the disposal of the Germans. Obviously, these victories convinced the German command even more of the correctness of the chosen strategy.

Actually, that is why the Germans initially paid the utmost attention to the balance of their weapons system. Here we see a variety of types of armored vehicles - ZSU, ammunition transporters, forward observer vehicles, ARVs. All this made it possible to build a well-functioning mechanism for waging war, which, like a steam roller, passed throughout Europe. Such a keen attitude towards support technology, which also contributes to the achievement of victory, can only be admired.

Actually, the first seeds of future defeat were laid in this weapon system. Germans - they are all Germans. Quality and reliability! But as mentioned above, quality and mass character almost always come into conflict. And once the Germans started a war, where everything was different - they attacked the USSR.

In the first year of the war, the blitzkrieg mechanism malfunctioned. The Russian open spaces were absolutely indifferent to the perfectly oiled, but few in number, German technology. Here a different scope was required. And although the Red Army suffered defeat after defeat, it became difficult for the Germans to maneuver with the modest forces that they had. Losses in the protracted conflict grew, and already in 1942 it became obvious that it was impossible to produce high-quality German equipment in the quantities necessary to make up for losses. Rather, it is impossible in the same mode of operation of the economy. I had to start mobilizing the economy. However, these actions were very late - it was necessary to prepare for the situation before the attack.

Technics

When assessing the potential of the parties, it is necessary to clearly separate the equipment by purpose. The decisive influence on the outcome of the battle is exerted primarily by the machines of the "battlefield" - the technique engaged in the destruction of the enemy by direct fire in the forward echelons of troops. These are tanks and self-propelled guns. It should be admitted that in this category the USSR had an absolute superiority, having produced 2.6 times more military equipment.

IN a separate category highlighted light tanks with machine-gun armament, as well as tankettes. Formally being tanks, they represented a very low combat value for 1941. Nor the German Pz. I, nor the Soviet T-37 and T-38, the language does not turn to be included on a par with the formidable T-34 and even light BT or T-26. Passion for such technology in the USSR should be considered not a very successful experiment.

Self-propelled artillery is indicated separately. The difference between this category of armored vehicles from assault guns, tank destroyers and other self-propelled guns lies in the ability to fire from closed positions. For them, the destruction of troops by direct fire is rather an exception to the rule than a typical task. In fact, these are ordinary field howitzers or MLRS mounted on the chassis of armored vehicles. Currently, this practice has become the norm, as a rule, any artillery piece has a towed (for example, a 152-mm howitzer MSTA-B) and a self-propelled version (MSTA-S). It was new at the time, and the Germans were among the first to implement the idea. self-propelled artillerycovered with armor. The USSR limited itself to experiments in this area, and the built self-propelled guns using howitzers were used not as classical artillery, but as a breakthrough weapon. At the same time, 64 were issued jet systems BM-8-24 on the T-40 and T-60 chassis. There is information that the troops were satisfied with them, and why their mass production was not organized is not clear.

The next category is combined arms armored vehicles, whose task is to support the equipment of the first line, but are not intended to destroy targets on the battlefield. This category includes armored personnel carriers and ZSU on armored chassis, armored vehicles. It is important to understand that such vehicles, by their design, are not intended to conduct combat in the same formation with tanks and infantry, although they should be behind them in close proximity. It is mistakenly believed that the armored personnel carrier is a battlefield vehicle. In fact, the armored personnel carriers were originally intended to transport infantry in the frontline zone and protect it from artillery shell fragments at the initial lines of the attack. On the battlefield, armored personnel carriers, armed with a machine gun and protected by thin armor, could not help either the infantry or the tanks. Their large silhouette makes them a beautiful and easy target. If in reality they entered the battle, it was forced. Vehicles of this category affect the outcome of the battle indirectly - saving the lives and strength of the infantry. Their value in battle is significantly lower than that of tanks, although they are also necessary. In this category, the USSR practically did not produce its own equipment, and only by the middle of the war acquired a small number of vehicles supplied under Lend-Lease.

The temptation to classify the APC as a battlefield technique is fueled by the presence of very weak tanks in the ranks of the Red Army, for example, the T-60. Thin armor, primitive equipment, weak cannon - why is the German armored personnel carrier worse? Why is a tank with such weak performance characteristics a battlefield vehicle, but not an armored personnel carrier? First of all, a tank is a specialized vehicle, main task which is precisely the destruction of targets on the battlefield, which cannot be said about the armored personnel carrier. Even though their armor is similar, the low, squat silhouette of the tank, its mobility, the ability to fire from a cannon clearly speaks of its purpose. An armored personnel carrier is precisely a transporter, not a means of destroying the enemy. However, those German armored personnel carriers that received specialized weapons, for example, 75-cm or 3.7-cm anti-tank guns taken into account in the table in the corresponding lines - anti-tank self-propelled guns. This is true, since this armored personnel carrier was eventually turned into a vehicle designed to destroy the enemy on the battlefield, albeit with weak armor and a high, clearly visible silhouette of the transporter.

As for armored vehicles, they were mainly intended for reconnaissance and security. The USSR produced a huge number of cars of this class, and combat capabilities a number of models came close to the capabilities of light tanks. However, this applies primarily to pre-war technology. It seems that the forces and funds spent on their manufacture could be spent with the best benefit... For example, if some of them were intended for the transport of infantry, like conventional armored personnel carriers.

The next category is special vehicles without weapons. Their task is to provide troops, and armoring is needed primarily to protect against accidental fragments and bullets. Their presence in battle formations should be short-term; they do not have to constantly accompany the advancing troops. Their task is on time and in the right place, advancing from the rear, to solve specific tasks, avoiding contact with the enemy whenever possible.

The Germans produced about 700 repair and recovery vehicles, plus about 200 were converted from previously released equipment. In the USSR, such machines were created only on the basis of the T-26 and produced in the amount of 183 units. It is difficult to fully assess the potential of the repair forces of the parties, since the matter was not limited to ARVs alone. Sensing the need for this type of technology, both Germany and the USSR were engaged in handicraft conversion of obsolete and partially faulty tanks into tow trucks and tractors. In the Red Army there were quite a few such vehicles with dismantled turrets based on the T-34, KV and IS tanks. Their exact number is not possible to establish, since they are all manufactured in combat units of the army, and not at factories. In the German army, despite the presence of specialized ARVs, similar homemade products were also made, and their number is also unknown.

The ammunition transporters were intended by the Germans primarily to supply the advanced artillery units. In the Red Army, the same task was solved by ordinary trucks, the security of which, of course, was lower.

Forward observer vehicles were also mainly needed by the gunners. In the modern army, their counterparts are the vehicles of senior battery officers and mobile reconnaissance posts of the PRP. However, in those years, the USSR did not produce such machines.

As for the bridgelayers, their presence in the Red Army may be surprising. Nevertheless, it was the USSR that produced 65 of these vehicles on the basis of the T-26 tank under the designation ST-26 before the war. The Germans, on the other hand, produced several of these vehicles based on the Pz IV, Pz II and Pz I. However, neither the Soviet ST-26 nor the German bridge-laying machines had any effect on the course of the war.

Finally, the Germans quite massively produced such specific machines as blasting charges stackers. The most massive of these machines - "Goliath", was a remotely controlled tankette single use... This type of machine can hardly be attributed to any category, so their tasks are unique. The USSR did not produce such machines.

findings

Analyzing the impact of weapons production on the consequences of war, two factors must be taken into account - the balance of the weapons system and the balance of equipment in terms of the quality / quantity ratio.

The balance of the armament system of the German army is highly appreciated. In the pre-war period, the USSR was unable to create anything of the kind, although the leadership was aware of the need for this. The lack of auxiliary equipment negatively affected the combat capabilities of the Red Army, primarily in the mobility of support units and infantry. Of all the wide range of auxiliary equipment, it is worth regretting the absence in the Red Army, first of all, of armored personnel carriers and self-propelled anti-aircraft installations... The absence of such exotic vehicles as remote blasting charges and artillery observer vehicles could be overcome without tears. As for the ARVs, their role was quite successfully solved by tractors based on tanks with removed weapons, and there are still no armored ammunition transporters in the army, and the troops in general cope with this task using conventional trucks.

The production of armored personnel carriers in Germany should be considered justified. Knowing the cost of military equipment, it is not difficult to calculate that the production of the entire fleet of armored personnel carriers cost the Germans about 450 million marks. For this money, the Germans could build about 4000 Pz. IV or 3000 Pz.V. Obviously, such a number of tanks would not greatly affect the outcome of the war.

As for the USSR, its leadership, overcoming the technological lag behind Western countries, correctly assessed the importance of tanks as the main striking force of troops. The emphasis on improving and developing tanks ultimately gave the USSR an advantage over the German army directly on the battlefield. With the high benefits of support technology, it was the machines of the battlefield, which in the Soviet army had the highest priority of development, played a decisive role in the outcome of battles. The large number of support vehicles in the end did not help Germany in any way to win the war, although it certainly saved a considerable number of German soldiers' lives.

But the balance between quality and quantity ended up not in favor of Germany. The traditional inclination of the Germans to strive in everything to achieve the ideal, even where it is worth neglecting, played a cruel joke. Preparing for war with the USSR, it was necessary to pay close attention to the mass production of equipment. Even the most advanced combat vehicles in small numbers are not capable of turning the tide of events. The gap between the combat capabilities of the Soviet and german technology was not so great that German quality superiority could play a decisive role. But the quantitative superiority of the USSR turned out to be able not only to make up for the losses of the first period of the war, but also to influence the course of the war as a whole. The ubiquitous T-34s, supplemented by small Su-76s and T-60s, were everywhere, while the Germans from the very beginning of the Second World War did not have enough equipment to saturate the huge front.

Speaking about the quantitative superiority of the USSR, it is impossible to ignore the discussion of the traditional template “filled up with corpses”. Having discovered such a striking superiority of the Red Army in technology, it is difficult to resist the temptation to put forward the thesis that we fought in numbers, not skill. Such statements must be stopped immediately. Not one, even the most talented commander, will not give up quantitative superiority over the enemy, even if he can fight in times fewer troops. Quantitative superiority gives the commander the broadest possibilities for planning a battle and does not at all mean an inability to fight a small number. If you have a lot of troops, this does not mean that you immediately enthusiastically throw them into a frontal attack, in the hope that they will crush the enemy with their mass. Whatever the quantitative superiority, it is not infinite. Providing your troops with the opportunity to operate in greater numbers is the most important task of industry and the state. And the Germans understood this perfectly, having squeezed out of their economy in 43-45 everything that could be achieved in an attempt to achieve at least not superiority, but parity with the USSR. They did not do it the best way, but the Soviet side did it excellently. Which became one of the many building blocks in the foundation of the victory.

P.S.
The author does not consider this work to be exhaustive and final. Perhaps there are specialists who can significantly supplement the information presented. Any reader can get acquainted with the collected statistics in detail by downloading from the link below full version the statistical table presented in this article.
https://yadi.sk/i/WWxqmJlOucUdP

References:
A.G. Solyankin, M.V. Pavlov, I. V. Pavlov, I.G. Zheltov “Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. " (in 4 volumes)
W. Oswald. "Complete catalog of military vehicles and tanks of Germany 1900 - 1982."
P. Chamberlain, H. Doyle, "Encyclopedia of German tanks of the Second World War."

USSR technique

Tank of the USSR: T-34 (or "thirty-four")

The tank was put into service on December 19, 1939. This is the only tank in the world that retained its combat capability and was in serial production until the end of the Great Patriotic War. The T-34 tank deservedly enjoyed the love of the soldiers and officers of the Red Army, was the best vehicle in the world tank fleet. He played a decisive role in the battles near Moscow, Stalingrad, on Kursk Bulge, near Berlin and other military operations.

Soviet technology of World War II

Tank of the USSR: IS - 2 "Joseph Stalin"

IS-2 - Soviet heavy tank during the Great Patriotic War. The abbreviation IS means "Joseph Stalin" - the official name of the serial Soviet heavy tanks release 1943-1953 Index 2 corresponds to the second production tank model of this family. During the Great Patriotic War, together with the designation IS-2, the name IS-122 was used on equal terms, in this case the index 122 means the caliber of the main armament of the vehicle.

USSR weapon: 76-mm divisional gun, 1942 model
The ZIS-3 became the most massive Soviet artillery piece produced during the Great Patriotic War. Due to its outstanding combat, operational and technological qualities, this weapon is recognized by experts as one of the best weapons of the Second World War. In the postwar period, the ZIS-3 was in service with the Soviet Army for a long time, and was also actively exported to a number of countries, in some of which it is still in service today.

Military equipment of the USSR: Katyusha
Katyusha is the unofficial collective name for combat vehicles BM-8 (82 mm), BM-13 (132 mm) and BM-31 (310 mm). Such installations were actively used by the USSR during the Second World War.

Each of the warring parties has invested staggering amounts of money to design and build powerful weapons, and we will try to consider some of the most influential. To date, they are not considered the best or most destructive, but the military equipment below, to one degree or another, influenced the course of the Second World War.

The LCVP is a variation of the US Navy landing craft. Designed for the transport and disembarkation of personnel on an unequipped coastline occupied by the enemy.

The LCVP, or "Higgins boat", is named after its creator Andrew Higgins, who designed the boat for operations in shallow water and swampy terrain, and was used extensively by the US Navy during amphibious operations during World War II. For 15 years of production, 22,492 boats of this type were built.

The landing craft LCVP was built from pressed plywood and structurally resembled a small river barge with a crew of 4 people. At the same time, the boat could carry a full infantry platoon of 36 troops. At full load, Higgins' boat could reach speeds of up to 9 knots (17 km / h).

Katyusha (BM-13)

Katyusha is the unofficial name for barrelless field rocket artillery systems widely used Armed Forces USSR during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Initially, they were called Katyushas - BM-13, and later they began to call BM-8, BM-31, and others. BM-13 - the famous and most massive Soviet fighting machine (BM) of this class.

Avro lancaster

The Avro Lancaster is a British heavy bomber used during World War II and in service with the Royal Air Force. Lancaster is considered the most effective night bomber of the Second World War and the most famous. He flew over 156,000 sorties and dropped over 600,000 tons of bombs.

The first combat flight took place in March 1942. During the war, more than 7,000 Lancasters were produced, but almost half were destroyed by the enemy. At the present time (2014), only two machines have survived that are capable of flying.

U-boat (submarine)

U-boat is a generalized abbreviation for German submarines that were in service with the German naval forces.

Germany, not having a sufficiently strong fleet capable of withstanding the Allied forces at sea, first of all relied on its submarines, the main purpose of which was to destroy trade convoys carrying goods from Canada, the British Empire and the United States to Soviet Union and the allies in the Mediterranean. German submarines have proven to be incredibly effective. Winston Churchill would later say that the only thing that scared him during World War II was the underwater threat.

Research has shown that the Allies spent $ 26.4 billion to fight German submarines. Unlike the Allied countries, Germany spent $ 2.86 billion on its U-boats. From a purely economic point of view, the campaign is seen as a German success, making German submarines one of the most influential weapons of the war.

the plane Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane is a World War II British single seat fighter designed and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. In total, more than 14,500 of these aircraft were built. The Hawker Hurricane had various modifications and could be used as a fighter-bomber, interceptor and attack aircraft.

M4 "Sherman" - American medium tank of the Second World War. In the period from 1942 to 1945, 49,234 tanks were produced, it is considered the third most massive tank in the world after the T-34 and T-54. During the Second World War, on the basis of the M4 Sherman tank, a large number of various modifications were built (one of which the Sherman Crab is the strangest tank), self-propelled artillery installations (ACS) and engineering equipment. It was used by the American army, and was also supplied in large quantities to the Allied forces (mainly to Great Britain and the USSR).

The 88 mm FlaK 18/36/37/41 is also known as the "eight-eight" - a German anti-aircraft, anti-tank artillery gun that was widely used by German troops during the Second World War. A weapon designed to destroy both aircraft and tanks was also often used as artillery. In the period from 1939 to 1945, a total of 17,125 such guns were built.

North American P-51 Mustang

Third in the list of the most influential military equipment of the Second World War is the P-51 Mustang, an American long-range single-seat fighter developed in the early 1940s. It is considered the best fighter of the USAF during the Second World War. It was used mainly as a reconnaissance aircraft and to escort bombers during raids on German territory.

Aircraft carriers

Aircraft carriers are a type of warship, the main striking force of which is carrier-based aircraft. In World War II, Japanese and american aircraft carriers already represented a leading role in the battles of the Pacific. For example, the famous attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out using dive bombers deployed on six Japanese aircraft carriers.

The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank that was mass-produced from 1940 until the first half of 1944. It was the main tank of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), until it was replaced by the T-34-85 modification, which is still in service in some countries today. The legendary T-34 is the most massive medium tank and is recognized by many military experts and specialists. the best tank, produced during the Second World War. It is also considered one of the most famous symbols of the above mentioned war.