Soviet tanks and armored vehicles. The development of tank building in the USSR and the role of battle tanks in war
The US Department of Defense in its publication "Soviet Military Power" provides an impressive illustration showing the site of the Nizhny Tagil Tank Plant with a map of Washington, DC, superimposed on it. The plant, called the Railcar and Tank Plant in the text of the book, has an area of 827,000 m2, which is much larger than the combined area of the two American tank factories in Warren, Michigan and Lima, Ohio.
According to the official estimate of American experts, the Nizhny Tagil Tank Plant produced 2,500 T-72 medium tanks in 1980, which in itself is impressive. Other Soviet tank factories annually produce another 500 medium tanks (T-64), 100 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, 150 self-propelled guns and a total of 5,500 other armored vehicles such as infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles. In addition, the military industry of other Warsaw Pact countries annually produces 750 medium tanks, 50 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, 50 self-propelled guns and about 1,200 units of other armored vehicles.
Although this scale of production is large by Western standards, a sober look at the situation indicates that it is justified by the large size of the Soviet armed forces, the constant need for modernization and the requirement to maintain arms exports at a level. In fact, according to the Russians, their tank industry is functioning at peacetime levels. Even the plant in Nizhny Tagil produces an incomparably smaller number of tanks compared to its capacity in wartime. Most of his workshops must be engaged in the production of rolling stock, and perhaps the production of highly efficient trailers, such as ChMZAP, designed for long-distance transportation of Soviet tracked vehicles. During the Second World War, when the Nizhny Tagil plant did not produce railway cars, the level of production was much higher, and in 1944 alone the plant produced at least 8,000 medium tanks. In 1942-45, the plant produced more tanks than any American plant. Moreover, this is one of several Soviet factories that produced tanks and other armored vehicles. In total, Soviet industry produced 28,984 tanks, assault guns and self-propelled guns in 1944, and in 1945 the production level was even higher. In light of this, it is interesting to look at some aspects of the history of the Soviet tank industry before considering its current state.
Early period
Large-scale production of tanks began in 1929 at the Leningrad Bolshevik plant (formerly the Obukhov Steel Plant, founded in 1863 to fulfill orders from the Russian Admiralty. It produced large-caliber naval artillery). Production continued until the late thirties, ending by the end of the decade. The plant returned to the production of naval artillery, although experiments with heavy tanks and self-propelled guns continued. Tank production moved to the Kirov Plant in Leningrad, which began producing medium tanks in 1933, but by 1941 switched to heavy tanks. (Formerly the Putilov Plant, founded in 1801 as a center for the production of ships, locomotives and artillery In 1922-1934 - the Krasny Putilovets plant). A third tank factory also emerged in this city with the construction of Factory No. 174, the future manufacturer of the infamous T-50 light tanks.
The second center of the tank industry was founded in 1931 at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant (KhPZ) (founded in 1897) in Ukraine. Having produced a small batch of medium tanks, he began to produce the Christie-BT design, and a new design bureau appeared here. Kharkov also produced 61 T-35 heavy tanks, designed by the Bolshevik plant, on special order between 1933 and 1939. In addition to tank plant No. 183, there was engine plant No. 75, which produced M-5 and M-17 aircraft engines, which were installed on many Soviet tanks at that time. At plant No. 75, the V-2 diesel engine was developed and put into production, which is installed on all Soviet tanks to this day. Plant No. 183 and its design bureau developed and for the first time began production of the world famous T-34 tanks.
The third, but less important center was in the Moscow region. It was based on the automobile industry, and not on heavy engineering, like Leningrad and Kharkov. Assembly Plant No. 37 was a military division of the automobile plant (originally called KIM, then MZMA, now AZLK), built in Moscow by Ford and producing cars from parts supplied by the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ), also built by Ford. In 1931, it began producing wedges, and in 1933 they switched to producing light amphibious tanks. In addition, semi-armored tractors - artillery tractors of the Komsomolets type - were produced here since 1936. There was also a design bureau that specialized in the design of light tanks using ready-made standard automotive components, such as GAZ engines and transmissions.
Before the German aggression, a large number of armored vehicles were produced in the USSR. Most of them were on the chassis of a GAZ passenger car, armored at the Izhora plant (founded in 1722, fulfilling military orders since 1899) in Kolpino, a suburb of Leningrad. Many of them gathered in the thirties in Vyksa, not far from Gorky. On the eve of the German aggression, they wanted to increase the production of armored cars and add other factories to this...
During the partial mobilization of industry with the outbreak of World War II from September 1939 until the German attack in June 1941, the USSR intensified its plans to build tanks at other tractor factories: the Stalingrad Tractor Plant (STZ) for the T-34 medium tank in addition to Plant No. 183 in Kharkov, and the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ) in the Urals for the new KV heavy tank in addition to the Kirov Plant in Leningrad (both produced tractors using American technology and with American assistance from 1929-31) . Both factories were advantageously located, completely inaccessible in case of aggression. However, when the war began, Chelyabinsk had not yet started serial production, and production was just beginning in Stalingrad.
The Second World War
The sudden and rapid advance of the Germans disrupted the carefully developed military plans of the Russians. Leningrad was blockaded by the end of August 1941, Kharkov was captured in October 1941, and in the same month the threat loomed over Moscow. With the outbreak of aggression, the Soviet government ordered GAZ to stop producing cars and switch to producing light tanks. GAZ did this very quickly, switching to the production of light self-propelled guns. It also supplied engines for all light tanks and in 1942 began producing light armored vehicles. Moreover, this is the only Soviet tank plant that was subjected to German bombing. The Krasnoye Sormovo heavy engineering and shipbuilding plant, flexible in its capabilities (founded in 1849. Produces various locomotives, hydrofoils, submarines, etc.) also received a new task: production of the T-34. Serial production began in October 1941, just at the time when the Kharkov plant was evacuated. The base for the production of light tanks near Moscow was also expanded. The Kolomna Locomotive Plant (founded in 1863) also began producing tank turrets. But soon, due to the German offensive, the plant had to be evacuated. Part of the equipment and personnel was sent to Sverdlovsk as plant No. 37. Until the summer of 1942, light tanks were produced here, and then the plant was assigned the role of supplier for Uralmash. The Kolomna Locomotive Plant was moved to Kirov, 750 kilometers northeast of Moscow, where under No. 38 it produced light tanks, and from 1943, light self-propelled guns.
Leningrad and Kharkov also had to be evacuated. The situation in Leningrad was very difficult; workers and specialized equipment left along with the relocation of factories. The tank assembly shops of the Kirov plant moved to Chelyabinsk to the tractor plant. Serial production of heavy tanks began at the end of October 1941. Plant No. 174 ended up in Siberia on the site of a former steam locomotive plant in Omsk. In March 1942, he began production of the T-34.
The Kharkov complex affected several different places. Tank plant No. 183 was evacuated to Nizhny Tagil, in the central Urals, to Uralvagonzavod - the largest of its kind in the world. It was built in 1931 -33. to produce 54,000 four-axle freight cars with a carrying capacity of 50 tons annually, then production was expanded to produce 70,000 cars per year. At the beginning of 1942, serial production of the T-34 began in a new location.
Thus was born the huge plant discussed in “Soviet Military Power”. Most of the equipment from Motor Plant No. 75 was sent to Chelyabinsk, where it was combined with the Kirov/Chelyabinsk Tractor Plants, forming the Tankograd complex. Some parts were produced by the new tank factory No. 76 in Sverdlovsk. The workshops of the Kharkov Tractor Plant helped complete the creation of a new tank engine plant in Rubtsovsk in the Altai Territory (the Altai Tractor Plant was created on this basis). Other workshops were united in Barnaul into the plant for the production of tank diesel engines No. 77, which in 1943 began supplying diesel engines to the Omsk Tank Plant.
It was expected that Sverdlovsk, an important industrial center between Nizhny Tagil and Chelyabinsk, would become a major center of the tank industry. At first, Uralmash was supposed to supply towers to Chelyabinsk, which was facilitated by the arrival of experienced personnel from the Izhora plant. In the summer of 1942, when a threat loomed over Stalingrad, Uralmash was ordered to begin production of the T-34, but in the fall the plant became the only manufacturer of new medium assault guns based on the T-34. The Battle of Stalingrad resulted in additional production of the T-34 in Chelyabinsk until March 1944.
The last to switch to the production of armored vehicles was the Mytishchi Rolling Stock Plant near Moscow (established in 1897, produces cars for the Moscow metro. Produced artillery shells. Today - Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant (MMZ)). In 1943, it was renamed Plant No. 40 and was engaged in converting captured German tanks of the PzKpfw III type into Soviet SU-76I assault guns. When the order for the SU-76 was completed, the plant switched to the production of native SU-76M artillery mounts, thereby surpassing the Kirov plant and easing GAZ's burden.
The evacuated and destroyed factories in Kharkov and Stalingrad during the war were returned by the Red Army, but apparently production was not resumed at them then. On the other hand, relatively intact equipment in Leningrad was restored to some extent after the blockade was lifted. The Kirov Plant resumed production of heavy tanks, producing the first heavy tank in March 1945.
By the end of the war with Germany in May 1945, the Soviet tank industry had the following assembly plants producing tanks:
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The Soviet tank industry showed great production capacity, producing approximately 100,000 units of tracked armored vehicles during the war, ranking second after the United States. She succeeded in this thanks to the fact that great attention was paid to issues of paramount importance, thanks to a sharp reduction in the production of types and samples of armored vehicles and their components, and strong-willed leadership expressed in constant personal attention from the very top in the person of Joseph Stalin. The successes of Soviet industry were the main reason for the Soviet victory. Perhaps its greatest achievement was the incredibly rapid restoration of large-scale production immediately after the evacuation of the bushings. Those in the West who deny that the Soviet economy had flexibility, initiative and thought should study how it behaved during the war.
Post-war period
Our information about the Soviet tank industry after 1945 is less detailed, and many of the conclusions and conclusions are purely speculative. Official documents of Western governments should be regarded as a fairly reliable reflection of current intelligence information, but in detail they do not compare with the mass of information contained in German secret wartime documents. Materials from Soviet sources are very scarce, dark, and subject to the strictest censorship. However, an attempt should be made to determine the locations of the factories and the types of armored vehicles they produce.
"Soviet military power" identifies three main centers of medium tank production: Kharkov, Nizhny Tagil and Omsk (the largest Nizhny Tagil). This is not surprising, since tanks were produced in all these cities before 1945, and Nizhny Tagil produced the largest number of tanks during the war.
The enormous size of the Nizhny Tagil plant made it possible to resume the production of rolling stock, while at the same time continuing to produce a large number of tanks. The production of railway rolling stock was a pure necessity for the reconstruction and development of the Soviet economy after the war, especially if we keep in mind that during the war the plant did not produce this type of product. At the same time, it was necessary to resume the design and production of tanks at the old Kharkov plant. It is interesting that A.A. Morozov, one of the authors of the T-34 tank and the chief designer in Nizhny Tagil during the war, returned to Kharkov. Perhaps this explains the fact that the T-64 and T-?2 tanks were not only produced by two different factories, but were also designed by two different design bureaus. Of certain importance is the fact that the reconstructed Kharkov plant for the production of tanks and steam locomotives began to be called the Transport Engineering Plant named after. Malysheva. During the war, Malyshev headed the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry.
Until now, Soviet publications have paid little attention to the role of the Nizhny Tagil plant during the war. Although the city's major role in achieving victory is recognized, the production of tanks was mentioned only in one case. Although much is said about the role of the Kharkov plant and its evacuation to the Urals, the location of plant No. 183 is not precisely indicated. This is despite the fact that German intelligence determined the location of this plant and accurately assessed its tank production. German intelligence also pieced together the history of Factory No. 174 in Omsk, but the Soviet official press never acknowledged the fact that it produced tanks during the war, and the (few) references to Factory No. 174 do not indicate its location. This indicates the secrecy of this plant, like the plant in Nizhny Tagil. It seems that censorship approaches publications about factories that were captured by the Germans and those that were outside the occupation zone with different standards. This leads to certain guesses when dealing with factories not mentioned in the publication “Soviet Military Power”.
In this publication of the Ministry of Defense, on page 10, there is a diagrammatic map entitled “The main centers of the Soviet military industry.” Four centers produce tanks, five - other types of armored vehicles, three - artillery guns, self-propelled guns and multiple launch rocket systems. Kharkov, Nizhny Tagil, Omsk are located in centers 3, 11 and 12. In addition, according to the map, tanks are produced in center 5, although the text does not say this. The only city that is in doubt is Leningrad. Limited production of heavy tanks probably continued here until the early sixties. It is possible that running gears for various transport, lifting and missile launchers were also produced here on the basis of tank chassis. Further, Zh.Ya. Kotin, a famous designer of heavy tanks, is officially considered the author of the PT-76 light tank and the K-700 heavy wheeled tractor, produced at the Kirov plant in Leningrad. For these reasons, the Leningrad Kirov Plant remains one of the first on the list of suspects in the production of armored vehicles.
Center 7 (Volzhsky economic region) includes Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) and is believed to be where armored personnel carriers are produced. Perhaps in this regard, the auto giant KamAZ in Naberezhnye Chelny has recently joined the Volgograd Tractor Plant. In center 6 (Volgo-Vyatka economic region) there is a large industrial center, the city of Gorky, which had two tank factories during the war. In this area, it is not tanks that are produced, but armored personnel carriers. Most likely, plant No. 112 (Krasnoe Sormovo) no longer produces tanks or armored personnel carriers, although it is an important center of the military industry. However, GAZ is the main candidate for the production of army armored vehicles.
It is indicated that in centers 11 and 12 (Nizhny Tagil and Omsk) not only tanks are produced, but also armored personnel carriers and artillery pieces. In addition to Nizhny Tagil, in center No. 11 there is a tavern factory in Chelyabinsk and Uralmash in Sverdlovsk that operated during the war. Perhaps today both of these factories produce military products, including those necessary for the assembly of tanks. Sverdlovsk also has a large artillery factory. However, if we apply the so-called censorship rules, none of these former tank factories are now producing tanks. Then where in this area are armored vehicles manufactured? For now, this question remains open. In the center 12 Omsk is the only known tank production plant. Is it possible here to produce other types of equipment besides tanks, for example, self-propelled guns, mobile command posts and fire control posts? The smaller size of the plant, compared to Nizhny Tagil and even Khorkov, suggests the production of specialized types of products and in smaller volumes.
Let's return to center 3 - the Kharkov plant. It is indicated that tanks and armored personnel carriers are produced here. If Omsk is really busy producing specialized types of equipment, then Kharkov may be the only manufacturer of the 500 T-64 tanks produced in 1980. For such a plant, the figure is very small and may indicate that this plant is busy producing other types of tracked vehicles. Which ones?
We still have cent No. 4, which includes Moscow, its suburb of Mytishchi and the city of Kirov. Plant No. 38, where it was last located, apparently stopped assembling armored vehicles in 1944. Although Kirov is connected by rail, the plant's location is not ideal and its size is small. Soviet sources wrote about its role during the war, so it apparently lost its importance as a tank manufacturer. The Moscow Light Tank Plant No. 37, which was evacuated to Sverdlovsk and later became an auxiliary plant, is definitely not involved in the production of tanks. References to it in Soviet literature are very rare; apparently, its significance during the war was small. In addition, Soviet authors do not like to write about light tanks that did not prove themselves in any way during the war. Plant No. 40 in Mytishchi remains. During wartime it was mentioned as a weapons production plant, but in post-war sources it does not appear at all. Its location is not indicated and there is no mention of the production of assault guns or light self-propelled guns. During the war, German intelligence had to kill a lot of time to establish that the plant in Mytishchi and plant No. 40 were one and the same, although the products were known. Strangely enough, the map in "Soviet Military Power" does not indicate the production of armored vehicles in this center. Perhaps there is a secret plant in Mytishchi, but it no longer produces armored vehicles, but something else. Or perhaps the BTR-152 based on the ZIS-151/ZIL-157 was assembled here. The plant is definitely not doing this now. Of course, today it is difficult to exclude the role of new modifications of ZIL in the production of trailers and other transporters. But this plant apparently produces components and parts for launchers and weapons carriers.
Of course, the tank industry includes many other factories that help operate the assembly plants discussed above. In addition, other branches of the military industrial complex, as well as ordnance factories, supply the various components needed to assemble these vehicles. Without them there would be no tanks.
The Soviet tank industry is a highly developed system with a large number of powerful factories with experienced staff, supported by factories from other branches of the military-industrial complex. Decades of production experience, plus the knowledge that the management and staff of factories in the past overcame unimaginable difficulties that were unheard of in the West - all this suggests that the Soviet tank industry is a powerful organism that can cope with any situation short of total nuclear war.
The term “tank” in Ozhegov’s dictionary is explained as “an armored self-propelled combat vehicle with powerful weapons on a tracked track.” But such a definition is not a dogma; there is no unified tank standard in the world. Each manufacturing country creates and has created tanks taking into account its own needs, the characteristics of the proposed war, the manner of upcoming battles and its own production capabilities. The USSR was no exception in this regard.
History of the development of tanks of the USSR and Russia by model
History of invention
The primacy of the use of tanks belongs to the British; their use forced military leaders of all countries to reconsider the concept of warfare. The use by the French of their Renault FT17 light tank determined the classic use of tanks for solving tactical problems, and the tank itself became the embodiment of the canons of tank building.
Although the laurels of first use did not go to the Russians, the invention of the tank itself, in its classical sense, belongs to our compatriots. In 1915 V.D. Mendeleev (the son of a famous scientist) sent a project for an armored self-propelled vehicle on two tracks with artillery weapons to the technical department of the Russian Army. But for unknown reasons, things did not go beyond design work.
The idea itself of installing a steam engine on a caterpillar propulsion device was not new; it was first implemented in 1878 by Russian designer Fyodor Blinov. The invention was called: “A car with endless flights for transporting goods.” In this “car”, a track turning device was used for the first time. The invention of a caterpillar propulsion device, by the way, also belongs to the Russian staff captain D. Zagryazhsky. For which a corresponding patent was issued in 1937.
The world's first tracked combat vehicle is also Russian. In May 1915, tests of the armored vehicle D.I. took place near Riga. Porokhovshchikov called “All-terrain vehicle”. It had an armored body, one wide track and a machine gun in a rotating turret. The tests were considered very successful, but due to the approaching Germans, further tests had to be postponed, and after some time they were completely forgotten.
In the same year, 1915, tests were carried out on a machine designed by the head of the experimental laboratory of the military department, Captain Lebedenko. The 40-ton unit was an artillery carriage enlarged to gigantic proportions, driven by two Maybach engines from a downed airship. The front wheels had a diameter of 9 meters. According to the creators, a vehicle of this design should easily overcome ditches and trenches, but during testing it got stuck immediately after it started moving. Where it stood for many years until it was cut up for scrap metal.
Russia ended the First World War without its tanks. During the Civil War, tanks from other countries were used. During the battles, some of the tanks passed into the hands of the Red Army, on which the workers’ and peasants’ fighters entered the battle. In 1918, in a battle with French-Greek troops near the village of Berezovskaya, several Reno-FT tanks were captured. They were sent to Moscow to participate in the parade. Lenin’s fiery speech about the need to build our own tanks laid the foundation for Soviet tank building. We decided to release, or rather completely copy, 15 Reno-FT tanks called Tank M (small). On August 31, 1920, the first copy left the workshops of the Krasnoye Sormovo plant in Nizhny Tagil. This day is considered to be the birthday of Soviet tank building.
The young state understood that tanks were very important for waging war, especially since the enemies approaching the borders were already armed with this type of military equipment. The M tank was not put into production due to its particularly expensive production price, so another option was needed. According to the idea that existed in the Red Army at that time, the tank was supposed to support the infantry during an attack, that is, the speed of the tank should not be much higher than the infantry, the weight should allow it to break through the defense line, and the weapons should successfully suppress firing points. Choosing between our own developments and proposals to copy ready-made samples, we chose the option that allowed us to organize the production of tanks in the shortest possible time - copying.
In 1925, the tank was launched into mass production, its prototype was the Fiat-3000. Although not entirely successful, the MS-1 became the tank that laid the foundation for Soviet tank building. At his production site, production itself and the coherence of the work of different departments and factories were developed.
Until the early 30s, several of their own models T-19, T-20, T-24 were developed, but due to the lack of special advantages over the T-18, and due to their high cost of production, they did not go into series.
Tanks of the 30-40s - a disease of imitation
Participation in the conflict on the Chinese Federal Railway showed the inadequacy of the first generation tanks for the dynamic development of the battle; the tanks practically did not show themselves in any way; the cavalry did the main work. A faster and more reliable car was needed.
To select the next production model, we went the beaten path and purchased samples abroad. The English Vickers Mk - 6 tons was mass-produced in our country as the T-26, and the Carden-Loyd Mk VI wedge was produced as the T-27.
The T-27, which at first was so tempting to produce due to its low cost, was not produced for long. In 1933, wedge heels were adopted for the army
amphibious tank T-37A, with weapons in a rotating turret, and in 1936 - T-38. In 1940, they created a similar amphibious T-40; the USSR did not produce more amphibious tanks until the 50s.
Another sample was purchased in the USA. Based on the model of J.W. Christie, a whole series of high-speed tanks (BT) was built; their main difference was the combination of two propellers, wheeled and tracked. To move when marching, BTs used wheels; when fighting, they used caterpillars. Such a forced measure was necessary due to the poor operational capabilities of the tracks, only 1000 km.
BT tanks, developing quite high speeds on the roads, fully suited the changed military concept of the Red Army: breaking through the defense and quickly deploying a deep attack through the resulting gap. The three-turreted T-28 was developed directly for the breakthrough, the prototype of which was the English Vickers 16-ton. Another breakthrough tank was supposed to be the T-35, similar to the English five-turret heavy tank “Independent”.
During the pre-war decade, many interesting tank designs were created that did not go into production. For example, based on the T-26
self-propelled semi-closed AT-1 type (artillery tank). During the Second World War, they will again remember these cars without a cabin roof.
Tanks of the Second World War
Participation in the Spanish Civil War and in the battles at Khalkhin Gol showed how high the explosion hazard of a gasoline engine is and the inadequacy of bulletproof armor against the then nascent anti-tank artillery. The implementation of solutions to these problems allowed our designers, who had suffered from the disease of imitation, to create truly good tanks and KVs on the eve of the Second World War.
In the first days of the war, a catastrophically large number of tanks were lost; it took time to establish production of the uncompetitive T-34 and KV at the only evacuated factories, and the front desperately needed tanks. The government decided to fill this niche with cheap and quick-to-produce light tanks T-60 and T-70. Naturally, the vulnerability of such tanks is very high, but they gave time to expand the production of Victory tanks. The Germans called them “indestructible locusts.”
In battle under the railway. Art. Prokhorovka was the first time that tanks acted as “cementers” of the defense; before that they were used exclusively as attack weapons. In principle, until today, there have been no more new ideas for the use of tanks.
Speaking about WWII tanks, it is impossible not to mention tank destroyers (SU-76, SU-122, etc.) or “self-propelled guns” as they were called in the troops. The relatively small rotating turret did not allow the use of some powerful guns and, most importantly, howitzers on tanks; for this purpose, they were installed on the bases of existing tanks without the use of turrets. In fact, Soviet tank destroyers during the war, except for weapons, were no different from their prototypes, unlike the same German ones.
Tank building began during the First World War. Machines that amazed the imagination of contemporaries appeared on the Western Front. The fighting between Germany, France and Great Britain remained positional for several years. The soldiers sat in the trenches, and the front line hardly moved. It was almost impossible to break through enemy positions with existing means. Artillery preparation and forced marches of the infantry did not give the desired result. The history of tank building began thanks to the British. They were the first to use self-propelled vehicles that had no analogues.
Great Britain
The first English Mark I tank appeared in 1916, when an experimental model was produced in the amount of 100 combat units. This model had two modifications: with machine guns and cannons. The history of tank building began with a bang. The Mark I was ineffective. His machine guns could not fight German firing points.
Despite the fact that those tanks were imperfect, they demonstrated that the new type of weapon had serious prospects. Moreover, the first models terrified German soldiers, who had never seen anything like it. Therefore, the Mark I was used more as a psychological weapon than as a combat weapon.
In total, nine models appeared in this British “family”. The Mark V marked serious progress. It acquired a four-speed gearbox and a special tank engine called “Ricardo”. It was the first model to be driven by only one person. There have been other changes as well. An additional machine gun appeared in the stern, and the commander's cabin was enlarged.
France
The successes of the British inspired the French to continue the Allied experiments. The history of tank building owes a lot to the Renault FT-17 model. The French produced it in 1917-1918. (almost 4 thousand units were produced). The effectiveness of the FT-17 is evidenced by the fact that they continued to be used even at the beginning of World War II (twenty years is a colossal period for tank building).
What explained Renault's success? The fact is that this was the first tank that received a classic layout. The vehicle was controlled from the front. In the center was the combat compartment. The engine compartment was located at the rear. This technical and ergonomic solution revealed the combat potential of the FT-17 in the best possible way. The history of tank building development would have turned out differently if not for this vehicle. Most historians consider it the most successful model used on the fronts of the First World War.
USA
The American history of tank building began thanks to the efforts of General John Pershing. He arrived in Europe in 1917 with the US Expeditionary Forces after they declared war on Germany. Having become acquainted with the experience of the Allies, their equipment and trench warfare, which was unknown in America, the general began to seek attention from his leadership to the topic of tanks.
The US Army purchased French Renaults and used them in the battles of Verdun. American designers, having received foreign cars, carried out a slight modification. After World War I, US tank forces were disbanded due to cost. Then for several years it did not allocate funds at all for the creation of new machines. And only in the 1930s. the first experimental models of our own production appeared. It was an M1931 (T11 combat vehicle). It was never adopted, but experimental work gave American designers the necessary food for thought before further research.
The evolution of American technology was also slowed down due to the Great Depression, which seriously shook the country's economy. Serious funding came to engineers and designers only with the beginning of World War II, when the authorities realized that they might not be able to sit overseas and would have to send troops to Europe.
In 1941, the M3 Stuart appeared. This light tank was produced in the amount of 23 thousand units. This record in its class has not yet been broken. The history of world tank building does not know of a model produced in such quantity. "Stuarts" were not only used by the American army, but were also supplied to the allies: Great Britain, France, China and the USSR under Lend-Lease.
Germany
Armored forces in Germany appeared only during the era of the Third Reich. concluded following the First World War, forbade the Germans to have their own combat-ready fleet. Therefore, at the time of its machines, Germany did not have. And only the Nazis, who came to power in 1933, spun the military flywheel. At first, light tanks were produced under the guise of tractors. However, the German authorities, having acquired a taste, quickly stopped hiding. As for the parallels between tanks and tractors, similar practices existed in the Soviet Union, where in the 1930s. Many tractor factories were built, which in the event of war could easily be converted into tank factories.
In 1926, Germany and the USSR entered into an agreement under which future German military specialists began to study at a specialized school near Kazan. Later, this core began to create technology in their homeland. The first German tank was the Panzer I. This model turned out to be the basis of the German fleet.
By the beginning of World War II, there were more than three thousand tanks in Germany, and before the attack on the USSR, more than four thousand vehicles were concentrated on the Eastern Front alone. The Germans were the first to use heavy equipment as assault equipment. Many SS tank divisions received personal names (“Das Reich”, “Totenkopf”, etc.). A significant part of them was destroyed. In total, the Third Reich lost about 35 thousand vehicles during the war. The key German medium tank was the Panther, and the heavy tank was the Tiger.
USSR
In the mid-1920s. The history of Soviet tank building began. The first production model in the USSR was the MS-1 (another name is the T-18). Before this, the Red Army only had captured vehicles captured during the civil war. With the advent of peace, work was organized to design a heavy positional tank. They were discontinued in 1925, when, after a regular meeting in the Red Army, the military decided to direct all resources to create a small maneuverable model. This was the MS-1, created in 1927.
Soon other Soviet tanks appeared. By 1933, production of light T-26 and BT, T-27 tankettes, medium T-28 and heavy T-35 tankettes was launched. Bold experiments were carried out. History of tank building in the USSR in the early 1930s. passed under the sign of designing amphibious tanks. They were represented by T-37 models. These machines received a fundamentally new propeller. Its special feature was its rotating blades. When moving afloat, they provided reverse gear.
The history of tank building in the USSR would be incomplete without the T-28 medium tanks. Thanks to them, it became possible to qualitatively strengthen combined arms formations. T-28s were intended to break through enemy defensive positions. The tank weighed 28 tons and was externally distinguished by its three-turreted weapons installation (it included three machine guns and a cannon).
In 1933-1939. a 50-ton T-35 was produced. It was created as a combat vehicle to effectively enhance the attack when breaking through fortification lines. At that moment, the history of Soviet tank building moved to a new stage, since it was the T-35 that was the first to receive such numerous weapons. It was installed in five towers (a total of five machine guns and three cannons). However, this model also had disadvantages - primarily, clumsiness and weak armor at large sizes. In total, several dozen T-35s were produced. Some of them were used at the front at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War.
1930s
In the 30s of the last century, Soviet engineers and designers actively conducted experiments related to the creation of wheeled-tracked tanks. Such a design of the machines complicated the chassis and power transmission, but domestic specialists managed to cope with all the difficulties they faced. At the end of the 1930s. A tracked medium tank was created, called the T-32. Subsequently, the main Soviet legend appeared on its basis. We are talking about the T-34.
On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, designers paid most attention to two qualities of vehicles: mobility and firepower. However, already the civil war in Spain in 1936-1937 showed that it was necessary to modernize other characteristics. This was primarily required by armor protection and artillery weapons.
The results of the change in concept were not long in coming. In 1937, the T-111 appeared. It became the first Soviet tank equipped with anti-ballistic armor. This was a serious breakthrough not only for the domestic, but also for the entire global industry. The characteristics of the T-111 were such that it was intended to support infantry units. However, the model was never put into mass production for a number of design reasons. It turned out to be impractical from the point of view of installing and dismantling parts due to the locked suspension and other features of the machine.
It is interesting that the history of Soviet tank building and USSR tanks differed from foreign ones at least in their attitude towards light tanks. They were preferred everywhere due to economic reasons. In the USSR there was additional motivation. Unlike other countries, in the Soviet Union light tanks were used not only for reconnaissance, but also for direct combat with the enemy. The key Soviet vehicles of this type were the BT and T-26. Before the German attack, they made up the majority of the Red Army fleet (about 20 thousand units were built in total).
The design of new models continued during the Great Patriotic War. In 1941, the T-70 was developed. This tank became the most produced during the entire war. He made the greatest contribution to the victory during the Battle of Kursk.
After 1945
The first generation of post-war tanks includes those whose development began in 1941-1945 and which did not have time to begin operation at the front. These are Soviet models IS-3, IS-4, as well as T-44 and T-54. The history of American tank building of this period left behind the M47, and the M46 Patton. The British Centurion also belongs to this series.
By 1945, light models had finally become highly specialized vehicles. Thus, the Soviet model PT-76 was intended for water combat conditions, the American Walker Bulldog was created for reconnaissance, and the Sheridan was designed for easy transportation by aircraft. In the 1950s Main battle tanks (MBTs) are replacing medium and heavy tanks. This is the name given to multi-purpose models that combine good protection and firepower. The first in this cohort were the Soviet T-62 and T-55 and the French AMX-30. The history of US tank building has developed in such a way that the class of main battle tanks in America began with the M60A1 and M48.
Second post-war generation
In the 1960-1970s, the era of the second generation of post-war tanks began. What distinguished them from their predecessors? New models were created by engineers, firstly, taking into account the existence of improved modernized anti-tank equipment, and secondly, in the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction.
These tanks acquired combined armor, consisting of several layers and made from different materials. First of all, it protected against kinetic and cumulative ammunition. In addition, the crew received a set of protection against weapons of mass destruction. Second-generation tanks began to be equipped with a lot of electronics: ballistic computers, laser rangefinders, fire control systems, etc.
Similar equipment included the T-72, M60A3, Chieftain, and Leopard-1. Some models appeared as a result of deep modifications of first-generation cars. Soviet tanks of that period were in no way inferior in their characteristics to their intended opponents, and in some ways even significantly surpassed them. However, since the 1970s, a lag in electronics equipment has become noticeable. As a result, it began to become outdated before our eyes. This process was especially noticeable against the backdrop of conflicts in the Middle East and other countries where the global Cold War flared up.
Modernity
In the 1980s the so-called third post-war generation appeared. The history of Russian tank building is connected with it. The key feature of such models is the high-tech nature of protective equipment. The third generation includes the Lecrerks of France, Leopards 2 of Germany, Challengers of Great Britain, and Abrams of the USA.
The history of Russian tank building is symbolized by such vehicles as the T-90 and T-72B3. These models go back to the distant 1990s. The T-90 was also named "Vladimir" in honor of its chief designer, Vladimir Potkin. In the 2000s, this tank became the best-selling main battle tank worldwide. In the face of this model, the history of the development of tank building in Russia turned another glorious page. However, domestic designers did not stop at their achievement and continued unique technical research.
In 2015, the newest T-14 tank appeared. Its distinctive features were elements such as an uninhabited tower and the Armata tracked platform. The T-14 was first demonstrated to the general public at the Victory Parade, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War. The model is produced by Uralvagonzavod.
The production of the T-34 medium tank deserves special mention. Too much contradictory information has been published so far, too many inconsistencies are found in the figures. During the war years, double accounting was carried out in the full sense of the word - factories handed over tanks “for assembly”, the army accepted them “for battle”. Vehicles manufactured, for example, at the end of 1942, could be accepted by military acceptance at the beginning of 1943 and end up in two different annual reports. It is known that in 1940, 115 T-34 tanks were produced, but the army accepted only 97! And so on ad infinitum... However, let's turn to the numbers and try to analyze them. Let us remind the reader that we are talking only about the T-34 tank, produced from 1940 to 1944.
Nizhny Tagil, plant No. 183 produces T-34-76 tanks. 1942
It is enough to compare the data in the tables to understand that they contain obvious discrepancies both in the annual production of tanks and in the total number. Moreover, with the exception of 1940, all the numbers in table 2 are greater than in table 1. What's the matter? Apparently - in the compilers of these reports.
T-34-76 tanks produced at the Stalingrad Tractor Plant are ready to be sent to the front. Spring 1942. Eastern front.
Table 1 is compiled on the basis of the “Certificate on the production of tanks by industrial plants from 1.01.41 to 1.01.44” (TsAMO, f. 38, d. 663) and the book “Operations of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - 1945”, that is, based on military calculations. Table 2 uses “Reference data from the People’s Commissariat of the Tank Industry of the USSR for 1941 - 1945 on the production of armored vehicles” and data from factories. At the same time, it is clear that certain results of military representatives’ calculations have clearly “crept” into Table 2, for example, the number of tanks produced by ChKZ in 1943. By the way, if instead of 3594 for ChKZ we put 3606, and for plant No. 174 we take 1198, then we get 15,696 tanks, which coincides with Table 1!
Production of T-34-76 tanks at the UralMash plant
Speaking about the production of a tank, it was impossible to ignore its most important and complex components - the gun and the engine. It should be taken into account that the guns mentioned in Table 3 were installed only on the T-34, while the V-2 diesel engines (Table 4) were also installed on the T-34-85, KB and IS.
Notes
1 Including two prototypes. 2 All 173 tanks had M-17 gasoline engines. 3 According to other sources, 2536 tanks. The table includes the most frequently occurring number.4 Including 465 tanks with M-17 engines. 5 According to other sources, 354 tanks.6 According to other sources, 3606 tanks. 7 According to other sources, 452 tanks. The number was taken from the plant's report as the most reliable.8 According to other sources, 1198 tanks.
Since the First World War and to this day, tanks have dominated the fields of wars and local conflicts. In the USSR, tank building was well established. Tanks were modernized and became more and more effective.
First tanks
Tanks first found combat use on the fields of the First World War. However, neither Russian nor German troops ever used tanks on the Eastern Front. The first stage in the development of tank building in Soviet Russia was the copying of captured samples captured during the Civil War. Thus, based on the Renault tanks captured in the battles near Odessa in 1919, a series of 12 tanks was created at the Sormovsky plant in Nizhny Novgorod. The next step was the creation of the MS-1 tanks, which found their first combat use in battles on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929. By the end of the thirties they began to be used as fixed firing points.
Searches and solutions
The second stage can be called the period 1929 - 1939, when our own tanks were created on the basis of projects acquired abroad. Some cars contained significant borrowings, others - much less. The main task was to provide the Red Army with a large number of tanks that were easy to manufacture and operate. This is how the relatively simple and mass-produced Soviet light tanks “T-26” and “BT” appeared, which proved themselves well in military conflicts of the interwar period.
The period of the 1930s for the whole world and not only for the USSR was a time of searching for solutions to what exactly a tank should be. There were a variety of ideas and concepts: from tactical and technical data to methods of application. The idea of creating a multi-turret tank in the USSR was reflected in the appearance of the T-28 and T-35 tanks, designed to break through enemy fortifications.
The T-28 performed well during the Polish campaign and in the difficult conditions of the Soviet-Finnish War. However, after the war with Finland, they settled on the idea of creating a single-turret tank with projectile-proof armor. A great success was the creation of the V-2 diesel engine, which was installed on all Soviet medium and heavy tanks during the Great Patriotic War. So, back on November 3, 1939, People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov and People's Commissar of Medium Engineering Ivan Likhachev reported to the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks that Soviet tank builders in a short time “achieved truly outstanding results by designing and building tanks that have no equal.” We were talking about the T-34 and KV tanks.
First in the world
On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, tank production was launched in Kharkov, Leningrad and Stalingrad (before the war they began to master the production of T-34). And by the beginning of World War II, the USSR surpassed any army in the world in the number of tanks. In addition, one of the features of the USSR was the massive (for example, in comparison with Germany) production of armored vehicles, which also played a significant role in the military conflicts of the late 1930s.
Refusal of light tanks
The period of the Great Patriotic War is characterized by a number of trends. Firstly, during the evacuation of industry to the east of the country and huge losses in tanks in the first months of the war, the creation and production of simple and cheap combat vehicles was required. This became the second most popular tank after the T-34, the T-60, created on the basis of the T-40 amphibious tank.
Armed with a 20 mm automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm machine gun, the tank played an important role in the Battle of Moscow. Its further development was the T-70 and T-80 light tanks with enhanced armor protection and a 45-mm cannon.
However, after 1943, further design and production of light tanks in the USSR was considered inappropriate due to their great vulnerability, although Germany and the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition continued to produce such vehicles in varying proportions.
"Thirty-four"
The second trend was the very rapid development and aging of tanks - if in 1941 the Soviet T-34 and KV with 76 mm guns were almost invulnerable in tank battles, then from mid-1942 the picture changed - the creation of more powerful tanks was required. The USSR took the path of creating, if not an ideal, but simple and mass-produced tank, which became the T-34/76 and T-34/85.
The T-34 became the most popular tank of World War II. In total, about 48 thousand Thirty-Fours were produced during the war years. For comparison: there are 48 thousand Sherman tanks, and about 9.5 thousand German T-IV tanks.
The T-34 really turned out to be the best option for domestic industry, the army and the specific conditions of combat operations from the Caucasus to the Arctic.
Similar trends were reflected in the creation of heavy IS tanks. In addition, if before the Great Patriotic War self-propelled guns did not occupy a significant place in the weapons system of the Red Army, then from the middle of the war, on the contrary, self-propelled guns began to play a significant role and their mass production began.
After the war. Three tanks
The post-war period is characterized by a generalization of the experience of the Second World War. Conceptually, heavy and medium tanks were left in service, and from the early 1960s there was a transition to the creation of a main tank.
In the USSR of the 1970-1980s, there were essentially three main tanks. The first was the T-64 (produced in Kharkov) - a fundamentally new machine in which a number of truly revolutionary ideas were embodied. However, the tank remained too difficult to master and operate. However, the vehicle was not removed from service and remained in the western districts of the USSR.
The second vehicle was the T-80 developed at the Kirov plant; the first vehicles were produced there, and mass production was launched in Omsk. The tank had a gas turbine engine, and due to the increased speed, the chassis also changed.
The third, and one of the most famous models, was the T-72, which was modernized several times. Its production was established in Nizhny Tagil. The post-war period is also characterized by large-scale exports of Soviet armored vehicles, due to both economic and political reasons. A number of countries also established their own production. First of all, this concerns the Warsaw Pact countries and partly China. Relatively simple and cheap Soviet tanks found widespread use in wars and local conflicts in Africa and Asia.
