Kv 1 history of creation. Soviet heavy tanks of the kv. From blueprints to metal

KV-1 manufactured by LKZ model 1939 (weapon - gun L-11, installed in a welded turret)

Produced since April 1940, the first production vehicles were in many ways similar to prototypes with the L-11 gun (project 1939) installed in a “pig snout” mask, which is very similar to the German “Saukopfblende”. True, the latter appeared somewhat later.

Practice has shown the extreme unreliability of this gun and the lack of its power. The gun barrel was suspended under its cradle, which significantly reduced the accuracy of firing. It was almost impossible to get into the same place twice.

On experimental machines, a turret was installed, which had a bent stern sheet. On serial it was replaced with a flat armor plate. The design of the tower became riveted and welded and received a box-shaped shape, which greatly facilitated its manufacture. The real serial production of tanks began in November-December 1940.

KV with a small turret of the 1939 project had an embrasure in the frontal armor plate of the hull for firing from the crew’s standard weapons, which was located next to the driver’s (viewing) hatch .. On later tanks, a DT machine gun of caliber 7 was mounted in this place in a ball mount .62 mm. All KVs in the future retained this placement of the machine gun.

The first KVs had a turret-mounted machine gun mounted aft, mounted according to a simplified version. This mount was later replaced with a standard ball mount.

The tanks of the 1939 project were distinguished by a fairly high quality of workmanship and processing of almost all parts and clarity of form. The track rollers (double) were steel and equipped with rubber bushings, and the support rollers were equipped with rubber bands, which greatly contributed to the smooth running of the machine.

Problems with rubber led to the fact that after 1941 the tanks lost all rubber parts.

KV project 1939 was produced only by the Kirov plant. In the documentation of the People's Commissariat of the tank industry and the KV tank manufacturing plants of the period 1939 - 1941, there is practically no difference between the produced versions of the vehicle. All tanks were called "heavy tank KV", or "KV with a small turret". Only in the summer of 1941 did the KV-1 and KV-2 gradation appear. But the latter also did not take into account significant changes in their production and design.

Therefore, in this material, in order to distinguish between various modifications of the tank and the manufacturer of the latter, the year of development of a particular project (not to be confused with the year of launch into series) and its main manufacturer will be indicated. LKZ, for example.

KV-1 manufactured by ChTZ and LKZ, model 1940 (weapon - F-32 gun mounted in a welded turret)

At the end of 1940, a decision was made on the need for a radical redesign of the entire design of the KV-1 tank. The motive for this was the installation of new weapons on the tank and the establishment of its mass production.

The tank of the 1940 project of the year began to be mass-produced from January 1941. Initially only on LKZ. Unlike the previous project, this machine received a new turret (a modified turret of the 1939 project), in which the F-32 gun was installed, which had a barrel length of 31.5 calibers. To install it, a new mask was developed, similar to that used on the T-34 tank.

The F-32 gun was a modernization of the F-22 type tank gun, which was tested on the BT-7A. although at the same time, the F-34 gun, more powerful and efficient than the F-32, was already installed on the T-34. As a result, a paradoxical situation arose when a medium tank was armed more powerfully than a heavy one.

To change the existing imbalance, experimental work was carried out to arm the KV-1 tank with 85 or 95 mm guns, but no practical result was achieved. Cannon F-27, with the best ballistic characteristics, also did not fit into the design.

Starting from 07/01/1941, in order to increase the number of produced KV-1 tanks, the KV-2 was removed from production at the LKZ. The next step was to simplify the design of the tower installed on the KV-1 and install new reinforced road wheels.

An analysis of the participation of the KV in the first battles with the Wehrmacht showed that it was not sufficiently protected from the fire of 57 mm anti-tank and, especially, anti-aircraft guns of 88 mm caliber, which were in service with the German army. Therefore, despite the overloaded transmission of the tank, its weak engine and suspension, it was decided to strengthen the armor of the KV-1 as a temporary measure to increase its security.

On tanks of the 1940 project, produced since the end of 1941 (October), armor plates with a thickness of 20 mm were additionally welded onto the front wall of the control compartment and the front inclined hull plates. The turret shoulder strap was protected by additionally installed armor plates 50 mm thick.

After the plant was evacuated from Leningrad to the Urals (to Chelyabinsk), the KV-1 of the 1940 project began to be produced here as well. The first car rolled off the assembly line in February 1941. The production of tanks of this type continued until October 1941, when the available F-32 tank guns ran out.

Chelyabinsk designers, reducing labor costs, made many changes to the project. For example, only in July 1941 there were 349 of them, and in August already 1322. The Leningrad plant, under the siege, could not afford this. Therefore, until the end of September 1941, they produced a tank according to the old documentation.

Tank KV-1 with M-17 engine

The mass evacuation of enterprises led to disruption and irregularity in the supply of the required equipment and materials. In this regard, in order not to reduce the number of produced tanks, the designers had to quickly decide engineering tasks"with what is." This explains the appearance of several very unusual modifications of the KV-1.

Moreover, the differences concerned not only the shape of the hull, turret or weapons, but also the engine. Kharkov Plant No. 75, which produced the V-2 diesel engine, began evacuation to the Urals in July 1941. There was a sharp shortage of engines for newly produced tanks. which the LKZ designers solved by installing on 35 KV machines (project 1940) manufactured in September 1941, the M-17 engine, designed for the T-35, instead of the missing V-2 diesel engine.

The external difference between these tanks and other vehicles was expressed in the appearance of five fuel tanks on the fenders, with a capacity of 160 liters. Tanks were required to compensate for the increased fuel consumption of the M-17 (4.7 - 9.5 liters per km, versus 2.7 - 5.0 liters for the B-2). It was also necessary to resolve the issue at ChTZ in November-December 1941. During this time, 130 KV-1s of this project, equipped with M-17 engines, were shipped to the troops.

KV-1E. KV-1 manufactured by LKZ and ChTZ project 1941, armed with an F-32 gun installed in a welded turret with additional armor (screens).

This modification was considered as a temporary measure, used until the creation and launch of a model that had better protection.

For these purposes, specially designed screens (armor modules) were used, which were mounted on the sides of the hull and turret of the KV-1 tank. This made it possible to use existing tanks, practically without changing their design. Moreover, the Izhora plant located in Leningrad did not have the appropriate machine park for processing thicker armor and producing heavier tanks.

The decision to put screens on tanks was made at the end of June 1941. The additional booking kit consisted of armor screens of various thicknesses (from 20 to 35 mm). The screens were mounted on metal booms, pre-welded to the hull and turret of the tank. To the latter they were attached with bolts. That is, there was an air gap between the additional armor and the main one. Such tanks began to be called shielded or tanks with hinged armor.

There are quite a lot of photographs of the KV-1 project 1941 modified in this way. But there are no official documents on which enterprises carried out such modernization.

Already by August, the program was curtailed due to the fact that the mass of the tank, which had increased to 50 tons, was an unacceptable overload for the power plant and chassis of the vehicle. The front track rollers began to fail, unable to withstand the sharply increased loads.

From the photographs that have come down to us, we can make a preliminary conclusion that only machines manufactured in July 1941 of the year (before the simplified turret was introduced) were shielded, shielding kits did not always come “assembly”. Therefore, some KV-1s have additional screens only on the turret. Moreover, the shape of the screens, made in a hurry, was very diverse.

It is worth noting that shielded KV-1s are found only on the Leningrad and North-Western fronts.

Modification of the KV-1 of the 1941 project, produced by ChTZ. The tank was armed with F-32 or ZiS-5 guns mounted in a welded turret with a simplified design.

In September 1941, the Izhora Plant was actively working on the creation of a project for a new welded turret, which was planned to replace all turrets previously produced for the KV-1 tank.

From the end of October 1941, ChTZ began to produce the KV-1 Project 1941 (ChTZ), which has a welded turret with improved rear shoulder armor. It differed from the "detail No. 157" turret by a number of simplifications that made it possible to increase the production of tanks. in this design, it was possible to eliminate almost all the design flaws that were inherent in previously released projects.

Visually, the difference between the tower was expressed in the fact that the back of the epaulette was fully integrated into the armor. As a result, the aft niche began to look noticeably shorter. The observation devices used by the rear gunner were moved closer to the rear of the tower, thereby eliminating the dead zone that previously existed above the MTO.

These tanks were mainly equipped with a modified F-34 (ZiS-5) gun. But in the early releases, they still installed the F-32 (Until the release of the ZiS-5 began to completely cover the need for tank guns for the KV-1).

On the last released batches of these tanks, the use of hulls of the 1942 model of the year, which had straight armor plates at the stern, is already visible.

Modification of the KV-1 (ChKZ) of the 1941 project, armed with a ZiS-5 gun mounted in a cast turret.

Work on the creation of a cast tower for the KV has been going on since the KV-1 of the 1939 project was put into serial production. In June 1940, LKZ created several of its prototypes. But they could not put it into production, which was explained by serious technical problems that arose during large-scale production of a tank with such a turret.

They also failed to prepare a pilot production of these towers at the Izhora plant in 1941.

The next version of such a tower was made in March 1941 already at factory number 78. But they could not debug technological process casting parts of such dimensions. N The problem was exacerbated by the evacuation of the LKZ. Serial production was again postponed.

LKZ and ChTZ at the end of 1941 constantly increased the production of the KV-1 tank with a welded turret. At the same time, ChKZ continued to work on improving the manufacturing technology of the cast turret, since the possibility of producing "detail No. 257" (that was the name of the cast turret with 100 mm armor) made it possible to obtain a number of serious advantages. Having received the opportunity to use the design potential of several tank design bureaus at once, Tankograd could start producing a turret with better ballistic shapes and increased anti-projectile resistance with the same armor thickness as that of welded turrets. Even when shelling a tank from 88 mm anti-aircraft guns of the Wehrmacht.

In January 1941, the KV-1 variant with such a turret was put into serial production and produced by ChKZ until August 1942. But they could not solve the issue of working out the technology for manufacturing cast hulls of the KV-1 at that time. It could be solved only in 1943, already on tanks of the IS series (IS-2).

Modifications of the KV-1 tank manufactured by ChKZ, 1942 issue, equipped with a reinforced cast turret and armed with a ZiS-5 cannon.

In December 1941, the designers of plant No. 200 created an alternative version of the cast turret for the KV-1, which received the designation "part No. 957". All places of the tower, which in the previous design were considered insufficiently protected, were protected by armor reinforced to 120 mm. At the same time, the mass of the new tower did not increase. The tank in official documents became known as the "KV of the 1942 project with a reinforced cast turret." The machine was in serial production from January to August 1942.

Outwardly similar to the previous one, the new turret had thicker armor in the epaulette area, a collar (annular tide) of the armor in the area where the ball mount of the machine gun mounted in the aft niche was attached. The last tanks of this project received a new type of hull with a straight armor plate in the stern. On the first buildings new form they still kept a convex hatch cover, through which access to the engine was provided (on the roof of the MTO), then it became flat. The machines of this project have already begun to be equipped with reinforced cast track rollers with an improved design.

Visually cast turrets made at UZTM look wider in the frontal projection, while factory #200 turrets are narrower and have clearly visible casting parts.

The second day of Operation Barbarossa is over. In the northern direction, the 4th Panzer Group of General Gepner, which was part of the Army Group North, reached the Dubyssa River. Late in the evening of June 23, 1941, the advanced units of the 6th Panzer Division quickly captured the bridgehead on the eastern bank of the river.

On June 25, 1941, the following entry appeared in the combat diary of the 11th Tank Regiment: "In the morningThe II battalion of the regiment, together with von Seckendorff's battle group, moved forward in a column. During the day, the column was attacked several times by units of the Soviet 2nd Panzer Division. As it turned out, Soviet 52-ton tanks are completely insensitive to the fire of our 10.5-see howitzers. Even a few hits of 150-mm shells did not harm the enemy. Nevertheless, the attacks of our PzKpfw IV tanks inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, which allowed our units to advance 3 km east of Dubyssy. The bridgehead captured by the Raus battle group remained with us. In the afternoon, the reinforced company and headquarters of the 65th tank battalion advanced to the crossroads northeast of Raseiniai. Meanwhile, a Soviet heavy tank blocked the road, cutting off the Routh battle group from the main body. It was not possible to destroy the tank during the night. A battery of 88-mm anti-aircraft guns advanced to fight the tank. However, 88 mm guns proved no more effective than 105 mm howitzers. An attempt by sappers to underminetank with the help of a landmine also failed.

Somewhat earlier, from the side of Keidan, the Soviet 2nd Panzer Division attacked the Germans, with the goal of not only stopping, but also destroying the enemy. A tank battle broke out near Raseiniai and over Dubyssa, which lasted two days. For the first time, the Germans encountered Soviet KB and T-34 tanks paving the way for the lighter and more numerous T-26 and BT.

A German tanker from the crew of the PzKpfw IV (1st Panzer Regiment of the 1st Panzer Division, operating on the left flank of the 6th Panzer Division) spoke about the battle over Dubyssa: “KV-1 and KV-2, which we met for the first time, outwardly differed greatly. Our companies opened fire from a distance of 800 meters, but to no avail. We approached, and soon we were separated by 50-100 meters. We fired point-blank, but our armor-piercing shells simply ricocheted. We circled around the enemy tanks, firing from a distance of 60-30 meters with special armor-piercing shells PzGr 40. By sunset, more than 180 vehicles were burning on the battlefield.

On the bridgehead occupied by the 6th Panzer Division, several dozen prisoners were taken. The commander of the German detachment ordered the prisoners to be escorted to the location of the division headquarters, in Raseiniai. The prisoners were loaded onto a truck, a village and several escorts were put into the body. But less than an hour later, the truck driver returned and reported that halfway between the river and Raseiniai, a gigantic Soviet tank had fired at the truck. The truck caught fire. The prisoners, taking advantage of the confusion of the convoy, fled. It looked like the only road supplying the bridgehead had been cut. Of course, one tank did not mean anything yet, but others could come up. The night passed quietly, and the reconnaissance sent out in the morning found the tank in its original place. Around noon, a radiogram from the headquarters was received at the bridgehead stating that twelve trucks with ammunition and food had been sent to them.

Soon, several powerful explosions were heard from the direction of Raseiniai. This Soviet tank knocked out the first and last car of the column. Burnt cars blocked the road. Within minutes, the entire column was reduced to a heap of flaming debris.

The commander of the 6th Panzer Division, Major General Landgraf, ordered that the mysterious tank be neutralized immediately. The commander of one of the companies of 50-mm anti-tank guns was ordered to approach and burn the tank. Using the folds of the terrain, four half-track tractors approached the tank. The tractors stopped 600 meters from the tank. Artillerymen on their hands rolled the cannons into combat positions. The tank stood in the undergrowth and was silent. The battery commander thought that the crew had abandoned the tank, but nevertheless urged them to open fire on the vehicle. The first three rounds hit the target. The tank was still silent.

Let's just make sure to hit a few more hits and roll up! ordered the battery commander.

Artillerymen opened rapid fire, no longer observing any rules of camouflage. All guns of the battery fired. After the eighth hit: the tank returned fire. It was so unexpected that the Germans were simply taken aback. Around the unmasked German guns, the earth rose in fountains. Smoke shrouded the positions, and powerful explosions shook the air. In total, the tank fired three shots. When the ground settled and the smoke cleared, the astonished Germans discovered that two battery guns were simply nowhere to be found, and the rest were disabled. The surviving gunners immediately left the battlefield.

Since the 50th Pak 38 guns could not knock out a Soviet tank, General Landgraf decided to use 88-mm Flak 36 anti-aircraft guns. At noon, one 88-mm gun from the 298th anti-aircraft battalion was delivered to the scene by a half-track tractor. At 900 meters from the tank, the gun was unhooked from the tractor and they began to roll it out to the firing position. Suddenly, the tank began to turn the turret. The first 152-mm projectile exploded 2 meters from the gun, and with the second shot, the Soviet tankers smashed the anti-aircraft gun to smithereens. The anti-aircraft gunners who survived the explosions were killed by machine-gun fire.

Evening came. General Landgraf walked around the headquarters in a rage. The units of the division holding the bridgehead were firing the last ammunition. In the morning, the soldiers did not have a crumb in their mouths. Seeing no way out of this situation. The landgrave ordered simply to destroy the tank with a high-explosive charge. At about one in the morning, a platoon of sappers from the 57th sapper began to implement their plan. Half an hour later there was a dull explosion, after which machine guns immediately started talking. However, the machine guns quickly fell silent.

The landgrave smoked nervously, waiting for a report. Another half an hour passed before the sappers returned. The commander reported that the charge was too weak. The explosion only tore off the caterpillar of the tank.

So three attempts to destroy a Soviet tank ended in complete failure. The colossus continued to stand in the woods, ready to open fire at any moment. What the hell is a tank? The Germans racked their brains trying to determine its type. None of the tanks they knew could withstand a 50 mm anti-tank gun, let alone an 88 mm anti-aircraft gun. Landgraf tried to ask for help from aviation, but the corps commander, after listening to the story of the commander of the 6th Panzer Division, refused to allocate a squadron of dive bombers to destroy a single tank. Then the Landgrave decided on a desperate step. He ordered the 11th Panzer Regiment to make a diversionary attack, hoping to bring up another 88 mm gun under the guise. There was no other way to destroy the damned tank, except to wait until the tank crew died of hunger and thirst.

On the morning of June 25, a Soviet tank was attacked by several dozen German PzKpfw 35(t) tanks. German vehicles fanned out and opened heavy fire, diverting attention Soviet tankers while another 88-mm anti-aircraft gun was pulled up from the side of Raseinaya. Only after the first shot did the tank crew notice the danger. The turret began to turn in the direction of the German gun when the anti-aircraft gunners scored two more hits. Taught by bitter experience, the Germans scored several more hits, after which silence reigned.

German soldiers ran towards the silent tank. Only two holes were visible in the armor of the Soviet tank. Five other shells only pierced the armor. 50-mm shells left only eight pockmarks. A land mine, blown up at night, broke the caterpillar, tore off part of the wing and slightly damaged the gun barrel. 37-mm shells did not leave any marks on the armor! The soldiers climbed onto the armor and tried to open the hatches. Suddenly, the tower began to turn, the soldiers fell like peas to the ground. Two Germans were not taken aback and threw a hand grenade into the breach of the armor. There was a muffled explosion, after which the tank fell silent completely. When, finally, it was possible to open the hatches, the remains of six Soviet tankers were found inside the tank, which for 48 hours held back the advance of an entire Wehrmacht tank division!

Where did this tank come from? Who were the members of his crew? Why didn't they break through to their own? These and many other questions will forever remain a mystery. However, we can say with full confidence what kind of tank it was, the armor of which withstood hits of various-caliber shells, an explosion of a sapper's landmine, and did not even immediately succumb to the "eighty-eighth". It was a Soviet heavy tank KV-2.

The above episode is taken from the combat diary of the 6th Panzer Division and the diaries of its units. Reports of battles with the tank arrived at the headquarters of the corps and the Army Group, and also reached the Chief of Staff of the OKH, Colonel-General Franz Halder, who wrote in his diary on June 24, 1941: “New Russian heavy tanks appeared on the front of the Army Group North, who are most likely armed with an 80 mm cannon, or even a 150 mm caliber, which, however, is unlikely.

But the very next day, when new updated reports arrived (probably experts from the 3rd Panzer Group examined the tank), Halder was forced to agree with reality. He wrote: “Scattered information is being received about new Russian tanks: weight 52 tons, forehead armor 37 cm (?), sides 8 cm, armament 152 mm cannon and three machine guns, crew 5 people, speed 30 km / h, cruising range 100 km. Opportunities for combat: 50mm cannons penetrate the armor under the turret, 88mm cannons probably also penetrate the side armor (not known for sure).”

Confusion and nervousness reigned in the OKW. More and more new information was received that the Red Army had weapons, the existence of which the German command did not assume. It turned out that the Russians not only have a huge number of tanks. Many Russian tanks were fundamentally superior to German tanks in terms of their tactical and technical data. The staff officers sent to the units to verify these incredible facts brought bad news and often contradicted each other. On July 4, General von Thoma reported to Halder: “To fight the giant Soviet tanks, we successfully use 100-mm guns and 88-mm anti-aircraft guns. Unusually heavy fighting is going on. The Russians do not surrender!

Two days later, on July 6, General Ott reported encouraging data. In his opinion, the morale in the units began to grow: “Fortunately, the opinion is spreading that Soviet tanks can be fought. Some units report that Soviet crews abandon their tanks at the first danger, but others report that Russian tankers prefer to burn down with the vehicle.

On July 11, Colonel Oksner, who inspected the tank groups of Guderian and Hoth, reported: “The enemy command skillfully leads the troops. The Russians are fighting with desperation and fanaticism: German troops are suffering significant losses in manpower and equipment, fatigue is growing.

The next day, and in a conversation with the Chief of the General Staff, General Brand noted: “Only one tank was found with armor 130 mm thick, in all other cases the armor thickness does not exceed 70 mm. Most often, such tanks have to be fought with a 100-mm cannon. The 88 mm anti-aircraft gun is noticeably worse. With the help of a 105-mm howitzer, firing an armor-piercing projectile from a distance of 40 m, it was possible to disable one 50-ton tank. Soviet driver-mechanics are poorly trained. Russian tanks often lose tracks. Soviet crews can't stand artillery fire."

Already the first days of the war in Russia showed the German command the need to equip the Wehrmacht with new anti-tank weapons. The German infantry, which was practically defenseless, suffered especially hard from Russian tanks.

"Klim Voroshilov": CREATION, TESTING AND FIRST BATTLE

At a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, held on December 9, 1939, the fate of heavy multi-turreted SMK and T-100 tanks was decided. J.Ya. Kotin reported on the possibility of creating another version of the heavy tank, also carrying thick armor, but with only one turret. In his report, Kotin mentioned the benefits of switching to a single-turret scheme, in particular, improved maneuverability. Although some military men did not like Kotin's idea, Stalin showed favor. As a result, LKZ received the task to build, in addition to the two-turret SMK, a single-turret tank. When the prototypes were ready, comparative tests were carried out. Since October 1938, trainees from the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization in Moscow worked in SKB-2 Kotin. Trainees were looked after by engineers L.E. Sychev and N.F. Shashmurin. Using the QMS project, they shortened the hull and equipped the car with a new V-2 diesel engine. B. Pavlov and V.L. worked on the project. Sinozhersky (general composition and armament), G. Turchaninov (chassis), L.N. Pereverzev (engine and steering), SM. Kasavin, L. Shpuntov (transmission),

Kasavin recalled: “October 17, 1938, our group began work in the Design Bureau: "We received an assignment from Kotin to make a graduation project - a single-turret version of the SMK tank."

In February 1939, the trainees successfully defended their diplomas at the Academy and were assigned to the SKK-2. On March 15, they were again included in the team working on a single-turret tank. In January 1939, the technical requirements for a single-turret heavy tank were formulated at ABTU, which were later approved by the Defense Committee,

On February 27, 1939, the LKZ received an official government order for the construction of a prototype single-turret heavy tank, which was named KB in honor of People's Commissar of Defense Kliment Voroshilov. The chief designer of the project was originally A.S. Ermolaev, but soon he was replaced by engineer N.L. Spirits. Separate parts of the project were developed by: K.I. Kuzmin, S.V. Mitskevich (building), F.A. Moryshkin (transmission), A.D. Gladkov (planetary final drive), V.A. Kozlovsky, M.I. Kreslavsky (transmission), G.A. Seregin, N.V. Zeitz (torsion bar suspension), L.E. Sychev (chassis), P.N. Moskvin, G.Ya. Andandonsky, S.F. Fedorenko, F.G. Korobko, A.S. Shnendman (weapons). In addition, the design team included E.P. Dedov, P.S. Tarapatyak, V.I. Tarotko and the aforementioned trainees of the Academy. The technical design of the KB tank was prepared within a month.

Kasavin wrote: “The biggest difference between our graduation project and the KB tank project was the replacement of the planetary gearbox with a conventional 5-speed gearbox designed by I.V. Alekseev and proposed by N.L. Dukhov.

In accordance with the project, a completely new V-2 diesel engine with a capacity of 500 hp, developed in Kharkov, was installed on the tank. In April 1939, the state commission, headed by the deputy head of the ABTU B.M. Korobkop, examined and approved a full-size wooden model of the tank. In May, the Defense Committee finally approved the technical requirements for the tank, and the designers began to create working documentation. In the experimental workshop of the LKZ, preparations began for the assembly of prototypes of the QMS and KV. In the summer, Dukhov came to Kharkov to take in a modified V-2K engine, which developed a power of 600 hp. at 2000 rpm.

In August 1939, both cars were ready. The first problems appeared already during the factory tests. The KB prototype, driven by driver Konstantin Kovsh, lost its course. The gearbox failed, unable to withstand even 100 km of run, although the gearbox withstood 2500 km of run on bench tests. After a short test, the tank was sent to the Kubinka training ground, where on September 20 a demonstration of new types of tanks took place.

A. Vetrov, who was present at the demonstration, recalled: “The QMS had not yet reached the end of the barrier line, when the KV entered its initial positions. Despite its 47.5 tons, KB crossed the trench with relative ease, which the SMK overcame with great difficulty. Then the tank easily took the counterscarp and deep hole which earned him applause from the audience. I looked at the podium. Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov smiled, stroking his mustache. A little behind the people's commissar stood his son, a military engineer of the III rank P.K. Voroshilov, who was talking animatedly with commander D.G. Pavlov and commandant of the test site.

During the events described, the tank was driven by the driver P.I. Petrov, who spoke about the demonstration in his own way: “I had difficulty overcoming obstacles at KB: the engine was unstable. When I crossed the river, water flooded the fighting compartment, but fortunately the engine did not stall and I was able to bring the car to the opposite bank. There, in accordance with the test program, I broke several pine trees (I still feel sorry for these trees) and with difficulty climbed the mountain. The engine worked at maximum speed, it was not always possible to change gears. I have already left the shore in jerks, actively working with the onboard clutches. Then I overcame the rails dug into the ground and again drove into the forest.

Then the tests of the KB prototype continued at the training ground near Leningrad. By that time, the unstable operation of the engine was already known, as well as defects in the brakes, planetary final drives and gearbox. Partially, the problems were solved, but the gearbox remained the same. Engine designer I.Ya. Trashutin (Kharkov), as well as E.A. Kulchitsky (Kubinka). Kulchitsky personally towed the old armored hull, trying to subject the undercarriage of the tank to extreme loads. In early December 1939, it was decided to send the prototypes of the SMK, T-100 and KB to Finland. The KB went to the front along with a crew of six: commander G.F. Kachekhin, driver, military equipment II rank I.P. Golovachev, driver K. Kovsh, minder and at the same time charging A.I. Estratov (LKZ), as well as radio operator A. Smirnov and loader N. Kuznetsov (RKKA).

By railway all three tanks were delivered to the Chernaya Rechka station, from where the vehicles moved on their own through Teriyoki (currently Zelenogorsk) and Raivola to the location of the 20th brigade of heavy tanks.

The KB tank received its baptism of fire in the battles described above on December 17 and 19, 1939 in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bLake Summajärvi. One of the crew members, minder A.I. Estratov, described the episode of the battle as follows: “Turning to the left, we moved along the anti-tank ditch, exposing the starboard side to the enemy’s pillbox fire. We are driving, and the shells are hitting the side like a hammer. Commander, Lieutenant Kachekhin orders:

- Look for targets! We must shoot!

And at that moment the driver Kovsh noticed something similar to a samovar pipe. Kachehin says:

- At the observation post - FIRE!

My duties as a member of the crew did not allow me to take a breath: controlling the operation of the engine, loading the gun, monitoring the situation. I look, some poles are standing aside, and smoke is rising from behind them. And then from the other side we get a hit. I reported this to the tank commander, and we sent five shells there. The poles were scattered and a camouflaged firing position became visible.

Suddenly our cannon vibrated. We looked around without leaving the tank - everything seems to be fine. Let's go further. Suddenly our tank was engulfed in a sheaf of sparks. Stopped, waited, moved forward again.

During the battle, the engine stalled once, but Kovshov was able to fix the problem. On the way back, the KB towed the damaged T-28 and dragged the tank to their own. After the battle, it turned out that the gun barrel was pierced through, and 43 marks from armor-piercing shells were counted on the armor of the turret and hull. Several tracked tracks were also damaged, a shell pierced one track roller, and one external fuel tank was torn off. The blows blew off the fuel pump, held only by two bolts.

Already on December 19, 1939, the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars, after reviewing the preliminary test results, recommended that the KB tank be put into service, subject to the elimination of the identified shortcomings. At the same time, LKZ received an order to begin preparations for the serial production of a new tank and produce 50 vehicles in the coming year.

March 17, 1940 KB demonstrated in the Kremlin, along with other best models of tanks. After the return of the KB prototype to the LKZ, a special commission began work. The commission included Major N.N. Kovalev, military engineers III rank P.K. Voroshilov and M.Ts. Kaulin, captain I.I. Kolotushkin. New episode tests were carried out at a training ground near Leningrad in the Krasnoye Selo area. Two KB-1s (one prototype and first production vehicle) and one KB-2 were tested. KB Kasavina (driver K. Kovsh) covered 1915.8 km in 14 days (from June 14 to June 27, 1940) at an average speed of 20 km / h.

Kasavin recalled: “The main drawback of the tank was the insufficient reliability of the chassis. Road wheels, especially the front ones, often failed. During the tests, we changed three rollers on the left side and two rollers on the starboard side, as well as two tracks. I also had to change 5 pairs of sheaves, as well as several other details. The engine and gearbox were erratic."

The technical problems associated with the design of the KB caused serious concern in the NPO and the NKTM (People's Commissariat for Heavy Engineering), A new commission was formed, which operated in September-October 1940. The commission confirmed that the KV-1 (KV-76, as it was called at the time), which was being tested between September 26 and October 28, “did not pass the warranty mileage of 2000 km due to numerous accidents in the gearbox, onboard clutches and caterpillar tracks. At the gearbox, damage affected the shafts and gears of 2-4 gears. The gearbox failed twice. Shortcomings of the engine cooling system were noticed: the water temperature reached 107 degrees, and the oil temperature reached 110 degrees, that is, water and oil boiled.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE DESIGN OF KV

The first attempt to modernize the KB was made shortly after the first battles in Finland. The command and the Military Council of the Front demanded to increase the thickness of the bottom and strengthen many nodes. A proposal was also made to equip the tank with a minesweeper and an evacuation winch. Then the tank received a simplified technological tower, the sides, forehead and rear wall of which were flat slabs. The torsion bars were arranged differently, the ground clearance was reduced, and simplified mounted fuel tanks of a smaller volume were installed on the wings. During serial production, the tank received a course machine gun mounted in a ball mount. The course machine gun was serviced by a radio operator. The crew of the tank was reduced to five people, abandoning the minder. It quickly became clear that the L-11 gun was not powerful enough and too unreliable. Therefore, in KB V.G. Grabin at the Artillery Plant No. 92 ordered the F-32 tank gun. The design of the F-32 was a development of the F-22 tank gun, which was tested on the BT-7 tank. After experimental firing, the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) recommended the F-32 for installation on tanks, but this was unexpectedly opposed by ABTU. New shootings were carried out, and again the L-11 did not show itself. By the decision of the Defense Committee of January 26, 1940, the F-32 cannon was finally put into service. By decision of the Council of People's Commissars / Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks No. 1288-495-SS of July 17, 1940, the LKZ received an order to produce 130 F-32 guns by the end of the year in order to install them on serial KVs.

June 13, 1940 People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal S.K. Timoshenko made a proposal to produce two versions of the KB tank: one with a 76.2 mm L-11 cannon and the other with a 152 mm M-10 howitzer. “To date, 13 KB tanks of the first type have been produced, 130 of these vehicles will be built by the end of the year: This gun does not meet the requirements placed on it and must be replaced. As an option, I propose a 76-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1931 model, capable of penetrating armor 80 mm thick at distances of 1000-500 m, as well as having a successful design and sufficient rate of fire.

Probably, as a result of these proposals, Grabin's design bureau created the 85-mm F-39 tank gun, which was based on the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model. The gun fired projectiles weighing 9.2 kg with an initial speed of 800 m/s. For testing, the gun was installed on the chassis of the T-28 tank, as well as on one experimental KV-2. Then the 85-mm gun was installed on one KV-1, which received a new gun mantlet. On August 9, 1940, it was ordered to manufacture four experimental KV-1 towers, made using different technologies. The production of towers began at Plant No. 78 (in the Urals) on March 13, 1941. Compared to the previous welded turret, the cast turret had thicker armor (90-95 mm) and was heavier (about 7 tons). In October 1940, a cast hull for the KV-1 was made as an experiment.

On the basis of government Decrees of April 6 and July 1, 1941, the production of KB-1 tanks with enhanced armor (screens) was organized at the LKZ. The screens were plates 30 mm thick, attached to the sides of the hull and turret with bolts. Due to the screens, the total thickness of the armor reached 105 mm. Tanks that had already been sent to units were supposed to receive screens before January 1, 1942. Shielding further increased the weight of the tank.

Simultaneously, the KB-1 was rearmed again. Grabin created a new model of the 76.2 mm F-34 gun, which was supposed to be installed on the T-34 medium tank. It was decided that a heavy tank should carry heavier weapons, so the ZiS-5 cannon was created for the KV-1, 63.5% of the details of which coincided with the F-34, and 4% with the F-22USV field gun. The ZiS-5 cannon was put into service and put into production in the middle of 1941.

OPTIONS, PROJECTS

Already at that time, a night vision device operating in the infrared range was being developed for the driver. By order of the Defense Committee No. 5808 dated June 25, 1940, Plant No. 211 was supposed to deliver ten such devices by October 15, 1940, but the order was not fulfilled.

Even before the start of the war with Germany, in accordance with previous assignments, a project for a tracked armored recovery vehicle (Object 214) based on the KV was prepared at the LKZ. The mass of the vehicle reached 30 tons, the armament consisted of two 7.62 mm DT machine guns. The BREM was equipped with a winch, towing cables and other devices for evacuating damaged tanks from the battlefield. The chief engineer of the project was N.V. Khalkiopov, who was assisted by S.M. Kasavin. The project did not materialize in metal, because after the end of the war with Finland, ABTU quickly lost interest in the tow truck.

In 1940, SKB-2 at LKZ began work on a new heavy self-propelled gun SU-212 (Object 212), which had some components of the KB tank (engine, transmission, running gear), but a completely different hull and new layout (engine in front, fighting compartment at the rear). The characteristics of Object 212 were as follows: weight 50 tons, crew 5 people, armament 152 mm naval gun and three 7.62 mm machine guns, 47 rounds of ammunition, armor 60-20 mm thick. The possibility of installing a 203-mm B-4 howitzer on the chassis was envisaged. In 1941, work began on the SU-212 hull, but after the start of the war, the project was curtailed.

In 1941, another project began: to equip the KB with an electric transmission (probably even a prototype was built).

SERIAL PRODUCTION KV

The first order called for the production of 50 KB tanks by the end of 1940. On February 4, 1940, by order of the Defense Committee, the LKZ undertook to produce nine tanks of the installation series by March 25, and not by the end of May, as previously expected. In fact, by April 1, only five tanks were ready (a prototype with a small turret and 4 KB with a large turret), of which three were on the Karelian Isthmus.

On May 28, 1940, on the recommendation of the Defense Committee, the Council of People's Commissars adopted the Decree "On the expansion of the program for the production of KB tanks for 1940." The new plan provided for the production of 230 KB tanks in 1940 (130 with a 76.2-mm cannon and 100 with 152-mm howitzers. L KZ was able to exceed this plan by building 243 tanks (141 KV-1 and 102 KV-2). tanks unfolded slowly and the vast majority of vehicles were built in the last months of 1940.

Acceptance of tanks by the military was slow. After the assembly was completed, the plant's drivers made a control march 30 km long. One of the oldest employees of the LKZ N.P. Efimov recalled: “It used to happen that a new car would come from the assembly, but the gears would not turn on! All flaws and shortcomings had to be eliminated in the control department. After the factory OTK accepted the tank and handed it over to the military, the car made another march about 50 km long. After that, the tank was washed, painted, fully equipped and handed over to the crew. The first KBs were numbered "0", "1U", "2U", "3U".

The plan for the production of KB tanks for 1941, adopted by the NKTM on January 2, 1941, provided for the construction of 600 KV tanks. In the first quarter, 352 tanks were built, in the second quarter it was planned to produce 215 vehicles (115 KV-1 and 100 KV-2). But on March 15, 1941, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted a resolution "On the release of KB tanks in 1941." The first paragraph of the decree determined that in 1941 1200 KV tanks should be produced. Including LKZ was supposed to produce 1000 tanks (400 KV-1, 100 KV-2 and 500 KV-3), and another 200 KV-1 was planned to be built at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ). After the start of the war, the program was revised and expanded. In Leningrad, many subcontractors were connected to the LKZ (for example, the Metal Plant, which produced final drives, welded towers, and later assembled hulls). From the beginning of the year to the end of June 1941, 393 KB were built at LKZ (in just two years, 636 tanks: 434 KB-1 and 202 KV-2), and in July-August LKZ produced 492 KB tanks, after which the plant curtailed production and was evacuated to the east. Thus, in 1941, 885 tanks were built in Leningrad (some sources report 848 tanks).

"Dreadnought" KV-2

The prototype, tested on the Karelian Isthmus, perfectly held the hits of armor-piercing shells and turned out to be quite reliable, and all the breakdowns could be repaired on the spot. However, the Finnish defense consisted of numerous dugouts and pillboxes, which required several hits of heavy shells to suppress them. Commander of the Soviet 7th Army, Divisional Commander K.A. Meretskov recalled:

“After five days of preparation, we began the assault. Unfortunately, without success. Again, the lack of funds for breaking the fortifications affected. Our tanks did not have large-caliber guns and could not suppress pillboxes on their own. At best, the tanks simply covered the loopholes with their hulls.” The 76.2 mm caliber gun turned out to be completely ineffective in the fight against concrete fortifications. To combat pillboxes, artillery of 152-203 mm caliber should have been used. Therefore, the idea was born to arm the tanks with heavy guns. Commander of the North-Western Front, Commander S.K. Timoshenko turned directly to the leadership of the LKZ with a request to create a KB armed with a large-caliber gun, the shells of which could effectively suppress fortifications, both wood-and-earth and concrete. At the end of December 1939, the plant received an order from the first secretary of the Leningrad City Committee A.A. Zhdanov, to create a similar tank in the shortest possible time. Hectic work began at the LKZ. The designers of SKB-2 from the Duzov group worked on the tank. The armament of the tank was designed by the AOKO Design Bureau team under the guidance of engineer N.V. Chicken. It was decided to arm the tank with a 152-mm M-10 howitzer of the 1938 model, mounted in a large turret. The mass of the tower was 12 tons. It housed four crew members and separate loading shots. The tank version of the howitzer received the designation M-10S of the 1940 model. The tank howitzer had a slightly shortened barrel and reduced recoil. Concrete-piercing projectiles weighing 40 kg developed an initial velocity of 530 m/s, and armor-piercing projectiles weighing 51 kg had an initial velocity of 436 m/s. Sighting range was 4800 m. At the end of January, the prototype "KB with a large turret" or simply "dreadnought" (the designation KV-2 appeared a few months later) was ready for testing, primarily fire. The tests were carried out at the factory site, Engineer Kurin recorded the impressions of those days: “Before the first firing, we were all very worried. As far as we knew, no one in the world had ever mounted a gun of this caliber and power on a tank. Some were skeptical about our project. It was assumed that the tank could roll over after the first shot, they said that the turret would not withstand the rollback, and the engine and chassis could fail from shaking. The day of the main test arrived. The tank is on the range, the turret is rotated 90 degrees to a position where capsizing is most likely. The command sounds: "Fire!" A shot is fired. We all come out of hiding. The tank is in place. We approach the tank. The driver starts the engine the first time and drives a few meters. Everything is fine. Only from the muzzle cut off the cover, which we put in order to protect the bore from the fire of the Finnish snipers-"cuckoos".

On February 4, 1940, based on the test results, the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars ordered the construction of a trial series of 9 KB tanks (with large and small turrets) until March 25, 1940. In fact, by April 1, only 5 vehicles were built, of which three took part in the Finnish campaign. In mid-February, the newly built "dreadnoughts" were equipped with crews, which consisted partly of LKZ employees, and partly of regular tankers. The commander of the first tank was Lieutenant N. Petin (who had previously participated in the testing of the SMK tank), and an employee of the LKZ named Lyashko was appointed as the driver of the vehicle. Lieutenant Glushak became the commander of the second car, and we have no data on the crew of the third car. On March 5, 1940, the tanks went to the front and became part of the 20th brigade. All three tanks fought continuous battles that lasted almost a week, K.A. Meretskov recalled: “When breaking through the front in the Summa region, for the first time, heavy KB tanks armed with large-caliber guns were used. The tanks passed through the area of ​​the Finnish fortifications without the slightest harm to themselves, despite numerous direct hits. We had an almost invulnerable tank at our disposal. Since then I have loved KB and have always tried to have them at my disposal".

The commander of one of the tanks, Lieutenant Glushak recalled the events of those days: “The fortifications of the Mannerheim Line were solid. Large granite gouges stood in three rows. To make a passage 6-8 meters wide, we had to fire concrete-piercing shells five times. While we were clearing the gouges, the enemy fired at us quickly. We quickly located the bunker and suppressed it with two shots. After the battle, we counted 48 hit marks on the armor, but not a single shell penetrated the armor.

A few days after the armistice, on March 17, 1940, in the Kremlin, Stalin and other leaders of the state were shown the latest models of armored vehicles, including both KV. The show had a positive effect on future fate tank KV-2. On May 28, the Council of People's Commissars ordered the serial production of these tanks to begin at the LKZ. By the end of the year, the plant was supposed to build a hundred KV-2s (the plan was 102% completed).

Simultaneously with the deployment of mass production, comprehensive tests of the KV tanks began. Three vehicles participated in the tests, including one KV-2. The tests were taken by a special state commission, which consisted mainly of officers technical services. Tests were carried out in the summer at the LKZ test site. Although it was planned to meet within 8-10 days, the tests dragged on for almost a month and a half. Several weaknesses of the tank were found: insufficient reliability of the torsion bars, unstable engine operation, serious transmission flaws.

In this regard, the KV-2 was noticeably inferior to the KB-1, as it was almost 10 tons heavier. In the period from June 10 to July 29, 1940, the KV-2 covered 2565 km, the average daily mileage barely reached 52 km. Here is a fragment of the commission's report: “During the tests of a tank with a large turret, the air filter failed after 1.5 hours of operation, so the engine ran out of service after 20 hours. Damaged gearbox, side clutches, tracks. But despite all the identified shortcomings, Marshal S.K. Timoshenko, who replaced Voroshilov as People's Commissar of Defense in June, proposed arming the KV-2 tank with a 107-mm M-60 cannon, which pierced armor more than 100 mm thick at distances up to 1000 m. KV-2 to serial production. The serial tank was noticeably different from the prototypes and trial series vehicles. First of all, the tank received a simplified turret, more technologically advanced and adapted for mass production. As a result, the dimensions of the tower have changed, the design of the gun mask has become different. A DT machine gun was mounted in the rear wall of the turret in a ball mount. As a result of alterations, the mass of the tank was reduced by 2 tons. The tank received standard external fuel tanks, a new radio station and a intercom for four crew members.

The production plan for 1941, approved by the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars on March 15, 1941, provided for the production of 1000 KB tanks at the LKZ, including 100 KV-2. Before the start of the war with Germany, 202 KV-2 tanks were built (according to some sources, 200 or 232).

In the tank units of the Red Army, the KV-2 vehicles appeared at the end of 1940. On September 15, only the first four experimental vehicles were listed, but in early December the number of KV-2s reached 24, most of which were in parts of the Baltic Military District. KV-2s were used as support tanks and heavy self-propelled guns. The small number of tanks forced them to be transferred to the command of the mechanized corps. Much less often, KV-2 tanks operated at the divisional or regimental levels. During operation, it turned out that the tank had difficulty rotating the turret, especially if the tank was not standing horizontally. The aiming speed of the gun on the target was also too low, and the overloaded vehicle could not withstand the loads provided for by the operating standards.

Despite all the shortcomings, the KV-2 tank was considered one of the most effective tanks of the Red Army. Already on the third day of the war, in a conversation with the commander of the 5th Army of the North-Western Front, General Potapov, the Chief of the General Staff, General G.K. Zhukov asked: "How do your KB tanks and others work?" Potapov replied: “We have thirty large KV tanks. But none of them has ammunition.” Zhukov: “The 152-mm guns of the KB tank can use rounds 09-30. I order you to immediately replenish ammunition with concrete-piercing ammunition 09-30 and throw the tanks into battle. They will crush the enemy."

G. Penezhko, an officer of one of the units of the 8th mechanized corps, testifies to the effectiveness of the KV-2 tanks in battles with German tanks. Here is a fragment of his memoirs concerning the battle near Dubno in early July 1941: “A few KBs appeared from behind the forest. One of the tanks stopped on a hill. The gun in the giant turret was turned in our direction. There was a thunder of a shot. Where a German tank had been a second ago, now lay a mangled pile of armor. Slowly the tower turned to the right. The tank took up another fascist. A shot, an explosion, the turret of a German tank was torn off its shoulder strap, and the hull was ripped apart at the seams.

Already in the first days of the war, the KB-2 tank turned out to be an unpleasant surprise for the Nazis. But the KV-2s were few in number and were quickly lost. The Red Army lost the overwhelming number of KV-2 tanks due to technical malfunctions, the Nazis managed to knock out only a few vehicles. Almost all KV-2s were lost during the first six months of fighting. By the beginning of 1942, only a few remained. Despite this, the KV-2 tanks appeared in German key tables, manuals and other specialized literature for a long time. In German terminology, the tank was designated as Patizerkampfwagen KW II 754(r). The tank was characterized as follows: “A heavy tank designed to support a tank attack, like an assault gun. It has thick armor and a very high firepower, although it is used mainly in positional warfare. According to the enemy, the chassis of the tank is overloaded.” Captured copies were delivered to Germany, although for the trophy and repair and evacuation services it cost a lot of effort. Towing huge tanks (not to mention the fact that some vehicles had to be pulled out of the swamp) was incredibly difficult, since the German army at that time did not have regular means to tow 52-ton vehicles. One captured KV-2, delivered to the Reich, was demonstrated at the Victory Exhibition, and also made demonstration tours through the streets of the city. Other machines were taken to the training ground in Kummersdorf, where they were subjected to extensive tests. Test experience was used to create the "tiger". One of the captured KV-2s was shot, testing the effectiveness of armor-piercing shells of guns of various calibers.

The KV-2, equipped with a commander's cupola borrowed from a PzKpfw III or IV, operated as part of the 66th Special Purpose Tank Company, which was preparing for Operation Herkules, the landing on Malta.

It should be noted that in the primer of the tanker "Tigerfibel", published on the initiative of Guderian for the crews of the "tigers", there was a special supplement Panzer-Beschusstafel, dated February 15, 1943. The appendix shows which sections of the armor of which tanks should be fired from the 83-mm cannon to achieve a confident hit on the target, the KV-2 also appears.

EXPERIMENTAL MACHINES BASED ON KV-2

In 1940, one of the experimental KV-2s served at the Novoe Sormovo Artillery Plant No. 92 in Gorky to test the prototype of the 85-mm F-39 tank gun, created in V.G. Grabin. Then a prototype of the 107-mm F-42 gun was installed on the same tank. The tank successfully passed factory tests, but at that time there was no question of re-equipping the tank. Finally, an improved version of the 107 mm ZiS-6 cannon appeared, which was intended for the KV-4/KV-5 tanks. The ZiS-6 prototype was installed on the same machine, and on May 14, 1941, the first firing was carried out.

On the basis of the decision of the Defense Committee No. 6505 of July 15, 1940, until December 1, 1940, an electromagnetic mine sweep should have been created. On October 15, 1940, the technical design of the trawl was considered, which the LKZ designers installed on the KV-2 (Object 218). The trawl has been tested, but data on test results are not available. There are rumors that a flamethrower tank was being developed on the basis of the KV-2.

The only copy of the KV-2 tank, located in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces in Moscow, has survived to this day.

LENINGRAD MONSTERS

After the end of the Finnish campaign in LKZ, they began to create new tanks of the KV series. It was then that the problem of re-equipping the tank arose in full growth, since the heavy KB had to carry a more powerful gun than the average T-34. One of the supporters of re-equipping the KB with an 85-mm gun was V.G. Grabin. In turn, S.K. Timoshenko insisted that the KB-1 be armed with a 76.2 mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1931 model, and the KV-2 with a 107 mm M-60 gun.

During numerous meetings at the highest level on May 5, 1940, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted a secret resolution on the creation of a new KV tank before the end of the year. On the basis of this decision, in June, ABTU developed and transferred to the LKZ the terms of reference and performance requirements for the new tank, which was given the designation KV-3.

At the same time, Grabin, on his own initiative, designed a new 85-mm cannon and even made its prototype. Trial firing of the new cannon, known as the F-39, was successful. In the summer, Grabin began designing the 107 mm F-42 gun. The new gun fired projectiles weighing 16.6 kg, which had an initial velocity of 680 m/s. At that time it was a magnificent gun, but no one was interested in it. Grabin recalled: “The designers of the heavy tank refused to even consider the possibility of installing a 107-mm gun on the tank. We prepared all fitting drawings in a month, and after another two months, the experimental gun was already installed on the KV-2, which was sent to us by Gorokhov and P.K. Voroshilov. For us, the spacious KV-2 tower was not the best way check the gun. But there was no other choice, so the clumsy hulk, armed with our cannon, went to the training ground. The tests went quickly and successfully. Most of the firing was conducted by Gorokhov himself. Particularly good results were obtained by firing at the embrasure of the pillbox and at anti-tank barriers..

TANK KV-3

Even in our time, many moments in the history of the tank remain unclear and controversial. In June 1940, the Kotin SKB-2 LKZ began work on the KV-3. However, this designation concealed at least three or four different tanks, namely: Object 220 (often also called KV-220 or T-220), Object 222 (there is no information about Object 221), and also Object 223. Object 220 was a new super-heavy tank weighing 63 tons, which had armor up to 100 mm. The tank could be armed with a long-barreled gun of 85 or 107 mm caliber (both guns of the Grabin system).

Object 222 (sometimes referred to as T-150) was a KV-1 with armor increased to 90 mm and equipped with a commander's cupola with a machine gun. The mass of the tank is 51 tons. Two prototypes were built (one of which may have had a chassis extended by one wheel pair), According to N.F. Shashmurin, the lead engineer of the project was L.N. Pereverzev.

The third tank - Object 223 - probably only existed on paper. It worked out the technical solutions of various units for the new tank.

On July 17, 1940, after reviewing the preliminary draft of Kotin, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted Resolution No. 1288-495-SS, in which the LKZ ordered to submit two KB tanks with 90-mm armor by November 1. One tank was to be armed with a 76.2 mm F-32 cannon, and the other with an 85 mm cannon. By December 1, two more prototypes should have been submitted, but already with 100 mm armor. By the same decree, Plant No. 92 was ordered to deliver two 85-mm tank guns to the LKZ by September 15, 1940.

Focusing on the development of a new tank great attention, Kotin formed several working groups dealing with individual nodes. Leading engineer L.E. became responsible for the project as a whole. Sychev, and later this position was taken by V.P. Pavlov. The armament group was A.S. Shneidman, G.Yu. Andandonsky and F.G. Korobko. K.I. was responsible for the corps. Kuzmin, N.V. Khalikopov, V.L. Yakovlev. V.I. Tarotko, S.F. Fedorenko, E.P. Dedov, S.V. Mitskevich, N.I. Strukov, as well as Alekseev, Spiridonov and Fedorchuk. When creating the transmission, Kotin showed particular care, creating in parallel the planetary and conventional gearboxes. As it turned out later, the chief of SKB-2 had a good instinct. V.P. worked on a planetary gearbox controlled by servomechanisms. Pavlov, V.L. Sinozhersky, L.N. Pereverzev and S.M. Kasavin. The latter recalled: “Our group worked on the checkpoint. We have reached the stage of working drawings. Unfortunately, the war began and we were unable to complete the work to which we devoted a lot of effort and energy. For its time, our transmission represented a step forward, as it was distinguished by reliability and had excellent dynamics. ”

Conventional gearbox designed by L.E. Sychev and F.A. Moryshkin, collapsed during bench tests. Since the planetary gearbox was not yet ready, it was decided to install the Shashmurin gearbox on the tank. As Kasavin recalled: “The KV-3 tank (Object 220) with that gearbox successfully passed all the tests and was recommended for serial production before the war.”

It was not possible to fully resolve the issue with the weapons of the Object 220. Grabin recalled that in the spring of 1940, a group of designers of the F-39 cannon, headed by P. Muravyov, asked Kotin for details regarding the attachment of the gun. The drawings of the gun and the fighting compartment were coordinated. Grabin recalls: “Then we sent the cannon to the tank factory. Muravyov and I went there a little later. In order to determine the location of the gun in the fighting compartment and assess the conditions for the crew, the gun was installed in a full-size wooden model of the tank. The mock-up, painted in a protective color, looked very much like a real tank. Our cannon gave the layout a formidable and impressive look. We suggested installing a cannon on the KV-1 and showed a photo of the T-28 armed with our cannon: it did not help. The designers firmly stood their ground and claimed that the experimental tank had already been sent to the series.

As follows from all the materials, Kotin was strongly opposed to installing an 85-mm cannon on the KV-1, probably wanting to reserve it for the new KV-3. However, after some time, the F-39 gun was still installed on the KV-1. Although the test firing was completed successfully, as Grabin recalled, neither ABTU nor GAU were interested in the results of the firing.

The next problem facing the creators of the KV-3 was the problem of choosing an engine. The standard V-2K, whose serial production was relatively recently organized at Plant No. 75 in Kharkov, hardly developed 600 hp, which was clearly not enough for a new tank. Therefore, by order of LKZ, a forced version of the V-2KF engine was created at the Kharkov plant, developing 850 hp. However, the V-2KF needed to be improved, and also suffered from excessive "gluttony". Several copies of the new engine were delivered to the LKZ. Soon, the LKZ engine shop mastered the production of the M-40 aircraft engine with a power of 1200 hp. It was decided to create on the basis of the M-40 a tank diesel engine with sufficient power.

In November 1940, the assembly of two prototypes began, and in early December, both machines were ready. December 5, 1940 at the Leningrad artillery range (NIAP) began testing the first prototype. The machine had a welded tower, composed of cast, rolled and stamped parts. In March 1941, a cast tower appeared, the production of which was entrusted to the Izhora plant, which collaborated with the Moscow Sickle and Hammer plant. Probably the second prototype was supposed to get a new tower. The KV-3 prototype passed the entire test cycle and received a positive rating. Object 222 was also tested, but it was recognized as unsuccessful. Even boosted to 700 hp. the engine hardly pulled the bulk of 51 tons, and the old gearbox turned out to be completely untenable.

From this point on, the fate of Object 220 becomes even more confusing. Until now, the official date for the completion of official tests, as well as the adoption of the tank for service and recommendations for serial production, is still unknown. On March 15, 1941, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted a resolution "On the release of KB tanks in 1941", but there is a question of a different version of the KV-3. Paragraph 1 of the program refers to the production of 500 KV-3 tanks armed with a 76.2 mm cannon but with 90 mm thick armor. Paragraph 20 says: “To prepare the serial production of the KV-3, oblige Narkomtyazhmash, comrade. Efremov and director of LKZ comrade. Zaltsman until May 1, 1941 to release the first copy of the tank, and then, together with the NPO, until May 15, test and approve the drawings and technical requirements necessary for serial production. Since the production of 850-horsepower engines and 85-mm guns had not yet been launched by the time the decision was adopted, by a separate order, the NKTM postponed the start of production of the KV-3 to June, limiting the size of the first series to 100 vehicles.

Additional problems were caused by the intrigues of Marshal G.I. Kulik. At his request, it was decided to arm new tank 107-mm cannon, and work began on the KV-4 and KV-5 tanks, which had a mass of about 100 tons and a 107 mm caliber gun.

On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Many plans had to be radically revised. Already on June 25, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted new secret decrees "On the production of armor and KB tanks", as well as "On increasing the production of KB, T-34 and T-50 tanks, artillery tractors and tank diesel engines in the III and IV quarters ". The text of the decrees is still not known, but the logic of subsequent events suggests what was said there. Probably, it was then that it was decided to continue the production of KB-1 at LKZ, and the KV-3 (Object 220) was planned to be put into production at ChTZ from July 1. This decision was approved on July 1 by the State Defense Committee (GKO).

On July 4, 1941, one copy (KV-3 Object 220 No. 2) as a model was hastily delivered from Leningrad to ChTZ. The tank, along with full technical documentation, was transported on two 60-ton four-axle platforms (on one hull, on the other a turret with a gun). The platforms were attached to the first evacuation echelon, which was also ridden by some designers (including Spirits, Shashmurin and others). The transport arrived in Chelyabinsk on July 12, 1941.

Meanwhile, the situation at the front was taking an unfavorable turn and required the most rapid and decisive action. Preparations for the release of the KV-3 at ChTZ would take several months. While Dukhov was watching the unloading of the echelon, a new order came from the people's commissar of the tank industry V.A. Malysheva: “No KV-3! Release only KV-1!

CM. Kasavin, known to us for his objectivity, also remarks: “If the KV-3 were put into production, then we would have nothing to deliver it to the front, since the heaviest railway platforms had a carrying capacity of 55 tons. In the course of serial production, the mass of CV, which amounted to 63 tons, would have increased even more as a result of the rougher processing inherent in mass production.

Nevertheless, the KV-3 nevertheless took part in the Great Patriotic War. Already in August 1941, representatives of the LKZ were summoned to Smolny, where the headquarters of the defense of Leningrad was located. Then they received an order from Voroshilov to bring them to combat readiness all available experimental machines and prototypes located at the plant. As later recalled the head of the military-technical control department of the LKZ A.F. Shpitanov, there were about two dozen such machines at the plant. Tanks with crews were assembled as part of a special tank detachment, which was supposed to defend the Kirov region. The detachment also included the second prototype of the KV-3 (Object 220), which remained in Leningrad. The car, which was driven by the driver V.I. Ignatiev (LKZ), put in a firing position near the bridge over the Krasnenkaya River on the Peterhof Highway in the area of ​​​​the Krasnenkoe cemetery, not far from the LKZ. The task of the tank was to contain a possible enemy attack from Ligovo. According to some sources, the tank was armed with a naval 85 mm gun, other sources report that the tank was armed with an 85 mm anti-aircraft gun. We do not have any specific information about the battles on this sector of the front. It is only known that in 1951, a KV-85 tank of the 1943 model was erected on this site as a monument, which remains there to this day.

Another experimental tank, which had the inscription "For the Motherland" on board, was part of the 1st battalion of the 124th tank brigade of Colonel A.G. Homeland (the brigade was mainly equipped with KV-1 tanks with the M-17 carburetor engine). Not a single German gun could penetrate the armor of the tank, so the tank crew lost their caution and began to embark on adventures. In August 1941, an unescorted tank went into battle with the aim of occupying the bridge across the Tosno River in Ivanovskoye. Here the tank came under fire from a heavy German cannon. The Germans were unable to penetrate the armor, but the shell tore off the turret. The crew died. Perhaps it was also a KV-3 tank.

SUPER-HEAVY TANK KV-4/KV-5

The development of the KB series did not stop with the advent of the KV-3. In March 1941, Marshal Grigory Ivanovich Kulik, deputy people's commissar of defense and head of the GAU, started the so-called "107 mm caliber scam."

According to the latest reports of Soviet intelligence, the Panzerwaffe quickly switched to new tanks with thick armor and 100-mm guns (probably, this was a "misinformation" deliberately launched by the Germans); thus, all Soviet anti-tank artillery of 37-76 mm caliber became practically useless. Kulik got an order from Stalin to stop the production of guns of caliber less than 76.2 mm and to start production of heavier guns as soon as possible, including for tanks.

At a meeting held on April 4 and 5, 1941 in Zhdanov's office, representatives of the army and industry spoke out against the rearmament of the KB and against the creation of new models. However, the issue had already been resolved in advance and Grabin received an order to design a 107 mm tank gun. Grabin recalled: “Zhdanov asked me: - Comrade Grabin, when can you give a gun? “Within forty-five days,” I replied. There was a laugh. Everyone laughed, including Zhdanov. But I insisted that the project be set at 45 days, which was difficult for me, but completely unrealistic for a heavy tank.”

The decision of the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on this issue was adopted on April 6, 1941. The People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry received an order that also applied to the LKZ: in accordance with the tactical, technical and characteristics approved by the NPO and the GABTU, design a super-heavy KV-4 tank with an extended chassis, 125-130 mm thick armor and a 107 mm ZiS-6 gun. The completed technical project should have been submitted before June 15, 1941, and the first prototype should have been ready by September 1.

In addition, SKB-2 was instructed to create a project for another super-heavy KV-5 tank. The tank was supposed to have armor 150-170 mm thick, an engine with a capacity of 1200 hp, and a width of no more than 420 cm. The mass of the tank reached 100 tons! By August 1, the project and layout should have been submitted, and by September 1, the documentation should have been completed. By October 10, Izhora Plant was obliged to deliver the hull and turret of the new gun to the LKZ.

The head of the LKZ engine department was instructed to develop a diesel engine with a capacity of 1200 l.s. based on aircraft engines M-40 and M-50. The Kharkov Diesel Plant received a similar task. In turn, they demanded from Grabin a new 107-mm ZiS-6 tank gun, which had an initial projectile velocity of 800 m / s, and was compatible in terms of ammunition with the M-60 field gun of the same caliber.

Only Grabin coped with the task. Using the nodes of the F-39 and F-42 guns, he quickly created the ZiS-6 gun. On May 14, 1941, a day ahead of schedule, the new gun installed on the KV-2 fired its first shot. To facilitate the work of the loader, who had to fire very heavy shots, the gun was equipped with a mechanical rammer. Factory tests of the ZiS-6 passed without any complaints, and subsequent field tests only confirmed the combat effectiveness of the gun. At the end of May, at the Novoe Sormovo plant, they began to prepare for the serial production of a new gun. The first serial copies were handed over to the military selection committee on June 23, 1941.

Grabin writes: “The release of the ZiS-6 grew day by day, but there was still no new tank for which the gun was intended. Even after the start of the war, the Kirov Plant did not deliver us a single new tank. The lack of a tank forced us to limit production, and then completely stop production. It is difficult and embarrassing to write about this: in those days when everything that could shoot, even museum exhibits, was sent to the front, about 800 artillery barrels were sent to the open-hearth shop for remelting.

Returning to the super-heavy KB tanks, we can say that Kotin did not seem to have any intention of creating the KV-4. In May-June, SKB-2 held an internal competition for a preliminary design of the KV-4 tank (according to the internal nomenclature Object 224). Until July 15, 1941, 21 projects were submitted. The first place was taken by Spirits, the second - by Shashmurin, the third - by Kasavin. All three projects assumed a tank weight of 80-100 tons, armament 1x107 and 1x45, 4-5 machine guns and a flamethrower, armor 125-130 mm, M-40 engine with a power of 1200 hp.

It can be assumed that the KV-5 project (Object 225), developed in parallel, was supposed to be implemented using technical solutions found during the competition. First of all, it was planned to use the projects of experienced designers, including I.V. Tsoyts. Kotin accepted the first drawings of technical documentation on June 22, 1941. On this day, the drawings of some tank units were signed. On July 31, the preliminary design was approved by the designer Sakharov, the chief designer S.V. Mitskevich, group leader K.I. Kuzmin, senior machine engineer N.V. Zeitz. On August 22, the chief designer of the LKZ approved the drawings of the hull and turret. Probably, at the Izhora plant, they began to manufacture the turret and hull, but the work soon had to be interrupted. Leningrad was under the threat of encirclement, and most of the LKZ workers were evacuated to Chelyabinsk.

Thus ended the story of the creation of the Leningrad monsters. Here it would be appropriate to mention the first Soviet heavy tank of the IS series, work on which also began in 1940. It was supposed to arm the tank with a 152.4-mm cannon and several machine guns, while the mass of the tank was estimated at 105 tons. The thickness of the hull armor would reach 100 mm, and the tower - 110 mm. In the design of the tank chassis, it was planned to use suspension parts of the KB tank and a modified V-2 diesel engine with an increased number of cylinders. In order to reduce the length of the hull, the transmission of the original design was supposed to be placed vertically in the stern of the tank.

During the war, there was no way to engage in the production of such giants, in addition, Stalin categorically forbade designers to design new tanks. All efforts were concentrated on the improvement and technological simplification of existing models. But immediately after the war, Kotin continued his interrupted work and designed the super-heavy tank IS-7.

DEVICE KV-1

The general scheme of the KV-1 tank was traditional. The main components of the tank were the hull (which contained the main mechanisms of the tank and two crew members), the turret (with a cannon and places for three tankers), the undercarriage and attachments.

The hull was assembled from flat rolled homogeneous armor plates, interconnected by welding. Only a few body parts were bent. Machines of some series had reinforced frontal armor. For tanks produced before the middle of 1941, the forehead and sides of the hull were 75 mm thick, and the bottom and roof were made of sheets 40-30 mm thick. Later, the frontal (and partly side) armor was increased to 105 mm.

The tower was originally made from rolled armor plates, connected by welding. The thickness of the armor did not exceed 75 mm (only in the mask area did the thickness reach 90 mm). Later, the thickness of the walls of the tower was reinforced with screens up to 95 mm (and even up to 120 mm). Then the production of towers welded from armor plates of increased thickness was launched.

The internal volume of the hull (width 1850 mm, height 1100 mm) was divided into four parts: control post, fighting compartment, engine compartment, transmission compartment.

Control post

The control post was located in the bow of the hull. Cylinders with compressed air were placed along the frontal armor, designed for emergency starting of the engine. The tank controls were also located there: the main clutch pedal, gas pedal, gear lever (scene), steering clutch control levers, instrumentation and electrical equipment (speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, temperature gauge in the cooling system, ammeter and voltmeter, etc.). In addition, there were places for the driver and gunner-radio operator, as well as a DT course machine gun in a ball mount (firing sector 30 degrees, declination / elevation angle -5 + 15 degrees) and a 71-TK-3 radio station. Above the driver's seat there was a hatch, which was used by both the driver himself and the radio operator gunner. This hatch had exactly the same design as the hatch on the tower and above the transmission. Near the place of the gunner-radio operator were four batteries 6-STE-144 (12 V, 144 Ah each, 24 V 244 Ah in total). On board hung a rack for spare drums for a DT machine gun and one spare machine gun.

In the center of the frontal armor plate there was a driver's viewing device, which was closed with an armored cover. The observation slot was closed with a block of armored glass (triplex). A little to the right, a fixed periscope was displayed through the roof. To the right of the driver's seat in the bottom was an emergency hatch through which the crew could leave the tank under enemy fire.

fighting compartment

The fighting compartment was located in the central part of the body. From above, the fighting compartment was covered by a tower. The diameter of the base of the tower was 1530 mm. Two fuel tanks were located along one port, a fuel and oil tank along the other. Through the roof of the hull, filling necks were displayed, and through the bottom - drain pipes.

The turret contained weapons (a cannon and two machine guns), folding seats for the crew, optical equipment, and part of the ammunition load. In the turret, the seats were occupied by the tank commander (simultaneously acting as a loader), a gunner (or, using the terminology of that time, a turret gunner), as well as a junior driver who serviced the machine gun in the rear niche of the turret, helped the tank commander load the gun and, if necessary, change driver mechanic.

The turret contained a 76.2 mm cannon and 2-3 DT machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber. The gun was mounted in front of the tower in a closed mask. One DT machine gun was paired with the cannon, which was located to the right of the cannon. To the left at the base of the tower was a mechanism for rotating the tower, which had a manual and electric drive. The rotation of the tower was carried out by an electric motor MB-20 with a power of 1350 watts. The rotation mechanism had three speeds. On the very fast speed the tower rotated 10-12 degrees per second (later only 5 degrees), that is, the tower made a complete revolution in 70 seconds. The gunner could rotate the turret with the help of a flywheel located at the left hand.

Another turret machine gun was mounted in a ball mount in the rear niche. The installation provided a horizontal sector of fire of 30 degrees and a declination / elevation angle of -15 + 15 degrees. To the left and right of the machine gun on the wall were racks with spare machine gun drums.

The third DT machine gun with a special P-40 sight could be installed on the roof of the tower near the hatch to protect the tank from enemy aircraft. This machine gun was not installed on every tank in 1941-1942.

Along the sides of the niche were placed grips for several shots of "first" readiness. The rest of the ammunition was stored along the sides of the hull, as well as in 44 containers of two shells on the floor of the fighting compartment. From above, the containers were covered with rubber mats.

The sides of the tower had viewing slots covered with triplex tabs. Under the cracks were placed round loopholes, closed with plugs.

On the roof of the tower there was an exhaust hole, closed with an armored cap. Later, the hood was equipped with a fan, thanks to which the hood worked more efficiently. Optical instruments were covered with armored caps from the outside. The tank was equipped with a PT-1 or PT-6 (later PT-4-7 or PT-4-17) periscope sight with an illuminated scale. The sights had a reticle in 200 m increments, calibrated to 3600 m for armor-piercing ammunition, up to 2100 m for high-explosive fragmentation ammunition and up to 1000 m for a coaxial machine gun. Telescopic sight TOD-6 (later 9T-7, 10T-7 and 10T-43) or improved TMF (TMFD, TMFD-7 and TMFT) had a 2.5-fold increase. Side view was provided by fixed periscopes and viewing slots.

The commander / loader observed the battlefield through the PTK observation periscope (modified PT-4-7), which had a 2.5-fold increase and a field of view of 26 degrees, an onboard periscope and a viewing slot.

The junior driver could observe the battlefield through a machine gun sight, as well as through two fixed rear-facing periscopes.

Fixed periscopes on the roof of the tower did not provide all-round visibility.

Inside the tower, in front of the right wall, there was a switchboard and a TPU intercom telephone. On the left was the TPU gunner. The electrical wiring in the tower was connected to the onboard network using a special rotating contact.

The prototypes and the first production tanks were armed with a 76.2 mm L-11 gun of the 1939 model, which had a barrel length of 30.5 calibers. The gun had a semi-automatic vertical wedge-shaped lock. The recoil device was located above the muzzle. The angle of declination / elevation is -7 + 25 degrees, the practical rate of fire is 6-8 rounds per minute, the sight is calibrated to 3600 m, the theoretical range is 12000 m, the initial velocity of the projectile is 612-630 m / s.

From the middle of 1940, the tank received a 76.2 mm F-32 gun of the 1940 model. The gun had the same barrel length (30.5 caliber) and a similar lock, but the recoil device was located under the barrel (hydraulic recoil device on the right, hydropneumatic knurler on the left). The declination angle was reduced to -5 degrees. The ammunition is standard, the muzzle velocity is slightly higher than that of the L-11.

In 1941, another 76.2 mm ZiS-5 gun of the 1941 model appeared. The barrel length of the ZiS-5 was 41.5 calibers, and the muzzle velocity of the projectile was 662-680 m/s. Declination / elevation angles like the F-32. During the war, instead of the ZiS-5, the KV-1 tanks were sometimes equipped with the F-34 gun, which was not much different from it.

All three types of guns used the same standard ammunition (ballistics given for ZiS-5/F-34):

Armor-piercing BR-350A (weight 6.30 kg) with a tracer and a small bursting charge (0.15 kg). Fuse MD-5. Initial speed 662 m/s. At distances of 100, 500 and 1000 m, the projectile pierced armor with a thickness of 70, 65 and 54 mm, respectively.

High-explosive fragmentation OF-350 (weight 6.20 kg), explosive charge weight 0.64 kg, double-acting KTM-1 fuse, muzzle velocity 680 m/s.

Shrapnel Sh-350A filled with T-6 bullets.

Cumulative BP-353A (weight 3.94 kg, muzzle velocity 325 m/s). At distances up to 1000 m, the projectile pierced armor 75 mm thick.

Sub-caliber EP-350P (weight 3.02 kg, muzzle velocity 940 m/s). At a distance of 100 m, it pierced armor 90-100 mm thick, but at long distances its effectiveness coincided with a conventional armor-piercing projectile.

Engine department

Behind the fighting compartment was the engine compartment. A thin steel fire bulkhead ran between the compartments. At the bottom of the compartment, on a special metal frame, was a V-2 K diesel engine with a rated power of 550 hp. at 1950 rpm, operating power 500 hp at 1900 rpm and a maximum power of 600 hp. at 2000 rpm. The engine had a 100-hour warranty, but in combat conditions it was necessary to repair more often. To the left and right of the engine were radiators of the cooling system and oil coolers. The roof of the engine compartment was bolted. The roof had an access hatch, two air intakes covered with a mesh and adjustable shutters, a hatch for the cooling system neck, and two exhaust pipes.

transmission compartment

At the rear of the hull was the transmission compartment, also fenced off by a bulkhead. There was a fan of the engine cooling system (attached to the diesel flywheel) and the main clutch. The gearbox was on a frame at the bottom of the compartment. From above, two SMT-4628 electric starters with a capacity of 6 hp were attached to the box. (later they were replaced by one 15-oil starter). The gearbox provided 5 gears forward and one reverse, had no synchronization. Gear ratios: 1st (low) gear 4.86, 1st gear 2.6, 2nd gear 1.6, 3rd gear 1.05, 4th gear 0.584, reverse gear 3.24. When the engine was operating, the tank developed the following speed: 1st (low) gear 3.7 km/h, 1st gear 6.8 km/h, 2nd gear 11.2 km/h, 3rd gear 16 .9 km/h, 4th gear 30.4 km/h, reverse 5.5 km/h. From the gearbox, the torque was transmitted through two multi-disk dry clutches with floating belt brakes to the onboard planetary gears. Gear housings were attached to the side of the hull. The gearbox, as well as the final drive housings, had filler and drain holes, which were closed with screws. At the stern there was a large "pocket" - the air intake of the transmission compartment, taken by the net. The bulkheads had doors that provided the driver with access to the engine and transmission.

Chassis

The design of the undercarriage provided the heavy tank with sufficient mobility and the ability to move off-road, on different soils (soft, hard, sandy, marshy), in deep snow. No less important was the ability of the tank to overcome natural and artificial obstacles.

The undercarriage consisted of two main components: the caterpillar mechanism and the suspension. The tank rested on 12 road wheels (six on each side) rolling along the tracks. The caterpillars rotated with the help of drive gears at the stern of the tank. The tension of the tracks was provided by guide wheels equipped with a tension mechanism. For the KV-1, twin road wheels with a diameter of 590 mm and a width of 2x110 mm were developed. If on lighter tanks the track rollers had a rubber band, which played the role of a shock absorber and reduced noise, then on KB, where the specific pressure on the roller reached 200 kg / sq. cm, it was not possible to use rubber bands. To solve the problem, the designers created rather complex rollers that had an internal shock absorber. Such rollers were not only more technologically advanced, but also material-saving.

After the start of the war, due to a sharp increase in production, as well as due to a shortage of imported rubber, instead of rollers with internal shock absorption, all-metal cast rollers with a diameter of 600 mm began to be installed on tanks. There were several options for rollers that differed from each other in the pattern of reinforcing ribs.

The supporting rollers of pre-war tanks had a rubber bandage, after the start of the war they were replaced with all-metal cast ones.

The all-metal tracks of the KB tank had an unusual width for that time of 700 mm with a pitch of 163 mm. Each caterpillar consisted of single-pin tracks with one central ridge passing between the halves of the track roller and preventing the caterpillar from slipping. The large width of the tracks, combined with a significant long bearing part, led to an unusually low ground pressure for such a heavy tank - only 0.7 kg / sq. cm. Thanks to this, KB tanks could pass where lighter tanks got stuck. A suspension was developed specifically for the tank. Each track roller was independently suspended on a pendulum to its own torsion bar laid across the bottom of the tank. The torsion bar suspension had its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, the torsion bars were well protected, on the other hand, they occupied valuable internal volume of the tank and were very difficult to change. The travel of the road wheels was about 300 mm, which softened the movement over potholes well and ensured smooth movement.

Additional and attachments

Almost all equipment was located outside the tank. These were: electric lamps (running searchlight, stern brake light), klaxon.

Tanks of the pre-war series were quite fully equipped with various tools, which were stored in four capacious boxes located on the wings. Tanks of the military series were completed more poorly, respectively, the number of tool boxes was reduced to two, installing hinged fuel tanks in the vacated places. There were also thick steel towing cables on the wings, tightly attached at one end to the towing earrings on the frontal armor. The second end of the cables was fixed on board. In addition, entrenching tools (shovels, picks, crowbars, etc.), as well as spare tracked tracks, were attached to the wings. It should be noted that official documents did not regulate the composition of attachments, as well as the layout of its placement. In parts, each crew equipped their tank in accordance with the needs and capabilities of the moment.

GENERAL ASSESSMENT OF TANKS KV

The KB tank was undoubtedly one of the best tanks of the 2nd World War, having no equal until the beginning of 1942. Thick armor made the vehicle virtually invulnerable, and the cannon made it possible to effectively deal with any enemy armored vehicles. However, the design of the tank suffered from numerous shortcomings, which all together had a noticeable effect on the combat value of individual vehicles and tank units.

Despite the excellent ballistics of the ZiS-5 / F-34 cannon, its combat capabilities were not fully used due to rather primitive sights. Observation devices were even more primitive, which, moreover, did not provide a circular view. Although the turret was spacious enough to accommodate three crew members (tank commander and gunner positions were 680 mm wide, a size unheard of in European tanks), the overall layout of the turret was ill-conceived, and the duties of the tankers were poorly divided. The tank commander, in addition to his main tasks, had to play the role of a loader and maintain a machine gun coaxial with a cannon. The tank commander's seat did not have all-round visibility, which made it difficult to select a target. Only the KB-1s tank was the first to receive a commander's cupola. The third crew member (junior driver) during the battle had no other duties except for the maintenance of the stern machine gun, which was used extremely rarely. When firing from a cannon, his seat had to be folded, and the driver himself had to stand behind the back of the tank commander, which made it difficult for the latter to act.

But the main drawback of the KB tank was an insufficiently powerful engine and an unreliable transmission. The gearbox was the real Achilles' heel of the tank. The problem was solved only at the end of 1942, when the KB-1s appeared. But by that time, the armament of the tank no longer met the new requirements of the battlefield, which ultimately forced Soviet designers to create a completely new heavy tank.

The gearbox had gears with straight teeth, there was no synchronization. As a result, it was very difficult to change gears, and disabling all clutches did little to help. As a result, the driver tried to shift gears as little as possible. On a bad road, the tank moved in second gear, and on the highway - in third. Obviously, this led to an overload of the transmission elements: shafts burst, bearings crumbled, teeth broke. Most often burned third gear. To this should be added a chronic shortage of spare parts, as well as frequent marriage (once a whole series of tanks received gearboxes in which the gears were mistakenly made of steel of a different grade).

The controls required enormous physical effort from the driver, the tanker quickly got tired (it was this circumstance that forced the inclusion of another driver in the crew). Final drives did not allow accurate control of a multi-ton tank, the minimum turning radius was 9.5 m. The onboard clutches often overheated and failed. Similar shortcomings were noted in the operation of the main clutch, especially if the driver did not have much experience in driving KV tanks.

Another serious drawback of the tank's design is the small number of hatches. Probably, their number was reduced in order to give the armor more strength. But in practice, this turned out to be an inconvenience for the crew. The tankers who were in the tower had the worst of all, since there was only one rather narrow hatch for three people. It was almost impossible to leave the car quickly (for example, in case of fire).

Despite all these shortcomings, in the first year of the war, the KB tank earned recognition not only from the enemy, but also from the allies. The tank was demonstrated to various foreign delegations, and in 1942, on the orders of Stalin, one KB was handed over to the British and Americans.

The British tested the tank at the Bovington test site, the results of which were compiled by an extensive report. The tank is currently on display at the Tank Museum.

The Americans also tested the tank at their own Aberdeen Proving Ground. A piece was cut from the armor of the tank for laboratory examination. For the same purpose, the tank was partially dismantled. The tank is currently in the collection of the Aberdeen Proving Ground Tank Museum.

PROJECT AND ARMOR COMPETITION

Before the start of the war, the Red Army was feverishly rearming. Rearmament also took place in the tank troops. On January 1, 1940, there were 196 tanks in all tank units, but by June 22, the combat units of the Red Army already had 639 KV tanks. There were 508 tanks in the western military districts. It should be noted that at that time not a single army in the world had such powerful tanks, not to mention the number of such vehicles. According to the staffing table, the mechanized corps was supposed to have 126 heavy KB tanks, 63 tanks in each tank division. In divisions, heavy tanks were either assembled in one tank battalion for each regiment, thereby forming a powerful armored fist (31 tanks - three companies of 10 vehicles each, plus the tank of the battalion commander), or they were distributed one company to each tank battalion. In the summer of 1941, due to widespread retreat and heavy losses, the formation of small tank units began: separate battalions and brigades, which included small units of heavy tanks (usually companies of 5-7 vehicles). Larger pieces were rare. Only in the second half of 1942 did they again begin to form large units: separate regiments and brigades of heavy tanks.

As the experience of the very first battles of June 1941 showed, KB tanks outnumbered all types of German tanks and were practically invulnerable to the fire of enemy tank and anti-tank guns. The KB tanks often demonstrated their superiority in the most convincing way. Here is an example. In August 1941, the forces of the Army Group North advanced on Leningrad. On August 19, in the Krasnogvardeisky (Gatchina) area, on the approaches to the city, the Germans were met by five KV-1s from the company of Senior Lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov. This company was the main force of the 1st Panzer Division of General V.N. Baranov. The company commander put his tank between the houses of the Voiskovitsy state farm, securing a view in the direction of a narrow highway that passed through a swampy meadow and was lost in a nearby forest. Nearby, four other vehicles were camouflaged, commanded by Lieutenants Fedor Sergeev, Maxim Evdokimenko, Degtyar and Lastochkin.

As soon as the tankers had time to disguise their vehicles, a "frame" (reconnaissance Heinkel) appeared. The German circled over the positions and flew away. German motorcyclists appeared from the forest. They moved cautiously, stopping every few hundred meters, now and then watering the roadside bushes with machine guns. The Soviet tanks were silent. Kolobaiov decided to let the scouts through, expecting a more worthy target. We didn't have to wait long. A German tank drove out of the forest, followed by another, the tenth: a whole column. At least forty cars, Kolobanov estimated.

German tanks - mostly PzKpfw II and PzKpfw III - moved slowly. All the hatches were open, the tankers sat on the armor, buttons unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up. They did not expect danger, as they were sure that the enemy had long since left the area. Kolobanov waited until the entire column emerged from the forest. Looking through the scope, one might have thought that the German tanks were at arm's length. Only after letting the enemy point blank did the senior lieutenant give the order to open fire. The crew (gunner Andrei Usov, driver Nikolai Nikiforov, gunner-radio operator Pavel Kiselkov, loader Nikolai Rodinkov) carried out the command. KB was beaten for sure, using their invulnerability.

The first shot rang out. Usov did not disappoint - with the first shot he set fire to the lead car. With the next shot, Usov knocked out the last tank of the column. The Germans were pinned down and could not maneuver. They returned fire, but the 37 and 50 mm rounds ricocheted off the armor of the Soviet tank, sparking. Some German tanks tried to turn off the road, but immediately got stuck in the mud. Now gunner-radio operator Kiselkov stepped into action, who mowed down German tankers from a machine gun, who were trying to get out of burning and bogged down vehicles. Flames and black smoke billowed into the sky. During the battle, Kolobanov's crew burned 22 German tanks. Other crews also distinguished themselves under Voiskovitsy. The crew of Sergeev knocked out 8 enemy tanks, and the crew of Lieutenant Evdokimov - 5 (the lieutenant himself died in this battle). Lastochkin and Degtyar burned 4 cars each.

The only gun capable of penetrating the armor of the KB was the German 88 mm Flak 36 anti-aircraft gun. G. Penezhko recalled the last battle of the units of the 34th tank brigade of the 8th mechanized corps near Dubno: “Vasiliev leads three heavy KV tanks in the center of the formation. His car goes first, followed by a tank with the division flag. I look through the periscope and see fountains of earth and German tanks. Wherever I turn the periscope, I see German tanks everywhere. They took us in a semicircle from north to south. The division commander commands "Forward!" and his tank, breaking formation, pulls ahead. Sparks are pouring from the turret and sides of the commander's tank. Shell after shell hits the tank, but I fly away! from him as from the wall of peas. One of the German tanks was in the way of Vasiliev. He did not even waste a shell, but simply rammed an enemy vehicle. The tower of the German flew off his shoulder straps. Vasiliev's tank is ahead again. The colonel opens the hatch and sticks his head out, giving us commands with flags. Suddenly, sparks are pouring from the tower to the left and right almost simultaneously. The tank loses speed and stops. Flames suddenly burst from the open hatch. I do not believe the optics of the periscope, I open the hatch and look into my eyes. KB is on, no one is shown from the hatch. Suddenly, a tank lights up, moving next to the standard-bearing tank. What happened? Why did the tank suddenly catch fire? I turn the periscope to the side of Vasiliev's tank. Several long barreled cannons are visible on the hill near the village. "Anti-aircraft guns!" - thought flickers. Here are just some of the guns that could penetrate the armor of the KB!

In the second half of 1941, the Germans were forced to use almost all of their 88-mm anti-aircraft guns to fight the Soviet KB and T-34 tanks, since the Luftwaffe aircraft dominated the air. A new ammunition was adopted: the Panzergranate 40 sub-caliber shot, capable of penetrating very thick armor.

Describing the battles of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade near the village of Skirmanovo, during the Battle of Moscow, Mikhail Katukov recalled: “Among other trophies were two heavy guns. Their shields had the silhouette of a KB tank and the inscription "Shoot only at KB!". The shells of these guns had an unusual shape. Outside, the projectile was made of soft metal, and an unusually hard core was placed inside it: It was with these shells, which were later called sub-caliber, that the Germans pierced the armor of our KVs. We sent the captured gun along with ammunition to Moscow, to the Main Artillery Directorate, and the new sights found on German tanks to the Main Armored Directorate.

In addition to the development of sub-caliber shells, the Germans were looking for other means of dealing with Soviet tanks. Known order of the German command, signed during the battle of Moscow: “The fact that the enemy is using heavy tanks, against which our tanks are powerless, makes us look for a way out of this situation. The fight against Soviet heavy tanks is now the task of all types of artillery without exception. Every German soldier who damages a Soviet tank will receive a reward, and every German soldier who knocks out a 24-ton tank (T-34) will receive an eight-day vacation. For the destruction of a 52-ton tank (KV-2), a fourteen-day vacation is prescribed..

In order for field artillery to successfully fight KB tanks, cumulative ammunition was developed for the guns. For the first time, cumulative ammunition was used during the Spanish Civil War, but then their capabilities were underestimated. Until December 1941, Hitler did not allow the use of cumulative shells, wanting to keep a military secret. However, under the influence of a severe defeat near Moscow, on December 22, the Fuhrer still had to give permission. The Chief of Staff of the OKH, Colonel General Halder wrote in his diary under the date December 28, 1941: Army Group Center. On the southern flank, the attack of enemy tanks, even heavy ones. HEAT Ammunition now uses forward units. Thanks to them, the prospect of our defense looks promising.”

The use of new ammunition by the Germans led to the fact that by the beginning of 1942, the KB had lost its former superiority and popularity among the soldiers. Disturbing news began to come from the front. From the units they signaled that the maneuverability and maneuverability of the tanks had noticeably fallen. The maximum speed was considered insufficient. Complaints were received from parts about poor build quality, frequent accidents and breakdowns. Some complaints were taken into account. When it turned out that the tank units were suffering significant losses from German aircraft, the thickness of the turret roof was increased on the tanks. The bottom of the tank was also reinforced to protect the crew from explosions of anti-tank mines. Tanks began to receive 7-ton cast towers with thickened armor. As a result, by the beginning of 1942, the mass of serial tanks reached almost 50 tons, which led to an increase in engine, transmission and chassis breakdowns. But, despite all efforts, until recently impenetrable armor now did not protect the tank from German artillery.

Examining the situation at the front, representatives of the General Staff reported on the use by the enemy of new means of fighting tanks. On June 8, 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Strogiy reported to the General Staff that during the fighting on May 8-11 on the Kerch Peninsula (where units of the Red Army tried unsuccessfully and with heavy losses for themselves to counterattack), the Germans used new ammunition that penetrated the frontal armor of the KV. Strict wrote: "I believe that the ability to penetrate the armor of the KB, the Germans only recently appeared."

Organizational problems also came to light. Since the autumn of 1941, separate parts of the KV tanks did not exist. Tank units had a mixed composition: light, medium and heavy tanks different types. General Rotmistrov was critical of this practice: “The difficulty was that while driving on roads, medium and light tanks developed approximately the same speed, but off-road, light tanks quickly lagged behind. The heavy tanks were also constantly lagging behind, and what was worse, bridges often collapsed under the heavy tanks, making it impossible for the entire unit to move. In conditions of maneuverable combat, only T-34 medium tanks usually had to act, since light tanks it was very difficult to deal with enemy tanks, and heavy KB remained in the rear. In addition, in combat, it is extremely difficult to coordinate the actions of mixed companies, since KB, T-34 and T-60 were equipped with different types of radio stations.

Already in the middle of 1942, the commanders of many units reported on similar experiences gained during the fighting.

Ivan Yakubovsky writes: “I remember a conversation about our armored vehicles with Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov. It was at the end of April 1942 in a camp near Kazan. Regarding our KB, I told Voroshilov that this machine was probably not finished enough and causes a lot of trouble on the battlefield because of its unreliability.

Katukov, who took command of one of the first newly formed tank corps, recalled: “I entered the office after Stalin. Shaking my hand, the Commander-in-Chief said:

- Sit down, smoke: Tell me in order, how are you doing, how does your corps operate at the front, how do our tanks show themselves?

I spoke about the latest events on the Bryansk front, about the actions of infantry and tanks. Stalin, pacing around the office, asked a new question:

- What do you think, are our tanks good or not? Just answer honestly, without evasion,

I replied that the T-34 lived up to all the hopes placed on it and proved its worth in combat. But the heavy KB tanks - the soldiers do not like them.

- Why? Stalin asked.

- KB, Comrade Stalin, are too heavy, which means clumsy. Obstacles are hard to overcome. They often damage bridges and, in general, cause a lot of trouble. Their armament is the same as that of the "thirty-four" - a 76-mm cannon. And the question arises: why is it better than a medium tank? If KB had been armed with a more powerful cannon, then everything would have looked different. Then it would still be possible to put up with its severity and other design flaws.

However, opposite opinions were also expressed. For example, Colonel Ivan Vovchenko, commander of the 3rd Guards Brigade of Heavy Tanks of the 1st Tank Corps of General Rotmistrov, after examining his KB, made in the spring of 1942 by Zh.Ya. Kotin and I.Yu. Trashutin, said: “In the hands of experienced tankers, the KB tank goes through marches and battles for 5000 engine hours. Tanks without repair pass three thousand kilometers. this is almost three times more than the values ​​provided for by operating standards. On these tanks, without repair, you can get to Berlin - this is the best tank in the world! So report to Moscow - I said to the designers at parting.

The Commander-in-Chief listened attentively without interrupting. When I expressed my opinion about all the tanks that were in our arsenal, silence reigned. Then Stalin began to convince me that my dislike for heavy tanks was unfounded, that they were not bad vehicles, and that the soldiers simply could not appreciate them. Listening to Stalin, I realized that he wanted to understand exactly the strengths and weaknesses of our tanks.

I backed up my words with several examples, confirming that KB did not live up to the hopes placed on them. And asked again:

- Let the designers arm the tanks with a heavier gun, then they will be able to help us a lot.

From the fact that Stalin so thoroughly asked me the tactical and technical merits of our tanks, it was easy to guess that his questions were directly related to the unsuccessful battles of the summer of 1942. Stalin tried to find the reason for the failure.”

The day after the start of the war with Germany, the director of the LKZ I. Zaltsman and the chief designer Zh.Ya. Kotin were summoned to Moscow for a meeting of the Politburo and the Council of People's Commissars, dedicated to the production of tanks in war conditions. The meeting began on June 24, 1941 and lasted two days. June 25 decided to increase the production of tanks. The decision was formulated in two decrees: "On the production of steel armor and KB tanks" and "On increasing the production of KB, T-34 and T-50 tanks, artillery tractors and tank engines in the II and III quarters of 1941." In accordance with the adopted resolutions, LKZ was supposed to increase the production of KV tanks as soon as possible. In view of the proximity of Leningrad to the border and the possibility of losing the city, it was also decided to organize the production of tanks in the Urals at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. On the same day, Zaltsman and Kotin flew to Chelyabinsk on a special plane piloted by the famous Grizodubova.

The Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ) was built in the early 30s and produced caterpillar tractors (the so-called "Stalinists", modeled after the American Caterpillar "a), which could be used both in national economy as well as in the army. From the very beginning it was assumed that over time the plant would also master the production of tanks. In 1940, in accordance with the strategic plans for duplicating the Leningrad factories in the Urals, it was decided that ChTZ would start producing KV tanks.

Decree of the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks No. 1073-421-SS of June 19, 1940 identified organizational problems and set deadlines. The resolution read: “In the third quarter of this year, the Izhora plant will send 5 hulls and KV towers to ChTZ. One of these kits should be handed over to factory No. 78 in the Urals, where the production of hulls and turrets for KB is being organized. LKZ was supposed to transfer to ChTZ ten complete sets of technical documentation for KB tanks, as well as the necessary spare parts for assembling experimental tanks in Chelyabinsk. By the end of the year, it was planned to build 5 KB tanks of the installation series at ChTZ, but in reality it was not possible to assemble a single vehicle. The assembly of the first tank began only on December 31, 1940, and ended on January 10, 1941. By this time, the construction of an assembly shop for heavy tanks had just begun.

As we remember, a few days before the start of the war, it was decided to re-profile ChTZ, starting the production of KV-3 tanks there. However, the war changed all plans, and the plant continued to produce KV-1 tanks.

In July, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant named after. I.V. Stalin, trains began to arrive with various equipment and machine tools, as well as people evacuated from territories threatened by occupation. In September, significant production capacities of the LKZ were evacuated to Chelyabinsk, as well as almost the entire Plant No. 75 sh of Kharkov, which produced V-2 diesels.

On October 6, 1941, People's Commissar for the Tank Industry V.A. Malyshev named the resulting industrial complex the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ). The management of the complex was entrusted to I. Zaltsman, who at the same time served as deputy people's commissar of the tank industry. Makhonin was the chief engineer, and Kozin was the party organizer. Of course, Zh.Ya. was appointed to the position of chief designer. Kotin. The complex received all-Union fame as Tankograd.

By October 1941, steelmakers had mastered the production of steel armor in 185-ton open-hearth furnaces. By that time, a rolling mill evacuated from Mariupol was launched, for which a separate workshop was built. Ural plant of heavy engineering S. Ordzhonikidze (Uralmash) in Sverdlovsk mastered the production of hulls, turrets and road wheels for tanks of various types, including the KV.

On October 22, 1941, ChTZ gave the first KB tanks, assembled mainly from parts delivered from Leningrad. Tankograd began to breathe and, despite numerous difficulties, began to increase the production of tanks.

The design of the tank was simplified as much as possible. Despite this, the production of heavy tanks was not easy. First of all, there were no engines. The diesel engines evacuated from Kharkov quickly ran out, and the production of new ones has not yet been established. At the suggestion of A.F. Shpitanov, it was decided to produce a series of one hundred tanks with M-17 carburetor engines, previously installed on the T-28. Such engines were delivered to Chelyabinsk along with other property evacuated from Leningrad. "Modernized" in this way, the KB tanks were part of several tank brigades and participated in the battle of Moscow. According to the factory archive, 511 KB tanks were assembled at ChKZ by the end of 1941. Military series vehicles differed from pre-war tanks. A simplified design, rough finish and other technological features led to the fact that the mass of the tank sometimes reached 50 tons.

By the beginning of 1942, Tankograd was unable to reach the desired level of production. In August 1942, without slowing down, the plant ceased production of the KB-1 and switched to the production of the KB-1c. According to official figures, 2553 KB-1 and KV-1s tanks were built in 1942. The production of tanks increased, and the design was simplified, so the cost of the tank dropped noticeably. If in 1941 the price of one KB was 635,000 rubles, then in 1942 KB cost the state 295,000 rubles, and in 1943 the price dropped to 225,000 rubles.

It should be noted that in the summer of 1942, when the Germans approached Stalingrad, the production of T-34 tanks was transferred from the Stalingrad Tractor Plant to ChKZ. In Chelyabinsk, KB-34 was formed, headed by L.E. Sychev. Tankograd produced the first T-34s in August 1942. In April 1944, the production of thirty-fours at ChKZ was curtailed, in total Tankograd gave the front 5094 medium tanks. KB-34 made several important changes to the design of the T-34, which were approved by the Main Design Bureau in Nizhny Tagil. Some of the technical solutions proposed for the T-34 were also applied to the KV.

In March 1943, ChKZ began producing self-propelled guns SU-152. The production of all modifications of the KB was stopped in September-October 1943 in connection with the launch of the production of a new heavy IS tank, as well as the ISU self-propelled gun created on its basis.

1942 - A YEAR OF SEARCH

At the end of 1941, after serial production of KB tanks was launched in the Urals, the designers from SKB-2 began to create promising modifications, trying to improve the two main characteristics of the tank: insufficient armament and poor maneuverability. As a result of searches in 1942, many options appeared, of which only a few were adopted and put into production.

Heavy tank KV-6/KV-7

One of the first models with enhanced armament and armor was not a tank, but a heavy self-propelled gun. Not having a heavier gun, the designers wanted at any cost to increase firepower machines. Therefore, it was decided to double and even triple the number of gun barrels. The main designer of the self-propelled gun was G.N. Moskvin, the weapons group consisted of L.I. Gorlitsky and N.V. Kurin from the artillery department of the Uralmash plant. The project as a whole was supervised by L.E. Sychev. The first version of the KV-6 (Object 226) was armed with one 76.2-mm ZiS-5 cannon and two 45-mm cannons of the 1938 model, mounted on the sides of the main gun in one mask. This gun system was named "Uralmash" U-13. Cannons could be fired in one gulp or one at a time. Declination / elevation angle -5 + 15 degrees, firing sector 7.5 degrees. The ammunition load for the 76.2 mm gun was 93 rounds, and for the 45 mm guns - 100 rounds per barrel. Additional armament consisted of three 7.62 mm DT machine guns. The course machine gun in a ball mount was in the frontal armor, like a serial tank. The second machine gun was located on the rear wall of the superstructure, and the third - in a rotating commander's cupola on the roof of the cabin. Ammunition for machine guns was 3590 rounds. The mass of the tank was 45 tons, the crew was 6 people.

The second version of the machine was called KV-7 (Object 227). It differed from the KV-6 in that it was armed with two 76.2 mm ZiS-5 guns (U-14 mount). Ammunition was 150 shots.

Work on self-propelled guns began in November 1941, and on December 29 the assembly of both prototypes was completed, and the vehicles were sent to Moscow (along with the KV-8 tank). In Moscow, the prototypes were examined by K.E. Voroshilov, head of the GABTU Yu. Fedorenko, head of the GAU N.N. Ravens and other dignitaries. The firing ended unsatisfactorily. Stalin, who was informed of the results, asked the question: “Why three guns? Let it be one, but good! The leader's disapproval meant the end of the project. However, already in March 1942, Gorlitsky developed a project for a heavy self-propelled unit U-18, which was a KV-7 control system armed with a 152-mm ML-20 howitzer. In parallel, work was underway on the SU U-19, armed with a 203-mm howitzer.

Heavy tank KV-8

The fate of another project developed at the same time, the KV-8 flamethrower tank (Object 228) armed with an ATO-41 flamethrower of the I.A. Aristov. The piston-action flamethrower was mounted in the turret next to the gun. Since a conventional cannon did not fit next to a flamethrower, instead of the ZiS-5, the tank received a 45-mm cannon of the 1938 model. The barrel of the gun was closed with a false barrel imitating the 76.2 mm caliber. Ammunition for the gun was 88 rounds. Additional armament of the tank consisted of four machine guns (including one anti-aircraft gun) with 3400 rounds of ammunition.

After the shot, the flamethrower was charged automatically, since the ignition mixture was under a pressure of 4.0-4.5 kg / sq. cm). At the time of the shot, the mixture was ignited by an electric candle. The ignition mixture (60% fuel oil and 40% kerosene) was stored in a tank with a capacity of 960 liters, which was enough for 92 shots (about 10 liters per shot). The interval between two shots from a flamethrower was 3-10 seconds. The range is 60-65 m, and when using a mixture of a special composition - up to 90-100 m.

The KV-8 tank, together with the KV-6 / KV-7 self-propelled guns, was delivered in December 1941 to Moscow. Unlike self-propelled guns, the tank passed the test and was put into service. In 1942, 42 of these tanks were produced, which were armed with several companies in separate battalions of flamethrower tanks (the rest of the companies were equipped with OT-34 flamethrower tanks based on the T-34).

Heavy tank KV-9

The KV-9 tank was the fruit of another attempt to strengthen the armament of the tank. The Goritsky Design Bureau chose the U-11 122-mm howitzer as a weapon, a variant of the common 122-mm M-30 howitzer of the 1938 model. Work on the tank began in November 1941 (Object 229) in cooperation with Uralmash. The tank prototype was approved and recommended for mass production. They released a limited edition of 10 cars. As conceived by the designers, it was supposed to be a universal tank capable of fighting both fortifications and enemy tanks. The mass of the tank was 47 tons, the crew was reduced to 4 people. The thickness of the frontal armor was increased to 135 mm, and the thickness of the roof of the cast tower reached 40 mm. The declination/elevation angle was -4+19.5 degrees. The tank was equipped with a TMFD telescopic sight and a periscope sight. Ammunition 48 shots of separate loading. Ammunition for 3 machine guns 2646 rounds.

Special modifications of KV-1

For serial KV-1 tanks, special devices were developed that could improve the combat value of the tank. The KV-1K tank (Object 230?) was created, which was a conventional KV-1, on the wings of which there were guides for RS-82 missiles. Two missiles were placed in boxes, installed two on each wing. Missiles could be launched while the tank was moving.

The KB-12 tank (Object 232), equipped with tanks for chemical reagents, was created in a similar way. The tank could be used to set up smoke screens, as well as to spray combat agents. The weight of the tank has increased by 3 tons. Chief designer S.F. Fedorenko called this tank a "chemical tank".

Tank KV-13 (Object 233 and 234)

In April 1942, the team, headed directly by Kotin, began to create a new tank "with a medium mass, but heavy parameters", which became known as the KV-13 (Object 233 or 234). Some called the KV-13 "universal tank" and even "main line tank", but these names appeared much later. The tactical and technical requirements for the tank were formulated at the beginning of 1942 at the GABTU, N.V. Zeitz. After the sudden death of Zeitz in July 1942, the project was headed by N.F. Shashmurin.

Many components for the KB-13 were redesigned, primarily for the transmission). The tank was lighter and smaller, which made it possible to optimize the configuration of the hull, the armor thickness of which in some places reached 120 mm. One prototype designers A.S. Ermolaev and A. Blagonravov equipped with an experimental planetary turning device, for which they later received government awards.

In total, several prototypes were built, differing in the undercarriage (some had KB tracks installed, on others - T-34 tracks), turrets (Object 233 received a new turret, but with the old ZiS-5 cannon, and Object 234 received the turret of the KV-9 tank with 122 mm D-9 howitzer).

All variants of the KB-13 were distinguished by their high speed and thick armor (most of the parts were cast). The armament remained the same. Work on the KV-13 went almost in parallel with work on the KB-1s. Shashmurin, who was an opponent of the KV-13 project, recalled: “We did a trial run of about 50 km. Route: Chelyabinsk-Kopeysk and back. Road: bumpy, not paved. Crew: N.F. Shashmurin is a deputy chief designer, Kovsh is a driving master, Rozov is a representative of the military selection committee. Kovsh was driving in one direction. The tank went well, only cracks appeared on a pair of road wheels. Back I myself led the tank, trying to move at top speed. We returned to the factory with the road wheels completely destroyed. A scandal broke out, I had serious troubles. But the fate of the KV-13 was not decided in his favor.

Some of the technical solutions tested on the KV-13 were later used in the design of the IS heavy tank.

"Thinner" KV-1s and its fate

In the spring of 1942, the Red Army carried out several offensive operations (near Kharkov and Voronezh, on the Kerch Peninsula). In all cases, the offensive failed and resulted in heavy losses. Attention was drawn to the heavy losses among the KB tanks, which until recently unconditionally dominated the battlefield. In June 1942, a special meeting of the GKO was held, in which representatives of industry and designers took part. During the meeting, the KV tank was also discussed. As V.G. recalled, Grabin and the famous aircraft designer A.S. Yakovlev, “many speakers demanded to reduce the weight of the tank. Stalin summarized: the tank is too heavy, many bridges cannot withstand its mass, it is necessary to move around, which leads to a lot of time. It is unacceptable. We do not need such a tank. It should reduce its weight. If this is not possible, withdraw from service.

Based on the GKO order of June 5, 1942, the main task of the designers was to reduce the weight of the tank, while increasing its maneuverability and reliability. The only way to complete the task was to radically lighten the tank's armor. On tanks of some series, the thickness of the frontal armor was reduced to 75 mm. Reduced the size of the body (primarily height) and changed its configuration. A new cast lightweight turret was created, which had a rational layout (the tank commander's seat was moved to the rear left corner of the turret, where the commander's turret was first installed. However, there was no hatch in the commander's turret, as a result of which three tankers had to climb and leave the tower through one narrow hatch. The armament of the tank remained the same.

Work on the KB-1s was led by N.L. Spirits, but the actual chief designer was N.F. Shashmurin, who designed a new four-speed gearbox with a demultiplier that doubled the number of speeds. The gearbox radically improved the driving performance of the tank, and most importantly, the reliability of the new gearbox was an order of magnitude higher than the old one. In addition, the design of the main clutch has changed, the engine cooling system has been improved. Lighter track rollers were installed on the tank, as well as lighter narrower tracks. With the help of such radical measures, the mass of the tank was reduced by 5 tons, and the maximum speed was increased from the theoretical 34 km/h to the practical 43 km/h. In addition, many technological changes were made to the design of the KB-1c, aimed at saving scarce grades of steel and imported materials, as well as simplifying the release of the tank.

In mid-July 1942, successful testing of the first prototypes of the KV-lc tank (s - high-speed) began. On August 20, 1942, the KV-1s was put into service. By that time, the tank had proved its ability to cover the required distance without an accident. But the tests continued. As P.K., responsible for testing, reported. Voroshilov, in the period from June 28 to August 26, 1942, car No. 15002 (the second prototype of three 15001-15003) traveled 2027 km. Comparative tests were carried out with the participation of two serial KB (no. 10033 and 1102). Serial production of KB-1s tanks continued at ChKZ from August 1942 to September 1943, a total of 1106 vehicles were produced. The KB-1c was produced in several modifications, including the modification of the KV-8s flamethrower tank, as well as the SU-152 self-propelled gun. Based on the KB-1s, several experimental samples were created, including the KV-85 tank, which was even produced in a limited series.

Simultaneously with the adoption of a new modification of the heavy tank, the reorganization of tank units began. They began to form separate regiments of heavy tanks, numbering 21 KV tanks each. The regiments were in the reserve of the Supreme High Command, they reinforced individual formations for the duration of operations. The KB-1s tanks were baptized by fire near Stalingrad, and then participated in the Battle of Kursk. During the 400-km forced march of the 5th Tank Army near Prokhorovka, the KB-1s proved to be even more reliable than the T-34. But the meeting near Prokhorovka with the German "tigers" and "panthers" clearly showed that the tank needed not only a new gearbox, but also a new gun.

Heavy tank KV-8s

The KV-8s tank was a modification of the KV-8 flamethrower tank based on the KV-lc tank. The mass of the tank is 43 tons. Armament: 45 mm cannon and improved ATO-42 flamethrower. The machine gun coaxial with the cannon was removed, and the crew was increased to 5 people. Ammunition for the gun 114 rounds, for machine guns 3000 rounds. The capacity of the tank for the incendiary mixture was reduced to 600 liters, which was enough for 60 shots. In 1943, a small series of 25 such machines was produced, which were used in some of the final operations of the Great Patriotic War. There is information that in 1945 five KB-8s tanks were handed over to the Polish officer school of tank troops.

Attempts to strengthen the armament of the KB tank were made back in December 1941, when L.I. Gorlitsky at Uralmash developed the U-12-KV-1 project, armed with an anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model of the year (52-K). For unknown reasons, the project was not implemented in metal. The next attempt was made only in 1943. At the end of 1942, V. G. Grabin, acting chief designer of the Central Artillery Design Bureau (TsAKB) in Moscow, designed a new S-31 tank gun of 85 mm caliber. The S-31 gun was a modification of the S-18 gun, which was mounted on SU-85 self-propelled guns. The gun was installed in a standard KB-1s turret after minimal modification. The crew was reduced to 4 people. Tests in Kubinka (tank No. 30751-51, Object 231) showed that two people were not enough to service the gun, in addition, it turned out that the new gun was still "raw". As a result, the tank was not accepted into service.

Heavy tank KV-85 (Object 239)

The third attempt to strengthen the armament of the KB-1s tank was more successful. This time, the gun was installed in a new turret with a larger base diameter, for which the shoulder strap bearing had to be slightly altered. The tower was intended for the still unfinished IS tank. An 85-mm gun D-5T-85 of the F.F. system was installed in the tower. Petrov (Artillery Plant No. 9, Sverdlovsk). By that time, the gun had passed all the tests and was put into service in August 1943. The gun had a 52-caliber barrel and a semi-automatic vertical wedge-shaped lock. Rate of fire up to 8 rounds per minute. The standard ammunition for the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model was suitable for the gun; armor-piercing - weight 9.2 kg, initial speed 792 m / s; high-explosive fragmentation - weight 9.5 kg, initial speed 795 m / s, range 3800 m, maximum range 13600 m. Compared to the serial KB-1s, the thickness of the hull armor was reduced to 75 mm, the cutting of the armor plates has changed. The gunner-radio operator was expelled from the crew, in his place was placed part of the ammunition and an additional fuel tank. The course machine gun was rigidly fixed. The machine gun was serviced by a driver, the trigger button was mounted in the right control lever. The radio station was moved to the tower to the place of the tank commander.

The KV-85 tank was adopted as a transitional type. Release began in September 1943. A series of 130 (according to other sources 148) pieces was released. Tanks were equipped with several separate tank regiments. Nothing is known about the combat use of the KV-85. Several machines fell into the hands of the Nazis, who tested them at the Kummersdorf training ground in late 1943 - early 1944. A photo and description of the KV-85 appeared in the Panzer-Erkennungstafel 1. Uebersichtstafel der wichtigsten Panzerfahrzeuge in Sovietrussland (Anlage zu H.Div.469/2a) identification table, published on February 1, 1944.

Two copies of the KV-85 have survived to this day. The KV-lc prototype with the S-31 cannon is in the collection of the tank museum in Kubinka, and the KV-85 stands as a monument in St. Petersburg.

Heavy tank KV-122

Trying to further increase the firepower of the KV-85 tank, Dukhov suggested arming the vehicle with a 100-mm S-34 cannon of the Grabin system, and then settled on a 122-mm D-25T cannon of the Petrov system. This was the last attempt to modernize the obsolete tank. An IS-2 tank turret with a 122-mm gun was installed on the KV-85 chassis. Although, in principle, such an alteration did not cause any problems, the project was rejected, since the IS-2 had already been put into production.

PERFORMANCE AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KV-1 TANK

Cars of the first series.

Weight 43.5-44 tons, crew 5 people. Dimensions: length 668-675 cm, width 332-335 cm, height 271 cm, ground clearance 44-45 cm.

Armament: 1 76.2 mm cannon (first L-11 model 1939, then F-32 model 1940), coaxial with a DT machine gun. The tower rotated 360 degrees (manual and electric drive, rotation speed 10-12 degrees / s), declination / elevation angle -7 + 25 degrees. Two DT machine guns (forward and in the rear wall of the tower). Ammunition 111 shots of 7.62 mm caliber, 3024 cartridges (48 drums) for machine guns, 26 F-1 hand grenades.

Optics: TOD-6 telescopic sight (later 9T-7, 10T-7 or 10T-43), PT-6 periscope sight, 1 PT-K tank commander's survey sight, 5 fixed periscopes, 3 observation slits.

The armor is welded and riveted from rolled plates and cast parts. Armor thickness: forehead and sides of the hull 75 mm, stern 60-75 mm, roof 30 mm, bottom 40 mm. The tower is welded: the mantlet of the gun is 90 mm, the forehead, sides and rear wall are 75 mm, the roof is 40 mm. Cast tower: forehead, sides and rear wall 95 mm.

Engine: four-stroke, 12-cylinder, V-shaped V-2K liquid-cooled diesel engine. cylinder diameter 150 mm, piston stroke 180-187 mm, compression ratio 15-15.8, volume 38880 cm3, maximum power 600 hp. at 2000 rpm Fuel: diesel fuel, fuel tank capacity 600-615 liters, fuel consumption 195-200 liters per 100 km on the highway, and 320 liters per 100 km on rough terrain. Transmission: main clutch dry, multi-plate. The gearbox is mechanical, 5 gears forward and 1 reverse. Steering: onboard clutches with band brakes. Final drives of planetary type. Chassis: 6 pairs of dual road wheels (in 1941, rollers with internal shock absorption were replaced with cast all-metal rollers), independently suspended on pendulums to torsion bars. 3 pairs of double support rollers. Driving wheels at the back, guides at the front. Caterpillars are all-metal, single-pin, single-ridge, width 700 mm, pitch 163 mm, reference length 441-460 cm, gauge 260-263 cm. Wiring: single-core, 24 V. Communication: radio station 71-TK-3, internal telephone TPU-4. Specific power 13.8-13.6 hp / t, maximum speed on the highway 35 km / h, cruising range on the highway 225-250 km, cross-country up to 150 km, turning radius 9.5 m. specific ground pressure 0.7 kg / sq. cm, slope up to 36 degrees, ditch 280 cm, wall 120 cm, ford 160 cm.

Late series cars had thicker armor and other weapons. Weight 47.5 tons (tanks with a reinforced cast turret and a reinforced hull weighed up to 50 tons). Total length 690 cm. Armament: 76.2 mm ZiS-5 (F-34) gun model 1941 and 3-4 DT machine guns. Declination/elevation angle -5:+25 deg. The standard armament of the crew included one PPSh. The speed of rotation of the tower is 5 degrees / s. Ammunition: 114 rounds of 76.2 mm caliber, 300 rounds for PPSh. Optics: in principle the same, but new sights were used: periscope PT-4-7 or PT-4-13 and telescopic TMF (TMFD, TMFD-TMFP). Armor: forehead and partially sides 95-105 mm, turret (cast) 95 mm (according to German data, reinforced armor for some tanks produced in 1942 had a thickness of 120 mm). Communication: radio station, internal telephone TPU-4bis. Driving performance: specific power of 12.6 hp / t and less, speed did not exceed 28 km / h. Specific ground pressure 0.8 kg/sq.cm.

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KV-2 TANK

Weight 52 (54) tons, crew 6 people.

Dimensions: full length 680 (702) cm, body length 675 cm, width 332 (335) cm, height 325-328 (345) cm, ground clearance 43 (40) cm.

Armament: 152-mm howitzer M-10S model 1940, coaxial machine gun DT. Declination/elevation angle -5:+12 deg. The tower drive is manual and electric, the maximum rotation speed is 10 degrees / s. 2 DT machine guns (one forward, the other in the rear wall of the tower). Ammunition 36 rounds of 152 mm caliber, 2475-3087 (3402) rounds, F-1 grenades.

Optics: telescopic sight T-5 or TOD-9, 2 periscope sights PT-5 or PT-9 and PTK, 5 fixed periscopes, 3 viewing slots.

Armor: welded and partially riveted from rolled and cast parts. Thickness: front and sides of the hull 75 mm, rear of the hull 60-75 mm, roof 30 mm, bottom 40 mm, gun mantlet up to 110 mm, forehead, sides and rear wall of the turret 75 mm, roof 35 mm.

Engine: V-2K diesel. Transmission, chassis, electrical equipment, communications as in KV-1. Specific power 11.5 hp / t, maximum speed 32-35 km / h, cruising range on the highway 225 km, cross-country up to 150 km. Specific ground pressure 0.84 kg/sq.cm.

(The material was prepared for the site "Wars of the XX century" © http: //site on the book "Tornado. Army series. KV is a Soviet heavy tank.When copying an article, please do not forget to link to the source page of the Wars of the XX Century website).

. This proposal was received by Zh.Ya. Kotin in December 1938 in the Kremlin during a report to the Main Military Council of the Leningrad tank builders on the work done on the design of tanks and.

The design of the KV-1 tank

For 1940 serial KV-1 was a truly innovative design that embodied the most advanced ideas of that time: an individual torsion bar suspension, reliable anti-ballistic armor, a diesel engine and one powerful universal gun in a classic layout. Although individually solutions from this set were repeatedly implemented earlier on other foreign and domestic tanks, KV-1 was the first combat vehicle to embody their combination. Some experts regard it as a milestone in world tank building, which had a significant impact on the development of subsequent heavy tanks in other countries. The classic layout on a serial Soviet heavy tank was used for the first time, which allowed KV-1 get the highest level of security and a large modernization potential within the framework of this concept in comparison with the previous production model of a heavy tank and experimental vehicles And(all - multi-tower type). The basis of the classic layout is the division of the armored hull from bow to stern sequentially into the control compartment, fighting compartment and engine-transmission compartment. The driver and gunner-radio operator were located in the control compartment, three other crew members had jobs in the fighting compartment, which combined the middle part of the armored hull and the turret. The gun, ammunition for it and part of the fuel tanks were also located there. The engine and transmission were installed in the stern of the car.

The armored hull of the tank was welded from rolled armor plates 75, 40, 30 and 20 mm thick. Equal-strength armor protection (armor plates with a thickness other than 75 mm were used only for horizontal armor of the vehicle), anti-ballistic. The armor plates of the frontal part of the machine were installed at rational angles of inclination. serial tower HF produced in three versions: cast, welded with a rectangular niche and welded with a rounded niche. The armor thickness of the welded turrets was 75 mm, and that of the cast turrets was 95 mm, since the cast armor was less durable. In 1941, the welded turrets and side armor plates of some tanks were additionally reinforced - 25-mm armor screens were bolted to them, and there was an air gap between the main armor and the screen, that is, this option KV-1 actually received a spaced booking. It is not entirely clear why this was done (in fact, it was done due to misinformation by the Germans of our intelligence - propaganda materials were planted about heavy German tanks, which the Germans did not have at that time, in order to overstrain the Soviet industry.

KV-1 with F-32 gun and shielded turret and hull, 1941

The Germans have been actively developing heavy tanks since the 1930s, but they did not plan to use them on the eastern front), since for 1941 even standard armor KV-1 was basically redundant. Some sources erroneously indicate that the tanks were produced with rolled armor 100 mm or more thick - in fact, this figure corresponds to the sum of the thickness of the tank's main armor and screens. The frontal part of the turret with an embrasure for the gun, formed by the intersection of four spheres, was cast separately and welded with the rest of the turret armor.

The mask of the gun was a cylindrical segment of bent rolled armor plates and had three holes - for a cannon, a coaxial machine gun and a sight. The tower was mounted on a shoulder strap with a diameter of 1535 mm in the armored roof of the fighting compartment and was fixed with grips to avoid stalling in case of a strong roll or capsizing of the tank. The shoulder strap of the tower was marked in thousandths for firing from closed positions. The driver was located in the center in front of the armored hull of the tank, to the left of him was workplace arrow-radio operator. Three crew members were located in the tower: to the left of the gun were the jobs of the gunner and loader, and to the right - the tank commander. The landing and exit of the crew were carried out through two round hatches: one in the tower above the commander's workplace and one on the roof of the hull above the workplace of the gunner-radio operator. The hull also had a bottom hatch for emergency evacuation by the crew of the tank and a number of hatches, hatches and technological openings for loading ammunition, access to fuel tank fillers, other units and assemblies of the vehicle.

KV-1 tank engine

The KV-1 was equipped with a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder V-2K diesel engine with a capacity of 500 hp. from. (382 kW) at 1800 rpm, subsequently, due to a general increase in the mass of the tank after the installation of heavier cast towers, screens and the elimination of shavings from the edges of the armor plates, the engine power was increased to 600 hp. from. (441 kW). Starting the engine was provided by a starter ST-700 with a capacity of 15 liters. from. (11 kW) or compressed air from two tanks with a capacity of 5 liters in the fighting compartment of the vehicle. KV-1 had a dense layout, in which the main fuel tanks with a volume of 600-615 liters were located both in the combat and in the engine compartment. In the second half of 1941, due to a shortage of V-2K diesel engines, which were then produced only at plant No. 75 in Kharkov (the process of evacuating the plant to the Urals began in the autumn of that year), tanks KV-1 produced with four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder M-17T carburetor engines with a capacity of 500 liters. from. In the spring of 1942, a decree was issued on the re-equipment of all tanks in service. KV-1 with M-17T engines back to V-2K diesel engines - the evacuated plant No. 75 set up their production in sufficient quantities at the new location.

Armament of the KV-1 tank

On the tanks of the first issues, the L-11 cannon of 76.2 mm caliber was installed with an ammunition load of 111 rounds (according to other sources - 135). Interestingly, the original project also included a paired with it

, although the armor penetration of the 76-mm L-11 tank gun was practically not inferior to the anti-tank 20K. Apparently, strong stereotypes about the need to have a 45 mm anti-tank gun along with a 76 mm were explained by its higher rate of fire and large ammunition load. But already on the prototype, aimed at the Karelian Isthmus, the 45-mm cannon was removed and a machine gun was installed instead. Subsequently, the L-11 cannon was replaced with a 76-mm F-32 gun, and in the fall of 1941, with a ZiS-5 gun with a longer barrel length of 41.6 calibers.

On the tank KV-1 three 7.62-mm machine guns were installed: coaxial with a gun, as well as course and stern in ball mounts. Ammunition for all was 2772 rounds. These machine guns were mounted in such a way that, if necessary, they could be removed from the mounts and used outside the tank. Also, for self-defense, the crew had several F-1 hand grenades and was sometimes supplied with a pistol for firing. flares. On every fifth HF they mounted an anti-aircraft turret for, however, in practice, anti-aircraft machine guns were rarely installed.

Combat use of the KV-1 tank

Debut of tanks HFtook place on the front of the Soviet-Finnish war. First HFwere sent to the front as part of the 91st tank battalion of the 20th heavy tank brigade. First fight HFaccepted on December 17 during the breakthrough of the Khottinensky fortified area of ​​the Mannerheim line. Tank HFacted in battle significantly better than a tank SMK, blown up by a disguised land mine, and T-100. He confidently moved across enemy territory along the course indicated by the radio, firing from a gun at detected targets, and on the way back he towed a wrecked medium tank to the location of his troops. After the battle, when inspecting the tank, its crew counted traces of 43 shells hitting the hull and turret. The tank's gun barrel was shot through, several tracks were damaged, the track roller was pierced, the spare fuel tank was torn off, and the fenders were dented.

The tank successfully passed combat tests: not a single enemy anti-tank gun could hit it. The military was upset only by the fact that the 76-mm L-11 gun was not strong enough to deal with pillboxes. For this purpose, a new tank had to be created, armed with a 152 mm howitzer.

The very first meetings of German tankers with HF put them in a state of shock. The tank practically did not make its way from German tank guns (for example, a German sub-caliber projectile of a 50-mm tank gun pierced the side HF from a distance of 300 m, and the forehead - only from a distance of 40 m). Anti-tank artillery was also ineffective: for example, the armor-piercing projectile of the 50-mm Pak 38 anti-tank gun made it possible to hit the KV in favorable conditions at a distance of only less than 500 m.

Repeatedly tanks KV-1 withstood the battle not just with a few, but with several dozen German tanks. So, on August 20, 1941, the tank of Senior Lieutenant Zinovy ​​​​Kolobanov from the 1st Tank Regiment of the 1st Tank Division with 98 shots destroyed 22 German tanks of the 3rd Tank Company of the 1st Tank Regiment of the 1st Tank Division, Major General Walter Kruger of the 4th Panzer Group of Army Group North. This famous one seriously delayed the enemy's offensive near Leningrad and saved the city from lightning capture. By the way, one of the reasons why the Germans were so eager to capture Leningrad in the summer of 1941 was precisely the fact that the Kirov plant, which produced KV tanks, was located in the city.

However, many tanks were abandoned by the crews in the early days of the war and were willingly put into service by the Germans.

under the index 753(r). The Germans drilled out the charging chamber of a tank gun in order to install a 2.5 times larger powder charge, thus turning captured KVs into an effective means of fighting Soviet tanks.

German KV-1 753(r)

See also:

KV-1 is a Soviet heavy tank of the second half of the 30s - early 40s of the last century, which took part in the Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic War. "KV" - denotes a series of produced vehicles and stands for "Klimenty (Klim) Voroshilov", 1 - the serial number of the line of modifications of the Soviet heavy tanks of the KV series. At the very beginning of the war, the Germans nicknamed the KV-1 Gespenst, which translates as "ghost".

History and background of creation.

In the second half of the 30s of the last century, the Red Army was in dire need of a heavy tank capable of performing tasks that were beyond the power of the heavy five-turreted tank then in service. , having a sufficiently large mass, did not differ in reliable armor and was vulnerable to anti-tank artillery enemy. In fact, commander D. G. Pavlov became the initiator of the start of development and the creation of a new heavy tank.

At the end of the 30s, Soviet designers made numerous attempts to create a tank similar to, but with reduced dimensions, while significantly increasing the tank's armor. The created prototypes were developed according to the multi-tower principle. The most famous of them are SMK (Sergey Mironovich Kirov) and T-100, which had two towers each and were armed with 76 and 45 mm guns. As a smaller version of the SMK, a prototype with one turret was produced, while the mass and length of the tank were significantly reduced, which increased maneuverability. It is generally accepted that it was this prototype, called the experimental tank, that was subsequently sent as the prototype of the future KV tank. Produced at the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ) in early August 1939, the single-turret prototype of the SMK tank was equipped with a diesel engine. Subsequently, it received its name KV-1. On the initial stages development of documentation and assembly of the prototype, the leading designer was A. S. Ermolaev, and then - N. L. Dukhov.

During the Soviet-Finnish War, all three prototypes of Soviet heavy tanks, SMK and KV-1, were tested in combat conditions. The government commission recognized the combat test of the new tank as satisfactory and on December 19, 1939, the tank was accepted into service with the Red Army.

The launch of the KV-1 tank into mass production took place in early February 1940 at the Kirov Plant. Also in the same year, the assembly of the tank began at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. In total, during the period of serial production, which lasted until the middle of 1942, more than 2,700 tanks were produced.

Layout.

The KV-1 tank was the first Soviet heavy tank built according to an innovative scheme, which later became a classic for heavy and medium single-turret tanks. In this case, the armored hull was sequentially divided from bow to stern into three main compartments, which had clear separation boundaries. In the bow of the hull there was a control compartment, which housed the driver and gunner-radio operator. In the middle part of the hull and the turret there was a fighting compartment, in which the tank commander, gunner and loader were located. In the rear of the hull in the engine compartment was the engine with cooling radiators and part of the fuel tanks.

Armor protection of the hull and turret.

The armor protection of the KV-1 heavy tank was developed according to a differentiated anti-shell principle, which protected the tank and its crew from being hit by medium-caliber shells and other means of fighting tanks.

The armored hull of the KV-1 tank was assembled from rolled armor plates by welding them together. The plates had a thickness of 75, 40, 30 and 20 millimeters, which depended on the direction. For example, in the anti-projectile direction (top and bottom of the frontal and aft parts of the hull), the thickness of the armor was 75 millimeters. The aft armor plates had a thickness of 70 millimeters at the bottom and 60 at the top. The bottom and roof of the hull were assembled from armor plates with a thickness of 20 to 40 millimeters. All armor plates had rational angles of inclination to the vertical, except for the sides of the hull, which increased the armor resistance of the structure.

The turrets of the serially produced KV-1 were of three types: a one-piece cast turret, a welded turret with a developed rectangular niche, and a welded turret with a small rounded niche. The thickness of the armor in a circle for welded turrets was 75 mm, and for solid cast ones - 95. In the second half of 1941, welded turrets and side parts of the hulls on some tanks began to be reinforced with bolted 25 mm screens, which significantly increased armor resistance when tanks were hit enemy artillery, but this adversely affected the chassis of the vehicle, and this idea was abandoned.

The connection of the frontal part of the tank with other structural parts was provided by welding them together. The turret of the tank was quite streamlined and was a cast part of a complex three-dimensional shape. At the same time, to increase the stability of the armor when shells hit it, it had a thickness of 90 millimeters and was located at an angle to the vertical normal. The frontal part of the turret with an opening for the gun mantlet was cast separately and then welded to the rest of the structure. The mask of the gun was made in the form of a cylindrical segment of a curved rolled armor plate, in which three holes were made, designed for the conclusions of the gun, the sight and the coaxial machine gun. The KV-1 tower itself was mounted on a shoulder strap with a diameter of 1800 millimeters in the armored roof of the fighting compartment. When installing the tower, it was fixed, which prevented the detachment of the tower during a strong roll and tipping the tank on its side.

The landing and disembarkation of the crew was carried out through three main hatches: two round ones - in the tower above the location of the tank commander and in the roof of the hull above the gunner-radio operator and the bottom hatch for emergency evacuation in the event of a tank being knocked out.

Armament.

The main armament of the Soviet heavy tank KV-1 was a 76.2 mm rifled gun. At various stages of the release of the tank for its armament were used various modifications guns. For all the time there were four of them: L-11, F-32, F-34 and ZIS-5. According to their characteristics, the first three were almost identical, but the ZIS-5 was significantly superior to them. Ammunition for the gun consisted of 111 unitary loading shots, which were placed in stacking along the sides of the tower, in its aft niche, in cassettes and containers installed on the rotary mechanism plate in the bottom of the hull.

In addition to the cannon, the KV-1 tank was armed with three 7.62 mm DT-29 machine guns. One of them was paired with the gun, the second was the course and the third was installed in the aft niche in ball mounts. Ammunition for DT machine guns consisted of 2772 rounds, which were loaded into disk magazines.

Some copies of the KV-1 were armed anti-aircraft machine gun DT, which was mounted on an anti-aircraft turret and was equipped with a collimator sight.

Chassis, engine and transmission.

The heavy tank KV-1 was equipped with a V-2K V-shaped four-stroke twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel engine, which was capable of developing 500 horsepower, which allowed the tank to reach a maximum speed of 34 kilometers per hour when driving on the highway. In the second half of 1941, KV-1 tanks began to be equipped with M-17T diesel engines with a capacity of 500 horsepower. This happened due to the loss of Kharkov, where the V-2K engine was produced before the war. The engine and cooling radiators were installed in the aft part of the hull. Fuel tanks with a capacity of 600 to 615 liters were located both in the combat and in the engine compartment.

The heavy tank KV-1 had a mechanical transmission, which consisted of:

the main (main) multi-plate friction clutch, operating on the principle of dry friction "steel according to Ferodo";

five-speed tractor-type gearbox;

two onboard multi-plate clutches operating on the principle of steel-on-steel friction;

two planetary final drives;

band floating brakes.

Transmission control drives were mechanical.

The suspension type of the KV-1 heavy tank is individual torsion with internal shock absorption for each road wheel. Six road wheels of small diameter were stamped and had a gable shape. For each track roller armored corps by welding, the travel stops of the suspension balancers were mounted. The drive wheels, equipped with removable lantern gears, had a rear arrangement, and sloths - a front one. The upper part of the caterpillar rested on three small rubber stamped support rollers for each side. In 1941, track and support rollers began to be produced by casting and without rubber tires, which was explained by the lack of rubber.

Each caterpillar was assembled from 86-90 single-ridge type tracks, which had a width of 700 millimeters with a step of 160 millimeters.

Combat use.

The heavy tank KV-1 received its baptism of fire on December 17, 1940 during Soviet-Finnish War in the operation during the breakthrough of the Hottinensky fortified area of ​​the Mannerheim line. In these battles, the KV-1 tank proved to be the best. Not a single enemy anti-tank gun could penetrate his armor, however, the power of the L-11 gun was sometimes not enough to destroy enemy pillboxes, which subsequently prompted the development of one armed with a more powerful gun.

After the German attack on the USSR, the KV-1 heavy tank from the first hours of the war showed its superiority over enemy tanks and self-propelled guns. Its thick armor was not penetrated by more than one enemy tank gun, as well as conventional field anti-tank guns. It was possible to hit the KV-1 at that time only with an 88-mm anti-aircraft gun or a 105-mm howitzer. Large losses in KV-1 tanks in the initial stages of the Great Patriotic War are explained only by the low training of personnel and the inability to make quick repairs in combat conditions, which led to the abandonment of almost combat-ready vehicles during the retreat.

Heavy tanks KV-1 fought on almost all fronts, but the largest number of them were still used on the Karelian and Leningrad fronts, which is explained by the territorial location of the manufacturer. Tanks KV-1 took an active part in the defense of Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad, where, according to some experts, they made an almost decisive contribution, in the offensives of the Red Army near Rzhev and in the Battle of Kursk. Gradually, the KV-1s fell out of action due to combat losses and were replaced by newer heavy and medium tanks. The KV-1 ended its combat career where it started, in Finland. During the assault on the Mannerheim Line in 1944, the commander of the Karelian Front, Meretskov, insisted on using only KV-1 tanks in operations to break through the enemy defense line, which had to be collected from all fronts.

In addition to the Red Army, the captured KV-1 tanks were used by the armies of Germany and Finland. In the Wehrmacht, several dozen captured KV-1s were named Panzerkampfwagen KV-IA 753(r). In Finland, the KV-1 tanks were used by its army until the armistice, and the surviving copies were in service even until the end of 1958.

In the hands of skilled crews, the heavy KV-1 tank became a formidable and irresistible force for the Germans. An unknown crew of the KV-1 near Raseiniai (Lithuania) fettered the action of an entire army group for two days, on the KV-1 tank, Senior Lieutenant Zinoviy Kolobanov, in a battle near Krasnogvardeysk (Gatchina) in August 1941, set a record for the destruction of enemy tanks in one battle, shooting from an ambush of 22 tanks and two guns, finding themselves in a practically similar situation, in the battles in the Stalingrad direction, Lieutenant Semyon Konovalov knocked out 16 tanks and 2 armored vehicles of the Germans on a damaged KV-1. The famous Soviet ace also fought on the KV-1 tank, whose tank in the first hours of the war made the first tank ram in its history, overturning a German one. It was Pavel Gudz who, during the defense of Moscow on December 3, 1941, on the KV-1 almost single-handedly recaptured the village of Nefedovo from the Nazis, destroying 10 enemy tanks and crushing two batteries of anti-tank guns.

According to many experts, the Soviet heavy tank KV-1 was the best tank of the first stage of the Great Patriotic War and lost its positions only when other new tanks appeared with more powerful armor and fire characteristics.

In 1938, the USSR needed a tank that would have heavy anti-cannon armor, capable of breaking through well-fortified enemy defense lines.

The first tanks applying for this role were heavy tanks SMK and T-100. These were tanks of a line of heavy multi-turreted vehicles that had similar features, namely a long tracked base, several turrets with guns of various calibers, huge dimensions and weight, and low maneuverability. After field trials, the SMK tank was preferred.

The development of the heavy tank KV-1 began on February 1, 1939 at the plant in Kirov under the leadership of N.F. Shashmurin.
The same SMK tank was taken as the basis. Although the KV was designed on the basis of the QMS, it had one huge difference - one tower. This made it possible to make the tank smaller, which had a positive effect on the chassis and armor characteristics, because. it was possible to install more durable armor plates on the tank without compromising its cross-country ability.

In April of the same year, the technical model of the tank was approved and sent to the production of a prototype. In September 1939, the KV and SMK tanks rolled out to the test site in Kubinka. After testing, the KV tank was chosen. Because of which? Firstly: because of one tower, with a good gun at that time, good armor, and, secondly, because of its mass of only 43 tons.

On December 19, 1939, the KV tank was put into service. Soviet army. The tank was named after the People's Commissar of the USSR Klim Voroshilov.

Armament of the heavy tank KV-1

At the beginning, the KV-1 tank was equipped with two twin guns of 76.2-mm and 45-mm calibers. Later, after testing, instead of a 45-mm 20K gun, a DT ***-29 machine gun was installed. During the war with Finland, the 76.2 mm L-11 gun was replaced by the 76 mm F-34 gun. In the autumn of 1941, the KV-1 was re-equipped with the ZiS-5 cannon, because. it was more reliable than the F-34. The ZiS-5 gun had a long barrel length - this was also one of the reasons for the abandonment of the F-34.

Gun characteristics

• Gun weight, kg - 455
• The initial flight speed of an armor-piercing projectile, m / s, - 662
• The initial flight speed of a sub-caliber projectile, m / s, - 950
• The initial flight speed Oskol.-Fugas. projectile, m / s, - 680
• The maximum flight range Oskol.-Fugas. projectile, m - 1329
• Sighting range, m, - 1500
• Elevation angles, degrees: -5°…+25°

Armor penetration:

• Armor-piercing, At a distance of 500 m, mm/deg. — 84/90°
• Armor-piercing, At a distance of 1.5 km, mm/deg. — 69/90°
• Rate of fire, rds / min - From 4 to 8

Additional weapons:

Three DT machine guns, caliber 7.62 mm. One coaxial machine gun, the other course, installed in the forehead of the hull, and the third is installed in the stern of the tower.

Tactical and Technical Characteristics of the KV-1 tank

• Weight, t - 47
• Crew, hours - 5. Commander, Driver, Gunner, Loader, Gunner-radio operator.
• Case length, mm - 6675
• Hull width, mm - 3320
• Height, mm - 2710

Booking:

• Forehead of the hull (top), mm/deg. — 75 / 30°
• Forehead of the hull (middle), mm/deg. — 40 / 65°
• Forehead of the hull (bottom), mm/deg. — 75 / 30°
• Hull board, mm/deg. — 75 / 0°
• Hull feed (top), mm/deg. — 60 / 50°
• Hull feed (bottom), mm/deg. — 70 / 0-90°
• Bottom, mm - 30-40
• Hull roof, mm - 30-40
• Tower forehead, mm/deg. — 75 / 20°
• Gun mantlet, mm/deg. - 90
• Turret board, mm/deg. — 75 / 15°
• Tower feed, mm/deg. — 75 / 15°
• Tower roof, mm - 40

Ride quality:

• V-2K engine power, h.p. - 500
• Maximum speed on the highway, km / h - 34
• Power reserve on the highway, km - 150-225
• Specific power, l. s./t — 11.6
• Climbability, deg. – Unknown.

Modernization of the KV-1 tank

KV-1S – The dimensions and side armor of the tank have been reduced. Due to this, the speed and maneuverability of the tank have increased.
New gearbox.

A commander's cupola was also added, which was absent on the KV-1.
A more powerful 600 hp engine, as well as many, many small improvements and upgrades that can be listed for a very long time.

Combat use of the heavy tank Klim Voroshilov (KV-1)

The first combat use dates back to December 17, 1939, during the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line. However, only a prototype tank participated. Serial production was launched only in 1940.

Great Patriotic War (1941-1944) - Actively took part in the Second World War. During 1940-1942, 2769 tanks were produced. True, he did not fight until the end of the war. Until 1943 (the advent of the Tiger tank), the KV-1 was the most powerful tank, which played a significant role in holding back the onslaught of German troops.