home Cosmetics Rocket launchers - from Katyusha to Smerch. Weapon of Victory: Katyusha multiple launch rocket system Katyusha anti-aircraft complex

Rocket launchers - from Katyusha to Smerch. Weapon of Victory: Katyusha multiple launch rocket system Katyusha anti-aircraft complex

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Unique combat vehicle "Katyusha"

On June 21, 1941, the Red Army adopted rocket artillery - BM-13 Katyusha launchers.

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Sergey Antonov

Salvos of Katyushas. 1942 Photo: TASS Photo Chronicle

Among legendary weapons, which became symbols of our country’s victory in the Great Patriotic War, a special place is occupied by guards rocket mortars, popularly nicknamed “Katyusha”. The characteristic silhouette of a truck from the 40s with an inclined structure instead of a body is the same symbol of perseverance, heroism and courage of Soviet soldiers as, say, the T-34 tank, Il-2 attack aircraft or ZiS-3 cannon.

And here’s what’s especially noteworthy: all these legendary, glorious weapons were designed very shortly or literally on the eve of the war! The T-34 was put into service at the end of December 1939, the first production IL-2s rolled off the production line in February 1941, and the ZiS-3 gun was first presented to the leadership of the USSR and the army a month after the start of hostilities, on July 22, 1941. But the most amazing coincidence happened in the fate of Katyusha. Its demonstration to the party and military authorities took place half a day before the German attack - June 21, 1941...

From heaven to earth

In fact, work on the creation of the world's first multiple launch rocket system on a self-propelled chassis began in the USSR in the mid-1930s. An employee of the Tula NPO Splav, which produces modern Russian MLRS, Sergei Gurov, managed to find in the archives agreement No. 251618с dated January 26, 1935 between the Leningrad Jet Research Institute and the Automotive and Armored Directorate of the Red Army, which included a prototype rocket launcher on the BT-5 tank with ten rockets.

Volley of guards mortars

A volley of guards mortars. Photo: Anatoly Egorov / RIA Novosti

There is nothing to be surprised here, because Soviet rocket scientists created the first combat rockets even earlier: official tests took place in the late 20s - early 30s. In 1937, the RS-82 missile of 82 mm caliber was adopted for service, and a year later the RS-132 missile of 132 mm caliber was adopted, both in a version for underwing installation on aircraft. A year later, at the end of the summer of 1939, the RS-82s were used for the first time in a combat situation. During the battles at Khalkhin Gol, five I-16s used their “eres” in battle with Japanese fighters, quite surprising the enemy with their new weapons. And a little later, already during the Soviet-Finnish war, six twin-engine SB bombers, already armed with RS-132, attacked Finnish ground positions.

Naturally, impressive - and they really were impressive, although to a large extent due to the unexpectedness of the application new system weapons, and not their ultra-high efficiency - the results of the use of "eres" in aviation forced the Soviet party and military leadership to rush the defense industry to create a ground-based version. Actually, the future “Katyusha” had every chance to make it to the Winter War: the main design work and tests were carried out back in 1938–1939, but the military was not satisfied with the results - they needed a more reliable, mobile and easy-to-handle weapon.

In general terms, what would become part of soldiers’ folklore on both sides of the front as “Katyusha” a year and a half later was ready by the beginning of 1940. In any case, author’s certificate No. 3338 for a “rocket launcher for a sudden, powerful artillery and chemical attack on the enemy using rocket shells” was issued on February 19, 1940, and among the authors were employees of the RNII (since 1938, which bore the “numbered” name Research Institute-3) Andrey Kostikov, Ivan Gvai and Vasily Aborenkov.

This installation was already seriously different from the first samples that entered field testing at the end of 1938. The missile launcher was located along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and had 16 guides, each of which carried two projectiles. And the shells themselves for this vehicle were different: aircraft RS-132s turned into longer and more powerful ground-based M-13s.

Actually, in this form, a combat vehicle with rockets came out to review new models of weapons of the Red Army, which took place on June 15–17, 1941 at a training ground in Sofrino, near Moscow. Rocket artillery was left as a “snack”: two combat vehicles demonstrated firing on the last day, June 17, using high-explosive fragmentation rockets. The shooting was observed by People's Commissar of Defense Marshal Semyon Timoshenko, Chief of the General Staff Army General Georgy Zhukov, Head of the Main Artillery Directorate Marshal Grigory Kulik and his deputy General Nikolai Voronov, as well as People's Commissar of Armaments Dmitry Ustinov, People's Commissar of Ammunition Pyotr Goremykin and many other military personnel. One can only guess what emotions overwhelmed them as they looked at the wall of fire and the fountains of earth rising on the target field. But it is clear that the demonstration made a strong impression. Four days later, on June 21, 1941, just a few hours before the start of the war, documents were signed on the adoption and urgent deployment of mass production of M-13 rockets and a launcher, officially named BM-13 - “combat vehicle - 13” "(according to the missile index), although sometimes they appeared in documents with the index M-13. This day should be considered the birthday of “Katyusha”, which, it turns out, was born only half a day earlier than the beginning of the Great Patriotic War that glorified her.

First hit

The production of new weapons took place at two enterprises at once: the Voronezh plant named after the Comintern and the Moscow plant "Compressor", and the capital plant named after Vladimir Ilyich became the main enterprise for the production of M-13 shells. The first combat-ready unit - a special reactive battery under the command of Captain Ivan Flerov - went to the front on the night of July 1-2, 1941.

Commander of the first Katyusha rocket artillery battery, captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov

Commander of the first Katyusha rocket artillery battery, captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov. Photo: RIA Novosti

But here's what's remarkable. The first documents on the formation of divisions and batteries armed with rocket mortars appeared even before the famous shootings near Moscow! For example, the General Staff directive on the formation of five divisions armed with new equipment was issued a week before the start of the war - June 15, 1941. But reality, as always, made its own adjustments: in fact, the formation of the first units of field rocket artillery began on June 28, 1941. It was from this moment that, as determined by the directive of the commander of the Moscow Military District, three days were allotted for the formation of the first special battery under the command of Captain Flerov.

According to the preliminary staffing schedule, which was determined even before the Sofrino shootings, the rocket artillery battery was supposed to have nine rocket launchers. But the manufacturing plants could not cope with the plan, and Flerov did not have time to receive two of the nine vehicles - he went to the front on the night of July 2 with a battery of seven rocket launchers. But don’t think that just seven ZIS-6s with guides for launching the M-13 went towards the front. According to the list - there was not and could not be an approved staffing table for a special, that is, essentially an experimental battery - the battery included 198 people, 1 passenger car, 44 trucks and 7 special vehicles, 7 BM-13 (for some reason they appeared in the column “210 mm guns”) and one 152 mm howitzer, which served as a sighting gun.

It was with this composition that the Flerov battery went down in history as the first in the Great Patriotic War and the world’s first combat unit of rocket artillery to participate in hostilities. Flerov and his artillerymen fought their first battle, which later became legendary, on July 14, 1941. At 15:15, as follows from archival documents, seven BM-13s from the battery opened fire at the Orsha railway station: it was necessary to destroy the trains with Soviet military equipment and ammunition that had accumulated there, which did not have time to reach the front and got stuck, having fallen into the hands of enemy. In addition, reinforcements for the advancing Wehrmacht units also accumulated in Orsha, so that an extremely attractive opportunity for the command arose to solve several strategic problems at once with one blow.

And so it happened. By personal order of the deputy chief of artillery of the Western Front, General George Cariophylli, the battery launched the first blow. In just a few seconds, the full ammunition load of the battery was fired at the target - 112 rockets, each of which carried a combat charge weighing almost 5 kg - and all hell broke loose at the station. With the second blow, Flerov's battery destroyed the Nazis' pontoon crossing across the Orshitsa River - with the same success.

A few days later, two more batteries arrived at the front - Lieutenant Alexander Kun and Lieutenant Nikolai Denisenko. Both batteries launched their first attacks on the enemy in the last days of July in the difficult year of 1941. And from the beginning of August, the Red Army began to form not individual batteries, but entire regiments of rocket artillery.

Guard of the first months of the war

The first document on the formation of such a regiment was issued on August 4: a decree of the USSR State Committee for Defense ordered the formation of one guards mortar regiment armed with M-13 launchers. This regiment was named after the People's Commissar of General Mechanical Engineering Pyotr Parshin - the man who, in fact, approached the State Defense Committee with the idea of forming such a regiment. And from the very beginning he offered to give him the rank of Guards - a month and a half before the first Guards Rifle Units appeared in the Red Army, and then all the others.

"Katyusha" on the march. 2nd Baltic Front, January 1945

"Katyusha" on the march. 2nd Baltic Front, January 1945. Photo: Vasily Savransky / RIA Novosti

Four days later, on August 8, the staffing schedule for the Guards rocket launcher regiment was approved: each regiment consisted of three or four divisions, and each division consisted of three batteries of four combat vehicles. The same directive provided for the formation of the first eight regiments of rocket artillery. The ninth was the regiment named after People's Commissar Parshin. It is noteworthy that already on November 26, the People's Commissariat of General Engineering was renamed into the People's Commissariat of Mortar Weapons: the only one in the USSR that dealt with one single type of weapon (existed until February 17, 1946)! Isn't this evidence of the great importance the country's leadership attached to rocket mortars?

Another evidence of this special attitude was the resolution of the State Defense Committee, issued a month later - on September 8, 1941. This document actually turned rocket mortar artillery into a special, privileged type of armed forces. Guards mortar units were withdrawn from the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army and turned into guards mortar units and formations with their own command. It was directly subordinate to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, and included the headquarters, the weapons department of the M-8 and M-13 mortar units and operational groups in the main directions.

The first commander of the guards mortar units and formations was military engineer 1st rank Vasily Aborenkov, a man whose name appeared in the author’s certificate for a “rocket launcher for a sudden, powerful artillery and chemical attack on the enemy using rocket shells.” It was Aborenkov, as first the head of the department and then the deputy head of the Main Artillery Directorate, who did everything to ensure that the Red Army received new, unprecedented weapons.

After this, the process of forming new artillery units went into full swing. The main tactical unit was the regiment of guards mortar units. It consisted of three divisions of M-8 or M-13 rocket launchers, an anti-aircraft division, and service units. In total, the regiment consisted of 1,414 people, 36 BM-13 or BM-8 combat vehicles, and 12 other weapons anti-aircraft guns 37 mm caliber, 9 DShK anti-aircraft machine guns and 18 light machine guns, not counting the small arms of personnel. A salvo of one regiment of M-13 rocket launchers consisted of 576 rockets - 16 “eres” in a salvo of each vehicle, and a regiment of M-8 rocket launchers consisted of 1296 rockets, since one vehicle fired 36 projectiles at once.

"Katyusha", "Andryusha" and other members of the jet family

By the end of the Great Patriotic War, the guards mortar units and formations of the Red Army became a formidable striking force that had a significant impact on the course of hostilities. In total, by May 1945, Soviet rocket artillery consisted of 40 separate divisions, 115 regiments, 40 separate brigades and 7 divisions - a total of 519 divisions.

These units were armed with three types of combat vehicles. First of all, these were, of course, the Katyushas themselves - BM-13 combat vehicles with 132-mm rockets. They became the most popular in Soviet rocket artillery during the Great Patriotic War: from July 1941 to December 1944, 6844 such vehicles were produced. Until Studebaker Lend-Lease trucks began to arrive in the USSR, the launchers were mounted on the ZIS-6 chassis, and then American three-axle heavy trucks became the main carriers. In addition, there were modifications to the launchers to accommodate the M-13 on other Lend-Lease trucks.

The 82mm Katyusha BM-8 had much more modifications. Firstly, only these installations, due to their small dimensions and weight, could be mounted on the chassis of light tanks T-40 and T-60. Such self-propelled jets artillery installations received the name BM-8-24. Secondly, installations of the same caliber were mounted on railway platforms, armored boats and torpedo boats and even on railcars. And on the Caucasian front they were converted to fire from the ground, without a self-propelled chassis, which would not have been able to turn around in the mountains. But the main modification was the launcher for M-8 missiles on a vehicle chassis: by the end of 1944, 2,086 of them were produced. These were mainly BM-8-48, launched into production in 1942: these vehicles had 24 beams, on which 48 M-8 rockets were installed, and they were produced on the chassis of the Forme Marmont-Herrington truck. Until a foreign chassis appeared, BM-8-36 units were produced on the basis of the GAZ-AAA truck.

Harbin. Parade of Red Army troops in honor of the victory over Japan

Harbin. Parade of Red Army troops in honor of the victory over Japan. Photo: TASS Photo Chronicle

The latest and most powerful modification of the Katyusha was the BM-31-12 guards mortars. Their story began in 1942, when it was possible to design a new M-30 missile, which was the already familiar M-13 with a new 300 mm caliber warhead. Since they did not change the rocket part of the projectile, the result was a kind of “tadpole” - its resemblance to a boy, apparently, served as the basis for the nickname “Andryusha”. Initially, the new type of projectiles were launched exclusively from a ground position, directly from a frame-like machine on which the projectiles stood in wooden packages. A year later, in 1943, the M-30 was replaced by the M-31 rocket with a heavier warhead. It was for this new ammunition that by April 1944 the BM-31-12 launcher was designed on the chassis of a three-axle Studebaker.

These combat vehicles were distributed among the units of guards mortar units and formations as follows. Of the 40 separate rocket artillery battalions, 38 were armed with BM-13 installations, and only two with BM-8. The same ratio was in the 115 guards mortar regiments: 96 of them were armed with Katyushas in the BM-13 version, and the remaining 19 were armed with 82-mm BM-8. Guards mortar brigades were generally not armed with rocket launchers of a caliber smaller than 310 mm. 27 brigades were armed with frame launchers M-30, and then M-31, and 13 with self-propelled M-31-12 on a vehicle chassis.

She who started rocket artillery

During the Great Patriotic War, Soviet rocket artillery had no equal on the other side of the front. Despite the fact that the notorious German Nebelwerfer rocket mortar, nicknamed “Donkey” and “Vanyusha” by Soviet soldiers, had comparable effectiveness to the Katyusha, it was significantly less mobile and had one and a half times shorter firing range. The achievements of the USSR's allies in the anti-Hitler coalition in the field of rocket artillery were even more modest.

It was only in 1943 that the American Army adopted 114-mm M8 rockets, for which three types of launchers were developed. Installations of the T27 type were most reminiscent of the Soviet Katyushas: they were mounted on off-road trucks and consisted of two packages of eight guides each, installed transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. It is noteworthy that the United States repeated the original design of the Katyusha, which Soviet engineers abandoned: the transverse arrangement of the launchers led to strong rocking of the vehicle at the time of the salvo, which catastrophically reduced the accuracy of fire. There was also a T23 option: the same package of eight guides was installed on the Willis chassis. And the most powerful in terms of salvo force was the T34 installation option: 60 (!) guides that were installed on the hull of the Sherman tank, directly above the turret, which is why guidance in the horizontal plane was carried out by turning the entire tank.

In addition to them, the US Army during World War II also used an improved M16 rocket with a T66 launcher and a T40 launcher on the chassis of medium M4 tanks for 182-mm rockets. And in Great Britain, since 1941, the five-inch 5”UP rocket was in service; for salvo firing of such projectiles, 20-tube ship launchers or 30-tube towed wheeled launchers were used. But all these systems were, in fact, only a semblance of Soviet rocket artillery: they failed to catch up or surpass the Katyusha either in terms of prevalence, or in combat effectiveness, or in scale of production, or in popularity. It is no coincidence that the word “Katyusha” to this day serves as a synonym for the word “rocket artillery”, and the BM-13 itself became the ancestor of all modern multiple launch rocket systems.

The Soviet Katyusha multiple launch rocket system is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Great Patriotic War. In terms of popularity, the legendary Katyusha is not much inferior to the T-34 tank or the PPSh assault rifle. It is still not known for certain where this name came from (there are numerous versions), but the Germans called these installations “Stalinist organs” and were terribly afraid of them.

“Katyusha” is the collective name for several rocket launchers from the Great Patriotic War. Soviet propaganda presented them as exclusively domestic “know-how,” which was not true. Work in this direction was carried out in many countries, and the famous German six-barreled mortars are also MLRS, albeit of a slightly different design. The Americans and the British also used rocket artillery.

However, the Katyusha became the most effective and most mass-produced vehicle of its class during World War II. BM-13 is a real weapon of Victory. She took part in all significant battles on the Eastern Front, clearing the way for infantry formations. The first Katyusha salvo was fired in the summer of 1941, and four years later the BM-13 installations were already shelling besieged Berlin.

A little history of the BM-13 Katyusha

Several reasons contributed to the revival of interest in rocket weapons: firstly, more advanced types of gunpowder were invented, which made it possible to significantly increase the flight range of rockets; secondly, the missiles were perfect as weapons for combat aircraft; and thirdly, rockets could be used to deliver toxic substances.

The last reason was the most important: based on the experience of the First World War, the military had little doubt that the next conflict would definitely not happen without military gases.

In the USSR the creation missile weapons began with the experiments of two enthusiasts - Artemyev and Tikhomirov. In 1927, smokeless pyroxylin-TNT gunpowder was created, and in 1928, the first rocket was developed that managed to fly 1,300 meters. At the same time, the targeted development of missile weapons for aviation began.

In 1933, experimental samples of aircraft rockets of two calibers appeared: RS-82 and RS-132. The main drawback of the new weapons, which the military did not like at all, was their low accuracy. The shells had a small tail that did not exceed its caliber, and a pipe was used as a guide, which was very convenient. However, to improve the accuracy of the missiles, their empennage had to be increased and new guides had to be developed.

In addition, pyroxylin-TNT gunpowder was not very suitable for mass production of this type of weapon, so it was decided to use tubular nitroglycerin gunpowder.

In 1937, new missiles with enlarged tails and new open rail-type guides were tested. Innovations significantly improved the accuracy of fire and increased the missile's flight range. In 1938, the RS-82 and RS-132 missiles were put into service and began to be mass-produced.

In the same year, the designers were given a new task: to create a rocket system for the ground forces, using a 132 mm caliber rocket as a basis.

In 1939, the 132-mm M-13 high-explosive fragmentation projectile was ready; it had a more powerful warhead and an increased flight range. Such results were achieved by lengthening the ammunition.

In the same year, the first MU-1 rocket launcher was manufactured. Eight short guides were installed across truck, sixteen rockets were attached to them in pairs. This design turned out to be very unsuccessful; during the salvo, the vehicle swayed strongly, which led to a significant decrease in the accuracy of the battle.

In September 1939, testing of a new rocket launcher– MU-2. The basis for it was the three-axle ZiS-6 truck; this vehicle provided the combat complex with high maneuverability and allowed it to quickly change positions after each salvo. Now the guides for the missiles were located along the car. In one salvo (about 10 seconds), the MU-2 fired sixteen shells, the weight of the installation with ammunition was 8.33 tons, the firing range exceeded eight kilometers.

With this design of the guides, the rocking of the car during a salvo became minimal, in addition, two jacks were installed in the rear of the car.

In 1940, state tests of the MU-2 were carried out, and it was put into service under the designation “BM-13 rocket mortar”.

The day before the start of the war (June 21, 1941), the USSR government decided to mass produce BM-13 combat systems, ammunition for them, and form special units for their use.

The first experience of using the BM-13 at the front showed their high efficiency and contributed to the active production of this type of weapon. During the war, “Katyusha” was produced by several factories, and mass production of ammunition for them was established.

Artillery units armed with BM-13 installations were considered elite, and immediately after their formation they received the name Guards. The BM-8, BM-13 and other rocket systems were officially called “Guards mortars.”

Application of BM-13 "Katyusha"

The first combat use of rocket launchers took place in mid-July 1941. The Germans occupied Orsha, a large junction station in Belarus. A large amount of enemy military equipment and manpower had accumulated on it. It was for this purpose that the battery of rocket launchers (seven units) of Captain Flerov fired two salvos.

As a result of the actions of the artillerymen, the railway junction was practically wiped off the face of the earth, and the Nazis suffered severe losses in people and equipment.

"Katyusha" was also used in other sectors of the front. The new Soviet weapon was a very unpleasant surprise for the German command. The pyrotechnic effect of the use of shells had a particularly strong psychological impact on Wehrmacht soldiers: after a Katyusha salvo, literally everything that could burn burned. This effect was achieved through the use of TNT blocks in the shells, which upon explosion formed thousands of burning fragments.

Rocket artillery was actively used in the battle of Moscow, Katyushas destroyed the enemy at Stalingrad, they were tried to be used as anti-tank weapons in Kursk Bulge. To do this, special recesses were made under the front wheels of the vehicle, so the Katyusha could fire directly. However, the use of the BM-13 against tanks was less effective, since the M-13 rocket was a high-explosive fragmentation projectile, and not armor-piercing. In addition, "Katyusha" has never been distinguished by high accuracy of fire. But if its shell hit a tank, all the vehicle’s attachments were destroyed, the turret often jammed, and the crew received severe concussion.

Rocket launchers were used with great success until the Victory; they took part in the storming of Berlin and other operations in the final stage of the war.

In addition to the famous BM-13 MLRS, there was also a BM-8 rocket launcher, which used 82 mm caliber rockets, and over time, heavy rocket systems appeared that launched 310 mm caliber rockets.

During the Berlin operation, Soviet soldiers actively used the experience of street fighting they gained during the capture of Poznan and Königsberg. It consisted of firing single heavy rockets M-31, M-13 and M-20 direct fire. Special assault groups were created, which included an electrical engineer. The rocket was launched from machine guns, wooden caps, or simply from any flat surface. A hit from such a shell could easily destroy a house or be guaranteed to suppress an enemy firing point.

During the war years, about 1,400 BM-8, 3,400 BM-13 and 100 BM-31 units were lost.

However, the story of the BM-13 did not end there: in the early 60s, the USSR supplied these installations to Afghanistan, where they were actively used by government troops.

Device BM-13 "Katyusha"

The main advantage of the BM-13 rocket launcher is its extreme simplicity both in production and in use. The artillery part of the installation consists of eight guides, the frame on which they are located, rotating and lifting mechanisms, sighting devices and electrical equipment.

The guides were a five-meter I-beam with special overlays. A locking device and an electric igniter were installed in the breech of each of the guides, with the help of which the shot was fired.

The guides were mounted on a rotating frame, which, using simple lifting and rotating mechanisms, provided vertical and horizontal guidance.

Each Katyusha was equipped with an artillery sight.

The crew of the vehicle (BM-13) consisted of 5-7 people.

The M-13 rocket consisted of two parts: a combat and a jet powder engine. Warhead, which contained an explosive and a contact fuse, is very reminiscent of the warhead of a conventional artillery high-explosive fragmentation projectile.

The powder engine of the M-13 projectile consisted of a chamber with a powder charge, a nozzle, a special grille, stabilizers and a fuse.

The main problem faced by the developers of missile systems (and not only in the USSR) was the low accuracy of the missiles’ accuracy. To stabilize their flight, the designers took two paths. German six-barreled mortar rockets rotated in flight due to obliquely located nozzles, and flat stabilizers were installed on Soviet RSakhs. To give the projectile greater accuracy, it was necessary to increase its initial speed; for this, the guides on the BM-13 were longer.

The German stabilization method made it possible to reduce the size of both the projectile itself and the weapon from which it was fired. However, this significantly reduced the firing range. Although, it should be said that the German six-barreled mortars were more accurate than the Katyushas.

The Soviet system was simpler and allowed shooting over considerable distances. Later, installations began to use spiral guides, which further increased accuracy.

Modifications of "Katyusha"

During the war, numerous modifications of both rocket launchers and ammunition were created. Here are just a few of them:

BM-13-SN - this installation had spiral guides that imparted a rotational movement to the projectile, which significantly increased its accuracy.

BM-8-48 - this rocket launcher used 82 mm caliber projectiles and had 48 guides.

BM-31-12 - this rocket launcher used 310 mm caliber shells for firing.

310 mm caliber rockets were initially used for firing from the ground, only then self-propelled guns appeared.

The first systems were created on the basis of the ZiS-6 car, then they were most often installed on vehicles received under Lend-Lease. It must be said that with the beginning of Lend-Lease, only foreign cars were used to create rocket launchers.

In addition, rocket launchers (from M-8 shells) were installed on motorcycles, snowmobiles, and armored boats. The guides were installed on railway platforms, T-40, T-60, KV-1 tanks.

To understand how much mass weapons there were Katyushas, it is enough to give two figures: from 1941 to the end of 1944, Soviet industry produced 30 thousand launchers of various types and 12 million shells for them.

During the war years, several types of 132 mm caliber rockets were developed. The main directions of modernization were to increase the accuracy of fire, increase the range of the projectile and its power.

Advantages and disadvantages of the BM-13 Katyusha missile launcher

The main advantage of rocket launchers was the large number of projectiles they fired in one salvo. If several MLRS were operating in one area at once, the destructive effect was increased due to the interference of shock waves.

Easy to use. “Katyushas” were distinguished by an extremely simple design, and the sighting devices of this installation were also uncomplicated.

Low cost and easy to manufacture. During the war, the production of rocket launchers was established in dozens of factories. The production of ammunition for these complexes did not present any particular difficulties. The comparison between the cost of the BM-13 and a conventional one looks especially eloquent. artillery piece similar caliber.

Installation mobility. The time of one BM-13 salvo is approximately 10 seconds; after the salvo, the vehicle left the firing line without exposing itself to enemy return fire.

However, this weapon also had disadvantages, the main one being low shooting accuracy due to the large dispersion of projectiles. This problem was partially solved by the BM-13SN, but it has not been completely resolved for modern MLRS.

Insufficient high-explosive effect of M-13 shells. "Katyusha" was not very effective against long-term defensive fortifications and armored vehicles.

Short firing range compared to cannon artillery.

Large consumption of gunpowder in the manufacture of rockets.

There was heavy smoke during the salvo, which served as an unmasking factor.

The high center of gravity of the BM-13 installations led to frequent rollovers of the vehicle during the march.

Technical characteristics of "Katyusha"

Characteristics of the combat vehicle

Characteristics of the M-13 missile

Video about MLRS "Katyusha"

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Rocket artillery combat vehicles BM-8, BM-13 and BM-31, better known as “Katyushas”, are one of the most successful developments of Soviet engineers during the Great Patriotic War.
The first rockets in the USSR were developed by designers Vladimir Artemyev and Nikolai Tikhomirov, employees of the gas dynamics laboratory. Work on the project, which involved the use of smokeless gelatin powder, began in 1921.
From 1929 to 1939, tests were carried out on the first prototypes of various calibers, which were launched from single-charge ground and multi-charge air installations. The tests were supervised by the pioneers of Soviet rocket technology - B. Petropavlovsky, E. Petrov, G. Langemak, I. Kleimenov.

The final stages of projectile design and testing were carried out at the Jet Research Institute. The group of specialists, which included T. Kleimenov, V. Artemyev, L. Shvarts and Yu. Pobedonostsev, was headed by G. Langemak. In 1938, these shells were put into service by the Soviet Air Force.

I-15, I-153, I-16 fighters and Il-2 attack aircraft were equipped with unguided rockets of the RS-82 model of 82 mm caliber. The SB bombers and later modifications of the Il-2 were equipped with RS-132 shells of 132 mm caliber. For the first time, the new weapons installed on the I-153 and I-16 were used during the Khalkhin-Gol conflict of 1939.

In 1938-1941, the Jet Research Institute was developing a multi-charge launcher on a truck chassis. Tests were carried out in the spring of 1941. Their results were more than successful, and in June, on the eve of the war, an order was signed to launch a series of BM-13 combat vehicles equipped with launchers for M-13 132-mm high-explosive fragmentation shells. On June 21, 1941, the gun was officially put into service with artillery troops.

Serial assembly of the BM-13 was carried out by the Voronezh plant named after the Comintern. The first two launchers, mounted on the ZIS-6 chassis, rolled off the assembly line on June 26, 1941. The quality of the assembly was immediately assessed by employees of the Main Artillery Directorate; Having received customer approval, the cars went to Moscow. Field tests were carried out there, after which, from two Voronezh samples and five BM-13s assembled at the Jet Research Institute, the first battery of rocket artillery was created, the command of which was taken by Captain Ivan Flerov.

The battery received its baptism of fire on July 14 in the Smolensk region; the enemy-occupied city of Rudnya was chosen as the target of the missile strike. A day later, on July 16, BM-13s fired at the Orsha railway junction and the crossing on the Orshitsa River.

By August 8, 1941, 8 regiments were equipped with rocket launchers, each of which had 36 combat vehicles.

In addition to the plant named after. Comintern in Voronezh, the production of BM-13 was established at the capital's Kompressor enterprise. Missiles were produced at several factories, but their main manufacturer was the Ilyich plant in Moscow.

The original design of both projectiles and installations was repeatedly changed and modernized. The BM-13-SN version was produced, which was equipped with spiral guides, providing more accurate shooting, as well as modifications BM-31-12, BM-8-48 and many others. The most numerous was the BM-13N model of 1943; in total, about 1.8 thousand of these machines were assembled by the end of the Great Patriotic War.

In 1942, production of 310 mm M-31 shells was launched, for the launch of which ground-based systems were initially used. In the spring of 1944, the BM-31-12 self-propelled gun, which has 12 guides, was developed for these shells.

It was installed on truck chassis.

In the period from July 1941 to December 1944, the total number of Katyushas produced was more than 30 thousand units, and rockets of various calibers - about 12 million. The first samples used a domestically produced chassis; about six hundred of these vehicles were produced, and all but a few of them were destroyed during the fighting. After the conclusion of the Lend-Lease agreement, the BM-13 was mounted on American Studebakers.

BM-13 on an American Studebaker
The BM-8 and BM-13 rocket launchers were mainly in service with the Guards mortar units, which were part of the artillery reserve of the armed forces. Therefore, the unofficial name “Guards Mortars” was assigned to the Katyushas.

The glory of the legendary cars could not be shared by their talented developers. The struggle for leadership at the Jet Research Institute provoked a “war of denunciations”, as a result of which in the fall of 1937 the NKVD arrested the chief engineer of the research institute, G. Langemak, and the director, T. Kleimenov. Two months later, both were sentenced to death. The designers were rehabilitated only under Khrushchev. In the summer of 1991, President of the Soviet Union M. Gorbachev signed a decree conferring posthumous titles of Heroes of Socialist Labor on a number of scientists who participated in the development of Katyusha.

origin of name
Now it is difficult to say for sure who, when and why called the BM-13 rocket launcher “Katyusha”.

There are several main versions:
The first is the connection with the song of the same name, which was extremely popular in the pre-war period. During the first combat use of Katyushas in July 1941, firing was carried out at the German garrison located in the city of Rudnya near Smolensk. The fire was direct fire from the top of a steep hill, so the version seems very convincing - the soldiers probably could have associated it with the song, because there is a line “to the high, to the steep bank.” And Andrei Sapronov, who, according to him, gave the nickname to the rocket mortar, is still alive and served as a signalman in the 20th Army. On July 14, 1941, exactly after the shelling of occupied Rudnya, Sergeant Sapronov, together with Red Army soldier Kashirin, arrived at the location of the battery. Amazed by the power of the BM-13, Kashirin enthusiastically exclaimed: “What a song!”, to which A. Sapronov calmly replied: “Katyusha!” Then, broadcasting information about the successful completion of the operation, the staff radio operator called the miracle installation “Katyusha” - from then on, such a formidable weapon acquired a gentle girl’s name.

Another version considers the origin of the name from the abbreviation “KAT” - supposedly the test site workers called the system “Kostikovskaya automatic thermal” (A. Kostikov was the project manager). However, the plausibility of such an assumption raises serious doubts, since the project was classified, and it is unlikely that the rangers and front-line soldiers could exchange any information with each other.

According to another version, the nickname comes from the “K” index, which marked the systems assembled at the Comintern plant. Soldiers had a custom of giving original names to weapons. Thus, the M-30 howitzer was affectionately called “Mother”, the ML-20 cannon received the nickname “Emelka”. By the way, BM-13 was first called very respectfully, by his first name and patronymic: “Raisa Sergeevna.” RS – rockets used in installations.

According to the fourth version, the first to call rocket launchers “Katyushas” were the girls who assembled them at the Kompressor plant in Moscow.

The following version, although it may seem exotic, also has a right to exist. The shells were mounted on special guides called ramps. The weight of the projectile was 42 kilograms, and three people were required to install it on the ramp: two, harnessed into straps, dragged the ammunition onto the holder, and the third pushed it from behind, controlling the accuracy of fixing the projectile in the guides. So, some sources claim that it was this last fighter who was called “Katyusha”. The fact is that here, unlike armored units, there was no clear division of roles: any member of the crew could roll or hold shells.

At the initial stages, the installations were tested and operated in strict secrecy. Thus, when launching shells, the crew commander did not have the right to give the generally accepted commands “fire” and “fire”; they were replaced with “play” or “sing” (the launch was carried out by quickly rotating the handle of an electric coil). Needless to say, for any front-line soldier, the salvoes of Katyusha rockets were the most desirable song.
There is a version according to which at first “Katyusha” was the name given to a bomber equipped with rockets similar to BM-13 missiles. It was these ammunition that transferred the nickname from the airplane to the jet mortar.
The fascists called the installations nothing less than “Stalin’s organ.” Indeed, the guides had a certain resemblance to pipes musical instrument, and the roar emitted by the shells during launch was somewhat reminiscent of the menacing sound of an organ.

During the victorious march of our army across Europe, systems that launched single M-30 and M-31 projectiles were widely used. The Germans called these installations “Russian Faustpatrons”, although they were used not only as a means of destroying armored vehicles. At a distance of up to 200 m, the projectile could penetrate a wall of almost any thickness, even bunker fortifications.

Device
BM-13 was distinguished by its comparative simplicity. The design of the installation included rail guides and a guidance system consisting of an artillery sight and a rotary-lifting device. Additional stability when launching missiles was provided by two jacks located at the rear of the chassis.

The rocket had the shape of a cylinder, divided into three compartments - the fuel and combat compartments and the nozzle. The number of guides varied depending on the modification of the installation - from 14 to 48. The length of the RS-132 projectile used in the BM-13 was 1.8 m, diameter - 13.2 cm, weight - 42.5 kg. The inside of the rocket under the fins was reinforced with solid nitrocellulose. The warhead weighed 22 kg, of which 4.9 kg was explosive (for comparison, an anti-tank grenade weighed about 1.5 kg).

The range of the missiles is 8.5 km. The BM-31 used M-31 shells of 310 mm caliber, having a mass of about 92.4 kg, almost a third of which (29 kg) was explosive. Range – 13 km. The salvo was carried out in a matter of seconds: the BM-13 fired all 16 missiles in less than 10 seconds, the same time was required to launch the BM-31-12 with 12 guides and the BM-8, equipped with 24-48 missiles.

Loading the ammunition took 5-10 minutes for the BM-13 and BM-8; the BM-31, due to the larger mass of the shells, took a little longer to load - 10-15 minutes. To launch, it was necessary to rotate the handle of the electric coil, which was connected to the batteries and contacts on the ramps - by turning the handle, the operator closed the contacts and activated the missile launch systems in turn.

The tactics of using Katyushas radically distinguished them from the Nebelwerfer rocket systems that were in service with the enemy. If the German development was used to deliver high-precision strikes, then Soviet vehicles had low accuracy, but covered a large area. Weight explosive Katyusha missiles were half as powerful as Nebelwerfer shells, however, the damage inflicted on manpower and lightly armored vehicles was significantly greater than their German counterpart. The explosive detonated by firing fuses on opposite sides of the compartment; after the meeting of two detonation waves, the gas pressure at the point of their contact increased sharply, which gave the fragments additional acceleration and increased their temperature to 800 degrees.

The power of the explosion also increased due to the rupture of the fuel compartment, which was heated by the combustion of gunpowder - as a result, the effectiveness of fragmentation damage was twice that of artillery shells of the same caliber. At one time there were even rumors that the rockets of rocket launchers used a “thermite charge”, which was tested in 1942 in Leningrad. However, its use turned out to be inappropriate, since the igniting effect was already sufficient.

The simultaneous explosion of several shells created an interference effect of blast waves, which also contributed to an increase in the damaging effect.
The Katyusha crew numbered from 5 to 7 people and consisted of a crew commander, driver, gunner and several loaders.

Application
From the very beginning of its existence, rocket artillery was subordinate to the Supreme High Command.

The RA units staffed the rifle divisions located on the front line. "Katyushas" had exceptional firepower, so their support in both offensive and defensive operations difficult to overestimate. A special directive was issued setting out the requirements for the use of the machine. It specifically stated that Katyusha strikes should be sudden and massive.

During the war years, Katyushas more than once found themselves in the hands of the enemy. Thus, on the basis of the captured BM-8-24 captured near Leningrad, the German Raketen-Vielfachwerfer rocket system was developed.

During the defense of Moscow, a very difficult situation developed at the front, and the use of missile launchers was carried out on a subdivisional basis. However, in December 1941, due to a significant increase in the number of Katyushas (in each of the armies that held back the main attack of the enemy, there were up to 10 divisions of rocket-propelled mortars, which made it difficult to supply them and the effectiveness of maneuvering and striking), it was decided to create twenty guards mortar regiments.

The Guards Mortar Regiment of the Reserve Artillery of the Supreme High Command consisted of three divisions of three batteries each. The battery, in turn, consisted of four vehicles. The fire efficiency of such units was enormous - one division, consisting of 12 BM-13-16, could deliver a strike comparable in power to a salvo of 12 artillery regiments equipped with 48,152 mm howitzers or 18 artillery brigades equipped with 32 howitzers of the same caliber.

It is also worth taking into account the emotional impact: thanks to the almost simultaneous launch of shells, the ground in the target area literally reared up in a matter of seconds. A retaliatory strike by the rocket artillery units was easily avoided, as the mobile Katyushas quickly changed their location.

In July 1942, near the village of Nalyuchi, the brother of the Katyusha, the 300 mm Andryusha rocket launcher, equipped with 144 guides, was tested for the first time in combat conditions.

In the summer of 1942, the Mobile Mechanized Group of the Southern Front held back the onslaught of the enemy's first armored army south of Rostov for several days. The basis of this unit was a separate division and 3 rocket artillery regiments.

In August of the same year, military engineer A. Alferov developed a portable model of the system for M-8 shells. Front-line soldiers began to call the new product “Mountain Katyusha.” The 20th Mountain Rifle Division was the first to use this weapon; the installation proved itself excellent in the battles for the Goytsky Pass. At the end of the winter of 1943, a unit of “Mountain Katyushas”, consisting of two divisions, participated in the defense of the famous bridgehead on Malaya Zemlya near Novorossiysk. At the Sochi railway depot, rocket systems were mounted on railcars - these installations were used to defend the city’s coastline. 8 rocket launchers were installed on the minesweeper "Skumbria", which covered the landing operation on Malaya Zemlya.

In the fall of 1943, during the battles near Bryansk, thanks to the rapid transfer of combat vehicles from one flank of the front to the other, a sudden attack was carried out, breaking the enemy’s defenses over a 250 km long area. On that day, enemy fortifications were hit by more than 6 thousand Soviet missiles fired by the legendary Katyushas.

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ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyusha_(weapon)
ww2total.com/WW2/Weapons/Artillery/Gun-Motor-Carriages/Russian/Katyusha/
4.bp.blogspot.com/_MXu96taKq-Y/S1cyFgKUuXI/AAAAAAAAAFoM/JCdyYOyD6ME/s400/1.jpg

Materials provided by: S.V. Gurov (Tula)

In the list of contractual work carried out by the Jet Research Institute (RNII) for the Armored Directorate (ABTU), the final payment for which was to be carried out in the first quarter of 1936, mentions contract No. 251618с dated January 26, 1935 - a prototype rocket launcher on the BT tank -5 with 10 missiles. Thus, it can be considered a proven fact that the idea of creating a mechanized multiple-charging installation in the third decade of the 20th century did not appear at the end of the 30s, as previously stated, but at least at the end of the first half of this period. Confirmation of the idea of using cars to fire rockets in general was also found in the book “Rockets, their design and use,” authored by G.E. Langemak and V.P. Glushko, released in 1935. At the conclusion of this book, in particular, the following is written: " The main area of application of powder rockets is the armament of light combat vehicles, such as airplanes, small ships, vehicles of all kinds, and finally escort artillery".

In 1938, employees of Research Institute No. 3, commissioned by the Artillery Directorate, carried out work on object No. 138 - a gun for firing 132 mm chemical shells. It was necessary to make non-rapid-firing machines (such as a pipe). According to the agreement with the Artillery Department, it was necessary to design and manufacture an installation with a stand and a lifting and turning mechanism. One machine was manufactured, which was then recognized as not meeting the requirements. At the same time, Research Institute No. 3 developed a mechanized multiple rocket launcher mounted on a modified ZIS-5 truck chassis with 24 rounds of ammunition. According to other data from the archives of the State Scientific Center FSUE “Keldysh Center” (former Research Institute No. 3), “2 mechanized installations on vehicles were manufactured. They passed factory shooting tests at the Sofrinsky Artillery Ground and partial field tests at the Ts.V.Kh.P. R.K.K.A. with positive results." Based on factory tests, it could be stated: the flight range of the RHS (depending on the specific gravity of the explosive agent) at a firing angle of 40 degrees is 6000 - 7000 m, Vd = (1/100)X and Vb = (1/70)X, useful volume of the explosive agent in a projectile - 6.5 liters, metal consumption per 1 liter of explosive agent - 3.4 kg/l, radius of dispersion of explosive agent when a projectile explodes on the ground is 15-20 liters, the maximum time required to fire the entire ammunition load of the vehicle is 3-4 seconds.

The mechanized rocket launcher was intended to provide a chemical attack with chemical rocket projectiles /SOV and NOV/ 132 mm with a capacity of 7 liters. The installation made it possible to fire across areas with both single shots and a salvo of 2 - 3 - 6 - 12 and 24 shots. “The installations, combined into batteries of 4 - 6 vehicles, represent a very mobile and powerful means of chemical attack at a distance of up to 7 kilometers.”

The installation and a 132 mm chemical rocket projectile for 7 liters of toxic substance passed successful field and state tests; its adoption was planned in 1939. The table of practical accuracy of chemical missile projectiles indicated the data of a mechanized vehicle installation for a surprise attack by firing chemical, high-explosive fragmentation, incendiary, illuminating and other missile projectiles. Option I without a guidance device - the number of shells in one salvo is 24, the total weight of the toxic substance released in one salvo is 168 kg, 6 vehicle installations replace one hundred and twenty 152 mm caliber howitzers, the vehicle reload speed is 5-10 minutes. 24 shots, number of service personnel - 20-30 people. on 6 cars. In artillery systems - 3 Artillery Regiments. II-version with control device. Data not provided.

From December 8, 1938 to February 4, 1939, tests were carried out on unguided 132 mm caliber rockets and an automatic launcher. However, the installation was submitted for testing unfinished and did not withstand them: a large number of failures were discovered when the missiles were discharged due to the imperfections of the corresponding installation components; the process of loading the launcher was inconvenient and time-consuming; the rotating and lifting mechanisms did not provide easy and smooth operation, and the sighting devices did not provide the required pointing accuracy. In addition, the ZIS-5 truck had limited cross-country ability. (See Tests of an automobile rocket launcher on the ZIS-5 chassis, NII-3 design, drawing No. 199910 for launching 132 mm rockets. (Test time: from 12/8/38 to 02/04/39).

In the letter of bonus for successful test in 1939, a mechanized installation for chemical attack (ref. Research Institute No. 3, number 733c dated May 25, 1939 from the director of Research Institute No. 3 Slonimer addressed to the People's Commissar of Ammunition comrade Sergeev I.P.) the following participants in the work are indicated: Kostikov A.G. . - Deputy technical director parts, installation initiator; Gwai I.I. - leading designer; Popov A. A. - design technician; Isachenkov - installation mechanic; Pobedonostsev Yu. - prof. advised the subject; Luzhin V. - engineer; Schwartz L.E. - engineer .

In 1938, the Institute designed the construction of a special chemical motorized team for salvo firing of 72 rounds.

In a letter dated 14.II.1939 to Comrade Matveev (V.P.K. of the Defense Committee under the Supreme Soviet of the S.S.S.R.) signed by the Director of Research Institute No. 3 Slonimer and Deputy. Director of Research Institute No. 3, military engineer 1st rank Kostikov, says: “For ground forces, use the experience of a chemical mechanized installation for:

the use of high-explosive fragmentation missiles to create massive fire in areas;
the use of incendiary, illuminating and propaganda projectiles;
development of a 203mm caliber chemical projectile and a mechanized installation providing double the firing range compared to existing chemicals."

In 1939, Research Institute No. 3 developed two versions of experimental installations on a modified ZIS-6 truck chassis for launching 24 and 16 unguided rockets of 132 mm caliber. The installation of sample II differed from the installation of sample I in the longitudinal arrangement of the guides.

The ammunition load of the mechanized installation /on the ZIS-6/ for launching chemical and high-explosive fragmentation shells of 132mm caliber /MU-132/ was 16 missile shells. The firing system provided for the possibility of firing both single shells and a salvo of the entire ammunition load. The time required to fire a salvo of 16 missiles is 3.5 - 6 seconds. The time required to reload ammunition is 2 minutes with a team of 3 people. The weight of the structure with a full ammunition load of 2350 kg was 80% of the design load of the vehicle.

Field tests of these installations were carried out from September 28 to November 9, 1939 on the territory of the Artillery Research Experimental Test Site (ANIOP, Leningrad) (see those made at ANIOP). The results of field tests showed that the installation of the first model cannot be allowed for military testing due to technical imperfections. The installation of model II, which also had a number of serious shortcomings, according to the conclusion of the commission members, could be allowed for military testing after making significant design changes. Tests have shown that when firing, the installation of sample II swings and the elevation angle reaches 15"30", which increases the dispersion of projectiles; when loading the lower row of guides, the projectile fuse can hit the truss structure. Since the end of 1939, the main attention has been focused on improving the layout and design of the II sample installation and eliminating the shortcomings identified during field tests. In this regard, it is necessary to note the characteristic directions in which the work was carried out. On the one hand, this is further development of the II sample installation in order to eliminate its shortcomings, on the other hand, the creation of a more advanced installation, different from the II sample installation. In the tactical and technical assignment for the development of a more advanced installation (“upgraded installation for RS” in the terminology of documents of those years), signed by Yu.P. Pobedonostsev on December 7, 1940, provided for: constructive improvements to the lifting and rotating device, increasing the horizontal guidance angle, and simplifying the sighting device. It was also envisaged to increase the length of the guides to 6000 mm instead of the existing 5000 mm, as well as the possibility of firing unguided rockets of 132 mm and 180 mm caliber. At a meeting at the technical department of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition, it was decided to increase the length of the guides even to 7000 mm. The delivery date for the drawings was set for October 1941. Nevertheless, to conduct various types of tests in the workshops of Research Institute No. 3 in 1940 - 1941, several (in addition to the existing) modernized installations for RS were manufactured. Total number Different sources indicate different things: some say six, others say seven. The data from the archive of Research Institute No. 3 as of January 10, 1941 contains data on 7 pieces. (from the document on the readiness of object 224 (topic 24 of the superplan, an experimental series of automatic installations for firing RS-132 mm (in the amount of seven pieces. See letter UANA GAU No. 668059) Based on the available documents - the source states that there were eight installations, but at different times.On February 28, 1941 there were six of them.

The thematic plan of research and development work for 1940 of the Scientific Research Institute No. 3 of the NKB provided for the transfer to the customer - the Red Army AU - of six automatic installations for the RS-132mm. The report on the implementation of experimental orders in production for the month of November 1940 by Research Institute No. 3 NKB indicates that when the delivery batch of six installations to the customer by November 1940, the quality control department accepted 5 units, and the military representative - 4 units.

In December 1939, Research Institute No. 3 was given the task of developing a powerful rocket projectile and a rocket launcher in a short period of time to carry out the tasks of destroying long-term defensive structures enemy on the Mannerheim Line. The result of the work of the institute's team was a finned missile with a flight range of 2-3 km with a powerful high-explosive warhead with a ton of explosives and an installation with four guides on a T-34 tank or on a sled towed by tractors or tanks. In January 1940, the installation and missiles were sent to the combat area, but a decision was soon made to conduct field tests before using them in combat. The installation with shells was sent to the Leningrad Scientific Testing Artillery Range. The war with Finland soon ended. The need for powerful high-explosive shells disappeared. Further work on the installation and projectile was stopped.

In 1940, the department of 2n Research Institute No. 3 was asked to carry out work on the following objects:

Object 213 - Electrified installation on a ZIS for firing lighting and signaling devices. R.S. calibers 140-165mm. (Note: for the first time, an electric drive for a rocket artillery combat vehicle was used in the design of the BM-21 combat vehicle of the M-21 Field Rocket System).
Object 214 - Installation on a 2-axle trailer with 16 guides, length l = 6mt. for R.S. calibers 140-165mm. (remodeling and adaptation of object 204)
Object 215 - Electrified installation on a ZIS-6 with a transportable reserve of R.S. and with a large range of aiming angles.
Object 216 - Charging box for PC on trailer
Object 217 - Installation on a 2-axle trailer for firing long-range missiles
Object 218 - Anti-aircraft moving installation for 12 pcs. R.S. caliber 140 mm with electric drive
Object 219 - Anti-aircraft stationary installation for 50-80 R.S. caliber 140 mm.
Object 220 - Command installation on a ZIS-6 vehicle with an electric current generator, aiming and firing control panel
Object 221 - Universal installation on a 2-axle trailer for possible range shooting of RS calibers from 82 to 165 mm.
Object 222 - Mechanized unit for tank escort
Object 223 - Introduction of mass production of mechanized installations into industry.

In the letter to the acting Director of Research Institute No. 3, military engineer 1st rank Kostikov A.G. about the possibility of submitting to K.V.Sh. with the USSR Council of People's Commissars for the award of the Comrade Stalin Prize, based on the results of work in the period from 1935 to 1940, the following participants in the work are indicated:

rocket launcher for a sudden, powerful artillery and chemical attack on the enemy using rocket shells - Authors according to the application certificate GBPRI No. 3338 9.II.40 (author's certificate No. 3338 dated February 19, 1940) Kostikov Andrey Grigorievich, Gvai Ivan Isidorovich, Aborenkov Vasily Vasilevich.
tactical and technical justification for the scheme and design of the automatic installation - designers: Pavlenko Alexey Petrovich and Galkovsky Vladimir Nikolaevich.
testing of high-explosive fragmentation chemical rocket projectiles of 132 mm caliber. - Schwartz Leonid Emilievich, Artemyev Vladimir Andreevich, Shitov Dmitry Alexandrovich

The basis for nominating Comrade Stalin for the Prize was also the Decision of the Technical Council of the Scientific Research Institute No. 3 of the NKB dated December 26, 1940. ,.

On April 25, 1941, tactical and technical requirements for the modernization of a mechanized installation for firing rockets were approved.

On June 21, 1941, the installation was demonstrated to the leaders of the All-Union Communist Party (6) and the Soviet government, and on the same day, literally a few hours before the start of the Great Patriotic War, a decision was made to urgently launch the production of M-13 rockets and M-13 installations (see. Scheme 1, Scheme 2). The production of M-13 units was organized at the Voronezh plant named after. Comintern and at the Moscow plant "Compressor". One of the main enterprises for the production of rockets was the Moscow plant named after. Vladimir Ilyich.

During the war, the production of component installations and shells and the transition from mass production to mass production required the creation of a broad structure of cooperation in the country (Moscow, Leningrad, Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), Nizhny Tagil, Krasnoyarsk, Kolpino, Murom, Kolomna and, possibly , other). It was necessary to organize a separate military acceptance of guards mortar units. For more information about the production of shells and their elements during the war, see our website (follow the links below).

According to various sources, the formation of Guards mortar units began at the end of July - beginning of August (see:). In the first months of the war, the Germans already had information about the new Soviet weapons (see:).

The date of adoption of the M-13 installation and shells into service has not been documented. The author of this material has established only data on the draft Resolution of the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of February 1940 (See electronic versions of documents: , , ). In M. Pervov’s book “Stories about Russian Missiles” Book One. on page 257 it is stated that "On August 30, 1941, by Decree State Committee Defense BM-13 was adopted by the Red Army." I, Gurov S.V., got acquainted with the electronic versions of the GKO Resolutions for August 30, 1941 in the Russian State Archive Socio-Political History (RGASPI, Moscow) and did not find in any of them any mention of data on the adoption of the M-13 installation for service.

In September-October 1941, on the instructions of the Main Armament Directorate of the Guards Mortar Units, the M-13 installation was developed on the STZ-5 NATI tractor chassis modified for installation. The development was entrusted to the Voronezh plant named after. Comintern and SKB at the Moscow plant “Compressor”. SKB carried out the development more efficiently, and prototypes were manufactured and tested in a short time. As a result, the installation was put into service and put into mass production.

In the December days of 1941, SKB, on the instructions of the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army, developed, in particular, for the defense of the city of Moscow, a 16-round installation on an armored railway platform. The installation was a missile launcher of the serial M-13 installation on a modified ZIS-6 truck chassis with a modified base. (for more information about other works of this period and the war period in general, see: and).

At a technical meeting at SKB on April 21, 1942, it was decided to develop a normalized installation known as the M-13N (after the war BM-13N). The goal of the development was to create the most advanced installation, the design of which would take into account all the changes previously made to various modifications of the M-13 installation and the creation of such a throwing installation that could be manufactured and assembled on a stand and, when assembled, installed and assembled on a chassis cars of any brand without extensive processing of technical documentation, as was the case previously. The goal was achieved by dividing the M-13 installation into separate units. Each node was considered as an independent product with an index assigned to it, after which it could be used as a borrowed product in any installation.

When testing components and parts for the normalized combat installation BM-13N, the following were obtained:

increase in the firing sector by 20%

reduction of forces on the handles of guidance mechanisms by one and a half to two times;

doubling the vertical aiming speed;

increasing the survivability of the combat installation by armoring the rear wall of the cabin; gas tank and gas lines;

increasing the stability of the installation in the stowed position by introducing a support bracket to disperse the load on the side members of the vehicle;

increasing the operational reliability of the unit (simplification of the support beam, rear axle, etc.;

significant reduction in the volume of welding work, machining, elimination of bending of truss rods;

reducing the weight of the unit by 250 kg, despite the introduction of armor on the rear wall of the cabin and the gas tank;

reduction of production time for the manufacture of the installation due to the assembly of the artillery part separately from the vehicle chassis and installation of the installation on the vehicle chassis using fastening clamps, which made it possible to eliminate the drilling of holes in the side members;

reducing by several times the idle time of the chassis of vehicles arriving at the plant for installation of the unit;

reduction in the number of standard sizes of fasteners from 206 to 96, as well as the number of parts: in the rotary frame - from 56 to 29, in the truss from 43 to 29, in the support frame - from 15 to 4, etc. The use of normalized components and products in the design of the installation made it possible to use a high-performance in-line method for assembling and installing the installation.

The throwing unit was mounted on a modified chassis of a Studebaker series truck (see photo) with a 6x6 wheel arrangement, supplied under Lend-Lease. The normalized M-13N mount was adopted by the Red Army in 1943. The installation became the main model used until the end of the Great Patriotic War. Other types of modified chassis of foreign-made trucks were also used.

At the end of 1942 V.V. Aborenkov proposed adding two additional pins to the M-13 projectile in order to launch it from dual guides. For this purpose, a prototype was made, which was a serial M-13 installation, in which the swinging part (guides and truss) was replaced. The guide consisted of two steel strips placed on an edge, each of them had a groove cut for the drive pin. Each pair of strips was fastened opposite each other with grooves in a vertical plane. The field tests carried out did not give the expected improvement in the accuracy of fire and the work was stopped.

At the beginning of 1943, SKB specialists carried out work to create installations with a normalized propellant installation for the M-13 installation on modified chassis of Chevrolet and ZIS-6 trucks. During January - May 1943, a prototype was manufactured on a modified Chevrolet truck chassis and field tests were carried out. The installations were adopted by the Red Army. However, due to the availability of sufficient quantities of chassis of these brands, they did not go into mass production.

In 1944, SKB specialists developed the M-13 installation on an armored chassis of the ZIS-6 vehicle, modified for installation of a missile launcher, for launching M-13 projectiles. For this purpose, the normalized “beam” type guides of the M-13N installation were shortened to 2.5 meters and assembled into a package on two spars. The truss was made of shortened pipes in the form of a pyramidal frame, turned upside down, and served mainly as a support for fastening the screw of the lifting mechanism. The elevation angle of the guide package was changed from the cockpit using handwheels and the cardan shaft of the vertical guidance mechanism. A prototype was made. However, due to the weight of the armor, the front axle and springs of the ZIS-6 vehicle were overloaded, as a result of which further installation work was stopped.

At the end of 1943 - beginning of 1944, SKB specialists and rocket projectile developers were faced with the question of improving the accuracy of fire of 132 mm caliber projectiles. To impart rotational motion, the designers introduced tangential holes into the projectile design along the diameter of the head working belt. The same solution was used in the design of the standard projectile, and was proposed for the projectile. As a result of this, the accuracy indicator increased, but there was a decrease in the flight range indicator. Compared to the standard M-13 projectile, whose flight range was 8470 m, the range of the new projectile, designated M-13UK, was 7900 m. Despite this, the projectile was adopted by the Red Army.

During the same period, NII-1 specialists (Lead Designer V.G. Bessonov) developed and then tested the M-13DD projectile. The projectile had the best accuracy, but it could not be fired from the standard M-13 mounts, since the projectile had a rotational motion and, when launched from the usual standard guides, destroyed them, tearing off the linings from them. To a lesser extent, this also occurred when launching M-13UK projectiles. The M-13DD projectile was adopted by the Red Army at the end of the war. Mass production of the projectile was not organized.

At the same time, SKB specialists began exploratory design studies and experimental work to improve the accuracy of firing rockets and by testing the guides. It was based on a new principle of launching rockets and ensuring they were strong enough to fire M-13DD and M-20 projectiles. Since imparting rotation to finned unguided rocket projectiles at the initial segment of their flight trajectory improved accuracy, the idea was born of imparting rotation to projectiles on guides without drilling tangential holes in the projectiles, which consume part of the engine power to rotate them and thereby reduce their flight range. This idea led to the creation of spiral guides. The design of the spiral guide took the form of a barrel formed by four spiral rods, three of which are smooth steel pipes, and the fourth, the leading one, is made of a steel square with selected grooves forming an H-shaped cross-section profile. The rods were welded to the legs of the ring clips. In the breech there was a lock for holding the projectile in the guide and electrical contacts. Special equipment was created for bending guide rods in a spiral, having different angles of twisting and welding of guide barrels along their length. Initially, the installation had 12 guides, rigidly connected into four cassettes (three guides per cassette). Prototypes of a 12-charge unit were developed and manufactured. However, sea trials showed that the vehicle chassis was overloaded, and a decision was made to remove two guides from the upper cassettes. The launcher was mounted on a modified chassis of a Studebeker off-road truck. It consisted of a set of guides, a truss, a rotating frame, a subframe, a sight, vertical and horizontal guidance mechanisms, and electrical equipment. Except for the cassettes with guides and the truss, all other components were unified with the corresponding components of the M-13N normalized combat installation. Using the M-13-SN installation, it was possible to launch M-13, M-13UK, M-20 and M-13DD projectiles of 132 mm caliber. Were received significantly best performance by accuracy of fire: with M-13 shells - 3.2 times, M-13UK - 1.1 times, M-20 - 3.3 times, M-13DD - 1.47 times). With the improvement in the accuracy of firing M-13 rocket projectiles, the flight range did not decrease, as was the case when firing M-13UK projectiles from M-13 installations that had “beam” type guides. There was no longer a need to manufacture M-13UK projectiles, which were complicated by drilling in the engine casing. Installation of the M-13-SN was simpler, less labor-intensive and cheaper to manufacture. A number of labor-intensive machine tools have been eliminated: gouging long guides, drilling a large number of rivet holes, riveting linings to the guides, turning, calibrating, manufacturing and cutting threads of spars and nuts for them, complex machining of locks and lock boxes, etc. The prototypes were manufactured at the Moscow Kompressor plant (No. 733) and were subjected to field and sea trials, which ended with good results. After the end of the war, the M-13-SN installation passed military tests in 1945 with good results. Due to the fact that the M-13 type projectiles had to be modernized, the installation was not put into service. After the 1946 series, on the basis of NCOM order No. 27 of October 24, 1946, the installation was discontinued. However, in 1950 a Brief Guide to the BM-13-SN combat vehicle was published

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, one of the directions in the development of rocket artillery was the use of missile launchers developed during the war for installation on modified types of domestically produced chassis. Several variants were created based on the installation of the M-13N on modified chassis of the ZIS-151 (see photo), ZIL-151 (see photo), ZIL-157 (see photo), ZIL-131 (see photo) trucks. .

After the war, M-13 type installations were exported to different countries. One of them was China (see photo from the military parade on the occasion of National Day 1956, held in Beijing (Beijing).

In 1959, when carrying out work on a projectile for the future Field Rocket System, the developers were interested in the issue of technical documentation for the production of ROFS M-13. This is what was written in the letter to the Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs of NII-147 (now FSUE SNPP Splav (Tula), signed by the chief engineer of plant No. 63 SSNH Toporov (State Plant No. 63 of the Sverdlovsk Economic Council, 22.VII.1959 No. 1959c): “In response to your request No. 3265 dated 3/UII-59 about sending technical documentation on the production of ROFS M-13, I inform you that at present the plant does not produce this product, and the classification of secrecy has been removed from the technical documentation.

The plant has outdated tracing papers of the technological process of machining the product. The plant has no other documentation.

Due to the workload of the photocopying machine, the album of technical processes will be blueprinted and sent to you no earlier than in a month."

Compound

Main cast:

M-13 installations (combat vehicles M-13, BM-13) (see. gallery images M-13).
The main missiles are M-13, M-13UK, M-13UK-1.
Machines for transporting ammunition (transport vehicles).

The M-13 projectile (see diagram) consisted of two main parts: the warhead and the rocket part (jet powder engine). The warhead consisted of a body with a fuse point, the bottom of the warhead and an explosive charge with an additional detonator. The projectile's jet powder engine consisted of a chamber, a nozzle cover that closed to seal the powder charge with two cardboard plates, a grate, a powder charge, an igniter and a stabilizer. On the outer part of both ends of the chamber there were two centering bulges with guide pins screwed into them. Guide pins held the projectile on the combat vehicle's guide before firing and directed its movement along the guide. The chamber contained a powder charge of nitroglycerin powder, consisting of seven identical cylindrical single-channel bombs. In the nozzle part of the chamber, the checkers rested on a grate. To ignite the powder charge, an igniter made of black gunpowder is inserted into the upper part of the chamber. The gunpowder was placed in a special case. Stabilization of the M-13 projectile in flight was carried out using the tail unit.

The flight range of the M-13 projectile reached 8470 m, but there was very significant dispersion. In 1943, a modernized version of the rocket was developed, designated M-13-UK (improved accuracy). To increase the accuracy of fire, the M-13-UK projectile has 12 tangentially located holes in the front centering thickening of the rocket part (see photo 1, photo 2), through which, during operation of the rocket engine, part of the powder gases escapes, causing the projectile to rotate. Although the projectile’s flight range decreased somewhat (to 7.9 km), the improvement in accuracy led to a decrease in the dispersion area and an increase in fire density by 3 times compared to M-13 projectiles. In addition, the M-13-UK projectile has a nozzle critical section diameter that is slightly smaller than that of the M-13 projectile. The M-13-UK projectile was adopted by the Red Army in April 1944. The M-13UK-1 projectile with improved accuracy was equipped with flat stabilizers made of steel sheet.

Performance characteristics

Characteristic	M-13	BM-13N	BM-13NM	BM-13NMM
Chassis	ZIS-6	ZIS-151,ZIL-151	ZIL-157	ZIL-131
Number of guides	8	8	8	8
Elevation angle, degrees: - minimal - maximum	+7 +45	8±1 +45	8±1 +45	8±1 +45
Angle of horizontal fire, degrees: - to the right of the chassis - to the left of the chassis	10 10	10 10	10 10	10 10
Handle force, kg: - lifting mechanism - rotary mechanism	8-10 8-10	up to 13 up to 8	up to 13 up to 8	up to 13 up to 8
Dimensions in stowed position, mm: - length - width - height	6700 2300 2800	7200 2300 2900	7200 2330 3000	7200 2500 3200
Weight, kg: - package of guides - artillery unit - installations in combat position - installations in stowed position (without calculations)	815 2200 6200 -	815 2350 7890 7210	815 2350 7770 7090	815 2350 9030 8350
	2-3
	5-10
Full salvo time, s	7-10

Basic tactical and technical data of the BM-13 combat vehicle (on Studebaker) 1946
Number of guides	16
Projectile used	M-13, M-13-UK and 8 M-20 shells
Guide length, m	5
Guide type	straight
Minimum elevation angle, °	+7
Maximum elevation angle, °	+45
Horizontal guidance angle, °	20
	8
Also, on a rotating mechanism, kg	10
Overall dimensions, kg:
length	6780
height	2880
width	2270
Guide set weight, kg	790
Weight of artillery unit without shells and without chassis, kg	2250
The weight of a combat vehicle without shells, without crews, with a full tank of gasoline, snow chains, tools and spare parts. wheel, kg	5940
Weight of a set of shells, kg
M13 and M13-UK	680 (16 rounds)
M20	480 (8 shells)
Weight of a combat vehicle with a crew of 5 people. (2 in the cabin, 2 on the rear wings and 1 on the gas tank) with full refueling, tools, snow chains, spare wheel and M-13 shells, kg	6770
Axle loads from the weight of a combat vehicle with a crew of 5 people, fully loaded with spare parts and M-13 shells, kg:
to the front	1890
to the back	4880

Basic data of BM-13 combat vehicles
Characteristic	BM-13N on a modified ZIL-151 truck chassis	BM-13 on a modified ZIL-151 truck chassis	BM-13N on a modified Studebaker truck chassis	BM-13 on a modified Studebaker truck chassis
Number of guides*	16	16	16	16
Guide length, m	5	5	5	5
Maximum elevation angle, degrees	45	45	45	45
Minimum elevation angle, degrees	8±1°	4±30 "	7	7
Horizontal aiming angle, degrees	±10	±10	±10	±10
Force on the handle of the lifting mechanism, kg	up to 12	up to 13	to 10	8-10
Force on the rotating mechanism handle, kg	up to 8	up to 8	8-10	8-10
Guide package weight, kg	815	815	815	815
Artillery unit weight, kg	2350	2350	2200	2200
Weight of the combat vehicle in the stowed position (without people), kg	7210	7210	5520	5520
Weight of the combat vehicle in combat position with shells, kg	7890	7890	6200	6200
Length in stowed position, m	7,2	7,2	6,7	6,7
Width in stowed position, m	2,3	2,3	2,3	2,3
Height in stowed position, m	2,9	3,0	2,8	2,8
Time to transfer from traveling to combat position, min	2-3	2-3	2-3	2-3
Time required to load a combat vehicle, min	5-10	5-10	5-10	5-10
Time required to fire a salvo, sec	7-10	7-10	7-10	7-10
Combat vehicle index	52-U-9416	8U34	52-U-9411	52-TR-492B

NURS M-13, M-13UK, M-13UK-1
Ballistic index	TS-13
Head type	high-explosive fragmentation
Fuse type	GVMZ-1
Caliber, mm	132
Total projectile length, mm	1465
Stabilizer blade span, mm	300
Weight, kg: - finally equipped projectile - equipped head part - explosive charge of the warhead - powder rocket charge - equipped jet engine	42.36 21.3 4.9 7.05-7.13 20.1
Projectile weight coefficient, kg/dm3	18.48
Head filling coefficient, %	23
Current required to ignite the squib, A	2.5-3
	0.7
Average reactive force, kgf	2000
Projectile exit speed from the guide, m/s	70
	125
Maximum projectile flight speed, m/s	355
Tabular maximum projectile range, m	8195
Deviation at maximum range, m: - by range - lateral	135 300
Powder charge burning time, s	0.7
Average reaction force, kg	2000 (1900 for M-13UK and M-13UK-1)
Muzzle velocity of the projectile, m/s	70
Length of the active trajectory section, m	125 (120 for M-13UK and M-13UK-1)
Highest projectile flight speed, m/s	335 (for M-13UK and M-13UK-1)
Maximum projectile flight range, m	8470 (7900 for M-13UK and M-13UK-1)

According to the English catalog Jane's Armor and Artillery 1995-1996, section of Egypt, in the mid-90s of the 20th century due to the impossibility of obtaining, in particular, shells for combat vehicles of the M-13 type, the Arab Organization for Industrialization (Arab Organization for Industrialisation) was engaged in the production of 132 mm caliber rockets. Analysis of the data presented below allows us to conclude that we are talking about a projectile of the M-13UK type.

The Arab Organization for Industrialization included Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia with the majority of production facilities located in Egypt and with major funding from countries Persian Gulf. Following the Egyptian-Israeli agreement in mid-1979, the other three members of the Gulf countries withdrew their funds intended for the Arab Organization for Industrialization, and at that time (data from the Jane's Armor and Artillery catalog 1982-1983) Egypt received another assistance in projects.

Characteristics of the Sakr 132 mm caliber missile (RS type M-13UK)
Caliber, mm	132
Length, mm
full shell	1500
head part	483
rocket engine	1000
Weight, kg:
starting	42
head part	21
fuse	0,5
rocket engine	21
fuel (charge)	7
Maximum tail span, mm	305
Head type	high-explosive fragmentation (with 4.8 kg of explosive)
Fuse type	inertial cocked, contact
Fuel type (charge)	dibasic
Maximum range (at an elevation angle of 45º), m	8000
Maximum projectile speed, m/s	340
Fuel (charge) burning time, s	0,5
Projectile speed when meeting an obstacle, m/s	235-320
Minimum fuse arming speed, m/s	300
Distance from the combat vehicle for arming the fuse, m	100-200
Number of oblique holes in the rocket engine housing, pcs.	12

Testing and operation

The first battery of field rocket artillery, sent to the front on the night of July 1-2, 1941 under the command of Captain I.A. Flerov, was armed with seven installations manufactured in the workshops of Research Institute No. 3. With its first salvo at 15:15 on July 14, 1941 year, the battery wiped out the Orsha railway junction from the face of the earth, along with the German trains with troops and military equipment located on it.

The exceptional efficiency of the battery of Captain I. A. Flerov and the seven more such batteries formed after it contributed to the rapid increase in the rate of production of jet weapons. Already in the autumn of 1941, 45 three-battery divisions with four launchers per battery operated at the fronts. For their armament in 1941, 593 M-13 installations were manufactured. As military equipment arrived from industry, the formation of rocket artillery regiments began, consisting of three divisions armed with M-13 launchers and an anti-aircraft division. The regiment had 1,414 personnel, 36 M-13 launchers and 12 37-mm anti-aircraft guns. The regiment's salvo amounted to 576 132mm shells. At the same time, enemy manpower and military equipment were destroyed over an area of over 100 hectares. Officially, the regiments were called Guards Mortar Regiments of the Reserve Artillery of the Supreme High Command. Unofficially, the rocket artillery installations were called "Katyusha". According to the memoirs of Evgeny Mikhailovich Martynov (Tula), who was a child during the war, in Tula at first they were called hellish machines. Let us note on our own that multi-charge machines were also called infernal machines in the 19th century.

State Research Center Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Keldysh Center”. Op. 1. Storage unit according to inventory 14. Inv. 291.LL.134-135.

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"Modelist-Constructor" 1985, No. 4

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M-13 combat vehicle. Quick service guide. M.: Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army. Military publishing house of the People's Commissariat of Defense, 1945. - pp. 9,86,87.

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Subsequently, by analogy with “Katyusha”, the nickname “Andryusha” was given by Soviet soldiers to another rocket artillery installation BM-31-12, but this nickname did not become so widespread and popular.

History of the creation of weapons

M-13 shell

Memorial complex (1 km northeast of the village of Pishchalovo, Orsha district). The site of the first use of the BM-13 “KATYUSHA” installation.

Back in 1920, employees of the Riga VEF plant under the leadership of Alexander Tipainis developed an experimental prototype of the Oscars experimental rocket launcher. Despite the success of the prototype, no funds were allocated for further production, and the project never reached the mass production stage. In January 1921, the drawings and other important documentation fell into the hands of Soviet security officers and NKVD agents. [ ] In 1921, employees of the Gas Dynamics Laboratory (GDL) N.I. Tikhomirov and V.A. Artemyev began developing rockets for aircraft.

In 1938-1941, at Research Institute No. 3 of the NKB (from 1938, former RNII) under the leadership of chief designer A.V. Kostikov, engineers: I.I. Gvai, V.N. Galkovsky, A.P. Pavlenko, R. I Popov, N.I. Tikhomirov, V.A. Artemyev and others created a multi-charge launcher mounted on a truck.

In March 1941, field tests of the installations, designated BM-13 (combat vehicle with 132 mm caliber shells), were successfully carried out. The 132 mm M-13 rocket and the launcher based on the ZIS-6 BM-13 truck were put into service on June 21, 1941; It was this type of combat vehicle that first received the nickname “Katyusha”. The BM-13 installations were first tested in combat conditions at 10 a.m. on July 14, 1941. The battery of Captain Flerov, who took part in the creation of the BM-13, fired at enemy troops and equipment at the railway junction of the city of Orsha. Since the spring of 1942 rocket launcher It was installed mainly on English and American all-wheel drive chassis imported under Lend-Lease. The most famous among them was the Studebaker US6. During the Great Patriotic War, it was created significant amount variants of RS shells and launchers for them; In total, Soviet industry produced approximately 10,000 rocket artillery combat vehicles during the war years.

Origin of the nickname

There is no single version of why the BM-13 began to be called “Katyusha”. There are several assumptions. The most common and well-founded are two versions of the origin of the nickname, which are not mutually exclusive:

Based on the title of Blanter’s song, which became popular before the war, based on the words of Isakovsky “Katyusha”. The version is convincing, since Captain Flerov’s battery fired at the enemy, firing a salvo at the Market Square of the city of Rudnya. This was one of the first combat uses of Katyushas, confirmed in historical literature. The installations were shooting from a high, steep mountain - the association with the high, steep bank in the song immediately arose among the fighters. Finally, until recently, Andrei Sapronov, a former sergeant of the headquarters company of the 217th separate communications battalion of the 144th Infantry Division of the 20th Army, was alive until recently, later a military historian, who gave it this name. Red Army soldier Kashirin, having arrived with him at the battery after the shelling of Rudnya, exclaimed in surprise: “What a song!” “Katyusha,” answered Andrei Sapronov (from the memoirs of A. Sapronov in the Rossiya newspaper No. 23 dated June 21-27, 2001 and in the Parliamentary newspaper No. 80 dated May 5, 2005). Through the communications center of the headquarters company, the news about a miracle weapon called “Katyusha” within 24 hours became the property of the entire 20th Army, and through its command - the entire country. On July 13, 2012, the veteran and “godfather” of Katyusha turned 91, and on February 26, 2013 he passed away. On the desk he left his latest work - a chapter about the first salvo of Katyusha rockets for the multi-volume history of the Great Patriotic War, which is being prepared for publication.
The name may be associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Comintern plant. And front-line soldiers loved to give nicknames to their weapons. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed “Mother”, the ML-20 howitzer gun was nicknamed “Emelka”. Yes, and the BM-13 was at first sometimes called “Raisa Sergeevna,” thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).

In addition to the two main ones, there are also many other, less well-known versions of the origin of the nickname - from very realistic to those of a purely legendary nature:

Similar nicknames

In addition to the popular nickname “Katyusha”, which became widely known throughout the world, in relation to Soviet rocket artillery combat vehicles during the Great Patriotic War, there were also a number of its analogues, less known.

There is an opinion, expressed in English-language sources, that the BM-31-12 combat vehicle, by analogy with the Katyusha, received the nickname “Andryusha” from Soviet soldiers, although, perhaps, “Andryusha” was called the M-30. Also very popular, it, however, did not receive such significant distribution and fame as the Katyusha, and did not spread to other models of launchers; even the BM-31-12s themselves were often called “Katyushas” rather than by their own nickname. Following "Katyusha" with a Russian name Soviet fighters They also dubbed a German weapon of a similar type - the 15 cm Nb.W 41 (Nebelwerfer) towed rocket mortar, nicknamed "Vanyusha". In addition, the M-30 high-explosive rocket, used from the simplest portable frame-type multiple rocket launchers, subsequently also received several humorous nicknames of a similar type: “Ivan Dolbay”, associated with high destructive force projectile, and “Luka” - on behalf of the character Luka Mudishchev from a pornographic poem of the 19th century, in connection with the characteristic shape of the head of the projectile; Due to the obvious obscene subtext of the joke, the nickname “Luka,” which had a certain popularity among soldiers, was practically not reflected in the Soviet press and literature and remained little known in general.

Mortar launchers were called “Marusya” (derived from MARS - mortar artillery rockets), and on the Volkhov Front they were called “guitar”.

While in the Soviet troops the BM-13 combat vehicles and analogues received the stable nickname “Katyusha”, in the German troops these vehicles were nicknamed “Stalin’s organs” (German: Stalinorgel) - due to the association of the appearance of the rocket launcher guide package with the pipe system of this musical instrument and because of the characteristic sound made when launching rockets. Soviet installations of this type became known under this nickname, in addition to Germany, also in a number of other countries - Denmark (Danish: Stalinorgel), Finland (Finnish: Stalinin urut), France (French: Orgues de Staline), Norway (Norwegian: Stalinorgel), The Netherlands (Dutch: Stalinorgel), Hungary (Hungarian: Sztálinorgona) and Sweden (Swedish: Stalins orgel).

Among German soldiers the Soviet nickname “Katyusha” also spread - Katjuscha. From the memoirs of intelligence officer N.P. Rusanov, we know about the inadequate reaction of some German soldiers to this word:

When they brought him (the sergeant major) to his team, there was a Katyusha at the headquarters. As soon as the German heard this word “Katyusha”, he immediately began to shake all over, rushed to the side, so that they could barely hold him back. How much laughter we boys had! .

Notes

Luknitsky P. N. Through the entire blockade. - L.: Lenizdat, 1988. - P. 193.
Gordon L. Rottman.// FUBAR (F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition): Soldier Slang of World War II. - Osprey, 2007. - P. 278-279. - 296 p. - ISBN 1-84603-175-3.
Katyusha- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.
Steven J. Zaloga, James Grandsen. Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two. - London: Arms and Armor Press, 1984. - P. 153. - 240 p. - ISBN 0-85368-606-8.
“Luka” and “Katyusha” against “Vanyusha”. “Equipment and weapons” No. 1 1995
AKIMOV V. N., KOROTEEV A. S., GAFAROV A. A. and others. Weapon of Victory - “Katyusha” // Research Center named after M. V. Keldysh. 1933-2003: 70 years at the cutting edge of rocket and space technology. - Mechanical engineering. - M, 2003. - P. 92-101. - 439 p.
Pervushin A.I."Red space. Starships of the Soviet Empire." 2007. Moscow. "Yauza", "Eksmo". ISBN 5-699-19622-6.
MILITARY LITERATURE - [Military History]- Fugate B., Operation Barbarossa
Andronikov N. G., Galitsan A. S., Kiryan M. M. et al. The Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945: Dictionary-reference book / Under. ed. M. M. Kiryana. - M.: Politizdat, 1985. - P. 204. - 527 p. - 200,000 copies.
"K-22" - Battle cruiser / [under general. ed. N. V. Ogarkova]. - M.: Military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, 1979. - P. 124. - (Soviet Military Encyclopedia: [in 8 volumes]; 1976-1980, vol. 4).
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