The famous Katyusha launcher was put into production a few hours before the attack Hitler's Germany to the USSR. System used volley fire rocket artillery for massive attacks on areas, had an average effective firing range.

Chronology of the creation of rocket artillery combat vehicles

Gelatin gunpowder was created in 1916 by Russian professor I.P. Grave. The further chronology of the development of rocket artillery of the USSR is as follows:

• five years later, already in the USSR, the development of a rocket began by V. A. Artemyev and N. I. Tikhomirov;
• in the period 1929 – 1933 a group led by B. S. Petropavlovsky created a prototype of a projectile for MLRS, but the launch units were used on the ground;
• rockets entered service with the Air Force in 1938, were labeled RS-82, and were installed on I-15 and I-16 fighters;
• in 1939 they were used at Khalkhin Gol, then they began to assemble warheads from RS-82 for SB bombers and L-2 attack aircraft;
• starting in 1938, another group of developers - R. I. Popov, A. P. Pavlenko, V. N. Galkovsky and I. I. Gvai - worked on a multi-charge installation of high mobility on a wheeled chassis;
• the last successful test before the launch of the BM-13 into mass production ended on June 21, 1941, that is, a few hours before the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR.

On the fifth day of the war, the Katyusha apparatus in the amount of 2 combat units entered service with the main artillery department. Two days later, on June 28, the first battery was formed from them and 5 prototypes that participated in the tests.

The first combat salvo of Katyusha officially took place on July 14. The city of Rudnya, occupied by the Germans, was shelled with incendiary shells filled with thermite, and two days later the crossing of the Orshitsa River in the area of ​​the Orsha railway station was fired upon.

History of the nickname Katyusha

Since the history of Katyusha, as the nickname of the MLRS, does not have accurate objective information, there are several plausible versions:

• some of the shells had an incendiary filling with the KAT marking, indicating the “Kostikov automatic thermite” charge;
• the bombers of the SB squadron, armed with RS-132 shells, taking part in the fighting at Khalkhin Gol, were nicknamed Katyushas;
• in the combat units there was a legend about a partisan girl with that name, who became famous for the destruction of a large number of fascists, with whom the Katyusha salvo was compared;
• rocket launcher had the marking K (Comintern plant) on its body, and the fighters liked to give the equipment affectionate nicknames.

The latter is supported by the fact that previously rockets with the designation RS were called Raisa Sergeevna, the ML-20 howitzer Emelei, and the M-30 Matushka, respectively.

However, the most poetic version of the nickname is considered to be the song Katyusha, which became popular just before the war. Correspondent A. Sapronov published a note in the Rossiya newspaper in 2001 about a conversation between two Red Army soldiers immediately after an MLRS salvo, in which one of them called it a song, and the second clarified the name of this song.

Analogues of MLRS nicknames

During the war years rocket launcher The BM with a 132 mm projectile was not the only weapon with own name. Based on the abbreviation MARS, mortar artillery rockets (mortar launchers) received the nickname Marusya.

Mortar MARS - Marusya

Even the German Nebelwerfer towed mortar soviet soldiers They jokingly called him Vanyusha.

Nebelwerfer mortar - Vanyusha

When fired in an area, Katyusha's salvo exceeded the damage from Vanyusha and the more modern analogues of the Germans that appeared at the end of the war. Modifications of the BM-31-12 tried to give the nickname Andryusha, but it did not catch on, so at least until 1945 any domestic MLRS system was called Katyusha.

Characteristics of the BM-13 installation

The BM 13 Katyusha multiple rocket launcher was created to destroy large enemy concentrations, therefore the main technical and tactical characteristics were:

• mobility - the MLRS had to quickly deploy, fire several salvos and instantly change position before destroying the enemy;
• firepower - from the MP-13 batteries of several installations were formed;
• low cost - a subframe was added to the design, which made it possible to assemble the artillery part of the MLRS at the factory and mount it on the chassis of any vehicle.

Thus, the weapon of victory was installed on railway, air and ground transport, and production costs decreased by at least 20%. The side and rear walls of the cabin were armored, and protective plates were installed on the windshield. The armor protected the gas pipeline and fuel tank, which dramatically increased the “survivability” of the equipment and the survivability of combat crews.

The guidance speed has increased due to the modernization of the rotating and lifting mechanisms, stability in the combat and traveling position. Even when deployed, Katyusha could move over rough terrain within a range of several kilometers at low speed.

Combat crew

To operate the BM-13, a crew of at least 5 people and a maximum of 7 people was used:

• driver - moving the MLRS, deploying to a firing position;
• loaders - 2 - 4 fighters, placing shells on the guides for a maximum of 10 minutes;
• gunner - providing aiming with lifting and turning mechanisms;
• gun commander - general management, interaction with other crews of the unit.

Since the BM guards rocket mortar began to be produced from the assembly line already during the war, there was no ready-made structure of combat units. First, batteries were formed - 4 MP-13 units and 1 anti-aircraft gun, then a division of 3 batteries.

In one salvo of the regiment, enemy equipment and manpower were destroyed over an area of ​​70–100 hectares by the explosion of 576 shells fired within 10 seconds. According to Directive 002490, the headquarters prohibited the use of Katyushas of less than a division.

Armament

A Katyusha salvo was fired within 10 seconds with 16 shells, each of which had the following characteristics:

• caliber – 132 mm;
• weight – glycerin powder charge 7.1 kg, bursting charge 4.9 kg, jet engine 21 kg, combat unit 22 kg, shell with fuse 42.5 kg;
• stabilizer blade span – 30 cm;
• projectile length - 1.4 m;
• acceleration – 500 m/s 2 ;
• speed - muzzle 70 m/s, combat 355 m/s;
• range – 8.5 km;
• funnel – 2.5 m in diameter maximum, 1 m deep maximum;
• damage radius - 10 m design, 30 m actual;
• deviation - 105 m in range, 200 m lateral.

M-13 projectiles were assigned the ballistic index TS-13.

Launcher

When the war began, the Katyusha salvo was fired from rail guides. Later they were replaced by honeycomb type guides to increase the combat power of the MLRS, then spiral type to increase the accuracy of fire.

To increase accuracy, a special stabilizer device was first used. This was then replaced with spirally arranged nozzles that twisted the rocket during flight, reducing terrain spread.

History of application

In the summer of 1942, BM 13 multiple launch rocket combat vehicles in the amount of three regiments and a reinforcement division became a mobile strike force on the Southern Front and helped hold back the advance of the enemy’s 1st Tank Army near Rostov.

Around the same time, a portable version, the “Mountain Katyusha”, was manufactured in Sochi for the 20th Mountain Rifle Division. In the 62nd Army, an MLRS division was created by installing launchers on the T-70 tank. The city of Sochi was defended from the shore by 4 railcars with M-13 mounts.

During the Bryansk operation (1943), multiple rocket launchers were spread along the entire front, making it possible to distract the Germans to carry out a flank attack. In July 1944, a simultaneous salvo of 144 BM-31 installations sharply reduced the number of accumulated forces of Nazi units.

Local conflicts

Chinese troops used 22 MLRS during artillery preparation before the Battle of Triangle Hill during the Korean War in October 1952. Later, the BM-13 multiple rocket launchers, supplied until 1963 from the USSR, were used in Afghanistan by the government. Katyusha remained in service in Cambodia until recently.

"Katyusha" vs. "Vanyusha"

Unlike the Soviet BM-13 installation, the German Nebelwerfer MLRS was actually a six-barreled mortar:

• a carriage from anti-tank gun 37 mm;
• the guides for the projectiles are six 1.3 m barrels, united by clips into blocks;
• the rotating mechanism provided a 45-degree elevation angle and a horizontal firing sector of 24 degrees;
• the combat installation rested on a folding stop and sliding frames of the carriage, the wheels were hung out.

The mortar fired turbojet missiles, the accuracy of which was ensured by rotating the body within 1000 rps. The German troops had several mobile mortar launchers on the half-track base of the Maultier armored personnel carrier with 10 barrels for 150 mm rockets. However, all German rocket artillery was created to solve another problem - chemical warfare using chemical warfare agents.

By 1941, the Germans had already created powerful toxic substances Soman, Tabun, and Sarin. However, none of them were used in WWII; the fire was carried out exclusively with smoke, high-explosive and incendiary mines. The main part of the rocket artillery was mounted on towed carriages, which sharply reduced the mobility of units.

The accuracy of hitting the target of the German MLRS was higher than that of the Katyusha. However, Soviet weapons were suitable for massive attacks over large areas and had a powerful psychological effect. When towing, Vanyusha’s speed was limited to 30 km/h, and after two salvos the position was changed.

The Germans managed to capture a sample of the M-13 only in 1942, but this did not bring any practical benefit. The secret was in powder bombs based on smokeless powder based on nitroglycerin. Germany failed to reproduce its production technology; until the end of the war, it used its own rocket fuel recipe.

Modifications of Katyusha

Initially, the BM-13 installation was based on the ZiS-6 chassis and fired M-13 rockets from rail guides. Later modifications of the MLRS appeared:

• BM-13N - since 1943, the Studebaker US6 was used as a chassis;
• BM-13NN – assembly on a ZiS-151 vehicle;
• BM-13NM - chassis from ZIL-157, in service since 1954;
• BM-13NMM - since 1967, assembled on ZIL-131;
• BM-31 – projectile 310 mm in diameter, honeycomb type guides;
• BM-31-12 – the number of guides has been increased to 12;
• BM-13 SN – spiral type guides;
• BM-8-48 – 82 mm shells, 48 ​​guides;
• BM-8-6 - based on heavy machine guns;
• BM-8-12 - on the chassis of motorcycles and snowmobiles;
• BM30-4 t BM31-4 – frames supported on the ground with 4 guides;
• BM-8-72, BM-8-24 and BM-8-48 - mounted on railway platforms.

T-40 and later T-60 tanks were equipped with mortar mounts. They were placed on a tracked chassis after the turret was dismantled. The USSR's allies supplied Austin, International GMC and Ford Mamon all-terrain vehicles under Lend-Lease, which were ideal for the chassis of installations used in mountain conditions.

Several M-13s were mounted on KV-1 light tanks, but they were taken out of production too quickly. In the Carpathians, Crimea, Malaya Zemlya, and then in China and Mongolia, North Korea torpedo boats with MLRS on board were used.

It is believed that the Red Army's armament consisted of 3,374 Katyusha BM-13s, of which 1,157 on 17 types of non-standard chassis, 1,845 units on Studebakers and 372 on ZiS-6 vehicles. Exactly half of the BM-8 and B-13 were lost irretrievably during the battles (1,400 and 3,400 units of equipment, respectively). Of the 1,800 BM-31s produced, 100 units of equipment out of 1,800 sets were lost.

From November 1941 to May 1945, the number of divisions increased from 45 to 519 units. These units belonged to the artillery reserve of the Supreme Command of the Red Army.

Monuments BM-13

Currently, all military MLRS installations based on the ZiS-6 have been preserved exclusively in the form of memorials and monuments. They are located in the CIS as follows:

• former NIITP (Moscow);
• "Military Hill" (Temryuk);
• Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin;
• Lebedin-Mikhailovka (Sumy region);
• monument in Kropyvnytskyi;
• memorial in Zaporozhye;
• Artillery Museum (St. Petersburg);
• WWII Museum (Kyiv);
• Monument of Glory (Novosibirsk);
• entry to Armyansk (Crimea);
• Sevastopol diorama (Crimea);
• Pavilion 11 VKS Patriot (Cubinka);
• Novomoskovsk Museum (Tula region);
• memorial in Mtsensk;
• memorial complex in Izium;
• Museum of the Korsun-Shevchenskaya Battle (Cherkasy region);
• military museum in Seoul;
• museum in Belgorod;
• WWII Museum in the village of Padikovo (Moscow region);
• OJSC Kirov Machinery Plant May 1;
• memorial in Tula.

Katyusha is used in several computer games, two combat vehicles remain in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Thus, the Katyusha MLRS installation was a powerful psychological and rocket-artillery weapon during the Second World War. The weapons were used for massive attacks on large cluster troops, at the time of the war surpassed the enemy’s counterparts.

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 chassis truck. 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.

Between July 1941 and December 1944 total The number of Katyushas produced amounted to more than 30 thousand units, and rockets of various calibers amounted to 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 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"Katyusha" in July 1941 fired 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 headquarters 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. The explosive mass of Katyusha missiles was half that of Nebelwerfer shells, however, the damage inflicted on manpower and lightly armored vehicles was significantly greater than the 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. The Katyushas had exceptional firepower, so their support in both offensive and defensive operations can hardly be overestimated. 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.

——
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

Published: January 11, 2016

Katyusha (BM-13): Our weapon of retaliation

Initially, barrelless rocket artillery systems in the Red Army were not intended for ground battles. They're in literally descended from heaven to earth.

The 82 mm caliber rocket was adopted by the Red Army Air Force back in 1933. They were installed on fighters designed by Polikarpov I-15, I-16 and I-153. In 1939, they underwent a baptism of fire during the fighting at Khalkhin Gol, where they performed well when shooting at groups of enemy aircraft.

In the same year, employees of the Jet Research Institute began work on a mobile ground launcher that could fire rockets at ground targets. At the same time, the caliber of the rockets was increased to 132 mm.

In March 1941, field tests were successfully carried out new system weapons, and the decision to mass produce combat vehicles with RS-132 missiles, called BM-13, was made the day before the start of the war - June 21, 1941.

How was it structured?

The BM-13 combat vehicle was a chassis of a three-axle ZIS-6 vehicle, on which a rotary truss with a package of guides and a guidance mechanism was installed. For aiming, a rotating and lifting mechanism and an artillery sight were provided. At the rear of the combat vehicle there were two jacks, which ensured its greater stability when firing.

The missiles were launched using a hand-held electric coil connected to a battery and contacts on the guides. When the handle was turned, the contacts closed in turn, and the starting squib was fired in the next projectile.

The explosive material in the warhead of the projectile was detonated from both sides (the length of the detonator was only slightly less than the length of the explosive cavity). And when two waves of detonation met, the gas pressure of the explosion at the meeting point increased sharply. As a result, the hull fragments had a significantly higher acceleration, heated up to 600-800 ° C and had a good ignition effect. In addition to the body, part of the rocket chamber also burst, which was heated from the gunpowder burning inside; this increased the fragmentation effect by 1.5-2 times compared to artillery shells of the same caliber. That is why the legend arose that Katyusha rockets were equipped with a “thermite charge.” The “thermite” charge was, indeed, tested in 1942 besieged Leningrad, but it turned out to be unnecessary - after the volley of Katyushas, ​​everything around was burning. And the joint use of dozens of missiles at the same time also created interference of blast waves, which further enhanced the damaging effect.

Baptism of fire near Orsha

The first salvo of a battery of Soviet rocket-propelled mortars (this is how the new type of military equipment began to be called for greater secrecy) consisting of seven BM-13 combat installations was fired in mid-July 1941. This happened near Orsha. An experienced battery under the command of Captain Flerov launched a fire strike at the Orsha railway station, where a concentration of enemy military equipment and manpower was noticed.

At 15:15 on July 14, 1941, heavy fire was opened on enemy trains. The entire station instantly turned into a huge cloud of fire. On the same day, in his diary, the head of the German General Staff General Halder wrote: “On July 14, near Orsha, the Russians used weapons unknown until that time. A fiery barrage of shells burned the Orsha railway station and all the trains with personnel and military equipment of the arriving military units. The metal was melting, the earth was burning.”

The morale effect of the use of rocket mortars was stunning. The enemy lost more than an infantry battalion and a huge amount of military equipment and weapons at the Orsha station. And Captain Flerov’s battery dealt another blow on the same day - this time at the enemy crossing over the Orshitsa River.

The Wehrmacht command, having studied the information received from eyewitnesses of the use of new Russian weapons, was forced to issue special instructions to its troops, which stated: “There are reports from the front about the Russians using a new type of weapon that fires rockets. A large number of shots can be fired from one installation within 3-5 seconds. Any appearance of these weapons must be reported on the same day to the general commander of the chemical forces at the high command.". A real hunt began for Captain Flerov's battery. In October 1941, she found herself in the Spas-Demensky “cauldron” and was ambushed. Of the 160 people, only 46 managed to reach their own. The battery commander himself died, having first made sure that all the combat vehicles were blown up and would not fall into enemy hands intact.

On land and sea...

In addition to the BM-13, in the SKB of the Voronezh plant. The Comintern, which produced these combat installations, developed new options for placing missiles. For example, taking into account the extremely low cross-country ability of the ZIS-6 vehicle, an option was developed for installing guides for missiles on the chassis of the STZ-5 NATI tracked tractor. In addition, an 82 mm caliber rocket has also found use. Guides were developed and manufactured for it, which were later installed on the chassis of the ZIS-6 vehicle (36 guides) and on the chassis of the T-40 and T-60 light tanks (24 guides).

A 16-charging installation for RS-132 shells and a 48-charging installation for RS-82 shells for armored trains were developed. In the fall of 1942, during the fighting in the Caucasus, 8-round mining pack launchers for RS-82 shells were manufactured for use in mountain conditions. Later they were installed on American Willys all-terrain vehicles, which came to the USSR under Lend-Lease.

Special launchers for 82 mm and 132 mm caliber rockets were manufactured for their subsequent installation on warships- torpedo boats and armored boats.

The launchers themselves received the popular nickname “Katyusha”, under which they entered the history of the Great Patriotic War. Why Katyusha? There are many versions on this matter. The most reliable - due to the fact that the first BM-13 had the letter “K” - as information that the product was produced at the plant named after. Comintern in Voronezh. By the way, the cruising boats of the Soviet Navy, which had the letter index “K,” received the same nickname. In total, 36 launcher designs were developed and produced during the war.

And the Wehrmacht soldiers nicknamed the BM-13 “Stalin's organs.” Apparently, the roar of the rockets reminded the Germans of the sounds of a church organ. This “music” clearly made them feel uncomfortable.

And from the spring of 1942, guides with missiles began to be installed on British and American all-wheel drive chassis imported into the USSR under Lend-Lease. Still, the ZIS-6 turned out to be a vehicle with low cross-country ability and carrying capacity. The three-axle all-wheel drive American truck Studebakker US6 turned out to be most suitable for installing rocket launchers. Combat vehicles began to be produced on its chassis. At the same time, they received the name BM-13N (“normalized”).

During the entire Great Patriotic War, Soviet industry produced more than ten thousand rocket artillery combat vehicles.

Relatives of the Katyusha

For all their advantages, high-explosive fragmentation rockets RS-82 and RS-132 had one drawback - high dispersion and low effectiveness when affecting enemy personnel located in field shelters and trenches. To correct this shortcoming, special 300 mm caliber rockets were manufactured.

They received the nickname “Andryusha” among the people. They were launched from a launching machine (“frame”) made of wood. The launch was carried out using a sapper blasting machine.

“Andryushas” were first used in Stalingrad. The new weapons were easy to manufacture, but installing them in position and aiming at the target required a lot of time. In addition, the short range of the M-30 rockets made them dangerous for their own crews.

Therefore, in 1943, the troops began to receive an improved missile, which, with the same power, had a greater firing range. An M-31 shell could hit manpower over an area of ​​2 thousand square meters or create a crater 2-2.5 m deep and 7-8 m in diameter. But the time to prepare a salvo with new shells was significant - one and a half to two hours.

Such shells were used in 1944-1945 during the assault on enemy fortifications and during street battles. One hit from an M-31 missile was enough to destroy an enemy bunker or a firing point located in a residential building.

Fire sword of the "god of war"

By May 1945, rocket artillery units had about three thousand combat vehicles of the most different types and many “frames” with M-31 shells. Not a single Soviet offensive, since the Battle of Stalingrad, began without artillery preparation using Katyusha rockets. Salvos from combat installations became the “fiery sword” with which our infantry and tanks made their way through enemy fortified positions.

During the war, BM-13 installations were sometimes used for direct fire at enemy tanks and firing points. To do this, the combat vehicle drove its rear wheels onto some elevation so that its guides assumed a horizontal position. Of course, the accuracy of such shooting was quite low, but a direct hit from a 132-mm rocket would blow any enemy tank to pieces, and a nearby explosion would knock over military equipment enemy, and heavy hot fragments reliably disabled it.

After the war Soviet designers combat vehicles continued work on the Katyushas and Andryushas. Only now they began to be called not guards mortars, but multiple launch rocket systems. In the USSR, such powerful SZOs as “Grad”, “Hurricane” and “Smerch” were designed and built. At the same time, the losses of an enemy caught in a salvo from a battery of Hurricanes or Smerchs are comparable to losses from the use of tactical nuclear weapons with a power of up to 20 kilotons, that is, with an explosion atomic bomb, dropped on Hiroshima.

BM-13 combat vehicle on a three-axle vehicle chassis

Projectile caliber - 132 mm.

Projectile weight - 42.5 kg.

The mass of the warhead is 21.3 kg.

The maximum projectile flight speed is 355 m/s.

Number of guides - 16.

Maximum firing range - 8470 m.

Charging time of the installation is 3-5 minutes.

The duration of a full salvo is 7-10 seconds.

Guards mortar BM-13 Katyusha on a Studebaker chassis

1. Launcher
2. Missiles
3. The car on which the installation was mounted

Guide package
Cabin armor shields
Hiking support
Lifting frame
Launcher battery
Sight bracket
Swivel frame
Lifting handle

The launchers were mounted on the chassis of ZIS-6, Ford Marmont, International Jiemsi, Austin vehicles and on STZ-5 tracked tractors. The largest number of Katyushas were mounted on all-wheel drive three-axle Studebaker vehicles.

M-13 projectile

01. Fuse retaining ring
02. GVMZ fuze
03. Detonator checker
04. Bursting charge
05. Head part
06. Igniter
07. Bottom of the chamber
08. Guide pin
09. Powder rocket charge
10. Missile part
11. Grate
12. Critical section of the nozzle
13. Nozzle
14. Stabilizer

Few survived

The effectiveness of the combat use of Katyushas during an attack on an enemy fortified unit can be illustrated by the example of the defeat of the Tolkachev defensive unit during our counteroffensive near Kursk in July 1943.

The village of Tolkachevo was turned by the Germans into a heavily fortified resistance center with a large number of dugouts and bunkers of 5-12 roll-ups, with a developed network of trenches and communication passages. The approaches to the village were heavily mined and covered with wire fences.

Salvos of rocket artillery destroyed a significant part of the bunkers, the trenches, along with the enemy infantry in them, were filled up, and the fire system was completely suppressed. Of the entire garrison of the node, numbering 450-500 people, only 28 survived. The Tolkachevsky node was taken by our units without any resistance.

Supreme High Command Reserve

By decision of the Headquarters, in January 1945, the formation of twenty guards mortar regiments began - this is how the units armed with the BM-13 began to be called.

The Guards Mortar Regiment (Gv.MP) of the artillery of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK) consisted of a command and three divisions of three batteries. Each battery had four combat vehicles. Thus, the salvo is only one division of 12 BM-13-16 PIP vehicles (Headquarters directive No. 002490 prohibited the use of rocket artillery in quantities of less than a division) could be compared in strength to a salvo of 12 heavy howitzer regiments of the RVGK (48 howitzers of 152 mm caliber per regiment) or 18 heavy howitzer brigades of the RVGK (32 152 mm howitzers per brigade).

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BM-13 is a Soviet rocket artillery combat vehicle during the Great Patriotic War, the most popular and famous Soviet combat vehicle (BM) of this class. Most widely known by the popular nickname "Katyusha", soldiers of the Third Reich called it "Stalin's organ" because of the sound made by the fins of the rockets.

In 1938-1941. at the RNII, I. I. Gvai, V. N. Galkovsky, A. P. Pavlenko, R. I. Popov created a multi-charge launcher mounted on a truck.

In March 1941, successful field tests were carried out on BM-13 installations (the name stood for: “Combat vehicle of 132 mm shells”) with a 132 mm M-13 caliber projectile. The M-13 rocket (132-mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile) and the BM-13 launcher were adopted by the artillery on June 21, 1941, and then, a few hours before the war, a decree on their mass production was signed.

On June 26, 1941, at plant No. 723 of the People's Commissariat of Mortar Armaments of the USSR in Voronezh, the assembly of the first two serial BM-13 launchers on the ZIS-6 chassis was completed, and they were immediately accepted by representatives of the Main Artillery Directorate. The next day, the installations were sent under their own power to Moscow, where on June 28, after successful tests, they were combined with five installations previously manufactured at the RNII into a battery for sending to the front.

The production of BM-13 units was organized at the Voronezh plant named after. Comintern and at the Moscow plant "Compressor" ( chief designer- V.P. Barmin). One of the main enterprises for the production of rockets was the Moscow plant named after. Vladimir Ilyich.

The first two BM-13 launchers on the chassis of ZIS vehicles were manufactured on June 27, 1941 in Voronezh, at the Comintern plant

Commander of the first rocket battery artillery installations BM-13 (“Katyusha”) captain I.A. Flerov

The commander of the first BM-13 (Katyusha) rocket artillery battery in the Soviet armed forces is Captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov. His battery was the first to use Katyusha rockets in the Great Patriotic War. The following entries appeared in the battery's combat log: “14.7. 1941 15 hours 15 minutes. They attacked fascist trains at the Orsha railway junction. The results are excellent. A continuous sea of ​​fire." "14.7. 1941 16 hours 45 minutes. A salvo at the crossing of fascist troops through Orshitsa. Large enemy losses in manpower and military equipment, panic. All the Nazis who survived on the eastern bank were taken prisoner by our units...”

On October 2, 1941, Flerov’s battery was among the troops that were surrounded in the Vyazemsky cauldron. The artillerymen covered more than 150 kilometers behind enemy lines. On the night of October 7, a convoy of battery vehicles was ambushed near the village of Bogatyri, Znamensky district, Smolensk region. The battery personnel took up the fight. In a hopeless situation, under heavy fire, they blew up the cars. Being seriously wounded, the commander blew himself up along with the main launcher. From the last report of Captain Flerov: “7.10.1941 21 hours. We were surrounded near the village of Bogatyr - 50 km from Vyazma. We will hold out until the end. No exit. We are preparing for self-explosion. Farewell comrades."

In the early 1960s, Flerov was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but was instead awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. On June 21, 1995, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation (No. 619), for the courage and heroism shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders in the Great Patriotic War, Captain Ivan Andreevich Flerov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

In the fall of 1995, a group of Vyazma search engines, 250 meters west of the village of Bogatyr, found the remains of seven artillerymen who died along with the Katyushas. Among them, the remains of Captain Flerov were identified. On October 6, 1995, all the remains were reburied next to the obelisk near the village of Bogatyr, erected in memory of the feat of the rocket scientists.

A salvo of Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers on the approaches to Vyborg. To the left you can see KV tanks going on the attack.

Device:

The weapon is relatively simple, consisting of rail guides and a device for guiding them. For aiming, rotating and lifting mechanisms and an artillery sight were provided. There were two jacks at the rear of the vehicle, providing greater stability when firing. One machine could accommodate from 14 to 48 guides.

The body of the rocket (missile) was a welded cylinder divided into three compartments - the warhead compartment, the engine compartment (combustion chamber with fuel) and the jet nozzle. The RS-132 aviation missile had a length of 0.935 meters, a diameter of 132 millimeters and weighed 23.1 kg, and the M-13 missile for the BM-13 ground installation had a length of 1.41 meters, a diameter of 132 millimeters and weighed 42.3 kg. Inside the cylinder with the feathers there was solid nitrocellulose. The mass of the warhead of the M-13 projectile is 22 kg. The explosive mass of the M-13 projectile is 4.9 kg - “like six anti-tank grenades.” Firing range - up to 8.4 km.

The M-31 projectile for mounting the BM-31 was 310 mm in diameter, it weighed 92.4 kg and contained 28.9 kg of explosives. Range - 13 km, salvo duration for BM-13 (16 shells) - 7 - 10 seconds, for BM-8 (24 - 48 shells) - 8 - 10 seconds; loading time - 5 - 10 minutes for BM-31-21 (12 guides) - respectively 7 - 10 seconds and 10 - 15 minutes. The launch was carried out by a hand-held electric coil connected to a battery and contacts on the guides - when the handle was turned, the contacts closed in turn and the starting squib was fired in the next projectile. It is extremely rare that when there are a large number of guides on an installation, two coils are used simultaneously.

Unlike the German Nebelwerfer, it is an area weapon of low accuracy with a large dispersion of shells over the terrain. As a result, it was pointless to deliver precise strikes like the Nebelwerfer. With half the explosive charge, the damaging effect on unarmored vehicles and manpower was much stronger than that of the Nebelwerfer. This was achieved by increasing the gas pressure of the explosion due to the counter-propulsion of the detonation. The explosive was detonated from both sides (the length of the detonator was only slightly less than the length of the cavity for the explosive) and when two waves of detonation met, the gas pressure of the explosion at the meeting point increased sharply, as a result of which the body fragments had a significantly greater acceleration, heated up to 600 - 800 ° C and had a good igniting effect. In addition to the body, part of the rocket chamber, which was heated from the gunpowder burning inside, also burst; this increased the fragmentation effect by 1.5 - 2 times compared to artillery shells of a similar caliber. That is why the legend about the “thermite charge” in Katyusha ammunition arose. The “thermite” charge was tested in Leningrad in the spring of 1942, but it turned out to be unnecessary - after a salvo of Katyusha rockets, everything was already burning. (from the collection “Katyusha Guards”). The combined use of dozens of missiles at the same time also created interference of blast waves, which further enhanced the damaging effect.

Military artillerymen of the Soviet unit of BM-13 Katyusha combat vehicles

The Great Patriotic War

Since the advent of rocket artillery (RA), its formations have been subordinate to the Supreme High Command. They were used to strengthen the rifle divisions defending in the first echelon, which significantly increased their firepower and increased stability in defensive battles. The requirements for the use of new weapons - mass and surprise - were reflected in the Directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters No. 002490 of October 1, 1941.

During the Battle of Moscow, due to the difficult situation at the front, the command was forced to use rocket artillery on a “subdivisional basis.”

But by the end of 1941, the number of rocket artillery in the troops increased significantly and reached 5-10 divisions in the armies operating in the main direction. Controlling the fire and maneuver of a large number of divisions, as well as supplying them with combat supplies and other types of food, became difficult. By decision of the Headquarters, in January 1942, the creation of 20 guards mortar regiments began.

The “Guards Mortar Regiment (Gv.mp) of the Reserve Artillery of the Supreme High Command (RVGK)” consisted of a department, three divisions of three batteries. Each battery had four combat vehicles. Thus, a salvo of only one division of 12 BM-13-16 GMP vehicles (Staff Directive No. 002490 prohibited the use of RA in numbers of less than a division) could be compared in strength to a salvo of 12 heavy howitzer regiments of the RVGK (48 152 mm howitzers per regiment) or 18 heavy howitzer brigades of the RVGK (32 152 mm howitzers per brigade).

Red Army artillerymen service the BM-13 Katyusha combat vehicle

The emotional effect was also important: during the salvo, all the missiles were fired almost simultaneously - within a few seconds the ground in the target area was literally plowed up by rockets. The mobility of the installation made it possible to quickly change position and avoid a retaliatory strike from the enemy.

On July 17, 1944, in the area of ​​the village of Nalyuchi, a salvo of 144 launching frames equipped with 300-mm rockets was heard. This was the first use of a somewhat less famous related weapon - "Andryusha".

In July-August 1942, the Katyushas (three regiments and a separate division) were the main striking force of the Mobile Mechanized Group of the Southern Front, which held back the advance of the German 1st Tank Army south of Rostov for several days. This is even reflected in the diary of General Halder: “increased Russian resistance south of Rostov”

In August 1942, in the city of Sochi, in the garage of the Caucasian Riviera sanatorium, under the leadership of the head of mobile repair shop No. 6, military engineer of the 3rd rank A. Alferov, a portable version of the installation was created based on M-8 shells, which was later called the “mountain Katyusha”. The first “mountain Katyushas” entered service with the 20th Mountain Rifle Division and were used in battles at the Goytkh Pass. In February - March 1943, two divisions of “Mountain Katyushas” became part of the troops defending the legendary bridgehead on Malaya Zemlya near Novorossiysk.

In the 62nd Army in Stalingrad, the Katyusha division fought on the T-70 base, which was directly subordinate to Army Commander V.I. Chuikov.

In addition, 4 installations based on railcars were created at the Sochi locomotive depot, which were used to protect the city of Sochi from the shore.

The minesweeper "Skumbria" was equipped with eight installations, which covered the landing on Malaya Zemlya.

In September 1943, during the Bryansk operation, the Katyusha maneuver along the front line made it possible to carry out a sudden flank attack, as a result of which the German defense was “collapsed” in a strip of the entire front - 250 kilometers. During the artillery preparation, 6,000 rocket shells and only 2,000 barrel shells were expended.

BM-13 Katyusha rocket artillery combat vehicles on the street of a Western European city

Soviet BM-13 Katyusha rocket artillery combat vehicles fire at the enemy at night.

A battery of BM-13-16N combat vehicles (Studebaker US 6 chassis) is preparing for a salvo. The soldier on the right works with an artillery compass.

Soviet BM-13 Katyusha rocket launchers (on an American-made Studebaker US6 truck chassis) near Belgrade

Night salvo rocket launcher BM-13 "Katyusha".

Soviet artillerymen prepare a BM-13 Katyusha rocket launcher for a salvo in Berlin.

A salvo of BM-13 (Katyusha) rocket launchers in Berlin

Filming location: Berlin, Germany. Time taken: 04/29/1945.

Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers fire a salvo at the enemy

Combat use of the Guards rocket mortar "Katyusha"

Soviet troops on the offensive near Stalingrad, the famous Katyusha rocket launchers in the foreground, T-34 tanks behind

A salvo of Guards BM-13 Katyusha rocket launchers, mounted on the chassis of American Studebaker US6 trucks. Carpathian region, western Ukraine.

Location: Ukraine, USSR. Time taken: 1944.

On the day of entering the capital of Bulgaria, units of the Red Army pass through one of its main streets. The Bulgarians welcome the unit armed guards mortars"Katyusha" on the chassis of American Studebaker trucks.

A volley of BM-31-12 guard rocket mortars during the assault on Breslau (now the Polish city of Wroclaw).

Filming location: Germany. Time taken: 1945.

Guards rocket mortar BM-31-12 in Berlin. Time taken: May 1945

This is a modification of the famous Katyusha rocket launcher (by analogy it was called “Andryusha”). It fired with 310 mm caliber shells (as opposed to 132 mm Katyusha shells), launched from 12 honeycomb-type guides (2 tiers of 6 cells each). The system is located on the chassis of the American Studebaker US6 truck, which was supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease.

Killed German soldiers and a BM-31-12 rocket launcher (a modification of the Katyusha with M-31 shells on the chassis of an American Studebaker truck, nicknamed “Andryusha”) on a Berlin street

The famous Soviet singer Lidiya Ruslanova performs “Katyusha” against the backdrop of the destroyed Reichstag. Lidia Ruslanova was one of the first singers to perform “Katyusha”.

"Katyusha"- the popular name for rocket artillery combat vehicles BM-8 (with 82 mm shells), BM-13 (132 mm) and BM-31 (310 mm) during the Great Patriotic War. There are several versions of the origin of this name, the most likely of which is associated with the factory mark “K” of the manufacturer of the first BM-13 combat vehicles (Voronezh Comintern Plant), as well as with the popular song of the same name at that time (music by Matvey Blanter, lyrics by Mikhail Isakovsky).
(Military encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing House. Moscow. in 8 volumes -2004 ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)

The BM-13 received its baptism of fire on July 14, 1941, when the battery fired the first salvo of all installations at the Orsha railway station, where a large amount of enemy manpower and military equipment was concentrated. As a result of a powerful fire strike by 112 rockets simultaneously, a fire glow rose above the station: enemy trains were burning, ammunition was exploding. Another hour and a half later, Flerov’s battery fired a second salvo, this time at the crossing of the Orshitsa River, on the outskirts of which a lot of German equipment and manpower had accumulated. As a result, the enemy's crossing was disrupted and he was unable to develop his success in this direction.

First experience of using a new missile weapons showed its high combat effectiveness, which was one of the reasons for its rapid commissioning and equipping the Ground Forces with it.

The restructuring of industry associated with the production of missile weapons was carried out in short time, a large number of enterprises were involved in its production (already in July-August 1941 - 214 factories), which ensured the supply of this military equipment to the troops. In August-September 1941, serial production of BM‑8 combat installations with 82-mm rockets was launched.

Simultaneously with the deployment of production, work continued to create new and improve existing models of missiles and launchers.

On July 30, 1941, a special design bureau (SKB) began work at the Moscow Kompressor plant - the main design bureau for launchers, and the plant itself became the main enterprise for their production. This SKB, under the leadership of the head and chief designer Vladimir Barmin, during the war years developed 78 samples of launchers of various types, mounted on cars, tractors, tanks, railway platforms, river and sea ships. Thirty-six of them were put into service, mastered by industry and used in combat.

Much attention was paid to the production of rockets, the creation of new ones and the improvement of existing models. The 82-mm M-8 rocket was modernized, and powerful high-explosive rockets were created: 132-mm M-20, 300-mm M-30 and M-31; increased range - M-13 DD and improved accuracy - M-13 UK and M-31 UK.

With the beginning of the war, special troops were created within the Armed Forces of the USSR for the combat use of missile weapons. These were rocket troops, but during the war they were called guards mortar units (GMC), and later - rocket artillery. First organizational form Separate batteries and divisions became GMCHs.

By the end of the war, rocket artillery had 40 separate divisions (38 M-13 and 2 M-8), 115 regiments (96 M-13 and 19 M-8), 40 separate brigades (27 M-31 and 13 M-31-12 ) and 7 divisions - a total of 519 divisions in which there were over 3,000 combat vehicles.

The legendary Katyushas took part in all major operations during the war.

The fate of the first separate experimental battery was cut short at the beginning of October 1941. After a baptism of fire near Orsha, the battery successfully operated in battles near Rudnya, Smolensk, Yelnya, Roslavl and Spas-Demensk. During three months of hostilities, Flerov’s battery not only inflicted considerable material damage on the Germans, it also contributed to the rise morale among our soldiers and officers, exhausted by continuous retreats.

The Nazis staged a real hunt for new weapons. But the battery did not stay long in one place - after firing a salvo, it immediately changed position. The tactical technique - salvo - change of position - was widely used by Katyusha units during the war.

At the beginning of October 1941, as part of a group of troops on the Western Front, the battery found itself in the rear of the Nazi troops. While moving to the front line from the rear on the night of October 7, she was ambushed by the enemy near the village of Bogatyr, Smolensk region. Most of the battery personnel and Ivan Flerov were killed, having shot all the ammunition and blown up the combat vehicles. Only 46 soldiers managed to escape from the encirclement. The legendary battalion commander and the rest of the soldiers, who had fulfilled their duty to the end with honor, were considered “missing in action.” And only when it was possible to discover documents from one of the Wehrmacht army headquarters, which reported what actually happened on the night of October 6-7, 1941 near the Smolensk village of Bogatyr, Captain Flerov was excluded from the lists of missing persons.

For heroism, Ivan Flerov was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, in 1963, and in 1995 he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

In honor of the battery’s feat, a monument was built in the city of Orsha and an obelisk near the city of Rudnya.