Almost all of them were based on the chassis of ordinary cars and did not always correspond to their intended purpose, therefore, an extensive “industry of correcting other people's mistakes” spontaneously developed in the Russian Imperial Army - finalizing imported and creating their own armored corps. They were assembled by the St. Petersburg Putilovsky Plant and the Obukhovsky Steel Foundry, the armored rolling workshop No. 2 of the Izhora Plant in Kolpino, as well as officer educational institutions, front-line workshops and small private enterprises.
Until October 1917, the tsarist army received 496 armored cars from abroad, of which about 200 vehicles were converted in Russia. Most of the armored vehicles that bore their own catchy names participated in the battles of the First World War and the Civil War, as well as in the events of the February and October revolutions.
The first Russian armored car Nakashidze
During the Russo-Japanese War, a retired lieutenant of the hussar regiment, Georgian prince Mikhail Alexandrovich Nakashidze, became convinced of the need to create a fundamentally new type of weapon - an armored car. The military liked the project presented in the summer of 1905, but they limited themselves to advising the inventor to assume all the costs of its manufacture.
As a result, an order for two armored cars was transferred to the French company Charron, Girardot et Voigt (CGV), which already had experience installing machine guns on light chassis. The basis of Russian armored vehicles was ordinary 37-horsepower Charron 30CV cars with a gearbox and a main chain drive carried back. High armored hulls with large windows and a rotating turret with a Hotchkiss machine gun were hoisted on them, and track bridges were attached to the sides to overcome the trenches. A fairly heavy three-ton machine developed a speed of 50 km / h and had a cruising range of 600 kilometers. Her first tests took place at the end of 1905 in France.
The first armored car arrived in Russia in March 1906. The military tested it in the spring thaw and recognized the car as "incapable of independent movement", but according to the results of summer trials, it was recommended to use it "to fight the enemy's cavalry and pursue the retreating enemy." After repairing and strengthening the armor, she again entered the test, but according to their results in 1908, the armored car was dismantled.
Russian armored cars on domestic chassis
During the First World War, the only "happy" combination of domestic cars and Russian-made armored hulls were armored vehicles based on the chassis of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works (RBVZ).
The first in August-September 1914 were turretless armored cars on, designed by engineer A. Ya. Grauen and equipped with Izhora hulls with an inclined arrangement of armor plates made of chromium-nickel steel. Two Maxim machine guns were placed in the front and rear sheets, the third could be transferred from one side to the other. The speed of three-ton machines did not exceed 20 km / h. They went to the front as part of the 1st automobile machine-gun company, but due to poor armor, they were soon withdrawn from service.
At the end of September 1914, in the Petrograd workshop of engineer A. A. Bratolyubov, according to the project of staff captain Nekrasov, three armored cars with rounded hulls from the Obukhov plant with two 37-mm Hotchkiss cannons and three machine guns were assembled on the same chassis. The same hulls with a Maxim gun were mounted on three one-ton D24-40 truck chassis. All versions turned out to be too heavy and cumbersome, they did not take part in the battles and were subsequently transferred to the railway.
At the beginning of 1916, in the workshop of Bratolyubov, the original Victorious turret armored car with three Maxim machine guns and a second control post appeared on the C24-40 chassis. At the same time, three more armored vehicles were assembled on the D24-40 truck chassis, which differed from passenger cars reinforced frame and new bridges. Turned out to be overloaded and slow-moving, they were all used as training vehicles and served in the protection of the Smolny.
In total, until 1917, only 20 armored cars were assembled on Russian chassis.
Russian armored vehicles on foreign chassis
This category included armored vehicles based on foreign chassis, which in Russia underwent more or less significant modifications to adapt them to local conditions or were equipped with completely new armored hulls.
Three-wheeled armored vehicles Filatov
In 1915-1916, according to the project of the head of the Oranienbaum officer rifle school, Major General N. M. Filatov, 15 original three-wheeled armored cars were assembled from decommissioned imported units and assemblies different engines with a power of up to 25 hp, on which armored hulls with one or two rear-mounted machine guns were mounted.
Armored cars of Bylinsky
In the summer of 1915, according to the project of staff captain Bylinsky, two cannon-machine gun vehicles were assembled on the basis of captured Mercedes cars at the Obukhov plant. They featured chromium-nickel-vanadium steel hulls with periscopes and an internally mounted 37mm cannon that fired through hinged panels. The turret also housed a Maxim machine gun and rapid-fire rifles.
Ulyatovsky's armored vehicle
In 1916, in the workshops of the above-mentioned school, according to the project of ensign Ulyatovsky, a light and compact armored car was assembled from foreign parts, in the back of which a machine gunner was lying down, firing through an embrasure in the stern sheet. When replacing a machine gun with a cannon, the machine became significantly heavier, and work on it was stopped.
Armored cars of Mgebrov
In the first years of the war, according to the project of staff captain V. A. Mgebrov, 16 armored cars were assembled at the Izhora plant based on cars from different countries, of which 11 armored vehicles on a 30-horsepower passenger car became the most famous. Renault chassis ED. Thanks to the installation of a cooling radiator between the engine and the cabin, they stood out with a characteristic elongated wedge-shaped hood, which increased the survivability of the crew. Initially, two machine guns or a 37 mm cannon were placed in one large turret, which was replaced by two small ones in 1916.
Izhora FIAT
In the winter of 1916, an agreement was signed with FIAT for the supply of 72 hp light chassis. with two control posts and a rear axle with dual wheels. The first batch arrived at the Izhora plant to install their own armored hulls with a diagonal arrangement of two machine-gun turrets. The assembly of armored cars began in January of the following year, and by April 1918 the plant had assembled 47 armored vehicles. They had a combat weight of 5.3 tons and developed a speed of up to 70 km / h.
Armored vehicles Poplavko
In 1915, on the chassis of the American Jeffery truck Quad (4x4) Staff Captain Viktor Poplavko developed and built in the workshops of the 7th Army an original armored car with a winch, which for the first time became a combination of a combat vehicle, a powerful engineering tool for destroying wire fences, making passages in a small forest and a damaged equipment evacuator. Structurally, it was an armored truck with a 40-horsepower engine, a conning tower for two machine guns and a rear compartment for ammunition and fuel. With a crew of four, he weighed about eight tons and developed a speed of 32 km / h.
According to the test results, the Military Department issued an order to the Izhora Plant for 30 such vehicles, which in October 1916 went to the front as part of a special armored division.
Armored vehicles "Garford"
The heaviest armored vehicles The Russian army had massive cannon-machine-gun vehicles on the chassis of an American Garford truck with a cab over a 35-horsepower Buda engine and armored hulls from the Putilov factory, known as Putilov-Garford. An assault gun of 76.2 mm caliber was placed in the rear rotating turret. Next to it was a machine gun, and in small side turrets there were two or three more machine guns. Round loopholes with armored shutters were made in the walls of the hull. The crew consisted of eight people, the combat weight reached 8.6 tons.
Until September 1915, 30 armored cars were assembled in Petrograd, and then some of them were equipped with a second control post. At the fronts, due to the weakness of the engine, sluggishness and poor cross-country ability, they all moved only along the roads.
At the end of 1917, by order of the Naval Department, 18 more long-wheelbase armored vehicles with reinforced armor were assembled to protect the fortress in the Gulf of Finland, the combat weight of which increased to 11 tons.
Gulkevich's half-tracked armored vehicle
During the First World War, the only half-track armored car with a Russian-made hull was a massive vehicle designed by Colonel of Artillery N. Gulkevich, originally from the Akhtyr Cossacks, which could “pass along all sorts of roads ... break and trample barbed wire into the ground.” Its basis was the B-6 cannon conveyor of the American company Allis-Chalmers with rear tracked propellers.
In October 1916, the Putilov factory assembled combat vehicle"Akhtyrets" with the original hull with two control posts and a turret with Maxim machine guns. A 76-mm gun was placed in the stern sheet. The clumsy 12-ton design with a crew of seven flat road could move at a speed not exceeding 15 km / h. Initially, she served in the Petrograd armored division and after the revolution was renamed "Red Petersburg".
Foreign armored vehicles in the Tsarist army
The basis of five hundred wheeled combat vehicles that served in the Tsarist army was a wide variety of armored cars, which were assembled by about 20 firms in Europe and America. Of these, the most common were the armored vehicles of the well-known British company Austin, which delivered to Russia in 1914-1917 168 complete armored cars and 60 chassis for their assembly on site.
The first Austin armored cars
The main military achievement of Austin was the release of 480 machine-gun armored vehicles built on the 50-horsepower chassis of the Austin 30HP executive passenger car. The first batch, sent to Russia in October 1914, consisted of armored cars with single-sided wooden wheels, pneumatic tires and sloping upper side plates of the cab, behind which turrets with Maxim machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber were placed next to each other. Under the floor of each of them, two "spare wheels" with molded tires were attached, which were used in a combat situation. In fact, the machines turned out to be too vulnerable, and in the spring of 1915, the Izhora plant began to modernize them.
By that time, Austin launched the production of armored cars of the second series with reinforced armor and a modernized undercarriage. In October, they entered service with the Russian army, but also did not justify themselves.
At the end of 1916, the company switched to the production of armored cars of the third series with bulletproof glass, a second control post and rear gable wheels. Their development in Russia was the variant with diagonal turrets, which was already produced in Soviet times.
Armstrong-Whitworth armored vehicles
These vehicles became one of the most common foreign armored cars in the Tsarist army, equipped with hulls modified in Russia. The basis of the two options were 60-horsepower a car FIAT and English special chassis Charles Jarrett with 38 hp. The only batch of 40 armored cars weighing 4-5 tons arrived in Russia in the summer of 1916, but after the very first battles, the vehicles of the second version were declared unsuitable for military service.
It is not possible to tell in a short article about all the armored cars of those ancient times, but we will certainly return to them.
In the title photo - an armored vehicle for the first automobile machine gun company with the body of the Izhora plant. 1915
The article uses only authentic black and white illustrations
Armored vehicles of Stalin, 1925-1945 [= Armor on wheels. History of the Soviet armored car, 1925-1945] Kolomiets Maxim Viktorovich
Wartime armored car
Wartime armored car
Work on the creation of a new light all-wheel drive armored car for the Red Army began in the Gorky Design Bureau car factory in September 1941. Perhaps one of the motivations for the development of the project was an attempt to "correct" before the military for LB-62 - mass production the latter, despite repeated "calls" and letters to the highest authorities, was never deployed. In addition, the only manufacturer of light armored vehicles for the Red Army - the Vyksa DRO plant - in August 1941 received an order to expand the production of armored parts for tanks, as a result of which the production of BA-20 faded into the background. And the BA-20 itself has not long met the requirements of the Red Army.
Be that as it may, in September 1941, a meeting was held at GAZ under the leadership of the chief designer of the plant A. Lipgart and his deputy N. Astrov (who had just arrived from Moscow), at which the concept of a new armored car was discussed. As a result, the only possible decision at that time was made - to use the GAZ-64 chassis as the base for the new car, the production of which GAZ began at the end of August 1941. Due to the small dimensions of the GAZ-64, it was decided to limit itself to a crew of two people and armament from one DT machine gun. When designing the armored hull, we decided to use our experience in the LB-62, as well as the scheme of the captured German armored car Sd.Kfz. 221, delivered to Gorky (however, the shape of the LB-62 armored hull was largely borrowed from the German machine).
A column of armored cars BA-64 after repair. February 1943. On the first machine gun in position for anti-aircraft fire (RGAKFD).
The proposal to develop a new light armored car was reported "upstairs", to the People's Commissariat for Medium Machine Building, and from there to the GABTU of the Red Army. GAZ's initiative was approved, and the plant received the task to develop a detailed design and produce a prototype of a new armored vehicle by January 1, 1942.
The detailed design of the armored vehicle, which received the factory index GAZ-64-125, began in the second decade of October 1941, the manufacture of parts in early November, and the assembly of the armored car in early December. On January 9, 1942, the new car made its first run. The new armored car was manufactured on the basis of the GAZ-64 all-wheel drive vehicle, the production of which began in August 1941. To install the armored hull, the chassis had to be reworked - the location of the pedals, levers and steering was changed, the springs were strengthened, shock absorbers from the GAZ M-1 and a torsion bar stabilizer on the rear suspension were installed, a high-capacity gas tank was installed, the frame was shortened somewhat, etc. welded from 15-4 mm armor plates installed at large angles of inclination to the vertical for better bullet resistance. The shape of the armored hull was largely borrowed from the LB-62 and the German armored car Sd.Kfz. 221. For landing a crew of two people (driver and commander), there were two doors on the sides of the hull. The driver monitored the road through a small hatch in the frontal hull sheet with a viewing slot closed by the Triplex glass block from the T-60 tank. Armament - a DT machine gun - was housed in a rotating octagonal turret, which was attached to a pedestal mounted on the floor of the vehicle. Ammunition consisted of 20 magazines for a machine gun (1260 rounds). The installation of a machine gun provided firing at both ground and air targets (elevation angle 75 degrees). The tower did not have a roof, but was closed from above with folding anti-grenade nets (similar to German armored vehicles Sd.Kfz. 221 and Sd.Kfz. 222). To monitor the battlefield, the commander, who was in the tower, had at his disposal two viewing slots with Triplex glasses on the right and left sides. The armored car was equipped with a RB radio station with a whip antenna. The armored car had the characteristic features of a car made in difficult wartime - a minimum of control devices on the driver's dashboard (speedometer and aerothermometer), simplified electrical equipment (for example, there was only one headlight), only the most necessary spare parts.
Within a month, the new armored car passed factory tests, during which it revealed a number of shortcomings, the main of which was the weakness of the suspension, especially the front axle. On February 3, 1942, the military representative of the armored department of the GABTU KA at GAZ, a military engineer of the 1st rank Okunev, reported: “According to experimental work. Currently, the GAZ-64 armored car is being prepared for shipment to Moscow ... "
Armored cars BA-64 move to the front line. July 1943 (CMVS).
After necessary improvements On February 19-23, 1942, according to the order of the People's Commissariat of Soviet Union and the GABTU KA No. 021, the GAZ-64-125 armored car was tested by mileage and firing at the Sofrinsky artillery range. In total, the car traveled 318 km, 378 rounds were fired from the machine gun. The commission, chaired by Colonel Malygin, who conducted the tests, noted that “the car cannot go along the snowy toboggan track, since the track is much larger than the track of the toboggan track, as a result of which the wheels hang out after the differentials land on a hard, well-traveled part of the road.” At the same time, the cross-country ability of the armored car was recognized as good, the convenience of firing from a DT machine gun, the convenient location of the machine control devices, the commander’s good visibility and the driver’s mechanic insufficient were noted - “on sharp turns sees no way" and serviceability. In the conclusion of the test report, the commission wrote:
Comparative tests of an experimental wide-gauge armored car BA-64 (foreground) with a narrow-gauge (ASKM).
"1. The light armored car BA-64 is better in terms of its tactical and technical qualities than the light armored car BA-20 and significantly outperforms it in terms of traction and cross-country ability. The installation of weapons allows a free and quick transition from firing at ground targets to firing at anti-aircraft ones.
2. The BA-64 armored car can be adopted by the Red Army as
A). communication machine;
b). combat vehicle for airborne and fighter units;
V). for the security service of troops on marches and when located on the spot.
3. The BA-64 armored car should be accepted for serial production instead of the BA-20. When putting into production, the shortcomings indicated in the act of the testing commission should be eliminated.
Armored car BA-64B issued in February 1944 (ASKM).
4. Simultaneously with the preparation for mass production, the Molotov Automobile Plant needs to continue testing the BA-64 armored car for the strength of units and patency in spring and summer conditions on rubber tires.
Among the main shortcomings in the act was the need to protect the gas tank from fighting compartment with an iron sheet (otherwise gasoline accumulated on the floor), eliminating gaps between the turret and the hull, strengthening the pedestal plate of the turret, installing protective pillows on the chase to protect the commander’s head, introducing the turret stopper handle, etc.
The first copy of the test report on February 27, 1942 was “sent to comrade Poskrebyshev with a cover letter addressed to comrade Stalin signed by comrade Akopov (People's Commissar of Medium Machine Building. - Note. author ) and comrade Biryukov (commissioner of the GABTU KA. - Note. author ) with a request to be shown and accepted for production.
The request was granted, and on March 3, a prototype BA-64-125 was demonstrated in the Kremlin to members of the USSR government. The car made a favorable impression, and on March 14, by a decree of the State Defense Committee, an armored car under the BA-64 index was adopted by the Red Army with the organization of its production at the Gorky Automobile Plant.
The first BA-64s were already assembled in April, but they were not accepted by military acceptance due to the lack of main wheels. The further dynamics of the BA-64 production can be traced from the reports of the senior military representative of the GABTU KA at GAZ, engineer-lieutenant colonel Okunev:
“For the first ten days of May 1942 for BA-64 hulls. Task for a decade - 80, accepted - 35 pcs. The program for the BA-64 hulls was not completed due to the lack of “MD” electrodes and the failure to master the installation and assembly of the tower ...
According to BA-64. Task - 77, assembled on the conveyor - 33, accepted - 0. The disruption of the schedule for the production of armored vehicles occurred due to the poor supply of units and parts to the assembly shop in the required quantities, in addition, the wheels of the Civil Code have not yet been received.
The plan for May 1942 is 250 BA-64s, received in a month - 125, the remainder of April - 50, shipped in May - 28 ...
The plan for June 1942 is 400 BA-64s, received in a month - 200, the remainder of May - 147, shipped in June - 267, the remainder on July 1 - 80 ...
For armored vehicles, the failure of the program is primarily due to the lack of attention of the directorate to this order. For the assembly of machines, for almost the entire month, engines and bridges were doing very poorly. Until June 29, there was no rubber, but the absence of rubber could in no way affect the assembly and preparation for the delivery of cars, since the plant was allowed to prepare for the delivery of cars on replaceable rubber. On June 29, 720 wheels were received and on July 2, another 500 wheels, so the entire program was provided with rubber.
Plan for July 1942 - 275 BA-64s, taken in a month - 275, balance from June - 80, shipped in July 211, balance on August 1, 144 ...
Plan for August 1942 - 400 BA-64s, received in a month - 400 (of which 99 were radio), the balance of July - 144, shipped in August - 269 (of which 68 were radio), the balance of September 1, 275 (of which 31 radium)…
Plan for September 1942 - 400 BA-64s (200 radios), received in a month - 405 (of which 135 radios), shipped in September - 443 (of which 104 radios), the rest on October 1 237 (of which 62 radios) …
Plan for October 1942 - 400 BA-64s (200 radios), received in a month - 400 (of which 200 radios), the remainder of September - 237 (62 radios), shipped in October - 344 (of which 131 radios), the remainder as of November 1, 293 (of which 131 are radio).
Armored car BA-64B issued in February 1944, left view. The driver's side hatch (ASKM) is clearly visible.
It should be said that during mass production a number of changes were made to the design of the BA-64. So, in June 1942, they stopped installing anti-grenade nets on the tower - their effectiveness turned out to be low, they interfered more. In addition, the experience of summer operation of vehicles showed that the temperature in the fighting compartment is very high - it reached 55-60 degrees. Therefore, in July 1942, an air vent was cut in the front of the roof of the hull, which was covered with an armor casing from above, which made it possible to improve the ventilation of the fighting compartment, especially in motion. In September, an additional hatch was introduced in the roof of the engine compartment (similar to the BA-10 armored car), which made it possible to slightly improve engine cooling, which often overheated due to insufficient air flow.
The experience of combat operation of the BA-64 revealed the unreliability of the machine - with a guaranteed mileage of 10,000 km, many armored cars broke down after 1000–4000 km. For example, on April 30, 1943, the head of the department of armored trains and armored vehicles, Major General Chernov, sent a letter to the director of the Gorky Automobile Plant Livshits with the following content:
“I am sending you a copy of the attitude of the deputy commander of the 5th mechanized corps, engineer-colonel Shcherbakov, about the mass failure of BA-64 armored cars. The vehicles could not withstand the guaranteed mileage and traveled only 2,500-4,000 km, out of 90 armored vehicles, 56 failed.
A large number of various shortcomings in the design of the armored car were also revealed - the weakness of the suspension, poor engine cooling, bad review driver and a high center of gravity with a rather narrow track. The latter factor often led to the rollover of the armored car when maneuvering and turning, especially if inexperienced driver(and in front-line conditions this happened very often). Therefore, in the fall of 1942, GAZ designers began work to improve the design of the BA-64. Naturally, the main work was the design of a machine with a wider track. Already at the end of October 1942, a prototype of such an armored car, which received the factory index GAZ-64-125-B, was put to the test. Despite a slightly increased weight - 2.425 tons versus 2.36 tons for the BA-64 - the dynamic qualities of the new machine have not changed, and due to the wider track (1446 mm, the BA-64 has 1290 mm front, 1245 mm rear) has significantly increased lateral stability. In addition, changes were made to the design of the suspension - 4 hydraulic shock absorbers were installed on the front axle, as a result of which its operation was significantly improved compared to the BA-64, and the torsion stabilizer of lateral stability was also abolished. In addition, on new car slightly increased engine power (up to 54 hp), improved engine cooling, and two round hatches were cut in front of the sides to improve driver visibility. All new elements were tested on several prototypes in the autumn of 1942 - in the winter of 1943, and at the end of February, the assembly of the first production model of the modernized armored car, which received the designation BA-64B, began.
On March 8, 1943, the chief designer of the department of the chief designer of GAZ, V. Grachev, and the assistant to the military representative of the GBTU KA at the plant, senior technician-lieutenant A. Novitsky sent a letter to the armored department with the application of the act on the first tests of the new machine:
“On March 2, 1943, the OGK experimental workshop assembled one 64-125-B armored car with a wide track, side hatches to increase the driver’s visibility, two additional shock absorbers in front and modified plumage (front and rear fenders). From March 2 to March 8, the car was run-in for 400 km.
Armored cars BA-64 and the English armored personnel carrier "Universal" (at the head of the column) are sent for reconnaissance. Belorussian Front, February 1944 (RGAKFD).
All these changes significantly increase the combat and tactical performance of the armored car and require them to be put into mass production as soon as possible.
By a decree of the State Defense Committee, the Gorky Automobile Plant from May 25, 1943 was obliged to switch to the production of wide-gauge armored vehicles BA-64B, but it was not possible to do this before the beginning of June.
In the period from 5 to 14 June 1943, German aviation carried out a series of massive air raids on the Avtozavodskoy district of Gorky. A total of 2,170 bombs were dropped, 1,540 of them on the territory of the car factory. High-explosive fragmentation bombs of 250-1000 kg and incendiary (thermite) 1-250 kg were used, German pilots used flares in large numbers.
As a result of the raids, more than 50 buildings and structures were completely destroyed or significantly damaged, the chassis workshops, wheel, assembly and thermal No. 2, the main conveyor, and the locomotive depot burned down. In the gray and ductile iron foundries, the core shop, the non-ferrous casting shop and the electric furnace were completely destroyed, the blacksmith building, motor shop No. 2, the mechanical repair shop, the tool-die and press-forging shops, and many residential buildings were badly damaged.
After the bombing, GAZ found itself in a difficult situation - the supply of electricity dropped sharply due to the destruction of power lines, the water supply system failed, and in addition, the plant was left without compressed air- 6 compressors were damaged or destroyed total power 21,000 m3. In total, 5,900 units of technological equipment (51%), 8,000 electric motors (5,620 of them were completely destroyed), 9,180 m of conveyors and conveyors, more than 300 electric welding machines, 14,000 sets of electrical and radio equipment, 28 overhead cranes were out of order in 32 workshops.
After the bombing of GAZ on June 5–14, 1943, the production of BA-64 armored cars was suspended, as the workshops that manufactured automotive parts and the main conveyor were completely destroyed or badly damaged. By a decree of the State Defense Committee, the production of BA-64 was supposed to start again on September 1, but already in August the plant assembled 100 armored vehicles of an improved design BA-64B, and by the end of 1943 the Gorky Automobile Plant manufactured 405 BA-64B, 214 of them with a walkie-talkie. And in just 1943, GAZ gave the Red Army 1424 armored vehicles BA-64 and BA-64B.
Armored car BA-64B in Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front, April 1945 (RGAKFD).
In 1944, the production of BA-64s increased significantly and amounted to 2950 BA-64Bs (1404 of them with a walkie-talkie). In October of the same year, the next modernization of the machine was carried out, which mainly concerned increasing the reliability of the suspension. The production of BA-64 was carried out in 1945 (1742 armored cars), and ended in 1946, when the military acceptance took the last 62 BA-64B. In total, from April 1942 to February 1946, the Gorky Automobile Plant manufactured 3903 BA-64 and 5160 BA-64B armored vehicles, and the total output is 9063 armored vehicles. Thus, the BA-64 is the most massive armored vehicle of the Red Army. Armored vehicles BA-64 began to be introduced into the state of the tank units of the Red Army in May - June 1942, with the start of their mass production. They were included in the states of the tank corps - 5 vehicles in control, 3 in tank and 17 in motorized rifle brigades. Thus, there were 31 BA-64s in the tank corps. In addition, at the same time, the formation of motorcycle regiments (10 BA-64s each) and separate reconnaissance battalions (12 BA-64s each) began.
Armored cars BA-64B on the street of Bucharest. 1944 (RGAKFD).
In June 1942, BA-64 armored vehicles were sent to: the 3rd separate training armored vehicle and the 8th separate training armored regiment, the 15th motorized rifle brigade, the 5th tank army, the Romanenko military unit, the 8th and 11th separate motorcycle shelves, at the disposal of comrade. Budyonny, the Moscow Armored Center, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th separate reconnaissance battalions and the headquarters of the 7th Tank Corps.
In September 1942, the formation of 10 separate armored battalions began in the Red Army, each of which included 32 BA-64s, as well as 15 separate armored vehicle battalions, each of which consisted of two companies of BA-64 armored cars and a company of T tanks. -70, a total of 22 armored vehicles and 7 T-70s. As a rule, these battalions were included in the tank or mechanized corps. Sometimes they could include armored vehicles BA-20 or BA-10, although according to the state they were not part of these battalions. A little later, in October 1942, the formation of 25 armored personnel carrier battalions began, which had 12 BA-64s and 12 British Universal armored personnel carriers.
With the beginning of the formation of separate tank regiments, 3 BA-64s were included in their composition, the same number of vehicles were listed in separate communication regiments.
During the fighting, the BA-64 was actively used for reconnaissance and communications, escorting transport convoys and rifle units. Their losses were quite high - the vehicle had bulletproof armor and weak weapons. As of May 15, 1945, there were 3,314 armored vehicles of all brands in the Red Army units, of which more than 3,000 were BA-64s. And if you take into account the number of BA-64s produced, you can easily see that almost 2/3 of the vehicles were lost in battle.
After the end of World War II, the BA-64 armored vehicles were in service with the Red (and then Soviet) Army until the early 1950s.
In addition to the Red Army, the BA-64 was used in small quantities by the armies of other countries. A small number of captured BA-64s were used by the Wehrmacht and the SS, most often in police and security units.
During the war years, the Polish Army received 81 BA-64s, of which 28 were lost. The rest were used until at least 1956. 10 BA-64 vehicles were received by the Czechoslovak corps of General Svoboda, formed during the war years on the territory of the USSR.
After the war, quite a few BA-64s were handed over to the People's Army of the GDR, where they were used mainly as police cars. At the same time, BA-64s were delivered to Yugoslavia, China and North Korea. A small number of them were used during the Korean War in 1950-1953.
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From the book American Frigates, 1794–1826 author Ivanov S. V.Ensign Vonlyarlyarsky's armored car Almost unknown in our country was an armored car built according to the project of the head of armored vehicles of the armored department of the Military Driving School Ensign Vonlyarlyarsky. Unfortunately, not much is known about him.
From the book of the Volunteer author Varnek Tatyana AlexandrovnaWartime Modernizations Changes were made to the design of aircraft carriers but to the experience of combat use and naval practice. Most important lesson according to the experience of combat use, it was necessary to strengthen the air defense systems of ships, especially those designed to repel
From the book Tank Breakthrough. Soviet tanks in battle, 1937–1942 author Isaev Alexey ValerievichColumbia Wartime Ships Laid down: 1813…Washington Navy Yard. Launched: none. Commissioned: none. Dimensions: DMP 175 feet, beam 44 feet 6 inches, hold depth 13 feet 6 inches. Displacement: 1,508 tons. Crew: 400 Initial armament: 32
From the book Combat Vehicles of the World No. 1 of the authorZinaida Mokievskaya-Zubok Civil War in Russia, evacuation and "sitting" in "Gallipol" through the eyes of a wartime sister of mercy (1917–1923) In 1974, shortly after being expelled from the USSR, A.I. Solzhenitsyn appealed to all living witnesses of the events
From the book Armor on wheels. History of the Soviet armored car 1925-1945. author Kolomiets Maxim Viktorovich3. Wartime Light Tanks The beginning of 1942 was marked by yet another revolution in Soviet tank building. If before the main criterion was the achievement of high performance characteristics, now technological simplicity was put forward in the first place, which makes it possible to increase the specific
From the book Great Patriotic War Soviet people (in the context of World War II) author Krasnova Marina AlekseevnaPrince's armored car. One of the first armored vehicles Sharron armored car during tests in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, 1906. The first cars appeared in the Russian army in 1902, when ten vehicles took part in the Kursk maneuvers. The debut turned out
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From the author's bookEveryday life of wartime Significant events took place in the country and beyond its borders. Heinkel was building a four-engine He-177, for which he received an order in mid-1938. Converted to fit the Junkers dive bomber, the Ju-88 doubled its original takeoff
From 1917 to 1923, the Civil War raged in Russia. Many have heard about the heroic armored vehicles of the Red Army units that took part in the hostilities against the troops of the White Movement - Austin-Putilovets, Austin-Kegress, Harford-Putilov. But few people think about the fact that the White movement also actively used armored vehicles - both captured or inherited from the tsarist army, and own design…
Tim Skorenko
There were not so many armored vehicles in the Russian army. Most of them were built according to the same principle: a chassis was ordered abroad (most often Renault, Fiat or Austin), after which armored bodies of their own production were installed on it. This is how strange hybrids appeared with amazing names like Austin-Putilovets or Fiat-Izhora. There were also a number of completely domestic developments, such as the Russo-Balt designed by Bratolyubov-Nekrasov, but the number of machines of this type produced usually did not exceed a dozen. And here are the tanks Russian empire did not use at all. Two pilot projects were implemented (Vezdekhod by Porohovshchikov and Tsar Tank by Lebedenko), but things did not reach the series, and then the revolution broke out, and tank production was relegated to the background.
It was here, already in 1917, that an interesting “separation” of armored vehicles took place between the Red Army and parts of the White movement. The fact is that most of the armored cars of the tsarist army were inherited by the Reds - in view of the fact that they were based mainly in Moscow and Petrograd. But the Whites, unlike the Red Army, had full-fledged tanks handed over to them by the European allies - the Entente did not recognize the Bolsheviks and considered the White movement the only legitimate power in Russia. Of course, the Civil War did not become a battle of "tanks against armored vehicles", but there was a certain preponderance of such a plan. So what did the whites fight on?
Fragments of the past
Of course, the White movement also got a number of serial armored vehicles used by the Russian Imperial Army. Machine guns Armstrong-Whitworth, Jeffery-Poplavko, Mgebrov-Renault, Austin, Austin-Putilovets, Renault, Russo-Balt type C, Fiat-Izhora were used in various parts ", Anti-aircraft "Pearless", as well as cannon "Garford-Putilov" and "Lanchester". Some of these were repulsed in battles near units of the Red Army. The total number of pre-revolutionary armored cars in the white units did not exceed 30-40 copies, which, of course, was a drop in the bucket compared to at least a couple of hundred inherited by the Red Army. In addition, outdated technical specifications, patency, speed and armament of vehicles did not allow us to talk about them as a serious military force.
White British
Until 1919, neither side had any tanks. But the first one ended World War, and the British government drew attention to the tragic events that took place in Russia. As a result, in the spring of 1919, twelve tanks arrived in Batum to support the White Guard: six Mark Vs and six Medium Mark A Whippets. The "School of English Tanks" was formed - the first Russian tankers were trained there under the supervision of the British.
In general, in 1919-1920, the British were incredibly active in supplying tanks to all parts of the White movement - both the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (AFSUR) under the command of Denikin, and the Russian Army of Wrangel, which remained after their defeat, and the Northern Army. Only Kolchak in the east was left without British support - this was due to extreme logistical difficulties in delivering armored vehicles inland.
The 1st Tank Division of the Armed Forces of South Russia was organized on April 27, 1919 in Yekaterinodar (now Krasnodar). The division consisted of sixteen British tanks - four detachments of four vehicles. Half are mighty Mark Vs with heavy cannon armament, the other half are light machine gun Mk A Whippets. Tanks proved to be a powerful help. The most famous operation with their participation was the assault on Tsaritsyn at the end of June 1919 - it was tanks and armored trains that played the most significant role in the defeat of the Reds and the final capture of the city. To a certain extent, tanks had more psychological than fire significance, but the latter should not be underestimated either. By the way, not sixteen, but seventeen tanks took part in that battle: another Mk A Whippet with a British crew under the command of Captain Cox joined the 1st tank division of the All-Russian Union of Youth Union.
The total number of tanks at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Russia by the end of the year reached 74 units. Almost all contemporaries claimed that the troops of the Red Army, at the sight of tanks, tried to retreat and not accept the battle, which, however, was absolutely the right tactic. Tanks could not fight on the front line and reached their maximum effectiveness when breaking through the defense line with a preliminary infantry attack, which happened quite rarely in this case.
After the defeat of the VSYUR, only 20 British tanks remained in the Russian army of Wrangel, plus two French Renault FT model 1917. The British also supplied a small number of tanks to the Northern Army (four vehicles) and the North-Western Army (six). Kolchak's Eastern Army tried to smuggle ten Renault FTs, but they were successfully intercepted by the Reds. All these machines did not have a serious impact on the course of the war.
It's interesting that whole line"White Britons" have survived to this day in very good condition. This is due to the fact that later they went to the Red Army and served until 1938, when, on the personal instructions of Voroshilov, they were installed in a number of cities as memorial tanks. Well known Mark V in Kharkov, Lugansk, Arkhangelsk.
If, however, to sum up the tank successes of the White Guard, we can say that if the British were a little more active in their "humanitarian aid", the course of the Civil War could really change - along with all subsequent history. In fact, there were too few tanks, and the need for them was very significant. And therefore, original ersatz vehicles appeared in the troops of the White movement.
Tractors - to battle!
Ertsaz tanks based on tractors are an indispensable element of almost any civil war, even a completely modern one. Since the first tanks appeared in the whites only in 1919, and most of the royal armored vehicles went to the Red Army, the factories located in the territories controlled by the whites were engaged in finalizing the tractors to a combat state. Due to the complete lack of experience similar works turned out very mediocre, but a number interesting designs still worth mentioning.
One of the most famous ersatz tanks of the White Movement is the "Colonel the Silent" based on the British Clayton & Shuttleworth 1916 tractor. The chassis was far from the best - just the only one that came to hand working in the workshops of the Don Army engineers and workers. A massive armored body was placed on the chassis, resembling Railway carriage. Inside there were several compartments - engine, control and combat (in the stern); the armament was a 76.2-mm cannon and six Maxim machine guns, and the crew consisted of 11 (!) Persons.
The machine had many shortcomings. The rotation of the base tractor was carried out with the help of a wheel moved forward, behind the tracks - it turned out to be outside armored corps"Colonel the Silent" and therefore was in particular danger in battle. But most importantly, the armored tractor turned out to be monstrously heavy - the serial tractor engine practically did not pull it. As a result, it was decided not to send the car to the front, where there would be no use from it. "Colonel" was used to train the crews of armored vehicles, and then, a year later, was dismantled.
Actually, the chassis of British tractors in the units of the All-Union Socialist Republic came from the same source, from where the tanks later came from. The British supplied the Bullock-Lombard, Holt, Clayton chassis; they were used more often as artillery tractors, but three Bullock-Lombard tractors turned into ersatz tanks under the hands of craftsmen. Two such armored cars were manufactured in Novorossiysk at the Sudostal plant. Unlike the Clayton, the Bullock-Lombard chassis had two driven wheels and handled much better. Externally, the armored hull had a classic layout of pre-revolutionary armored vehicles, including a turret with a Maxim machine gun (there were five machine guns for each tractor). The thickness of the armor was about 10 mm. Two Novorossiysk armored tractors were named "General Ulagai" and "Valiant Labinets", entered the 3rd armored detachment of the 2nd armored division of the Caucasian Volunteer Army and fought quite successfully throughout 1919, despite the low (5-8 km / h) speed.
The third Bullock-Lombard was remade at the Revel plant and received the name Astrakhanets. In terms of layout, it differed from its counterparts in two machine-gun turrets. The car was handed over to the 3rd Don Army, but just a few days later they were returned back, because the engine simply did not pull, the water in the radiator instantly boiled, the towers jammed, and in general the Astrakhan, apparently, did not even drive hundreds of meters during the tests. The armored tractor never returned from the factory. Subsequently, all three cars went as trophies of the Red Army. The first two were re-armed and sent to the front, and the last one was declared unusable and dismantled.
On Taganrog plant several more have been made interesting cars- ACS on the Clayton and Bullock-Lombard chassis. Tractors were equipped with 120-mm guns (Kane guns) and armored shields - at least two such machines were made, although the exact number remains unknown. The self-propelled guns fought on the Caucasian front and were captured by the Red Army in the spring of 1920, took part in the battles for some time, after which, apparently, they were disarmed.
The only serial
Pre-revolutionary armored cars were badly worn out and technically imperfect - their off-road patency was especially bad. There were several dozens of handicraft ersatz armored cars (we described only the most characteristic ones), and they were sorely lacking. It was necessary to establish at least some kind of mass production - and this happened with parts of Kolchak's army deprived of tanks. In 1918, Kolchak received fifteen Fiat chassis from the USA (manufactured by the company's American plant). The vehicles were armored partly in Omsk and partly in Vladivostok; There were two types of booking. The first option, "short", had a crew of three and a single Maxim machine gun mounted in the turret. The second, "long", was more bulky, two machine guns were located on the sides, in the sponsons of the armored tube. Native Fiat engine with 72 hp. could accelerate the car to 70 km / h if available pavement, that is, the armored car was quite fast and maneuverable.
True, unlike tanks, the Fiat-Omsk (history remembered these vehicles under that name) fought rather haphazardly. Of these, they did not make up links or departments - all fifteen cars were distributed between different parts of the White movement, and at different times they somehow fell into the hands of the Red Army. The design of the Fiat-Omsky was not bad, and at another time, it might have been able to influence the course of hostilities. But there were too few cars and time - the war entered a sluggish stage, armored cars were destroyed or captured, and the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral Kolchak, was shot in Irkutsk on February 7, 1920.
The White movement did not make a very big contribution to the history of the development of armored vehicles, but still it is completely impossible to deny this contribution. Both tractor-based ersatz tanks and the Fiat-Omsky left their mark on the pages of history. It is a pity that even sensible drawings have not been preserved from them - only mediocre quality photographs and fragmentary information, according to which it is difficult to draw up a complete picture. In this regard, military historians still have a huge scope of work.
Description of the flash game
Tank war 1917
Armored Warfare 1917
You are only in the middle wars !
Lead your tank on the enemy and complete all the missions to destroy the enemies.
Many boys and men love computer games, some of them prefer various competitions and shooting games, while others prefer to fight with opponents in the war. That is why they choose games about war or simple battles. "Tank War 1917" is a very interesting and informative game, especially for modern boys. The bottom line is that you control a military tank that moves forward and has the ability to shoot. Your goal is to destroy all opponents on your way, for this you have to shoot from your powerful gun. To control the tank, you must use the keys on the keyboard, and to attack - use the mouse button. You also need to direct the gun to the desired position with the help of computer mouse. Several of your soldiers are coming along with the tank, so you need to try to protect them from the enemy. Try to complete all the missions to destroy the enemies and complete the serious task as soon as possible. You need to win to get to specified paragraph destination. This is a rather interesting game that develops not only logical skills, but also makes a person even more attentive. You can play this flash game on the computer games website, where you can do it for free. You will not need to download the application and spend a lot of time installing it. You just need to go into the application and wait for the download, after that you can play it for an unlimited amount of time.
You need to get to your destination as soon as possible!
Here, in the complex labyrinths of the game, you are entrusted to control a small tank. You will need to fight with enemy military equipment, which also has a goal - to blow up your tank.
In order to get rid of the enemy, you need to make shots. Before you shoot, it is worth remembering that your cartridge can ricochet off the walls. It is very important to be as careful as possible in this regard so as not to damage your combat vehicle, since it is impossible to predict the direction of a bullet that has bounced off a wall.
The undoubted advantage in the game Tanks in the maze is the provision a large number various bonuses that you will find in any part of the intricate labyrinth. With their help, your tank will have additional equipment which will help you to pass this game much easier.
