T 20 Komsomolets. Light artillery tractor "Komsomolets"

02.07.2020

At the end of 1936, in the design bureau of plant No. 37 in Moscow, under the leadership of the chief designer of the plant N.A. Astrov, a full-fledged high-speed armored caterpillar tractor "Komsomolets" T-20 (factory index 020 or A-20) was created. The vehicle had a more spacious riveted-welded hull made of armor plates 7-10 mm thick, which protected the crew - the driver and the gunner commander - from rifle-caliber bullets and small fragments. In addition, the commander received defensive weapons - a DT tank machine gun in a movable mask, which was by no means superfluous in the forward edge zone, where direct contact with the enemy was very likely for gunners. The cockpit, armored on all sides, had two hatches on top, and in front and along the sides - folding armor plates that covered the viewing slots, later replaced by bullet-resistant triplex blocks. Behind the cab was the engine compartment (the engine, like on the Pioneer, was located at the back and was turned forward with the flywheel), closed from above by an armored hood with hinged covers. Above it, behind the armored partition, there was a cargo compartment with two blocks of longitudinal triple seats. Being turned outward, they formed with their backs the sides of a cargo platform for transporting ammunition and artillery equipment. During transportation, the gunners were placed with their backs to each other, in the dimensions of the tractor. In inclement weather during long marches, a closed awning with windows could be installed, while the height of the car increased to 2.23 m. Electronic trading platforms are ideal for purchases in the industry.

A four-stroke four-cylinder carburetor engine M-1 with a power of 50 hp was installed on the tractor. (37 kW) with a Zenith carburetor with an economizer and an enricher. The engine was started using an MAF-4006 electric starter with a power of 0.8-0.9 hp. (0.6-0.7 kW) and from the crank. In the ignition system, an IG-4085 reel and an IGF-4003 breaker-distributor were used. The engine was located behind the cab and was protected by an armored hood. The air for the cooling system was initially taken in by a fan through the side air intakes above the tracks, which, when driving in dry weather, caused engine fouling and rapid wear. On the latest series of tractors, the air intakes were moved to a cleaner area - between the seatbacks. To increase the survivability of vehicles, the gunner commander had duplicated control (except for gear shifting), which during the war years more than once helped out when the driver was injured or killed. The capacity of the gas tank equipped with a gas gauge was 115 liters. In addition, there was a supply tank with a capacity of 3 - 6.7 liters (depending on the series).

A four-speed gearbox provided four forward gears and one reverse gear. A one-way demultiplier from a three-axle GAZ-AAA car doubled the number of steps in the transmission and made it possible to have two ranges: traction and transport. Hence the possibility of a minimum ("creeping") speed of 2-2.5 km / h with a traction force on the hook up to 3000 kg. The rest of the transmission units: main gear, side clutches with brakes, final drives with drive sprockets, as well as a small-link caterpillar, rubber-coated support and support rollers were used from the T-38 tank.

Trucks with road wheels blocked in pairs, unlike tank trucks, had a more compact leaf spring suspension, which made it possible to reduce the height of the caterpillar bypass for convenient placement of the calculation. Initially, the rear track roller also served as a guide wheel, but due to the frequent cases of tipping over of the bogie, which could not be prevented by installing a limiter, a separate guide wheel had to be introduced. Unfortunately, the experimental use of a silent rubber-cable caterpillar with metal plates did not justify itself - it often jumped off.

The electrical equipment of the machine was made according to a single-wire circuit. The voltage of the on-board network was 6 V. A ZSTE-100 battery with a capacity of 100 Ah and a GBF-4105 generator with a voltage of 6–8 V and a power of 60–80 W were used as sources of electricity.

Army tests of the "Komsomolets", conducted in August - November 1937, showed that, subject to the elimination of certain shortcomings, it could be adopted by the Red Army. The average speed of a tractor with a trailer on the highway reached 15-20 km / h, on a dirt road and off-road - up to 8-11 km / h, which was recognized as high. The car overcame a ditch of 1.4 m, a ford of 0.6 m, a wall of 0.47 m, felled trees 0.18 m thick. Movement was possible with a roll of 40 ° (although caterpillars with short track feathers sometimes fell off). The maximum climb with a crew of two and a full refueling without a trailer reached 45 °; with a full combat weight and a trailer weighing 2000 kg up to 18 °. The turning radius was only 2.4 m (turn on the spot), which was also evaluated positively, given the high demands on the maneuverability of the machine. Unfortunately, the car engine, not designed for long-term hard work on a caterpillar tractor, was overloaded and often failed prematurely (wear of connecting rod bearings, breakdown of the head gasket, leaks through the seals). However, there were no other suitable, light and compact motors in the country at that time.

Shortcomings were also noted, which were later eliminated: the unsuitability of the towing device (later a rubber shock absorber of the hook was installed), the low survivability of the tracks (tracks began to be cast from manganese steel), self-deactivation of gears (a lock was introduced into the gearbox). The slippage of the tractor on an icy road was eliminated by the introduction of removable spikes, bolted to every fifth track of the caterpillar (a total of 16 spikes on board). Spikes began to be attached to each car in an individual set of spare parts.

The production of "Komsomolets" began in 1937 at the head plant No. 37 and at the special production facilities of STZ and GAZ. At the latter, in the special technical department, headed by M.I. Kazakov, independent work was also carried out to create light artillery tractors based on vehicle units and light tanks. Due to the tense situation with the release of the armor plate, attempts were made to create unarmored versions of the Komsomolets. Light tractors LT-1 and LT-2 with automobile engines GAZ-M (50 hp) and GAZ-11 (76 hp) developed in 1939 under the guidance of G.S. Surenyan.

"Komsomol" 1st series with regimental guns of the 1927 model
pass through Red Square.

At GAZ in 1940-1941, light tractors GAZ-20 were built (leading designers N.I. Dyachkov and S.B. Mikhailov, designers of units S.A. Solovyov, I.G. Storozhko, tester A.F. Khmelevsky) ("Komsomolets-2") with a GAZ-M and GAZ-22 (T-22) engine based on the T-40 light tank (rollers with individual torsion bar suspension) with a GAZ-11 engine. All of them had rear drive sprockets, a cab and a platform from a GAZ-MM truck, and due to their traction properties they could tow divisional and anti-aircraft artillery guns. However, due to significant shortcomings identified, the military abandoned these tractors.

The release of "Komsomolets" was stopped in July 1941: the army needed light tanks to a greater extent. Total was made 7780 machines of three production series, somewhat differing in the design of the platform, seats, cooling system, chassis, weapons. They were widely used in the Red Army and played a significant role in its motorization. So, as of January 1, 1941, there were 4401 "Komsomolets" in the troops (20.5% of the fleet of special tractors) with 2810 prescribed by the state. By the way, according to the states approved in April 1941, each rifle division was supposed to have 21 vehicles ; by the beginning of the war, the number of tractors of this type in the troops had reached 6,700 units.

In the summer of 1941, when delivering counterattacks against the enemy, Komsomolets tractors were sometimes used as machine-gun tankettes to fight infantry. At the same time, at the Gorky Artillery Plant No. 92, on the initiative of the chief designer V.G. Grabin, 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank guns were mounted on hundreds of vehicles. The received open self-propelled guns ZIS-30, although they turned out to be unstable when firing (small support base, high altitude of the line of fire), quickly passed military tests at the end of July. Later they were assigned to tank brigades and took part in the battle for Moscow.

On the fronts of the war tractors "Komsomolets", the number of which was continuously declining (as of September 1, 1942, 1662 vehicles remained in the army, as of January 1, 1943 - 1048), continued to carry out their difficult service. In the absence of other tractors, they were also used to tow heavier small-caliber anti-aircraft and divisional artillery, of course, the machines worked with overload. The T-20s, which turned out to be ideal for forest roads, and always provided with automotive spare parts, were also used by the partisans.

A large number of tractors were captured by German troops in good condition. "Komsomol members" in the Wehrmacht were under the designation "leicht gepanzerter Artillerie Schlepper 630(r).

The only Komsomolets surviving in our country can be seen in Moscow on Poklonnaya Hill in an open area. In Finland, there are not an example of them more, as many as 3. One in the artillery museum in Hemeinlinna, and in the Finnish tank museum in Parola there are two of them, and one is on the go. And this is not surprising, because in the Finnish army captured T-20 tractors were operated until 1961.

Tactical and technical characteristics tractor "Komsomolets"
Year of issue	1936
Crew	2
Curb weight without load, kg	3460
Length, m	3,45
Width, m	1,859
Clearance, m	0,3
Track width, m	0,2
Cabin height (without load), m	1,58
Armor protection, mm	Case forehead 10 mm Board 7 mm Feed 7 mm
Armament	7.62 mm DT machine gun.
Ammunition	1260 rounds
Engine	"GAZ-M", 50 hp 4-cylinder
Fuel, l	115
Range on the highway, km	without trailer - 250 with trailer - 152
Max. speed, km/h	50
Platform load capacity, kg	500
Mass of the towed trailer, kg	2000
Number of seats in the body for sitting	6
Average specific pressure on the ground with a load on the platform, kg / cm 2	0,58
Issued, pcs	7780

Photos of the tractor "Komsomolets"

Drawings of the tractor "Komsomolets":

Very often I met rumors about a famous photograph, where a T-20 was photographed with sailors. As soon as they didn’t comment on this vehicle: a tank and a light tank, and a captured wedge heel are more of German production than Romanian.

But in the photo, the domestic artillery tractor T-20 "Komsomolets" and nothing more.

T-20 "Komsomolets"

light armored artillery tractor

Light fast tracked tractor T-20 "Komsomolets" many take for a wedge. And indeed, during heroic defense of Odessa this sample of Soviet military equipment, armed with a tank machine gun DT, was used as a light tank and was perceived by the Romanians who stormed the city as a formidable military weapon.

"Komsomolets" was developed at the end of 1936 in the design bureau of plant No. 37 in Moscow under the leadership of the chief designer of the plant N. A. Astrov. It was a full-fledged high-speed armored artillery tractor.

The vehicle had a spacious riveted-welded hull made of armor plates 7-10 mm thick, which protected the crew - the driver and commander-gunner - from rifle-caliber bullets and small fragments. In addition, the commander received defensive weapons - a DT tank machine gun in a movable mask, which was by no means superfluous in the forward edge zone, where direct contact with the enemy was very likely for gunners. The cockpit, armored on all sides, had two hatches on top, and in front and on the sides - folding armor plates that covered the viewing slots, later replaced by bullet-resistant triplex blocks. Behind the cab was the engine compartment, closed on top with an armored hood with hinged lids. The tractor engine was located at the rear and was deployed with the flywheel forward. Above it, behind the armored partition, there was a cargo compartment with two blocks of longitudinal triple seats. When transporting the calculation, the backs were turned inward, and when transporting ammunition they were turned outward, and they formed the sides of the loading platform with their backs. In inclement weather, during long marches, a closed awning with windows could be installed above the cargo-passenger compartment, while the height of the car increased to 2.23 m.

Longitudinal section of the tractor-transporter T 20 "Komsomolets" 2nd series: 1 - main clutch pedal; 2 - main gear; 3 - steering clutch control lever; 4 - viewing device; 5 - control lever for the demultiplier; 6 - gear lever; 7 - machine gun discs; 8 - arrow seat; 9 - additional fuel tank; 10 - aft spare parts box; 11 - spare track roller; 12 - towing device; 13 - radiator of the engine cooling system; 14 - fan of the cooling system; 15 - engine exhaust pipe; 16 - engine; 17 - main clutch with gearbox; 18 - rack for stacking machine-gun discs; 19 - handle for turning on the starter; 20 - demultiplier; 21 - coupling.

The tractor was powered by a four-stroke four-cylinder carburetor engine from a passenger car. GAZ-M-1, equipped with a French Zenith carburetor with an economizer and enricher. Its displacement at 98.43 mm bore and 107.95 mm stroke was 3286 cc. cm, and the power at 2800 rpm was 50 horsepower. The engine was started using an MAF-4006 electric starter with a power of 0.8-0.9 hp. (0.6-0.7 kW) or from the crank. In the ignition system, an IG-4085 reel and an IGF-4003 breaker-distributor were used. The engine was located behind the cab and was protected by an armored hood. The air for the cooling system was initially taken in by a fan through the side air intakes above the tracks, which, when driving in dry weather, caused engine fouling and rapid wear. On the latest series of tractors, the air intakes were moved to a cleaner area - between the seatbacks. To increase the survivability of vehicles, the gunner commander had duplicated control (except for gear shifting), which during the war years more than once helped out when the driver was injured or killed. The capacity of the gas tank equipped with a gas gauge was 115 liters. In addition, there was a supply tank with a capacity of 3 - 6.7 liters (depending on the series).
A four-speed gearbox provided four forward gears and one reverse gear. A one-way demultiplier from a three-axle GAZ-AAA car doubled the number of steps in the transmission and made it possible to have two ranges: traction and transport. Hence the possibility of a minimum ("creeping") speed of 2-2.5 km / h with a traction force on the hook up to 3000 kg. The rest of the transmission units: main gear, side clutches with brakes, final drives with drive sprockets, as well as a small-link caterpillar, rubber-coated track and support rollers were used from the tank T-38 .
Trucks with road wheels blocked in pairs, unlike tank trucks, had a more compact leaf spring suspension, which made it possible to reduce the height of the caterpillar bypass for convenient placement of the calculation. Initially, the rear track roller also served as a guide wheel, but due to the frequent cases of tipping over of the bogie, which could not be prevented by installing a limiter, a separate guide wheel had to be introduced. Unfortunately, the experimental use of a silent rubber-cable caterpillar with metal plates did not justify itself - it often jumped off.
The electrical equipment of the machine was made according to a single-wire circuit. The voltage of the on-board network was 6 V. A ZSTE-100 storage battery with a capacity of 100 Ah and a GBF-4105 generator with a voltage of 6–8 V and a power of 60–80 W were used as sources of electricity.
Army tests of the Komsomolets, carried out in August - November 1937, showed that, subject to the elimination of certain shortcomings, it could be adopted by the Red Army. The average speed of a tractor with a trailer on the highway reached 15-20 km / h, on a dirt road and off-road - up to 8-11 km / h, which was recognized as high. The car overcame a ditch of 1.4 m, a ford of 0.6 m, a wall of 0.47 m, felled trees 0.18 m thick. Movement was possible with a roll of 40 ° (although caterpillars with short track feathers sometimes fell off). The maximum climb with a crew of two and a full refueling without a trailer reached 45 °; with a full combat weight and a trailer weighing 2000 kg up to 18 °. The turning radius was only 2.4 m (turn on the spot), which was also evaluated positively, given the high demands on the maneuverability of the machine. Unfortunately, the car engine, not designed for long-term hard work on a caterpillar tractor, was overloaded and often failed prematurely (wear of connecting rod bearings, breakdown of the head gasket, leaks through the seals). However, there were no other suitable, light and compact motors in the country at that time.

The Komsomolets captured by the Finns is towing our forty-five captured by the Finns. In 1941, the Finnish army had 56 T-20s, in 1944 - 215 units, and at the end of 1959 - 11. Trophy Komsomol members served the Finns until 1961.
Shortcomings were also noted, which were later eliminated: the unsuitability of the towing device (later a rubber shock absorber of the hook was installed), the low survivability of the tracks (tracks began to be cast from manganese steel), self-deactivation of gears (a lock was introduced into the gearbox). The slippage of the tractor on an icy road was eliminated by the introduction of removable spikes, bolted to every fifth track of the caterpillar (a total of 16 spikes on board). Spikes began to be attached to each car in an individual set of spare parts.

They began to produce Komsomolets in 1937 at the head plant No. 37 and at the special production facilities of STZ and GAZ, and they stopped production in July 1941: the army needed light tanks to a greater extent. A total of 7780 machines were manufactured in three production series, which differed somewhat in the design of the platform, seats, cooling system, chassis, weapons. They were widely used in the Red Army and played a significant role in its motorization. So, as of January 1, 1941, there were 4401 Komsomolets in the troops (20.5% of the fleet of special tractors) with 2810 prescribed by the state. By the way, according to the states approved in April 1941, each rifle division was supposed to have 21 vehicles ; by the beginning of the war, the number of tractors of this type in the troops had reached 6,700 units.

Tractors "Komsomolets" played a huge role in the process of motorization of the Red Army. Each rifle division was to include at least 60 tractors of this type. Sometimes the T-27 tankette was used instead. Before the start of the war, Soviet industry was unable to fully meet the needs of the army. Therefore, in practice, only shock units, as well as motorized infantry units as part of rifle units, were equipped with Komsomol members. Tractors T-20 participated in the battles with Japan near Lake Khasan in 1938, near the river Khalkhin Gol in 1939, in Soviet-Finnish war and, of course, in Great Patriotic.
On the fronts of the war tractors "Komsomolets", the number of which was continuously reduced (as of September 1, 1942, 1662 vehicles remained in the army, as of January 1, 1943 - 1048), continued to carry out their difficult service. In the absence of other tractors, they were also used to tow heavier small-caliber anti-aircraft and divisional artillery, of course, the machines worked with overload. The T-20s, which turned out to be ideal for forest roads, and always provided with automotive spare parts, were also used by the partisans.

In July 1941 Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin, who served at the Gorky Artillery Plant No. 92 as the chief designer, proposed the creation of anti-tank self-propelled guns on the basis of Komsomol members, and soon the ZiS-30. Read more about her.
A large number of tractors were captured by German troops in good condition. "Komsomol members" in the Wehrmacht were under the designation leicht gepanzerter Artillerie Schlepper 630®.

At the end of 1936, at the NATI design bureau under the leadership of chief designer N.A. Astrov, a high-speed armored caterpillar tractor was developed, which received the factory index 020 or A-20 and the military designation.

The crawler tractor was based on a spatial riveted-welded body made of armor plates 7-10 mm thick. The cockpit had armor on all sides, on top of the cockpit there were two rectangular hatches, and in front and along the sides there were folding armor plates that covered the viewing slots and were later replaced by bulletproof triplex blocks. To increase the survivability of the tractor, the workplace of the gunner commander was equipped with duplicated control (without gear shifting), which during the years of World War II repeatedly helped out when the driver was injured or killed.

The driver was located on the left side, and the vehicle commander was on the starboard side and could fire from a 7.62-mm DT machine gun, which was mounted on a ball mount on the right side and had a small angle of fire. Cartridge boxes for 1008 rounds were placed on two racks. One rack for 6 discs was located behind the driver's seat, and the second rack for three discs was located to the right of the shooter. Another six discs were stacked in special machines, and the last 16th disc was immediately mounted on a machine gun.

The engine compartment of the T-20 "Komsomolets" tractor was located behind the cab and covered from above with an armored hood with hinged covers. A modified gasoline four-cylinder four-stroke carburetor engine MM-6002 with a power of 50 hp was installed in the engine compartment. with a Zenith carburetor with an economizer and an enricher. The engine was started using the crank from the MAF-4006 electric starter with a power of 0.8-0.9 hp. Initially, air for the engine cooling system was taken in by a fan through the side air intakes above the tracks, which, when driving in dry weather, led to engine pollution and wear, so on the latest series of tractors, the air intake was installed between the seatbacks, where the air was much cleaner. To power the engine, there was a fuel tank with a volume of 115 liters with a gas gauge and a supply tank with a volume of 3-6.7 liters, depending on the series.

The electrical equipment of the single-wire circuit had a voltage of 6 V. A ZSTE-100 battery with a capacity of 100 Ah and a GBF-4105 generator with a voltage of 6-8 V and a power of 60-80 W served as sources of electricity.

Lighting at night was provided by two headlights, which were fixed on the frontal hull plate, and one marker lamp on the aft armor plate. In combat conditions, the headlights were removed and placed inside the hull.

The transmission consisted of a 4-speed gearbox (four forward gears and one reverse gear) and a one-way demultiplier from a three-axle truck, which doubled the number of gearbox stages and allowed two ranges: traction and transport. The main gear, side clutches with brakes, final drives with drive sprockets, small-link caterpillars, support and rubber-coated support rollers were used from the T-38 tank.

The undercarriage of the T-20 Komsomolets caterpillar tractor consisted of two bogies on each side with two rubber-coated track rollers, two support rollers, a front-mounted drive wheel and a small-linked caterpillar chain with 79 steel single-ridge tracks 200 mm wide. The carts had road wheels blocked in pairs and differed from the tank ones in a more compact leaf spring suspension, which made it possible to reduce the height of the caterpillar bypass and provided convenient accommodation for the calculation. At first, the rear track roller also served as a guide wheel, but due to the frequent tipping of the bogie, which the installation of a limiter could not prevent, it was decided to introduce a separate steering wheel. Also, a silent rubber-cable caterpillar with metal plates was experimentally mounted on the tractor, but it often slipped during movement.

In the bottom of the hull there were 6 round hatches closed by hatches with rubberized layers, which were located under the drain plugs of the engine crankcase, gearbox, demultiplier, final drive, fuel tank and radiator.

Above the engine compartment was a cargo compartment with two blocks of longitudinal triple seats. The backs of the seats were turned outward and thus served as the sides of the cargo platform for the transport of ammunition and artillery equipment. During transportation, the gunners were placed with their backs to each other, in the dimensions of the tractor. In inclement weather, during long marches, a closed awning with windows could be installed, while the height of the car increased to 2.23 m.

The overall dimensions and characteristics of the T-20 Komsomolets artillery tractor were:

length - 3450 mm;
width - 1859 mm;
height - 1580 mm;
clearance - 300 mm;
curb weight - 3460 kg;
armor protection - the forehead of the hull is 10 mm, the side is 7 mm, the feed is 7 mm;
platform load capacity - 500 kg;
the number of seats in the platform - 6;
towed trailer weight - 2000 kg.

The tractor could reach a maximum speed of up to 50 km / h, and the cruising range on the chassis was 250 km without a trailer or 152 km with a trailer.

From August to November 1937, the T-20 Komsomolets caterpillar tractor underwent army tests, which showed an average speed of 15-20 km / h on a highway with a trailer, up to 8-11 km / h along a country road and off-road, overcoming a ditch deep up to 1.4 meters and ford up to 0.6 meters, walls up to 0.47 meters, felled trees up to 0.18 meters thick, movement with a roll up to 40 degrees, overcoming the maximum rise with a crew of two and full refueling without a trailer up to 45 degrees or up to 18 degrees with a full combat weight and a trailer weighing 2000 kg, and the turning radius was only 2.4 meters. However, the car engine was not designed for long-term hard work, which caused the connecting rod bearings to wear out quickly, the head gaskets pierced and leaks appeared through the seals, but there were no other light and compact motors in the USSR. Also, during the movement, too much dirt flew out from under the tracks of the tractor, which is why the towed gun had to be put in order after the march for 2 hours, and then, with the obligatory presence of water.

Other shortcomings were noted, which were eliminated over time:

the unsuitability of the towing device, subsequently replaced by a rubber shock absorber of the hook;
low survivability of tracks, which was solved by casting tracks from manganese steel;
self-deactivation of gears was eliminated by introducing a lock into the gearbox;
slippage of the tractor on an icy road was eliminated by installing 16 removable spikes on each side, bolted to every fifth track track (the spikes were attached to each tractor in the form of an individual set of spare parts and accessories).

The T-20 Komsomolets artillery tracked tractor was produced from 1937 to July 1941 at the head plant No. 37 in Moscow and the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, and also from 1937 to 1938.

In total, 7780 tractors of three production series were manufactured, which differed in the arrangement of the loading platform, seats, cooling system, chassis and armament.

The tractor of the first series had a small, slightly advanced cabin of the commander of the vehicle with a DT machine gun installed. The right side sheet was made integral with the cockpit side sheet. To the left of the cutout there was a hole for ventilation of the control compartment in combat conditions. Observation from the cockpit was provided by three folding shields with viewing slots covered with armored glass. The caterpillar chain consisted of 76 steel tracks.

On tractors T-20 "Komsomolets" folding shields were replaced with viewing devices of the "triplex" type. Instead of armor shutters installed on the cutout for the exit of cooling air, armor plates overlapping each other were used.

Tractors of the third series received a modified type of viewing device in the front hull sheet, which was now equipped with an armored flap. A rubber shock absorber of the tow hook appeared in the form of rubber buffer rings. The hole for the engine winding mechanism was moved from the stern to the lower frontal armor plate. Instead, a hole appeared for the outlet of the exhaust pipe and muffler. In addition to the onboard air ducts intended for the engine cooling system, a third was added to the front hull sheet, which was usually closed with an armored damper in cold weather. The capacity of the auxiliary fuel tank has been reduced from 6.7 to 3 liters. A seventh hatch appeared under the bottom for tightening the main bearings of the crankshaft without removing it from the housing. Ammunition for the DT machine gun was also increased from 1008 to 1071 rounds.

The use of artillery tracked tractors T-20 "Komsomolets" during the Great Patriotic War

As of January 1, 1941, there were 4,401 T-20 Komsomolets artillery tractors in the troops, which accounted for 20.5% of the fleet of special tractors.

In the summer of 1941, when counterattacking German troops, caterpillar tractors were sometimes used as machine-gun tankettes to fight infantry.

Fact: “At the same time, at the Gorky Artillery Plant No. 92, on the initiative of the chief designer V.G. Grabin on one hundred tractors, 57-mm anti-tank guns ZIS-2 were mounted, while tracked tractors received the designation ZIS-30. However, they had a small support base and a high fire height, which is why they were unstable when standing. However, at the end of July 1941, self-propelled guns nevertheless passed military tests, were distributed among tank brigades and took part in the battles for Moscow.

On the fronts during the Great Patriotic War, the T-20 Komsomolets tractors were used to tow heavier small-caliber anti-aircraft and divisional artillery, as well as to supply partisans on forest roads.

A large number of tractors in good condition were captured by German units and were in service with the Wehrmacht under the designation ""leicht gepanzerter Artillerie Schlepper 630 ®".

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Brief description of the design of the tractor T-20 "Komsomolets"

The layout of the machine was made with the front drive wheels and aft engine placement. The control compartment with jobs for two crew members (driver and gunner) was located in front of the armored hull in a special armored cabin. In the roof of the cockpit, above the driver's and gunner's seats, there were manhole hatches, closing with hinged covers.

For observation from the cockpit, there were three folding shields with viewing slots (on machines of the 1st series). On machines of the 2nd and 3rd series, the shields were equipped with triplex viewing devices. One of them was located directly in front of the driver, and the other two - on the side walls of the cab. On the machines of the 2nd series, all three viewing devices were the same, and on the machines of the 3rd series, a viewing device of a different design was installed on the front shield, which had an armored flap with a viewing slot.

Behind the cab was the engine compartment (the engine was turned forward with the flywheel), closed from above by an armored hood with hinged hinged covers. In the middle and aft part of the hull above the engine compartment there was a cargo compartment, in which two seats were installed along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle for transporting an artillery crew, consisting of six people. During transportation, the gunners were placed with their backs to each other. The side seats were suspended from the hull on two earrings rotating around axes fixed on the hull and aft cabin sheets, which made it possible to install the seats in three positions: for the crew seat, access to the engine compartment and in which a closed platform was formed for transporting goods with a carrying capacity of 500 kgf.

In the machines of the 3rd series, the back and seat were made separately. The seat could be rearranged from the position for landing the calculation to the position of the platform closed on four sides, and the platform was formed from the back, and the sides from the seats.

To protect the artillery crew from bad weather, a tarpaulin awning could be installed, in which there were special windows for observing the terrain; with an awning, the height of the car increased to 2.23 m.

For towing artillery systems in the aft part of the hull there was a towing device with a tow hook that met the requirements for connecting with the drawbars of light guns and their limbers. If necessary, the tractor could tow a trailer with a carrying capacity of up to 2 tf (up to 3 tf when the demultiplier slow gear was engaged).

The armor protection of the car is bulletproof. The riveted-welded hull was made of rolled armor plates 7 and 10 mm thick. Frontal hull sheets, frontal and side cutting sheets were installed with rational angles of inclination from the vertical. To extinguish the fire, the tractor was equipped with manual and stationary tetrachlorine fire extinguishers or only one manual fire extinguisher.

A special cabin was mounted in the front wall of the cab for the installation of a 7.62 mm DT machine gun. On machines of the 1st series, the felling had a riveted-welded structure. The right side cutting sheet was made integral with the cabin side sheet. On machines of the 2nd and 3rd series, the cutting was replaced by a special armor of a stamped-bolt design. The round or oval armor body was made by stamping, and its front plate with a cutout for the ball joint of a machine gun was attached to the stamped body with bolts with bulletproof heads. The armor itself was fastened with rivets above the cutout on the left side of the cab front sheet. In the front plate of the armor, to the left of the cutout for mounting the ball joint of the machine gun, there was a hole for ventilation of the cabin in combat conditions, which was closed by an armored damper. If necessary, this hole could be used for observation and firing from personal weapons. On the armor of a machine gun with a round shape of its body, this hole was absent. To the left of the armor of the machine gun in the frontal sheet of the cab in front of the driver and in the sides of the cab there were cutouts for inspection hatches.

In front of the hull sides there were cutouts for final drive brackets. Holes were made in the stern sheet of the hull of the machines of the 1st and 2nd series for installing the engine winding mechanism, for the machines of the 3rd series - in the lower frontal sheet of the hull. In addition, in the aft wall of the hull there was a hole for the exit of the exhaust pipe and the installation of a silencer.

In the middle part of the hull, on both sides, under the side seats, lateral air intakes were made for the engine cooling system. On the machines of the 3rd series, another, medium, air intake was made on the hood above the engine. In the cold season, it was closed with an internal partition.

For the exit of cooling air in the aft part of the hull there was a special hatch. In tractors of the 1st issue, this hatch was protected from bullet damage by armored blinds, and in vehicles of subsequent issues, by overlapping armor plates. Outside, the hatch was closed with a protective metal mesh.

To prevent splashing of the tractor body with dirt from the tracks, front and aft mud flaps (wings) were installed.

The main weapon used was a 7.62 mm DT machine gun, which was mounted in a ball joint on the right in a special armor, which was attached to the front of the cab.

Ammunition for the machine gun was 1008 rounds (for machines of the 1st and 2nd series) and 1071 rounds (for machines of the 3rd series). Machine-gun discs were stacked in two racks inside the cockpit. One rack with slots for six disks (on machines of the 3rd series - for five disks) was located behind the driver's seat. The second rack was installed to the right of the shooter (for three disks). One disk - on a machine gun. Another six disks were stacked in special machines. On machines of the 3rd series, one more machine gun for a machine-gun disk was welded to the backs of the driver's seats and the arrow at the back.

The tractor was equipped with a four-stroke four-cylinder carburetor engine MM-6002 (M-1 engine with a GAZ-AA truck gearbox) with a power of 50 hp. (37 kW). The engine was started using an electric starter or from the crank. As a rule, to conserve battery life, it was recommended to start the engine using the crank.

On machines of the 1st and 2nd series, the winding mechanism was installed in the aft part of the hull. The crank was passed through a hole in the feed sheet and directly connected to the engine crankshaft. On machines of the 3rd series, the crank was passed through a hole in the lower front plate and connected to a ratchet, which was connected to the mechanism for starting the engine through the cardan shaft.

The total capacity of the two fuel tanks was 121.7 liters (or 118 liters - depending on the capacity of the additional tank). The main fuel tank with a capacity of 115 liters was located inside the hull, to the right of the engine. An additional (small) fuel tank with a capacity of 6.7 liters (for cars of the 3rd series - 3 liters) was attached to the top sheet of the hood above the engine.

Air entered the carburetor through an M-1 type air cleaner, which was installed in the left rear corner of the driver's cab.

The air for the cooling system was initially taken in by the fan through the side air intakes above the tracks, which, when driving in dry weather, caused engine fouling and rapid wear. On the 3rd series of tractors, the air intakes were moved to a cleaner area - between the seatbacks.

Engine lubrication system - combined. The crankshaft main bearings and camshaft bearings were pressure lubricated, while all other parts were splash lubricated.

The engine cooling system is liquid, forced. The water radiator was installed in the aft part of the hull. The engine exhaust pipe was connected through an intermediate pipe to a muffler, which was attached to the aft hull plate.

The transmission included: a single-disk main friction clutch (clutch) of dry friction; a four-speed gearbox that provided four forward gears and one reverse gear; one-way demultiplier for direct or slow gears; bevel main gear; two dry multi-disc side clutches with double band brakes with ferodo pads and two single-stage final drives. The main clutch and gearbox were borrowed from the GAZ-AA truck, and the demultiplier was borrowed from the GAZ-AAA. In case of failure of the driver, the tractor had a backup traffic control system from the shooter's position.

Tractor suspension - balancing, with leaf springs. The undercarriage used track and support rollers, guide wheels with tensioning mechanisms, drive wheels, as well as small-link caterpillars, the design of which was borrowed from the T-38 tank. On the side of each side, two carts with two road wheels in each and two support rollers were installed. All four bogies were identical in design, each of which, in addition to road wheels, included a bracket, two balancers (small and large) with bushings and two leaf springs. During installation, the carts were installed in such a way that the small balancers were facing the middle of the machine.

On the first machines of the 1st series, the rear road wheels acted as guide wheels. Later, raised guide wheels were introduced on parts of tractors of the 1st, as well as on machines of the 2nd and 3rd series.

Each caterpillar consisted of 79 tracks 200 mm wide (on the first machines of the 1st series - from 76 tracks). To increase the tractor's patency on an icy road, removable spurs were introduced, which were installed on every fifth track (16 spurs on board). The spurs were included in the individual set of spare parts and accessories for each machine.

In an experimental order, silent rubber-cable caterpillars with metal plates were tested on one of the tractors. However, their use did not justify itself: the caterpillars often jumped off.

The electrical equipment of the machine was made according to a single-wire circuit. The voltage of the on-board network was 6 V.

For outdoor lighting at night, two headlights were installed on the sides of the upper frontal sheet of the hull, and a taillight was installed on the upper sheets of the aft blinds. During daytime work, tarpaulin protective covers were put on the headlights. In a combat situation, the headlights and taillight were removed and retracted inside the car. On the left front wing of the hull, an electric sound signal of the brand VG-2 or CE was installed.

in divisional artillery

The lack of tractors forced the use of the Komsomol to tow heavier artillery systems, for example, divisional artillery cannons. As an example, we can cite the description of the activities of a special battery of the regiment of the Artillery Red Banner Advanced Courses for Commanders (AKKUKS). According to the directive of the Chief of the General Staff No. 395889 dated December 23, 1937, in the Luga region, from February 14 to March 17, it was supposed to test the F-22 guns with the participation of the newly formed four-gun battery of the AKKUKS artillery regiment.

According to the state, intelligence and communications were to be transported by tractors "Komsomolets", and guns - STZ-5. However, the STZ-5 tractors were not ready on time, and it was decided to tow the guns by Komsomol members. This made it possible to find out their capabilities to ensure the necessary maneuverability of the battery of 76-mm F-22 guns on the march and in battle, to determine the tactical mobility of the battery, to establish the strength and reliability of the tractor as a whole and its individual mechanisms, as well as the convenience of hitching guns, stowage of property intelligence and communications, deployment of personnel.

In total, eleven Komsomolets tractors arrived for testing, which arrived directly from plant No. 37. Eight tractors were introduced into the battery: four of them were intended for hauling guns and four for carrying reconnaissance and communications. The F-22 gun weighed 1670 kg, and in the stowed position with a loaded limber - 2400 kg, and was obviously heavy for Komsomolets, therefore, during the tests it was transported without a limber. The tractor hitch made it possible to hook the F-22 without a limber to only one lug, which made it difficult to turn with a gun and led to damage to the coulter trunk sheets and their mounts in the stowed position.

During the tests, the battery performed daytime marches of 100 km (5 hours 40 minutes) and 150 km (8 hours) along a slippery, rolled snow highway. A night march of 35 km along a forest road was also supposed, which began at 2 o'clock, but due to difficult road conditions (snow depth up to 0.5 m) it lasted 10 hours and ended at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, i.e. most of the journey was covered in daylight. Although the average speed was 3.5 km / h, in fact, it took up to 3 hours to overcome individual sections with a length of only 500 m.

During the tests, the following were revealed: the average tactical speed of the battery when driving on a highway covered with dense, rolled and slippery snow (actually ice) - 19 km / h; average technical speed - 22 km/h; maximum speed - 40 km / h. The average technical and tactical speeds when driving on virgin soil during the day and at night with headlights on were approximately the same and amounted to about 3.5 km / h. Virgin snow with a depth of more than 350 mm turned out to be practically impassable for Komsomolets, as it sat on its belly and skidded.

With a tool on a trailer, the T-20 tractors on frozen sandy soil overcame slopes of 25 ° and slopes of up to 25 °. With snow cover more than 200 mm deep, due to slipping, they could not overcome slopes of more than 11 °.

In general, the T-20 Komsomolets tractors showed satisfactory patency on the ground, overcoming destroyed trenches sprinkled with snow, pits 1 m deep and 3.5 m wide. However, their reliability in these tests left much to be desired.

Operational amenities were described as insufficient. In particular, they pointed to the rigidity of the seats, the short length of canvas belts intended for tying personnel (a kind of analogue of modern car seat belts), and the unsuccessful design of their buckles. The testers wore budenovki that clung to the awning, which, as noted, "nerves people."

In general, despite a bunch of manufacturing defects, it was recognized that before the STZ-5 transport tractors "Komsomolets" entered the army, they could be used to transport divisional artillery guns (excluding 152-mm guns mod. 09/30), but without limbers .

It was also noted the need to create a trailer cart for transporting shots behind the Komsomolets tractor, the weight of which with a load should not exceed 1.5 tons. Such special single-axle trailers were made and tested. The release of trailers, which differed constructively, was carried out at several enterprises.

In fights and battles

Tractors T-20 "Komsomolets" were widely used in the Red Army and played a significant role in its motorization. These machines were actively used in combat operations.

The baptism of fire "Komsomol" took place in 1939 on the Khalkhin-Gol River, where they were used to tow 45-mm anti-tank guns. Semi-armored tractors served in the artillery regiments of the 36th motorized division and the 57th rifle division (commander Colonel Galanin). During the fighting at Khalkhin Gol, nine Komsomol members were lost.

During the Soviet-Finnish war of 1940, Komsomol members were used, in particular, as tractors for towing 45-mm anti-tank guns in the combat zone of the 7th, 8th and 9th armies, as well as in the Murmansk direction.

The need for widespread use of tractors "Komsomolets" during the fighting was indicated in the directive of the Headquarters of the High Command of December 9, 1939, sent by the commanders of the 14th, 9th and 8th armies, on the use of artillery units in the offensive. This document stated:

“The enemy's tactics - to build barriers everywhere - makes it necessary to quickly support the infantry of rifle divisions in the combat area with 45-mm and 76-mm regimental artillery. Without this artillery support, it is impossible to move the infantry forward.

Therefore, I order, where 45-mm batteries cannot move on Komsomolets tractors, to transfer them to horse traction. Where, on the contrary, roads make it possible, even if Komsomolets tractors are available, to transfer 76-mm regimental artillery to them. “Komsomol members” will be additionally sent to the army.”

So, for example, at the beginning of hostilities in the 15th rifle and machine-gun brigade (commander - Colonel Gavrilov), which was part of the 10th tank corps in the offensive zone of the 7th army (commander - commander of the 2nd rank B. Yakovlev, from December 9 until the end of the war - K. Meretskov), 24 Komsomolets tractor-transporters were used.

During the fighting in the 9th Army zone (commander - commander M. Dukhanov, from December 22 - commander V. Chuikov), 21 Komsomolets tractors were lost, seven of which had to be left on enemy territory. In this army, there were cases of using tractor-transporters "Komsomolets" as evacuation tractors for failed tanks. However, these attempts were unsuccessful due to insufficient adhesion of the tractor tracks to the ground. In the Murmansk direction, in the rifle units of the 14th Army (commander V. Frolov), there were 35 tractor-transporters of this type.

During the fighting, the Finns captured 56 Komsomolets tractors as trophies, which subsequently entered service with the Finnish army. One of these machines was used until 1961.

The highest percentage of provision of artillery with tractors and cars in the pre-war 1939-1940s. in connection with the Soviet-Finnish war had the Leningrad military district. According to a report on the use of mechanical traction by artillery units that took part in hostilities, the provision of 26 artillery regiments and individual divisions of high power with tractors during this period reached 68% (1733 tractors), trucks - 111% (2024 vehicles). However, the vast majority of the tractor fleet (94%) consisted of agricultural-type machines, including the STZ-3 (48%), S-60 (26%) and S-65 (20%) tractors. The remaining 6% were tractors "Comintern" and "Komsomolets" (5%) and transport tractors STZ-5 (1%).

As indicated in the report mentioned, the technical condition of the tractors that were previously in the army was quite satisfactory, with the exception of the S-60, most of which had significant wear and tear and were already undergoing major repairs. After the departure of the artillery units to the front, 354 vehicles unsuitable for operation remained at the recruiting points, including 171 S-60 tractors, 36 S-65 and 147 STZ-3 tractors. The main means in this war for towing 45-mm anti-tank guns and partly 76-mm regimental guns were Komsomolets tractors.

New Generation

Artillery units of the Red Army were in dire need of specialized artillery tractors. The discrepancy between the production and staffing of artillery with mechanical traction was repeatedly drawn attention even before the war. So, in the surviving draft report of the People's Commissar of Defense to the Chairman of the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR in December 1940, it was noted:

“The production of artillery tractors for anti-tank, divisional, anti-aircraft, corps artillery and high-capacity artillery is far behind the existing need for them, and tractors (except for Komsomolets) do not meet the requirements of modern artillery systems in service with Red Army. As a result, the availability of tractors for artillery units on mechanical traction is currently extremely low.

... The main reasons for the extremely difficult situation with mechanical traction in artillery units are: a) the lack of special factories for the production of artillery tractors, and the conversion of agricultural-type tractors into artillery ones at existing tractor factories does not give positive results; b) the absence of special design bureaus for the development of artillery tractors, as a result of which the design and research work on the creation of artillery tractors arises spontaneously and is not directed by anyone; c) the discrepancy between the agricultural tractors supplied for the supply of artillery units, both in quantitative and qualitative terms.

The provision of parts with these tractors of a satisfactory technical condition is about 30-35%.

As a result of the above, I consider it necessary to ask you to raise a question before the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on the construction of two special factories for the production of artillery tractors: one for the production of tractors for anti-tank, small-caliber anti-aircraft and divisional artillery, and the other for hull and anti-aircraft tractors (76 and 85- mm guns) artillery and artillery of high power.

Based on the need for artillery tractors for 1941, taking into account the coverage of the total need for them within 3-4 years. The design capacity of these plants should be: a) for tractors of anti-tank and small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery - 7,000 pieces; b) for tractors of divisional artillery - 6000 pieces; c) for tractors of corps and anti-aircraft artillery - 4500 pieces; d) for tractors for artillery of high power - 2600 pieces.

Taking into account the extreme need to provide artillery units with special tractors, the plants should reach the above design capacity by January 1, 1943.

The following should be taken as the basis for the production of special artillery tractors at newly created factories: a) for anti-tank, small-caliber anti-aircraft and regimental artillery and 76-mm guns of the 1939 model (USV) - the Komsomolets tractor of plant No. 37 existing in production; b) for divisional artillery - a prototype of the T-22 tractor (based on the T-40 tank) of the GAZ plant; c) for corps and anti-aircraft artillery and artillery of high power - the type of German tractors "Kraus-Maffei" and "Famo".

Temporarily, pending the creation of a production base for the production of diesel engines of appropriate capacities, the above-mentioned tractors will be equipped with existing engines manufactured for domestically produced machines.

Promising tractors for divisional artillery were supposed to be unarmored tractors of the Komsomolets-2 type. Back in 1939, in Moscow, at plant No. 37 under the leadership of G.S. Surenyan, on the basis of the T-20 Komsomolets tractor, prototypes of the high-speed artillery tractors LT-1 and LT-2 with automobile engines were produced. Similar tractors were manufactured at GAZ under the GAZ-20 brand. The GAZ-21 tractor was also designed, which differed in the size of the track.

In general, the designs of the Komsomolets-2 tractors of factories No. 937 and GAZ were similar and differed in production performance. These machines had rear drive sprockets, were unified in terms of chassis with the Komsomolets tractor and with light tanks. The cab was similar to the cab of a GAZ-MM truck. The cargo platform made it possible to transport the gun crew. According to their traction properties, the new tractors could tow divisional and anti-aircraft artillery guns. Tractors used GAZ-MM engines with a power of 50 hp. (LT-1 and GAZ-20 No. 1) and GAZ-11 with a capacity of 76 hp. (LT-2 and GAZ-20 No. 2). The installation of a more powerful engine required strengthening the cooling system, which on the LT-2 tractor was externally manifested in the installation of a hood with the ZIS logo.

Tractors LT-1, LT-2 and GAZ-20 were not mass-produced and existed in single copies, since during this period a promising light tank T-40 was designed to replace the T-37 and T-38. In 1940-1941. at GAZ, using the components and assemblies of this tank, the GAZ-22 artillery tractor was developed and manufactured in prototypes. It was supposed to be built in series with the GAZ-11 engine. The possibility of installing a GAZ-MM engine on the GAZ-22 was also allowed, but this significantly reduced the operational parameters of the machine. The defects identified during the tests were not eliminated until the summer of 1941, so the GAZ-22 was not mass-produced.

During the Great Patriotic War

As already noted, before the war, the production of tractors "Komsomolets-2" did not have time to master, so the T-20 remained the most massive specialized artillery tractor in the Red Army. So, as of January 1, 1941, there were 4401 vehicles of this type in the troops (20.5% of the fleet of special tractors) with 2810 prescribed by the state. By the way, according to the state approved in April 1941 (state No. 904/400 dated April 5, 1941), each rifle division was supposed to have 99 tractors, including 21 Komsomolets, 48 STZ-3, 5 STZ-5 and 25 ChTZ-65.

In the corps artillery regiments and in the artillery of the RVGK, tractors were also used to tow guns. Only 37-mm anti-aircraft guns in anti-aircraft divisions of rifle divisions and in anti-tank artillery brigades were towed by ZIS-5 vehicles. On the eve of the war in the rifle division, 50% of the guns were horse-drawn and 50% mechanically driven, and the means of mechanical traction consisted of 88% tractors and 12% cars.

According to the inventory of the tractor fleet of artillery, as of January 1, 1941, about 1/5 of all tractors required medium and major repairs, and shortly before the war, in April 1941, in 17 military districts, about 15 thousand tractors needed major, medium or ongoing repairs. In three districts (Privolzhsky, Western and Odessa) 50% of the tractor fleet required medium and major repairs. At the same time, the repair facilities of the artillery regiments were in an unsatisfactory condition. For example, in the Kiev Special Military District, 110 type “B” repair kits and 51 type “A” were missing. The workshops were only 50-60% equipped with repair tools, and in most cases requests for spare parts were not satisfied.

Immediately before the start of the Great Patriotic War, there were about 45,000 tractors and caterpillar tractors in the tractor fleet of the Red Army, of which about half were in artillery, the rest - in other branches of the military. Basically (65%), the tractor fleet consisted of agricultural machines of the S-60, S-65 and STZ-3 types. But according to their technical characteristics, they were not very suitable for military service, especially in combat conditions.

The second largest group of vehicles included special caterpillar tractors Komsomolets, Komintern and Voroshilovets. They made up approximately 20% of the army's fleet. The third largest group of machines included transport tractors - STZ-5, S-2, Kommunar, which in total did not exceed 15% of the fleet.

In the tractor park of the artillery of the Red Army, according to the inventory on January 1, 1941, there were 21.5 thousand tractors of all brands, against 20.1 thousand laid down by the states. The tractor fleet of artillery in the total fleet of the army was about 53%. There were only 5646 special artillery tractors Voroshilovets, Komintern and Komsomolets, or 26.3% of the entire tractor fleet.

The number of running machines from the total fleet was about 70%, and 30% of the tractors needed medium and major repairs. The tractor fleet of artillery was in somewhat better condition: in it the total number of tractors of all brands that required medium and major repairs was a little more than 4.1 thousand, or 19% of the fleet.

Thus, six months before the start of the war, special artillery tractors Komsomolets, Komintern and Voroshilovets accounted for only 26% of the tractor artillery fleet, and 74% of the fleet accounted for agricultural and transport tractors, and STZ-5 transport tractors were only 13%.

As of June 22, 1941, special caterpillar tractors accounted for only 20% of the tractor fleet, of which Komsomol members accounted for 14.9% (6700 vehicles). In the future, the qualitative composition of the park has changed even more in the direction of its saturation with agricultural machines.

With the beginning of the war, the production of caterpillar tractors and tractors was significantly reduced. At the end of July 1941, in connection with the expansion of the production of light tanks, the Moscow plant No. 37 stopped the production of Komsomolets artillery tractors. In total, from the beginning of the war until the end of production, 75 of these machines were assembled. For the same reason, in November 1941, the production of tractors at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant was completed, and in September of the same year, at the Kharkov Tractor Plant and the Locomotive Plant named after. Comintern. During 1941 these factories delivered a total of 9,100 tractors to the army. The only plant that continued to produce tractors in 1942 was Stalingrad, but it also worked only until August in connection with the outbreak of hostilities. Until August 1943, industry did not supply tractors to the army.

Before the war, "Komsomol" mostly entered the motorized divisions of the mechanized corps. Since they were originally intended for towing 45-mm anti-tank and 76-mm regimental or divisional guns, they were not suitable for use in battalion and regimental artillery. In addition, to transfer battalion and regimental artillery to mechanical traction before the war, more than 8 thousand tractors would have been required, and at that time there were only 4.4 thousand Komsomolets tractors, of which 2.8 thousand were used to tow guns anti-tank battalions of rifle divisions. Consequently, battalion and regimental artillery before the start of the war could not be provided with Komsomolets tractors, especially with the deployment of new formations.

According to the states of wartime, the motorized division was supposed to have 11,650 people, 275 light tanks, 51 armored vehicles, 44 guns (12 - 152-mm, 16 -122-mm howitzers, 16 - 76-mm anti-tank), 12 anti-aircraft guns (8 - 37 mm and 4 -76 mm), 72 mortars (12 - 82 mm and 60 - 50 mm mortars). Sometimes "Komsomol" towed 120-mm mortars of corps subordination.

In the summer of 1941, when counterattacking the enemy, T-20 Komsomolets artillery tractors were sometimes used as machine-gun wedges to fight infantry. In the second half of 1941 and at the beginning of 1942, their number was rapidly declining due to combat losses and technical condition.

So, for example, in the second half of August 1941, there were 14 Komsomolets tractors in the anti-tank divisions of the 89th and 91st rifle divisions of the Western Front. In the 16th Army, these tractors accounted for 56% of the tractor fleet of rifle divisions, the remaining 44% were agricultural vehicles. The rifle divisions of the Western Front were unevenly provided with means of traction and transport. This was due to the fact that during the Smolensk defensive battle, some armies suffered heavy losses in equipment. According to the headquarters of the artillery of the Western Front, during the first two months of the war, when 15 artillery regiments and 18 separate divisions left the encirclement, the material part of the artillery and traction equipment was completely lost. Among them are six howitzer artillery regiments, five artillery regiments and 15 anti-tank battalions of rifle divisions of the 16th, 19th, 20th and 22nd armies. In addition, 46 artillery regiments (including seven howitzer artillery regiments and seven artillery regiments of rifle divisions) did not leave the encirclement at all.

In September 1941, eight Komsomolets tractors were in the 142nd Tank Brigade, where they were used to transport 45 mm anti-tank guns. At repair depots No. 1, 2 and 81, 37 Komsomolets tractors were waiting for repairs.

With the transfer of rifle divisions to the reduced staff No. 904/600, howitzer artillery regiments and anti-tank battalions were expelled from the divisions, however, the tractors available in the division were left in artillery regiments to tow 122-mm howitzers, and with a lack of horses, 76-mm divisional guns . In some cases, Komsomolets tractors, previously used in anti-tank divisions, were transferred to regimental batteries along with 45-mm guns.

On December 25, 1941, there were 18 Komsomol members in the internal districts of the Soviet Union: eight in the 38th reserve regiment, one each in the 30th and 31st reserve regiments, and eight in the 23rd reserve regiment, which stationed in Kazan.

By the autumn of 1942, the share of special tracked tractors "Voroshilovets", "Komintern" and "Komsomolets" in the tractor fleet of the army had decreased to 7%. According to the GABTU of the Red Army, as of September 1, 1942, there were 39,990 tractors in the army, of which 29,583 (or 74% of the entire tractor fleet) were agricultural tracked S-60, S-65 and STZ. At that time, half of all tractors were in the units of the active army: in the troops of the Far Eastern fronts - about 10.6 thousand, the rest - in military districts, training centers (camps), etc.

Tractors "Komsomolets", captured by the Germans as trophies, were used both for their intended purpose - as light artillery tractors, and as a base for the installation of 37-mm anti-tank guns RAK 36/37. In the German army, these improvised self-propelled guns were called Gepanzerter Artillerieschlepper S7Z 3 (R), Kenn-Nummer 630 (R). One sample of such a machine was captured by Soviet troops near Kiev in the fall of 1943.

By the fall of 1943, the T-20 "Komsomolets" tractor-transporters had practically disappeared from the composition of the anti-tank battalions of rifle divisions.

Despite the cessation of mass production of semi-armored tractor-transporters T-20 "Komsomolets" in July 1941 and their gradual decline in the troops due to combat damage and technical condition in 1941-1943, the need for such machines was obvious. Therefore, at the end of 1944, the design bureau of plant No. 940 developed a project for a semi-armored tractor ATP-1, intended for towing anti-tank guns. For self-defense, a 7.62-mm DT machine gun was supposed to be installed on the tractor in the frontal hull sheet in a ball bearing. The project was reviewed, approved and approved for the production of a prototype. However, in connection with the receipt by plant No. 40 of the task to organize the mass production of artillery tractors of the Ya-12 and Ya-13F types, the prototype ATP-1 was not manufactured.

Illustrative and documentary materials of the RGVA, GARF and private collections were used.

The artillery of Russia and the world, along with other states, has introduced the most significant innovations - the transformation of a smooth-bore gun loaded from the muzzle into a rifled one loaded from the breech (lock). The use of streamlined projectiles and various types of fuses with an adjustable setting for the response time; more powerful gunpowders, such as cordite, which appeared in Britain before the First World War; the development of rolling systems, which made it possible to increase the rate of fire and relieved the gun crew from the hard work of rolling into the firing position after each shot; connection in one assembly of the projectile, propellant charge and fuse; the use of shrapnel shells, after the explosion, scattering small steel particles in all directions.

Russian artillery, capable of firing large projectiles, sharply highlighted the problem of weapon durability. In 1854, during the Crimean War, Sir William Armstrong, a British hydraulic engineer, proposed the wrought iron gun barrel method of first twisting iron bars and then welding them together by forging. The gun barrel was additionally strengthened with wrought iron rings. Armstrong set up a business that made guns of several sizes. One of the most famous was his 12-pounder rifled gun with a 7.6 cm (3 in) bore and a screw lock mechanism.

The artillery of the Second World War (WWII), in particular the Soviet Union, probably had the largest potential among the European armies. At the same time, the Red Army experienced the purges of Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin and endured the difficult Winter War with Finland at the end of the decade. During this period, Soviet design bureaus took a conservative approach to technology.
The first modernization effort was to improve the 76.2 mm M00/02 field gun in 1930, which included improved ammunition and the replacement of barrels for part of the gun fleet, the new version of the gun was called the M02/30. Six years later, the 76.2 mm M1936 field gun appeared, with a carriage from the 107 mm.

Heavy artilleryof all armies, and rather rare materials from the time of Hitler's blitzkrieg, whose army smoothly and without delay crossed the Polish border. The German army was the most modern and best equipped army in the world. Wehrmacht artillery operated in close cooperation with infantry and aviation, trying to quickly occupy the territory and deprive the Polish army of communication lines. The world shuddered upon learning of a new armed conflict in Europe.

Artillery of the USSR in the positional conduct of hostilities on the Western Front in the last war and the horror in the trenches of the military leaders of some countries created new priorities in the tactics of using artillery. They believed that in the second global conflict of the 20th century, mobile firepower and accuracy of fire would be decisive factors.