The V-2 engine is perhaps the most famous diesel engine. Created in the late thirties, its various modifications still continue to serve. Of course, the thirty-four is undoubtedly the most famous tank of the Second World War, only the engine that this tank was equipped with remained in the shadows. This engine turned out to be so successful that its modifications are still being produced.
Serial production of the V-2 engine began on the day the Second World War began, September 1, 1939. The backlog put into this engine surprises so far. This engine was decades ahead of its time.
No matter how strange it may sound, but initially this engine was developed for aviation, for Soviet heavy bombers. But it was not possible to make an engine that would satisfy Soviet aircraft designers. For aviation, the power of this engine was not enough, and the engine did not take root in the aircraft industry.
However, this engine came to the yard in tank building. As a legacy from aviation, this engine, in the era of "cast-iron" diesel engineering, acquired an aluminum cylinder block, and many other light-alloy parts. As a result, the engine had a high power density per unit weight.
The design of the engine was incredibly successful. Probably, its main difference from ultra-modern engines is that there is no electronics in the engine. Fuel injection into the B-2 cylinders was carried out using a twelve-plunger high-pressure fuel pump. Now, on modern diesel engines, fuel is supplied to the injectors using a common high-pressure accumulator (the so-called Common Rail system, which translates as “common rail”).
However, each cylinder of the engine, like most modern diesels, had four valves, as well as an overhead camshaft, while many diesels produced in those years had a lower camshaft.
Unlike most diesel engines of that era, which used the principle of pre-chamber or vortex-chamber mixture formation, the V-2 engine used direct fuel injection, as well as on modern diesel engines. So the V-2 engine was ahead of its time by five decades, no less.
Of course, not only Soviet tank builders paid attention to diesel engines. And the first tank in the world that had a diesel engine was the Japanese Type 89 tank, but initially this tank was produced with a gasoline engine. In contrast, the T-34 tank was originally designed for the V-2 diesel engine. This made it possible to use all its advantages to the maximum.
Throughout the war, the Germans used gasoline engines on their tanks. There were many reasons for this: the shortage of non-ferrous metals, the lack of diesel fuel, the lion's share of which went to the needs of the navy.
The birth of the B-2 took place in agony. An order for the development of a tank diesel engine was received in 1931, and it passed state tests only in 1939, and was put into mass production. Although, by that time he had already passed the “baptism of fire” on the KV tank during the Soviet-Finnish war.
One of the most important advantages of a diesel engine is its economy. It is believed that a diesel engine is less fire hazardous than a carburetor. But this gain, by and large, is negligible. Diesel fuel vapors easily ignited in fuel tanks. The tankers themselves said that it was safest to go into battle with full tanks.
The power reserve for a tank is essential. And in this respect, diesel won. For example, the cruising range of the T-34 tank along the highway was 380 km, while the well-known German Tiger tank had this figure equal to 140 km. Another German tank T-IV, with an engine power of 300 liters. s, the cruising range on the highway was equal to 300 km.
Another important advantage of a diesel engine is its multi-fuel capability. If necessary, the tank could be filled with gasoline or aviation kerosene, preferably, of course, with the addition of oil, and it was possible to continue moving.
Of course, the use of this fuel quickly disabled the engine, but in the event of a critical situation, such factors were not paid attention to. At present, the use of heavy fuel engines in tank building is the norm.
The V-2 engine, of course, was used not only on the T-34 tank, but also on tanks of the KV, IS family, and self-propelled artillery mounts created on the basis of these tanks. Only the modifications were different: V-2-34, V-2IS, V-2-44. Engine power also changed slightly. If on the T-34 the power was equal to 500 hp. s, then on tanks of the IS family, its power was increased to 520 hp. Already before the start of the war, there were 5 modifications of this engine.
Work to increase engine power was carried out constantly. During the war, the V-2CH turbocharged engine was developed, the power of which was increased to 850 hp. This engine is being tested on the IS-3 tank.
After the war, the modernization of the engine continued. For example, the engine under the index V-46, which was installed on the T-72 tank, developed a power of 700 hp, and the turbocharged V-92 engine for the T-90 tank reached a power of 1000 hp.
At the end of the war, various modifications of the V-2 engine began to be actively used in the national economy. One of the modifications of the engine was installed on a well-known Soviet tractor manufactured at ChTZ - DET-250.
For the national economy, special derated engines were developed, produced under the index "D". These engines were installed on towing boats, river trams, diesel locomotives, railcars, MAZ heavy trucks, and were used as a generator drive.
Of course, numerous attempts were made in tank building to replace the engines of the V-2 family with other, more modern ones. In the sixties, the 5TDF boxer engine was developed for the T-64 and T-72 tanks. The engines of this family had good performance, were compact, but extremely expensive and difficult to manufacture and operate. Therefore, the engines of the B-2 family remained the basis of the Soviet and then Russian tank building.
So what is the secret of this engine? Its design, developed in the thirties, despite the fact that it has certain disadvantages associated with the development of the engine, when many technologies in production were not available, even in our time, has not undergone any changes.
This engine was created "for growth." Developed over 80 years ago, it still has decent performance in the 21st century. Engines of this family are still produced in Chelyabinsk at ChTZ and in Barnaul at Barnaultransmash.
In the shadow of the T-34 tank, the engine of this machine remained, which is so successful that - attention - is still being produced. Tank diesel V-2 began to be produced on the day the Second World War began - September 1, 1939. But the elegance of its design is still amazing.
50 years ahead of its time...
It will sound strange, but initially the V-2 12-cylinder diesel engine was developed for heavy bombers, although it did not take root in aviation: the engineers failed to squeeze the required number of “horses” out of it. However, the aviation heritage remained, for example, in the “cast iron era” of engine building, the engine received an aluminum cylinder block and a large number of light alloy parts. The result: a very high power density per unit mass.
The design itself was incredibly progressive. Strictly speaking, the V-2 diesel differs from modern superdiesels for passenger cars, mainly in the absence of electronics. For example, fuel injection was carried out by high-pressure plunger pumps, and not by the now fashionable Common Rail system. But it had four valves per cylinder, like most modern engines, and overhead camshafts, while many engines of the time still made do with lower camshafts, and sometimes a pair of lower valves per cylinder. The V-2 received direct fuel injection, which is the norm for modern diesels, but in the 1930s pre-chamber or swirl-chamber mixing was more commonly used. In short, the V-2 diesel was 50 years ahead of its time.
Battle of Concepts
And yes, it was a diesel. In fact, the T-34 was by no means the first tank with a diesel engine, especially in the pre-war years, diesels were used by Japanese tank builders. But the T-34 is considered the first tank designed specifically for a diesel power plant, which allowed him to "capitalize" its advantages as much as possible.
But German tanks remained faithful to multi-cylinder carburetor (gasoline) engines for a very long time, and there were many reasons for this, for example, a lack of non-ferrous metals, and later a shortage of diesel fuel.
Soviet engineers have relied on diesel. By the way, the V-2 engine made its debut on the BT-5 tank even before the start of World War II, but gained its main fame, of course, in the engine compartment of the T-34.
The diesel had several advantages. Less fire hazard is one of them, but far from the only one. Equally important was fuel efficiency, which affects the autonomy of the tank, that is, its ability to devour kilometers without refueling. Say, the T-34 could drive about 400 km along the highway, the German Pz IV - about 300 km, and the Soviet tank was one and a half times more powerful and almost as fast.
The diesel created less interference for radio electronics (there is no ignition system), and it could also run on any fuel, including gasoline and aviation kerosene. In war conditions, this was an important advantage: roughly speaking, having found a barrel with some kind of liquid hydrocarbon of the required viscosity, the soldiers could use it as fuel by adjusting the fuel pump rail. The operation of a diesel engine on gasoline is harmful to the engine, but in critical situations, the ability to move the tank from its place is a priority over resource issues.
Over time, the diesel concept won out, and today the use of heavy fuel for tanks is the norm.
The secret of longevity
The V-2 diesel engine is associated with the T-34 tank, although already during the war it was used on many other combat units, for example, another victorious tank, the heavy IS-2.
Over time, the power and designations of the motor changed. So, the classic V-2-34 engine for the "thirty-fours" developed 500 hp, the version for the IS-2 was called the V-2IS and produced 520 hp, for the KV-2 tank the same engine was boosted to 600 hp. With.
Even during the war, attempts were made to increase power, including through supercharging, for example, a prototype V-2SN with a centrifugal supercharger developed 850 hp.
But seriously forcing the motor took after the war. So, the T-72 tank received a naturally aspirated version of the V-46 with a power of 700 hp, and modern T-90 tanks have a turbo version of the V-2 engine with a power of 1000 hp. (for example, B-92 series engines).
Even during the war, the V-2 engine was used on self-propelled guns, tractors and other equipment, and after that it was actively used for peaceful purposes. For example, the DET-250 diesel-electric tractor received the V-31 modification.
In addition to the classic V-shape with 12 cylinders, the B-2 family spun off a line of engines with a different number and arrangement of cylinders, including for use on ships. For the BMP, "flat" six-cylinder versions of the V-2 with a large camber angle were developed.
Of course, the V-2 engine and its modifications had many "competitors" who tried to force the T-34 engine out of the engine compartments of later tanks. You can remember one of the most incredible tank engines 5TDF for the T-64 and T-72. The two-stroke five-cylinder diesel engine with ten pistons, two crankshafts and double supercharging amazed the imagination with the sophisticated design, and yet the descendants of the B-2 engine won the evolutionary race.
Why was he so resilient? Its creators "guessed" the basic parameters and layout, which ensured the efficiency of the design and a large margin "for growth". Perhaps this is how technical genius manifests itself: to fulfill not only momentary requirements, but also to think about the next steps.
humble heroes
And now is the time to pay tribute to the people who created and developed the V-2 engine family. Its development was carried out in the 1930s at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant under the guidance of Konstantin Chelpan, and in later stages Timofey Chupakhin. Participated in the creation of V-2 Ivan Trashutin, who later became the chief engine engineer of "Tankograd" - the tank production of Chelyabinsk.
The V-2 engine began to be produced in Kharkov, then in Stalingrad and Sverdlovsk, but the main part of the engines was produced by the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, which arose after the evacuation of several tank industries to the rear. It was at ChTZ that the lion's share of V-2 engines was assembled during the war, and the same plant was engaged in the development of the concept in the post-war period, including under the guidance of a well-known designer Valentina Chudakova.
The term "weapon of Victory" usually refers to aircraft, tanks, artillery mounts, and sometimes small arms that reached Berlin. Less significant developments are mentioned less often, but they also went through the whole war and made their important contribution. For example, the V-2 diesel engine, without which the T-34 tank would have been impossible. For military and strategic products, as you know, the requirements are more severe than for "civilian" equipment. Since the real term of their service often exceeds thirty years - not only in Russia, but also in the armies of most countries. If we are talking about tank engines, they, of course, must be reliable, undemanding to the quality of fuel, convenient for maintenance and some types of repairs in extreme conditions, with a resource sufficient by military standards. And at the same time regularly issue basic characteristics. The approach to designing such engines is special. And the result is usually decent. But what happened to the V-2 diesel is a phenomenal case.
The history of the creation of B-2
His life began at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant named after. Comintern, the design department of which in 1931 received a state order for a high-speed diesel engine for tanks. And it was immediately renamed the diesel department. The task stipulated a power of 300 hp. at 1600 rpm, despite the fact that for typical diesel engines of that time, the operating speed of the crankshaft did not exceed 250 rpm. Since the plant had not done anything like this before, they began development from afar, with a discussion of the scheme - in-line, V-shaped or star-shaped. We settled on the V12 configuration with water cooling, electric start and Bosch fuel equipment - with a further transition to a completely domestic one, which also had to be created from scratch. First, a single-cylinder engine was built, then a two-cylinder section - and it was debugged for a long time, having achieved 70 hp. at 1700 rpm and a specific gravity of 2 kg/hp. A record low specific gravity was also stipulated in the task. In 1933, a workable, but unfinished V12 passed bench tests, where it constantly broke down, smoked terribly and vibrated strongly.The V-2 engine in its original form spent more than 20 years in mass military service. Individual copies are still on the move. A few more found peace in various museums.
The test tank BT-5, equipped with such an engine, could not reach the test site for a long time. Either the crankcase cracked, or the crankshaft bearings collapsed, or something else, and to solve many problems, it was necessary to create new technologies and new materials - first of all, grades of steel and aluminum alloys. And buy new equipment abroad. Nevertheless, in 1935, tanks with such diesel engines were presented to the government commission, additional workshops were erected at the KhPZ for the production of engines - the “diesel department” was transformed into a pilot plant. In the process of fine-tuning the motor, its secondary purpose was taken into account - the possibility of using it on aircraft. Already in 1936, the R-5 aircraft with a BD-2A diesel engine (the second aviation high-speed diesel engine) took off, but this engine was never in demand in aviation - in particular, due to the appearance of more suitable units created by specialized institutes in the same years. In the main, tank direction, things progressed slowly and heavily. Diesel still ate too much oil and fuel. Some parts regularly broke down, and too smoky exhaust unmasked the car, which was not particularly liked by the customers. The development team was reinforced by military engineers. In 1937, the engine was named V-2, under which it entered world history. And the team was strengthened once again by the leading engineers of the Central Institute of Aviation Motors. Some of the technical problems were entrusted to the Ukrainian Institute of Aircraft Engine Building (later it was attached to the plant), which came to the conclusion that it was necessary to improve the accuracy of manufacturing and processing parts. Own 12-plunger fuel pump also required fine-tuning.
The 580-horsepower V-55V engine was used on T-62 tanks produced from 1961 to 1975. In total, about 20,000 vehicles were produced - the tanks themselves and various equipment created on their basis.
In state tests in 1938, all three second-generation V-2 engines failed. The first had a jammed piston, the second had cracked cylinders, the third had a crankcase. Based on the test results, almost all technological operations were changed, the fuel and oil pumps were changed. This was followed by new tests and new changes. All this went in parallel with the identification of "enemies of the people" and the transformation of the department into a huge State Plant No. 75 for the production of 10,000 motors per year, for which hundreds of machine tools were imported and assembled. In 1939, the engines finally passed state tests, receiving a “good” rating and approval for mass production. Which was also debugged painfully and for a long time, which, however, was interrupted by the hasty evacuation of the plant to Chelyabinsk - the war began. True, even before that, the V-2 diesel engine was baptized in real military operations, being installed on heavy KV tanks.
B-2 in the final version
The result was a motor, about which they would later write that, in terms of design, it was far ahead of its time. And for a number of characteristics, for another thirty years, it surpassed analogues of real and potential opponents. Although it was far from perfect and had many areas for modernization and improvement. Some army technology experts believe that the fundamentally new Soviet military diesel engines, created in 1960-1970, were inferior to the B-2 family diesel engines and were put into service only for the reason that it was already indecent not to replace the "obsolete" with something modern. The cylinder block and crankcase are made of an alloy of aluminum with silicon, the pistons are made of duralumin. Four valves per cylinder, overhead camshafts, direct fuel injection. Duplicated starting system - electric starter or compressed air from cylinders. Almost the entire technical description is a list of advanced and innovative solutions of the time.
The V-46 engine has been used in the T-72 medium tanks, which have been in service since 1973. Thanks to the pressurization system, 780 hp were removed. There are, frankly, few fundamental differences from B-2.
It turned out to be ultra-light, with an outstanding specific gravity, economical and powerful, and the power was easily varied by local changes in the operating speed of the crankshaft and compression ratio. Even before the start of the war, there were three versions in constant production - 375-, 500- and 600-strong, for equipment of different weight categories. Having fitted the supercharging system from the AM-38 aircraft engine to the B-2, they received 850 hp. and immediately tested on an experimental heavy tank KV-3. As they say, any more or less suitable mixture of hydrocarbons could be poured into the tank of a car with a motor of the V-2 family, starting from household kerosene. It was a strong argument in the conditions of a difficult protracted war - dilapidated communications and the difficulty of providing everyone with everything necessary.
For the development of the V-2 engine T.P. Chupakhin was awarded the Stalin Prize, and in the fall of 1941 Plant No. 75 was awarded the Order of Lenin. At that time, this plant was evacuated to Chelyabinsk and merged with the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ). I.Ya. was appointed chief designer of ChKZ for diesel engines. Trashutin.
At the same time, the motor did not become reliable, despite the requirements of the People's Commissar of the Tank Industry V.A. Malyshev. It often broke down - both at the front and during various tests during the war years, although from the beginning of 1941 engines of the “fourth series” were already being produced. Summed up and design miscalculations, and violations of manufacturing technology - largely forced, because there were not enough necessary materials, they did not have time to renew worn-out equipment, and production was debugged in a wild hurry. It was noted, in particular, that dirt “from the street” gets into the combustion chambers through various filters and the warranty period of 150 hours in most cases is not maintained. Whereas the required diesel resource for the T-34 tank was 350 hours. In the autumn of 1942, the T-34 and KB-1 tanks were sent to the USA for study. Their tests across the ocean began on November 29 and lasted exactly one year. As a result, the engine of the T-34 failed after 72.5 hours, and that of the KB-1 after 66.4 hours. The T-34 traveled only 665 km. The engine worked under load for 58.45 hours, without load - 14.05 hours. There were 14 breakdowns in total. In conclusion, based on the test results, it was noted that the air cleaner is completely unsuitable for this engine, practically does not retain dust, but, on the contrary, accelerates wear and reduces reliability.
The T-34 is considered the world's first tank designed for a diesel engine. Its success was predetermined, as they say, by the use of the latest highly economical diesel aircraft type B-2. Therefore, modernization and "tightening the screws" went on continuously. And if in 1943 the normal service life of the motor was 300-400 km, then by the end of the war it exceeded 1200 km. And the total number of breakdowns was reduced from 26 to 9 per 1000 km.
Plant No. 75 could not cope with the needs of the front, and factories No. 76 in Sverdlovsk and No. 77 in Barnaul were built, which produced the same B-2 and its various versions. The vast majority of tanks and part of the self-propelled guns that participated in the Great Patriotic War were equipped with the products of these three factories. The Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant produced diesel engines for the medium tank T-34, heavy tanks of the KV series, light tanks T-50 and BT-7M, and the Voroshilovets artillery tractor. On the basis of the V-2, the V-12 was developed, later used in the IS-4 tanks (he managed to fight for about a month) and the T-10.
The use of the V-2 engine in civilian life
The full potential of the V-2 design could not be revealed either before or during the war - there was no time to engage in unlocking the potential. But a set of various minor imperfections turned out to be an excellent basis for development, and the concept itself was optimal. After the war, the family was gradually replenished with tank engines V-45, V-46, V-54, V-55, V-58, V-59, V-84, V-85, V-88, V-90, V-92 , V-93 and so on. Moreover, the development has not yet been completed, and individual motors of the family are still mass-produced.
The modern T-90 tank is today equipped with a V-84MS engine (840 hp) or its upgraded version V-92S2 (1000 hp). Both of them are direct descendants and further development of the V-2 concept.
The T-72 tank - the main battle tank of the USSR, produced in a circulation of about 30 thousand copies, received a 780-horsepower B-46 engine. The modern main battle tank of Russia T-90 was originally equipped with a 1000-horsepower supercharged B-92 engine. Many of the theses of the descriptions of the B-2 and B-92 are completely the same: four-stroke, V-shaped, 12-cylinder, multi-fuel, liquid cooling, direct fuel injection, aluminum alloys in the cylinder block, crankcase, pistons. For infantry fighting vehicles and other less heavy equipment, they created an in-line half-motor from the B-2, and the first developments of such a scheme were carried out and tested in 1939. Also among the direct descendants of the V-2 is a new generation of X-shaped tank diesel engines produced by ChTZ (used on the BMD-3, BTR-90), which use halves in another dimension - the V6. He was also useful in the civil service. In the Barnaultransmash association (former plant No. 77), an in-line D6 was created from V-2, and later a full-size D12. They were put on a lot of river boats and tugboats, on motor ships of the Moscow and Moskvich series.
The shunting diesel locomotive TGK2, produced with a total circulation of ten thousand copies, received a modification of 1D6, and 1D12 was installed on MAZ mining dump trucks. Heavy tractors, locomotives, tractors, various special machines - wherever a powerful reliable diesel engine was required, you will find the closest relatives of the great B-2 engine.
And the 144th Armored Repair Plant, which was part of the 3rd Ukrainian Front from Stalingrad to Vienna, still offers services for the repair and restoration of B-2 type diesel engines. Although it has long since become a joint-stock company and settled in Sverdlovsk-19. And to be honest, I can’t believe that the high overall power, reliability and reliability in operation, good maintainability, convenience and ease of maintenance of modern engines of this family are just an advertising barker. Most likely, the way it really is. For which thanks to everyone who created and improved this long-lived motor.
Characteristics of the V-2 engine
V-2 belonged to high-speed 4-stroke compressorless, with direct fuel injection, 12-cylinder liquid-cooled heat engines with a V-shaped arrangement of cylinders with a camber angle of 60 °. Carter consisted of the upper and lower halves, cast from silumin, with a parting plane along the axis of the crankshaft. In the lower half of the crankcase there were two recesses (front and rear oil intakes) and a transmission to the oil and water pumps and the fuel pump, mounted outside the crankcase. The left and right cylinder blocks, together with their heads, were attached to the upper half of the crankcase on anchor studs. In the shirt housing of each cylinder block, made of silumin, six steel nitrided wet liners were installed. In each cylinder head there were two camshafts and two intake and exhaust valves (that is, four!) For each cylinder. The camshaft cams acted on the plates of the pushers mounted directly on the valves. The shafts themselves were hollow, oil was supplied through internal drillings to their bearings and to the valve plates. The exhaust valves had no special cooling. To drive the camshafts, vertical shafts were used, each of which worked with two pairs of bevel gears. Crankshaft It was made of chromium-nickel-tungsten steel and had eight main and six connecting rod hollow necks, located in pairs in three planes at an angle of 120 °. The crankshaft had a central lubrication supply, in which oil was supplied to the cavity of the first main journal and passed through two holes in the cheeks to all journals. The copper tubes flared in the outlet holes of the connecting rod journals, which went out to the center of the neck, ensured the flow of centrifuged oil to the rubbing surfaces. The main journals worked in thick-walled steel liners, filled with a thin layer of lead bronze. The crankshaft was kept from axial movements by a thrust ball bearing installed between the seventh and eighth journals. Pistons- stamped from duralumin. Each has five cast-iron piston rings: two upper compression rings and three lower oil-dump rings. Piston pins - steel, hollow, floating type, kept from axial movement by duralumin plugs. Connecting rod mechanism consisted of main and trailer connecting rods. Due to the kinematic features of this mechanism, the piston stroke of the trailer connecting rod was 6.7 mm longer than that of the main one, which created a small (about 7%) difference in the degree of compression in the left and right rows of cylinders. The connecting rods had an I-section. The lower head of the main connecting rod was attached to its upper part with six studs. The connecting rod bearings were thin-walled steel, filled with lead bronze.
An analysis of the parameters of V-2 engines shows that they differed from carburetor ones in much better fuel efficiency, large overall length and relatively small weight. This was due to a more advanced thermodynamic cycle and "close relationship" with aircraft engines, which included a long crankshaft nose and the manufacture of a large number of parts from aluminum alloys.
| Engine | IN 2 | V-2K |
|---|---|---|
| Year of issue | 1939 | |
| Type of | Tank, high-speed, compressorless, with direct fuel injection | |
| Number of cylinders | 12 | |
| Cylinder diameter, mm | 150 | |
Piston stroke, mm:
|
180 186,7 |
|
| Working volume, l | 38,88 | |
| Compression ratio | 14 and 15 | 15 and 15.6 |
| Power, kW (hp), at min -1 | 368 (500) at 1800 | 442 (600) at 2000 |
| Maximum torque Nm (kgf m) at 1200 min-1 | 1 960 (200) | 1 960 (200) |
| Minimum specific fuel consumption, g/kW h, (g/hp h) | 218 (160) | 231 (170) |
| Dimensions, mm | 1 558х856х1 072 | |
| Weight (dry), kg | 750 | |
Konstantin Fedorovich Chelpan (May 24, 1899 - March 11, 1938) - Soviet designer of diesel engines, head of the diesel department of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant, head of the design team for the creation of the V-2 tank diesel engine, used, in particular, in the T-34 tank. Chief designer for mechanical engineering (since 1935).
...
Under the leadership of Chelpan, an aluminum V-2 tank diesel engine was created, which was installed in the T-34 tank and other vehicles. For the development of the engine, the engineer received the Order of Lenin in 1935 and the title of Chief Designer.
Arrested on December 15, 1937 in the case of the "Greek conspiracy". Condemned by the Commission of the NKVD of the USSR and the prosecutor of the USSR to be shot. On March 11, 1938, he was shot in a Kharkov prison.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelpan,_Konstantin_Fyodorovich
And the protocol: "Chelpan Konstantin Fedorovich - to be shot. People's Commissar of Internal Affairs Yezhov, USSR Prosecutor Vyshinsky." True, their signatures are not in the protocol, but there is a signature ... of a junior lieutenant of state security in the Kharkov region, a certain Yankilovich. There is also a piece of paper fifteen centimeters in size stating that, on the basis of the order of the deputy. Head of the Kharkov Department of the NKVD, Major Reichman, the sentence was carried out on March 11, 1938 by the commandant Zeleny, the military prosecutor Zavyalov and the head of the prison Kulishov.
The designers, employees of Chelpan's department courageously refused the testimony given under torture, but this did not save G. I. Aptekman, M. B. Levitan, Z. B. Gurtovoy, or their colleagues from execution.
http://www.greekgazeta.ru/archives/nomer03/articles/28.shtml
In the same 1937, KhPZ, among many enterprises and organizations, was swept by a wave of struggle against "enemies of the people." The extermination of highly qualified cadres of managers, specialists, craftsmen, and workers began. The letter of the military representative P. Sokolov to the People's Commissar K.E. served as a prologue to this. Voroshilov "about the vast majority of" former people "in the leadership of the tank department of the plant." The campaign was immediately supported by the party leadership of the plant, headed by A. Epishev. "Pests" were charged with a full set of charges: K.F. Chelpan was accused of "disrupting the government task for the production of diesel engines" and "intentional organization of defects in diesel engines", G.I. Aptekman was arrested, recalling the breakdowns that occurred during the tests, which served as confirmation of his "wrecking" activities. Together with everyone, the chief engineer of the KhPZ F.I. Lyashch, "bringing the machines into disrepair", chief metallurgist A.M. Metantsev and many others, "recruited" by the director of KhPZ I.P. Bondarenko, the list of accusations to which included almost all conceivable and unthinkable atrocities - from "dulling vigilance" to "organizing an explosion at the plant" ... In the same 1937, KhPZ, among many enterprises and organizations, was swept by a wave of struggle against "enemies people". The extermination of highly qualified cadres of managers, specialists, craftsmen, and workers began. The letter of the military representative P. Sokolov to the People's Commissar K.E. served as a prologue to this. Voroshilov "about the vast majority of" former people "in the leadership of the tank department of the plant." The campaign was immediately supported by the party leadership of the plant, headed by A. Epishev. "Pests" were charged with a full set of charges: K.F. Chelpan was accused of "disrupting the government task for the production of diesel engines" and "intentional organization of defects in diesel engines", G.I. Aptekman was arrested, recalling the breakdowns that occurred during the tests, which served as confirmation of his "wrecking" activities. Together with everyone, the chief engineer of the KhPZ F.I. Lyashch, "bringing the machines into disrepair", chief metallurgist A.M. Metantsev and many others, "recruited" by the director of KhPZ I.P. Bondarenko, the list of accusations to which included almost all conceivable and unthinkable atrocities - from "dulling vigilance" to "organizing an explosion at a factory" ...
The Soviet "thirty-four", recognized as one of the best combat vehicles of the Second World War, is rightfully considered a classic of world tank building. At the same time, the tank that met the war in 1941 looked noticeably different by the time it was victoriously completed. Having retained all his main external features, he significantly added in fighting qualities. According to the results of the work of Soviet developers, done by them during the most difficult war, in the modification of the T-34-85 tank they created, all the previously laid down design solutions were, without exaggeration, brought to perfection.
Reasons for the modernization of the T-34
From the very first days of the attack on the USSR, German troops, faced with the latest Soviet T-34 and KV tanks, recognized them as an extremely dangerous enemy for themselves. Moreover, Germany, with all its industrial power and reliance on the resources of Europe conquered by it, turned out to be unable to oppose anything comparable in response for quite a long time. The first attempt of this kind in the form of modernization of its most powerful Pz-IV tank in 1942 turned out to be ineffective, despite the fact that these tanks began to weigh much more and their cross-country ability dropped sharply.
Nevertheless, due to the development of new models of tanks, primarily the Pz-V "Panther", the Third Reich was able to count on significant successes in the tank confrontation with the Soviet Army by the middle of 1943. With the advent of the "Panthers", the German tactics that had developed by that time of using their tank forces with predominantly "anti-tank" tasks (tank ambushes, local counterattacks) got the opportunity for more active offensive actions.
Such an attempt on the German side was the grandiose Battle of Kursk, after the defeat in which Germany finally lost the chance to win the war. At the same time, the victory at Kursk cost the Soviet side too. The new German tanks showed in this battle their ability to almost certainly hit the armor of the T-34 from a distance of 1.5 kilometers. At the same time, the 76-mm T-34 cannon, which was so effective earlier, could penetrate the frontal armor of the Panther from a distance of no more than 100 meters.
Of course, the newest German tanks Pz-V and Pz-VI were an order of magnitude more massive and clearly "older in class" than the T-34 tanks. But to create an opportunity for a successful confrontation with such an enemy at the distances of a real tank battle has become one of the most important tasks set by the top Soviet leadership for the designers of domestic tanks. This was a key condition in the course of the current fundamental change in the war in order to achieve its victorious end sooner and with fewer losses.
Main goals and tasks
After the death of the main creator of the T-34, Mikhail Koshkin, the design bureau, headed by Alexander Morozov, continued to improve the T-34 from the first years of the war. On the basis of this tank, in the summer of 1942, the development of a new model began, in which a number of significant design changes were supposed to be made. First of all, this concerned the replacement of the type of suspension with a torsion bar and the strengthening of armor protection. The new version of the Soviet medium tank was originally planned to be called the T-43.
Despite the very attractive prospects of the new vehicle, the finalization of its design without loss for performance characteristics required time, which, as became obvious from the beginning of the Battle of Kursk, seriously multiplied the losses of Soviet tanks in the confrontation with the German "tigers" and "panthers". In addition, the launch of the T-43 series would inevitably lead to the failure of the barely established mass production of the T-34, and such a solution was assessed as unacceptable.
A more rational leadership of the USSR seemed to be a deep modernization of the T-34, during which it was supposed to introduce innovations intended for the T-43 into its design as organically as possible. Ultimately, this approach was embodied in the tank, called the T-34-85, which became the glorified and victorious version of the most massive tank of the Second World War.
A tough and decisive choice in favor of the updated T-34 instead of the T-43 was made at the personal request of I.V. Stalin. According to the memoirs of the chief designer of the tank A.A. Morozov, the Soviet leader on this occasion gave the following comparison: “During a fire, pumps are not designed, but water is carried in everything that can be used for this.”
Design
The modernization of the T-34 tank on the basis of Stalin's personal instructions was limited to strengthening artillery weapons and improving visibility, that is, eliminating the main shortcomings of the original version. The overall layout of the medium tank has not undergone any significant changes. The main priority for the developers was simplicity and manufacturability, which helps to reduce labor costs for tank production.
The main innovation in the design of the T-34-85 was a three-man turret, which was quickly finalized on the basis of the existing backlog for the promising T-43 tank. Under this turret, changes were made to the hull design: the diameter of the turret ring was increased from 1420 to 1600 mm. The turret itself was equipped with an effective commander's cupola, which significantly improved visibility, as well as more convenient crew evacuation hatches. At the same time, the weight of the tank increased very slightly.
In general, the design of the T-34-85 fit so effectively into the established mass production that the transition to their production from the T-34-76 model had almost no effect on production volumes. Moreover, the quality of components and assemblies of Soviet medium tanks has seriously improved since 1944, thereby increasing their reliability in combat conditions.
Specifications
The T-34-85 was distinguished by the highest maneuverability and very effective cross-country characteristics for a medium tank of that time. He could overcome ups and downs with slopes up to 40 degrees, water obstacles up to 1.3 meters deep and ditches up to 2.5 meters deep.
By that time, the tank equipment included all devices that were quite modern for this period, including a powder gas ventilation system, a radio station, and an internal intercom.
Dimensions and weight
Armament
Initially, the T-34-85 tank was supposed to be equipped with an 85-mm D-5 cannon, which had already been successfully used on relatively small-scale KV-85, IS-85 (aka IS-1) and SU-85 tanks. But pretty soon, a simpler and cheaper to manufacture design of the ZIS-S-53 tank gun was born in the Central Artillery Design Bureau, which was based on a fairly effective anti-aircraft gun of the same 85 mm caliber, developed back in 1939. The final cost of such an artillery system turned out to be much lower than even that of the 76 mm F-34 gun.
Tank ammunition ranged from 56 to 60 shells, depending on their types. Auxiliary armament of the T-34 included two 7.62 mm DT-29 machine guns. One of them acted in a pair with a gun, the second was located in a ball mount in the upper frontal plate of the hull
Armor
The preservation of the basis of the hull design of the T-34-85 did not allow improving its armor, the parameters of which remained at the level of the previous tank model.
Strengthening the armor protection of the T-34-85 was provided by the new design of the tower. Her frontal armor has doubled, from 45 to 90 mm. The sides of the turret had 75 mm of armor and were also tilted at an angle of 20 degrees.
Engine and transmission
The power unit of the T-34-85 tank was a V-2 diesel engine with a volume of 38.88 liters, assembled mainly from lightweight aluminum-based materials, which was more typical for aviation. The unit was capable of developing a rated power of 450 horsepower. In mass-produced tanks, this indicator was far from being fully achieved, but the engine performance was more than enough not only to set the equipment in motion, but also for rapid breakthroughs and maneuvering. An economical power plant gave the tank a cruising range of an average of 400 kilometers.
The transmission of the tank, as is typical of tracked vehicles, was based on friction clutches. The T-34-85 manual transmission had five steps. She transmitted torque through gearboxes to the onboard clutches. The drive sprockets of the caterpillars were located on the rear wheels.
Chassis
The undercarriage of the T-34 tank was based on large dual road wheels, of which there were five on each side. The driving wheels were located at the back, the steering wheels (the so-called sloths) were at the front. The rollers on each side were equipped with an individual spring suspension, the elements of which on the front rollers were protected by steel casings.
Even for the previous version of the tank, by the summer of 1942, a new cast corrugated caterpillar track 50 cm wide was developed. It turned out to be lighter and stronger than the previous smooth 55 cm track and served as the basis for the tracks of the Soviet "thirty-fours" until the end of the war.
Travel speed
The maximum speed developed by the tank was 55 km/h. The average cross-country speed was 25 km/h.
Crew
The crew of a standard T-34-85 tank consisted of five people:
- tank commander;
- driver mechanic;
- gunner-radio operator;
- gunner;
- charging.
In the fighting compartment, a driver-mechanic (on the left) and a gunner-radio operator, who controlled the course machine gun, were located in front. The remaining three crew members operated in the tank turret. In contrast to the T-34-76 version, a more spacious turret allowed the tank commander to concentrate on monitoring the external situation and directing the actions of the crew, which in general significantly increased the combat effectiveness of the tank.
The total number of produced tanks
The updated T-34 appeared in December 1943, and in the shortest possible time was put into mass production. The Sormovsky plant in Gorky was the first to start producing serial tanks (in Soviet times, Nizhny Novgorod was called that), two months later, the T-34-85 began to be produced by the main assembly plant in Nizhny Tagil, and in June from the T-34-76 model to a new moved the plant in Omsk.
In general, about 23 thousand updated T-34 tanks were produced before the end of the war. Depending on the calculation methodology and the covered release dates, the data in different sources differ, but not very significantly. Wikipedia estimates the number of produced tanks in the T-34-85 modification during the war years at 22.9 thousand, and their production in the post-war period amounted to about 3.7 thousand. In addition, under the Soviet license in the 1950s, 3185 tanks of this type were manufactured in Czechoslovakia and 1980 in Poland.
It is not known exactly how many T-34 tanks were sent to other countries after they were withdrawn from service in the USSR, most often in the form of gratuitous "military assistance".
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of the T-34-85 include all those qualities that together cover the full list of advantages of a medium tank. Among them:
- highest maneuverability;
- large power reserve;
- economical engine;
- decent armor protection;
- powerful gun.
Fully reflecting these qualities, the updated T-34 showed a significantly higher reliability compared to the initial model. Given its ease of manufacture and excellent maintainability, it can be considered one of the most advanced medium tank designs in the world.
Separate shortcomings, largely due to the tension of the war period, in general, did not particularly affect the high overall level of combat capabilities of the T-34-85. Among them, experts note a weak suspension and insufficiently improved visibility, as well as the absence of a rotating place for the support of the loader, which made it difficult for him to act in battle.
Combat use
The first T-34-85 tanks appeared at the front in the spring of 1944, which fell on the final period of the Great Patriotic War, in which the USSR had a noticeable superiority over Germany and its allies. Soviet tanks became the main strike force in all major offensive operations in 1944-1945.
Possessing 85 mm cannons, the T-34s had a complete advantage in confrontation with opponents of equal class and could offer decent resistance to any of the latest German armored vehicles, especially with effective support from self-propelled guns and their own heavy tanks.
In the final stages of World War II, the mobility of the Soviet T-34s began to be used to the fullest. In the course of deep breakthroughs in the enemy's defenses, it was these tanks that crushed his rear and communications. Due to a sufficient power reserve and high mobility, they could, evading enemy counterattacks, preempt the enemy from occupying reserve lines of defense.
The T-34-85 tanks were also successfully used in battles against the powerful Japanese grouping that occupied northeast China and Korea. The most impressive example of the actions of the tankers was the 5-day raid of the 6th Guards Tank Army, which advanced 450 kilometers, overcoming the Great Khingan ridge on the move, and went into the rear of the Kwantung Army.
After the Second World War, the T-34-85 tank was noted in several major local conflicts, including the wars of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam against France (1946-1954) and the USA (1965-1974), the Korean War of 1950-1953 , Arab-Israeli "Six-Day War" of 1967. In these battles, the Soviet-made tank very successfully opposed the best Western medium tanks of the time: American Shermans, French AMX-13s and British Centurions.
T-34-85 tanks were repeatedly used in the armed conflicts of the 1990s in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and by almost all the warring parties. In addition, the decommissioned T-34s were supplied by the Soviet Union to more than 40 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, many of which became the scene of violent internal conflicts. The facts of the participation of T-34-85 tanks in them are recorded up to the present: the last such case was noted in 2020 in the Yemeni conflict.
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