AT-T: artillery tractor

About the history of the creation and production of this model

The heavy artillery tractor AT-T was designed and developed in the late 1940s at the Kharkov Machine-Building Plant named after Vyacheslav Malyshev. This work was led by the famous Soviet design engineer who participated in the creation of the legendary T-34 - Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov.

The Malyshev Plant (until 1957 it was called the Comintern Plant) in the post-war years switched from the production of steam locomotives to the production of diesel locomotives, tanks and tracked tractors, as well as diesel engines for widespread use.

In connection with the introduction of the latest artillery and missile systems into service with the Soviet Army, the need arose for heavy tractors to transport them, as well as to transport ammunition for them. The designers were immediately asked to take the new, but already well-tested T-54 medium tank as a basis.

The Main Armored Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense directed Morozov and his team to fulfill the following requirements:

The tractor must tow artillery and missile systems and trailers weighing up to 25 tons: 203-mm B-4 howitzer, 130-mm KS-30 anti-aircraft gun, other high-power guns, 8K63 missile systems;
He must be able to move with a full load at a speed of 35 kilometers per hour;
The tractor must operate successfully in any climatic zone of the Soviet Union;
The load capacity of its cargo platform must be at least 5 tons;
There must be a winch with a traction force of at least 25 tons;
The tractor chassis must be able to mount on it all kinds of special equipment for various branches of the military and special forces of the Soviet Army, with trouble-free operation;
The tractor should be applicable not only in military, but also in civilian industries.

Of course, all these requirements were met, and already at the end of 1947, the first prototypes of the new heavy artillery tractor were produced at the Kharkov Machine-Building Plant.

To test them, a test run was made along the route Kharkov - Moscow (Kubinka). During this run, “product-401” proved itself to be a good tractor - as a tractor quite powerful, durable, maneuverable, efficient, with excellent traction properties; convenient to use and easy for field repairs.

After comparative tests and compilation of a set of indicators into one table, the AT-T turned out to be the most progressive among all other models of heavy artillery tractors of the 1st post-war generation. The creators of “product-401” were awarded the Stalin Prize in 1948.

Since 1950, mass serial production of these heavy tractors began. And at the end of 1958, a particularly severe test awaited them: as part of the 4th Soviet Antarctic Expedition, the tractors were delivered to Antarctica. On January 10, 1959, a column of tracked all-terrain vehicles left Mirny and began regular work in Antarctica.

On December 26, 1959, a caravan of an AT-T tractor and two “Kharkovchanok” (a polar special vehicle made on its basis) reached the extreme tip of the globe - the South Pole. In No. 3 of the popular magazine “Technology for Youth” for 1959, these tractors were placed on the cover, with the caption “Snow Ships”.

It was the first post-war high-speed heavy tracked tractor, designed for towing trailers (artillery systems) weighing up to 25,000 kg, which found wide use in the Soviet Armed Forces. The AT-T tractor continues to serve today in units of the Russian army, helping geologists, gas workers and oil workers in Siberia and the Far North live and work.

Soldiers on two wheels or USSR army military tractors

Despite the fact that most of the Soviet-made tractors with one axle had a fairly peaceful profession, being involved in civil construction work, they were unofficially part of the Strategic Missile Forces. They were used there as part of special automobile trains transporting ground equipment for strategic missile systems and delivering missile systems to launch positions. Heavy tractors with one axle were an unusual vehicle for that time, the wheel arrangement of which was 2x2, had one drive axle and unsteered wheels with a large diameter. In the middle of the frame, a fifth wheel was installed, which served to support the front end of the semi-trailer, the wheels of which were not driven. The car could be turned using ordinary steering and two hydraulic cylinders, which made it possible to change the mutual deflection of the sections in the front and rear by an angle of over 90 degrees in each direction. MAZ-529. Few people know that after the 528 model, the development of which was carried out in the secret design bureau of the Minsk Automobile Plant, there was a single-axle tractor for road construction work, used as a scraper with the ability to move independently. From the very beginning, the calculation was made for its use in the military sphere.

As a power plant, it used a two-stroke diesel engine from a MAZ-200 truck, the power of which was 120 hp, with the addition of a 4-speed manual gearbox and final drives in the hubs of both wheels. After all acceptance tests were completed, this machine was transferred to the Mogilev Kirov Plant for production.

A year later, the same plant began assembling an improved version of the tractor, with a 180 hp engine. and a five-speed gearbox, a solid metal cabin and large wheels with a tire diameter of 28 inches, with a rigid attachment to the frame. At full load its top speed was 40 km/h. The vehicle passed all the required tests and entered service with the Soviet Army.

MoAZ-546P tractor. A trial version of these machines was assembled at a plant in Mogilev in the 60s. Their features were leaf spring suspension and an updated appearance. After the modification, a new version of this vehicle with a diesel engine with a power of 219 hp was used for engineering and construction work, being part of the D-357P scraper.

Rocket installers. The main purpose of Soviet-made heavy tractors with one axle was towing systems for installing ballistic missiles at launch positions. They looked like automobile trains with a low spar type of frame, which rested with the front part on a device for coupling the car.

For use in ground-based systems, their design also included a special vertical mast, the purpose of which was to lift the rocket. The first use of such installers was for R-12 missiles with a thermonuclear warhead. In 1962, during Operation Anadyr, such devices were transported by sea to Cuba, which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

During the use of new silo-based modifications of the R12U and R14U missiles, new 8U238 installers were developed, with a system for lowering the missile into a silo of increased power.

Bottom line. According to the 1987 agreement between the USSR and America, the subject of which was the elimination of medium- and short-range missiles, it was decided to destroy all such complexes simultaneously with missiles of the R-12/R-14 type.

About the chief designer and manufacturer

Alexander Morozov's whole life was connected with his native enterprise. He began working at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant after the 6th grade of school, in 1919. In 1930, he graduated from the Moscow Automotive and Tractor Institute named after Lomonosov, which has now become the Moscow State Technical University "Moscow Automechanical Institute". At the end of the 1930s, he was on the design team that created the most massive production tank of the Great Patriotic War, our “Weapon of Victory” - the T-34.

Throughout the war years, he served as chief designer of the Kharkov plant, which was evacuated to the Urals in October 1941. From November 1951 he became the chief designer of the Kharkov Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau, and in 1966-1976. was his boss. Under his leadership, the T-64 (in 1963) and T-64A (in 1966) tanks were developed.

Since June 1976, Morozov became a consultant to the Kharkov Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering and a member of the Scientific and Technical Council of the USSR Ministry of Mechanical Engineering. He passed away in 1979, at the age of 74.

After the war, the Kharkov Machine-Building Plant named after Malyshev produced tanks T-44, T-54, T-55 up to 14 different upgrades, T-64, T-80, T-80U, T-80UD. Moreover, the plant’s productivity record was set not in the prosperous Soviet years, but in the fatal year 1991 for the USSR - 800 tanks per year (at that time, especially many T-80UDs were sold for export). But after the record year of 1991, the plant never even came close to such indicators.

In 1995, on the basis of the T-80UD, the main Ukrainian tank T-84 was developed (modifications - T-84BM "Oplot" and T-84-120 "Yatagan". The largest contracts of the enterprise in the history of independent Ukraine were the sale of 320 T-80UD tanks to Pakistan (concluded in 1996); Thailand - 49 Oplot tanks and 121 BTR-3E1 (2011); Iraq - 420 BTR-4 (2009).

In the front part of the tractor under the cabin, a 12-cylinder liquid-cooled V-401 diesel engine with a power of 305 kW (415 hp) at 1600 rpm is installed longitudinally with the flywheel forward, allowing it to travel along the highway at full load with a maximum speed of 35.5 km/ h.

Artillery tractors and combat vehicles based on them

The classification of artillery tractors of the German army also had its own characteristics. Thus, all half-track tractors had indices according to the end-to-end system, but in the literature they are often designated either by the name of the company, or using such an important parameter for the tractor as traction on the hook. Therefore, the Sd.Kfz.9 tractor, for example, is better known as the Famo 18-ton. In accordance with the increase in traction force (and, accordingly, weight and size), German half-track tractors are usually located in directories. Moreover, neither one nor the other designation system coincides with the chronology of the creation of tractors and their adoption into service.

Cars that fall out of this type series take a place at the end of the list.

After installing one or another type of weapon, the tractors received the usual modification designation. True, in the event that such an event was carried out officially. In a number of cases, the installation of weapons was carried out on the initiative of military units, and such vehicles did not receive any official designations.

Leichtes NSU-Kettenkrad NK-101 (Sd.Kfz.2)

The half-track motorcycle is the most famous German multi-purpose tractor. Developed by NSU in 1940. Serially produced by NSU and Stoewer from 1940 to 1944. 8345 (7813) units produced.

Serial modifications:

Sd.Kfz.2 - load-bearing welded body. Stamped front wheel in a motorcycle-type fork. Motorcycle wheeze of the driver in the front of the body. In the middle part there is a car engine, in the stern there is a seat for two people.

Sd.Kfz.2/1 - Sd.Kfz.2 with equipment for transporting field cable.

Sd.Kfz.2/2 - Sd.Kfz.2 with equipment for transporting heavy field cable.

Developed as a light tractor for mountain infantry troops, the NSU half-track motorcycle quickly found use in all branches of the German armed forces, where it was used to tow light mountain and anti-aircraft guns, mortars, telephone cable reels and various types of trailers. Thanks to its high cross-country ability and ability to move on the traditionally bad roads of Russia, this half-track motorcycle became very popular among soldiers of the Eastern Front.

In the post-war years, the machine was used for a long time in agriculture, forestry and postal service in mountainous areas.

Half-track motorcycle NSU (Sd.Kfz.2)

Sd.Kfz.2

Half-track motorcycle with anti-aircraft gun in tow

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HALF-TRACK MOTORCYCLE Sd.Kfz.2

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 1,435.

LOAD CAPACITY, t: 0.35.

TRACTION FORCE, t: 0.325.

CREW, people: 3.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 3000, width - 1000, height -1030, ground clearance -230.

ENGINE: Opel Olympia, 4-cylinder, carburetor, four-stroke, in-line, liquid cooling; power 36 hp (26.5 kW) at 3400 rpm; working volume 1478 cm?.

TRANSMISSION: dry single-plate clutch, three-speed gearbox, range, double differential.

CHASSIS: front steered wheel in a motorcycle-type fork, spring suspension, tire size 3.50-19; The caterpillar drive of each side consists of five double rubber-coated road wheels, a front drive wheel (ridge gearing), an individual torsion bar suspension, each track has 40 tracks with rubber pads 160 mm wide.

MAXIMUM SPEED, km/h: 61.5.

POWER RESERVE, km: 260.

Leichter Zugkraftwagen 1t Typ 1)7 (Sd.Kfz.10)

Developed since 1934 In 1937, production of the 6th series le.Zgkw began. 1t Typ D6 (lightweight 1-ton tractor type D6). Mass production of the latest model - le.Zgkw. It Typ D7 - began in 1939 and continued until 1944 at the factories of Demag, Adler, B?ssing-NAG, Ph?nomen and Saurer. 14,698 tractors were manufactured (in addition, 7,326 chassis were used for the manufacture of armored personnel carriers of the Sd.Kfz.250 type).

Serial modifications:

Sd.Kfz. 10 - basic model. Half-track chassis. The unarmored body, open at the top (it was planned to install a tarpaulin), could accommodate only the artillery crew.

Sd.Kfz. 10/1 - leichter Gasspurkraftwagen - chemical reconnaissance vehicle.

Sd.Kfz.10/2 - leichter Entgiftungskraftwagen - degassing machine.

Sd.Kfz.10/3 - leichter Spruhkraftwagen - machine for spraying toxic substances.

Sd.Kfz.10/4 - leichter Selbstfahrlafette (2 cm Flak 30) - 20-mm Flak 30 automatic cannon behind a standard shield in the back of the tractor (on the first series of vehicles there was no shield). Ammunition 260 rounds. Combat weight 5.5 tons, crew 7 people.

Sd.Kfz. 10/5 - 20-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun Flak 38. Ammunition 280 rounds. Some of the vehicles had armored cover for the cabin and engine. 610 Sd.Kfz units were produced. 10/4 and Sd. Kfz. 10/5.

At the top is an Sd.Kfz.10/4 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. Below is a lightly armored self-propelled gun with a 50-mm anti-tank gun on the chassis of a 1-ton Sd.Kfz.10 tractor. Eastern Front, Korosten area, December 1943

Sd.Kfz.10

Artillery tractor Sd.Kfz. 10 was used to tow 37 mm Rak 35/36 anti-tank guns, 50 mm Rak 38, 75 mm lelG 18 light infantry guns, 150 mm sIG 33 heavy infantry guns and 210 mm rocket launchers (the so-called "six-barrel mortars" ) Nebelwerfer 42. Tractors were used in all theaters of war, including such operationally complex ones as Africa and Russia.

Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns were in service with the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe.

On March 1, 1945, 2,255 tractors remained in service.

In front-line conditions, military units equipped a number of vehicles for the installation of 37-mm Rak 35/36 and 50-mm Rak 38 anti-tank guns.

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TRACTOR Sd.Kfz.10

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 3.4.

LOADING CAPACITY, t: 1.5.

TRACTION FORCE, t: 1.

CREW, people: 8.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length -4750, width -

1840, height - 1620, ground clearance - 325.

ENGINE, TRANSMISSION and CHASSIS: like the Sd.Kfz.250 armored personnel carrier.

MAXIMUM SPEED, km/h: 65.

POWER RESERVE, km: 275.

Leichter Zugkraftwagen 3t Tour HLkl 6 (Sd.Kfz.11)

Developed since 1933 by Hansa-Lloyd-Goliath. Serially produced from 1936 (Typ HLkl 5) to 1944 by Hanomag, Adler, Skoda and Wanderer. 9028 tractors were manufactured (in addition, 15,252 chassis were used for the production of armored personnel carriers of the 5d.Kfz.251 type).

Serial modifications:

Sd.Kfz.11 - the main production version. Similar in design to Sd.Kfz.10. In the middle part of the body behind the driver's cabin, in a special compartment, the ammunition for the towed artillery system was located.

Sd. Kfz. 11/1 - Nebelkraftwagen - raspberry for setting up a smoke screen and transporting ammunition for Hebelwerfer installations.

Sd.Kfz.11/2 - degassing machine.

Sd.Kfz.11/3 - mittlerer Spruhkraftwagen - a machine for spraying toxic substances.

Sd. Kfz. 11/4 - modernized version of Sd.Kfz.11/1.

Sd.Kfz.11/5 - mittlerer Gasspurkraftwagen - chemical reconnaissance vehicle.

The artillery 3-ton half-track tractor Sd.Kfz.11 in parts of the Afrika Korps was used mainly for towing light 105-mm leFH 18 field howitzers. North Africa, 1942

Sd.Kfz.11

The Sd.Kfz.11 artillery tractor was used mainly for towing 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank guns, 105 mm leFH 18 light field howitzers and as various types of chemical vehicles. As of March 1, 1945, 1,938 tractors remained in service.

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TRACTOR Sd.Kfz.11

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 5,625.

LOADING CAPACITY, t: 1,475.

TRACTION, t: 3.

CREW, people: 9.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length -5500, width - 2000, height - 2200, ground clearance -320.

ENGINE, TRANSMISSION and CHASSIS: like the Sd.Kfz.251 armored personnel carrier.

MAXIMUM SPEED, km/h: 53.

POWER RESERVE, km: 275.

Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 5t Typ BN 1.8 (Sd.Kfz.6)

Developed by B?ssing-NAG. Produced by B?ssing-NAG and Daimler-Benz (under the designation DB 10) from 1939 to 1943. 3660 units produced.

Serial modifications:

Sd.Kfz.6 - Pionierfarzeug - a vehicle for engineering troops.

Sd. Kfz. 6/1 - artillery tractor.

Sd.kfz.6/2 - self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a 37-mm Flak 36 automatic anti-aircraft gun. Combat weight 10.4 tons, crew 7 people, dimensions: 6320x2260x2500 mm. 339 units produced.

Sd.Kfz.6 mit 7.62 cm FK 36(r) - 76-mm captured Soviet F-22 divisional gun in a high rectangular cabin open at the top. Combat weight 10.5 tons, crew 5 people, dimensions: 6330x2260x2980 mm, wheelhouse armor 10 mm, speed up to 50 km/N, cruising range 317 km. The Afrika Korps produced 9 units.

Artillery tractor Sd.Kfz.6. Poland. 1939 sh

Sd.Kfz.6

Five-ton half-track tractors are most widely used in engineering units.

The Sd.Kfz.6/1 artillery tractor was used mainly for tugs and the 105 mm eFH 18 light field howitzer.

Self-propelled guns with the F-22 cannon - German designation FK 36 (g) - fought in North Africa as part of the 505th anti-tank division 605.Panzerjager Abteilung).

On March 1, 1945, 757 tractors remained in Wehrmacht units.

Sd.Kfz.6 mit 7.62 cm FK 36(r)

Self-propelled gun Sd.Kfz.6/2. The trailer was carrying ammunition. Eastern Front, summer 1943

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TRACTOR Sd.Kfz.6

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 7,375.

LOADING CAPACITY, t: 1,425.

TRACTION, t: 5.

CREW, people: 9.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 6020, width - 2200, height - 2500, ground clearance - 400.

ENGINE: Maybach HL 54TUKRM, 6-cylinder, carburetor, four-stroke, in-line, liquid cooling; power 115 hp (84.6 kW) at 2600 rpm; working volume 5420 cm?.

TRANSMISSION: double-disc dry clutch, four-speed gearbox, range, double

differential, hydraulic and pneumatic brakes.

CHASSIS: steered front axle, tire size 7.50-20, suspension - transverse semi-elliptical leaf spring; the caterpillar propulsion unit of each side consisted of six double rubberized road wheels, arranged in a checkerboard pattern, a front drive wheel (ridge gearing), and a guide wheel with a tensioning mechanism; individual torsion bar suspension; track width 280 mm.

MAXIMUM SPEED, km/h: 52.

POWER RESERVE, km: 290.

Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8t Typ KM m 11 (Sd.Kfz.7)

The most massive and most popular half-track tractor of the German army. Developed by Krauss-Maffei in 1934. Produced by Krauss-Maffei, Daimler-Benz, B?ssing-NAG and Hansa-Lloyd from 1934 to 1945. 12,187 units produced.

Serial modifications:

Sd.Kfz. 7 - artillery half-track tractor. Cars of different years of production differed in the make and power of the engine, the shape of the hood and wings.

Sd.Kfz. 7/1 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 auf Fahrgestell Zugkraftwagen 8t - 20-mm quad automatic anti-aircraft gun in a body with lattice folding sides. Combat weight 11.55 tons, crew 10 people. The ammunition was transported on a special trailer. Since 1943, the driver's cabin and the front of the engine have been protected by 8 mm armor. 319 units produced.

Sd.Kfz.7/2 -3.7 cm Flak 36 auf Fahrgestell Zugkraftwagen 8t -37 mm Flak 36 automatic anti-aircraft gun.

Combat weight 11.05 tons, crew 7 people. Otherwise similar to Sd.Kfz.7/1. 123 units produced.

Sd.Kfz.7/6 - variant with an armored cab and body.

The Sd.Kfz.7 tractor was primarily used to tow 88 mm Flak 18 and Flak 36 anti-aircraft guns in both air defense units and heavy anti-tank divisions of the Wehrmacht. In addition, the tractor was used to tow 150 mm heavy field howitzers sFH 18 and trailers.

Used in all theaters until the end of World War II. On March 1, 1945, there were 3,602 Sd.Kfz.7 tractors in the German army.

The tractor was produced under license in Italy by Breda. The Italian version of Breda-61 had a 130-horsepower engine and right-hand drive.

Sd.Kfz.7

Self-propelled gun with 20-mm quad automatic anti-aircraft gun Sd.Kfz.7/1. Normandy, June 1944

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE Sd.Kfz.7 TRACTOR

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 9.75.

LOAD CAPACITY, t: 1.8.

TRACTION, t: 8.

CREW, people: 11.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 6850, width - 2400, height - 2620, ground clearance - 400.

ENGINE: Maybach HL 62TUK, 6-cylinder, carburetor, four-stroke, in-line, liquid cooling; power 140 hp (130 kW) at 2600 rpm; working volume 6191 cm?.

TRANSMISSION: double-disc dry clutch, four-speed gearbox, range, double differential, hydraulic and pneumatic brakes.

CHASSIS: steered front axle, tire size 9.75-20, suspension - transverse semi-elliptical leaf spring; the caterpillar propulsion unit of each side consisted of six double rubberized road wheels, arranged in a checkerboard pattern, a front drive wheel (ridge gearing), and a guide wheel with a tensioning mechanism; balanced suspension on semi-elliptical leaf springs; track width 360 mm.

MAXIMUM SPEED, kmAs 50. POWER RESERVE, km: 258.

OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME: ascent angle, degrees. - 24; ford depth, m -0.8.

Two self-propelled semi-armored anti-aircraft guns sd. Kfz.7/2 with 37 mm automatic cannons in position near Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, 1944

Schwerer Zugkraftwagen 12t Tour DBs 10 (Sd.Kfz.8)

Developed in 1932 for the Red Army according to a Soviet order, which was soon cancelled. Serially produced for the Wehrmacht from 1934 to 1945 by Daimler-Benz, Krupp and Krauss-Maffei. 3450 units produced

Serial modifications:

Sd.Kfz.8 - the main production model, produced in four versions (DBs 7, DBs 8, DBs 9 and DBs 10), differing from each other mainly in the brand and engine power, weight and overall dimensions. Some vehicles were equipped with a 180 hp diesel engine.

8.8 cm Flak 18(Sf) auf Zugkraftwagen (St) - 88 mm anti-aircraft gun on the chassis of the Sd.Kfz.8 tractor. Fully armored cabin and engine (armor thickness 8-14.5 mm). Combat weight 20 tons, crew 9 people. 10 units produced.

Sd.Kfz.8

The Sd.Kfz.8 tractor was used to tow 150-, 170- and 210-mm heavy artillery guns. As of March 1, 1945, 1,125 vehicles of this type remained in the army.

88-mm self-propelled guns took part in combat operations in Poland and France as part of the 8th heavy anti-tank division (8. schwere Panzerj?gerabteilung).

12-ton Sd.Kfz.8 tractor with 88 mm Flak 36 anti-aircraft gun

8.8 cm Flak l8(Sf) auf Zgkw. 12t

88-mm anti-aircraft gun on the armored chassis of the Sd.KfzJ tractor

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TRACTOR Sd.Kfz.8

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 12.15.

LOAD CAPACITY, t: 2.55.

TRACTION, t: 12.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 7400, width - 2500, height - 2800, ground clearance - 400.

ENGINE: Maybach HL 85TUKRM, 12-cylinder, carburetor, four-stroke, V-shaped, liquid cooling; power 185 hp (136.2 kW) at 2500 rpm; working volume 8520 cm?.

TRANSMISSION: single-disc dry clutch, four-speed gearbox (4+1), range, double differential, hydraulic and pneumatic brakes.

CHASSIS: steered front wheels, tire size 11.25-20, suspension - semi-elliptical transverse leaf spring; the caterpillar propulsion unit of each side consisted of six double rubber-coated road wheels arranged in a checkerboard pattern, a front drive wheel (ridge engagement), a guide wheel with a tensioning mechanism, and an individual torsion bar suspension; track width 400 mm.

MAXIMUM SPEED, km/h; 51.

POWER RESERVE, km: 250.

Schwerer Zugkraftwagen 18t Typ F3 (Sd.Kfz.9)

The heaviest German half-track tractor of the Second World War. Developed and mass-produced by FAMO. From 1938 to 1945, 2,727 units were manufactured.

Serial modifications:

Sd.Kfz.9 is a half-track tractor, similar in design to all previous ones. The two main production models differed from each other in engine design and power, as well as other minor details.

8.8 cm Flak 37 auf Zugkraftwagen 18t - 88 mm anti-aircraft gun on the Sd.Kfz.9 tractor chassis with a fully armored cab and engine. The armor thickness is 14.5 mm. Combat weight 25 tons, crew 9 people. 15 units produced.

Sd.Kfz.9

Sd.Kfz.9 - the heaviest tractor of the Wehrmacht

To tow the Tiger tank, it was necessary to “harness” two 18-ton Sd.Kfz.9 tractors

The 18-ton Sd.Kfz.9 tractor (or FAMO, as it was more often called) was mainly used as a vehicle for evacuating damaged tanks from the battlefield. For this purpose, the tractor, in addition to the winch, was often equipped with special equipment - coulters, a crane, etc. In the initial period of the war, its capabilities were quite sufficient. The task became more complicated after the Panzerwaffe acquired new heavy tanks, the Panther and the Tiger. So. To tow one damaged Tiger, three 18-ton tractors had to be harnessed! In addition, the tractor was used to tow a trailer with a carrying capacity of 35 tons and, less commonly, large-caliber artillery systems.

On March 1, 1945, 1,276 tractors remained in the Wehrmacht and SS troops.

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE Sd.Kfz.9 TRACTOR

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 15.13.

LOAD CAPACITY, t: 2.87.

TRACTION, t: 18.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 8250, width - 2800, height - 2850, ground clearance - 440.

ENGINE: Maybach HL 108TUKRM, 12-cylinder, carburetor, four-stroke, V-shaped, liquid cooling; power 250 hp (184 kW) at 2600 rpm; working volume 10,838 cm?.

TRANSMISSION: double-disc dry clutch, four-speed gearbox (4+1), range, double differential, hydraulic and pneumatic brakes.

CHASSIS: steered front wheels, tire size 12.75-20, suspension on semi-elliptic leaf springs; the caterpillar propulsion unit of each side consisted of six double rubberized road wheels arranged in a checkerboard pattern, a front drive wheel (ridge engagement), a guide wheel with a tensioning mechanism, and an individual torsion bar suspension; track width 440 mm.

MAXIMUM SPEED, km/h: 50.

POWER RESERVE, km: 260.

Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper (sWS)

Developed since 1942 to replace 5-ton tractors, taking into account the experience of their combat operation. Serially produced from December 1943 to March 1945 by B?ssing-NAG and Ringhoffer-Tatra. 825 units produced.

Serial modification:

half-track tractor with an open cabin and a wooden body (a canvas cover was provided). The suspension of the track rollers is structurally similar to that used on the Panther tank. In the ammunition carrier and weapons carrier versions, the tractor was equipped with a fully armored low-profile cabin (armor thickness 6-15 mm). In the latter version, the vehicle was armed with a 37-mm Flak 43 anti-aircraft gun with an 8-mm shield or a 150-mm 10-barrel Nebelwerfer 41 rocket launcher (ammunition - 50 high-explosive grenades).

sWS tractors were used at the front from 1944 until the end of the war. The overweight and inactive vehicle was not popular in military units. The production volume was also small. On March 1, 1945, the troops had 538 vehicles of both armored and unarmored versions.

Damaged sWS half-track tractor. This vehicle is equipped with an armored cab

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE sWS TRACTOR

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 9.5 (13.5 with armored cabin). LOAD CAPACITY, t: 4.

TRACTION, t: 8.

CREW, people: 2.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length -6675, width -2500, height -2830.

ENGINE: Maybach HL 42TRKMS, 6-cylinder, carburetor, in-line, liquid cooling; power 100 hp (73.6 kW) at 3000 rpm; working volume 4198 cm?. TRANSMISSION: four-speed gearbox (4+1), range, double differential, air brakes.

CHASSIS: steered front wheels, tire size 270-20, suspension - semi-elliptical transverse leaf spring; the caterpillar propulsion unit of each side consists of five double rubber-coated road wheels arranged in a staggered pattern, a front drive wheel (lantern engagement), and a guide wheel; individual torsion bar suspension; track width 500 mm.

MAXIMUM SPEED, km/h: 28.

POWER RESERVE, km: 300.

Raupenschlepper Ost (RSO)

Developed in 1942 on its own initiative by Steyr-Daimeler-Puch AG on the basis of units of the Steyr 1500/02 truck. Intended for use primarily on the Eastern Front (Ost - East). Serially produced by Steyr, Klockner-Humbolt-Deutz/Magirus, Graf und Stift and Wanderer. From 1942 to 1945, 28,151 units were manufactured.

SERIAL MODIFICATIONS: RSO (Steyr) is a light tracked tractor-trailer with an all-metal double heated cabin and a wooden cargo platform with a canvas top. Steyr V8 engine.

RSO(Steyr)

RSOfKHD/Magirus) - a simplified steel cabin with a canvas top. Engine Deutz F4L514, 4-cylinder, diesel, power 65 hp, displacement 5322 cm3.

7.5 cm Pak 40/4 auf Raupenschlepper Ost(Sf) - 75 mm Pak 40/4 anti-tank gun on the Ost tractor chassis. Low-profile armored cabin (armor thickness 5 mm). The gun behind the standard shield is installed in the center of the open body with folding wooden sides. Combat weight 5.2 tons, crew 4 people. The gun's pointing angles are horizontally ±30°, vertically -5р…+22°. Sight IF3. Dimensions: 4570x1990x2600 mm. 60 units produced.

RSO mit 2 cm Flak 38 - 20-mm Flak 38 automatic anti-aircraft gun on a mountain carriage mounted in the back of a linear tractor. 12 units produced.

The RSO's light tracked tractors were primarily used to transport supplies in supply units both on the Eastern Front and in Italy and Western Europe. Quite often they were used to tow anti-tank guns up to 75 mm in caliber, light field howitzers and various kinds of trailers. The strength and reliability of this vehicle made it very popular among the troops.

Self-propelled anti-tank guns based on RSO underwent military tests on the Eastern Front at the beginning of 1944 in Army Group South.

Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns were in service with the 1st mountain anti-aircraft artillery division at the beginning of the war.

Light Ost tracked tractor with a 105 mm howitzer on a trailer

RSO(KHD/Magirus)

7.5 cm Pak auf Ost(sf)

The 75-mm Pak 40 cannon on the Ost tractor chassis is the smallest anti-tank self-propelled gun of the German army during the Second World War

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RSO TRACTOR

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 5.2.

LOADING CAPACITY, t: 1.5.

TRACTION, t: 3.

CREW, people: 2.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 4425, width - 1990, height - 2530, ground clearance - 550.

ENGINE: Steyr 1500A, 8-cylinder, carburetor, V-shaped, liquid cooling; power 85 hp (62.6 kW) at 3000 rpm; working volume 3517 cm?.

TRANSMISSION: four-speed gearbox (4+1), differential, hydraulic brakes on the drive wheel and idler.

CHASSIS: four road wheels per side, rear drive wheel (lantern engagement), idler wheel; spring suspension; track width 340 mm, track pitch 120 mm.

MAXIMUM SPEED, kmL: 17.2.

POWER RESERVE, km: 250.

OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME: ascent angle, degrees—30; ditch width, m -1.7; ford depth, m - 0.67.

AT-T heavy tractor engine

The AT-T has a diesel engine, reliable, unpretentious, model A-401. Its prototype is a modification of the well-proven tank diesel engine type V-2, which was equipped in pre-war and wartime with both medium and heavy Soviet tanks - T-34, KV and IS. Tank engines of that period were characterized by a limited resource - 250 machine-hours before overhaul, because the piston group was subject to high abrasive wear under operating conditions with significant dustiness. If the dust content was at a low level, the engine life increased several times.

A-401 is a V-shaped 12-cylinder 48-valve four-stroke high-speed liquid-cooled diesel tank engine with direct injection. The working volume of this engine is 38.8 liters, the compression ratio is 14…15. The rated power of the A-401 engine is 331 kW, or 450 horsepower at 1750 rpm, and the operating power is 294 kW, or 400 hp. s., at 1700 rpm.

The average specific diesel fuel consumption of this engine is 230 g. / kWh (170 gr. / hp h). The engine has a duplicate start - using an electric starter with a power of 11 kW (15 hp), or compressed air (backup system). To facilitate starting at low air temperatures, a nozzle-type heating boiler is installed.

Cargoautoinfo. Freight transport in detail.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the potential of the Red Army in numerical terms significantly exceeded the potential of the Wehrmacht. The Soviet Union had more soldiers, tanks, aircraft, and artillery systems. However, for various reasons, the first stage of the war became a failure for the Soviet Union.

According to statistics, as of June 22, 1941, there were 272,600 vehicles in the Soviet armed forces. Another 166,300 trucks were mobilized from the national economy in the first weeks of the war. The total is almost four and a half hundred thousand cars alone. The army of the Third Reich entered the territory of the Soviet Union in three times fewer trucks, collected from all over Europe. Although in fairness it should be noted that this technology was developed specifically for military operations and was much more advanced than the Soviet one. After some time, the number of vehicles among the opponents was almost equal. However, during the war it was possible to preserve the Soviet automobile industry and even launch several new production sites.

Total simplification

In the fall of 1941, the Wehrmacht came dangerously close to Moscow. Many Moscow enterprises were ordered to relocate to the rear.

The go-ahead for evacuation on October 15 was also given to the ZIS. Equipment and specialists from the Stalin Plant went to Shadrinsk, Miass, Ulyanovsk and Chelyabinsk. In these cities, the production of components and assemblies for ZIS vehicles was launched, and in Ulyanovsk and Miass, the assembly of complete trucks was eventually established.

At the end of 1941, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive and the immediate threat to Moscow was eliminated. January 6, 1942 The State Defense Committee decides to restore automobile production in Moscow. To implement this directive, some equipment was re-evacuated from the Urals and Volga. The production of three-ton trucks in the capital of the USSR was restored. Only these were trucks that were noticeably different from the pre-war ZIS-5.

Moscow wartime three-ton truck - ZIS-5V.

A fuel tanker on a ZIS-5V chassis.

The production of three-ton UralZIS-5V trucks during the war years was established in Miass on the basis of equipment evacuated from Moscow. The evacuation of the ZIS gave birth to a new automobile plant - UralAZ.

At first, these vehicles were called “military-style ZIS-5.” Then the ZIS-5V index appeared. How did version “B” differ from model “5”?

ZIS-5V, compared to ZIS-5, was simplified in many ways. To save steel sheets, the ZIS-5V cabin was lined with clapboard instead of stamped steel sheets on pre-war vehicles. The boards were now used to make the cabin steps, which had previously been stamped corrugated metal parts. The front bumper was not installed at all.

The most characteristic external differences were in the shape of the front wings. Now these were not elegant semicircular stamped parts, but simple flat “mud flaps” bent from low-grade metal. Such parts could be made almost from rusty roofing iron even by the most unskilled tinsmith. The ZIS-5V also lacked a right headlight. Only one driver's left headlight was installed - both economy and blackout.

The design of the onboard platform was also simplified. Only the tailgate was left folding. The “consumption” of metal hinges has decreased sharply. They saved metal on literally everything. Even the spring back of the driver's seat was replaced with plywood, covered with quilted padding and leatherette. All these measures allowed us to save up to 200 kg of metal on each machine.

If you multiply 200 kg of metal by 84,100 ZIS-5V trucks produced during the war, it turns out that thanks to these 200 kg, about 17,000 tons of metal were saved. In war conditions this was worth a lot.

GAZ-MM was already greatly simplified in 1941. Metal was saved to such an extent that even the doors were missing from the car. Instead, the truck was provided with canvas “aprons.”

In 1943, the doors on the GAZ-MM returned, but they were made of wood. As standard, only one left headlight was installed on the car.

The three-axle GAZ-AAA, like the basic semi-truck, has also been simplified. “Ersatz cabs” also appeared on vehicles with a 6x4 wheel arrangement.

Wartime gas generator GAZ-42s were delivered to the rear. The ability to work “with wood” at that time was a clear advantage.

The Gorky “lorry” was subjected to the same total simplifications as the Moscow “three-ton”, and not only the basic vehicle, but also all its modifications produced in Gorky, including a three-axle all-terrain vehicle and a staff bus.

Combine incompatible

Half-track all-terrain vehicles must be mentioned as a separate chapter in the history of domestic military vehicles during the Great Patriotic War. Attempts to combine a truck with a tracked tractor were made during the “tsarist regime”. In the mid-1930s, such work was continued in the USSR.

We experimented with a mounted track design where, roughly speaking, the caterpillar track rotated around the standard rear wheels and additional sprockets. According to this scheme, the ZIS-33 and GAZ-65 were created. Vehicles of this design were intended for operation both off-road and on public roads.

The “mounted” scheme was not developed, since in reality the cross-country ability of the ZIS-33 and GAZ-65 did not improve much in comparison with their wheeled counterparts, and fuel consumption increased several times.

The first Moscow serial half-track trucks, the ZIS-22 model, were tested before the invasion of Nazi troops. It was during the Soviet-Finnish war.

Even then it became clear that cars of this type cause more problems than “off-road joys”:

“It has been established that the ZIS-22 is in all respects much lower than the ordinary ZIS-5. The main reason for poor cross-country ability is the lack of sufficient friction between the drive wheels and the track, which leads to excessive slipping and premature engine wear.”

However, this did not stop developers and customers from bringing the half-track concept to an acceptable result.

The first prototype of the wartime half-track tractor ZIS-42 during testing in 1942.

During the Great Patriotic War, the production of machines of this type continued. The ZIS-42 half-track all-terrain vehicle, which was launched in the second year of the war, can be called the most advanced representative of the half-track concept. As an artillery tractor, this vehicle, which absorbed the best developments of specialized factories and institutes, was produced and used in relatively large quantities. They began designing it in the summer of 1941, and in the summer of 1942, using parts of the “military-style” ZIS-5V truck, the first “commodity” batch was produced.

The main job of the ZIS-42 was towing 122-mm regimental howitzers with ammunition and gun crew. These vehicles were delivered mainly to the Western, Northwestern, Volkhov and Karelian fronts.

By the end of 1942, 752 tractors were assembled, in 1943 - 2115 units. According to some sources, they were produced until the beginning of 1944, according to others - right up to 1946. The total production volume of these machines was more than 5,000 copies.

These cars did not become a symbol of the Great Patriotic War, although one episode with their participation became a textbook version of the history of the Second World War. The sudden redeployment of heavy artillery to the walls of Veliky Novgorod, which largely determined the successful outcome of the battle, was carried out precisely by the ZIS-42 half-track trucks.

The replacement of the rear drive wheels with a caterpillar propulsion system also “brought” with it a whole load of problems during the Second World War. Why? After all, caterpillars have proven themselves excellent on tanks, self-propelled artillery mounts, and tractors, finally?

The fact is that tractors and tanks change the direction of movement by braking one of the tracks, and all Soviet half-track trucks, from pre-war designs to the ZIS-42, were left with front swivel wheels and an automobile steering mechanism.

Driving a half-track truck off-road or in virgin snow turned into sheer agony. The tracks refused to follow the given path, and the twisted front wheels piled up whole mountains of soil or snow in front of them.

So it turned out that, more or less acceptable, such off-road vehicles could only move in a straight line. They could be handled relatively well on dirt roads or asphalt. But there was one nuance here too. On asphalt and normal dirt roads, half-tracks lagged far behind their wheeled counterparts because they were a priori slower.

So was it worth it to “fence the garden” with a half-track? Experiments resumed after the war finally showed that it was not worth it. Why did Soviet engineers, with such enviable tenacity, continue to “conjure” the half-track concept during the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War? The fact that the scheme was problematic became known during the Finnish campaign. Why didn't you stop?

Most likely, the reason lies in an eye on the enemy. The Germans massively and quite successfully built and operated half-tracked all-terrain vehicles.

The Wehrmacht even had half-track motorcycles!

True, the German half-track transporters had one important difference - they were not converted trucks, but original vehicles designed from scratch with a tank-type tracked mechanism that included onboard clutches. Yes, they also had front swivel wheels and a car steering mechanism, but in addition they had the ability to maneuver by braking one of the tracks.

Of course, Soviet designers knew this very well, but they tried to achieve parity with the enemy with “little bloodshed.” They were trying to build a cheap and efficient type of truck-tractor hybrid.

The German type of hybrid was quite effective, but by no means cheap to produce and difficult to maintain in combat conditions.

Half-track vehicles remained a side branch of the development of military vehicles. The Russians found this type ineffective due to the disadvantages described above. The Germans also abandoned it due to the extreme technical complexity of such structures. But in order to understand and fully realize this, it “required” a big war.

The AS-1 aircraft starter is a humble worker of front-line airfields. Aircraft starters worked almost around the clock and almost non-stop.

GAZ-05-193 is a simplified three-axle headquarters bus from the Great Patriotic War. Today it is impossible to imagine a passenger vehicle without front brakes, but then this was the norm.

The simplified GAZ-55 is the main “specialized transport” of the military medical service.

“Thanks to” the war, the i’s were dotted not only in the “half-track issue”, but also in many others. Soviet designers gained invaluable experience in quickly developing viable solutions; during the war years, a fundamentally new generation of Soviet military trucks was born.

The most direct influence on the formation of the image of Soviet military trucks of a fundamentally new generation was exerted by the vehicles supplied to the USSR by the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition. We will talk about the Lend-Lease technique in the next article.

The BZ-35 gas tanker on the ZIS-6 chassis was created even before the War, but during the Second World War it became one of the main “signs” of front-line airfields.

A simplified GAZ-410 dump truck was sent to serve in the engineering and airfield construction forces

The army truck crane "Yanvarets" on the ZIS-6 chassis was used by both the engineering troops and the air force.

Equipment for a traveling charging station mounted in a regular flatbed body of a simplified GAZ-AAA

AT-T transmission

The mechanical transmission of this heavy tractor includes a multi-disc main dry friction clutch, a five-speed gearbox with synchronizers in the 3rd, 4th and 5th gears and a power take-off to the winch, two two-stage planetary turning mechanisms and two single-stage final drives. The use of two-stage planetary turning mechanisms greatly facilitates the control of a heavy special vehicle when maneuvering and ensures a minimum turning radius in place, which is equal to the vehicle track width - 2.64 meters.

Suspension and chassis

The caterpillar propulsion system of the AT-T heavy tractor is five-roller, on each side. It consists of a small-link caterpillar chain of lantern engagement with an open hinge, five double track rollers of significant diameter - 830 mm, with external shock absorption made in the form of rubber bands, a rear guide wheel with a crank mechanism for tensioning the tracks and a front drive wheel with removable gear rims .

The caterpillar chain consists of 93 tracks with guide ridges 500 mm wide, with developed lugs, which makes it possible to attach additional lugs (spurs) to them for movement in deep snow, mud and sand. The tracks are made of wear-resistant steel LG-13 and have good abrasion resistance. The fingers and connecting tracks are fixed with a head and at the ends with riveting. The resource of the caterpillar chain is approximately 6 thousand kilometers.

The tractor suspension is independent torsion bar; The location of the torsion shafts above the bottom of the body is transverse. Shock absorbers were not installed on the front and rear suspension units. The suspension of the tractor provides the ability to travel on dirt roads and highways with a specified maximum speed of 20 and 35 km/h. respectively.

Legendary Soviet front-line cars (19 photos)

Author: Sergey

29 January 2014 15:24

Tags: USSR auto wars

10777

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad, we must remember that trucks played a huge role in this, transporting food and ammunition to the besieged city, and back the wounded and evacuated, and without them the picture of the victory over fascism will be incomplete!!! On January 29, 1932, the first production semi-truck rolled off the assembly line at the Gorky plant - the GAZ-AA, the most popular truck in the territory of the former USSR. He played an important role in the Great Patriotic War, becoming one of the main “front-line horses”. Here are seven more legendary Soviet cars used during the war with Nazi Germany.

See all photos in the gallery

GAZ-AA

The truck got its name “lorry” because of its carrying capacity of 1.5 tons. It was developed on the basis of the American Ford Model AA truck of the 1929 model, but was subsequently modernized several times. Under an agreement with Ford, components and parts for the car were supplied to the plant from the USA via Murmansk. GAZ-AA has been assembled entirely from Soviet components since 1933. Until 1934, the cabin was made of wood and pressed cardboard, and then was replaced by a metal cabin with a leatherette roof. The truck had a four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 3285 cc. centimeters, which at 2600 rpm developed a power of 42 horsepower. The GAZ-AA engine could be operated on the lowest grades of fuel, including naphtha and even kerosene, and low-quality industrial lubricating oils: autol and nigrol. This unpretentiousness to fuel quality and simplicity of design were the undoubted advantage of the lorry, and by the beginning of the war they made up more than half of the Red Army's fleet: according to some data, as of June 20, 1941, there were 151,100 trucks in army service. Several GAZ-AA cars have survived to this day. In good condition, they can be seen in the exhibition of the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow and in the plant museum.

In 1938, GAZ-AA was modernized and received a 50-horsepower engine and the name GAZ-MM. The new modification had a reinforced suspension, new steering and driveshaft. The GAZ-MM had no external differences from the GAZ-AA. After the start of the Great Patriotic War, due to a lack of materials, such as steel, and a number of components, GAZ was forced to switch to the production of a simplified GAZ-MMV military truck, the doors of which were replaced by triangular side barriers and roll-up canvas doors, there were no brakes on the front wheels and left only one headlight. In 1944, the pre-war equipment was partially restored: the cabin again became wooden and metal, front brakes, folding side walls and a second headlight appeared. The last GAZ-MM was produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant on October 10, 1949. In the period from 1947 to 1951, GAZ-MM were produced at UlZIS - Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant.

ZIS-5

ZIS-5 is a legendary Soviet truck with a carrying capacity of 3 tons, nicknamed “three-tonka” and “zakhar”, the second most popular truck of the 1930s–1940s after the GAZ-AA. Became one of the main transport vehicles of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. The car was produced from 1933 to 1948 at the I.V. Automobile Plant. Stalin, mass production of the truck was launched in 1934, with daily production of 65 vehicles. The ZIS-5 was developed on the basis of the 2.5-ton AMO-3 truck, a copy of the American AutoCar-SA truck, but all the parts of the ZIS-5 were only domestically produced.

The engine power, reliable and unpretentious to fuel, reached 73 horsepower. By the beginning of the war, this figure had been raised to 76 horsepower. Thus, the ZIS-5 has become the most powerful of the modern three-ton trucks. The radiator, carburetor and air filter were reconstructed, as well as the gearbox and driveshaft, the structure of the frame and axles was strengthened, and the ground clearance under the rear axle housing was increased. They also abandoned hydraulic brakes - there was no brake fluid in the country. Hydraulics appeared in the ZIS-5 brakes only in 1949. Unlike the AMO-3, the ZIS-5 had a cabin without a canvas sidewall. Also, heating and ventilation were removed from the driver's cabin. Since 1934, the truck has been exported to Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Spain, China, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Romania, Turkey and Estonia. The ZIS-5 was a universal vehicle on the basis of which trucks for various purposes were developed and produced - buses, fire engines, searchlight installations, mortar installations. ZIS-5 played a prominent role in the Great Patriotic War, becoming one of the main vehicles. More than 25 monuments to the three-tonka were erected on the territory of the Soviet Union.

ZIS-6

Since 1933, along with the ZIS-5, a six-wheeled, four-ton off-road truck also rolled off the assembly line of the Moscow automobile plant. The Red Army and the national economy of the USSR had an urgent need for trucks, and even more so for off-road trucks. Prototypes of the ZIS-6 were developed back in the early 30s and were built on the basis of the AMO-3, the predecessor of the ZIS-5. In addition to an additional pair of drive wheels and greater carrying capacity, the ZIS-6 was distinguished by a radiator with an increased filling volume, a reinforced frame, a gas tank of 105 liters versus 60 for the three-ton, as well as the presence of a compressor for inflating tires.

The maximum speed of the car was 55 km/h. In 1933, a pilot batch of ZIS-6, consisting of 20 vehicles, was produced, and in 1934 mass production began, which lasted eight years - until the end of 1941. In the military, the ZIS-6 was used mainly as a tractor for artillery systems; repair flights, fuel tankers, and other special vehicles were built on its basis. In Odessa, the Yanvarets truck crane was produced on the ZIS-6 chassis. But the ZIS-6 gained greatest fame as a carrier of the legendary BM-13 rocket launchers, or Katyushas. Before the arrival of imported three-axle cars, Katyushas were mainly mounted on ZIS-6. From December 1933 to October 15, 1941 at the automobile plant named after I.V. Stalin produced 21,239 ZIS-6.

GAZ-M-1

GAZ-M-1, or Emka, was the most popular Soviet passenger car of the mid-twentieth century. 62,888 copies produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1936 to 1943 filled the entire country. The car became one of the symbols of its era: its release coincided with the announcement that socialism had been built in the USSR. The prototype of the Emka was the American Ford Model B 40A Fordor Sedan of the 1934 model. Documentation for the car was transferred to GAZ by the American side, and on March 17, 1936, the first two pre-production models of the GAZ-M-1 were sent to the Kremlin. There they were examined by Stalin, Molotov, Voroshilov and Ordzhonikidze and given the go-ahead for mass production. In 1936, mass production of the GAZ-M-1 began, amounting to 2,524 vehicles by the end of the year. The main innovation of the car was the all-metal body and many significant design details: a more powerful frame, newly designed due to a radical change in the suspensions, axle suspension on four longitudinal springs instead of two transverse ones, completely redesigned relative to the Ford, low-pressure tires.

Minimal changes were also made to the design: newly designed front fenders, which on the Soviet car had a more attractive shape and better covered the frame. The metal parts of the car's interior were finished to resemble expensive types of wood, and the interior itself was upholstered in gray or brown woolen cloth. The car was equipped with an inline four-cylinder lower valve carburetor engine. Its working volume with a 98.43 mm cylinder diameter and 107.95 mm piston stroke was equal to 3286 cubic meters. centimeters. In 24 seconds the car accelerated to 80 km speed. Its maximum speed was 105 km/h.

GAZ-61

The first Soviet all-wheel drive passenger car, which received the factory designation GAZ-61, was ready by the summer of 1939. The basis for the car was a prototype of the GAZ-11-40 phaeton, which had already covered 3,467 kilometers by this time. The GAZ-61-73 modification is the world's first all-wheel drive passenger car with a closed sedan body. During the Great Patriotic War, the GAZ-61-73 established itself as a car that develops high speed on off-road, and is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and reliability. The car was actively used as a staff vehicle by the senior leadership of the Red Army command staff, for example, Marshals Rokossovsky, Zhukov and Konev. The latter drove it throughout the war. This car, now working at the Mosfilm film studio, had both windshields pierced by small fragments during the war. Several holes were also made in the roof. In total, from 1940 to 1945, six 61-40 phaetons, 194 61-73 sedans, two 61-415 pickups and 36 61-417 tractors were produced.

GAZ-67B

GAZ-67 and GAZ-67B are Soviet military all-wheel drive passenger cars with a simplified open body that had cutouts instead of doors. The GAZ-67 was widely used during the Great Patriotic War as a staff and reconnaissance vehicle, a carrier of infantry and wounded people, and also as a light artillery tractor. These two modifications represented a further modernization of the GAZ-64 model. Compared to the prototype, the body was slightly expanded, front and rear fenders were installed, and an additional gas tank was placed under the driver's seat. The car frame was strengthened and the suspension was slightly modified. The car was equipped with lug tires, which increase the grip of the wheels on the road and significantly reduce their slipping on slippery, snowy or dirty sections of the road. GAZ-67 received a unique business card - a four-spoke steering wheel with a bent wooden rim with a diameter of 385 millimeters. The production of such a steering wheel was forced to begin in one day due to the failure of the supplier of carbolite parts: the factory that produced these products was bombed. Drivers liked the wooden steering wheel: even in winter they could work without gloves. The modernized command or army staff vehicle GAZ-67B replaced the previous version at the end of 1944. Production of the GAZ-67B continued for nine years. Since 1950, that is, during the active development of the GAZ-69, further modernization of the GAZ-67B was stopped. In the army, the all-terrain vehicle received a large number of nicknames: “pygmy”, “goat”, “flea warrior”, HBV (I want to be “Willis”), “Ivan-Willis”.

GAZ-67 received a unique business card - a four-spoke steering wheel with a bent wooden rim with a diameter of 385 millimeters. The production of such a steering wheel was forced to begin in one day due to the failure of the supplier of carbolite parts: the factory that produced these products was bombed. Drivers liked the wooden steering wheel: even in winter they could work without gloves. The modernized command or army staff vehicle GAZ-67B replaced the previous version at the end of 1944. Production of the GAZ-67B continued for nine years. Since 1950, that is, during the active development of the GAZ-69, further modernization of the GAZ-67B was stopped. In the army, the all-terrain vehicle received a large number of nicknames: “pygmy”, “goat”, “flea warrior”, HBV (I want to be “Willis”), “Ivan-Willis”.

ZIS-42

Soviet half-track all-terrain vehicle designed to work in off-road conditions and as an artillery tractor. The all-terrain vehicle was developed on the basis of the ZIS-22 half-track truck, from which it differed in the presence of a tracked undercarriage with two swinging bogies instead of rear drive wheels. The frame of each crawler bogie consisted of stamped sidewalls, rigidly connected by a support hub and cross members. The length of the car with a 3810 mm wheelbase was 6096 mm. The width was 2360 mm, and the height with 395 mm ground clearance reached 2950 mm. When driving in deep snow or swamps, skis mounted on the front wheels were used. The early ZIS-42 was produced in several pilot batches in 1942, and from the end of the same year its improved modification ZIS-42M was produced, which was in production until 1946. A total of 6,372 ZIS-42 and ZIS-42M vehicles were produced.

Source:

AT-T tractor cab

The tractor is equipped with a hood-type four-seater two-door cab, borrowed from the ZIS-150 truck. It differs from the prototype cabin by the presence of a central insert, which provides increased (per person) capacity.

The tractor cabin is equipped with heating and ventilation systems, windshield wipers, sun visors, rubber mats and other necessary equipment. Since the level of vibration and noise in the cabin is very high, the equipment of the tractor driver must include a tank headset.

AT-T tractor loading platform

The loading platform of tractors of this model is metal, welded, and equipped with an awning. The floor is flat and has hatches for access to the winch. There is a folding tailgate and rows of seats located along or across the sides. They can accommodate 18 personnel. The loading capacity of this cargo platform is 5000 kilograms, its internal dimensions are as follows: 3,576 x 2,950 x 3,600 m, floor area is 10.5 square meters.

Electrical equipment

The electrical equipment of the tractor is made according to a single-wire circuit with an on-board network voltage of 24 Volts and with negative terminals of the terminals of sources and consumers of electricity on the body. The power sources used are a G-53 DC generator with a power of 1.5 kW (2.03 hp) and four starter 12-volt batteries AKB-6 STEN-140M, which are connected in series-parallel.