Katyusha cardboard machine for the garden. Katyusha is a unique combat vehicle of the USSR. Origin of the name Katyusha

But our toy army also needs equipment to transport infantrymen and support the offensive with armored vehicles. We will now begin to fill this gap. Today we have to learn how to make cars from matchboxes.

To work, we will need several empty matchboxes, cardboard, an awl, a knife, PVA glue, scissors, a ruler, a compass and a simple pencil.

We will also need empty pen refills and insulated aluminum wire to make ours.

Well, let's get to work. Take and remove the box from it. In the box itself, make side cuts according to the dimensions indicated in Figure 1a. and bend it up at a slight angle. The part that is shaded must be trimmed. We put the box back into the box. We got the future car cabin.

Now take another box and cut its lid in half. Cut the removed one according to the dimensions indicated in the figure (Fig. 1b). Insert both parts of the cut box into the half box on both sides. Glue the resulting part to the cabin (Fig. 1c). Cut out two benches from the second half of the box (Fig. 1d) and secure them in the body with glue.

Next we will do chassis car. and with a compass draw twelve circles with a diameter of twenty millimeters on it (Fig. 1e). The circles should be cut out and glued together in four pieces (Fig. 1e). Cover the resulting wheels with prepared colored paper, as shown in the figure (Fig. 1g, H.).

Now take the pen rods and make two wheel pair axles out of them (Fig. 1k). Pierce all the wheels with an awl in the center and place them on the resulting axles. To prevent the wheels from flying off the axle, secure them with pieces of insulation from aluminum wire, carefully pulling it off with a knife.

Now we need to make bearings so that the wheelsets rotate freely and our homemade car can drive. We make bearings from cardboard (Fig. 1i). Bend the part along the dash-dot lines in the form of a triangle (Fig. 1k), insert the wheels there and glue them to the bottom of the car. That's it, our matchbox car is ready to transport soldiers. You can make any number of such cars, as long as there are enough boxes.

To make an armored personnel carrier from matchboxes, you need to carefully consider Figure 2. Its structure differs from a car only in that those boxes that are intended for making the hood (Fig. 2a, b) and making the turret (Fig. 2d, e) are cut diagonally And .

After you assemble the hood (Fig. 26), the body of the armored personnel carrier (Fig. 2c), and the turret (Fig. 2e), you need to cut out several round side and top rectangular hatches for the turret (Fig. 2g). We will also make motorized blinds (Fig. 2h).

The machine gun barrel can be carefully rounded off with a knife (Fig. 2e). Make a thickening by wrapping a thin copper wire around the base of the trunk and cover it with a strip of colored paper. Now take the metal tip of the rod and first pierce a hole in the thickening of the machine gun with an awl, attach it to the turret by inserting it into the turret hole pierced with the same awl.

Figures 3 and 4 show how to make a Katyusha and rocket launcher. The principle of their manufacture is the same as that of the machines described above. They are similar to trucks, only instead of a body they are equipped with special platforms (Fig. 3e and 4d), consisting of two parts. One part is made from the box lid (bottom part).

For Katyusha it is made rotary. It rotates using a round piece, which can be made from a piece of paper or folded paper. One end of the tube is fixed motionless at the bottom of the platform (Fig. 3e), its other end is inserted into the hole “o” of the second platform, which remains motionless (Fig. 3h).

Glue the next part (e) to the inclined part of the platform (d), as shown in the figure (Fig. 3e).

We make six Katyusha barrels using a pencil, wrapping glued paper strips around it. Now you need to attach the trunks, three in a row, to the part (d.) (Fig. 4)

The platform, or rather its upper part (in) of the rocket launcher, is made a little differently. A longitudinal cut is made in the middle of the box, which bends inward and is secured with a clerical clip. Then the top honor is glued to the bottom of the platform (Fig. 4d).

Glue the entire platform assembly to the back of the Katyusha. For the rocket launcher we do the same.

For a rocket launcher. Make its body as follows: wrap a paper strip around a pencil (Fig. 4b) and glue its edge. Make the warhead and stabilizers as shown in the figure (Fig. 4e, f). All that remains is to glue them to the rocket body and secure it in the recess of the rocket platform.

All models made by us military equipment, you can paint it with paints or paste it over with colored paper.

Our army was replenished with powerful armored vehicles, which we made with our own hands from ordinary matchboxes.

Model scale 1:25.

BM-13 "KATYUSHA" MULTI-LAUNCH REPACT SYSTEM ON CHASSIS.

“Katyusha” is an unofficial collective name for mobile rocket launchers BM-8 (82 mm) and BM-13 (132 mm). Such installations were actively used by the USSR during the Second World War.

Back in 1916 a combat rocket using smokeless powder (a prototype of a later rocket) was invented by Ivan Platonovich Grave. In 1924 he received patent No. 122 for such a missile charge. Further work on the creation of rockets using smokeless powder continued until the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War.

The development team included Sergei Korolev. In March 1941, successful field tests of BM-13 installations with the M-13 projectile were carried out, and on June 21 a decree on their mass production was signed. On the night of June 30, 1941, the first two BM-13 combat launchers were assembled at the Comintern plant in Voronezh. Initially they were mounted on the ZIS-5 chassis, but the use of such a chassis was considered unsuccessful, and it was replaced by the ZIS-6. Subsequently, the BM-13 (BM-13N) was installed only on Studebaker (Studbacker-US6). An experimental artillery battery of seven vehicles under the command of Captain I. Flerov was first used against the German army at the railway junction of the city of Orsha on July 14, 1941. The first eight regiments of 36 vehicles each were formed on August 8, 1941. An improved modification of the BM-13N was created in 1943, and until the end of World War II, about 1,800 of these guns were manufactured. Range - about 5 km.

The weapon was inaccurate, but very effective when used in large numbers. The emotional effect was also important: during the salvo, all the missiles were fired almost simultaneously - within a few seconds, the territory in the target area was literally plowed up by heavy rockets. At the same time, the deafening howl that the rockets raised during the flight literally drove us crazy. Those who did not die during the shelling were often no longer able to resist, as they were shell-shocked, stunned, and completely psychologically suppressed. The mobility of the installation made it possible to quickly change position and avoid a retaliatory strike from the enemy.

Each vehicle had a box of explosives and a fuse cord. If there was a risk of the equipment being captured by the enemy, the crew was obliged to blow it up and thereby destroy the rocket systems.

The name “Katyusha” comes from the “KAT” (Kostikova Automatic Thermite) marking on the incendiary rockets used. And since the appearance of weapons in combat units coincided with the popularity of the song “Katyusha,” this name stuck.

We propose to build a model of the BM-13 Katyusha guards mortar on a Studebaker platform (Studbacker-US6).

Specifications

Engine: 6-cylinder, in-line.

Working volume -5240 cm W.

Power -95 hp at 2500 rpm.

Load capacity -2.5 t.

Weight -4850 kg.

Speed ​​-72 km/h.

M-13 rocket

Caliber, mm -132

Projectile mass, kg -42.3

Warhead mass, kg -21.3

Mass of explosive, kg -4.9

Maximum firing range, km -8.47

Salvo production time, 7-10 seconds.

Assembly instructions


1. Frame

The frame is assembled according to the scheme from parts 1-6. The folds are marked gray. Using part 7 we glue the front bumper 9 and towing hooks 8, we assemble the rear part from parts 10-15, part 13 is rolled up into a tube. For convenience, you can insert a strip of cardboard 1 mm thick. in detail 10.

Now you can assemble the pendant. First, three gearboxes are assembled from parts 30-36. Then, axles 29, 69 and 108 are threaded through each. Then, with the help of crosses 50, cardan shafts 51,70 and 71 are glued. It is more convenient to glue crosses 50 if you first put inside a piece cut out of cardboard in the shape of a cross. The transfer case is assembled from parts 72-1 and 72-2. The gearbox is assembled from parts 72-4 and 72-8 and glued to the transfer case using crosspieces 50 and cardan 72-3. The two rear axles are glued to the frame using part 66, to part 2 and with the help of springs. The rear springs are assembled from strips 21, which are first folded in half, glued and then glued to each other. After the package of springs is assembled, they need to be given a semicircular shape in place. Instead of parts 25 and 26, you can use a toothpick.

2. Wheels

Rear wheel discs are assembled from parts 203-206. Separately cut out the nuts 90 and glue them to the disk. Then we assemble the tire from parts 209-212. After assembly, the wheels are glued to axles 29 and 69.

The front wheel rims are assembled a little differently if you want to make them swivel. Part 208 is added to the front discs. The rotation mechanism is assembled as follows: part 95 is rolled up into a ring and part 92 is inserted inside and fixed with part 94. Part 92 should rotate freely inside part 95. Then part 92 is glued to the axis 108. Part 102 is glued inside the disk and Part 99 is glued to it. After this, the tire is put on the disk. The order of further assembly is clear from the diagram.

3. Engine

It is better to start assembling the engine from housing 111. Then glue it to it optional equipment. To facilitate gluing of part 112, a piece cut out of cardboard, 1 mm thick, shaped to fit, is glued inside. The remaining parts are glued in numerical order. After the engine, we assemble the radiator from parts 137-140. After assembly, the radiator and engine are glued to the frame - the engine to part 5, and the radiator using part 141. After this, the radiator is glued to the engine using a tube glued from parts 142-146.

4. Cabin

First we assemble the cabin interior. First, we assemble the instrument panel 180, which we glue to the front wall 186, and the floor 185 to it. We assemble the steering wheel 192 and the steering shaft 192-1. We fold the levers 194 in half and glue them together, and we do the same with the pedals 195. We glue the finished pedals and levers according to the diagram. Lastly, we glue the seat (198-199) and the interior of the cabin is ready. Now let's move on to the outer skin of the cabin. The cabin roof is assembled from parts 149-150. Ceiling 149-1 is glued to it from the inside. Then the back wall 148 and the side walls 160. The doors are folded and glued. Hinges are glued between the door halves. We glue the glass cut out from transparent film according to the templates on the last page and glue the windshield wipers 197. Then we assemble the hood. The front wing is glued from part 182. Part 182-1 is glued from the wrong side. We glue the side wall 181 to it. We assemble the hood cover 180 according to the diagram and glue it in place. We glue two headlights 201 and one smaller one 202, which is located on the spruce side, and glue the grille 200. At the back of the cabin we glue a gas tank 214-216.

5. Launcher

Assembly of the launcher begins with the assembly of the base 218, which is attached to the vehicle frame using parts 217. We glue control mechanisms 221-226 and 227-231 to the front part. Assembling guides for rockets. They consist of three parts. Parts 253 and 253-1 are bent to form the letter P turned on its side and glued together, then holes are cut in them, then strips 254 are glued to the top and bottom. The guides are connected to each other using parts 257 rolled up into a tube. According to the diagram, we assemble a tubular structure, with the help of which we glue the guides to the base of the launcher. The parts for gluing are pre-formed on a mandrel with a diameter of 2 mm. and glue the launcher to the frame to parts 217.

Katyusha is unique fighting machine USSR which had no analogues in the world. The unofficial name for barrelless field rocket artillery systems (BM-8, BM-13, BM-31 and others) was developed during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. Such installations were actively used Armed Forces USSR during World War II. The popularity of the nickname turned out to be so great that “Katyusha” colloquial speech Post-war MLRS on automobile chassis, in particular BM-14 and BM-21 “Grad”, also often began to be called.


"Katyusha" BM-13-16 on the ZIS-6 chassis

The fate of the developers:

On November 2, 1937, as a result of the “war of denunciations” within the institute, the director of RNII-3 I. T. Kleymenov and the chief engineer G. E. Langemak were arrested. On January 10 and 11, 1938, respectively, they were shot at the NKVD Kommunarka training ground.
Rehabilitated in 1955.
By decree of the President of the USSR M. S. Gorbachev dated June 21, 1991, I. T. Kleimenov, G. E. Langemak, V. N. Luzhin, B. S. Petropavlovsky, B. M. Slonimer and N. I. Tikhomirov were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.


BM-31-12 on the ZIS-12 chassis in the Museum on Sapun Mountain, Sevastopol


BM-13N on a Studebaker US6 chassis (with exhaust protection armor plates lowered) at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow

Origin of the name Katyusha

It is known why BM-13 installations began to be called “guards mortars” at one time. The BM-13 installations were not actually mortars, but the command sought to keep their design secret for as long as possible. When, at range shooting, soldiers and commanders asked a GAU representative to name the “true” name of the combat installation, he advised: “Name the installation as usual artillery piece. This is important for maintaining secrecy."

There is no single version of why the BM-13 began to be called “Katyusha”. There are several assumptions:
1. Based on the name of Blanter’s song, which became popular before the war, based on the words of Isakovsky “Katyusha”. The version is convincing, since the battery first fired on July 14, 1941 (on the 23rd day of the war) at a concentration of fascists on Bazarnaya Square in the city of Rudnya, Smolensk region. She was shooting from a high, steep mountain - the association with the high, steep bank in the song immediately arose among the fighters. Finally, the former sergeant of the headquarters company of the 217th separate communications battalion of the 144th Infantry Division of the 20th Army, Andrei Sapronov, is alive, now a military historian, who gave it this name. Red Army soldier Kashirin, having arrived with him at the battery after the shelling of Rudnya, exclaimed in surprise: “What a song!” “Katyusha,” answered Andrei Sapronov (from the memoirs of A. Sapronov in the Rossiya newspaper No. 23 of June 21-27, 2001 and in the Parliamentary Gazette No. 80 of May 5, 2005). Through the communications center of the headquarters company, the news about a miracle weapon called “Katyusha” within 24 hours became the property of the entire 20th Army, and through its command - the entire country. On July 13, 2011, the veteran and “godfather” of Katyusha turned 90 years old.

2. There is also a version that the name is associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Kalinin plant (according to another source, by the Comintern plant). And front-line soldiers loved to give nicknames to their weapons. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed “Mother”, the ML-20 howitzer gun was nicknamed “Emelka”. Yes, and the BM-13 was at first sometimes called “Raisa Sergeevna,” thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).

3. The third version suggests that this is what the girls from the Moscow Kompressor plant who worked on the assembly dubbed these cars.
Another, exotic version. The guides on which the projectiles were mounted were called ramps. The forty-two-kilogram projectile was lifted by two fighters harnessed to the straps, and the third usually helped them, pushing the projectile so that it lay exactly on the guides, and he also informed those holding that the projectile stood up, rolled, and rolled onto the guides. It was allegedly called “Katyusha” (the role of those holding the projectile and the one rolling it was constantly changing, since the crew of the BM-13, unlike cannon artillery, was not explicitly divided into loader, aimer, etc.)

4. It should also be noted that the installations were so secret that it was even forbidden to use the commands “fire”, “fire”, “volley”, instead they sounded “sing” or “play” (to start it was necessary to turn the handle of the electric coil very quickly) , which may also have been related to the song “Katyusha”. And for our infantry, a salvo of Katyusha rockets was the most pleasant music.

5. There is an assumption that initially the nickname “Katyusha” was a front-line bomber equipped with rockets - an analogue of the M-13. And the nickname jumped from an airplane to a rocket launcher through shells.

In the German troops, these machines were called “Stalin’s organs” due to the external resemblance of the rocket launcher to the pipe system of this musical instrument and the powerful, stunning roar that was produced when the missiles were launched.

During the battles for Poznan and Berlin, the M-30 and M-31 single-launch installations received the nickname “Russian Faustpatron” from the Germans, although these shells were not used as an anti-tank weapon. With “dagger” (from a distance of 100-200 meters) launches of these shells, the guards broke through any walls.


BM-13-16 on the chassis of the STZ-5-NATI tractor (Novomoskovsk)


Soldiers loading Katyusha

If Hitler's oracles had looked more closely at the signs of fate, then surely July 14, 1941 would have become a landmark day for them. It was then in the area of ​​​​the Orsha railway junction and the crossing of the Orshitsa River Soviet troops For the first time, BM-13 combat vehicles were used, which received the affectionate name “Katyusha” among the army. The result of two salvos at the accumulation of enemy forces was stunning for the enemy. German losses fell under the “unacceptable” heading.

Here are excerpts from a directive to the troops of Hitler's high military command: "The Russians have an automatic multi-barrel flamethrower cannon... The shot is fired by electricity... During the shot, smoke is generated..." The obvious helplessness of the wording testified to the complete ignorance of the German generals regarding the device and technical characteristics new Soviet weapons- rocket mortar.

A striking example of the effectiveness of the Guards mortar units, and their basis was “Katyushas,” can be seen in the lines from the memoirs of Marshal Zhukov: “The rockets, by their actions, caused complete devastation. I looked at the areas where shelling was carried out and saw the complete destruction of defensive structures... "

The Germans developed a special plan to seize new Soviet weapons and ammunition. In the late autumn of 1941 they managed to do this. The “captured” mortar was truly “multi-barreled” and fired 16 rocket mines. His firepower was several times more effective than the mortar used by the fascist army. Hitler's command decided to create equivalent weapons.

The Germans did not immediately understand that the Soviet mortar they had captured was a truly unique phenomenon, revealing new page in the development of artillery, the era of rocket systems volley fire(MLRS).

We must pay tribute to its creators - scientists, engineers, technicians and workers of the Moscow Jet Research Institute (RNII) and related enterprises: V. Aborenkov, V. Artemyev, V. Bessonov, V. Galkovsky, I. Gvai, I. Kleimenov, A. Kostikov, G. Langemak, V. Luzhin, A. Tikhomirov, L. Schwartz, D. Shitov.

The main difference between the BM-13 and similar German weapons was its unusually bold and unexpected concept: mortarmen could reliably hit all targets in a given square with relatively inaccurate rocket-propelled mines. This was achieved precisely due to the salvo nature of the fire, since every point of the area under fire necessarily fell into the affected area of ​​one of the shells. German designers, realizing the brilliant “know-how” of Soviet engineers, decided to reproduce, if not in the form of a copy, then using the main technical ideas.

It was in principle possible to copy the Katyusha as a combat vehicle. Insurmountable difficulties arose when trying to design, test and establish mass production of similar missiles. It turned out that German gunpowder cannot burn in the chamber of a rocket engine as stably and steadily as Soviet ones. German-designed analogues Soviet ammunition behaved unpredictably: either sluggishly left the guides only to immediately fall to the ground, or began flying at breakneck speed and exploded in the air from an excessive increase in pressure inside the chamber. Only a few successfully reached the target.

The point turned out to be that for effective nitroglycerin powders, which were used in Katyusha shells, our chemists achieved a spread in the values ​​of the so-called heat of explosive transformation of no more than 40 conventional units, and the smaller the spread, the more stable the gunpowder burns. Similar German gunpowder had a spread of this parameter, even in one batch, above 100 units. This led to unstable operation of the rocket engines.

The Germans did not know that ammunition for the Katyusha was the fruit of more than ten years of activity by the RNII and several large Soviet research teams, which included the best Soviet gunpowder factories, outstanding Soviet chemists A. Bakaev, D. Galperin, V. Karkina, G. Konovalova, B Pashkov, A. Sporius, B. Fomin, F. Khritinin and many others. They not only developed the most complex formulations of rocket powders, but also found simple and effective ways their mass, continuous and cheap production.

At a time when at Soviet factories, according to ready-made drawings, the production of guards rocket mortars and shells for them was expanding at an unprecedented pace and literally daily increasing, the Germans had yet to conduct research and design work by MLRS. But history has not given them time for this.

The paper modeling magazine Paper Modeling, number 20, presents patterns for the BM-13 Katyusha multiple launch rocket system.

Katyusha is the unofficial collective name for mobile rocket launchers BM-8 (82 mm) and BM-13 (132 mm). Such installations were actively used by the USSR during the Second World War.

Back in 1916 a combat rocket using smokeless powder (a prototype of a later rocket) was invented by Ivan Platonovich Grave. In 1924 he received patent No. 122 for such a missile charge. Further work on the creation of rockets using smokeless powder continued until the Great Patriotic War. The development team included Sergei Korolev. In March 1941, successful field tests of BM-13 installations with the M-13 projectile were carried out, and on June 21 a decree on their mass production was signed. On the night of June 30, 1941, the first two BM-13 combat launchers were assembled at the Comintern plant in Voronezh. Initially they were mounted on the ZIS-5 chassis, but the use of such a chassis was considered unsuccessful, and it was replaced by the ZIS-6. Subsequently, the BM-13 (BM-13N) was installed only on Studebaker (Studebacker-US6). An experimental artillery battery of seven vehicles under the command of Captain I. Flerov was first used against the German army at the railway junction of the city of Orsha on July 14, 1941. The first eight regiments of 36 vehicles each were formed on August 8, 1941. An improved modification of the BM-13N was created in 1943, and until the end of World War II, about 1,800 of these guns were manufactured. Range - about 5 km.

The weapon was inaccurate, but very effective when used in large numbers. The emotional effect was also important: during the salvo, all the missiles were fired almost simultaneously - within a few seconds, the territory in the target area was literally plowed up by heavy rockets. At the same time, the deafening howl that the rockets raised during the flight literally drove us crazy. Those who did not die during the shelling were often no longer able to resist, as they were shell-shocked, stunned, and completely psychologically suppressed. The mobility of the installation made it possible to quickly change position and avoid a retaliatory strike from the enemy.

Each vehicle had a box of explosives and a fuse cord. If there was a risk of the equipment being captured by the enemy, the crew was obliged to blow it up and thereby destroy the rocket systems.

The name Katyusha comes from the KAT (Kostikova Automatic Thermite) marking on the incendiary-filled rockets used. And since the appearance of weapons in combat units coincided with the popularity of the song Katyusha, this name stuck.

Here you can download the magazine Paper Modeling - 20 - Jet system BM-13 Katyusha multiple rocket launcher for free, without registration and SMS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With the beginning of the war, the USSR Armed Forces created special troops For combat use missile weapons. These were rocket troops, but during the war they were called guards mortar units (GMC), and subsequently - rocket artillery. The first organizational form of the MMC was separate batteries and divisions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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