What was the secret of the Soviet "Katyusha", which the Germans did not manage to unravel

The Katyusha combat mount was a real surprise for the German army, a surprise and a thunderstorm. Its appearance in 1941 plunged the Germans into a psychological shock. At that time, the armed armies of any country were not familiar with the BM-13, which works harmoniously and clearly.

1. Adopt urgently

The BM-13 installation was presented at a military training ground in 1941 by a commission headed by Marshal Zhukov / Photo: s30207256605.mirtesen.ru

At a military test site in 1941 the commission was urgently called. It was headed by G. Zhukov. They saw a completely new type of weapon, which even caused laughter among the members of the commission. In fact, the weapon did not resemble any previously known. Externally, the installation consisted of incomprehensible rails with ovals like cigars laid along them. Trials began - volleys were fired from the gun, which consisted of 24 shells.

The result amazed even more. All targets in the square in which the two launchers were triggered were destroyed. As a result, the commission urgently adopted the BM-13, and within three days a resolution was issued on the mass production of Katyushas and ammunition for them.

2. What is the key secret of the BM-13

The secret of this weapon, innovative and unparalleled at that time, was jealously kept by the NKVD. The spent installations were immediately sent to the rear. In addition, there was an order to destroy the unit in case of capture by the enemy, which was strictly controlled. Despite all this, the Germans in 1941 one of these "Katyushas" appeared. They still managed to capture her.

The German experts were at a loss. Indeed, for the production of huge checkers with a diameter of 40 millimeters and a length of 550 millimeters, serious special equipment was required. The mass of the projectile was 42.5 kilograms.

3. How did you manage to create all this

For these installations, a special gunpowder was made, which included nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin. Outwardly, it is similar to very large multi-colored vermicelli. The ballistic powder was molded on presses well known to the Germans. The basis for the press was laid in one huge layer. When the piston was lowered, the propellant components were molded.

This production is characterized by a temperature of 900 degrees Celsius. When the piston was raised, it was cleaned and prepared for further use for the same purposes. The Germans knew that the press had to be huge. In those years, this was only in one country in the world - in England. The unspoken name of this special equipment is "mammoth-press", which is directly related to its dimensions.

The Germans decided that the height of this unit should be equal to the height of a four-story building. In this regard, they looked for high-rise buildings and destroyed them. But German intelligence has found absolutely nothing in two years.

4. The pasta connection

The conditions created in the Soviet Union excluded the possibility of making such a press, especially since there was practically no time. In this regard, a fundamentally different path was chosen. It is based on a simple screw press used for the production of pasta, namely vermicelli. True, it had to be improved, strengthened to the maximum and supplemented with a warming shirt. The necessary "gut" was made on the press, having a certain diameter, and in the center of it there was a channel.

Then the product was divided into pieces of appropriate size and cooled (water was used for cooling). The equipment could operate around the clock. If a break was taken, albeit a ten-minute break, a marriage appeared - the base decomposed under the influence of a very high temperature. By the way, about the production building. It had only one floor. At the beginning of the war, the only equipment of this type was located in the southern part of Russia.

>>>>Ideas for life | NOVATE.RU<<<<

5. An unparalleled production discovery

To prevent the material from decomposing from high temperatures, it was added to the "centralite" composition. It had to be bought in Romania, but in wartime this was a problem.

Over time, a group of scientists headed by Professor Yu.N. Bakaev, found an analogue of this chemical - magnesium oxide. As a result, during the time the war lasted, six production facilities were established using this technology. The number of shells manufactured for Katyusha exceeded 14,000,000 units.

Continuing the topic, read about the rarest "Katyusha" on a caterpillar tractor, lifted from the bottom of the reservoir.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/130721/59676/

IT IS INTERESTING:

1. Why are cardboard and plywood houses being built in American suburbs?

2. Why do American men wear a T-shirt under their shirt?

3. Why did an automatic rifle appear in the USSR in 1949, and in the USA only in 1964?