History and heroes of the elite type of troops born during the Great Patriotic War
The fighters of these units were envied and - at the same time - sympathetic. "The trunk is long, life is short", "Double salary - triple death!", "Farewell, Motherland!" - all these nicknames, hinting at a high mortality rate, went to soldiers and officers who fought in the destroyer anti-tank artillery (IPTA) of the Red Army.
All this is true: the salaries increased by one and a half to two times for the IPTA units on the staff, and the length of the barrels of many anti-tank guns, and the unusually high mortality among the artillerymen of these units, whose positions were often located nearby, or even in front of the infantry front … But the truth is and the fact that the share of anti-tank artillery accounted for 70% of the destroyed German tanks; and the fact that among the artillerymen who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War, every fourth is a soldier or officer of anti-tank subunits. In absolute numbers, it looks like this: out of 1,744 artillerymen - Heroes of the Soviet Union, whose biographies are presented in the lists of the Heroes of the Country project, 453 people fought in anti-tank fighter units, the main and only task of which was direct fire at German tanks …
Keep up with the tanks
The very concept of anti-tank artillery as a separate type of this kind of troops appeared shortly before the Second World War. During the First World War, conventional field guns were quite successful in fighting sedentary tanks, for which armor-piercing shells were quickly developed. In addition, the armor of tanks until the early 1930s remained mainly bulletproof and only with the approach of a new world war began to increase. Accordingly, specific means of combating this type of weapons were required, which anti-tank artillery became.
In the USSR, the first experience in creating special anti-tank guns fell on the very beginning of the 1930s. In 1931, a 37 mm anti-tank gun appeared, which was a licensed copy of a German gun designed for the same purpose. A year later, a Soviet semi-automatic 45 mm gun was installed on the carriage of this gun, and thus the 45 mm anti-tank gun of the 1932 model - 19-K, appeared. Five years later, it was modernized, resulting in a 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model - 53-K. It was she who became the most massive domestic anti-tank weapon - the famous "forty-five".
Calculation of the M-42 anti-tank gun in battle. Photo: warphoto.ru
These guns are the main means of fighting tanks in the Red Army in the pre-war period. It was with them that, from 1938, anti-tank batteries, platoons and divisions were armed, until the fall of 1940, which were part of rifle, mountain rifle, motorized rifle, motorized and cavalry battalions, regiments and divisions. For example, the anti-tank defense of the infantry battalion of the pre-war state was provided by a platoon of 45 mm guns - that is, two guns; rifle and motorized rifle regiments - a battery of "forty-five", that is, six guns. And as part of the rifle and motorized divisions, since 1938, a separate anti-tank division was provided - 18 guns of 45 mm caliber.
But the way the fighting began to unfold in World War II, which began on September 1, 1939 with the German invasion of Poland, quickly showed that anti-tank defense at the divisional level may not be sufficient. And then the idea came up to create anti-tank artillery brigades of the Reserve of the High Command. Each such brigade would be a formidable force: the standard armament of a unit of 5322 people consisted of 48 76 mm cannons, 24 107 mm cannons, as well as 48 85 mm anti-aircraft guns and 16 more 37 mm anti-aircraft guns. At the same time, there were no proper anti-tank guns in the staff of the brigades, however, non-specialized field guns, which received standard armor-piercing shells, more or less successfully coped with their tasks.
Alas, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the country did not have time to complete the formation of the anti-tank brigades of the RGK. But even under-formed, these units, which came at the disposal of the army and front-line command, made it possible to maneuver them much more effectively than anti-tank units in the state of rifle divisions. And although the beginning of the war led to catastrophic losses in the entire Red Army, including in artillery units, due to this, the necessary experience was accumulated, which pretty soon led to the emergence of specialized anti-tank units.
The birth of the artillery special forces
It quickly became clear that the standard divisional anti-tank weapons were not able to seriously resist the tank wedges of the Wehrmacht, and the lack of anti-tank guns of the required caliber forces them to roll out light field guns for direct fire. At the same time, their calculations, as a rule, did not have the necessary training, which means that sometimes they did not act effectively enough even in favorable conditions for them. In addition, due to the evacuation of artillery factories and the massive losses of the first war months, the shortage of main guns in the Red Army became catastrophic, so they had to be disposed of much more carefully.
In such conditions, the only correct decision was the formation of special reserve anti-tank units, which could not only be placed in defense along the front of divisions and armies, but maneuvered by them, throwing them into specific tank-hazardous areas. The experience of the first war months also spoke of the same thing. And as a result, by January 1, 1942, the command of the active army and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command had one anti-tank artillery brigade operating on the Leningrad front, 57 anti-tank artillery regiments and two separate anti-tank artillery divisions. Moreover, they really did exist, that is, they actively participated in the battles. Suffice it to say that five anti-tank regiments were awarded the title of "Guards", which had just been introduced in the Red Army, following the results of the battles in the autumn of 1941.
Soviet artillerymen with a 45 mm anti-tank gun in December 1941. Photo: Museum of Engineering Troops and Artillery, St. Petersburg
Three months later, on April 3, 1942, a decree of the State Defense Committee was issued, introducing the concept of a fighter brigade, the main task of which was to fight the Wehrmacht tanks. True, its staff was forced to be much more modest than that of a similar pre-war unit. The command of such a brigade had three times less people at its disposal - 1795 fighters and commanders against 5322, 16 76 mm guns versus 48 in the pre-war state and four 37-mm anti-aircraft guns instead of sixteen. True, twelve 45-millimeter guns and 144 anti-tank guns appeared in the list of standard weapons (they were armed with two infantry battalions that were part of the brigade). In addition, for the sake of creating new brigades, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief ordered within a week to revise the lists of personnel of all combat arms and "withdraw all junior and rank-and-file personnel who previously served in artillery units." It was these fighters, having undergone a short retraining in the reserve artillery brigades, and made up the backbone of the anti-tank brigades. But they still had to be replenished with fighters who did not have combat experience.
By the beginning of June 1942, twelve newly formed fighter brigades were already operating in the Red Army, which, in addition to artillery units, also included a mortar battalion, an engineering and mine battalion, and a company of machine gunners. And on June 8, a new GKO decree appeared, which brought these brigades into four fighter divisions: the situation at the front required the creation of more powerful anti-tank fists capable of stopping German tank wedges. Less than a month later, in the midst of the summer offensive of the Germans, who were rapidly advancing to the Caucasus and the Volga, the famous order No. 0528 was issued "On renaming anti-tank artillery units and subunits into anti-tank artillery units and establishing advantages for the commanding and rank-and-file personnel of these units."
Pushkar elite
The appearance of the order was preceded by a lot of preparatory work, concerning not only calculations, but also how many guns and what caliber new parts should have and what advantages their composition would use. It was quite clear that the soldiers and commanders of such units, who would have to risk their lives every day in the most dangerous sectors of the defense, needed a powerful not only material, but also a moral incentive. They did not assign new units during the formation the rank of guards, as was done with the Katyusha rocket launchers, but decided to leave the well-proven word “fighter” and add “anti-tank” to it, emphasizing the special significance and purpose of the new units. For the same effect, as far as can be judged now, the introduction of a special sleeve insignia for all soldiers and officers of anti-tank artillery - a black diamond with crossed golden barrels of stylized Shuvalov's "unicorns" was calculated.
All this was spelled out in the order in separate paragraphs. Special financial conditions for new units, as well as norms for the return of wounded soldiers and commanders to the ranks, were prescribed by the same separate clauses. So, the commanding staff of these units and subdivisions was given one and a half, and the junior and private - a double salary. For each damaged tank, the gun crew was also entitled to a cash bonus: the commander and gunner - 500 rubles each, the rest of the crew numbers - 200 rubles each. It is noteworthy that initially other amounts appeared in the text of the document: 1000 and 300 rubles, respectively, but the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin, who signed the order, personally lowered the prices. As for the norms for returning to service, the entire commanding staff of the anti-tank units, up to the battalion commander, had to be kept on a special account, and at the same time, the entire composition after treatment in hospitals had to be returned only to the indicated units. This did not guarantee that a soldier or officer would return to the same battalion or division in which he fought before he was wounded, but he could not find himself in any other divisions, except for anti-tank destroyers.
The new order instantly turned the anti-tank crews into the elite of the Red Army's artillery. But this elitism was confirmed at a high price. The level of losses in the anti-tank subunits was noticeably higher than in other artillery units. It is no coincidence that anti-tank units became the only subspecies of artillery, where the same order No. 0528 introduced the position of deputy gunner: in battle, crews that rolled out their guns to unequipped positions in front of the defending infantry front and fired direct fire, often died earlier than their equipment.
From battalions to divisions
New artillery units quickly gained combat experience, which spread just as quickly: the number of anti-tank units grew. On January 1, 1943, the Red Army's anti-tank artillery consisted of two fighter divisions, 15 fighter brigades, two heavy anti-tank fighter regiments, 168 anti-tank fighter regiments and one anti-tank fighter division.
An anti-tank artillery unit on the march. Photo: otvaga2004.ru
And for the Battle of Kursk, Soviet anti-tank artillery received a new structure. Order of the People's Commissariat of Defense No. 0063 of April 10, 1943 introduced in each army, primarily the Western, Bryansk, Central, Voronezh, Southwestern and Southern fronts, at least one anti-tank regiment of the wartime army staff: six 76-mm batteries guns, that is, a total of 24 guns. By the same order, one anti-tank artillery brigade of 1215 people was organizationally introduced into the Western, Bryansk, Central, Voronezh, South-Western and Southern fronts, which included an anti-tank regiment of 76 mm guns - only 10 batteries, or 40 guns, and a regiment of 45-millimeter guns, armed with 20 guns.
The relatively calm time separating the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad from the beginning of the battle on the Kursk Bulge, the command of the Red Army used to the fullest in order to complete the formation, re-equip and retrain the anti-tank units as much as possible. No one doubted that the upcoming battle would largely rely on the massive use of tanks, especially new German vehicles, and it was necessary to be ready for this.
History has shown that the anti-tank units had time to prepare. The Battle of the Kursk Bulge became the main test of the artillery elite for strength - and they withstood it with honor. And the invaluable experience, for which, alas, the fighters and commanders of the anti-tank subunits had to pay a very high price, was soon understood and used. It was after the Battle of Kursk that the legendary, but, unfortunately, already too weak for the armor of new German tanks, "forty-five" began to gradually remove from these units, replacing them with 57-mm anti-tank guns ZIS-2, and where these guns were not enough, the well-proven divisional 76-mm cannon ZIS-3. By the way, it is the versatility of this gun, which has shown itself well both as a divisional gun and as an anti-tank gun, along with its simplicity of design and manufacture, that allowed it to become the most massive artillery gun in the world in the entire history of artillery!
Fire Bag Masters
The last major change in the structure and tactics of using anti-tank artillery was the complete reorganization of all fighter divisions and brigades into anti-tank artillery brigades. By January 1, 1944, there were as many as fifty such brigades as part of the anti-tank artillery, and in addition to them there were 141 more anti-tank artillery regiment. The main weapons of these units were the same 76-mm ZIS-3 cannons, which the domestic industry produced at an incredible speed. In addition to them, the brigades and regiments were armed with 57-mm ZIS-2 and a number of "forty-five" and 107 mm guns.
By this time, the principled tactics of the combat use of anti-tank fighter units had also been fully developed. The system of anti-tank areas and anti-tank strongholds, developed and tested before the Battle of Kursk, was rethought and refined. The number of anti-tank guns in the troops became more than sufficient, experienced personnel were enough for their use, and the fight against Wehrmacht tanks was made as flexible and effective as possible. Now the Soviet anti-tank defense was built on the principle of "fire sacks" arranged along the path of movement of German tank units. Anti-tank guns were placed in groups of 6-8 guns (that is, two batteries) at a distance of fifty meters from each other and camouflaged with great care. And they opened fire not when the first line of enemy tanks was in the zone of confident defeat, but only after practically all the attacking tanks entered it.
Unknown Soviet girls, privates from an anti-tank artillery unit. Photo: topwar.ru
Such "fire bags", taking into account the characteristics of the anti-tank artillery guns, were effective only at medium and short combat ranges, which means that the risk for the gunners increased many times over. It was necessary to show not only remarkable restraint, looking at how German tanks pass almost nearby, it was necessary to guess the moment when to open fire, and to conduct it as quickly as the capabilities of the technique and the strength of the calculations allowed. And at the same time, be ready to change position at any moment, as soon as it was under fire or the tanks went beyond the distance of confident defeat. And to do this in battle, as a rule, they had to literally on their hands: most often they simply did not have time to fit horses or cars, and the process of loading and unloading the gun took too much time - much more than the conditions of the battle with the advancing tanks allowed.
Heroes with a black diamond on their sleeve
Knowing all this, you are no longer surprised by the number of heroes among the fighters and commanders of anti-tank destroyer subunits. Among them were real gunners-snipers. Such as, for example, the commander of the gun of the 322nd Guards Fighter Anti-Tank Regiment of the Guards Senior Sergeant Zakir Asfandiyarov, who had almost three dozen Nazi tanks on his account, and ten of them (including six "Tigers"!) He knocked out in one battle. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Or, say, the gunner of the 493rd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment gunner Sergeant Stepan Khoptyar. He fought from the very first days of the war, went with battles to the Volga, and then to the Oder, where in one battle he destroyed four German tanks, and in just a few January days of 1945 - nine tanks and several armored personnel carriers. The country appreciated this feat at its true worth: in April of the victorious forty-fifth, Hoptyar was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
But even against the background of these and hundreds of other heroes from among the soldiers and officers of the anti-tank artillery, the feat of the only twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Petrov stands out. Drafted into the army in 1939, he graduated from the Sumy Artillery School right on the eve of the war, and met the Great Patriotic War as a lieutenant, platoon commander of the 92nd separate artillery battalion in Novograd-Volynsky in Ukraine.
Captain Vasily Petrov earned his first "Gold Star" Hero of the Soviet Union after crossing the Dnieper in September 1943. By that time, he was already the deputy commander of the 1850th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, and on his chest he wore two Orders of the Red Star and a medal "For Courage" - and three stripes for wounds. The decree conferring the highest degree of distinction on Petrov was signed on the 24th, and published on December 29, 1943. By that time, the thirty-year-old captain was already in the hospital, having lost both arms in one of the last battles. And if it were not for the legendary order No. 0528, ordering to return the wounded to the anti-tank divisions, the freshly baked Hero would hardly have got a chance to continue fighting. But Petrov, always distinguished by firmness and perseverance (sometimes disgruntled subordinates and bosses said that stubbornness), achieved his goal. And at the very end of 1944 he returned to his regiment, which by that time had already become known as the 248th Guards Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment.
With this regiment of the guard, Major Vasily Petrov reached the Oder, forced it and distinguished himself, holding a bridgehead on the west bank, and then participating in the development of the offensive on Dresden. And this did not go unnoticed: by the decree of June 27, 1945, Artillery Major Vasily Petrov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the spring exploits on the Oder. By this time, the regiment of the legendary major had already been disbanded, but Vasily Petrov himself remained in the ranks. And he remained in it until his death - and he died in 2003!
After the war, Vasily Petrov managed to graduate from the Lviv State University and the Military Academy, received a Ph. D. in military sciences, rose to the rank of lieutenant general of artillery, which he received in 1977, and served as deputy chief of missile forces and artillery of the Carpathian military district. As the grandson of one of General Petrov's colleagues recalls, from time to time, getting out for a walk in the Carpathians, the middle-aged military leader managed to literally drive up his adjutants, who could not keep up with him, on the way up …
Memory is stronger than time
The post-war fate of the anti-tank artillery completely repeated the fate of all the Armed Forces of the USSR, which changed in accordance with the changes in the challenges of the time. Since September 1946, the personnel of units and subunits of anti-tank artillery, as well as subunits of anti-tank rifles, ceased to receive increased salaries. The right to a special sleeve badge, of which the anti-tank crews were so proud, was preserved for ten years longer. But it also disappeared over time: another order on the introduction of a new uniform for the Soviet army canceled this patch.
The need for specialized anti-tank artillery units was gradually disappearing. The cannons were replaced by anti-tank guided missiles, and units armed with these weapons appeared in the state of motorized rifle units. In the mid-1970s, the word “fighter” disappeared from the name of anti-tank subunits, and twenty years later, along with the Soviet army, the last two dozen anti-tank artillery regiments and brigades also disappeared. But whatever the post-war history of Soviet anti-tank artillery may be, it will never undo the courage and those feats with which the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army's anti-tank artillery fighters glorified their branches during the Great Patriotic War.
