In which city is the armored train Ilya Muromets assembled. Did "Ilya Muromets" destroy "Adolf Hitler"? Brief history and description

During the fighting, "Ilya Muromets" silently sneaked up to the location of the German units and in the blink of an eye with a hurricane fire destroyed the enemy's manpower, equipment and logistics depots of the enemy. In just one minute, Ilya Muromets was able to burn out an area of 400 by 400 meters. German aviation was given a decisive order to destroy the armored train that brought so many problems, but, like its prototype, it remained invincible. Throughout its history, Ilya Muromets has successfully participated in 150 operations. The most famous of them was the duel with the armored train "Adolf Hitler". Once, in the spring of 1944, in the Volyn region of Ukraine, not far from Kovel, Soviet intelligence spotted a strange Nazi artillery battery. She fired for several minutes, and then simply disappeared. There was no way to locate her. This continued until the Soviet command realized that an armored train was working. "Ilya Muromets" was sent to hunt for him. The battle took place on June 4, 1944. Armored trains were opposite each other. A volley of guns from the moving "iron fortresses" sounded almost simultaneously. At the same time, by a happy coincidence, the Germans missed, and the German armored train was torn to shreds. Later it was found that the German armored train Adolf Hitler turned out to be the enemy of Ilya Muromets. So the Russian epic hero won a brilliant victory over the German dictator.

Continuing the series of articles on armored trains of the USSR, we admit two things.

Firstly, we literally fell in love with these railway complexes. This is probably due to the initial lack of knowledge of the issue.

And secondly, the creators of armored trains, engineers, designers, craftsmen, workers, however, like the crews of the BP, today seem to be brilliant adventurers, people for whom nothing really was impossible.

At least, these are the conclusions that come to mind upon close acquaintance with armored trains. In general, they both built and fought. From the heart.

Today we will talk about specific armored trains known to many. Considering that readers are "technically prepared", today it's more about exploits, about daily work, about people...

In spite of everything, the main thing in any armored train is people. Fighters (railroad workers on the BP are also fighters!) And commanders. Artillerymen, machine gunners, anti-aircraft gunners, repair crews, locomotive crews, train crews, bakers, orderlies. In short, the crew!

Let's start with the promised most massive armored train of the Red Army, developed in 1942 - BP-43.

The armored train BP-43 consisted of an armored locomotive PR-43, located in the middle of the train, 4 artillery armored platforms PL-43 (2 armored platforms on both sides of the armored locomotive), 2 armored platforms with anti-aircraft weapons PVO-4 (at both ends of the armored train) and 2-4 control platforms on which the materials or troops necessary for the repair of the railway track were transported.

Typically, an armored train included 1-2 armored vehicles BA-20 or BA-64, adapted for movement by rail.

During the war years, 21 BP-43 armored trains were manufactured for the Red Army. The NKVD troops received the same number of armored trains of this type.

"Heavy" armored trains were armed with 107-mm cannons with a firing range of up to 15 km. Reservation (up to 100 mm) provided protection of vital components from armor-piercing projectiles with a caliber of 75 mm.

On one refueling with fuel and water, the armored train could cover up to 120 km with a maximum speed of 45 km/h. Coal (10 tons) or fuel oil (6 tons) was used as fuel. The mass of the warhead of the armored train did not exceed 400 tons.

Armored vehicles were used for reconnaissance at a distance of 10-15 km and as part of guards (patrol) on the march. In addition, an assault force consisting of up to three rifle platoons could be located on the cover platforms.

Most of the most famous BPs were BP-43s. The most successful design was the Kozma Minin armored train, built in February 1942 in the Gorky-Moskovsky car depot under the guidance of engineer Leonid Dmitrievich Rybenkov.

The combat part of this armored train included: an armored locomotive, 2 covered armored platforms, 2 open artillery armored platforms and 4 two-axle control platforms.

Each covered armored platform was armed with two 76.2 mm cannons mounted in turrets from T-34 tanks. In addition to the 7.62-mm DT machine guns paired with these guns, the armored platforms had four 7.62-mm Maxim heavy machine guns in ball bearings in the sides.

Open artillery sites were divided along the length into three compartments. 37-mm anti-aircraft guns were installed in the front and rear compartments, and the M-8 rocket launcher was located in the central compartment.

The thickness of the side armor of the armored platforms was 45 mm, the covered armored platforms had an upper armor 20 mm thick.

Protected by armor 30-45 mm thick, the armored locomotive was used as traction only in combat conditions. In the campaign and on maneuvers, an ordinary steam locomotive was used. At the tender of the armored locomotive, a commander's cabin was equipped, connected to the driver's booth with an armored door.

From this cabin, the commander of the armored train controlled the actions of the armored sites using telephone communications. For external communications, he had at his disposal a long-range radio station PCM.

Thanks to the presence of four long-barreled 76.2-mm F-32 cannons, the armored train could provide a high concentration of artillery fire and conduct aimed fire at a distance of up to 12 km, and the M-8 launchers allowed it to successfully hit the enemy’s manpower and equipment, working on areas.

During the war, the armored train shot down 14 (according to the memoirs of Commissar Alexei Potekhin) or 15 (official data) aircraft. Participated in the defense of Tula, the liberation of Orel, Bryansk, Gomel.

Once upon a time, the militia assembled by Kozma Minin liberated Moscow from the Poles. And after three hundred and thirty-three years, "Kozma Minin" was already freeing the Poles from the Nazis. Here is such a historical collision ...

The war "Kozma Minin" ended, as befits a hero, in the lair of the enemy. True, he could not enter Berlin. The Germans blew up the bridge over the Oder. So, the armored train stopped 50 kilometers from Berlin.

But on the other hand, after the capitulation of the Nazis, as part of the division, he ensured the safety of the passage of the government train with the delegation of the Soviet Union to the Potsdam Conference of Heads of Government.

No less famous is the "twin brother" of "Minin" - BP "Ilya Muromets".

During the war, he destroyed 7 aircraft, 14 guns and mortar batteries, 36 enemy firing points, 875 soldiers and officers. In addition, the hero "Muromets" destroyed the armored train of the Wehrmacht.

In our history, it is generally accepted that the armored train bore the name of the Fuhrer, because its destruction carries an additional sacred meaning. A Soviet armored train named after a Russian epic hero destroys an enemy armored train named after Hitler.

There is a small problem. Alas, the Adolf Hitler armored train did not exist, just as there was not a single combat unit, except for the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler division, bearing the name of the German Fuhrer.

As for the Leibstandarte, everything is also not so simple, the name of the division can also be translated as "Adolf Hitler's Bodyguards." Actually, the division was formed on the basis of the Fuhrer's personal guard. No one else bore the name of Hitler: neither units, nor ships, nor canals, nor cities or towns. We did not find any mention of an armored train.

But that's not the point, if anything, is it? The bottom line is that the crew of the Soviet armored train "Ilya Muromets" destroyed a German armored train. And this is a fact that does not become less significant, from the fact that the destroyed armored train did not bear the name of the Fuhrer.

Well, a beautiful myth that was invented ... Oh, okay! War is always an information war. And what matters most? That's right, victory. Real, not imagined. After all, reality is always brighter and more interesting than myth.

And in our reality, the 31st separate special Gorky armored train division, which included the Ilya Muromets and Kozma Minin armored trains, was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. For outstanding military service.

About the battle of "Ilya Muromets" with a German armored train, they generally made up three boxes, to be honest. It took a lot of time to figure out in detail what happened there.

The story that "Ilya Muromets" and the German BP almost came together head-to-head has come down to this day and is still being rewritten. In fact, this whole story with one volley that destroyed the enemy’s BP to pieces is quite fantastic.

And now we want to present our version to the court. Different from the generally accepted on the web.

So, the German armored train (Not Adolf Hitler, as it turned out, but No. 11 or No. 76, we are still clarifying) in June 1944 began to systematically and regularly fire at the objects of our troops in the area of the Kovel station in the Volyn region of Ukraine.

Some sources give this picture:

“Taking advantage of the pedantry of the Germans and the peculiarities of the terrain, the headquarters of the armored division developed a plan of operation. At the same time, the gunners were supposed to disable the railway track in order to cut off the escape route for the enemy armored train, and the Ilya Muromets was supposed to have a parking lot closer to the stealth battery. In order not to frighten off the enemy, we decided to start actions without shooting.

Let's leave it on the conscience of those who wrote all this, since this literary work is completely untrue. Further in the text were data on the consumption of shells (10 per gun). What makes the picture generally fantastic.

Recall that Ilya had 4 F-34 guns with a caliber of 76 mm. Total - 40 shells to destroy enemy tracks and armored trains. No shooting.

Of course, there was a shooting. And there was just a magnificent work of artillery reconnaissance of our armored train. While the Germans were having fun, a map of their movement was drawn up and the point from which the fire was opened was calculated. And, of course, there was a shooting. From the position from which Ilya was supposed to open fire. This was the point.

During research on this topic, we came across the memories of Captain (at that time) Alexander Vasilchenko, an artillery reconnaissance officer of a howitzer regiment. Vasilchenko said that in the case when it was undesirable to draw attention to the fact of zeroing, the zeroing was carried out with training shells. That is, perfect blanks that did not explode.

It is possible, very possible, that along the approach paths of the German armored train they were shooting in this way. As an option - armor-piercing shells.

It was not worth shooting rocket launchers, since it is still work in areas.

But nevertheless, a hell of a task for scouts and spotters. But after all, they did it in the end.

Further. Indeed, the punctuality of the Germans is a thing that allowed them to use it for their own purposes. The time of the exit of the German armored train to the point of opening fire was known for certain, and this point was calculated quite accurately.

1. "Ilya Muromets" in advance, in the dark, carefully, without unmasking himself, goes to a predetermined position. With the first rays of the sun, a preliminary aiming takes place at the place where the German should go. Then everyone burns packs of nerves, and intelligence and spotters also have eyes.

2. Guns are infected with high-explosive fragmentation shells. That's right, the explosion of an HE shell makes it possible to quickly detect the place of impact and correct further firing. PC installations are also charging. Both.

3. After drinking coffee and having breakfast, the Germans begin to advance. The crew of "Ilya Muromets" is waiting for the end of the process. As soon as intelligence gives the go-ahead that the German is in position, the first salvo follows.

Shoots the first installation of rockets. Just sighting, a few missiles, then adjustment and fire two installations. The aiming point is behind the armored train in order to destroy the railway track.

Guns "Ilya" give the first sighting volley. Correction and then really quick fire, all the same, on the canvas, or on the locomotive, but this is more difficult.

From the fact that the German BP remained in place, it follows that they were most likely slapped on the way. And it is the RS, because the 76-mm projectile is not enough. But the 82-mm rocket projectile - but as for us, it’s quite.

4. The Germans, of course, having fallen into such a bind, begin to urgently turn their towers in the direction of Ilya. But, unlike our fighters, they need time to turn, aim, adjust. Time they just don't have.

By the way, the flight range of the RS-82, with which Ilya was armed, gives an understanding of the distance at which the battle took place. The F-34 cannon was capable of throwing an HE grenade at 9-10 km, an armor-piercing projectile flew at 4 km. RS-82 could fly 5.5 km.

From here, the battle distance was less than 5 km. Not point blank, but...

5. The Germans give the first sighting salvo. A maximum of 5-6 minutes have passed since the beginning of the battle. The shells, to put it mildly, do not land next to our armored train. It affects the lack of coordinates, the fuss caused by an unexpected battle, and so on.

Well, the Germans did not like the fuss, what to do.

But ours could, knew how, practiced. We do not know how long it took the Ilya Muromets fighters to reload the RS installations. But we think that it is less than the standard 10 minutes.

6. The second volley of "Ilya Muromets". I mean rocket launchers. The guns were supposed to pick the German without stopping. The sight is no longer in the rails, but in the armored train itself.

Actually, everything. Got it. The fight is over.

The report noted that "the enemy's armored train was enveloped in white puffs of smoke or steam." It is obvious that they fell into the boiler.

A month later, in July 1944, Kovel was released. And the Soviet soldiers discovered a broken-down armored train of the Germans. The best confirmation of the success of the Ilya Muromets crew.

Here is such a story. It is clear that the armored trains did not converge head-on, otherwise they would not have to wait to photograph the broken enemy armored train. But - and so just fine.

The only battle of two armored trains in the entire Second World War ended in the victory of ours "for a clear advantage."

In the next part, we will talk about the armored train, from which our close acquaintance with trains began. It will be an armored train No. 13 "Tula Rabochiy" and its twice peculiar history. In detail and with video stories of the creators of his second incarnation.

One of the few battles of armored trains in the history of the Great Patriotic War took place on June 4, 1944, when our "Ilya Muromets" and the German train "Adolf Hitler" met in battle. This post will introduce you to the course of this battle.

Our facilities near Kovel, a major transport hub of the Volyn region in Ukraine, began to be subjected to very short (two to three minutes) morning shelling, and at the same time.

Neither ground reconnaissance nor aviators succeeded in detecting the location of the enemy battery. It was assumed only that the enemy armored train was operating.

Taking advantage of the pedantry of the Germans and the peculiarities of the terrain, the headquarters of the armored division developed a plan of operation. At the same time, the gunners were supposed to disable the railway track in order to cut off the escape route for the enemy armored train, and the Ilya Muromets was supposed to have a parking lot closer to the stealth battery. In order not to frighten off the enemy, we decided to start actions without shooting.

Soon the observers of "Ilya Muromets" found a German armored train moving to firing positions. They could make out faint streaks of smoke. A report was received in the commander's cabin, after which the command followed: “On target! Ten rounds per gun! Rocket launchers in two volleys! Armored trains! Fire!"

Shots fired from both sides almost simultaneously. Gunners "Ilya Muromets" fired better than the enemy. The German armored train was covered from the very first salvo. True, he managed to return a salvo, but the shells missed the target. "Katyushas" completed the defeat of the enemy armored train. Soon it was all over. Puffs of steam hung over the armored train. Apparently, the shell hit the boiler of the locomotive.

When Kovel was liberated from the Nazis on July 6, 1944, the soldiers of the 31st division visited the broken enemy armored train. He was never removed from the place where he found his end. The fighters also learned that the enemy armored train bore the name of the Fuhrer of the Third Reich. It turned out to be very symbolic that "Ilya Muromets" destroyed "Adolf Hitler".

Booking and arming trains began in the first half of the 19th century. But this type of mobile armored vehicles showed itself most actively during the Great Patriotic War, although it was previously used by both warring parties in the First World War and in civil campaigns. Even in both Chechen conflicts, special armored trains were used, four of which are still in service with the Russian army. The most productive in military campaigns can rightly be called Soviet armored trains, some of which went through the entire Second World War.

Special Division

At the beginning of 1942, the 31st separate separate division of armored trains was formed in the Soviet army. Before such a connection did not exist in any army in the world. Armored trains were equipped with rocket artillery, guns protected by tank turrets. The combat units of the division operated for three years, until May 1945. Soviet armored trains reached the capital of the Third Reich.

The division, awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, destroyed the fascist armored train "Adolf Hitler", over forty artillery and mortar batteries, more than twenty separate guns, almost a dozen bunkers, about a hundred enemy machine-gun emplacements, dozens of enemy aircraft.

The combat units of the division had sonorous names that instilled awe in the hearts of the enemy.

"Russian Ghost" "Ilya Muromets"

"Ilya Muromets" in 1942 was presented to the fighters of the Soviet army by the Murom railway workers. The armored train was equipped with 45 mm armor and never once during its operation was it pierced by an enemy shell. "Muromets" is the first armored train of its kind, on which Katyusha rocket launchers were installed. In a minute, this mobile colossus "covered" an area equal to four hectares, in a radius of one and a half kilometers.

"Muromets" was a fairly fast and relatively silent armored train, at the same time, possessing colossal firepower. For which he received the nickname "Russian Ghost" from the Germans. The “illusion” of an armored unit, meanwhile, had a very real impact: “Ilya Muromets” during the Great Patriotic War shot down 7 enemy aircraft, destroyed a dozen enemy artillery and mortar installations, hit over 30 firing points and destroyed more than 800 Nazis.

The most famous battle of "Muromets" is the battle in 1944 near Kovel with the fascist armored train "Adolf Hitler", the only head-on battle of such armored vehicles in the Great Patriotic War. And our railway giant emerged victorious from this battle.

"Ilya Muromets" did not reach Berlin only 50 kilometers, and then only "for technical reasons": the bridge over the Oder was destroyed.

"Kozma Minin" shot down 15 aircraft

Another armored train from the glorious cohort of a separate armored division, which has been operating since February 1942. Its Gorky railway workers also built it at their own expense. The Minin anti-aircraft artillery mounts could hit 12 kilometers, in addition, heavy-caliber and anti-aircraft machine guns were strengthened on the KM platforms. For three years of operation, "Minin" shot down 15 enemy aircraft, "KM" provided great support to our troops who fought on the Kursk Bulge.

"Baltic" support in breaking the Leningrad blockade

The armored train "Baltiets" is one of the first such combat units operating in the Soviet army since the beginning of World War II. The fate of the construction of this machine does not differ from the history of the appearance of its other analogues - the Baltiyets was also made at their own expense by the workers of the Leningrad-Baltic Electric Depot. The armored train became operational in July 1941 and was sent to the Leningrad Front. The Leningrad junction had a well-developed railway network, and therefore the Baltiets could, without harming itself, perform daring maneuvers, as a result of which it inflicted significant damage on the enemy.

The armored train provided serious assistance in breaking the blockade of Leningrad in January 1943, supporting the infantrymen with artillery strikes. During the decisive offensive of the Soviet troops, liberating the northern capital from the Nazis, the Baltiets advanced along with the advancing formations of the Red Army.

During the years of the Civil War, the Red Army gained vast experience in the use of armored rolling stocks, armored trains. They were used both for fire support of troops and for conducting independent, sometimes very daring, military operations in the railroad strip. At the same time, such qualities of armored trains as speed of movement and maneuverability, firepower, powerful armor protection and the possibility of using an armored train as a traction force for transporting 15 wagons with cargo of particular importance were widely used. In October 1920, the armored forces of the Red Army had 103 armored trains.

At the end of the Civil War, the number of armored trains was sharply reduced, and their transfer at the end of 1923 to the Main Artillery Directorate did not contribute to further improvement, since this department considered armored trains only as artillery on railway platforms.

During the Great Patriotic War, armored trains usually operated as part of divisions. For example, the Kozma Minin armored train, along with the Ilya Muromets armored train of the same type, was part of the 31st Separate Special Gorky Armored Train Division. To ensure combat activities, the division was given a black S-179 steam locomotive, a BD-39 armored rubber, two BA-20 armored vehicles, three motorcycles and ten vehicles. The personnel of the division, together with the attached airborne mortar company, amounted to 335 people.

Armored trains were used by the Red Army throughout the Great Patriotic War. In addition to supporting rifle units operating in the railway zone, they were used to defeat enemy troops in the area of important railway stations, to protect the coast and fight artillery. Anti-aircraft armored trains armed with 25-mm and 37-mm anti-aircraft guns and 12.7-mm DShK anti-aircraft machine guns played an exceptionally important role in protecting railway stations from enemy air strikes.

The successful use of armored trains in the first months of the war contributed to the deployment of their construction in the car depots of a number of cities. At the same time, the design and armament of armored trains was largely an improvisation and depended on the availability of armored steel, weapons and technological capabilities of the depot. A significant part of the armored trains that were in service with the Red Army by the beginning of World War II was manufactured at the Bryansk base of armored trains.

As of June 22, 1941, the Red Army had 53 armored trains (of which 34 were light), which included 53 armored locomotives, 106 artillery armored vehicles, 28 air defense armored vehicles and more than 160 armored vehicles adapted for movement by rail. There were also 9 armored tires and several motorized armored cars. In addition to the Red Army, the operational troops of the NKVD also had armored trains. They had 25 armored locomotives, 32 artillery armored platforms, 36 motorized armored cars and 7 armored vehicles.

The most common type of armored trains in the second half of World War II was the so-called armored train of the 1943 model, the BP-43, developed in 1942.

As a rule, the BP-43 armored train consisted of the PR-43 armored locomotive located in the middle of the train, 4 PL-43 artillery armored platforms (2 armored platforms on both sides of the armored locomotive), 2 armored platforms with PVO-4 anti-aircraft weapons (at both ends of the armored train) and 2 - 4 control platforms, on which the materials necessary for the repair of the railway track were transported. Typically, an armored train included 1 - 2 armored vehicles BA-20 or BA-64, adapted for movement by rail.

During the war years, 21 BP-43 armored trains were manufactured for the Red Army. A significant number of armored trains of this type were also received by the NKVD troops.

The crew of the combat unit consisted of a command, a control platoon, platoons of armored cars with turret crews and squads of onboard machine guns, an air defense platoon, a platoon of thrust and movement and a platoon of railway armored vehicles, which had 2 light armored vehicles BA-20zhd and 3 medium armored vehicles BA-10zhd, adapted for rail traffic. They were used for reconnaissance at a distance of 10-15 km and as part of guards (patrol) on the march. In addition, an assault force consisting of up to three rifle platoons could be located on the cover platforms.

Armored train "Kozma Minin"

The Kozma Minin armored train, built in February 1942 in the carriage depot of the city of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod), had the most successful design.

The combat part of this armored train included: an armored locomotive, 2 covered armored platforms, 2 open artillery armored platforms and 4 two-axle control platforms. Each covered armored platform was armed with two 76.2 mm cannons mounted in turrets from T-34 tanks. In addition to the 7.62-mm DT machine guns paired with these guns, the armored platforms had four 7.62-mm Maxim heavy machine guns in ball bearings in the sides. Open artillery sites were divided along the length into three compartments. 37-mm anti-aircraft guns were installed in the front and rear compartments, and the M-8 rocket launcher was located in the central compartment. The thickness of the side armor of the armored platforms was 45 mm, the covered armored platforms had an upper armor 20 mm thick. Protected by armor 30-45 mm thick, the armored locomotive was used as traction only in combat conditions. In the campaign and on maneuvers, an ordinary steam locomotive was used. At the tender of the armored locomotive, a commander's cabin was equipped, connected to the driver's booth with an armored door. From this cabin, the commander of the armored train controlled the actions of the armored sites using telephone communications. For external communications, he had at his disposal a long-range radio station PCM. Thanks to the presence of four long-barreled 76.2-mm F-32 cannons, the armored train could provide a high concentration of artillery fire and conduct aimed fire at a distance of up to 12 km, and the M-8 launchers allowed it to successfully hit enemy manpower and equipment.

Armored train "Ilya Muromets"

The armored train "Ilya Muromets" was built in 1942 in Murom. It was protected by armor 45 mm thick and did not receive a single hole during the entire war. The armored train went from Murom to Frankfurt an der Oder. During the war, he destroyed 7 aircraft, 14 guns and mortar batteries, 36 enemy firing points, 875 soldiers and officers. For military merit, the 31st Separate Special Gorky Armored Train Division, which included the Ilya Muromets and Kozma Minin armored trains, was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. In 1971, the Ilya Muromets armored steam locomotive was put into permanent parking in Murom.

Armored trains of the Tomsk railway

In early December 1941, on the instructions of the State Defense Committee, the formation of three divisions of armored trains began on the Tomsk Railway. The depot workers built 11 armored trains: "Railwayman of Kuzbass", "Soviet Siberia", "Victory", "Luninets" (named after the driver Nikolai Alexandrovich Lunin) and others.

In the July days of 1942, on the Yelets - Kastornaya section armored train №704 "Luninets" took the first fight. The commander of the armored train was faced with the task of landing infantry troops in the rear of the Nazis in the area of the Terbuny station with an important strategic height and supporting it with fire. The Nazis, who did not expect a swift throw to their rear, left the height. The armored train was attacked by 11 fascist planes. Anti-aircraft gunners steadfastly defended the steel fortress. During the reflection of the raid, 2 bombers were shot down.

On September 8, 1942, an armored train was taking on water at the station when 18 German planes flew in. Ahead bombs destroyed the path. The machinist P. A. Khursik with sixteen workers restored the track. At the reverse at that time was the driver M.F. Shchipachev. Maneuvering on a small section of the surviving track, he saved the train from Nazi bombs.

On April 27, 1943, they were transferred to the defense sector of the 13th Army of the Central Front armored trains No. 663 "Railwayman of Altai" and No. 704 "Luninets" 49th separate division. On July 6, 1943, in the Ponyri area, armored trains of the 49th division entered the battle, supporting the regiments of the 81st and 307th rifle divisions. With active fire support from the armored trains "Luninets" and "Railwayman of Altai", the army formations managed to stop the enemy's desperate offensive. The Nazi command developed a special operation to destroy armored trains, in which aviation played the main role. When the "Luninets" and "Railwayman of Altai" reached the chosen positions for the next fire strike on the enemy, 36 enemy aircraft appeared above the armored trains. They managed to break the tracks, depriving the armored train "Railwayman of Altai" of the possibility of retreat. But the crews of the steel fortresses fired from all anti-aircraft weapons. The Nazis lost several planes. Crews of armored trains and railroad workers worked all night. They raised armored platforms, laid rails. In the morning, the 49th ODBP again went on a combat mission.

On July 9, 1943, the Luninets armored train again opened fire on the enemy. On the southwestern outskirts of the Ponyri village, near the station, he repelled dozens of Nazi attacks. Together with the soldiers of the 4th Guards Airborne Division, the crew of the armored train carried out the order of the commander of the Central Front, General of the Army K.K. Rokossovsky: "Don't give up divers!" The crew of the armored train did not leave the battle for a day. Commander of the armored forces of the 13th Army, General M.A. Korolev through the commander of the armored train, Captain B.V. Shelokhov declared gratitude to all personnel. During the fighting in the Ponyri area, the soldiers of the 49th division destroyed more than 800 fascist soldiers and officers.

After the defeat of the Nazi armies on the Kursk Bulge, the combat path of the armored train lay in Ukraine. On February 13, 1944, the 49th ODBP under the command of Captain D.M. Shevchenko was awarded the honorary title "Shepetovsky" by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. In the battles for Shepetovka, the crews of armored trains made 56 fire raids, repelled 15 enemy attacks. Armored trains participated in the liberation of Czestochowa, Piotrkow, Radom. The division finished its combat path in Lower Silesia, in the city of Oppeln.

Armored train "Baltiets"

On July 3, 1941, at a rally in the Leningrad-Baltic Electric Depot, it was decided to build an armored train on its own, using the Op-7599 steam locomotive and 2 four-axle platforms with a carrying capacity of 60 tons. Rolled steel for the lining of the locomotive was supplied by the Izhora plant.

The armored train was armed with six 76-mm guns, two 120-mm mortars and 16 machine guns, including 4 large-caliber ones. The name of the armored train - "Baltiets" - was given by the workers themselves. The armored train team was formed from volunteer railroad workers of the electric depot and regular artillerymen.

Since the autumn of 1941, the armored train "Baltiets" has been defending the borders of Leningrad. He could fire from fifteen firing positions in various sectors of the front: from the position of Myaglovo-Gora - at Mge; from Coal Harbor - along Sosnovaya Polyana and Strelna; from Predportovaya - along Uritsk, Krasnoye Selo, Voronya Gora; from the positions of Levashovo, Beloostrov, Oselki, Vaskelovo - to the area beyond Lembolovo - Orekhovo.

Armored train "People's Avenger"

The armored train "People's Avenger" was built by the railroad workers of the Leningrad-Warsaw junction. The armament of the armored train consisted of two 76-mm anti-aircraft guns, two 76-mm tank guns, and 12 Maxim machine guns.

The combat path "People's Avenger" began on November 7, 1941. At the Varshavsky railway station, during a rally, the railroad workers presented the team of the armored train, which consisted of 85% of volunteer railroad workers, with a red flag. During its service, the armored train participated in many operations to defend Leningrad, smashed the enemy in the areas of Pushkin, Aleksandrovka, Uritsk, Pavlovsk.

Armored trains in the Battle of Stalingrad

In August 1942, when the Nazis came close to Stalingrad, armored trains were called upon to play an important role in the defense of the city.

Among the first armored trains that arrived near Stalingrad was armored train №73 troops of the NKVD. In September 1942, the armored train did not leave the battlefield. On September 2, the headquarters of the 10th Infantry Division of the NKVD troops warned that a large group of tanks was moving towards the Sadovaya station. The armored train met them fully armed. In retaliation, the enemy brought down aircraft on the train, began to pursue it with artillery and mortar fire. All four control platforms and the BA-20 armored car burned down. But on the very next day, the armored train made a sudden attack on the concentration of invaders northwest of Sadovaya station. Three tanks were destroyed, infantry scattered. By evening, the crew made two more fire raids in the area of Opytnaya station.

September 14 turned out to be the last day in the combat fate of the armored train No. 73. At six in the morning, 40 enemy planes flew in. Due to direct hits on the armored vehicles, their own ammunition exploded. Clouds of smoke clouded the armored train. The crew removed the surviving weapons and went down to the Volga. The mutilated skeleton of the armored train No. 73 remained lying at the foot of Mamayev Kurgan. But soon a new fortress on wheels went to the front under the same number. It was created in Perm by former fighters of the armored train No. 73. They also made up a new crew.

Armored trains of the 28th division were sent to the Stalingrad front. At the Archeda station on July 23, fascist planes bombed our military trains three times. Armored train №677 He received his baptism of fire here: he fired from anti-aircraft guns, repelling an air attack. As a result of the raid, the station and the railway track were destroyed. The path was restored by the forces of the soldiers of the armored train and railway workers. On July 25, the 677th was allocated the combat sector Kalach-on-Don - Krivomuzginekaya - Karpovskaya - Stalingrad. The task was set - to support our troops with fire from cannons and machine guns, to prevent the Nazis from breaking through the Don, to fight enemy landings.

On August 5, armored train No. 677 was transferred to the 64th Army in the Abganerovo-Plodovitoe area. German tanks broke through into the depths of our defenses, but were immediately thrown back. The 47th kilometer siding passed from hand to hand several times. The steel fortress destroyed bunkers, suppressed mortar and artillery batteries.

On August 9, the troops of the Stalingrad Front launched a counterattack on the enemy grouping that had broken through. On this day, armored train No. 677 accompanied the offensive of the 38th Infantry Division together with the 133rd Tank Brigade with gun fire. During the day, the crew repelled eleven air attacks, restoring the railroad track, pitted with deep craters from aerial bombs. By evening, the armored train went beyond the output semaphore of Tinguta station. Having reached the firing line, he fell upon the enemy with all the power of fire. Nazi bombers bombarded him with high-explosive and incendiary bombs. The armored train received over six hundred dents and holes from fragments of aerial bombs.

On the Stalingrad-Sarepta site in September 1942 was armored train №708. The trackmen of the Beketovskaya station served the 11-kilometer section along which this armored train went on combat missions. The site was shelled and bombed daily by the Nazis. Only for three kilometers there were about 150 damage to the rails, not counting the destruction of the embankment, sleepers, fasteners. To fix all this, the railroad workers had to work mostly at night.

In September 1942 armored train number 1 The 59th separate division was ordered to depart for Stalingrad, to the Arched - Ilovlya - Kotluban section. Near Stalingrad, the division was subordinated to the 22nd mechanized brigade of the 4th tank army. The task of the division was to prevent the crossing of German troops across the Don River near the mouth of the Ilovlya River, to cover the Ilovlya station from German air raids, and to ensure the safety of the bridge across the river.

On September 15, train No. 1 arrived at the Log station, and then to Ilovlya, where later its main parking was, which was bombed daily. Repeatedly, at night, train No. 1 left Ilovlya, went to the Tishkino junction (closer to Stalingrad), from where it fired at German positions on the right bank of the Don River.

The 40th separate division operating north of Stalingrad controlled the Ilovlya-Kotluban section. It included armored train "Kirov", built in Omsk, and "Northern Kazakhstani", which emerged from the walls of the Peter and Paul depot. In this sector, the enemy captured the dominant heights and kept under control all the echelons advancing nearby. Armored trains alternately went to convenient positions for fire raids on the enemy. August 23 at dawn, "Kirov" went to fire direct fire in height. An artillery duel ensued, three enemy guns were put out of action, but the armored train also received considerable damage.

On the Ilovlya-Kotluban section, when the invaders went on the offensive, the armored trains repulsed the attacks of tanks and artillery. But from the blows of enemy shells, two armored platforms "Kirov" derailed. The other two continued to meet with fire the manpower and equipment of the Nazis. By evening, the railway track was destroyed. All night it was restored by the fighters of "Kirov". However, after a technical check, I had to go to Saratov for repairs.

In the second half of October 1942, the 39th ODBP arrived near Stalingrad. Its base was located at the Filonovo station, and the armored trains were located at the Archeda station. On November 19, after the start of our general offensive near Stalingrad, armored trains left for the Log and Ilovlya stations to support the Soviet attacking units and protect them from air raids. On January 26, 1943, one Junkers was shot down by anti-aircraft gunners of the division, and several others, puffing, went home.

In preparing the material, the book of A.V. Efimiev, A.N. Manzhosova, P.F. Sidorov "Armored trains in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945." - Moscow, from-in "Transport", 1992.