Katyusha's heavenly relatives

November 23, 2011 3

Japanese pilot: "under the wings of Russian aircraft, I saw flashes of flame"

The world learned about the Soviet achievements in the field of rocket-artillery technology in the first weeks of the Great Patriotic War. Then the volleys of our ground-based multi-rocket launchers for the positions of the Nazis heralded the birth of a new formidable weapons, which the Red Army soldiers soon gave a tender name - Katyusha.

But few people know that the shells that the guards mortar units at the front rained down on the enemy were created on the basis of aviation missiles used during the conflict at Khalkhin Gol. And they were developed by the same design team. However, aircraft, in particular the legendary Il-2 attack aircraft, equipped with aviation missile weapons, played an important role already during the Soviet counteroffensive in the battle for Moscow, the 70th anniversary of which we are celebrating this year.

Meet the new product

Let us turn, however, to the events that took place several years before the tragic and heroic 1941.

Once a special purpose fighter squadron, based near the ancient Russian city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, located in 120 kilometers northeast of Moscow, entered the X-NUMX, the first Soviet fighting vehicle with retractable landing gear, created by A. N. Tupolev and P.O. Dry For that time it was a really good plane. And in terms of armament, he at that time generally surpassed almost all serial fighters, both Soviet and foreign. After all, they had on board only two, a maximum of four machine guns, while the I-14 carried two dynamo-capable guns APK-14 and a pair of ShKAS machine guns.

The car was tested by Nikolay Zvonarev, who graduated from the Odessa school of military pilots in 1932. And he didn’t spread about the most important weapon of the plane - he knew who was supposed to. His fighter could use an additional, completely new combat weapon. Under the wings of the 14, there were eight sharp-nosed rockets, the silhouette of which vaguely resembled predatory pikes. Of course, even on the ground, the pilot carefully read the launch system located in the cab. And having risen to the sky, after pressing the start button, I did not feel anything. It turns out that the plane does not even shudder from the launch of the missiles. “Let's go, let's go!” Exclaimed Zvonarev.

So the pilot met with rocket aircraft armament. For the first flight with live firing followed by a second, third ...

“Only a few read the report on the use of rockets on Khalkhin-Gol with the heading“ Top Secret ”in Moscow”

20 November 1937, the commander of a special squadron of Nikolai Zvonarev, was transferred to the scientific testing ground of aircraft armament, where he was appointed commander of the detachment. He personally tested various guns and machine guns on various planes: the calm P-5, the swift I-16, the maneuverable I-15.

But most of all, Nikolai Ivanovich had to work with ereses - rockets (RS). At that time, cigar-shaped bodies of 82-mm missiles could be seen under the wings of the I-16, larger 132-mm - under the planes of the P-5 and high-speed bombers of the SAT. The main tests of rocket weapons were carried out in the fall of thirty-seventh near Kiev in the 65-th aviation squadron, commanded by 26-year-old Hero of the Soviet Union, Major Pavel Rychagov. When they were successfully completed, Moscow decided to equip the RS with fighters. Its correctness was confirmed by the results of firing rockets from a newly-made pilot batch.

Special group

At the end of May 1939, the commander of the aviation missile test squad, Captain Nikolai Zvonarev, was urgently summoned to the People's Commissar for Defense Voroshilov. After reviewing the pilot's excellent performance attestation, Kliment Efremovich asked:

- How do you, Nikolai Ivanovich, look at the opportunity to participate in hostilities?

- What exactly, comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union?

- We want to create a small group of experienced volunteer pilots and send it to Mongolia. We think the command entrust you. Pick the four best pilots and report to me personally.

After discussing each candidate with the regimental commander, Zvonarev chose senior lieutenants S. T. Pimenov, I. A. Mikhaylenko, V. I. Fedosov and G. A. Tkachenko.

Five minutes before the appointed time, the whole group was at the door of the spacious cabinet of the People's Commissar of Defense. Voroshilov warmly greeted everyone by the hand and said: “The leadership of the country attaches great importance to rocket weapons, which have a great future. So we want to try it in battles with the Japanese. Everything must be done so that the tests for us were successful, and the samurai did not know about this. Therefore, you are not only allowed to fly into enemy territory, but even shoot in that direction during air battles near the border. ”

Then Voroshilov explained that in Chita, the group of Captain Zvonarev would be at the disposal of the commander of 2 rank Stern. The aviation command organizes a strong cover group during the battles. Concluding the conversation, the People's Commissar advised the pilots to take something new out of each air battle, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the new weapon.

Early in the morning, a literary train with passenger cars and cargo platforms departed from Aleksandrov station. In the train heading east, there was a special group of Zvonarev, which in addition to it included four pilots and specialists in missile weapons - military engineer of 2 rank Rank Popovich and military engineer of 1 rank Gubin. On the platforms, six I-16 fighter jets with jet weapons from the first production batch were carefully hidden from prying eyes.

At the headquarters of the Trans-Baikal Military District, Zvonarev was received by the front-line commander, Grigory Stern, a participant in the war in Spain (by the way, the commander of 2 rank - the third after the marshal in the military ranks of the time). He told the captain in detail about the military-political situation. After the occupation of Manchuria and parts of China, the Japanese military constantly began to organize armed provocations near the borders with the Mongolian People's Republic, with which the USSR concluded an agreement on mutual assistance as early as 1936. The anti-Soviet direction of the aggressive policy of Japan was supported by British, French and especially American statesmen. They hoped that the war between the USSR and Japan would mutually weaken both countries, and also distract the Japanese militarists from military and economic penetration into the countries of Southeast Asia.

In the spring of 1939, continued Grigory Mikhailovich, the headquarters of the Kwantung Army developed a plan to seize part of the MPR east of the Khalkhin-Gol river. The goals were serious: by fighting to check the position of the Soviet Union, the preparedness of the Red Army and to take a bridgehead for further aggressive actions.

Military operations began on May 15, 1939, with a Japanese air raid on the position of the border guards of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Army. On the morning of May 28, a Japanese detachment (more than 2500 people) with artillery and armored vehicles, supported by air, attacked Soviet-Mongolian troops on the right bank of the Khalkhin Gol river.

During June, the Japanese pulled up reinforcements and on July 2, large forces again launched an offensive, crossed the Khalkhin Gol and seized the Bayan-Tsakhan mountain. However, a powerful blow by the Soviet tankers and infantry, artillery fire and air strikes on July 5, the enemy was able to be thrown back.

By the beginning of the conflict in Mongolia there was a mixed air brigade as part of the 70 th Fighter and 150 th Mixed Bomber Regiments. At the same time, the second pilots have not yet mastered their SS. As for the pilots of the first, they flew the first X-series with two machine guns and even more outdated I-16. In addition, little was previously raised to the sky, besides, there were less than half serviceable cars. According to Stern, our aircraft initially suffered heavy losses. But in June-July, the situation improved somewhat.

At the headquarters meeting, the commander introduced the Hero of the Soviet Union commander Yakov Smushkevich, in the recent past the famous “General Douglas”, the chief aviation adviser in Republican Spain. It was he who led the Soviet aircraft in the fight against the Japanese Air Force in the sky of Mongolia. “In addition, Captain Zvonarev with a special group of fighters armed with missiles was sent to us from Moscow,” continued Stern. “It is necessary to create all the conditions for its successful combat activities.”

Zvonarev's group was sent to the 22 th Fighter Regiment, commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union, Major Grigory Kravchenko (later he was again rewarded with this high rank). Captain Zvonarev was well acquainted with Grigory Panteleevich: they served together in a special squadron.

Kravchenko 29 May returning from China, 1939 was urgently summoned to the Kremlin. There he met many friends - all pilots with combat experience who fought in Spain. On the same day, 48 pilots, engineers and technicians departed from the Moscow central airfield on three military transport aircraft to Mongolia, including 21 Hero of the Soviet Union.

Major Kravchenko gave a strict order to Captain Zvonarev: on vehicles equipped with the latest rocket weapons, not to get involved in the battle. He fired a volley of rockets and leave. In turn, earlier Kravchenko received a warning from Smushkevich: "If at least one plane from the Zvonarev group is lost, I will take off my head!"

On August 16, all five fighters of a special group flew over to the landing area near the front line, from where combat missions were to be conducted.

Salvos RS

In mid-August the thirty-ninth Japanese command received a report: during the air battle, the fighters of the imperial air force were fired upon by Russian anti-aircraft artillery. But visual observations of the pilots and aerial photographs showed that there were no air defense weapons in the area. A second lieutenant who took part in that battle said: “Under the wings of Russian planes, I saw flashes of flame.”

In the Japanese headquarters they were puzzled: what kind of weapon did Soviet pilots use in the skies over Khalkhin Gol? There were a variety of assumptions. Most of them came down to one thing — the Bolsheviks used some completely new combat means.

The guess was right. The world's first group of fighters armed with missiles successfully participated in the air battles in Mongolia. Of course, then nothing was reported about this either by Pravda, or Izvestia, or by the Red Star. A detailed report on the use of rockets in the conflict on Khalkhin-Gol with the signature “Top Secret” in Moscow was read only by a few.

The Japanese military all materials, which concluded that the destruction was caused by 76-mm artillery shells, were urgently sent to Tokyo. But there the experts were extremely skeptical about the possibility of using cannons of the specified caliber in aviation. After all, according to calculations it turned out: no modern aircraft can not withstand recoil when firing such a gun. Even an ally of the Land of the Rising Sun - Germany did not have such a formidable aviation weapon. And where, they say, to the Russian, with the most technically advanced country of Europe ...

Meanwhile, the offensive of the Soviet-Mongolian troops and on the ground was developing successfully. By the end of August, the Japanese group on the right bank of Khalkhin Gol was completely destroyed. However, the fighting in the sky continued as before. After each departure, ending with a meeting with the enemy, engineer Popovich asked the pilots in detail about the effects of the missiles, about all the noticed flaws.

One of the air battles with Zvonarev took place on August 30. Successfully selecting the moment, the pilot launched a volley of missiles at a dense group of Japanese fighters. Red star cars pounced on the enemy aircraft from all sides. Soviet aviation had no losses.

The centers of resistance of the encircled Japanese troops on Mongolian land were completely suppressed by the August 31. But in September, the Japanese tried to take revenge in the air. For the first 14 days of the month, they lost their 51 machine in battles (ours are just 12). The last battle in the Mongolian sky, not only for the Zvonarev group, but also for all Soviet pilots, was an air battle that flared up on September 15 on 1939. And the next day, 16 September in Moscow, a truce was signed ...

On the occasion of the victorious conclusion of the hostilities and as a sign of gratitude to the Soviet pilots, the Mongolian leader Choibalsan invited Kravchenko and Zvonarev to the banquet. But neither they, nor other pilots and technicians of a special group thought at that time that they had the honor of being the first in the world to use modern missiles in aerial combat. They opened a new page in stories weapon development.

instead of an epilogue

After returning from Mongolia, Nikolai Zvonarev, who received the rank of major and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, resumed his work as a test pilot. He continued it after the Great Patriotic War began. Nikolai Ivanovich gave a start in life to new fighters and bombers. After all, these machines were so necessary to the front!

It was possible for Nikolai Ivanovich to “tame” and Me-110, purchased before the war in Germany. About this fighter newspaper of the Third Reich was written as the "king of air." But our Yak-1, concluded Zvonarev, in no way inferior to the vaunted "Messer." A MiG in speed and altitude significantly exceeded the German car.

At the same time, Zvonarev participated in the continuation of tests of aircraft missiles. At the end of September 1941, he even had to show our missiles to the British military mission. Particular attention was attracted to the guests by the famous Illyushinsky Il-2 attack aircraft and their missile weapons. Then the British showed what it is in business. The effect exceeded all expectations.

During the Moscow battle, the Soviet military command received the first major experience in using aviation in offensive operations. A large role was played by the "Il", equipped not only with cannon-bomb weapons, but also with missile guns RO-82 for launching RS-82 shells. Here is an indicative episode. Only on one day, December 14, pilots of the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps completed 531 sorties. At the same time, they used Eres 146 times. During air attacks of the retreating enemy at the Volokolamsk-Teryaev Sloboda line, our pilots destroyed and disabled seven tanks, 363 vehicles, many other military equipment, as well as a large number of enemy manpower. Moreover, this example is far from an isolated one.

The experience gained in the course of the December counteroffensive under Moscow by the combat use of aircraft with the aforementioned weapons served as the basis for the formation and further development of attack aviation tactics in the course of subsequent major operations of the Great Patriotic War. He also did a good service in the creation and testing of new types of aircraft missiles, not only in the military, but also in the post-war period.