2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16
The problem of transporting personnel after the Great Patriotic War deeply worried all Soviet design bureaus, and especially the High Command. Based on past experience, it was obvious that the use of ordinary trucks for this purpose is simply criminal, since any mine, an enemy aircraft raid, or even shelling from small arms can send an entire squad into oblivion. It was against the background of these reflections that the first classic armored personnel carrier 152-BTR appeared.
Track or wheel?
And this question is far from being idle even today. Initially, our designers had no experience, research was carried out in both directions. At first, the caterpillar apologists won: such vehicles bribed with their cross-country ability, they could be hung with a lot of armor. But there were a few problems.
Firstly, the difficulty of training drivers for such vehicleswas high and in no way inferior to study for tankers. Motorized infantry, on the other hand, was a massive branch of the armed forces, and the training of such a number of highly qualified specialists was difficult. In addition, the negative experience of the Great Patriotic War affected.
It's about logistics. Tracked armored personnel carriers, even according to preliminary calculations, should have consumed at least 1/3 more fuel, and if you look at armament in relation to mass, even more. How to bring up such an MVSSU of diesel fuel in the conditions of a new big war?
Besides, wheeled vehicles are incomparably easier to operate, repair and manufacture, they have a much longer motor resource. Finally, such armored personnel carriers are relatively easy to make floating, while with tracked vehicles such a feint is much more difficult to turn. The choice was made, and the 152-armored personnel carrier was born.
Begin development
Already at the beginning of 1946, the production of the ZIS-151 cross-country vehicle was started at the ZIS plant. Again, according to the experience of all previous years, the car was initially made multi-purpose, equally well suited for use both in the national economy and in the armed forces. Soon, the designers realized that the absolutely universal only happens in fairy tales and dreams, and therefore focused on research in the field of a purely army transporter, which received the Object-140 index.
Units from a standard ZIS were used. The frame was also borrowed from him, shortened by 385 mm. But at the same time, the designers used a layout scheme with three axes. ATunlike the original model, both the extended suspension travel and more powerful, extended and reinforced springs were used.
Tire specifications
Tires - with enlarged and powerful lugs, which provided increased flotation on almost any type of soil, in all weather and climatic conditions.
Tires were supposed to use only low pressure (4 kg/cm3). A single gauge was used for all bridges. The designers initially planned to achieve resistance to damage (including during shelling) using a system with two cameras, as well as mounting a device for centralized inflation on the go. In order for the 152-armored personnel carrier to be able to take out troops from dangerous places at maximum speed, the engine of the vehicle was boosted immediately to 118-122 hp. With. (but the guaranteed value did not exceed 110 HP).
Main features of the machine
Hull - bearing type, welded from armor plates, the thickness of which was 6, 8, 10 and 13 mm. Due to the thoughtful and rational inclination of the frontal armor, the latter could "keep" hits from 12.7 mm caliber bullets. The engine compartment is in front of the car, behind it was the control compartment. Like the BTR-40, the troop compartment of this vehicle was located at the rear and was completely open at the top.
To protect the landing force from dust and precipitation, a removable canvas awning was used. The landing and disembarkation of the troops was carried out through the doors in the rear wall of the hull. In front there are two doors through which the driver climbed into the car andshooter.
Means of self-defense armored personnel carriers
The front armor plate had built-in shutters, which made it easier for the crew to covertly view the surroundings. Inspection hatches in combat conditions were supposed to be covered with armored covers with inserts made of tempered, bulletproof glass. The standard self-defense weapon 152-BTR included the following: 7.62-mm SG-47 (Goryunov machine gun), which was later replaced by the SGM. In both cases, the amount of ammunition carried exceeded a thousand rounds.
The weapon could be mounted on one of the brackets that were on each side (two pieces on each). Also on the sides there were six round loopholes at once, using which the crew could fire from personal small arms. The relatively reliable and simple radio station 10-RT-12 was responsible for communication.
Passing state tests, conclusions on them
The first armored personnel carriers-152, photos of which are in the article, were tested in early 1947. Simultaneously "competed" machines of three production series. The test results confirmed the excellent prospects for the new armored personnel carrier. In particular, its cross-country ability significantly exceeded that of the GAZ-63. On the highway, the car could accelerate immediately to 80-85 km / h. Three years later, the BTR-152 model completely passed all stages of testing, the vehicle was officially adopted by the Soviet Army.
Release and subsequent upgrades
Produced an armored personnel carrier at the ZIS plant. In general, everyone agreed that the designers managed to createa fairly simple, but at the same time very reliable car, which is fully consistent with its purpose. Of course, she also had some shortcomings. For example, its specific power was relatively weak, and its cross-country ability (when compared with tracked vehicles) was not up to ideal. But these are all small things.
Further, the BTR-152 was upgraded, after which the vehicles received index B. This variant was put into service already in 1955, and at the same time it was launched into mass production. The main difference from the base model was the components and assemblies from the ZIL-157 off-road truck, which by that time had replaced the ZIL-151 on the factory conveyor. But the main innovation of this machine was the installation of an improved, "advanced" system of centralized air inflation into tires (12.00 x 18).
The cross-country ability and combat survivability of the armored personnel carrier were significantly increased. Finally, 152 armored personnel carriers (Soviet armored personnel carrier) received a powerful self-pulling winch, which greatly simplified the life of its drivers. Modification B1, which appeared in 1957, also received a new version of the central tire inflation system, which was better protected from possible damage. Finally, the car received a new P-113 radio, which was more reliable.
Last modified
Around the same period, TVN-2 night vision devices began to be installed on armored personnel carriers, and a heating system finally appeared in the landing compartment, which was immediately appreciated by the soldiersTransbaikal Military District. In 1959, the Soviet serial BTR-152K entered service, the huge differences of which were the presence of a normal armored roof and an exhaust fan.
The presence of a roof had a very positive effect on the safety of the landing force. In many respects, the application of such a constructive solution was due to the appearance of nuclear weapons in NATO in various variations.
The most important changes of the last modification
Firstly, the height of the case has increased immediately by 300 mm. Along the entire length of the roof there was a hatch closed with armored plates. To make massive covers easier to open, they were articulated with a torsion bar. The spare door was located at the rear of the car, and the spare wheel was fixed on it. A separate hatch was made above the driver's seat, necessary for mounting the TVN-2 night vision device.
As in previous versions, the armored personnel carrier had four brackets for mounting machine guns, but these mounts were not installed along the sides of the hull, but directly on the roof. The SGMB or PKT models could act as weapons. The position of the machine gunner was directly above the control compartment. It should be noted that some of the armored personnel carriers were completely devoid of machine guns.
Unlike past variations, this military BTR-152 did not have crew seats mounted directly on top of the fuel tanks. Because of this, the number of paratroopers decreased, but the combat survivability of the vehicle increased significantly. In addition, innovations are reflected in the designengine which received aluminum cylinder heads.
Creation of self-propelled machine guns
It was this model that was the first and last technique in the practice of the Soviet Army, on the basis of which specialized self-propelled machine guns were created. The first model, BTR-152A (ZTPU-2), began to be produced back in 1950, that is, almost simultaneously with the start of production of the armored personnel carrier itself. Officially, this technique was adopted in 1951.
But in 1952, the real “monster” ZTPU-4 (two twin KPVTs, a total of four barrels with a caliber of 14.5 mm) entered the state tests. The ammunition load of this machine was 2000 rounds. The firepower of the equipment was amazing, but due to the manual aiming mechanisms, which are very difficult to master, the installation did not cause much enthusiasm among the military.
This variant was made in only a few copies, the “spark” was never accepted into service. Much more successful was the ZU-23 with a caliber of 23 mm, as well as a special control vehicle BTR-152U, the distinguishing feature of which was a body with a significantly increased height. This was done in order to fit more equipment in the internal volume.
Today, the mothballed BTR-152s are well-deservedly popular with we althy collectors and lovers of military equipment, and some people make them into special vehicles designed for hunting and fishing trips.
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