Do you know anything about the KV-4? It is a super-heavy tank with a huge body, slow movement, and a powerful 107mm gun. But what you may not know is that the KV-4 is not a single design, but a family of tanks containing 27 different schemes! What are the characteristics of each of them? Come with me and take a look!
The KV-4 was born out of an intelligence mistake when in early 1941 the Soviets learned that Germany was about to put into operation a 90-ton tank VII armed with a 105-mm long-barreled gun (in fact, a 105-mm howitzer VK.).6501, but that's a story for another time). In response to this threat, the USSR put forward requirements for the development of a new super-heavy tank KV-4 - combat weight 80-100 tons, driven by a 1200-horsepower M-40 aero engine, armor thickness 125-130 mm, the main ** is the newly developed 107-mm ZIS-6 gun of the Grabin Design Bureau, and the secondary ** is a 45-mm gun.
In response to this request, Kotin, the head of the SKB-2 design bureau of the Kirov plant, organized a labor contest in which engineers were encouraged to come up with their own KV-4 designs, and the top 7 schemes received cash prizes: 5000 rubles for the 1st place, 3000-1000 rubles for the 2nd-7th place, respectively. Although some engineers did not think much of the concept of a "super-heavy tank", the money allowed them to actively participate in the competition - by May 1941, the design bureau had received 27 proposals, of which 11 and 13 engineers were awarded. Let's take a brief look at the features of these solutions.
Dukov (n.).Dukhov) is the lightest of all and the most well-known in the KV-4 form. It weighs 82 tons and has a maximum speed of 40 kilometers. It has a traditional layout that resembles an enlarged T-220 – with an elongated body and eight pairs of load-bearing wheels. The 45-mm secondary gun and the 107-mm main gun were coaxically mounted, and there was one on top of the turret with a 7Machine gun turret for 62 mm DT machine gun.
Kuzmin (K.).Kuzmin), Tara Patine (P.).tarapatin) and Tarotko (V.).Tarotko) jointly designed scheme, the KV-4 KTTS, took second place. It weighs 88 tons and has a top speed of 36 kilometers. It was distinguished by a fixed fighting compartment in the rear of the hull, in which a 60-mm gun with a firing range of 107 degrees was mounted; The 45 mm secondary gun is mounted in a secondary turret that can rotate 360 degrees, with a maximum elevation angle of 80 degrees, which can theoretically be used for air defense.
Zetz (N.).tseits) won the third place and was also considered the most mature. It adopted the layout of the rear drive of the engine, the turret presented a tall cylindrical shape, and the whole ammunition of the 107 mm main gun was placed vertically along a large seat for quick reloading; It canceled the 45-mm secondary gun and had only two 7Anti-infantry fire was provided by a 62-mm DS machine gun and a flamethrower on the hull.
Yermolaev (A.Ermolaev), as one of the main designers of the SMK multi-turret tank, proposed two similar KV-4 schemes, both of which were awarded. Both schemes have a 3-mm gun installed in a main turret similar to the KV-107 with a maximum speed of 41 kilometers. Scheme 1 installed a 45-mm secondary turret in the right front of the hull; Option 2 removed the secondary turret and reduced the weight from 95 to 90 tons.
Sechev (L. Sechev.)Sychev) made some improvements on the basis of Yermolaev, including the change of the front part of the hull to inclined armor, and the turret received a square turret in the style of T-220, similar to the Dukov scheme, with a machine-gun tower on top. The 45-mm secondary turret was also mounted in the left front of the hull. The expected weight is 95-100 tons.
Shash Mulim (n.).shashmurin) weighing 92 tons, received an award of 1000 rubles. He lengthened and widened the hull (10 m long and 4 m wide), the frontal armor was 180 mm thick, and a 107 mm gun with a 30-degree left and right firing range was installed in the middle of the hull. The sub-** consisted of a 1-mm L-76 gun mounted in the KV-11 turret, as well as 6 machine guns. The maximum speed is slightly reduced to 35 km/h.
Kreslavsky (M.).Kresl**Sky), that is, the KV-4 K, removed the secondary turret, changed the secondary gun to be coaxial with the main gun, installed together in the main turret, and the pitch angles were all -7 +15 degrees. There is a machine gun in the front of the hull, in the rear of the turret, and in the commander's tower. The overall layout is similar to the "Mouse" type, for the cockpit - engine - fighting compartment - transmission, weighing 926 tons, maximum speed 45 km/h.
Kruchenech (G.Kruchenykh) was the heaviest of all and amounted to 107 tons, but the general layout was about the same as Kreslavsky's. A 107-mm gun with 105 rounds of ammunition and a coaxial DT machine gun were installed in the main turret; The secondary turret is located at the rear of the turret and houses a 45mm gun and coaxial machine gun, and on the right side of it, there is a machine gun turret!
Buganov (K.;Buganov's 93-ton class scheme adopted a rear-mounted turret with inclined armor, improved shell-resistant profile, a cylindrical 45-mm secondary turret was installed on the right side of the turret roof, the engine and transmission were moved to the front of the hull, the frontal thickness was increased to 190 mm, and the top was protected by a cover plate with a large inclination. Shock absorbers have been added to the suspension for a top speed of 45 km/h.
Turchaninov (G.turchaninov) and Mikhailov (p.dMikhailov proposed a 45-mm secondary gun with a 45-degree range of fire from the left and right, in addition to three DT machine guns and one flamethrower for additional firepower. The main ** is a 107 mm gun with 85 rounds of ammunition, mounted in a turret with an inverted cast. The full weight of the tank is 865 tons, maximum speed 50 km/h.
Pereverzev (L. Pereverzev).Pereverzev) was designed broadly similar to Yermolaev, with minor adjustments in the thickness of the armor, the frontal was changed to 125 mm. The tank weighs about 100 tons, is powered by a 1,000 hp diesel engine, and has a top speed of 39 kilometers.
Moskovin (G.;Moskvin), weighing 101 tons, has a conventional layout, with the driver in front, the fighting compartment and turret in the middle of the hull, followed by the engine and drivetrain. The front armor was 130 mm, and the side rear - 125 mm. The main and auxiliary ** combination is still a 107 mm main gun + a 45 mm gun in the secondary turret, accompanied by 2-3 762 mm DS machine gun with flamethrower.
Marishkin (Fmarishkin) was relatively conservative in design, weighing 864 tons, the frontal maintained a level of protection of 130 mm. The hull design is basically borrowed from the KV-1, which is equipped with a large turret, and the 45mm secondary turret is arranged on the right to avoid damage to the crew when the 107 mm gun is in the rear seat. The maximum speed is 40 km/h.
Strukov (n..)Strukov's scheme is similar to Moskvin's in terms of equipment and performance parameters, which will not be repeated here.
Although the labor competition of the KV-4 produced many interesting schemes, none of them were actually developed, and only a few of the design ideas were applied to the later KV-5. With the outbreak of World War II, the development of all super-heavy tanks was forced to be suspended, and even the more than 600 107-mm ZIS-6 guns pre-produced for the KV-4 were destroyed because they did not have suitable vehicles.