The Soviet Union ceased to exist a quarter century ago. The significance of this anniversary is underestimated.
Although the Soviet Union is gone, his legacy vividly to this day: the design and manufacture of superior weapons.
In 2014, often writing for our publication Michael peck said: “the Soviet weapons were a reflection of a different design philosophy. The West had a preference for complicated, expensive and, perhaps, overloaded engineering-nonsense arms. Whether it’s Tiger tanks or the F-35, the main attention he paid to the quality, not quantity. And the Soviets preferred a more cheap and simple weapon that could be produced in large quantities, toss to death in the meat grinder of modern warfare, and then easily create a new to replace him”.
Here is the Pitch material for 2014.
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The Soviet Union is gone, but his legacy alive to this day. Communism was a disaster for the economy and stalled for the ideology, not being able to give people incentives to work, as well as to provide them in sufficient quantity with toilet paper, not to mention the bread and the sausage.
But the Soviet Union did a fine weapon. Not the cars. Not televisions. Some examples of Soviet weapons became legends and are still used in numerous conflicts around the world.
The Soviet weapons were a reflection of a different design philosophy. The West had a preference for complicated, expensive and, perhaps, overloaded engineering-nonsense arms. Whether it’s Tiger tanks or the F-35, the main attention he paid to the quality, not quantity. And the Soviets preferred a more cheap, rough and simple weapon, which can be produce in large quantities, toss to death in the meat grinder of modern warfare, and then easily create a new to replace him. Tips for “good enough” was synonymous with “best”, if it’s “good enough” had on its side the numerical superiority.
In that spirit, I offer you five of the best, in my opinion, models of Soviet weapons.
AK-47
What can you say about the machine, depicted on the national flag of Mozambique? AK-47 is not just a machine. It is an icon, a political Manifesto, a favorite weapon of guerrillas and terrorists during the cold war. The world produced over one hundred million Kalashnikov AK-47, and therefore, even words like “pervasive”, these weapons are not applicable.
© RIA Novosti, Vladimir Vyatkin | go to photobacteria famous inventor of small arms Mikhail Kalashnikov with an AK-47
Inspiration the creators of the AK-47 was gained in a German gun Stg-44. The Kalashnikov is a simple, cheap and reliable weapon that is ideal for Soviet conscripts and poorly trained armies of the third world. If to speak about losses (military and civilian) for the last 60 years, the AK-47 is probably the deadliest weapon on the planet.
T-34 Tank
Whether T-34 best tank of the Second world war? Many strongly deny this statement. But in the minds of frightened German soldiers in 1941, no doubt it was not. Having a powerful gun caliber 76.2 mm, sloped armor thickness of five inches (to provide the best ballistic protection), as well as wide tracks to move through Russian mud, T-34 at that time was superior to any German tank firepower, armor protection, and maneuverability.
© RIA Novosti RIA Novosti | go to fotomontajes T-34 tanks during the attack on the right Bank of the Dnieper
As for the German infantry, it could only with horror and disbelief watching as the shells from her small anti-tank guns bounced off the Russian tank armor like balls, then 30-ton monsters started to push them. One T-34 got 23 hits from 37-mm anti-tank guns, nevertheless, the damage had been minor. If us and British troops was fear of a Nazi heavy “Tigers”, the German infantry was running away from the T-34.
The T-34 had its flaws. Unlike Western tanks, the crew of which were the commander and gunner, the commander of T-34 simultaneously performs the functions of the gunner. Thus, instead of having to command the tank, he was shot out of a cannon (in a later version of the T-34/85 has a separate gunner). Close the tank was uncomfortable, the crew was tired, there was no radio, and the car often broke down.
But the Russians have produced over 84,000 T-34 tanks and for the Germans it made such a profound impression that they are thinking about creating their own version of such a machine (but in the end decided on a more efficient but also more expensive tank “Panther”). Despite the impressive performance of the T-34, Germany in 1941, nearly captured by the Soviet Union. In this can you blame the Soviet tactics, low level of training of the troops, but not a tank. When the Red Army regained its confidence, the Armada T-34 paved the way to Berlin.
Rocket launcher “Katyusha”
Katyusha is a diminutive from the female name Ekaterina. Very paradoxical name for one of the deadliest artillery pieces in history. The name is widespread, and “Katyusha” became known as many samples of rocket artillery from the Golan heights to Darfur.
© RIA Novosti, Selma George | go to photomacrography multiple rocket launchers “Katyusha”, October 1942
The first BM-13 “Katyusha” was a reactive system of volley fire, which was mounted on the truck. Like the T-34, “Katyusha” in 1941 was a shock to the German troops. As it is written in one source of 4.35 tons of explosives for 7-10 seconds to empty an area of four hectares. The Germans had developed their own rocket launchers, calling them Nebelwerfer. American soldiers gave them the nickname “Screaming Mimi.”
Unguided rockets are not very accurate. It is unlikely that you would want to cause a fire “Katyusha” when the enemy approached close to you. But worked Katusha is very effective, and the Soviets liked to suppress it through the German defenses. They sometimes attacked the most powerful massive strikes, creating a huge division artillery, and then sent into battle attacking troops. Even if rockets fell wide of the target, the surviving defenders were too shocked to resist.
The United States turned a portion of their ammunition for reactive systems of volley fire in munitions guided by GPS. In those counterinsurgency wars, which for many years led by the United States, the impact of rockets on the area does not give the desired effect. But for aiming at Israeli cities, Hizbullah, and for the red Army, which after rocket salvo conducted a sweep of the area in search of survivors of the Germans, “Katyusha” was a great weapon.
The MiG-15
At the end of the Second world war, American pilots used to dominate the air, and so the appearance of the MiG-15 in the skies over Korea was a shock. The Soviet jet fighter was so formidable that in the sky over North Korea the b-29, despite support for the fighters, had to switch from day to night bombing.
© RIA Novosti, stringer | go to fotoankaufe to the opening of the monument – plane UTI MiG-15
Created based on captured German technology and have jet engines that the British foolishly sold Moscow, the MiG-15 was fast, highly maneuverable and well-armed machine. He excelled in the class the first U.S. fighter jets like P-80 and F-84. Only when there was a F-86 Sabre, the American pilots were able to fight MiG-15 on equal terms (on many planes then flew the veterans of the Soviet combat aircraft that participated in the war).
The Soviet Union, its satellites of the Warsaw Pact and China has built more than 18,000 MiG-15. He was in service in the air force more than 40 countries.
RPG-7
It would be wrong to say that the RPG-7 has revolutionized the fight against tanks. Towards the end of the Second world war anti-tank rockets became widespread. Among them was the American Bazooka, British PIAT and German Panzerfaust especially.
© RIA Novosti, Mikhail Voskresensky | go to fotobanka local defense forces with a grenade launcher RPG-7 in the suburbs of Damascus
However, it is possible to say that the RPG-7 was an exemplary representative of the hand rocket launchers. Mind you, I don’t even use the word “anti” because the RPG-7 became available artillery poor man, which is used to destroy bunkers, aviation (they shot down an American Blackhawk helicopters in Somalia) and as a weapon for General purpose whenever the soldier needs to be delivered to the explosive charge to the target.
As anti-tank weapons RPG-7 is not very accurate. It is quite successfully used in Vietnam, during the October 1973 war and in other conflicts, but today, this grenade is more suitable for destruction of lightly armored vehicles than modern tanks. However, the RPG has been done so much that it became almost the same icon as the AK-47. There are so many conflicts over the last 50 years you can imagine without a photo of the gunman in camouflage, loose dressing-gown or shirt, holding on her shoulder a long tube? The RPG-7 and its Chinese, Iranian and other copies involved in almost every conflict since 1960-ies.
If military equipment and weapons has become the most important legacy of the Soviet Union, it strongly suggests how little could offer the Soviet communism. However, Soviet arms, has rightfully earned a rightful place in history.
